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The building with the sign that read “Gemini” was pocketed between a shopping complex and another occupied by a telecommunication giant whose sign lit up the night’s sky; both buildings were quiet, dark and deserted now a contrast to a couple of hours before when both buildings were alive with activities, now they slept while Gemini played host to night revelers. Somehow it reminded Rebecca of the circle of life; whilst one child was born, someone, somewhere was dying.
The nice air was crisp and cold; the sky was bathed in the luminescent glow of stars, the serenity of the night sky seemed a stark contrast to the buzz of the evening activities, it was a synergy of organized chaos, as the sounds of the traffic, people and night animals blended into one seamless noise.
As they drew closer to Gemini, the muffled sound of music reached them, standing in front of the main entrance of the club five heavily built men dressed in black suits stood guard waiting to search those who wanted to enter, they turned away those who were not properly dressed, Ice Man told them. Rebecca felt self-conscious as they approached; Ice Man noticed and reassured her that she was Gemini worthy.
“You see all those ladies standing along the road, they are not allowed into the premises because they are ladies of the night, plus you are with us, we’ve got you covered.”
“I thought they were waiting for a taxi!” Rebecca exclaimed.
Laughing, Ice Man asked, “All twenty something of them?! Don’t be naive. There will be a handful of them in the club; they let in just enough to add some spice to the place but not enough to taint the image of the establishment. You don’t want men grinding on each other do you?!” Lawrence and Rebecca laughed.
“If you did not have a girlfriend, I would have hooked you up.” Ice Man said nonchalantly.
Lawrence immediately wiped off the smirk on his face as Rebecca threw daggers at him with her eyes. He mouthed the word sorry to her and continued they continued the casual stroll towards the main entrance.
The bouncers were nice and let them in without any fuss, when one of the bouncers pushed open the door at the bottom of the step, the sound of loud music and a chill breeze that was a mixture of human breath, tobacco and perfume hit them hard, they walked into the dimly lit room, Ice Man leading the way. All around them, people were feeding their cravings, while some danced, there were some who were perched in corners smoking cigarettes or hookah while nursing a drink, there were those also who engaged each other in conversations, Rebecca found herself wondering how they could hear themselves over the really loud music blasting from speakers hidden out of sight. The DJ whose booth was set high above the dance floor churned out popular tune after popular tune, the crowd letting their delight known each time he switched songs. Electric was the one word that best described the atmosphere and she was enjoying every moment of it.
Before she met Lawrence, Rebecca could count on one hand the number of times she had been inside a club, it wasn’t because she was an introvert, far from it, and she was just not really attracted to the scene. She preferred the company of friends and acquaintances, yet still, she could name the clubs she had been to and the number of times she had been in them.
Gemini just went into the list of clubs Rebecca Eze had being to, she thought wryly, as Ice Man led them into the VIP booth which was perched above the dance floor, giving its occupants a bird’s eye view of happenings below. Ice Man asked for a bottle of whiskey and proceeded to light a cigarette; another reason Rebecca did not like him, for someone named Ice Man, he sure breathed a lot of fire. He always wore the lingering smell of spent fumes, something that repulsed her at the beginning but had waned after a time.
Their drink soon arrived and Rebecca poured herself a drink, which she nursed gently, while watching the people below dance and revel. A cool voice forced her to turn her attention to the VIP booth, standing just at the entrance of the booth, was a tall slender girl in a figure fitting sequined dress that stopped a few inches under the cuff of her buttocks, her full breast packed in an undersized bra causing it to appear even fuller, her slender hips ran into long gazelle like legs, ending in a flat soled shoe that looked like it cost a fortune. Seated above an equally slender neck was a pretty enough face, which she could not see given the poor lighting in the room. She walked casually to where Ice Man was seated and plopped down on his lap like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Guys lemme introduce you to my lady, Loretta. Loretta these are my peeps.” He said with a swing of the hand.
“Nice to meet you” Both Lawrence and Rebecca chorused, taking her surprisingly coarse hand one after the other in handshake.
Loretta was a free spirit and easy to get along with and in no time was chatting with Becca and Lawrence like they had been long lost friends and pretty soon she had them dancing and belting out tunes along with music blaring from the speakers. Becca had not had this much fun in a while, she could not remember the last time she had danced this hard or this long, maybe it was probably because she was on her fifth cup of whiskey. She ground against Lawrence, who was only too happy to respond in kind.
