Page 27

27

PENNY

When Michael dismisses us, Daphne links arms with mine, and we enter the huge wooden doors that lead into what can only be described as a palace for the elite. My eyes take time to adjust to the lack of adequate lighting.

“Wow,” I whisper, taking in the shadowed light in the lobby. Black sconces are arranged on the walls, with light flickering from the geometric shapes cut out of the sides.

“I love this place,” Daphne says, glancing around. “It calms me down when I’m feeling stressed out and isolated. I hope you love it here as much as I do.”

I nod. “I hope so too. It’s been awhile since I was at a dance club.”

She gives me a quick look, shakes her head, and then narrows her eyes. “You really know nothing about our club?”

“Not a thing. Well, except that it is glow night.”

“Interesting… And someone gave you an invite?”

“Yeah. I was at another event, and I was handed a postcard. I forget who the person was who handed it to me.”

“I’m assuming you never caught their name?”

“That’s correct.”

Okay, this is weird. I’m about to start asking why she’s asking all the questions when she claps her hands together in excitement.

“Assuming you get approval from Yuri, you are free to explore the venue on your own, but I would love to walk you around.”

It’s easy to relax around Daphne. Her soft-spoken words calm down my pulse that keeps wanting to accelerate. “I would love that. Thank you.”

“Good, because I’ve been let off the leash tonight. I’m free,” Daphne chants joyfully, playing with the loop on her collar. “So let’s go be rebels.”

I turn to her. “That sounds very dangerous. I’m pretty sure your man isn’t the type that allows you to break too many rules.”

She giggles. “I’m teasing—well, kind of. Plus, rules can be fun to break. I just need to be strategic about it or suffer all the consequences. But really, I know better than to piss off Master Michael. That man knows how to dole out the worst punishments. Kinky fucker.”

My mouth seals shut as I don’t know how much to take seriously with Daphne. She’s hard to read, despite being verbally expressive.

She gives me a look from head to toe but her eyes lack judgment. “I have a feeling you’re going to cause quite the stir…on the dance floor.”

I teeter on my heels. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

And where the hell is this dance floor? Why all the bureaucratic procedures just around me showing up here tonight?

Daphne shrugs. “All depends on what you came here to accomplish.”

“Honestly, I just wanted to take a risk and accept an invite to something I may normally have declined. I wanted to step outside my comfort zone. If you couldn’t tell already”—I let out a few puffs of laughter—“I’m shy when it comes to some social situations. Maybe even a bit awkward.”

“I think you’ll do great here. Master Michael would not have allowed you to pass through the doors if he didn’t give his seal of approval first. And that man is picky as fuck. Oh, and he is super good at reading emotions. It’s creepy.” She giggles. “In the sexy sense.”

“Gotcha.”

I follow her as she leads me to a room with lockers. “If you have anything you’d like to secure inside, feel free to do so. It is a strict rule that all cell phones are either left in vehicles”—she rattles the metal door to one of the lockers—“or placed inside one of these.”

Weird. “Alright.”

Is someone famous in attendance tonight and they are worried about leaked photos?

“Oh, but Master Yuri will want to hold on to your driver’s license.”

“I don’t have one.”

“Oh shit.” She turns to direct all her attention toward me. “Are you underage? Please tell me no. I mean, of course, tell me the truth. But?—”

“No, no. I just celebrated a birthday and am twenty-two.” I dig into my handbag and pull out my identification card that proves my age. “Here. For Yuri.” Whoever Yuri is. I am assuming he is the owner? If so, that would make Michael the gatekeeper.

“Okay, great.” She takes the card from my hand and gives it a good look. “That’s a relief. For a second, you had me scared.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“No worries. So, I recommend actually leaving your entire handbag in the locker. No phones allowed at all past this point.”

“What about my money? I assume there will be a place to order drinks inside…” And I could easily use one right now as the nerves start to take hold. But I rarely drink.

“It’s covered. Just don’t go overboard on the alcohol since it’s free. Master Yuri does not take nicely to anyone becoming belligerent—no matter how cute you are.”

“Got it.”

I inwardly cringe over the word “cute.” That was not the intention of my outfit selection tonight. Grabbing the ties on my wrap dress, I start undoing them, revealing my sexier ensemble. I gently place the folded dress inside the locker. Daphne shuts the door and hands me the key, which I tuck into the tiny pocket of my miniskirt.

