get our usual bottle of wine?”
“You can keep up,” Kaya shouted. “We'll get to the wine later. This is our chill juice. Come on Tanya, don't be a baby.” She pushed a shot glass in Tanya's direction and started banging her hand, rapidly, onto the table and watching Tanya. “Drink, drink, drink,” she said repeatedly until Jeannie and Mae joined in. Tanya tipped the shot into her mouth and swallowed. She grimaced and made a slapping sound with her lips. The girls all did the same.
“Yay!” Kaya said with both arms in the air. “The music is on. Let's dance, bitches.”
They left their table and followed Kaya as she danced her way to the back room of Rafaelo's where a number of other people had rushed onto the floor and were dancing for joy, dancing to shake the blues away or just letting off steam on a Friday night. It was like being in a family at Rafaelo's and finally Tanya was able to relax. She smiled at the other girls as she spun around, weaving and moving her body in and out of the rhythm of the music. It was the music they loved, it was loud and a crowd had formed on the dance floor.
“This is amazing,” Jeannie shouted in her direction. “How come I never heard of this place before?”
“Not your part of town, Jeannie,” Kaya said, moving into the middle of their circle and gyrating her hips. “Think you can do this Miss Moneybags?”
“Just watch me!” Jeannie said and barged Kaya out of her central spot.
“Girl!” Kaya stopped to draw out the word as she watched Jeannie move. “Where you learn to do that?”
They all laughed and continued dancing as the song came to an end. The DJ blended another tune in right away and the crowd cheered because it was another Rafaelo's favorite.
“I'm gonna line us up some more drinks,” Tanya said. “I'll get us that bottle of wine.” She made her way to the bar. “A bottle of white wine,” she shouted at the bar man. Another bar man almost tripped over himself to serve her.
“Coming up,” he said. Tanya had seen this guy before and she smiled at him.
When the other girls joined her at the bar, the bar man had placed four glasses in front of him and opened the white wine. He handed a glass to each of the girls in turn, making sure each girl received a glass into her hand.
“Cheers ladies,” the barman said. “That'll be $25.”
“This one's on me,” Jeannie threw a credit card at the bar man and each girl took a sip of their drink.
***
In the dark alleyway outside Rafaelo's, two figures stood hunched together.
“Are you sure this is going to work, James?” Catherine said wrapping her arms tight around her body.
“Just relax, it's all taken care of. My guy in there knows what he's doing. I'll go in soon and keep my eye on how she's reacting.”
“She’ll never accept a ride home with you, no matter how smooth you can be.” Catherine said, looking over her shoulder and into the shadows of the alleyway.
“That doesn't matter. All we need to do is make sure she goes home alone. This won't work if any of those other girls go with her. If I can get her out the door without them, then we're on. Otherwise we've got to follow her home and get into her apartment to set up the next part of this plan.”
“Okay. You better get in there, then. I'll be waiting in the back seat of your car. And be quick, I'm losing my nerve here.”
“You'll be great. This is fun and so nice to have a partner in crime for a change. See you later, Poison Ivy.” James winked at her and headed for the entrance of the wine bar. He had no problem getting in. All he had to do was position himself in the right place in the bar and watch the plan fall into place.
About half an hour of dancing later, Tanya was beginning to feel dizzy. She picked up her purse and put it over her shoulder.
“Guys, I think I've had too much to drink,” she slurred. “I'm going to the bathroom to cool off for a spell.”
“Yow want me to come with you?” Mae looked
Eleanor Coerr, Ronald Himler