Sixty-Nine

by Pynk

“They’re hot. I like. You’ve always had the eye for lingerie. Thank you.” She leaned to her right and smooched Darla’s way. “Muah. Thank you both.” Rebe tucked the panties back into the box and placed it in the bag just under the table. She scooted forward. “So what exactly were you two talking about?”

  Darla came right out and asked, “So you’re really truly stripping already?”

  “Really truly.” She picked up the menu. “Do you mind if I order first? This working girl is starving.”

  Darla said, “Oh Lord. Anyway, I already know what I want.”

  Magnolia glanced over her menu, too, while fingering the hairs of her ponytail along her shoulder. “I can’t wait.”

  The young, apron-wearing, sandy-haired male waiter approached with a smile. “Welcome. Can I get you ladies anything to drink before you order?”

  “Iced tea,” said Darla, glancing up at him.

  Magnolia told him, “Orange juice for me.”

  He asked Rebe. “Would you like some water, ma’am?”

  Rebe replied slowly, putting down the menu and then twisting her vintage Lucite bangle along her wrist as she looked up at him with caution, “Yes please.” Her skin crawled. She hated the word ma’am.

  Magnolia kept looking at the menu and said, “Go ahead, we can order now. You can go first, Darla.”

  Darla did. “I’ll have the eggs Florentine with spinach.”

  “Sure. And you, ma’am?” he asked Rebe.

  Rebe flung her braids back as she spoke. “The steak and eggs, scrambled. Wheat toast.”

  “Sure. And you?” He looked at Magnolia just as she closed her menu.

  “The scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and onions. And some more coffee please.”

  “Coming right up,” he said taking their menus and stepping away.

  Rebe looked in the direction of the waiter, and then cut her eyes. “Did you hear him call me ma’am? Not once, but twice.”

  Darla waved her hand. “Oh Rebe.”

  “Oh Rebe what? I didn’t hear him call either of you ma’am.”

  “I’m sure he didn’t mean it in a negative way,” Darla told her, seeming certain.

  Rebe gave a heavy exhale and worked hard to stay cool, calm, collected, even though her mind tried to rewind. “Well, he needs to give us a little equal opportunity with those manners. Directing it all to me when I’m younger than both of you.”

  “By a little more than a month.” Darla gave a tiny laugh.

  Magnolia said, “Actually, come to think of it, that did happen to me last week. Being referred to as ma’am for the first time is…well, noticeable to the one who’s called ma’am.”

  Rebe replied with a tone that said she was giving Magnolia a verbal high five, elongating the second syllable of her one word. “Okay?”

  Darla leaned forward and put her elbows along the table. “So, back to your stripping, or dancing, whatever. You’re really doing that?”

  Rebe was honest. “Yes, I am. The lady who taught my pole dancing class referred me to the owner, and he hired me the minute I walked in. Believe me, I didn’t expect it to happen that fast myself.”

  “Amazing.” Magnolia was all ears.

  “What’s it like?” asked Darla.

  “I just get up there and move my body like it’s no big deal, feeling free, much more uninhibited than I thought I’d be. I mean, it feels wrong, sort of, but I do it almost because of that, if that makes sense. This whole thing to me in the first place is about being comfortable with being uncomfortable. But the trip is to see the kind of people who come in there. All types. Executives, athletes, fathers. One guy, from what one of the dancers told me, is actually a preacher.”

  Magnolia said, “Uh. Why am I not surprised? Though I’m still trying to imagine you, on stage.”

  “Then maybe you guys should come on by and see for yourselves.”

  Darla spoke up. “Oh, no thanks. I’ll just imagine. That’s good enough.”

  “So, the guys. Are they weird?” Magnolia asked.

  “Not so far. Funny thing is, I met this guy the very first night I worked. My name on the stage is Queenie. I just made that up, just because my neighbor had a dog named Queenie when I was little. But he knows my name now. And I called him Babyface, because he looks so young. Well, actually, he is young. But his name is Armani. I spent my birthday at his place.”

  “How old is he?” Darla asked, angling her head.

  “He’s twenty-one.”

  Even Magnolia had to ask, “What? Twenty-one?”