“I love your necklace.”

“Thanks,” I say joyfully, holding the pink flower that glows brightly in this dimly lit alcove.

“Everyone here has been vetted”—she makes a little laugh—“well, most people have.” She is referring to me. “And Master Yuri takes security very serious. No one will mess with your stuff. You are safe here. Have fun. Explore. And if you have a problem, find a monitor and report anything that makes you uncomfortable.”

“Thank you,” I mutter, slowly feeling the pressure I once had on my shoulders release with each minute I’m here. The hard part is over, and at least I have Daphne to walk me through the venue so I’m not so freaking scared.

A few women dressed in head-to-toe white latex outfits enter the locker room while we exit. Some people take themes to the extreme.

Daphne leads me across the hall into a private office space.

“Master Yuri likes to personally check in with all new guests before they hit the main part of the building, but he doesn’t appear to be available right now nor was he expecting you.”

“Oh, ah, sorry.” Why do I keep apologizing tonight?

“Oh, it’s fine. He’s probably working the floor or tending to a matter.” She takes a notepad from the top of his pristine desk, rips off a page haphazardly while sprinkling frayed pieces onto the polished surface, and then scribbles out a message. Plopping my ID on top, she pivots and makes her way toward a filing cabinet. Opening it up, she pulls out a file and then hands me a piece of paper. “Sign this.”

I glance over the form. “An NDA?”

“Yeah. Just for protecting the authenticity of this place.”

“Okay…”

“The gist is…whatever happens here stays here. Don’t go blabbering about how amazing this place is to others.”

“Alright.” I scan over the bulleted items, and when I see nothing too shocking, I give it a sign. “Um, did someone break the NDA by giving me that postcard the other night?”

“Yes.”

My eyes snap to Daphne. “Seriously? Should I leave?”

“Absolutely not. I think Master Yuri will love making this exception.”

“Okay…”

“Come. We’ll catch up with him later.”

I follow Daphne out of the room, down the hall, and when we get to a series of doors, she reaches for my hand to give it a squeeze.

“Are you ready for the real fun to begin?”

Why would I say no now? This whole preamble has only made me crave what mystery awaits me from behind those doors.

“Yes. Bring it on.”

And with my affirmation, Daphne pulls open the doors.

Wow.

When the lights and music hit me, the entire atmosphere changes in the venue. I feel like I’m part of a huge indoor block party. Everyone is having a good time.

Along the back wall is a huge bar that’s made of glass and brightly colored translucent balls floating in water. It basically looks like a rectangular lava lamp.

A DJ mixes songs along the side, the attention placed on the music, rather than on him. On the dance floor couples sway, shaking their bodies to the rhythm of the music. Several couches are set up throughout the space, encouraging social engagement.

“This is so fun,” I say, trying to make my voice loud enough so Daphne can hear over the buzz from the crowd.

“Is it what you were expecting?”

I turn to her. “Yeah? There’s a bar, a dance floor, and music. Seems like the typical young crowd social scene.”

“Oh, just give it time. Everyone is just warming up.”

Several men make eye contact with me from across various parts of the dance floor, and I can’t help but smile what I hope isn’t a cheesy one back.

I say a silent thank you that no one approaches me. I’m not sure I can talk with the butterflies migrating their way into my throat.

It’s an odd feeling of being excited and nervous at the same time. It comes in waves. Some moments I’m relaxed and seem to fit in, and other moments I’m a bundle of anxiety and thinking I don’t belong.

As the song merges into the next, I start to feel it—the building tension in the air. Even the crowd swaying on the dance floor seems to shift rhythms. Sultrier. More intentional with the hand placement on their partners.

Then the black lights come on, making all the girls in white glow like stars in the darkness. I glance down at my outfit and love how fun I look with the effect turning me into a night-light. Even my necklace has an added brightness to it.

“Here, take these,” Daphne encourages, passing me some glow rings to put on my wrists and one around my waist in various neon colors.

Beach balls with lights inside get tossed into the crowd, followed by a stream of bubbles blowing down from the ceiling. It is so fun. Enchanting.

And then?—

Oh, damn.

“Is that what I think it is?” I ask, wondering if I’m just hallucinating.

Daphne’s eyes follow my stare. “Five people grinding together? Yeah. They can get pretty horny.”

“I, uh…”

I turn my gaze away, focusing now on the other side of the venue.

