All apologies

As you may have noticed, no Friday Five, Saturday Six or Sunday Seven. 

'hangs head in shame'

BUT I do have something to offer you blog-hungry monsters... Remember Ben and Cassie? In the club? Want to find out what happened next? Puzzled by the title? Refresh your memory here. 

Now you're ready...

*****

Stamp- part two

Ben collected Tim and his jacket and hailed a cab, his fingers still locked with Cassie’s. Tim, for once, was behaving himself. He couldn’t resist the odd peek at Cassie’s backside though, Ben noticed. He wasn’t bothered. Cassie was making it clear who she was interested in. He hoped fervently that his breath didn’t smell of onions. With the hand that wasn’t holding Cassie’s, he tried to cup and sniff his breath discretely. She caught him and grinned. He grinned back. Another invisible spark shot between them, making the air inside the cab crackle with potential.

After a surprisingly long drive, away from the lights of the main clubbing strip, the cab pulled up at the address Cassie had given. It wasn’t an area of the city that Ben had visited before; he didn’t even know there was a club here. It looked like an industrial estate. They climbed out of the cab and stood outside of an unlit building. Tim looked around incredulously.

“Where is it then?” he asked. Cassie laughed, a soft tinkling sound like wind chimes.

“It’s hidden- very exclusive.” She led them down an alley and to a green side-door with a tacky neon light above it. It blinked haphazardly, illuminating most of the letters that spelled out the name ‘Futures’. She knocked softly and the door was opened by a huge bouncer. In fact, Ben thought, looking him up and down nervously, he looked more like a wrestler than a bouncer.

“Good evening, Cassandra,” he grunted. Cassie smiled and released Ben’s hand to embrace the suited gorilla. Ben felt a twinge of jealousy as he watched the man wrap his hulking arms around her slender waist. Cassie giggled again and stepped back as he released her.

“Levi, these are my dear friends, Ben and...?” She turned her head and beamed at Tim. Ben smirked as he watched the effect her smile had on his friend.

“Uh- Tim. I’m Tim.” Flustered, he held out his hand to shake Levi’s. Levi looked at it pointedly and made no move to take it. Tim dropped his hand quickly. He shuffled his feet awkwardly. Cassie laid her hand on Levi’s arm.

“Levi, darling. Let us in quickly, please- it’s freezing out here.”

Levi stepped back to let them pass. Cassie took Ben’s hand in hers and led him up some narrow stairs, Tim trailing behind like a balloon.

The music hit Ben long before they reached the inner door; it was intoxicating and hypnotic. Cassie turned and smiled sweetly at him before pushing the door open into a room that swam with colour and flashing lights. It took his breath away for a moment. A wall of beautiful faces turned to greet him. He wondered if he had somehow ended up at an after-show party for fashion models. He noticed a few ordinary-looking faces mixed in between the chiselled cheekbones and heart-shaped pouts. They must be the agents and hangers-on, he thought. Maybe Cassie was a model. That would explain a lot.

He turned to look at her; she was gazing up at him as if he were a prize that she was thrilled to have won. Her golden eyes seemed to glow from within as she stared into his.

He stood, transfixed, and barely noticed when someone took his free hand. He jumped as he felt a sharp prick of pain across the back of it though, and looked down indignantly at the black ink below his wrist.

“Ow- what was that for?” The woman, astonishingly beautiful in a gold dress that defied gravity and reason, smiled and waved a hand stamp at him.

“Members only. You need a stamp.”

“Oh.” Ben watched as Tim’s hand was stamped. The hand stamp was metallic-green and sparkled in the flashing strobe lights, giving it an almost magical radiance. Tim rubbed his hand and swore.

The woman waved them in and Cassie led Ben and Tim to the dance floor, where Tim was immediately approached by a petite red-head in hot-pants. Waggling his eyebrows suggestively at Ben, Tim led his new friend to the bar, leaving Ben alone with Cassie. She winked at him as the music changed pace, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him close.

I've dropped a few clues now- any ideas?