The hostess looked like she would rather be clipping her toenails than dealing with this. “It just started about half an hour ago. I’d say about half the guests have shown up.”
“Hmm…”
Before Eden could hold up this woman’s time any longer, another hostess, this one slightly friendlier, came down the hallway.
“I’ll take care of Ms. Brim,” she said, snatching the blindfold from her coworker. The cranky woman shrugged and slipped away from her post, leaving the tablet behind. “You’re Brim, right? You’re on our VIP list.”
“Brim?”
The hostess’s smile slightly faltered as she wrapped the blindfold around her hand. “I’m sorry. I may have mistaken you for someone else.”
Did they sign me up as Brim?Eden coiled some hair around her finger as she sweetly said, “No, no. That’s me. My codename. Sorry.”
“Ah. Wonderful. Well, Ms. Brim, you’re on the VIP list, which means you get to be in the most private part of an already privateparty. We’re actually short on guests in white tonight, so you should be quite popular.”
“I’m sorry, I’ve actually never been to one of these before.”
“Oh! Well, it’s a very simple scenario. Guests in white are blindfolded, whereas guests in black are not. This encouraged encounters with, uh, strangers.”
“I… see!”Kinda like the Black Light party!But somehow sexier?
“If you’re worried about safety, please note that we have security stationed throughout the room. The safe word is, as always, no.”
“Well, that’s good.”
“And there is a slight bit of light in the room, so guests in black can find their way around. And it’s not like this thing is super opaque anyway. All of the furniture is very soft. That said, drinks are not allowed outside of the water stations, due to safety concerns.” She held up the blindfold. “Once I put this on, I can take you to the VIP area.”
“What separates the VIP area from the regular party?”
That grin grew bigger on the hostess’s face. “Very small group of like-minded people. Some of the top VIP that come from all over the world to engage in… discretionary fun.”
“Yeah, that sounds familiar.” Eden turned around. “Fuck me up.”
She had to lift her hair for the hostess to tie the blindfold tight enough around Eden’s head, but once it was on, a shiver rippled down Eden’s arms and straight to her fingertips. Or maybe that was the hostess’s hands lingering on her shoulders before helping her to turn around.
“Right this way, Ms. Brim.”
The hostess held Eden’s hand as they went through a curtain.Here I fucking go.She sure hoped that this was part of the plan,because she had a feeling she wasn’t getting out of this without half of Manhattan putting their hands on her.
God willing.
The hostess’s grip was a lifeline. Eden’s world narrowed to the feel of a cool hand in hers, the muffled thud of her own heels on the hard floor. A wave of sound washed over her. Laughter, low murmurs, the soft thump of bodies colliding, and an"Oh, sorry, excuse me.”The air grew thick, heavy with perfume and something else. The press of bodies was immediate.
They moved through the larger room, then the quality of the sound changed. The music got louder, a deep, insistent beat vibrating up through the soles of her feet. The air here was hotter. Thicker. The hostess squeezed her hand once.
"We're here, Ms. Brim," the hostess said, her voice already distant.
She was gone.
The absence was palpable to Eden’s system. She stood alone for a single heartbeat-long second. Then the space closed in. A hand slid around her waist. Another brushed her hip. A body pressed against her back, solid and warm, the fabric synthetic and sweaty. The music pounded into her chest and stole her breath. Fingers ghosted up her arm, tracing the strap of her negligee. A warm breath was soon on her neck. Someone else’s thigh pressed between her legs. She couldn't see a damn thing.
Vulnerability was a vortex, and she let it pull her under. Instead of stiffening, Eden melted. She swayed with the insistent beat, her body becoming one with the energy in the room. The hand on her waist guided her into a slow, sensual roll. She met it, arching her back, pressing against the solid body behind her.
Soon, there was another touch. Fingers skimmed her ribcage. She held her breath as they paused beneath her breast. The touch grew bolder, a palm cupping her, a thumb brushing overthe hard peak of her nipple through her negligee. A gasp escaped her, swallowed by the music.
A thigh pressed between her legs again, more insistent this time. The friction was a slow, delicious torture as they moved together. She was surrounded. A hand on her lower back, another stroking her thigh. Both sets of fingers stroked her sensitive skin. Fabric claimed her senses. The warmth of a palm on her stomach made her squeak in excitement. The scent of expensive cologne mixed with floral perfume made her die a little.
I wonder if they’re here.Benson, watching from a dark corner, his jaw tight, a fire in his eyes as he saw her adored and worshipped by these strangers. And Liam, not content to watch, moved through the crowd, waiting for the perfect moment to stake his claim. They'd want this. They'dlovethis. Seeing her so free, so desired, so powerful in her presence.This is my performance for them. She was the star of the whole show.
