• New York winters are the worst.


    It's always far too freezing, especially now in late December, and people are either whacking you with purchases or ringing bells in your face. I'm all for charity but Bronx Santa's aren't exactly polite when you pass them by. I sighed as I walked the busy side streets that even tourists were finding out about and pulled my scarf up over my nose, the extra warmth more than welcome. This was the third time this week I'd ended up like this, out in the cold, alone, wandering the streets that lead back to my crappy apartment; all because my b*tch of a girlfriend, well now ex-girlfriend, was on her final exam cram session rampage and had no time for me and my "teenage boy needs".
    I couldn't help but snort as I replayed her rant in my head, I'm the farthest thing from a teenage boy unless thirty-three is the new seventeen according to Cosmo or whatever chick mag makes up that sh*t.

    I was about to turn down the street that lead straight to my apartment and saw a small street fair crowding the sidewalk and road and rolled my eyes before heading down an ally short cut that a neighbor had shown me once after a nice long night of drinking so, the directions were a little hazy but I smirked as I made it through the loose board on the fence and was nearly home free when a draft of warmth and the scent of good brandy came out of a doorway on the right side of the crowded buildings.

    I was a little skeptical to wander closer but the warmth was all but a siren's song.

    "Hello Sir." a voice said, making me nearly jump out of my skin.

    With a heavy breath I looked around to see a middle-aged man in a butler type outfit sitting behind a desk next to a curtained door-way. "How may I help you tonight?"

    "I-I uh...what is this place?"

    "Well Sir, this, is the lobby. Do you have a card or appointment?"

    "No I was, uh, I was just heading home and I...I thought I'd stop in and see what this place was."

    "I'd be happy to show you Sir. You seem to be fitting the appropriate attire." the man said and gave a once over to my dark suit that was only covered a bit by my open trench coat. "If you'd follow me." he continued and got up from his stool and pulled back the curtain to reveal a flight of stairs which he ushered me up before following.

    "What is this place?" I asked and looked at a few of the photos lining the walls showing old Classic Hollywood stars, mainly icons from the glory days like Sinatra and Hepburn.

    "This is Rouge Tentation." he said and slid in front of me at the top of the stairs in a slick manner and unlocked the door to the right of the hallway, the smell of sweet smoke and alcohol wafting out and slow, easy music wrapping around my mind. "Would you care to come inside, Sir?" the butler type male asked with a cocked eyebrow and skeptic look on his face.

    "The name's Harrison. James Harrison."

    "Well, Mr. Harrison, can I show you to a seat? Or would you prefer to sit at the bar?" he questioned.

    "The bar will be fine Jeeves." I said with a smirk as the man closed to door behind me as I finally stepped into the dimly lit space filled with a few small tables built for two.

    A few booths lined the side of the room opposite the long bar that ended just in front of a small stage with a single microphone on center stage, only accompanied by a Christmas tree which threw a colorful glare over a piano that was to the left with a few stringed instruments next to it, all instruments unoccupied for the moment which made me glance around to find speakers that were above the bar that let the jazzy music flow through the rather crowded bar.
    The man was smiling a little as he gestured to an empty bar stool that wasn't crowded with other patrons and handed me a card with the bar name, address, number, and his name on it as well.

    "If there's anything else you need Mr. Harrison, then Mr. Connolly will be happy to care of you."

    "Thanks," I said and read the name quickly before adding "see you later Thadious."

    "Please Mr. Harrison, call me Jeeves." Thad said with an amused grin before he nodded softly and headed back down the stairs.

    I sat at the bar, leaning back with my elbows on the edge as I surveyed the space some more, mainly looking over what I could only assume were regulars, everyone looking like they jumped out of one of those old videos of a Rat Pack performance at those ritzy joints.

    "Anything I can get for ya Sir?" a younger looking male, who I was happy to guess was Connolly, asked with a bright smile and very thick Irish accent, as he dried off a few rock glasses.

    "Um, what do ya got?"

    "Pretty much everything. Got a specific poison?"

    "Not particularly. I guess, a Black Russian would be good. No ice."

    "You got it." he said with a nod and whipped up my drink at a rather inhuman speed. "Should I ring you up or would you like me to start a tab?" he asked as he pushed the glass towards me.

    "A tab would probably be best,"

    "Riley." the younger man said with a smile.

    "Thanks, yeah, a tab would be nice."

    "You got it." he said and nodded before heading down the bar to help some other customers.

    I sighed as I looked into the dark mixture and licked my lips before I downed the concoction in one go, enjoying the slight sting from the Vodka as my whole body warmed, any trace of outsides weather wiped away from even my finger tips.

    "Can I get ya another Mr. H?" Riley asked with a slightly sympathetic smile as he took the empty glass and promptly cleaned it out.

    "Yeah that'd be brilliant." I said with another sigh, slumping over the bar top as Riley went to work.

    "Wanna tell me what's on your mind?" the boy asked as he slid me my drink.

