“May I ask you some questions now?” I ventured.
“You may,” she said with a slow nod.
“Is this your place? How long have you had it?”
“B. You will learn all that and more over a period of time as you get to know the club and its members.”
She stood. Should I stand, too?
“Now, I’ll leave you to explore on your own. If you need anything, please let me know.”
She floated away to greet someone else who’d just arrived, her green dress swirling around her lower legs. The new guest was in profile, but wore a full-face mask.
Geez, what was he hiding from?
But more importantly, where could a cool mask like that be found?
I spotted a staircase in the far corner and headed over to it, not wanting to look like a loser sitting all by my lonesome. I needed to get the lay of the land and collect as much detail as I could, as quickly as I could.
Crossing the room, I noticed both male and female heads turning, checking me out. Probably because I was a new face? Or rather, a new piece of ass?
At the top of the stairs, where there was even less light than the first floor, I was offered a glass of champagne, which I reminded myself to drink slowly. I needed to keep my wits about me. A woman wearing a red dress and high heels sat on a cushy sofa. I made a beeline for her.
Maybe she’d be friendly.
“May I sit here?”
“Of course.” She patted the seat next to her as she looked up at me. “You’re new here.”
She was stunning. Black bobbed hair, green eyes, her full lips smeared with nothing more than a neutral gloss.
“Yup. It’s my first time.”
The woman extended her hand. “I’m P.” She held up her champagne glass for a toast.
“I’m B. I’m never gonna keep these one-letter names straight.”
P laughed. “Don’t worry. No one does.” She took a long draw on the last of her champagne and looked around for the server.
“What brought you here?” P asked.
“Oh, I was just curious I guess,” I said.
“So you came by yourself? For your first time?” Her eyebrows rose.
Hmmm. Was that why people were staring?
“Sure,” I told her. “Why? Is that strange?”
She pursed her lips thoughtfully, and smiled. “I guess it’s not strange. It’s just that most women are brought here for the first time by a man.” She waved over the server for two fresh glasses of champagne.
“Cheers. You’ve got some balls,” P said, holding her glass up.
I laughed, hoping my mirth didn’t sound as fake as it felt. But the champagne was helping take the edge off.
“Thank you. Thank you very much.”
I spotted another dance floor in the distance, a couple smaller rooms I couldn’t quite see into, and a bunch of seating areas like the one P and I were occupying. Beyond that, there was another staircase leading to a higher level.
“Where’s that go?” I pointed.
“There are a couple play rooms on the third floor for the super high rollers. Very exclusive. I’ve been in them a couple times.”
“Why do they need their own rooms?”
P tilted her head and made an I can’t believe you asked that question face. “Wow. You are really green aren’t you?”
“So what if I am?”
P sighed. “Some have their own rooms because they have some pretty intense kinks. And some just want an extra layer of privacy. A couple years ago, a guy sneaked some photos with his iPhone and then threatened certain members with blackmail. People fucking freaked out. They stopped coming for a while. I thought the club was gonna close.”
“Whoa. What came of it?” My shaking hands sent a splash of champagne onto the sofa. Dammit.
“People gradually came back after Miss M stepped up security. And the guy? Rumor has it he disappeared.”
“What? What do you mean, disappeared?”
Jesus, what have I gotten myself in to?
“Well, he never showed his face at the club again. But a couple folks knew him from around town. They said they never saw him again out and about either. His phone was disconnected, his apartment abandoned.”
My eyes grew wide with horror. What the fuck?
P smiled, shrugging. “But like I said, that’s just a rumor. Probably not even true.”
Holy shit.