INFECTION 2.0

It was like any other Saturday night at Baker’s Roadhouse. The music was loud, and the air was hot and the people were there to play. They were the typical partying bunch. The girls wearing skin-tight jeans or miniskirts and half tank tops to show off their belly button rings. Some had on body spray, the type with the glitter in it, and most were painted up in their idea of how they look best in makeup. The guys were no different, tight jeans or stylish slacks. Most wore a nice shirt, but it was too warm for a jacket of any type. All had on their idea of a cologne that was meant to drive a woman wild. Baker’s was not a place meant for the shy person. A shy person would walk away from the joint hating it. Here a person had to act like they owned the place. Bring a smile and a hello for everyone, and chances are they would be dancing with one or more people in no time. Don’t worry if shyness is a problem, though. Baker’s has a full, well-stocked bar. The girls have their mixed drinks and the guys tending more toward the imports and micro-brews. After a drink or two, if a person isn’t loosened up and ready to party, they shouldn’t be there anyway. Buy a drink or two and they may not go home alone. Tandy Malone was not there to party. In fact, she didn’t want to be there at all. A week ago, in this very club, she caught her boyfriend, ex-boyfriend, dancing more than just a bit too friendly with some random bimbo. Yes, random bimbo was an alright phrase to use. Some tourist woman with that tourist attitude thinking that it was okay to come to town and f**k any guy she wanted because she could leave and never have to be involved with the drama that was created. And the drama was definitely created. Somehow the stranger was able to get lost in the crowd, but Tandy dragged his sorry horny ass out into the parking lot and gave him hell for what she had walked upon. Seriously how could he? Did he really think she would be ok with him touching & groping some random bimbo? The next week was a struggle for her. Sure, they had only been dating for three months, but something in her was starting to have feelings that went beyond the butterflies in her stomach, and in the bedroom. Maybe she wasn’t ready to think of the ‘M’ word just yet...but really? Shouldn’t they have been to a point where she didn’t have to worry about him? She didn’t want to be there. On this night the lights were only giving her a headache, the music was too loud, the drinks didn’t taste good, and something about seeing all these happy, hopeful people laughing and trying to hook up was doing nothing more than annoy her. Already, in just half an hour, she had flat out turned down invitations to dance from a handful of guys and rejected drinks from several others. What she wanted was to be at home, with a hot cup of herbal tea, a box of tissues, a pint of cookie dough ice cream, and an old romance movie...maybe one of those movies that were in black and white. Carly Blankenship, Tandy’s best friend and roommate, was not going to let that happen. She insisted, literally dragged Tandy out of the apartment. The best cure for a broken heart is to go get laid by some hot hunk, Carly claimed with a wink and a grin. So, with a few phone calls and a short drive to the outskirts of town later, Tandy, Carly, and a couple of other girls they knew ended up at Baker’s. They all ordered drinks then, fairly fast, the girls split up, while the others were dancing their way to casually, accidentally, bump into some guy, Tandy found herself a table toward the back.