Chapter 1 First Contact

Huddled at the edge of the booth, eyes scanning the audience, warily. The music is loud, obnoxious, filled with too much bass. The strobe lights are too bright, and everyone is swaying in one giant mess to the music like a herd of animals. Disgusting I think, how on earth had I ended up here, at a club on a Friday night wondering why I hadn’t stayed at home and read another novel from front to back. This was no place for a girl like me, far from the safety of my one room apartment, in the form fitting scarlet dress that was not my own.

It was uncomfortably snug, unlike the drab colored sweaters I was so fond of wearing on nights like this. I said I would try something new, try stepping out of my comfort zone. What an idiot I was for thinking I could ever do such a thing.

I was afraid to move; less I pop a stitch on the alien dress. It wasn’t like I was overweight, or Mary, the girl who owned the sultry piece of clothing was abnormally skinny. It was simply that we were different sizes. Although we were of equal height, her breasts were smaller than mine, her hips a little narrower than my own.

She was the gyrating girl in the middle of the gross huddle of over tanned men, and loose women. Her impossibly short black dress seemed to mesh with the other masculine shadows that leaned too close to her. It was frightening to think that she had probably worn this scarlet dress a week ago, while pressing up against another one of those nameless perfect men.

I leaned over my glass of red wine, hardly touched, hardly thought of. Instead my long, delicate fingers picked at the chips and dip that were served endlessly until the end of the night. Men were trying to make passes at me all night, which was driving me insane. I mean they had a reason to be doing so. Even when one wasn’t completely wasted, I am mildly attractive, however I am also extremely awkward when it comes to conversation. With my shoulder length dark brown hair, enormous silver eyes, and perfect pair of you know what, I was an even catch for these men.

I don’t know why I stayed, then again I was probably Mary’s only hope at a designated driver. Accounting to the amount of drinks she had downed, I wondered how she managed to keep herself on her feet. Those beers were showing on her…Slob I thought, as I watched her.

The black dress wasn’t just short, it was tight, as tight as saran wrap would’ve been on her. It made everything look bigger, squeezed, and that much more tantalizing. All the beers had sunk to her stomach, which had doubled in size since we had both first, stepped into the club. She wasn’t a fat girl, in fact if the two of us were weighed I’d probably weigh more. It was just that gullet of hers that always seemed to poke out a little further than anything else.

She had in her hand a beer, just as suspected, while she swayed with the beat. I watched from afar, as one of those perfect men came and placed a hand first at her hip. I rolled my eyes, in irritation, turning back to my chips. Eventually my eyes strayed back to her, and the man had his hand stretched out across her swollen paunch of fat that jiggled just slightly as she moved. Mary, turned her thick pink lips up into a pleasured grin, she was enjoying this.

What a choice I have of friends I thought to myself.

Eventually the music picked up, and both Mary and this strange man were face to face, grinding on each other. It was a vile display of affection, if any true affection existed between the two. Once again the man had his sights set on her bulging stomach, yet this time he had both hands rubbing the orb of flesh like it was a regular thing. No one else seemed to notice, except Mary who I am pretty sure was moaning silently to herself.

Tart, jezebel, seductress, whore…no she’s a brilliant woman, just had a bit too much to drink is all, happens to the best of us. My conscious was trying to justify Mary’s actions, however this man, this tall, tan, statuesque pillar of masculinity could not be justified. His act was weird, alien, deranged even…but for some even stranger reason I could not look away.

There came a chill, so slight that I truly would’ve never felt it, if my attention weren’t so focused on Mary and this new man of hers. I found my hand stray away from the chips, and leaned closer towards the edge of my seat.

As the two danced, Mary suddenly sucked in her stomach, as if she had come to realize the morbidity of this. However next thing I knew she was pushing it out further, as if she was trying to give this man more to grab. She tossed back her beer, her long scarlet hair following her. Some of the liquid missed her mouth, and went trickling down the side of her face. The man, with a hand still on her stomach licked the spilled beverage off of her neck.

Vile, absolutely vile, what would his mother think of this?

Abruptly the music ended, and the huddle of fervent animals dispersed. Mary returned to the booth, the strange man nowhere to be seen. She looked tired, yet hungry for more.

“You can go ahead and go home, my friend Arthur will give me a ride,”

I gave Mary a curious glance.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes Elizabeth, I can see that this isn’t your scene. Oh you can bring me the dress Monday at work, okay?”

I nodded, as I retrieved my purse and rose from the booth.

Before I knew it the music had started again, and Mary was back on the dance floor, mixed with the huddle of sex-hungry beasts.

What a horrid Friday night…I thought consciously as I headed for the door, then subconsciously I thought…what a horrid, yet strangely arousing Friday night…