Merry Christmas to the all the smut readers, and a Happy New Year 🎄
There were five people jammed into Tori's little red Honda and everyone was drunk except for her. That was usual for a Friday night, but they weren't usually in this part of town. If it weren't for Jo volunteering them to pick Shauna up after work, she wouldn't be here at all under any circumstances.
"Where the hell is this place?" Tori asked, as she cruised along the street called Broadway on the map and the pussy mile on campus.
"Shauna said you couldn't miss it," Veronica Goings offered.
"Yeah, well, this is our third time up the street. If we don't find it soon, I'm heading back to the dorm."
"Don't be a stick in the mud, Tori, we'll find it," Candice Ford replied.
"Yeah, take a hit of this and chill out," Joann Taylor said, passing a blunt to the front seat.
Joann was her best friend. They had known each other since grade school and roomed together in the upperclassman dorm. They were thinking about getting an apartment after this semester and she knew Tori didn't smoke. Tori should have been mad, but she wasn't. Jo was like that, always pushing her to relax and as she put it, "live a little."
"Get that shit away from me," Tori snarled as Monica Riley tried to pass her the joint.
Monica inhaled deeply and blew out a cloud of the reeking smoke right into Tori's face.
The car exploded into a fit of giggles as Tori coughed and choked. She desperately wanted to roll down a window, but in this area of town her innate caution overcame her desire.
Hookers ranged up and down the sidewalks, many accompanied by their pimps. Strip clubs and adult book stores decorated the rundown facades in garish neon light. College students prowled along in groups, egging each other on and getting drunk. The occasional beat cop and his partner could be seen, as well as a few black and whites parked in warehouse loading docks. Hotels advertised rooms by the hour with free XXX feeds. Dealers had their corners staked out and junkies could be seen in every possible recess.
"There it is," Veronica said, pointing to a rundown building with a 'girls girls girls' sign flashing in red and gold.
A larger sign proclaimed The Harem in red lettering, but the sign was almost burned out with only the small 'a' still lit, explaining how they had missed it.
Tori rarely drank and never used drugs. She was the straight arrow among her friends. Her slightly prudish demeanor was tolerated because she was Jo's best friend and because she didn't mind being designated driver. She had a contact high now and found parking to be difficult in the narrow alley behind the place. The lines seemed uneven, but she wasn't sure if that was just bad city planning or the way her head was spinning.
They all piled out and made their way to the front, stepping through a doorway covered only by Persian beads. Inside the door was a small foyer with Arabic murals and some very explicit photos of the dancers. A small, greasy man in black leathers sat behind a bank teller style grill with a money box.
"Ten dollar cover, two drink minimum," he declared, apparently unfazed by their gender.
After they paid, they made their way into a large, open room, with a main stage in the middle and two smaller stages at each end. The décor was a pathetic attempt at an Arabian harem, with pillows and silk wall hangings. Plastic scimitars hung on the walls and the waitresses all wore gauzy pants and pointy-toed slippers that reminded her of Jeannie from the old TV show. Each table had a small candle burning on it. The place reeked of marijuana and stale beer.
