We both just stood there, not even looking at the bouncer. I took my phone out to glance at it. It wasn’t ringing and I didn’t have a text-I just wanted to look like I had something to do. Lil took a stick of gum out of her purse and put it into her mouth.

“Go on,” he said, waving us through. I saw him look at my legs first, though, and I was glad I was wearing heels that made me a good four inches taller. Lil snuck a triumphant squeeze to my hand as we walked past him.

“Damn, you weren’t kidding when you said your skirt was invisible!” She had to yell to be heard, and this was the first chance we’d had to talk. She came from West

Chelsea, and TJ and Ronnie’s house was all the way out in Douglaston, a place that always had Ronnie saying, “There’s nothing wrong with living in Queens!” Of course, you couldn’t tell that to the Upper West Siders.

“Like it?” I yelled back, flipping the hem. I couldn’t flip it much-it was one of my shortest, cream-colored, a halter dress, if you could call so little material a dress, with a plunging neckline, completely backless. I wore a silver armband with it and my hair was up-it was too hot to dance with my hair down.

Lil gave me two thumbs up and then grabbed my hand. We checked our wraps before heading toward the dance floor. We’d dance until we got thirsty-and by that time, we could take advantage of some guy trying to pick one of us up and offering to buy us drinks. Even a gin and tonic was eighteen bucks!

The music was so loud I could barely think-it was fantastic. We waded to the center of the sea of writhing bodies, our hips already moving, driven by the beat. For me, dancing was almost as good as sex-hell, it was sex-hips grinding, bodies swaying, adrenaline pumping. It was like an all-night orgasm, a constant throb. I lost myself dancing, and in that, Lil and I were just alike.

Of course, it was all dependent on the music. The DJ was important, and when we got one that was into the rap and hip-hop thing, or someone who was just crazy bi-polar, picking one good song followed by a dud, we usually called it a night early, because we were all about the dancing. Unless one of us-usually Lil-found someone to go home with. That was a given.