  Darla gave a snicker. “Uh oh. Cougar.”

  Rebe leaned in to speak softer but sounded like she had a news flash. “Yep. The cougar has her cub. And listen, we fuck like horny ass pussycats.” She sat up straight. “Thank you very much.”

  Magnolia said, “Uh on. Hold up. Don’t you go giving that young boy all the freak, now. You’re old enough to be his mother.”

  “Exactly.” Rebe looked like he could have it all and more.

  “When did all this boy-toy loving start?” asked Darla.

  “The first night I met him. Thing was, when I gave him a lap dance I could tell he was packing, and I was shocked.”

  “You do the lap dances, too?”

  “All that. So for my birthday the other night, I went by his apartment at like two in the morning, and I’m telling you, that young man has energy. He can go right ahead and use me until he uses my ass right on up.”

  Magnolia looked impressed. “Hold up. How is it all of a sudden you end up with all the sex-machine men?”

  “See, I am not playing, whereas you two, my dears, are. Plus, these younger men out here are bringing their A game. I remember when the young guys would say they wanted an older woman so she could show them a thing or two. Hell, they already know a thing or two, three, and four. I can’t teach him a thing.”

  Magnolia said, eyeing down her friend, giving the cuckoo sign, circling her hand near her head, “Okay, Rebe, you have totally flown over the cuckoo’s nest and lost your marbles. Or maybe it’s your pussy that’s lost it.”

  Rebe looked at her like that was a dud. “Very funny. If so, it needed to be lost. But I know one thing, I sure don’t feel forty. Even if this sorry ass waiter is up in this place calling me ma’am.”

  Darla told her, “Ma’am or not, don’t start acting like you’re twenty-one, too. You need to be responsible still. You know there are a whole lot of perverts out there.”

  Rebe put her fingers to her temples like she felt a headache looming. “Here she goes again, Magnolia. Make her stop. Please.”

  Darla said, “Okay now. You asked for the fast lane and you got it. That’s on you.”

  Magnolia only looked back and forth between the two of them. She then asked, “So Rebe, honestly, what do you know about this guy, Armani, anyway?”

  “He said he works at the Miami airport. I think for Transportation Security or something. And he spends a lot of time in the club. The girls tell me he’s in there five nights a week. He’s a pseudo-model. Showed me some of his hot ass pictures before I left the next day. And oh, yeah, this is what I wanted to tell you both.” Rebe looked impressed with what she was about to say. “He’s a swinger. He goes to this new swinger’s club called Erotic City.”

  Magnolia said, “Oh, so he’s a real freak.”

  “Are you thinking about going?” Darla asked.

  “I am.”

  Magnolia admitted, “One of Neal’s friends went there. From what he told him, Freakazoid City is what they should have named it.”

  “Well, I’m going. And he invited you guys, too.”

  “He invited us?” Darla raised her eyebrows.

  “Yes. He knows the owner who’s some former boxing champ.” Rebe was perky. “So what’s up? You two wanna go, or what?”

  “I don’t know,” said Darla. “I doubt it.”

  “You know, I think I would.” Magnolia sipped her last sip of coffee.

  “There ya go.” Rebe nodded.
<
br />   Magnolia said, “But I’d probably just stand there in shock. Traumatized.”

  “Armani said the first time, we should just watch and take it all in. Then, if we decide it’s not for us, we don’t have to go back. No harm.”

  “Okay.” Magnolia gave a thumbs-up nod.

  “So, we’ll go soon. Maybe next month so we can build up the nerve.”

  Darla said, “We’ve straight out all lost our minds.”

  The drink girl approached with their water, juice, and tea, and poured more coffee for Magnolia.

  “Thanks,” Magnolia said for them. She eyed her friends back and forth, again changing the subject. “I joined an adult site.” Her words spilled.

  Rebe asked, “You did?”

  “Yep. And I had phone sex with this guy. It was a trip.”

  Rebe smiled. “With a stranger, huh? Good girl.”

  “You put a photo up?” Darla asked, putting a straw in her tea.

  “Just a boob shot.”

  “You are brave,” Rebe said.

