"All decisions are final. You can try again tomorrow…" Her mouth twisted downwards as she viewed me, doubtful about my chances of success on any day ending in a ‘y.’ She nodded for one of the—totally for show—burly bouncers behind her to open the club’s backdoor, dismissing me again.
"I’m a mage," I told her back.
She turned enough to glance towards me again, tilting her head as she searched for my power… and searched… and searched…
Okay, time to prove my claim. One fun party trick coming up.Please don’t blow it now,I begged my powers. What about ruffling the hem of her dress and sliding her gown’s strap down her shoulder? Sure, fun and easy.
I aimed for that and… instead I unbuckled the bouncer’s belt and undid the button on his pants.
“I’m not hitting on you!” I shouted when he glared. Apparently even my magic was too gay to bother with her. “Just demonstrating! And hey, this is one club where being able to mentally unbuckle pants will really come in handy.”
The succubus rolled her eyes but allowed me in with the others.
Sexual desire and stimulation fed the appetites of this demon. Magical ability wasn’t a meal on its own but an extra spice that enchanted the flavor of arousal and made the dish extra tasty.
Only a few lucky volunteers were given the chance at a wild night full of magically fueled passion at Bliss. We were a few rungsbelowthem, the last-minute fill ins. My odds of being selected were pretty slim, but I only needed to get inside.
The service entrance led to a busy backstage area full of commotion as they prepared for tonight’s show. We passed large fans made of feathers for a burlesque show, sequins galore on tiny outfits, and so many people rushing around and readying the entertainment.
Too many bodies, too much commotion. Not a great place to hide valuables. Where else, where…
My gawking attracted the attention of another guy who’d also been selected. With a dark mop of hair and a crooked nose, he kinda reminded me of my cousin Tommy.
He offered me a friendly smile. “Is this your first time?”
I managed a jerky nod. “That obvious?”
“Don’t worry,” he said. “Everybody here’s looking for the same thing as you. Nobody bites.”
“No?”
“Well, only if you say you’re interested in that on your preference sheet.”
We both laughed as we arrived at a small break room where three clipboards waited on the table with consent forms, preference sheets, and other necessary paperwork.
“First times are always a little scary,” he told me, pen busy scrawling down his info with ease. “But we’re in good hands here. This is supposed to be the best den in either of the Carolinas.” His eyes darted up to ensure nobody was paying attention to us. “Well, the second best, but I’ve only heard great things.”
“This your first time too?”
“Here, yeah, but I got my feet wet at a few other dens. I wanted some experience before diving into the deep end.” He remembered who he was talking to. “Not that inexperience is bad! Just, well, in my case,all thisis pretty new to me.”
Oh, ‘all this’ meant the supernatural world and not just having sex for magical pleasure reasons.
“How you liking it all so far?” I asked.
“So far…” He set his pen down on the table, squinting hard and grunting with some unseen effort. I felt a spark of power in the air just as the pen twitched, then rolled off the table. “So far, it’s been absolutelymagical.”
Huh, a baby mage. That explained why the supernatural world had eventually been revealed to him: he was part of it.
A veil of psychic energy hid the supernatural world from detection. Some humans were Aware and helped us operate behind the scenes, but most remained in the dark. This was supposed to keep the peace and keep everybody safe and happy. Since trouble had a way of finding me, or maybe the other way around, I couldn’t really say how well the system worked.
When things lined up just right, certain people were allowed to see behind the curtain. I myself found out about the supernatural about five years ago, when I was 24. Since I understood how amazing and overwhelming it was to go from regular Joe to a freaking mage, I almost gave this guy my number and offered to show him the ropes. Then I remembered all the info on my forms was totally bogus.
“Volunteers, follow me!” Someone came to collect us and bring us to the club floor.
I did my best to disappear into the surroundings.
A lone performer took the stage for this number—a singer in a glittering dress. She looked like some old Hollywood starlet, perfect for the backdrop of this smoky jazz bar from the 30’s.
