"Yes, it's right here."
"I can't go into Avalon looking like this!" Jo protested.
"What do you mean 'looking like this'?"
"I'm seriously underdressed!"
"You look fine!" Louise assured her. "Your outfit is fancier than mine."
"They're not going to let me in with jeans! I need to go back home."
"Relax," Louise assured her. "We're just going to stop by for one drink. My colleagues are there, and they're not dressed up, either."
Jo wasn't appeased. "This is going to be a disaster!"
"Come on! You're just looking for an excuse to go shopping."
"No," Jo argued. "I don't need an excuse to go shopping."
"Well, we're going in just like this. Take Steve shopping tomorrow. He's probably eager to get another one of your dressing room blow jobs."
"That's not funny, Lou!"
"Just kidding!"
"Well, I mean, I do give good blow jobs."
"I know!" Louise exclaimed enthusiastically. "Everybody says so!"
"Everybody does say so..." Jo agreed before she thought through what she was saying. "Hey! That was mean!"
Louise was laughing out loud now. "Oh, man! I got you on that one!"
"That was really mean!" Jo was feigning anger, but eventually she started to laugh as well.
"Well, good news!" Louise offered. "If the bouncer stops us, you can take him into the coat room and show off your special talents."
Louise parked the car and walked in through the front doors. The bouncers made no mention of their attire.
Louise explained to a young woman at the front desk that they were attending with a corporate group. The admission fee was waived, and they each received a voucher for a free drink. "I'll take yours if you don't want it," Jo offered playfully.
Antonio spotted Louise and walked toward them. He was wearing a loose-fitting, gray European-cut suit with a black shirt and tie. "Louisa! I did not think that you were coming!"
"I changed my mind," she explained after receiving his kisses on each cheek. "Wow! You got dressed up!"
Jo stared angrily at Louise but said nothing.
"You remember my friend Jo, right?"
Jo wasn't happy to see Antonio. This guy had all but wrecked Louise's relationship with Walter. When he left the country suddenly, she was heartbroken. Jo managed to squeeze out a quick "Hi" from a forced grin.
"Ah, mi bella! You are more beautiful than I even remember."
Jo wasn't charmed by his line. She kept grinning and maintained eye contact, but she refused to reply.
"I'll be back in one moment," Antonio promised. "Please! Help yourself to some drinks. The first one is on the house."
Antonio walked into the crowd to mingle with other colleagues. Jo was visibly upset.
"Oh, you have some explaining to do!"
Louise was taken aback by the comment. "What do you mean?"
"You never told me that HE was going to be here, or I wouldn't have agreed to come."
"I said that this was with colleagues from the office," Louise recalled.
"Yes, but you failed to mention a certain person who intentionally screwed up your life and then left you behind depressed and crying for two months."
"I wasn't depressed," Louise argued. "I was just really sad."
"You were depressed," Jo argued.
"But I got over it," Louise said. "It's all good. Antonio and I are just colleagues now."
"Lou, you should have told me."
"Okay, I'm not going to fight. I should have told you. But we're here and this is my thing. I don't want to hang out all night, just say hello, get a drink, and leave."
"Alright," Jo agreed. "One drink."
"Thank you for looking out for me," Louise said. "I wouldn't have gotten through all of that without you and Terri by my side."
"You're welcome, Lou. Just be careful with this guy. He just tried to charm me, and I didn't appreciate it."
Antonio appeared again. "Louisa, may I have one dance with you."
Louise glanced back at Jo as Antonio led her away by the arm. "He wants to dance."
"He wants to dance," Jo said softly to herself once they were out of earshot. "Dance, my ass!"
She watched as Antonio took Louise into his well-practiced embrace. They moved together effortlessly, as though they had been dancing forever. Their movements were slow at first, but the passion and complexity of the steps increased as the music rose to its crescendo.
Louise had never taken a dance lesson in her life, but she looked amazing. It was a gift, but she obviously had a very special connection with Antonio. No wonder she had fallen so hard for the guy. Their stars were most definitely aligned.
Louise was smiling broadly and appeared to be slightly out of breath when Antonio led her back over to the table.
Jo faux-clapped with appreciation. "You guys looked amazing!"
"Thank you!" Louise acknowledge between deep breaths.
"No, seriously! It was like something that you'd see on TV!"
"Thank you very much!" Antonio responded, his head held proudly.
Louise confessed: "I'm really out of practice."
"Well, you looked beautiful!"
Antonio reached a hand gently toward Jo. "Would you do me the honor, Joanna?"
Jo looked horrified. "You mean dancing?"
"Sure!" he replied with confidence and a smile.
"Oh, no! I can't dance!"
"Just try it," Louise suggested. "If it doesn't work, we'll just keep drinking martinis until it does."
Jo looked at Louise and gave in to the peer pressure. "I guess!"
Antonio led her onto the dance floor. They weren't as smooth together as he was with Louise, but Jo didn't do badly at all for a first timer. She closed her eyes and let him lead, and he took very good care of her.
Jo had a smile on her face before the first song was half over. Her fear of dancing had been conquered.
When the set ended, Antonio and Jo shook hands, smiled, and exchanged a few words that Louise couldn't make out from the distance.
Jo walked back to the table in slow, relaxed strides with a disposition of contentment and some sweat droplets on her face.
"How was it?" Louise asked.
"Aaaah!" Jo sighed as she dabbed her forehead with a napkin. "It was interesting."
"Interesting good or interesting bad?"
"Interesting nice."
Louise was relieved. "Well, that's good!"
"And I think you should get your coat," Jo said cryptically.
"I didn't bring a coat."
"Well then get your bag, 'cause we're leaving."
"Leaving?" Louise demanded. "Why?"
"Because my panties are wet, and I don't even like the guy."
'The Horse Farm'
Copyright © 2016 Daniel R. South
All Rights Reserved
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