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Ari swallowed, an audible gulp popping in her ears. “Uh ... Thanks. And Adytum. It’s my first night.”
The woman turned on her heel, grinning as she extended her hand, palm down, for Ari to take. “Well, isn’t this just my luck? Lady Katrina. And who might you be?”
“Ari.” She took Lady Katrina’s hand in hers. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise. And what do they have you doing? Top. Bottom. Switch?”
All of that meant nothing to Ari. “I’m not actually sure. I guess, wherever they need me.”
“Well, I need a sweet thing like you. I’ll talk to Maxi and have you on top of my table by the end of the night. Dare I say, you’ll love it.” She wore a devious smirk with a familiar voice. The way the word “dare” rolled off her tongue was that of a threat, much like the voice from the website that posed the question, “Do you dare enter Adytum?”
When she heard it, Ari turned her neck with a punctuated gesture. Those lips. Her eyes. This woman was the temptress from the website. Perhaps this was just a professional persona, but Ari couldn’t shake the feeling that she was bad news. When the door opened, Lady Katrina strolled up the stairs on the left to the unmarked door. Ari followed.
As soon as they both entered, Lady Katrina dragged her long fingernail against the skin of Ari’s cheek. “Until later, my sweetness.”
The woman walked down a hallway and out of sight, leaving Ari in her wake. It took a moment for Ari to process the reality of her new world. Someone she once thought was a myth had shared an elevator with her. These people were real. This place was real. No longer folklore, Adytum was, in fact, a living and breathing entity. As she passed a woman in the hall wearing only a thong, she realized the world would no longer hold mystery for her.
“Excuse me, I’m new and don’t know where I’m supposed to go,” Ari said.
“New recruits are meeting at the bar, just on the other side of those double doors. You might be a little late; I think they’ve already started.”
Panic set in as Ari ran to the double doors and pushed through them at a sprint. On the other side, there was no one except the woman she knew as Cooper from the audition. Ari hurried to the bar. “I’m sorry I’m late. Did I miss the new employee meeting?”
When Cooper looked up, her eyes widened in confusion at Ari. She shook her head as she said, “Very. Uh, stay here.”
She stepped out from behind the counter and pressed through the double doors from which Ari entered. As soon as they closed, Ari realized she was all alone in a grand ballroom, and it did nothing to calm her growing fear. She spun around, noticing an exquisite display of BDSM furniture and contraptions, glass cases of items, and little alcoves as if designed for a theater production. She breathed in and out. It was going to be a long night.
Chapter 10
The door to Dylan’s office flew open, banging the knob into the wall as it slammed with the same force as Cooper’s unbridled anger. “What the hell are you thinking? Oh yeah, that’s right, you’re thinking about a piece of ass.”
“What are you talking about?” Dylan furrowed her eyebrows, feigning ignorance after being jolted out of her concentration on some paperwork, and then stood. She knew very well what Cooper meant, as it was all part of the plan.
“The welcome meeting has already started. What are you going to tell Maxi about—”
Dylan placed her hands on Cooper's shoulders at the door, conveying assurance. “Don’t worry, Coop. I’ve got this.”
Cooper stepped back, evading Dylan’s attempt to allay her concern. “Do you?”
“Maxi already knows I hired her. She doesn’t know all the details of the audition, so say nothing! I’ve explained her lack of experience, and Maxi knows I’ll be responsible for training her.”
Cooper threw her hands up in frustration. “Lack of experience? This woman has no experience. She made it clear she doesn’t want to be involved in sex work, and yet, here she is ... not at all ready to be thrown to the wolves.”
“That’s why I asked her to come in a little late,” she said, her features softening as she coiled around the truth. “I informed Maxi of Ari’s appointment and that it was not possible to reschedule. It’s the only way I could talk to her first before she meets Maxi. I have a plan, Cooper. I’ve got this.”
“If this goes wrong, I won’t be a part of it.” She exhaled a long, drawn-out breath, then continued, “I’ll act clueless. I’m not losing my job because you can’t keep it in your pants.”
“You won’t, Coop.” Dylan turned toward her computer, locked the screen, and motioned toward the door. “Come on, let’s welcome our new staff member.”
In the grand ballroom, Ari stood before an oil painting portraying a scared woman spread-eagled before a succubus with a serpentine tail as a whip. It seemed more folklore than mythology. Dylan sidled up, scaring her out of a loathsome trance. “Miss Delgado, thank you for coming.”
A startled gasp escaped Ari as she jolted from her stupor and plastered her hand tight against her chest. “Shit. Hi. I didn’t hear you. Sorry.”
“Don’t be. The painting does that to people. It captivates them. Do you like it?”
The intricate details of the sexual deviance of the demonic Mistress caught Ari's attention, and she looked up in wonder again. “It’s so—”
“Erotic. Before you meet with our owner, Maxi Delacroix, I want to speak with you. I know there are some aspects of the position that you’re not yet comfortable with—”
