stared at him straight in the eye.
“Why are you here?” she asked quietly. “Why did you come to NightWhere?”
“Why does anybody come here?” he asked. “To have fun.”
“That’s not why anybody comes here,” she said. “NightWhere is not about fun, it’s about obsession. If you follow that rabbit into its hole, you will become a very lonely man.”
“That or a man trapped in a hole.”
“I’m serious,” she said. “You don’t want to really be here, I can tell. And that means you’re not only going to get lost, you’re going to get lost without reason.”
“Hey, you hitting on my customers?” a chirpy voice piped up from behind the bar. Sin-D propped her head on her hands and nodded at the blonde. “She’s a downer, man. I’ve listened to her before. Maybe it’s all that Russian vodka she drinks. Want to come over here and give me a hand behind the bar? I could use a little help right now.” She made a visible play of looking down the cleavage showing in the V of her skintight tank top and then pressed her arms against her sides to accentuate it. “Please?” she asked, in a patented little-girl voice that made Mark grin.
“Rain check?” he asked and patted Sin-D’s arm. “I’m just getting to know…um…” he turned to the snow-white woman beside him.
“Selena,” the woman whispered.
“…Selena here.”
“You’re sure?” Sin-D asked, pouting, while dragging one long black fingernail under the swell of her tank top and again pulling the material down as far as it would go. Mark saw the pink hint of her nipple before she rolled her eyes beneath the raccoon coat of mascara, licked the tip of her tongue to her lip, and then faded back from the bar.
He turned to Selena and shifted the conversation back at her. “What are you doing here, if you’re so down on the place?”
“I’m waiting for someone,” she said. “Hoping he’ll leave with me. If not…well, I’ll at least get to hear some music and have a couple of drinks, right?”
“I guess,” Mark said. “Though this isn’t exactly the typical destination for a casual drink.”
“Look who’s talking?” Selena laughed. “What are you doing sitting in the back at the bar?”
He smiled and took a drink. “My wife is really into this. I don’t really mind it…hell, how could a guy mind, right? Coming here is like she gave me a Free Sex card, for chrissake. But yeah, I’m kind of in the same boat as you, I guess… At this point…I’m just waiting for her to come back.”
Selena’s ice-blue eyes narrowed. “Has she mentioned The Red yet?”
Mark shrugged.
“If she goes in there, you will never have her back, I’m just warning you.”
Selena leaned towards him to whisper something, but just then a man walked up to the bar. He was tall and rail-thin with a shaven head and hairless chest. He showed it off in a black-mesh shirt. Effete would be the word for him, Mark thought.
“Is there a problem with the music?” the man asked with a thin grin. “We could have the band perform a striptease, if that would help you get in the mood.”
Mark laughed. “No, I don’t need to see that drummer naked!” The drummer in question was bald and looked fiftyish and about 200 pounds overweight. “We were just talking.”
Selena didn’t say a word…she just stared at the man, as if by staring she could wilt him.
“The night moves fast in NightWhere,” the man said with a crooked smile. “I wouldn’t want you to miss the pleasures of the club because you lost track of time. Do consider taking a walk around, before it gets too late.”
“Got it,” Mark said. He nodded, but made no move to leave his stool. The man stood still in front of him for a moment, searching for something to say. And then he leaned across the bar, said something to Sin-D, and walked away.
“Kharon,” Selena said quietly. “A Watcher.”
“C’mon,” Mark said. “Let’s you and me take a walk.” There was something
“Why are you here?” she asked quietly. “Why did you come to NightWhere?”
“Why does anybody come here?” he asked. “To have fun.”
“That’s not why anybody comes here,” she said. “NightWhere is not about fun, it’s about obsession. If you follow that rabbit into its hole, you will become a very lonely man.”
“That or a man trapped in a hole.”
“I’m serious,” she said. “You don’t want to really be here, I can tell. And that means you’re not only going to get lost, you’re going to get lost without reason.”
“Hey, you hitting on my customers?” a chirpy voice piped up from behind the bar. Sin-D propped her head on her hands and nodded at the blonde. “She’s a downer, man. I’ve listened to her before. Maybe it’s all that Russian vodka she drinks. Want to come over here and give me a hand behind the bar? I could use a little help right now.” She made a visible play of looking down the cleavage showing in the V of her skintight tank top and then pressed her arms against her sides to accentuate it. “Please?” she asked, in a patented little-girl voice that made Mark grin.
“Rain check?” he asked and patted Sin-D’s arm. “I’m just getting to know…um…” he turned to the snow-white woman beside him.
“Selena,” the woman whispered.
“…Selena here.”
“You’re sure?” Sin-D asked, pouting, while dragging one long black fingernail under the swell of her tank top and again pulling the material down as far as it would go. Mark saw the pink hint of her nipple before she rolled her eyes beneath the raccoon coat of mascara, licked the tip of her tongue to her lip, and then faded back from the bar.
He turned to Selena and shifted the conversation back at her. “What are you doing here, if you’re so down on the place?”
“I’m waiting for someone,” she said. “Hoping he’ll leave with me. If not…well, I’ll at least get to hear some music and have a couple of drinks, right?”
“I guess,” Mark said. “Though this isn’t exactly the typical destination for a casual drink.”
“Look who’s talking?” Selena laughed. “What are you doing sitting in the back at the bar?”
He smiled and took a drink. “My wife is really into this. I don’t really mind it…hell, how could a guy mind, right? Coming here is like she gave me a Free Sex card, for chrissake. But yeah, I’m kind of in the same boat as you, I guess… At this point…I’m just waiting for her to come back.”
Selena’s ice-blue eyes narrowed. “Has she mentioned The Red yet?”
Mark shrugged.
“If she goes in there, you will never have her back, I’m just warning you.”
Selena leaned towards him to whisper something, but just then a man walked up to the bar. He was tall and rail-thin with a shaven head and hairless chest. He showed it off in a black-mesh shirt. Effete would be the word for him, Mark thought.
“Is there a problem with the music?” the man asked with a thin grin. “We could have the band perform a striptease, if that would help you get in the mood.”
Mark laughed. “No, I don’t need to see that drummer naked!” The drummer in question was bald and looked fiftyish and about 200 pounds overweight. “We were just talking.”
Selena didn’t say a word…she just stared at the man, as if by staring she could wilt him.
“The night moves fast in NightWhere,” the man said with a crooked smile. “I wouldn’t want you to miss the pleasures of the club because you lost track of time. Do consider taking a walk around, before it gets too late.”
“Got it,” Mark said. He nodded, but made no move to leave his stool. The man stood still in front of him for a moment, searching for something to say. And then he leaned across the bar, said something to Sin-D, and walked away.
“Kharon,” Selena said quietly. “A Watcher.”
“C’mon,” Mark said. “Let’s you and me take a walk.” There was something
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