A Deceptive Moment

a short story about those moments in life which come as a surprise, not always good.

A deceptive moment

I slowed down my Mustang at the turn which, according to my GPS, would lead me to my destination. I stared ahead at the deserted road lit only by my glowing headlights and I asked myself if it was a good idea coming here; I tried to devour my surroundings, to analyze the environment in the hope of finding a cue which may click with my mind as a sign of peril. However, the heavy downpour made it virtually impossible for me to grasp any understanding of my location.

It had been a long ride, fifty miles outside the city, but my reliable Mustang and the radio didn’t let me feel that going out in the middle of the night to an unknown place was anymore different than pursuing a one night adventure. Though my gal was not so enthusiastic about it and it was a hard time convincing her; I promised to be back as soon as possible so that she won’t have to spend the whole night alone. However, now, I was trying to decide if to put the gear in reverse.

“Man, it’s just a party!”

I put my feet on the accelerator and led my car straight into the dark street. Soon I saw an array of lights which finally guided me to my destination- Club Infiniti. As I was searching for a suitable parking spot I felt chill running down my spine, something I felt when for the first time I raided a drug cartel. It has not been long since I’m working as a cop but even three months on the street are enough to reveal how fucked up life can be .

 I turned off the ignition and checked my car cabinet- my constant partner, a smith and Wesson .44 Magnum 629 was there- loaded. I took it in my hand, felt its cold metal on my sweaty palm and sensed my confidence rejuvenating. I put it back in knowing that my thunder 5 will come handy if circumstances go against me; it rested in the inner pocket of my dinner jacket. I stepped out of the car and on the way to the main entrance I was surprised to see Saab and Cadillac lined up in the parking.

“This place is definitely a hot spot”

A big guy in black overalls stopped me at the main entrance, he asked me if I was invited, I handed him my invitation. As he checked out my invitation, I noticed his bulging muscles which were stretching his t shirt to its maximum, he was bald with an earring in both the ears; he looked like a typical male porn star. He did something in his tablet and called for another identical looking guy who led me in. the inside was like any other nightclub but had a classy touch, the whole place was drowned in blood red color with occasional other colors lightning up with the music. The centre space was occupied by a large dance floor which was filled with people dancing on the trance tunes, adjacent to it was a stage on which the DJ was controlling the music. Surrounding the dance floor were various couches and at one corner was a large bar with five bartenders working their a*s off to meet the rising demand of the booze; the other three corners were occupied with private cabins big enough for six people. I tried to grab as much as I can about the place- something I learned in the cop business.

The guy with me took me past the dance floor and pointed a door beside the bar, it looked like a back door and I wondered if he was throwing me out or something but he left me at the door, turned and vanished into the crowd of dancing people. I grabbed the door knob, it felt chilly under my touch and I felt foolish leaving my magnum behind.

“Calm down dude, just a party!”

I turned the knob and the door opened to an elevator, I stepped in and the elevator started descending; in less than five seconds it stopped, the doors opened and I stepped out into the basement floor which may have been an another world. The floor was of the same dimension as the upper floor but the ambience was dark…….Sinful. Other then the occasional hanging lamps the room was dark; rather than funky trance tunes, as in the upper floor, the air was filled with sober and sophisticated trance music. I looked around to grasp the understanding of my surrounding; the room was full of couples sitting on couches- drinking and making out, the four corners were occupied by three private cabins and a bar in the same fashion as I had noticed earlier. I moved around in search of a familiar face, I noticed that I had seen many people before, where- I couldn’t make out. Near the end of the room was an empty couch with only a girl sitting, drinking from her glass. I couldn’t quite recognize her face in the dark environment but anyways, I went towards her as she was the only one sitting alone. I was feeling totally out of place as I moved among the couples making out; the tone of the place may have been erotic but to me it was a fucked up baffling affair. As I neared the woman she turned around and looked at me, faint glow of the nearby lamp illuminated one side of her face; my mind started decoding the features and the pattern of her facial characters- jaw line, lips, nose and finally eyes- processing completed- conclusion; June!

Way back in college June and I had a thing going on which never turned into anything firm- I had backed off. After that I had found my gal and since then I’ve never looked back. Now, meeting her again like this came as a shock and for a few moments I was spellbound. She didn’t notice, or at least pretended not to notice, as she greeted me and invited me to sit with her. The couch was soft, comfortable and relaxing. I ordered my scotch and as the bartender served me my drink, June and I started talking; surprisingly neither of us touched the topic of turning up here like this. June was wearing a black gown which hugged her in all the right places, it had a long slit up her legs and the upper cut of the gown accentuated her bosom, revealing her cleavage and the upper curves of her breast. All in all, she was looking classy and sexy- something which came naturally to her.                      

Though the place was quieter than the upper floor, it was difficult to listen to each other clearly in the music and the noise of chatting. June suggested moving into one of the cabins so as to talk a bit privately, which I accepted and on the way took another drink; I noticed that the ceiling speakers were concentrated in the middle of the floor and the corners were relatively free from music, we both settled in the cabin with our drinks, it was dark inside with only a faint lamp hanging outside the cabin; inside was furnished with a round table and a comfortable couch and this time June sat very close to me. She started talking about the college life and our relationship back then; suddenly she stopped, turned towards me

“Let’s pick up from where we left”

I heard these words and before I could decode the look of lust in her eyes, I felt her lips pressing tightly over mine, her hands roamed around my body…… it’s surprising how, sometimes, you can feel yourself breaking down in pieces against the circumstances; it grows up from the pit of your stomach to the whole body as you feel the need to melt against the situation, to stop resisting. I knew it was wrong, that I was losing it all, I could feel it all. Suddenly my mind switched to auto pilot, I grabbed June’s waist and pushed her away from me

                                 “Aw. Wasn’t it good, baby?”

I didn’t answer, I felt myself growing cold just like I go before every kill.

                                           “Its ok sweetheart, we can do this. See I did it all for you, this                                                     place, the invitation, everything. Don’t leave me like this”                                

“I can’t do this” I heard myself say. I stepped out of the cabin but she grabbed my hand.

“Why?! Give me a reason! Is it because the girl you’re with? You know I was always better than her, don’t you?”

Her face was flushed, anger in her tone, maybe humiliation too…

“I can’t do it because I don’t want to, if I wanted I’d have done it back then. And my gal? She is the best, more beautiful, sexy and graceful than you can ever be… you know, I never settle with the second best”

I gave her my crooked grin, turned towards the elevator and within a minute I was out in my car. I turned on the ignition, the headlights illuminated the dark parking area and I steered out of the place. I felt the outline of my thunder 5 on my chest and for the first time I realized,

“A gun in the hand may make you feel like a commanding person but the real power comes from the within. In my case it was my love for my gal”

I shook my head, revved up the engine, turned on the radio and guided my car on the way home, to my gal.

I felt like a better person.