The Iron Maiden
It was a middle size Midwest town that was once a jewel in the crown of the area. It was a steel town and places like that were like giants once upon a time. But the industry dried up. Jobs were lost and families left as the schools suffered and the crime rose.
Agamemnon Onansi had seen far too many places suffer such a fate.
The street lights danced off the shiny, black surface of the classic muscle car. Game enjoyed the feel of a far too powerful engine begging to be let loose at every light turning green. The moonlight rolled off of Onansi's brown skin. A few taps and the car was dialing one of his best friends -- Jay Washington.
The line clicked. The dashboard showed the call established.
"Aggy, what's good bro?"
Agamemnon drove down the dark street that by day was full of businesses. Now, after hours, it was like a tour to another world.
Inside the car, the man sighed. "No one calls me that but you, Wash..." Jay Washington was one of the few people alive that knew Agamemnon Onansi in his fullness. His past, his present and all the things in-between had been a relative open book to his friend.
"That's what makes me special bro. What you up to?"
"It's Monday, so..."
Washington made a noise of sudden remembrance. It was clear in the high-end speaker system.
"Oh shit, going to see your girl, huh?"
Game rolled his eyes. "She's not my girl. And I only called for an update on the orphanage acquisition."
"Riiight. Well, I'll be brief---"
Onansi laughed to himself. "Next to impossible"
"With your old ass," Wash snapped back with an audible grin, "The orphanage was bought this morning and is being remodeled. You, as always, remain an anonymous donor. The biggest donor they've ever had."
"Thanks Wash. I appreciate it."
"You know," Jay answered back. "I know you know how to do this all yourself."
Agamemnon smiled sincerely. "Yeah but when you get to be my age, it's good to keep young people around."
Wash laughed. "Hey, take care of yourself, brutha. Have a good night out there."
###
The Iron Maiden was a strip club set next to a highway in the middle of a town that was once a hub of business and steel production. Now, it suffered and, in some areas, more than others. The subtle neon glow of the sign and a medieval metal woman reflected on the windows of every car in the lot.
Game pulled in and parked. Exiting the car, Onansi always paused to absorb the moment. He was a handsome man. He had eyes that told of seasoned living. With his caramel skin, athletic build and dark shirt and jeans, there was something about Agamemnon's style that was recognizable but unique, inviting but deflecting and always just a slight step outside the expected.
Walking up to the Iron Maiden, Game could feel his pulse quicken. While any town had its share of bars and gentlemen's clubs, one would not have expected to encounter a dancer like the woman Onansi had met several months ago. She was unlike anyone he had ever met.
Once inside, the lobby was seemingly covered in velvet from ceiling to floor. A monitor was on the left wall showing random sporting events while the majority of the room was dominated by the greeter and the desk he stood behind. He was a large man. He had light brown skin and jet-black hair with a scowl that every door man at a strip club absolutely had to have. Before he could speak with his trademark gruff voice, the door man recognized Agamemnon. His demeanor changed and he grinned from ear to ear.
"Ohhh shit, Game!"
Onansi smiled and exchanged a fist-bump, handshake finger-snap greeting with the man. "What's good, Jorge? How're your boys?"
"Shit, same old, man. They're good. Both starting school in a few weeks. I wanted to say thank you for helping with their admission letters. How you been?"
"Life is good, bro," Onansai answered back. "If you're doing it right..." Even through the sound-suppressing double-glass doors, the DJ's announcements and music could be heard.
Jorge smiled and nodded. "I hear that. Here to see your girl, right?"
Game laughed. "Everyone says that...I swear I don't---"
"GAME ON!" Agamemnon turned to see Bobby, the manager of the Iron Maiden. Bobby had a thick mustache that he enjoyed styling differently almost every night. This evening, he wore it in a unique handlebar style.
"Bobby!" Game said back over another street-level handshake.
"What's going on, man?" the manager asked.
Onansi shrugged. "Nothing much, same old same old."
"Well, I know who can change that," Bobby replied. "She's here. Go on in."
Tranquility
The DJ filled the dark room with strip club music full of EDM, Trance, Techno, old school hip hop and other favorites that riled up the wants of the silhouetted men in velvet seats. The only lighting was the track system focusing on the three stages and the glow coming from the bar. Game had been in countless places such as the Iron Maiden. But each club, each bar, each spot had its own unique energy and the people were always unique.
The usual crew were dancing this evening. There was the blonde with the obvious spray tan and implants. There were the two near look-a-likes that could grind rock to dust between them on stage. There was the curly redhead who was feisty and thin but sexual as hell when dancing on the right man. Other entertainers moved about the room while Game gave head nods and smiles on his route through to the bar.
"Gaaame on..."
Agamemnon had just received his drink from the bartender who enjoyed his snappy repartee and general kind disposition. Onansi knew the voice, smelled the perfume and felt the vibe in the air even before he turned around.
He could not help but smile.
Tranquility was her stage name but it did not fit. Nothing about the young woman made a man calm. As she told Game in one of their conversations, she was biracial, half Asian from her mother's side, white on her dad's. Her almond eyes drank the room with every glance. She had long brown hair that fell just above her waist and swayed with her every move. Her body was lean but curved. She had obvious implants, somewhere in the D cup size, but they complemented her body rather than make her look like a cartoon. She was lean but her muscles were hard and it was obvious she worked out like a demon.
Last but not least, her long legs reached up and supported the most perfect of asses Agamemnon had ever seen. He could not even think of referring to her hind masterpiece as anything but "that ass." The men in the crowd would stop in mid-speech whenever Tranquility switched her hips and ass moving between rows, taking man after man in the back for a VIP dance. Her backside was firm but had enough bounce and jiggle that it was every bit a peach. Tranquility was the highest earner at the club. Onansi had seen her dance and she was easily the best hands down. There was no show like watching the dancer take the stage.
With the move and sway of a jungle cat, the embodiment of sex made her way over to the man. She reached out with both hands and embraced Game tightly. They held one another for a moment before finding a velvet couch in the back of the Iron Maiden.
