“We’re not— Will you just come on?” Hunter barks. With a laugh, Drake follows us through the doors into the club. So much for being quiet. The moment we enter the long dark hallway, the sounds of sex behind each door mingle with the loud thumping bass of the music. I’m actually quite impressed that we couldn’t hear any of this in the lobby.
The vibe of this club is nothing like Salacious. Instead of entering one large room, we’re left to meander through a labyrinth of hallways with doors on each side, numbered in gold letters. It takes us a few moments to find ours: room thirty-three.
Holding Hunter’s hand, I stand by, letting him unlock the door, and glance back at Drake when I hear a thunderous roar coming from the room across the hall. Drake and I lock eyes and both resist the urge to laugh before rushing into our room.
The moment the door closes behind us, it’s a little more quiet. A little. The music is still loud in here and I can’t tell if the pounding sound is the bass or the headboards.
“This place is weird,” Drake mutters as he looks around our room.
Hunter is still clenching his jaw, which I know means he’s annoyed. He clearly doesn’t like that they ushered us into a room like prisoners, but I know it was just a business tactic. We’re technically their competition. Theywillshow us respect, just after they humble us.
“I don’t like it,” Hunter mutters.
“Oh, it’s not so bad…” I say. The room is nice. It’s a good size, and it smells clean, like jasmine and cotton. There’s a giant bed on the right and a couch along the wall with a minibar and a cabinet against the opposite wall. It’s dark in here, giving the room a sexy vibe. Which I guess makes up for the fact that the room itself is a little…boring.
Walking over to the cabinet, I open doors to find exactly what I expected to: ropes, cuffs, tiny bottles of lube like hotel shampoos, and a bowl of condoms. In the drawers are sealed and unopened sex toys—butt plugs, dildos, anal beads. It makes me laugh that this stuff really doesn’t faze me anymore.
“This is bullshit,” Hunter mutters as he paces the room.
“Baby, relax,” I reply, approaching him and running my hands over his chest. Drake drops onto the sofa behind us. “We have an hour,” I joke, trying to lighten the mood for my husband. “Just because Drake is in here doesn’t mean we can’t still use the room.”
“Be my guest,” Drake says with a laugh.
My husband just rolls his eyes, but his shoulders do relax a little as his hands slide down my back. “This lady better hurry. I’m not sitting here cooped up for an hour.”
It doesn’t end up being an hour before there’s a knock at the door. In a rush, Hunter walks over and opens it. A beautiful woman with large green eyes and sleek black hair smiles politely at us.
“I’m Mirabel,” she says with a small bow. “I hope you enjoyed your room.”
“We didn’t request a room,” Hunter replies through clenched teeth.
As she peeks in, she notices the large man on the sofa, and her eyebrows rise in surprise. “Pity. I was unaware you were bringing a third. I would have been happy to accommodate him in the singles’ lounge.”
“There’s a singles’ lounge?” Drake whines from the couch.
“I’ll have a talk with my front desk host. My apologies,” Maribel says with a sweet smile. She doesn’t strike me as a sex club owner at first glance. She looks so nice and normal.
“Thank you,” Hunter replies, and I notice the way he relaxes a little into my arms.
“In your email, you mentioned the Shibari demonstration. Are you still interested in that?”
“Yes, please.”
“Absolutely. You three can follow me.”
I glance back at Drake again, and we share an expression of surprise as we step in line behind Hunter and Mirabel.
“Our members appreciate discretion,” she says, glancing back at us. “That’s why we keep it very private with the keys and doors. There are social events and spaces in our club for members to mingle, but they like that they can come here, for whatever reason, and not risk seeing anyone they would know outside the club.”
“At Salacious, we promote an open and nonjudgmental approach. They have nothing to hide in seeking their pleasure at our club.”
“How liberated you are to feel that way,” she replies with a coy smile, and Hunter’s brow furrows. Then Mirabel glances back at me. “Have you asked your wife or any woman, for that matter, how comfortabletheyfeelbeing seen in a sex club? The societal expectations are quite different.”
I avert my eyes when I notice Hunter glance my way.
“We’re working to dismantle those expectations, Ms. Santos. Not cater to them.”
“I admire you for that,” she replies, and I feel Drake’s gaze on me this time. Glancing his way, our eyes widen as we fight back our smiles, again. I guess webothfind this incredibly uncomfortable, but I’m glad he’s here to share the humor in it with me.