As I approached the black doors, the low thumping of bass rumbled in my bones, reminding me thiswasstill a club despite the scary exterior. I don't know why, but it mildly relieved me. I knew it was vampire-themed and all, but the Gothic atmosphere at night spooked me.
A bouncer greeted me before I could knock. He had pasty skin and dark hair covering one eye. He didn't smile. He reminded me of a Hot Topic employee.
Awkward words tumbled out of me. "Oh, hi. I'm here for...The Bat Den?"
He sniffed the air. "You look young."
Ugh, I knew this would happen,I thought.
"I'm 28. Here's my ID."
He glanced at the card, then handed it back. "Huh. Guess your face just looks like that."
I tried not to raise a brow. What was that supposed to mean?
Before I could think about it too hard, he thrust a paper and pen at me.
"What's this?" I asked.
"Entry waiver. Read it over and sign it. Of course, no one's forcing you. But you won't be permitted inside if you don't sign."
I bit my lip. Was this normal for night clubs? Or was this a kink club thing? I'd never been to either, so I wasn't sure of the protocol. This was one of those moments I desperately wished Spencer hadn't ditched me.
Brayden's voice rang out in the back of my mind, calling me naive and inexperienced and stupid.Poor little Scotty doesn't know anything!
My blood simmered with anger. Brayden wasn't here. It was just me and Hot Topic guy.
Now in a defiant hurry to get in, I took the waiver and skimmed it. The legalese mostly went over my head. I caught glimpses of the club being dissolved of all responsibility if the willing participants got injured, maimed, killed...
I paused on the last word. Killed? That wasn't a thing that happened, right?
But I supposed in this context, it was a normal thing to put in a waiver. Other kink clubs did stuff with ropes and whips and god knew what else, so I didn't think too much about it. And I knew about safe words. There wasn't any real danger. It was all pretend.
Hell, didn't every “terms of service” these days include something about the company not being responsible if you blow up using their product?
I signed the paper.
The man's demeanor changed instantly. He smiled, exposing pointed fangs, and opened the doors. "Welcome toThe Bat Den."
His sudden warmth melted the rest of my uncertainty. "Thanks. I like your teeth."
He grinned wider, revealing more of their length. They were pearly white and solid, much better quality than the cheap plastic teeth sold for Halloween.
With slightly more confidence in my step, I strolled through the castle's front foyer. Everywhere I looked was a pale-faced, black-haired vampire roleplayer accompanied by one or more "humans"—folks like me who enjoyed the idea of sexy vampires enough to visit this club. The vampires grinned, flashing white fangs as they pushed the humans against the walls, looming over them sensually and murmuring things I couldn't hear.
Looking around, I saw a pair of vampires in the doorway having a low conversation. Their eyes flicked up as I passed. They were a startling shade of red—crimson and lifelike—nothing like the cheap contacts from Party City. Was there a niche vampire roleplay website everyone ordered their high-quality supplies from?
One of the vampires with red eyes smiled at me. I’m not sure if he had well-hidden LEDs or if it was just the dim lighting in the foyer, but his eyes seemed to glow.
"Want to join us, human?" he asked in a tone that made me shiver. I couldn't tell if I liked it or not.
"Um, I'm still looking around if that's okay?"
He slowly licked his lips. "Sure. Make yourself at home."
I shuffled onward, still getting my bearings. The castle was obviously huge, and I heard sounds from all directions. The thumping bass increased in volume near the back, so I assumed that's where the dance floor was.
But as I took in my surroundings, I was quickly realizing that most people seemed less interested in dancing and more interested in, well, the vampire roleplayers. Human players like me flocked to them, drawn in by their allure just like the moths at the lamplight. I was the only one who seemed to be alone. I felt shy about the whole thing, but I was here—and most importantly,notrunning away to have an anxiety attack on the front steps of the Gothic castle.
