UNIQUE LOVE (G X G) Completed

CHAPTER: 2

Neither the beautiful women twirling about her nor the lively conversation permeating the room could lift Zeenia's spirits as she drank at a bar that Saturday night.

"It won't be so bad," Tina, the proprietor, said as she poured Zeenia another drink. "Michigan is a nice place! You said so yourself that your uncle promoted you."

Zeenia grabbed a chunk of her hair and tugged on it as she groaned. "I have to start over again." She had never lived anywhere but Manhattan-NY, all thirty-six years of her life. "I have barely even been to Michigan! And he has given me only a week to go there! I arrive Tuesday!"

Tina shook her head. Although older than Zeenia, she was shorter, leaner, and wore frilly outfits, and heavy make-up. Most of the newcomers at the bar pegged her as a middle-schooler and then would be subsequently shocked to discover how legal she was. "You will be fine, Zeenia." She rolled her eyes as Zeenia downed her next shot. "But if you are going to be moving out of here, you better pay your bills tonight." 

Wiping her upper lip, Zeenia went to reach for her wallet when a giggling female moved uncontrollably, swiftly past her. In the process, Zeenia almost toppled from her barstool, but the woman held her upright again with a laugh loud enough to overpower the dance music coming from the basement. "Ms. Zeenia! What is this I am hearing about you leaving Manhattan?" The woman slapped her hand on Zeenia's thigh as if it belonged there.

"It is true. I have been transferred to Michigan." Zeenia still didn't believe it, although her clothes were packed already. That earlier afternoon was spent arranging courier services to pick up her moving boxes. Zeenia planned on buying new household items when she got there instead of dragging her old ones, but she needed her clothing, her books, and her favorite decorative pieces. Michigan was denser than Manhattan.

The woman, Imara, frowned. "You cannot leave us! I haven't even f****d you recently!"

Zeenia leaned onto the counter, Imara's thin frame still clinging to her. "Aren't you with Yana again?" she asked, referring to another old friend who was probably lurking somewhere. "Or did she dump you again for your cheating?" Imara claimed to only be happy if she were cheating on her significant other-something about the rush of being 'bad.' Yana was her on again-off again girlfriend of the past decade.

She scoffed. "What's a little bumping and grinding between old friends, eh? Imara went for a boob grab beneath Zeenia's silk shirt. At first, she allowed it, but morality returned, and she shook Imara's handoff.

"I don't want to f**k tonight. I want to get drunk and forget that my uncle is an asshole," Zeenia said.

Pouting, Imara slipped off Zeenia's frame and sat on the stool next to hers. The dim lights played with her bleach blonde pixie haircut. "But we could party in your honor..."

"Leave her alone," Tina said with a swish of a dishrag. "And on that note, I have got a party to tend to downstairs." She then disappeared, dishrag over her shoulder as her hands put flourishes into her ponytail.

But Imara was never one to leave any friend alone. She whined into Zeenia's ear, entreating her to attend the party downstairs. 'Fire & Ice,' bar and club, served the thirsty patrons, while the dance bar in the basement, had an endless dance party on the weekends. A burly bouncer came up the stairs to check messages on her cell phone. "Zeenia," Imara said, shaking her friend's shoulder. "Come downstairs and I will give you a going away lap dance."

"Let me guess...in front of your girlfriend?" Zeenia asked. 

Yana would love that. "...Maybe." 

"You must not." Zeenia got off the barstool, intent on heading home to kick her moving boxes around and hate her life.

She changed her mind when she saw a small group of young, hot women come through the bar door and go straight for the stairs. Two of them turned to look at her, smiled, and blew kisses as they descended into the party. Zeenia did not have many soft spots, but gorgeous women out having a good time? That would be number one. 

Imara was all squeals as she latched onto Zeenia's arm and accompanied her downstairs. The dark bar gave way to a bright party, filled with women of every size, shape, hair color, and gender representation. Dance beats throbbed inside, drinks poured at the back station, couples made out on couches surrounding stripper poles occupied by drunken amateurs. That is my favorite seat. Imara shooed away a couple of strangers from one of the circular couches and signaled for Zeenia to join her. Somehow Zeenia was not surprised when Imara instantly tried to kiss and fondle her. 

"There you are!" The harried voice of Yana cut through the music behind them. Zeenia craned her head back to see dark hair and a scowl obscure her vision. "I am so sorry, Zeenia," Yana said. "My soon-to-be-ex ran away from me again." 

"You naughty girl," Zeenia said with little chagrin. "You have pissed off your girlfriend."

Imara slithered to the other side of the couch, creating a gap for Yana to slip into with a heavy rear. "She never lets me have any fun," Imara said.

"Because fun to you is sleeping with other women!" Zeenia added.

"It is fun, though," Imara added.

While Imara and Yana conducted their lover's quarrel, Zeenia stared at the revelry around her. Those beautiful women she followed down were at the bar chatting up with Tina. 

I should invite one of them back to my place, Zeenia thought. Who knew what the lesbian scene was like down in Michigan.

"Fine!" Imara said with a heavy voice. "I will do it for you too!"

Zeenia looked over the moment her friend hopped onto the small stage in the center of the couches and did one swing around the stripper pole. Yana crossed her arms in a huff and said, "She thinks it is okay to pole dance for the whole room if I watch."

"Well? Is it?" she asked Zeenia.

"Doesn't matter, does it?" Zeenia knew better than to press the issue further with Yana, who was too far in love with and living with, Imara to do anything about it. Once, Zeenia pitied her. Then she realized that the whole break-up and make-up routine was a part of their mutual seduction.

Not my thing, Zeenia thought. She would become polyamorous before letting her love life turn into that. Provided she had one, to begin with.

Imara was a talented dancer who knew how to twirl at the right moment to make the overhead lights shine off her golden head. She thrust her hips in time to the music and lifted her shirt halfway up her torso. By then Yana's demeanor improved. She sat with a wan smile as Imara came off the stage and hopped into her girlfriend's lap for a private show.

Zeenia excused herself, by then her friends were lip-locked and half-naked.

For a party, the basement was empty enough to let Zeenia go as she pleased without bumping into anyone. She made a lap around the room, picking up a drink along the way and looking out for anyone she knew or didn't know since that was fun too.

"Hey, stranger."

She stopped a few steps away from the group of young women flirting at the island bar. In the shadows stood a petite woman holding a soft drink and kicking her heel out in Zeenia's direction. 

Well, well! It had been a while since she last saw Rhea, the tiny woman who packed a bigger punch than Tina. They used to be friends with benefits, but recently Rhea had a new part-time job that kept her away from Zeenia's free time. This night was almost redeemable.

"I hear you are moving soon," Rhea said, taking a drink of soda. Her long, black hair framed her striking cheekbones, jutting beneath eyes lined in thick make-up. She was small compared to Zeenia, who was taller than most women she knew, but experience said she had more personality than a cobra in a bad mood. She also bit like one too.

Zeenia leaned against the wall, cordoning Rhea away from the other women moving around them. "In a couple of days, yeah. Will you miss me?"

"I don't know how different it would be from these past few weeks anyway. Seems like I hardly see you anymore." Rhea stroked the front of Zeenia's silk shirt.

The party was over. Zeenia said goodbye to her other friends and stopped to pay her final charges to Tina. After a hug and a promise to return as soon as possible, Zeenia left 'Fire & Ice,' bar and club, and took a taxi back to her apartment, friend in tow.