“Ella,” I squeaked, and he laughed.
“Oh, I know,” he said. “I couldn’t take my eyes off of you on that stage. Buy you a drink?”
I hesitated. I’d never been much of a drinker; technically, I wasn’t even old enough yet. Most of my alcohol consumption had been limited to the sip of wine I took at Communion every Sunday. Still, I was at a club, and besides, I wasn’t Ella tonight. Sexerella would certainly allow a handsome man to buy her a drink. I nodded.
Peter disappeared without waiting to ask what I wanted, which was a bit of a relief — I wouldn’t have known what to order. He reappeared a moment later, drink in hand. “Double vodka cran,” he said as he passed it to me.
I took a sip, expecting the tart sweetness of cranberry juice, and nearly gagged as the alcohol burned my throat. This was definitely not Communion wine. I took another experimental sip; it was better if I knew to brace myself.
Peter was watching me, smiling with his unnervingly perfect teeth. I wondered if they were veneers. I had never seen teeth like that on someone who wasn’t a movie star. “Good?” he asked.
I nodded. “Thank you,” I said politely. To my surprise, Peter placed his arm around my waist, drawing me close to whisper in my ear.
“Would you like to go upstairs with me?”
I gaped. Thanks to Lester and Chris, I had an idea of what that offer meant.
Peter smirked a little. “First time at the Ball? You know about upstairs, don’t you?” I nodded mutely. “Well then, I’ll have to show you around.”
I bit my lip, considering. I was curious as to what a sex club looked like; in my mind’s eye, I pictured a dark, dungeon-like space, with all kinds of evil-looking instruments and contraptions, the uses of which I couldn’t begin to imagine. But the Ball had surprised me so far with its tasteful sensuality; I suspected that the upstairs would be no different.
I remembered Demi’s words of advice: with the mask and wig that I wore, no one would ever know what I really looked like. I could keep myself hidden, and it would be as if someone else was having the experience. Someone like Sexerella. My heart began to pound in my chest. Was I really considering this? Was I about to allow a strange man to lead me into a sex club?
You don’t need to do anything you don’t want to, I reminded myself. After all, he was just going to show me around. If I got up there and wanted to leave, I could.
Besides, deep down, I had to admit to myself that I wanted to go. I had set off on this tour to have an adventure, and what could be more adventurous than visiting a sex club?
Peter was still watching me, his eyes flicking up and down my body. Hesitantly, heart beating a tattoo against my breastbone, I nodded. “Okay,” I said.
Peter’s face split into a wide grin. “Come with me,” he said, taking my hand in his. His stride was long, and I had to almost run to keep up with him as he made his way through the crowd. He led me down a nearly empty hall, past the restrooms, to a door covered with a dark red curtain. He winked at me as he parted the curtain, gesturing for me to go ahead of him. “Ladies first,” he said.
Behind the curtain was another long hallway, this one more deserted than the first. My heart was in my throat. Was this a mistake? Was he really leading me upstairs, or did he have something more devious in mind?
To my everlasting relief, we finally came to a large bouncer, sitting next to a velvet rope. This was starting to match my mental picture of a secret sex club. I breathed a quiet sigh of relief. “Can I help you two?” the bouncer asked.
“Over the moon,” Peter replied, an apparent non sequitur that I recognized after a moment as the password Chris had given me before the show. The bouncer nodded brusquely, unlatching the rope to motion us up a long set of stairs.
When we reached the top of the stairs, I couldn’t help but gasp. Far from the dimly lit sex dungeon of my imagination, the room we entered was bright and vibrant, inviting. The walls were draped with lush velvet curtains, which matched the cushions that were scattered here and there.
There was even a small swimming pool in the center of the room, which was currently being enjoyed by a group of people, three men and one woman, all stripped naked. I quickly averted my eyes, realizing as I did that there were people all over the room, in various stages of undress. In one corner of the room, a beautiful redheaded woman was performing an elaborate striptease for a man and woman who were stroking each other as they watched, entranced. On a divan not far away, two women were locked in a passionate embrace, their hands exploring each other's bodies, oblivious to the eyes watching them, even the man who stood just a few feet away, his eyes fixed on the two women as he slowly stroked himself.