“It was just a kiss,” I add.
“I know. But maybe…”
Oh God. I don’t like the mischievous look on her face. Can’t she tell this is all a little too much for me, right now?
“Maybe when you’re at the club tonight…you could see how you feel about more than just a kiss.”
“No,” I snap. “No. I can’t even think about that. Plus…what if he gets the wrong idea? I don’t want to hurt him.”
She’s staring at me again, as if she has all the answers, and let’s be real, she probably does. But I’m afraid to know what they are.
“Baby, I’m not sure what the wrong idea is. And I don’t think you do either.”
I don’t reply as I mull those words over in my head. Eventually, she crawls off my lap and fishes out the comfiest clothes in her suitcase, rolls her hair into a bun, and snatches the smutty romance novel off the side table to take with her out to the living room.
Meanwhile, I have to get ready to go to the club. Where I may or may not get to second base with my best friend.
* * *
Drake is beingquiet again as we get out of the car. He didn’t say a word on the entire drive over, and I know it’s because of what happened last night. But even when things are tense between us, he’s usually a chatterbox. I guess this is just a different kind of tension.
The club we’re touring tonight is called Pitch, and no, it’s not a baseball-themed sex club. The name refers to the lighting. Most of the club is saturated in pitch-black darkness.
I’m meeting with a man named Mario, who is part owner. Like us, this club is owned by a team of people, and out of all of the clubs we’re touring this week, this is the one I’m most excited about. As we step inside, I notice the lobby is much like Salacious. Black curtains and a small space, where one woman stands ready to greet us.
“Welcome to Pitch. Are you members?”
I adjust my tie as I step up to her podium. “I have a meeting with Mario at ten.”
“Hunter,” a deep voice calls as a tall, handsome man appears through the black curtain. “I saw you coming in on the cameras.”
“Mario,” I reply, shaking his hand. Unlike some of the more uptight clubs we’ve been in, he’s friendly and a little casual, enough to settle some of my nerves.
“This must be your…partner?” he asks, reaching a hand toward Drake.
“Drake Neilson is a friend of mine. He’s head of construction at Salacious and has been touring clubs with me.”
“So nice to meet you, Drake,” Mario says, smiling at him with those bright white teeth, and I feel mine clench at the sight.
“Nice to meet you,” Drake replies with a little less enthusiasm than he usually does. Drake has always been a people person, so I can tell something is up with him today.
“Come with me, and I’ll give you guys a tour.”
I spare one cautious glance back at Drake before we follow Mario into the club. The expression he gives in return is unreadable and a little too cold for my taste.
“Pitch is separated into four main areas: the main floor with the bar and some tables and plenty of lighting to see who you’re talking to, and then we have three dark rooms.”
The first room we enter is clearly the one he just mentioned, and again…it reminds me of Salacious. There’s no stage or dance floor, and it’s not nearly as big as our main room, but the sudden reminder of our club has me feeling a surge of unexpected homesickness.
Instead of a multitude of doors off the main room, there are only three. Each is guarded by an employee, and although the music plays in here, I can tell it plays even louder in there.
Mario walks us over to the doors. Without opening them, he gestures to each one. “The first room is for those who identify as female, the second for those who identify as male, and the third is for…all.”
“And it’s completely dark in there?” Drake asks, peering curiously at the doors.
“Light enough that you can find your way around, but dark enough that you can rely on anonymity. When you’re in there, it’s liberating. You can touch anyone, be touched by anyone, or just bask in the vibe.”
Drake and I are just staring at the door in front of us, the one with two male icons on the center, my heart starting to race at the idea of what a room like that can hold.