Allanah

Laughing as he stumbled up the stairs to the One Four Seven Club Tomas threw himself at the glass doors, thankful that as usual the bouncers were downstairs sharing a joint with some of the club’s regular clientele. After picking himself up off the floor which had risen to meet him as he entered the club he looked around trying to find his bearings, as his eyes adjusted to the smoky dim lit atmosphere. Why had he ended up at the One Four Seven? As he staggered to the bar he knew the answer, he was seeking the solace and solitude only found at the bottom of a glass.

The night had begun like any other Friday night as he, his girlfriend Jane and his best friend Ian had met up with their friends from college to celebrate the end of another week. Yet now barely four hours later he found himself single, alone and cursing his best friend and girlfriend. “How could they do that to me?” He found himself asking himself over and over again.

Finally reaching the bar Tomas threw his money down and snarled at the barman, “double JD. No make it a triple.”

Tomas had chosen the One Four Seven club to drown his sorrows because it was famous for asking no questions and true to their ethos the barman returned a few moments later with the requested medicine. Grabbing the glass Tomas threw half of the burning liquid down his throat before turning to listen to the band playing in the corner of the room.

 “A new religion that’ll bring you to your knees. Black velvet if you please!”

“I wouldn’t mind having her on her knees,” the barman grinned as he handed Tomas his change. “I’ve always had a thing for those riding chaps. Same again?” He added seeing the empty glass and Tomas nodded.

Drawn back to the singer on the stage Tomas realised the barman had a point, the lead singer although bearing no resemblance to the star she was trying to imitate was beautiful in a way Jane had never been and as she belted out the chorus to Black Velvet he found himself becoming transfixed by her performance. As if sensing Tomas’ eyes upon her, the singer turned her gaze upon him and Tomas almost fell off his stool as she winked in his direction.

Fuelled by Tennessee’s finest, Tomas completely forgotten about his best friend’s betrayal although the pain he felt when he thought about Jane could not be numbed by the bourbon flowing through his veins. In the background he could hear the band finishing their set and when the singer came to stand next to him at the bar he found himself offering to buy her a drink.

For what seemed like an age after his proposal the singer looked him up and down before turning to the barman and in a Scouse accent so different from the Southern drawl he had heard earlier, said “Southern Comfort.”

 “What else?” Tomas commented wryly and was rewarded with a laugh by the singer and a knowing wink from his new best friend the barman before he left them alone to enjoy what was left of the night.

Later that evening in the one of the rooms of the Holiday Inn across from the One Four Seven Club, Tomas propped himself up against the headboard and looked down at the Black Velvet singer lying naked by his side. “I hope you don’t think I’m a bitch,” she told him when she noticed Tomas studying her “but I think it’s time for you to leave.”

 “What?”

“I need to get a decent night’s sleep, we’re travelling to Birmingham tomorrow otherwise I guess we could have done it again.”

Shocked by what he was he was hearing and what it implied Tomas grabbed the bed clothes and clutched them to his chest. “So what was tonight? What was I? Some sort of groupie?”

Black Velvet considered Tomas before replying, an amused smile forming on her lips, “yeah I guess you were.”

Leaving the Holiday Inn Tomas contemplated the night he had never planned for and for a second cursed Black Velvet for using him as she had but slowly a grin began to emerge from the scowl he had worn as he left her room. “So what if I’ve been used,” he told himself. “It wasn’t that bad. I kind of liked it.”