Knight had his head down and was washing the last pot of the night when someone came into the kitchen. Knight was scrubbing at a stubborn stuck on bit, and said, “What’s up,” as he still concentrated on the pot.
“Put that down and come out here,” said Paulie’s authoritative voice. Knight looked up. The man did not look pleased, with his arms across his broad chest, and his black eyes hard and angry. Knight dropped the pan into the sink and followed him, wondering what had gotten him so pissed off. Paulie held the door open for him and Knight stepped out, wiping his hands on his apron.
“Surprise!” yelled a chorus of voices, a gathering of all the waiters and the male bartenders in the bar; Kue, his own assistant, and Paulie himself, grinning. “I had you, laddie,” he said, clapping a hand on Knight’s shoulder. “Welcome to your bachelor party!”
“Aw, guys, y’ shouldn’t’ve.”
“Shut up, Knight, it gives us all a chance to drink,” said one of the bartenders.
“Except Tony,” Paulie pointed to one of the waiters. “He’s your designated driver.”
Tony stepped forward with his hand open. “We’re going to get you plastered.”
“It’s gonna take a lotta beer,” said Knight, handing over the keys to his bike.
“Beer? We’re going top shelf for you!”
Paulie yelled, “Bring the man his Jack!”
Somebody started some music that blasted out all over the speakers, “Wrecking Ball”. Paulie put a huge tumbler of amber liquid in his hand and said, “Drink up. You’re not leaving until you’re smashed.”
Knight laughed, and started to drink, and so did the rest of the group. There were a total of about eight men there, including Tony, who reassured Knight he had his truck and would put Kitty in it if Knight was drunk. So Knight let himself go.
He was still able to count his third tumbler of Jack when the music changed to the opening of “Pour Some Sugar On Me”. This was the kind of music Knight liked. The lights dimmed. The men guided him to a section of the room that had been cleared away, and a woman, fully clothed but in a bikini, was dancing there. She held a champagne bottle in her hand, and at the first verse, popped the cork. She danced toward Knight, swaying seductively during the second verse, and danced so close to him he could smell her – a fresh, clean scent, not a whore. At the chorus, she danced away, shaking her butt at the men, who hooted and hollered.
During the solo, she continued her dance, this time shaking the champagne. At the chorus after the solo, she lifted the champagne bottle and let it explode all over her. The men hollered over it, applauding. Not one man was not turned on by the effect, including Knight. Gotta tell Mal to try that, he thought to himself, as the song ended, and another started. She danced again to Knight, and turned his back to him, bent over, and crushed her butt against his groin. He jerked back, not expecting that, and she looked back at him, grinning. Off came the bikini top, which she then turned around and draped over Knight’s neck.
Knight’s heart was beating fast, his breathing coming in gasps. This woman wasn’t beautiful, but what she was doing to him – and to everyone else in the room, as Knight could tell by scent – was near impossible and getting pretty painful.
She playfully danced out of his space and went to the other men one by one, who slipped money into her g-string. Knight struggled to get his wallet out of too-tight jeans, and before he realized it, he put a $20 bill in her g-string along with the other men.
“Hey, you don’t have to pay her,” said one of the waiters, already two sheets to the wind. “We bought her for you!”
“Shuddup Blackie!” said a bartender, ribbing Blackie. “You’re not supposed to say that!”
The woman giggled, and lifted her head to Knight, “So you’re the lucky boy tonight.” She ran her tongue across her red, red lips and white teeth. Knight suppressed a moan, and stopped his hands from moving to grab her.
He swallowed, “Why – ” and coughed, “Why d’ you say that?”
“You get to punch a hole in the pinata.” She grinned at him, and when she did, her eyes seemed to glow. The realization hit him like a truck, and cleared his head immediately. He looked around at the other guys, who were grinning like lascivious wolves, ready to tackle the deer they had just run down. They only waited on word from their alpha.
She touched his face with her long-nailed fingers, and then kissed him. Long and hard and passionate and beautiful. He found himself responding without thinking, every nerve of his on fire. When she pulled back from the kiss, he had his hands on her waist and had yanked her to him.
“Office,” said Paulie with a choked voice. Knight realized that everyone here wasn’t married. That everyone here was going to get a taste of this girl before the night was out.
Knight started, “I–”
She bumped up against him, this hitting his erection, sending shivers of pleasure throughout him. She took his hand, and started walking back to the office.
Inside there, she took her time getting him fully undressed, fully engaged, and fully satisfied. He came out of the office in only his pants, and the men hooted for him while the girl hung off his arm. “Next?”
Knight drank the rest of the night, as every single one of them went inside, even Kue, and all came out with a grin. More drinking ensued, and Knight was very blurry-eyed by the time Paulie, the last man, by his own choice, left his office. The girl was in her g-string again. The CD was on the third run of Flogging Molly, and dawn was creeping its way into the windows.
“I can find my way home,” said the girl, and stopped next to Knight. “Congratulations. She’s a lucky girl.”
“Thanks,” said Knight, and watched as she went back to where she had danced before. She had a gym bag, and he watched her get dressed. Then he realized he still had her bikini top. “Hey, you forgot this.”
“Souvenir,” she said, with a smile, and a little wave. She let herself out.
Paulie looked over at Knight. “We’re closed tomorrow.”
“Today.”
He looked at the windows. “Yeah, today. Holy shit. Did everybody make it home?”
“Tony’s in the corner.”
“Can you ride?”
Knight laughed, “Oh, shit no.” He slid off the stool and had to hold onto the bar. “Shit, I mean fuck no.” Then the two men laughed, waking Tony from his slumber.