At the bar, a man slides his hand down the naked back of a girl who is dressed like a disco ball in silver glittery sparkles. When he squeezes both globes of her ass, I can’t get myself to look away.

A shiver runs through me, as I imagine being desired to that level by a person of the opposite sex. Would I even know what to do with the attention if the roles were reversed and I was the one being ravished?

When his hands completely disappear out of my line of vision, and I’m pretty convinced he is doing more than just rubbing her assets , I turn back to the dance floor just in time to see one girl being covered with so many hands that it looks like they are a part of her.

Wow.

I wonder what it feels like to be that desired—by so many people? She seems to be living her best life.

I get lost in stimulation overload, overcome by the lustful atmosphere. My body tingles with a need from the possibility of something more happening here tonight. I won’t be reckless, but a little fun wouldn’t hurt—right? It’s so unlike me to even think these thoughts, especially when physical touch can cause such an adverse reaction from me.

“Take it all in, Penny.”

“I’m trying to, but everywhere I look seems like I’m imposing on a private moment.”

Daphne lets out a boisterous laugh that has a sinister edge to it. “At Limit-X, patrons know it is basically a playground for all of their naughtiest fantasies. Everyone here being watched chooses it. Desires it. It all just adds to the fun.”

“Limit-X? This is more than just a social club, isn’t it?” The words get stuck in my throat, as I take in the entire scene.

If arriving and seeing Michael hold a leash on Daphne wasn’t enough giveaway…

I really am that naive and inexperienced girl that I crave to evolve out of…

“As long as socializing with body parts meets the criteria, then I think this place would pass inspection,” Daphne giggles. “But remember, you are not allowed to breathe a word about what happens here to nonmembers. I mean, technically you aren’t a member yet anyway.” Her eyes crawl up from my feet to my eyes, taking stock yet again of my body. “But Master Yuri will want to lock you in, I’m sure. You’re his type.”

Before I can ask for more clarification on what she means, my attention gets pulled across the room, where I see a man giving a woman oral sex while she writhes around on a chair. And then I see the silver wrought iron cages elevated off the floor by chains hung from the ceilings.

“How did I not notice those before?”

“Oh, those just got lowered a few minutes ago. Look fun?”

“This is wild.”

“I’ll go in one with you. Surprisingly the floor is super comfy, and they are sturdy and don’t swing around like you might expect.”

“What’s the point of going inside?”

Daphne can’t stop giggling. “I mean, some people fuck each other’s brains out inside…”When I make a face, she laughs even harder.

Tugging me along, we go explore closer to the dance floor.

I’m being naive—clearly—and I think she’s enjoying the whole experience of giving me the grand tour. At least my shock is entertaining to her.

The song changes and we start to sway to the music, when her attention is on the man approaching us. “Hold on to your thong, because things may get a little wilder for you.”

I look between the man and Daphne. “What?”

“If you’ll excuse me for just a moment,” she says, closing the distance between us and the man.

I can hear her mumble something to him and then within seconds, she is down on her knees, undoing his belt, button, and zipper. What the hell is happening? And when—oh, I don’t know—some number of inches springs free from his boxer briefs, I know this is my cue to get the fuck out of dodge.

“I, um, I’ll go grab a drink at”—I look around the room to see if I can find one place where I won’t be a blatant observer—“catch up later.”

“I’m thirsty as well,” I hear Daphne say, but I refuse to look at her.

I pull myself from the awkward situation, as she proceeds to mutter unintelligible words to me, while her mouth must be stuffed full of some man-who-is-not-Michael’s cock. Damn. Nothing about tonight is what I expected. This place is intense.

I stumble backward before pivoting and turning toward what appears to be the bathrooms and then?—

“Ouch,” I gasp, rubbing at my head. “Sorry.”

“My apologies,” the long-haired blond man says, rubbing at his chest. He dips his head in greeting, giving me the once-over on the way back up to my eyes. “You must be Penny.”

“I, um…” My eyes stare up into crystal-blue ones. They are warm. Inviting. I could get lost in them if I wasn’t so intimidated by his stance and demeanor of power. “How did?—”

“I am Yuri. And Michael informed me after Daphne failed to inform me that there was a little fawn loose in the club.”

