“It was like … invasion of the body snatchers. He was looking at me like I was some Girl Scout. He said I looked like a Sunday school teacher. Something came over me, I got so pissed. Like what, because I like to dress nice means I don't know how to have a good time? So I started, like, acting like that stupid profile. Saying things I figured that type of girl would say. God, Tori, I was so rude to him, and weirder, he seemed to go for it. I'm meeting him downstairs at nine,” Katya said, cupping her glass between both her hands.
“That's amazing, Kat! I've been saying this whole time that you need to get out of your little comfort zone! Good for you! And don't worry about this guy – think of him like a spring board. Test out the new you on him, see if you like it, and if not, just never talk to him again,” Tori suggested.
“Right. The new me.”
“This is so fun! Is that why you were asking about the outfit? You should definitely change. Where is he taking you?”
Katya felt flames racing across her face. Surely, it had all been a joke. He couldn't really be taking her to a sex club. That he owned. And operated.
Her forehead hit the table with a thunk.
3
It was no joke.
Liam had been waiting in the lobby for her at nine o'clock, sharp. Liam Edenhoff – “but everyone calls me Eden” – he'd introduced himself again to her before guiding her out to a taxi he'd had waiting.
She felt a little nauseous. She'd chugged down the only other alcohol they'd had in the apartment – crème de menthe – before heading downstairs to meet him. She'd almost talked herself out of going, but she'd made the mistake of telling Tori about the whole “sex club” bit and her roommate had almost died. Apparently, Katya owed it to women everywhere (and Tori in particular) to explore this opportunity to its fullest. Her roommate had all but shoved her out the door, telling her to check in and reminding her of the rape whistle in her purse. Then the door had been shut and she'd heard the chain lock being fit into place.
“Nervous?” Liam Eden-whatever-his-name-was asked her as the cab slowed to a crawl.
“Nope,” Katya's voice sounded overly loud.
“Liar. Tonight is gonna be an interesting night, angel cake.”
“Stop calling me that.”
“What's your last name?”
“None of your business.”
“Okay then – when the gang bang starts, I'll tell them to call you Katya X.”
She couldn't stop the blush from happening that time and he burst out laughing, then soothed the sting by grabbing her hand.
Even when they got out of the cab, he didn't let go of her. Normally, she would've been uncomfortable with a stranger assuming such a familiarity, but this time she was thankful for it. She held onto him tightly as they walked down a crowded street. Then they turned into an alley, and his gang bang joke didn't seem so funny. He led her to a plain door above which a simple, small neon sign spelled out “The Garden”. Outside several small groups of people stood, chatting and smoking. Several folks called out greetings to him, all of them using his nickname, but a large and scary looking bouncer addressed him very properly.
“Hey, Mr. Edenhoff, wasn't expecting you in tonight. Any problems?”
“Nope, just bringing a friend to show her the place, let her see what I do for a living.”
All the blood was quickly rushing from Katya's limbs, pooling somewhere in her stomach. None of this was a joke. He really did own the place, that much was obvious. She was actually going into a sex club, with a complete stranger.
Oh my god, I'm actually, really, seriously doing this. Me. Katya Tocci. I'm going into a real live sex club. Holy shit, that is so BAD. ASS.
As Liam led her through the door, Katya felt a new surge of confidence. She was still nervous, still more than a little scared, but she was okay with it. Liam seemed like a nice guy, he wasn't going to take her into some dark room and insert foreign objects into her orifices. She could leave whenever she wanted to, whenever it got too uncomfortable. Everything was fine, and for once, she was doing something exciting. She'd finally have something interesting to talk about at work.
“How long have you owned this place?” Katya asked, almost stumbling as she moved behind him. They were walking down a long, narrow hallway that was dimly lit. He squeezed her hand tighter, pulling her close to keep her from falling.
“Only three years, but I've worked here for almost six. I was hired on as a general manager, the old owners had no clue what they were doing. I finally bought them out, changed a lot of stuff,” he told her.
They finally came out of the hallway, and while she'd mentally prepared herself for some crazy orgy, it just looked like a normal bar. Huge padded booths curved along one wall, cocktail tables sat on the open floor, people were laughing and mingling while they drank. Jazzy music was blanketing everything, and while the vibe was definitely sexy, there was no actual sex taking place.
Maybe it had all been a weird joke. Weirder still, Katya realized she was a little disappointed. Sure, she hadn't intended on participating in anything, but still. How cool would it have been to say she went to a sex club?
“That's nice,” she finally spoke again as they walked up to the bar. “I'd love to own my own bakery. I'm head baker at where I work now, and they give me a lot of freedom, but it's not the same.”
“No, it's definitely not. Tim! Timmy!” Liam shouted, pounding on the bar top. A handsome young man finally made his way down to them.
“Hey, boss man! What can I get for you?”
“I'll take a Jack and coke, and for the lady, let me guess,” Liam made a big show of looking her over. “I'm thinking … Cosmo. Definitely. You're a Cosmo girl.” Katya glared at him for a second, then turned to Tim.
“Patrón, double shot.”
Liam chuckled at her bravado, then full on laughed when she almost gagged on the tequila. She managed to get it down without coughing or spitting it everywhere, though it all nearly came back up when she felt his hand slide around her hip.
“This isn't a 'who's cooler' competition, you know,” he whispered in her ear. “And if it was, you showed up. You came here. You win.” She took a deep breath.
“And you need to stop pretending like you know me.”
“Touché. C'mon, lots more to see.”
Tim had made her a Cosmo anyway, and Katya mouthed a “thank you” at him before picking up the drink. She struggled to take sips as she followed behind Liam. They walked up to a massive door that was covered in the same vinyl material as the booths. There was an antique looking doorbell on the wall and Liam pressed it, holding his thumb on the button for a while. When the door finally creaked open, he winked at her and grabbed her free hand.
They were facing a wide set of stairs that curved along a wall before disappearing around a bend. Katya shuddered at the idea of trying to navigate them while drunk. Several people were standing about on the steps, and all of them said hi to Liam as they passed. A couple women even reached out to him, running their fingers and hands along his shoulders, his arms, his back.
“Eden, it's been forever, where have you been?”
“Eden, you owe me a drink.”