Wendy led them to an empty U-shaped booth in a corner.
When they sat, Rina climbed into Jack’s lap, and Miranda snuggled next to him on one side, but when Wendy tried to sit next to him on the other side, Vivian cleared her throat loudly.
Wendy and Vivian glared at each other in a silent argument for a few seconds, before Wendy bowed her head and moved to sit opposite them, letting Vivian snuggle up next to Jack.
Seeing what looked like a menu on the table, Jack grabbed it. As soon as he saw there was food listed, he felt his stomach growl. All that dancing had made him hungry. He looked around, but noticed there were no waitresses.
Seeing him holding the menu and looking around, Vivian leaned in, her mouth right next to his ear, and said, "Tell me what you want, and I’ll...get it for you." The way she said it implied that she wanted to do more than just order food for him.
Jack checked with Miranda and Rina so see if they were hungry and what they wanted, then told Vivian he wanted the nachos plate and pitcher of iced tea. She squeezed his arm, then got up and headed towards the bar.
After she left, Jack asked Rina, "So, why are you here, at this club? You said you were not comfortable with physical contact until you met me, and I get the impression you are also uncomfortable with loud noises, so why would you come here?"
"Desensitization. I’m also uncomfortable in crowds. Anjali told me about this club and said this was one of the few places where I could expose myself to a crowd and still be safe. I’ve also been doing a lot of people watching, trying to read facial expressions and body language."
"It’s why I initially approached you. I’d been watching Wendy and Vivian for a while and their behavior with you just didn’t make sense compared to what I had observed in the past."
And now he knew why she would be here, even with her aversion to physical contact and crowds. He decided he would try to bring Madison here as well. Assuming he could gain membership or whatever it was, he needed to be able to get in without Vincent.
Vivian returned with a pitcher and a stack of glasses. She unstacked the glasses and poured for Jack, Rina, and Miranda, but left Wendy to pour for herself. Jack thought it was a little petty to pour for everyone but Wendy.
While they sipped iced tea and waited for the nachos, the five of them chatted.
Jack learned that Vivian was a student at a local fine-arts college studying choreography, and Wendy was starting her senior year at NSU studying exercise physiology on a sports scholarship, running for the NSU track and field team.
Vivian worked part-time as a dance instructor and Wendy had just finished an internship with a local physical therapy clinic.
Both were attractive and fit, but as they talked, Jack saw more and more of their character.
Vivian was petty and selfish, obsessed with dance, and wanted to make it big in the film industry.
Wendy seemed nice at first, but a few comments she made prompted him to ask some questions and that lead to the revelation that she was big into reiki and essential oils.
Even worse was that she was involved in Cascade Marketing’s MLM program. He just didn’t understand how someone who was taking pre-med courses could buy into the hype around essential oils.
Both Vivian and Wendy had wanted to go home with him. Their words and tone had made that clear. And, at first, he’d been inclined to do just that, take them back to his hotel room and see what a four-way was like.
But after talking to them, he changed his mind. He just wasn’t interested in having sex with someone he didn’t like, or couldn’t respect. He was wondering how to politely tell them to go away when he saw Vincent approaching their table.
As soon as Vincent neared, he said, "Wendy, Vivien, it’s been interesting talking to you, but Vincent and I need to talk business. Can you two entertain yourselves for the rest of the evening?"
"Um, can I get your number?" asked Vivian.
"Me too," chimed in Wendy.
Jack shook his head. "It’s been interesting talking to you and I had fun dancing. But that’s it."
"Oh," said Vivian, sounding disappointed.
Wendy hmphed as she got up, but didn’t say anything else. He wasn’t sure if she was annoyed with him, or just pleased Vivian was also leaving without his number.
Vincent watched them leave, then gave Jack a questioning look.
"Have a seat," said Jack.
As Vincent sat, Jack added, "They’re nice to look at and fun to dance with, but not...my kind of people."
"Ah," said Vincent. "I understand. So, have you enjoyed your evening so far?"
"Yes, it’s been a blast. Even talking to Wendy and Vivian was interesting. I think I like it here."
"Well, that’s good to hear, because I talked to the club and got you provisionally added to the VIP list."
"Wow, that’s great. Thank you."
"You’re welcome. As long as there are no more incidents like tonight with Wendy, your provisional status will be removed in about six months."
"Understood. And again, thanks."
They were silent for a few moments, just looking out at the crowd of club patrons wandering about, when Jack had a thought.
"Hey, do you mind if I ask you some question about construction?" asked Jack.
"I’ve always been fascinated with bunkers. Do you know anything about building them?"
"Well, it just so happens that one of my father’s companies specializes in building bunkers, especially private, luxury bunkers."
Jack then asked Vincent questions about construction methods and waste material disposal and all the other questions he had about bunker construction. Eventually he noticed that Rina was asleep in his lap and realized it was getting very late.
Rina had taken a ride-share to the club, so after saying goodbye to Vincent, Jack drove her home, then he and Miranda returned to their hotel.