  “I told you I was curious. But not too curious, because wait. Neal…”

  Darla jumped in. “Oh no. There’s that name again.”

  “Listen. Neal tried to pull a fast one on me. Well, my dumb ass agreed to come by and talk, and he had the nerve to have his new girl upstairs. They tried to set me up for a threesome.”

  Rebe said, “Now that is some kinky shit there. You did say tried, right? You didn’t.”

  “Ahh, no. Of course not. If I were ever to decide to be with two or more people at the same time, he would not be one of them. That, I can tell you for sure.”

  Darla shook her head. “Ahh, that’s messed up. So they tried to ambush you?”

  Magnolia explained, “Yeah, and her sad ass is so pathetic. These women just do whatever these men want them to. She’s cool with him having me on his mind while they screw. Not.”

  Rebe picked up her water. “That is a trip. I hope you never see him again. Really. That’s just so disrespectful.”

  Darla joked, “Magnolia, you know you were probably hoping to get laid by him when you went over in the first place. You’re not fooling me one bit.”

  “Well if I was, he ruined that for sure.”

  “Man oh man. Slick old Neal. Kinky dude.”

  “Yep. We knew that.” Darla sipped her tea.

  Rebe said, “Just when you try to get a little bit wilder, he one-ups you.”

  “And so Darla, what’s your status update anyway?” Magnolia asked.

  “None. Just still trying to open this store.”

  Rebe asked. “Did you like any of the spots you saw?”

  “Yeah. Just still working it out. It takes time. Gotta get things lined up.”

  Magnolia said nothing.

  Rebe sipped her water and put the glass back down. “Okay. No extracurricular?”

  “None.”

  “Still got Aaron on the brain?” Magnolia asked.

  “That. And even when I was having sex, I still had the orgasm thing. I’d probably bore a man to tears. I’d be better off just doing the battery operated boyfriend thing.”

  Rebe told Darla, speaking closer to the table, “See, you need to read up on why you’re not being able to come. I heard that not having an orgasm is either a libido thing, or an issue you might need to get checked out, like blood flow. Or…”

  Magnolia spoke up to complete her own version of the sentence. “Or, you’re not asking for what you want in bed.”

  “Oh really? Well, what if I don’t know what it is I want in the first place?”

  Magnolia continued, “I’ll tell you one thing. I’m no expert, but Darla, a man can play around all he wants to down there, and there’s one main spot that’s only for the purpose of a woman having an orgasm, and no other reason. And that’s the lovely clitoris.”

  Rebe nodded, uncrossing and then crossing her legs. “Heck yeah, I know that’s right.”

  “Darla, there are a lot of women who don’t even come vaginally, but orally, now that is a must. And it’s a beautiful thing.” It seemed she had a flashback.

  Darla thought back. “I can imagine. I think I’d gotten just about there before, but I admit, I pulled back.”

  Rebe looked unconvinced. “Believe me, if someone was doing it right, there’d be no pulling back.”

  Magnolia said, talking like she had a cure for cancer, “Darla, here’s what you’ve got to do.” She had one hand on her orange juice and lowered her tone. “If you notice him licking it, or missing it, or close to it, whatever, tell him to take that bad boy in his mouth and suck on it. ‘Suck’ is the magic word. Suck. I promise you. I may not know much, but that I do know. A man who has those skills is a valuable asset to any woman.” She scooted her hips. “Hell, I’m getting horny. Where’s our food? I need to eat and go home and get on my play site.”

  Rebe said, “I know that’s right. I’m starving.”

  Magnolia said, “So, Rebe, Darla wants to know what Make It Rain means.”

  “I do not. Don’t even lie. That’s your question,” Darla said, giving Magnolia a look.

  Rebe answered, “Whoever asked, that’s when the customers throw the money in the air and it falls down like rain.”

  Magnolia said, “Oh, I thought it meant, like, to come all over someone. Like skeet?”

  “Oh no. Even I knew that. You are old,” Darla joked and then asked in a lower tone, “Rebe, what I do want to know is, is it true what they say about the champagne room? Do they have sex in there?”

  “Yes.”

  “But you don’t.”

  “No.”

  “Okay, so if someone wants you to, then what?” Darla asked.

