Lauren walked in the familiar door just a half hour later and immediately set off for the bathroom. She threw all the clothes she had on into the hamper and stepped into the shower. She let the hot water soak her hair and back, and tried to recall the events of the previous night. All she could remember clearly was Dante. His face, his voice, his smile. The fact he’d shown absolutely no interest in her at all—she remembered that very well. And she remembered how much that pissed her off. He’d spent all night talking to Alex. Alex! The one with the boyfriend, the one who was cute-but-not-hot. And he’d ignored the gorgeous one, the one who was single and actually wanted to sleep with him. He must be playing some sort of game. But Lauren had never been played before. She was the player, the tease, the vixen. It was empowering to be wanted and it felt good. Now the shoe was on the other foot and she didn’t like it one bit.
So what’s his deal? she wondered. She wrapped a towel around her body, left the steamy bathroom for the comfort of the couch in the lounge and reached for her phone. Maybe he has a wife or a fiancée. Maybe several. That would explain a couple of things.
Lauren typed his name into the search engine, but surprisingly, the only hit was a link to the T website. As the page loaded, Lauren scanned the screen, scrolling down with slow swipes of her index finger, looking for anything she could find about Dante. The screen filled with the week-long events that T presented throughout the year.
‘January hosts the AUSTRALIANA weekend, come celebrate everything to do with the sunburnt country. Local beer is free on AUSTRALIA DAY. February is for all the lovers (mostly). VALENTINE’S DAY is couples’ night with complimentary champagne for each married or engaged couple. (We want to see the rings! Or a full pash at the bar to get your drinks. Tongues a must! No cheating!) Plus, forget desperate and dateless, for the rest of us single folk, the day after is SEXY and SEEKING night. (PS what happens at S&S stays there). You’ll have the LUCK O’ THE IRISH in March, followed by tributes to the 60’s and 70’s in April and May. June hosts LADIES’ NIGHT and July follows with BOY-ZONE. (Please note – members of the opposite sex have always tried to get in to these nights. Some even dress to add to the illusion. Yes we remember you. It won’t work again. Therefore we reserve the right to check the baby making tools at the door of all dodgy looking crashers.) We round out August with the 80’s, then September takes us back to the 90’s, before we all gear up for the granddaddy: GOTHICFEST on Halloween. MODERNVEMBER brings all the HITS of the 2000’s and TODAY. We end the year with a CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR’S EVE BLOW OUT. (Please note, while all consideration is made to appease the hundreds of different cultures, religions, races and creeds we receive on any given day, if you are sensitive in any way to alcohol, fun, clothing-optional nights, loud music, even louder singing of varying quality by our patrons and the national flag among other things, we advise you to stay home. This is Australia, it’s what we do. Deal with it.)
Lauren snorted as she finished reading, finally coming to the main menu.
What’s On… Subscribe To Our Newsletter… Photo Gallery… Join our Online Community… Merchandise… About Us.
That last one seemed like a good place to start. Lauren clicked and began to read:
Humble Beginnings.
The history of T begins in the 1950s. John and Julie Fields turned their coffee shop on Darlinghurst Road in Kings Cross into a late-night dance bar, originally to be called Temptation, but instead named JJ’s, after their late son, Justin. Before long, it was the place to go. People of all walks of life came to have a look, and at least have their picture taken in front of the famous magenta JJ’s sign.
Taking On the Big Boys
John and Julie had been ahead of the game when they predicted the influx of young people into Kings Cross, but this also proved to be their downfall. By the 1970’s, Kings Cross had undergone massive transformations and the area around their little dance bar was soon developed and surrounded by nightclubs and theatres, attracting thousands every night. “The Cross” began to get even bigger, expanding and upgrading to accommodate the population increase. And with expansion came a rise in corruption and violence. Developers had visited the couple on several occasions, hoping to buy them out, as JJ’s was on prime property, but no deal was ever reached.
A Fiery End
There were some, such as journalist and publisher Juanita Nielsen, who campaigned against property development in the Kings Cross until her sudden and well documented disappearance on 4 July 1975. A coronial inquest determined that Nielsen had been murdered, and although the case has never been officially solved, it is widely believed that Nielsen was killed by agents of the developers. This had a profound impact on John and Julie, who for the first time could appreciate the perceived sinister turn Kings Cross was taking. They refused all talks with developers. Not long after, on August 6,
