“You made it sound like you’re business rivals.”
“Yes and no. She keeps stealing my employees, but I always find more.” Danica brought her into a firm embrace. “Don’t I?”
Her mouth was all over Alicia by the time Ms. Clayborn returned. The assistant had no reaction to give. The bodyguard, on the other hand, suggested that he and the assistant head a few paces away. “Give them some breathing room,” he muttered.
Most of the next hour went like this. Danica was in high spirits, sending free drinks to revelers who amused her and pulling aside employees to give them compliments or to direct them to other VIP club members who needed more pampering.
People came over, loud and boisterous, bringing out a side of Danica that Alicia had never seen before. She sat on the corner of their couch, leash dangling over the side, as she watched this otherwise stoic woman clap shoulders and smile so broadly that only alcohol could have been involved. Indeed, she drank a good bit. Alicia supposed she should be happy that Danica was a happy, comical drunk as opposed to broody or violent, but it was still strange to listen to her tell a group of people dirty jokes or laugh uproariously at some young woman’s tale – especially when said young woman wore nothing more than a white negligee. Alicia would have been jealous, but the energy between her and this other submissive woman was so casual, and Danica spent every other minute touching her girlfriend.
She introduced her to everyone, and everyone to her. Alicia was never expected to get up from the couch, but she did exchange pleasantries with people she would never remember the names of later. This person did business with Danica. That one went to the same boarding school as her. This woman was the best friend of an ex-girlfriend, and wasn’t it funny that theystill got along?I wish Candice were here.Who was she kidding? She wanted Candice far away from this.Talk about making things even more awkward.
The party dispersed after only half an hour. Danica, high on conversation and more than one drink, sat down next to Alicia and dismissed her staff. The bodyguard promised to be only a call away. Ms. Clayborn escaped to the back office, phone to her ear.
Danica took Alicia by the hand and brought her over to the edge of the VIP area. She stood in her lingerie, mask, and leashed collar, wondering if she would ever get used to this.
“Tell me, my love,” Danica said, drink in hand. “When you look at this sordid kingdom, what do you think? Tell me one thing you would change about this place.” She kicked back the last of her drink. “But if you’re telling me to fire someone, you better have a good reason.”
Alicia’s eyes widened so much that the edges of the mask grazed her lashes. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, if you could change one thing to increase revenue, what would it be?” Danica’s hand grabbed Alicia’s ass. Alicia clung to her to keep her balance.
“I have no idea.”
“Come on, now. You worked here. You have plenty of experience in a related industry. Now you’ve been here as a guest tonight. Tell me what you would change.”
Alicia took a closer look at the behind-the-scenes workings of the club, not so much the style of the people patronizing it. Hostesses slipped through crowds, showing guests to seats and chatting them up. Servers in slick black outfits gracefully moved, trays high above their heads and bedecked with drinks that cost thirty bucks a pop – at least. The occasional guest ordered a whole bottle, and the server would perform with a flourish as shetipped drinks into glasses. That was, unless the guest had a sub who went out of her way to serve the drinks instead.
That was the service end. On the main stage, an erotic dancer seductively moved, her long, lean, and tanned limbs spinning through the air as one piece of clothing after another fluttered to the floor. When she finished, she graciously accepted tips and applause before clearing the stage for a BDSM demonstration between a Domme and a young woman who was more than eager to please. About half of the room was enthralled.
Meanwhile, farther back, people in business suits had low, quiet conversations that sometimes included graphs and figures on their large tablets.Business meetings conducted on the floor of a sex club? Interesting.
“Is it normal for people to do business like that here?”
“Yes, of course. It’s not uncommon to take the more informal parts of business to a place like this. I do it all the time, as long as the other party is open to it.”
Do you, now?Alicia pretended she didn’t hear that. “Whenever we had after-work conferences at any of the restaurants, we always made sure they had a more private and quieter place to converse. That’s not available here unless they pay extra for VIP, yes?”
“Yes, and most people aren’t going to pay for VIP unless they’re really here to party.”
I’m sure. I cleaned up my share of bodily fluids that night.Including her own.
“They’re coming here because they see it as a place to relax and soften feelings while they conduct after-hours business,” Alicia began. “Nevertheless, most people will find it strange to talk stocks and dividends while someone is getting whipped and moaning on stage… ma’am.”
“Suppose you’re right.” Danica wound Alicia’s hair around her finger. “It is something to consider.” She left a light kiss onAlicia’s shoulder. “Every night we spend together, the more I fall in love with you.”
Alicia turned toward her, the leash landing in Danica’s waiting hand. “Do you mean that? You’re not just saying that?”
“My love.” Her hands cupped Alicia’s cheeks, that scent of hers eradicating the last of Alicia’s brain cells for the day.Is there any woman better than her?Any woman more gorgeous, more officious, more intense? Alicia hated to admit how much of Danica’s father was in her. The determination, the drive, the cutthroat manner in which she approached life, and her pursuit to acquire whatever she wanted. She also saw plenty of her mother in this face. Empathy, for one. Unlike Russell, Danica could feel tenderness – which she passed to Alicia with her fingertips. “I am a charmer, and I do not back down from admitting that I can be a master manipulator. But I am not a liar. I would rather watch my world crumble than lie to you about love. I do not fear it.”
“Fear what?”
“Love.”
Alicia wrapped her arms around Danica, mask pressed against her loosened blouse buttons, and nose pushing aside the fabric so it could nuzzle the cleavage beneath. She smelled more of her natural scent than the perfume now.
Danica led her back to the couch, their corner of the club now devoid of any intrusions that kept Danica away from her precious girlfriend. As she brought her drink up to her lips, she said, “This may shock you, but I do have fears.”
“Doesn’t everyone?”