  “I’ll say no.”

  “You’re not even curious?”

  Rebe said, “Even I know that sometimes curiosity can kill the cat.”

  Magnolia laughed.

  Rebe asked her, “Magnolia, so, are you trying to find a man online to marry and have kids with, or what?”

  “Oh, hell no. And as far as having kids, I’m sure my eggs are dead anyway. They say by the time you’re forty, the three-hundred thousand eggs you had at twenty-one are down to like nine thousand, and you haven’t got a snowball’s chance in hell at getting pregnant.”

  Rebe said, “I heard that madness. But I think it’s not the number of eggs, it’s the quality. You could still have some good ones left.”

  Magnolia looked around, back toward the direction of the waiter. “Speaking of eggs. Really. Where is our damn food?”

  “For real.” Darla caught the waiter’s eye and flagged him down.

  Magnolia continued, “I say, expecting that picket fence, fidelity, two and one-half kids, and a dog, or cat, or frigging hamster, is just a mirage. Be glad you have a roof and a job and your health. Life ain’t but a minute. Screw the rest.”

  “I plan to,” Rebe joked.

  Magnolia said, “I’m starting to believe you will. Making up for lost time. What are you on, some kind of Viagra for women or something?”

  As they laughed, the waiter came up and said, “Yes, ma’am.”

  Darla pointed toward the kitchen. “Young man, where’s our food?”

  Rebe watched Darla’s facial expressions, inching to a frown.

  He said, looking hurried, “I apologize. We’re just very busy. I’ll check on it now. I’ll make sure we bring it out right away, ma’am.”

  Rebe got ready to say something but Darla beat her to it.

  “And young man, listen to me. Please don’t use the word ma’am. You wouldn’t know what we mean unless you were a forty-year-old female and someone said it to you. But, please, take our word for it. It’s not good.” Rebe and Magnolia nodded at him.

  He spoke fast and almost bowed. “Oh, okay, please know that I apologize. I had no idea. It won’t happen again.”

  “Good,” said Darla.

  “Sorry.” The waiter turned around just as their food was brought over by another server.


  Darla watched them pass out the plates, steam doing its dance off the hot entrees, the smells of green peppers and butter and salmon made themselves known. The potent smell intoxicated Darla as she inhaled and savored the aromas; however, it was not enough to make her forget about her other hunger. Darla said in a low voice, still on the previous topic, “Suck it, huh?”

  Rebe’s mouth dropped and she laughed. “Uh oh. Seems like you’re ready.”

  All Darla did in reply was bow her head. The others did as well. She said, “God bless this food for the nourishments of our bodies.”

  “Amen,” they all said together.

  They grabbed their silverware and began to eat, while Darla gave each of them an unbelievable look like they were all going to burn in hell.

  All because of a sex promise.

  She also prayed that Magnolia picked up the tab for their breakfast meals.

  Thankfully for Darla, her prayer was answered.

  Thirteen

  “I Wanna Be Your Lover”

  Magnolia

  INT.—MAGNOLIA’S HOME—MIAMI BEACH— EVENING

  February 28, 2009

  It had been a minute since the drama of Neal inviting Magnolia over for a threesome with him and his new woman. Magnolia had been online every night since she first signed up for GFF. She was bound and determined to spill over into the world that she’d for years talked herself out of taste testing. She felt sad for Keyonna, but also a little envious that Keyonna was not jealous or rigid. It made Magnolia wonder if exploring beyond the boundaries was so bad after all.

  Magnolia searched through the naughty videos and watched women with women, guys with guys, big breasted, big dicks, different nationalities, and fetishes. At first she was in amazement at what was out there in the world, and with what people were willing to do. Some women squirted their liquid orgasms like water, some sat on fake penises that had suction cups secured to a coffee table or against the wall, and some inserted foot-long dildos in every orifice, while most of the members just wanted a sex partner for the evening.

  Magnolia, once again, for the fourth time, had phone sex with Carl, and even did a webcam chat with HungHenry, and then with BigBoom. She’d had her sixth request to play from LeanAndJean. She denied, again. The new Magnolia was willing, but just wasn’t into couples.