He led me through the adjoining room; a library stacked with books. We went to an open door at the back, and he knocked his knuckles against the door to announce his presence.
I snuck in beside him. The walls of this room were a dark, emerald green and the floors were covered in pillows and blankets. People were cuddling on the blankets, wrapped up in each other.
“Hey,” Phantom said, a low growl in his voice.
A couple on the floor gasped and scrambled to sit up. One wore a dog collar, the other wore pigtails.
“Are you having too much fun in here?” Phantom asked. I recognized the roughness in his voice then; it was playful, teasingly chastising.
“No, Sir…” The dog-collared person giggled and the pair squirmed like kids caught whispering together at a sleepover.
A woman sat in one of the leather chairs with the stance of someone in charge. She looked amused by the exchange. Phantom nodded to her. “Mind if I give them a snack?” She shook her head. He peeled off bits of clementine. “Catch.”
He tossed the slices at the pair on the blankets who caught their treats and thanked him.
On the other side of the room, I spotted a woman lounging in a man’s lap. They were both half-naked and he stroked her hair back. Phantom went over and crouched beside them. He dropped his voice. “How’re you two doing?”
The man gave him a dreamy smile, like he’d woken from a nap. “Good,” he said.
“Good.” Phantom motioned to the woman. His hand hovered an inch over her body, but never touched her. “Her skin is already bruising here. It’s just going to get worse overnight. I have a cream that will help with that. Remind me to give you some before you leave.”
“Okay. Thank you, Sir.”
Phantom gave the man’s shoulder a squeeze. “I hope you come back.”
“We will,” the woman said. She was wearing that same, dreamy-eyed expression.
Phantom had to put his hand on the dresser to push himself back up to his feet. There was that light wince again. He exited the room and motioned for me to do the same.
The giggly-pair watched me leave. “Who is she?” one whispered to the other.
I wiggled my fingers at them in a wave. Caught, they broke into a fit of giggles. I couldn’t help but grin as I exited, their humor contagious. This room felt soft, sacred, and I didn’t want to leave it.
Phantom led me to the lobby, back where we started. He leaned his elbows on the bar. I couldn’t help but fixate on his arms. They were strong with defined veins that corded up the backs of his arms.
“There you have it,” he said. “The tour. Any questions?”
“So can people do…anythinghere?”
“Within reason. The rule of thumb is safe, sane, and consensual. Nothing illegal. No drugs or alcohol while playing. I reserve the right to kick anyone out if I don’t like their attitude or the way they play. Toxicity is like mold. You let it stick around too long, you’ll never get it out. So I cut people out before they become a problem.”
“What about me? Am I a problem?”
His gaze met mine, as though seriously considering my question. “I don’t know yet.”
The charge in his eyes…it made me want to get closer. I shifted in. I nodded at the fruit between his hands. “What’s with the clementine?”
“Do you ever go to outdoor concerts? The ones way out in the middle of nowhere…Burning Man? They’ll stock a lot of Vitamin C. When people are high, excited, and having fun, they’ll forget to do things like eat, drink, take care of themselves. The act of playing—that’s what we call what people were doing upstairs.Playing. It can sometimes be as intense as getting high. You have adrenaline rushing through you. Pleasure. Pain. It lights up parts of your brain you don’t use every day. So if you’re feeling a dopamine crash after a scene…vitamin C helps.”
“What about you?” I asked. “Do you play? Or do you just…force feed everyone citrus?”
He looked contemplative, and instead of answering my question, he volleyed me one. “What do you want, Ruby?”
There wasn’t any annoyance in his tone when he asked it. It was a genuine question, inviting inquiry. I shifted in my spot. The hair on his arm tickled me. He didn’t pull away, though. “I want you to teach me,” I said. “Show me how you…play.”
He pressed his lips together. “No.”
No? Just…no?I blinked. “Why not?”
