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“Yeah. Is that still okay?” My stomach tightens, though if she does need me to come in, it won’t be the end of the world.
“Absolutely.” She waves me off. “I’ll see you on Monday. That’s when you’re here next, right?” I nod, agreeing with her words. Saturday is my normal day off. Seralikesthe weekend rush, and she isn’t open on Sundays. Normally I’m also off a day in the middle of the week, but this time I’d asked for Friday off to have a three-day weekend instead. It’ll be nice, probably. Especially if I get a bigger tattoo than I’m expecting.
With a coffee in hand from my recent trip to our neighbor’s café, I walk toward the intersection that I need to turn at to get to my apartment, phone in my hand as I go. It’s barely dark, and there isn’t any real crime in Solen City. Not enough for me to actually worry about, anyway.
It’s not San Diego, after all.
Slowly I scroll through social media, not really looking for anything, and end up finding all kinds of announcements for local businesses doing whatever they do. ‘Tis the season for sales, apparently, because almost everywhere in the city is running some kind of special, even if those sales seem a little arbitrary to me in some cases.
At the intersection, I turn, and my steps slow as I look at one listing in particular.
Sponsored night at The Den. Get in free before 10 p.m.
TheDen? I’m pretty sure I have no idea what that is, and I click on the page to see what in the world is even being offered.
I don’t expect it to be a full-on kink club.
My dark eyebrows rise, doing their best to hide under my equally dark hair. I can’t help my surprise. This isn’t Seattle or Spokane. I definitely don’t expect there to bethatkind of club here.
Am I going to go?
No way.I shake my head because while the idea is certainly tempting, and from the gallery on social media, the club looksamazing, I have no one to go with, first of all. Sera certainly isn’t going to pull on her fishnets and accompany me to watch someone get flogged or pegged.
Both of which Ihavewitnessed at another club in Seattle. At the same time.
It was pretty impressive, though I can’t say I’m jealous of the experience. Notthatparticular experience, anyway.
I let out a breath through my nose, wishing Ididhave someone to go with to this. Because I would, in fact, be first in line at the door if I did.
Too fucking bad, I guess.
Still, I go through the pictures more thoroughly, happy to let my feet go on autopilot on the way back home because I know exactly where I’m going and don’t need to look to lead myself to my small studio apartment.
Finally, I stand in front of my door, a bit surprised that it hasn’t taken me as long as I thought it would to get here. Then again, my nose was buried in my phone, looking at pictures of cool, kinky spaces on the outside of a brick, warehouse-looking building withThe Denwritten in neon lights above the door.
With a heavy, self-pitying sigh, I unlock the door and let myself in, only belatedly remembering the stupid newspaper article in my pocket.
So much for itaccidentallygoing into the washing machine and coming out ruined.
A real fucking shame.
Instead, I pull it free from my pocket and toss it onto my kitchen counter that separates the kitchen from the living room and acts as my only table to eat at. Lights flicker from above the stove, and when I glance over, I see that the clock there needs to be reset.
Had the power gone out during the storm? I hadn’t thought any of it was bad enough, nor lightning close enough, to cause a power outage. But maybe I was mistaken.
“Oh well,” I mutter, and I’m not sure whether I’m talking about having to fix the clock or that I won’t have anyone to go toThe Denwith. And I’m certainlywaytoo chicken to go by myself.
But the self-pity doesn’t last long. Not with the way my brain drifts back to the newspaper article again and again until I’m sitting on my sofa, Girl Scout Cookies and article in hand, and scan it for anything I might’ve missed before. It’s beenwaytoo long since I’ve been to a kink club for me to consider not going, and longer still since I’ve had someone to go with.
