I took my I.D. from her, and Zander did the same, though he never took his eyes off me. It was almost like he couldn’t believe we were here. Probably because I’d flipped out when he’d touched me, so why the hell would I want to come to a place like this?
Like I’d said before: baby steps.
“Of course, we also screen our clients to make sure everyone is safe and healthy,” she went on. She took our signed NDAs and stapled them to our license pictures, and then she got two masks out of her desk, very similar to hers, only they were green. “We ask that everyone keep on the masks while inside the club. They are color-coordinated. Blue means they work for the Playground. Green means they are visitors.” She gestured to us. “White means they are watching and curious. Red means you have limits. And as for those with no limits whatsoever, their color is black. If you decide to officially join, you will have to know these colors. If you were to try something with someone wearing a white mask, for instance, you will be banned from the premises and have charges filed against you. We take the safety of our clients very seriously.”
I took the green mask she’d placed before me, running my gloved fingers over its edge. Zander did the same, although it looked like he wanted to run out of here and never look back. I supposed this would be a test. If he was going to tell my father about this, he’d do it immediately. If, however, he kept his word and chose to keep this to himself… perhaps I could trust him a little bit.
Just a little. I wasn’t stupid enough to fully trust anyone in this world.
“If you want to put on the masks, I’ll have Steven come up and show you around.” She gave us a smile, and that smile did not waver until after the masks were on. Only then did she radio Steven to come up to the front to show two potential clients the club.
Zander and I stood off to the side. I couldn’t fight the way I was both excited and nervous. Excited because this was what I wanted—minus Zander’s presence, that was—and nervous because this was the first step into pushing myself.
I’d been wallowing for too long. I’d let the nightmares of the past dictate my future and my present for way too long. Everyone had demons in their pasts; mine were just due to my father and his line of work. Being the daughter of a man like my father… it wasn’t easy. It was not something a lot of girls could do.
But this was the life I’d been born into. I was a Santos, and that was why I could not let what happened control me for the rest of my life. I would take back what was stolen from me. It was my first step to freedom—or as much freedom as I could get, being Giselle Santos.
Steven showed up within five minutes, and after patting us down, and taking Zander’s gun from him, he took us into the back. Although, after walking through that door, it wasn’t really the back. It was more like he brought us to the main room of the club.
Low music filled the air, and unlike the previous clubs, this air smelled nice. Smokey, like cologne and perfume mixed together and created something new.
Steven blabbered on about the Playground, repeating a lot of what the woman in the front said, but I only had eyes for the club. The main room was filled with various round beds, all situated around a stage, where another bed sat on display.
And these beds? They were full of people. People in various states of undress. The ones on the stage were totally nude, every inch of their bodies on full display. Besides the masks, of course. The ones on the stage wore all black, while the ones on the beds surrounding the stage were a hodgepodge of a mix. I spotted a few voyeurs wearing white masks around the dimly lit space, though there truly weren’t many. Most were participating in the carnal sexual acts of the room.
Watching all these people, I couldn’t help but wonder if they knew the people they were with, or if this was just about the release. The chasing of the orgasms, the losing yourself inside someone else. I couldn’t pretend to know what that was like, but I hoped I would. That was the whole goal of this.
Steven took us past the big room, where a long hall sat, stretching out. We passed a few rooms whose doors were closed, and the moaning we heard—and the screaming from some—told us everything that went on in those rooms.
“If you are looking for a bit more privacy, we have over a dozen individual rooms available,” Steven rattled off. “Some are more suited for those in the BDSM lifestyle, while others are more plain. As always, it would be up to you to decide what you are comfortable with. Should anyone ever do something you don’t want them to do, all you have to do is press one of these buttons—they’re located in various spots around the club.”
We stopped near a button on the wall. It was covered in a glass box, one you’d have to lift in order to push.
“Any charges that are pressed will be between the Playground and the offending person or persons on behalf of the injured client in order to protect the client’s name,” Steven went on. “Discretion is our top priority here, after safety. Do either of you have any questions for me?” He stood before us with his arms crossed behind his back.
“None I can think of right now,” I whispered.
“Well, if you happen to think of any, feel free to ask anyone with a blue mask. Now, is there anything else you’d like to see, or shall we return to the front?” Steven gave Zander and me a wide smile.
We followed Steven back to the front, where he returned Zander’s gun. We handed back the masks to the woman at the front, who then handed us each a packet of paperwork. We’d need to fill out that paperwork if we wanted to officially join the Playground.
I held the paperwork to my chest as we walked out, breathing in the nighttime air as deeply as my lungs could. I was so lost in my own head at the possibilities that club gave me that I didn’t notice Zander hadn’t moved; he still stood just outside the club’s front doors, right under the pink neon lights.
I should just keep going. I shouldn’t go back for him. But, for whatever reason, I found myself rolling my eyes and turning around to do just that. “What?” I hissed out, unable to hide my displeasure. “Not what you’d thought it’d be, huh?”
“Can’t say it was,” he muttered. I went to take the paper packet from him, but he sidestepped me. “Oh, no. You’re not taking this.”
I glared at him. “Why not?”
“I’m going to fill it out just like you,” he said. “Someone’s got to make sure you don’t do anything stupid.”
“Trust me when I say, you are the last person I want to see in a club like that, so give me the damn papers.” I sure as fuck didn’t want Zander signing up for the Playground all because I was doing it; I wasn’t opening my legs for him here, and I definitely wouldn’t do it in there.
Zander wouldn’t give me the paperwork, and I let out an aggravated noise. I spun on my heels and walked away, wondering why my luck had to suck tonight. Why did Zander have to follow me? If I would’ve been alone tonight, like I’d planned, things would’ve gone so much better.
Because there was nothing else to do at this point, I started the walk home.
Now it was Zander’s turn to hurry up to catch up to me. “You’re really going to fill this out and join that place?” he asked, sounding as if he couldn’t believe it. “You really want to join a… a sex club?”