    "Just women troubles. This is what I get for getting together with a girl still in college though I suppose."

    "Well stick around, maybe you'll find a better option." he said with a smirk and patted the hard wood just as the lights went down and a spotlight turned on to shine on the single mic stand. I shot a glance at Riley and he just smiled and gave a short shrug before nodding back to the stage where a shapely woman stepped from behind the curtain that lined the whole back wall.
    I couldn't help the low whistle that escaped my lips, the sound thankfully covered by the starting notes that rung out from the piano that I hadn't even noticed a player heading towards. "That'd be Miss Vanessa, she's a full time performer here at Rouge Tentation. Granted that Mr. T won't hire any other cause they apparently can't stack up but, I'm not one to complain when I get to watch a woman like her perform three times a night."

    'Hell I wouldn't complain if I could watch her walk in front of me...' I thought as I looked over her figure that was encased in a tight, silky, blood red dress.

    The piano finally struck up a melody after a few moments of the impromptu performance as the double bass trumpets chimed in, the tune recognizable after a few moments, the smile on my face a little expectant of such a song from a girl who looked like...well like that.

    "Santa Baby, slip a sable under the tree, for me," the short haired blonde begin to sing with a voice that was what I could only compare to an angles at the moment as I watched her preform, tanned skin standing out stunningly against the red dress and the silky white elbow length gloves, what looked like white sheer thigh-highs peeking out the thigh high slit on the right side of her dress that I could barely see from my spot at the bar.

    I finally zoned back into the song to hear her voice get deeper as the launched into one of the last verses, grabbing the mic and making her way out to some of the men in the front of the audience with a devilish smile on her ruby red lips. "Come and trim my Christmas tree, with some decorations bought Tiffany's. I really do believe in you, let's see if you believe in me. Bee doo bee doo."

    I chuckled as a few men got glares from the women that were sitting with them, some less impressionable women getting in on the action and giggling when Vanessa would take a seat on a lap or two as she got closer to the bar on her way back to the stage, stopping and pulling me out of my seat making me raise my brow for a moment and then worry about my expression every being normal as she pressed her back to my chest and slid down my front extremely provocatively as she sang out the last two lines of the song.
    When the piano man hit the last key she was back up quicker than a fly on honey, and making her way back to the stage only giving one long bow before disappearing behind the curtain.

    "Well she certainly fancies you now doesn't she?" Riley asked with a smirk as I got back to my seat in stiff movements, my face still red as her dress was as I gulped down my drink as if it were water.

    "D-does she not do that often?" I asked and tapped the rim of my glass to ask for a refill, Riley laughing lightly as he reached for a new glass.

    "Well, that stuff she does with the main tables, going out and flirting and all that, that's normal. But I've never seen her get so physical with a customer before; perhaps it's cause you're new." he said a little off-handedly.

    "It's also cause I fancy him." a sweet voice said and I turned, and nearly fell out of my seat, seeing Vanessa sitting cross legged next to me, her chin resting on the heel of her right hand, her left now resting firmly on my thigh.

    She might as well have just put an iron there.

    "Now Vanessa, don't scare our newest customer away." Riley said in a parental tone, though his expression betrayed the tone as he smiled and placed my third drink on the bar.

    "I hardly think anything I could do would scare him away Riles. So, what's your name stranger?" she asked and murmured a thank you as Riley placed a steaming mug in front of her.

    "James." I said, my voice a lot steadier than my mind. "And you're Vanessa right?"

    "That's my name, feel free to scream it out." she replied with a wink over the rim of her mug. "So what brings ya here Mr. James?" Vanessa asked as she re-crossed her legs, her right topping the left and showing a nice view of her legs and the white stockings under them.

    "Just needed a uh, an escape from the cold." I said with a gulp and did my best not to pull at my collar.

    "I've been told I'm a great escape from such weather." Vanessa replied suggestively, her ruby lips turning up in a teasing smile. "That was my last performance of the night. Would you maybe wanna get out of here?" she asked, espresso colored eyes looking up from under long dark lashes.

    "That sounds like it'll be a grand time." I said with a smile and took two hundred dollar bills out from my wallet and slapped them onto the bar before offering a hand out to help her from the bar stool.

    "Oh, a gentleman." she said and took my hand and gave a short curtsy. "Thank you kind Sir."

    "My pleasure miss."

    "Oh, it will be. See ya Riles." she said as we left for the stairs and made it quickly back outside after a quick wave to Jeeves who was ready with Vanessa's coat and purse.

    With a snug smile Vanessa held tight to one of my arms in the chill as she steered us in the direction of what I could only assume was her apartment. I smiled as she hummed, happy to skip the small talk as we wandered down the snowy streets as little flurries fell softly from above.

    I smiled as Vanessa squealed in delight as a snowflake landed directly on the tip of her nose before she broke out in a solo of "Baby It's Cold Outside".

    ...New York winters are the best.