Never Again

Part Five

Erin looked over at Michelle, they were face down on parallel couches having the most aggressive massage of their lives, but it felt great. Just as that thought entered her brain, her particular masseuse dropped his elbow into the taught muscle to the left of her spine and she almost squealed. Biting her lip, her eyes wide, she scowled at Michelle who was laughing at her discomfort. Then her face contorted into a similar expression of pain as Erin...her masseur had followed suit.

                “We do this for pleasure?” Michelle asked as she reapplied her lipstick in the mirror.

Erin was sat on a bench fastening her shoes and looked up, “don’t you feel better now?”

Michelle leaned against a locker and looked down at her, “I presumed a girly spa day would be more luxury than pain! Don’t tell me tonight we have to fight for our dinner or brew our own wine?”

Erin laughed, “Now I KNOW you’re being ridiculous! I’ve booked us THE best dinner for later. You’ll see!”

Jack hadn’t wanted to do anything other than soak in a bath after the game. Fortunately today it saw a return to form and they had won, though he’d come by a huge bruise to his torso, courtesy of a huge centre half challenging him into the unyielding goal post. The down side of a reputation as a hard man was that people came at you from the off. His body regularly paid the price. And since hitting thirty a few months back he’d started to feel the need to slow down, but his pride...and that bloody reputation meant he didn’t, he couldn’t.

So here he was, propped at a bar, watching boy wonder Josh Gardener and three others brag, gloat and compete. The club they were in had a mezzanine level above the dance floor with a separate entrance, bar and bathrooms, rather than being a VIP area, the club were trying to be witty and had termed it the ‘invite only space’, and it was grim. But the days where he could walk into a pub and order a beer were long gone...and he wanted to be home anyway! Tonight there were eight of them from his team, as well as a gang of rich boys, he didn’t know any of them, then there was a boxer and his entourage and a few soap actors, the usual mix.

Josh was giggling as he clapped Jack in the back, “Come on old man! You joining in this or what?” They were all peering over the balcony, watching and gesturing to the many women filling the room. Regular visitors.

He swirled the whisky around his glass without making eye contact, “I’ll step back Josh, leave you youngsters to battle it out! You know me!”

Josh looked at him suspiciously, “you getting too old Jack man?”

Jack laughed, “could get anyone with my eyes closed Joshie baby!” He joked, “but  I’m leaving you have a head start!”

Josh guffawed as the four youngsters moved back to the railing that enclosed the area they were all in, their eyes scanning the full nightclub like vultures. All the time Jack was trying to think of a way out of there that didn’t involve him losing face. What he really needed was a message from Erin. That would cheer him up, but he’d heard nothing since the previous evening.

Glancing at the barman, he nodded for another whisky, oblivion was calling!

               

“I told you this was a great restaurant!” Erin linked her arm through Michelle’s and led her out of the building. They’d just shared an amazing meal! “Not all the best food places have to be inside the M25 Mrs London snob!”

Michelle laughed, “I’m starting to like the North, that’s true!”

                “Well some of the best people live there!” Erin laughed as they moved through a doorway into ‘Lion’s Den’, a club that came highly recommended. It was dark, sweaty and the music pulsated. Neither of them were big night club fans, but they both wanted to dance and keep drinking, this was the perfect place, the music was nineties dance, too cheesy to be hardcore, and a great compromise.