It's years since David and I last went clubbing and it takes a few moments for my ears to adjust to the awful noise that seems to pass for dance music these days. As we step into the room, I'm hit with that same old familiar dance floor smell -- that mixture of booze and body odour that no one seems to notice whilst under the influence but could knock you out when you're sober. I guess some things never change. I take David's hand and lead him around the dance floor to the bar at the opposite side of the room. As I order our drinks he turns to me and smiles awkwardly.
"I feel so old!" He laughs.
"It's your birthday!" I reply. "You're supposed to feel old!" He doesn't look convinced. "Besides," I continue, "I brought you here for a reason."
"What do you mean?" he asks, puzzled.
I flash him my best mischievous grin. "Well, I guess you'll have to wait and see..." He looks at me questioningly but I leave it at that. Oh David, I think, if only you knew what I have in store! I'm going to give you an experience you'll never forget. But first I'm going to need a bit more of the old Dutch courage. I down the remainder of my drink in one and immediately order another.
A new track kicks in and the club goes wild around me. I throw my hands up in the air and cheer out tipsily. Oh God I'm so wasted! I've not been on a night out in weeks and I intend to make the most of it.
I feel someone's elbow in my ribs and spin around to see a pair of college guys dancing just behind me. One of them turns and smiles. He's cute and I smile back sweetly and step towards him, fluttering my eye lids innocently as I reach up and lift his bottle gently out of his hand. Once it's drained I hand him back the empty, mouth a quick "Thanks!" and turn away. Sorry boys, tonight's just about me and the girls!
Speaking of, I wonder, where the hell are Rachel and Jess anyway? It must be twenty minutes since they went to go pee. I don't want to go looking for them in case they come back and find me gone, so I take another swing of my drink and try to enjoy myself.
After thirty minutes and four rum and Cokes I'm starting to feel a little braver, so I begin scanning the room for a suitable target. It doesn't take long for me to notice the cute little brunette strutting around on the dance floor. She looks young, maybe nineteen or twenty, slim and pretty. Her long dark hair contrasts beautifully with her smooth, milky skin and her little blue dress she is sexy without being tacky. Even better, she seems to be alone. I point her out to David.
"What do you think?" I ask him. "Isn't she pretty?"
I can see the question makes him uncomfortable. "Um... I guess so," he says, "I prefer blondes." I laugh at his dumb attempt to reassure me and give him a peck on the cheek as thanks.
"It's OK, honey, you can tell me. I think she's beautiful." I'm quiet for a few moments while I build the courage to utter my next words. "I think we should take her home."
David's eyes almost pop out of his head. "What? You don't mean...?"
"I'm serious honey. It's your fortieth birthday and I want to give you something you'll remember for the rest of your life. And besides," I drop my eyes to hide my embarrassment and can feel myself blushing, "it's kind of a fantasy of mine too. Sharing something new and exciting with the man I love. It's not like you'll be cheating on me. Let me do this for you. Please?" He just stares at me so I decide to take the bull by the horns. "You stay here." I hand him my empty glass, take a deep breath and make a beeline for the girl.
One of the guys behind me bumps into me again and in my drunken state I stumble forward, spilling my drink down the front of my dress. "Mother fucker!" I spin around ready to let rip, only to find myself face to face with a tall blonde woman.
"Oh God," she says, "I'm so sorry!" She looks genuinely mortified and my initial anger quickly fades.
"It's ok. Really." I'm more embarrassed than anything and begin patting down the wet patches on my dress. The woman looks down at my empty glass, now rolling in a long arc across the floor.
"Oh no, your drink!" She touches me on the forearm. "Please, let me buy you another."