“I, uh, oh.” Then realization dawns on me. I’m the little fawn. “I’m sorry. She left you a note on your desk. I didn’t mean to?—”

“Little fawn, you need to stop apologizing for everyone else’s bad choices. Daphne could have looked harder for me. She likes to get in trouble, because she treats the attention as a reward instead of as a punishment. You didn’t do anything wrong. Now, tell me what brought you to the doors of the most elite and private club in the state of Oregon.”

“I thought this was an open house at a fun dance club. I was handed a card at a dating mixer event in the city, so I thought this would be a fun way to step outside my comfort zone and meet new people.”

I watch as his face changes form but gives nothing away. I swear every time I mention open house I get the most bizarre responses. “Obviously I stumbled into a porn dungeon instead.”

Yuri runs a hand down the side of his neck and then slides it up to scratch at his chin. “Porn dungeon?”

Shit. Why did I say that out loud? My mouth needs a muzzle. It’s as if this place completely dissolved my filter. “Sorry. That wasn’t what I meant.”

“It sounds like I need to change the description on our member portal. Porn dungeon is pretty catchy.”

I laugh and then sigh in relief that the owner seems nonthreatening.

“Has Daphne been treating you well,”—he looks around to find her—“when she doesn’t have her mouth full?”

“Very well.”

I have a hopeful monogamous heart, so seeing people enjoy more than just one partner causes me to be twitchy, but that’s probably just because I haven’t been exposed to anything outside of the movies I find on QuickFlix. Oh, and Hallmark. Call me crazy, but the thought of pleasing more than one person at any given time just seems?—

Excessive?

Or perhaps, too overachiever-ish.

I can barely manage my own mood, let alone the moods of multiple partners.

But by the look of the patrons filling up the floor, I think the value of fun trumps any sort of committed relationship. That’s the appeal this place has for me. I can come here and have the freedom to be anyone I want to be. If I want to be shy, I can be shy. If I want to be outgoing, then that is fine too. There are no expectations—other than to keep it safe, sane, and consensual.

“Yeah,” I whisper, realizing that I’ve been silent for a while and should fill the space with some comment. “Daphne was giving me the grand tour until she got?—”

Yuri laughs. “Sidetracked.”

“Yup.” Does Michael not care that his pet is with other guys? I think about it while I look at other groups of people gathering around us. Hmm…he might actually enjoy the thrill.

Yuri places an arm around my back, sending shocks of warmth up my spine. I’m thankful that his touch seems nonthreatening and kind—protective. But why is every little caress of his hand causing me such a stimulating response? Maybe I should have done some self-care prior to coming here, so I’m less charged and ready to ignite at the first graze of a hand or brush of a body.

I’ve never been this on edge. While it’s fun for me to have these moments where I’m moving past the toxic pain of my past, it’s also alarming that I could potentially put myself out there too much and in return be in a state of vulnerability that makes me easy prey.

Sure, everyone is vetted here. Well, except any of the newbies like me.

What if someone wants to take advantage of me here, just because I am so inexperienced?

Uninvited, the apathetic side of my subconscious suddenly chastises me with a myriad of scenes, flashing in a montage through my mind as a reminder of all of the hours of therapy I needed at Soulful Mind.

Trusting the wrong people…

Putting myself into scenarios where I had the potential to be hurt…

Allowing Mark to convince me he was a good guy…

And ending up in a therapy center, alone and detached from reality.

Will I ever learn to trust anyone again? Can the walls I’ve protectively built around myself be chiseled away?

Or will I allow any man who doesn’t make me repulsed at the feel of his hand into my life?

I guess I should be thankful that I’m not freaked out more while being here. But will my inability to see people for who they really are make me an easy victim?

“I can tell you’re nervous about being here, Penny. But I assure you this is a safe space for personal growth. Members have been vetted, background checked, and have signed NDAs. Whatever happens here, stays here, just as I hope Daphne has told you upon entry. You are free to explore your boundaries with the safety net of having staff blending into the crowd to oversee and make sure that everyone is complying with the rules.”

I nod. I can do this. For one night, I can be normal and let down my guard enough for me to free myself of the personal responsibility of keeping men at arm’s length.

I may not have come here tonight expecting to discover Limit-X, but it found me—and probably when I needed it the most.

If I’m going to move past my intimacy hurdle and conquer some of my short-term goals, then there’s no better place to explore my limits than right here.

I may have arrived here as a caterpillar. But I can still leave as a butterfly.

I just need to take that leap.