His words seemed hypnotic to Marissa coupled with the fact that the music seemed to pump in her blood as well. Soon she was able to laugh out loud when she stepped on him and when the guys behind her bumped into her, making her get closer to Bernard; she merely raised her arms and encircled his neck with her arms and she moved her body to the beat. That was what was mostly required of anyone there apparently as the floor was too packed anyway to showcase any serious dance moves and that worked perfectly well for Marissa. Not that she had any exceptional moves to showcase anyway. She stopped feeling so self-conscious about her closeness to Bernard and she even started flirting subtly with him.
Bernard grinned as he was having a great time. The fact that he could see Marissa's inhibitions dropped only make the moment more enjoyable to him. They danced from music to music until Marissa whispered in his ears that she was parched.
He maneuvered her to the other side of the club.
"And here we are" he announced and Marissa raised her head to see that they were standing at the base of a staircase that leads to the upper-level marked VVIP section.
Marissa looked at him with a grin "Hmm, VVIP section, is it? Are you flaunting your money now, Mr. Babalola?"
"Anything for you, Mrs. Babalola," he said and she giggled as he pulled her along. They ran up the stairs and the bouncer discreetly stepped aside as Bernard flashed a card at him.
"Very lord of the land indeed," Marissa said as they sat splayed in the designated couches. She turned her head and she could see the dance floor as there were merely railings around the top level and the music could be heard clearly from where they sat also though the vibrations were not as much as it was down there.
"This was exactly what I needed after the craziness down there. To think some people deliberately choose this as a way of life every other night" she shook her head as Bernard signaled to a waiter.
"I would take a beer, extra chilled thank you," he said to the waiter then turned to Marissa "What would you have, babe?"
She almost said that she would have what he was having but then she shook her head and said simply to the waiter "I would take a soda, thank you"
Bernard grinned "We are keeping it safe, I see"
Marissa shrugged "I don't fancy woozy head and cotton mouth, thank you"
The young man left them to go get their order.
"How do you like this place?" Bernard turned to her, moving to sit on her side of the wraparound couch.
She grinned "It is a great place. I was totally expecting something else but this place? It was more than my expectation. Positively so, mind you" she admitted freely.
"I know, right?" he grinned as he set his hand on her leg and she didn't shrug him off. "Simon and I discovered this place years ago and they have certainly improved a lot" he looked at the dance floor as the music changed again and new cheers could be heard from the dance floor. He smiled then turned back to see her looking at him with something akin to wonderment in her eyes.
She averted her eyes and looked around. "Why was it taking this guy so long to get our drinks?" she said.
Bernard smiled "Sooo, now that you like this place, does that mean that we can…."
"Mr. Ben? Oh wow! I was right after all. I thought this dim lighting was playing tricks on my eyes" they heard a sultry voice from behind them. Marissa turned back to see a gorgeous woman in a black slim-fitting bodysuit with a red leather mini skirt approaching them in her mile-high heels that accentuated her long legs. Marissa was sure that if she bent ever so abruptly; whoever was behind her would be treated to a tantalizing show of her crotch.
"She probably had no panties on" Marissa was surprised by the unbidden thought and the ugly strange feelings that rise in her as the woman approached their table with a wide wide smile for Bernard, her eyes fixated on him that Marissa could have easily been the furniture or an accessory.
Bernard stood up to greet her, extending his hands for a handshake as he said "Oh good evening, Ms…oh." he said looking as surprised as Marissa felt when the woman ignored the hand he extended and hugged him.
"Hmm, Mr. Ben. You smell good as always. Fancy seeing you here. I wouldn't have expected that you frequent this kind of place. See? We do have things in common after all" she crooned to him as she kissed his cheeks and slowly disengaged from him. Marissa was very sure it was not her imagination. The woman had subtly placed her hands on Bernard's butt while she was moving back.
Marissa looked at Bernard to see if he had taken note of it as well. He seemed to as she caught him look over at her uncomfortably.
"Ms. Robinson" the woman completed what Bernard had been saying before she hugged him. "Don't tell me you forgot again, I will be simply devastated" she crooned. "Just call me Ruby. the name is Ruby. Jeez, it is not that hard, right? Then I can properly call you Ben as I wanted to. We are friends after all" The woman finished with a sly look at Marissa.
"Friends? Something is definitely going on here" Marissa thought, wondering what the woman's sly look implied.
"Ms. Robi…"
"Ruby'' the woman smiled beatifically at him, seeming to stretch sinuously towards him with that come hither look in her eyes. Marissa had never thought one could pull that off while standing straight but she was sure that was what the woman just did.
"See? That was not so hard, was it? I even have a nickname…"
"Ms. Robinson!" Bernard said firmly. "Meet Marissa, my wife. Marissa, meet Ms. Robinson, my new neighbor" he introduced with a look of discomfiture in his eyes.
Just as Marissa was thinking "What? This kind of woman is staying close to him?" The woman in question turned to Marissa, sizing her up with hostility in her eyes. Her expression was the opposite of what she had been bestowing on Bernard.
She offered Marissa a plastic smile as she said in a condescending tone, "Oh, the wife."
"Oooh, burn. Are you going to take that lying down?" Marissa's subconscious reared its head.