I could already tell I should have stayed home. Or said I had work, dropping Noah off here instead and waiting for him outside.
With Noah’s hand clasped in mine, he dragged me around the outer edge of the people, towards where booths were set up, and not far away was a bar. The sign above it along a wall of mirrors said there would be no sales of alcohol tonight.
“Go. Explore. I’ll...find a place to people-watch for a bit.” I had to lean into Noah to speak in his ear. Mostly because his gaze was everywhere at once.
“You sure?”
“Yeah. I’ll catch up with you in a bit.” He knew I wasn’t a fan of people, not like this anyhow. “I’ll keep an eye on you, so go...mingle, sweetheart.”
Noah shot me a smile that was a mix of happiness and worry. I would be fine with a bottle of water and a corner.
“Go on.” I tipped my chin out towards the people. “I’ll be in a corner somewhere if you need me.”
He took a moment to let go of my hand before he stepped away, falling into the crown and disappearing.
I watched him as long as I could, but it didn’t take much for him to melt into everyone else. The place wasn’t that big, so I’d easily be able to find him in a bit. For now, I turned my attention to the bar area, where I handed over a few bucks and got myself water. From there, I found the darkest corner to keep me hidden. Which happened to be exactly that. A corner booth with my back to the wall and I could almost see the entire room.
I did have to give credit to the owners of this club. They created a place that let the ones who wanted to stay in the shadows have a place to hide. And I bet there were rooms somewhere where some of the more adventurous members could go to.
For now, I was good right where I was. Hidden and invisible as men and women passed me by. Being unseen was the best.
Sipping my water, I looked at how others were dressed. While most were pretty modest, only wearing regular clubbing clothes, or what I would assume those types would be, there were a few men or women who wore a bit less. Tiny pieces of cloth that cover certain parts of their body.
There had to be more to this place because kink was a lot about the way someone wore things. Although, I highly doubted non-members got to go to those parts. Which was fine. I didn’t want to know. I didn’t plan to become a member, even though there was a part of me that could envision it.
Shifting so my legs lay across the seat, and purposely taking up more space just in case someone did see me and thought I needed company, I looked around the space.
My eyes landed on Noah. Maybe he was sticking to the sidelines so I could see him on purpose. Looking at him, I wasn’t surprised to see him chatting with another male. This one was a good two feet taller than Noah was.
Tilting my head to the side, I sort of wished that the lights were a bit brighter so I could see who had Noah’s interest. I hoped my best friend would at least introduce me to the man if they were to go do anything somewhere. And I’d probably follow along just to make sure things were okay.
I couldn’t turn off that need to know Noah was safe.
Fiddling with the paper wrapper around the bottle of water, I let my eyes wander around the place again. But then, just as quickly, I returned my gaze back to Noah after they landed on a man kneeling for someone. Noah was safer. Well, he should be.
He nodded at whatever the person said before he pointed in my direction. Like a chicken, I ducked my head, looking at my lap for a moment before raising my eyes to see what was happening. I was sure it was too dark for anyone to see my face in here though, especially while in a corner.
Through my eyelashes, Noah led the man my way, and I slowly slipped my feet back to the floor.
“This is Asher. My friend,” Noah announced. “Ash. I’m gonna go to the playroom with him.”
My eyes slowly lifted to meet one of the people I least expected to find. Beckett stood about an inch behind Noah, his face open and patient.
“Good to see you, darlin’,” Beckett greeted. “The playroom is through the hallway over there by the stairs. The first door is on the left. All are welcome to enter.”
I nodded, trying to wrap my feelings into words. My knees still wanted to touch the floor in front of the man, but if he was interested in Noah, there was no way I’d ever do anything with him. Not that I would anyway.
“Noah said he couldn’t go there until he had your okay.”
“Have fun, sweetie. I’ll be here.” I have no idea how I kept the sinking feeling from leaking into my voice, but I did. My words got a smile in return from Noah before he turned towards the man.
“We can go now. My friend knows where I’ll be.”
“You’re welcome to join,” Beckett repeated.
“Thanks for the offer,” I swallowed. “Noah will enjoy it.” I didn’t flat-out refuse, but there was no way I’d accept the offer.
I didn’t hear whatever the reply was before Noah was almost wrapped around Beckett’s arm. I watched them walk away, then disappear down what I assumed was a small hallway or another room.
