Amber gave herself a once over in the full-length mirror hanging from her bedroom door. She would have to do, she supposed, as she was due to meet her friends in less than an hour. Her dull blonde hair was pulled into a twisted knot with the ends flopping out in a disheveled style while her eyes popped from beneath the thin framed glasses she could not see without. She wore fitted jeans that held her slightly larger than desirable ass firmly in place and a blouse that hinted at cleavage without looking like she was advertising.
Amber knew that she wasn’t extraordinary nor was she bag-over-the-head ugly or plain, but inside her circle of friends it was hard to be average. Somehow, though, Amber had managed to create a persona that made her seem beautiful and outgoing regardless of the packaging. Granted, she had to work harder at attracting friends and lovers, but once someone talked to her for more than a few minutes, fast friendships were formed.
Amber tugged on her ankle high boots and wished for the millionth time that her calves weren’t quite so thick. She had always wanted to wear knee high or even thigh high boots, but they just weren’t made for anyone with meat on their bones. With a shake of her head, Amber cleared her thoughts and allowed the invisible mask she wore to fall over her features. A crooked grin firmly in place, sassy Amber was ready to meet her friends for their annual Christmas get drunk in the name of a holiday party.
The cab was waiting at the curb and Amber slid into the backseat smoothly.
“Where to?” the cabbie asked meeting Amber’s eyes in the rearview mirror.
“The Runway,” Amber told him and was amused by the way his eyebrows hit his hairline.
The Runway was a combination strip club dance bar that catered to both men and women. It had three main sections, one for female strippers, one for male strippers, and one for people to mingle and dance. But calling them sections was just a nice way of saying they had separate stages for men and women all in the same room.
One night a few years ago, Amber had shocked every single person she worked with by suggesting they hit up The Runway on one of their bar crawls. However, it was at The Runway that Amber found her persona and found herself a life. She’d developed a group of friends who were outgoing and fun and completely uninhibited and she’d made herself fit in with them. They would all be shocked to know that flirty, sexually confident Amber hadn’t had sex since she gave her virginity to some random she’d solicited over the internet when she was nineteen.
“That’ll be $14.74,” the cabbie’s voice shook Amber out of her thoughts.
“Keep the change,” Amber said handing him a $20. She had a habit of making friends with cab drivers and it had paid off more than once at the end of the night. “Are you on all night?”
“Sure am,” he told her while logging her fair on his clipboard. “You want to schedule a pick up?”
“I don’t know when I’ll be leaving,” Amber said. “But I’ll request you when I call.”
“You do that, honey,” he told her. “I’ll make sure you get home safe and sound. Just ask for Jack.”
Amber nodded and memorized his face quickly. Dark hair, blue eyes with faint lines crinkling in the corners, and full lips that smiled in a non-threatening way.
“It’ll probably be late,” Amber said smiling at him warmly. “Closing time.”
“I won’t accept any other fairs after 2:30,” Jack reassured her.
“Thanks,” Amber said opening the cab door and sliding out.
“Don’t get in trouble in there,” Jack called out his window. “If you need to leave early, you just call.”
