“What brings you here?” I ask.
“No, no, no. That's one of the rules, remember?” He shakes his head from side to side.
Cassandra’s soothing robotic voice comes back to me as I sat in her glass office going over the contract.
"You are forbidden to talk about what brought you here,” she said. “You are forbidden to talk about anything tragic or disturbing, and you are encouraged to make up a fantasy of who you are based on who you want to be. If you project an image of your ideal self, then you will become your ideal self.”
2
Jacqueline
"Okay, so tell me something about you," I say.
"Something true?" he asks, narrowing his eyes. I like this vibe. It’s nothing like that other guy’s.
I nod. This might be part of a game or it might not be. I don't know. "I fly around the world. I never spend more than a week in one place. I run an international company with clients everywhere."
"What kind of company?"
"I underwrite high-risk loans.”
“You can’t do it online?”
“Nope, I have to do it the old-fashioned way. Meet in person, evaluate the head of the company, decide whether financing will be possible."
"That sounds impressive.” I nod.
"Your turn.” He points to me and then there's that intense look again.
"I'd rather not," I say. “I don't think this is working out.”
I can't be this person, I say to myself. I don't know what I'm doing here at The Redemption? Who names a club that anyway?
What kind of redemption?
Besides, I don’t need redemption. I need revenge.
I make my way past small clumps of people just as the music starts to heat up and the dance floor starts to fill. Someone grabs my hand. It’s him. The one whose name I don’t know, who made me spill my drink.
"Dance with me," he says. I pull away, but he tries again. "Please?"
And then as if my body is acting of its own free will, I give in. I let go, and I let him lead me to the dance floor.
The music starts to pump and his hands find my waist and then pull me close to him. We grind. There's no other way to describe it. His body is intertwined with mine. I rub against him. I'm not even a great dancer, but the music sounds like a heartbeat, and we move as one. I let him carry me away. His hands make their way down my hips and then over the small of my back again.
The next song is even more sensual and intense and when he pulls me closer, I don't want to pull away. He slides down my body, pausing briefly to worship my breasts as if they are an altar.
Sweat starts to run down my back and he grabs onto my butt, holding me tightly, telling me how much he loves my body. His is strong. The heavy weight expensive fabric of his slim-cut suit outlines each muscle. Suddenly, the quietness and the demure attitude, the standoffishness is gone.
The music slows down and he presses his lips to my earlobe. I think he's about to whisper something, but he sucks on it instead. Shivers run up my spine, and I continue to grind on his leg.
He brings his fingers up to my neck and carefully runs them all the way down to my clavicle. He goes further after that, tapping just the outside of my breasts ever so gently, waiting for me to give him consent to go further.
How could I not? I need him to kiss me now. I need his lips on mine, but he hesitates.
No, that's not what it is.
He's teasing me.
He wants me to wait.
"Kiss me," I beg, but he shakes his head no.
His hands continue to make their way up and down my body, feeling every curve, every groove, every indentation. My nipples get harder, even though I feel like I'm about 120 degrees, so I reach over and grab his head and pull his chin toward mine, but he pulls away.
"Not yet," he says confidently, like there's going to be more. Suddenly, I know there will be.
We continue to dance or rather press against each other like high school kids who haven't had sex yet, and then finally, just when my legs start to burn and the balls of my feet feel like they won't be able to hold me up anymore, he pulls me close to him and puts his lips on mine.
It's a surprise, and there's a stiffness there at first, and then I let go and open my mouth and I feel his tongue with mine. I bury my hands in his thick, dark hair, and he collects mine into loose ponytails and tugs lightly, making me moan.
"Come with me," he says.
He grabs my hand, and I follow him. We walk off the dance floor, down a long corridor, and into one of the rooms.
The sheets are satin red and the walls are wallpapered in some sort of textured gold, and red, and black fleur-de-lis. The light is low, all candlelight, originating from the four corners of the room.
I peer into the darkness as he takes off his jacket and throws it onto the plush red velvet couch in the corner.
"Have you ever been to one of these rooms before?" he asks.
"I've never been here at all." I shake my head no.
"Well, then you have a lot to experience. Call me Dante," he says.
"Like the poet?" I ask, realizing the name is making my English literature major heart flutter extra hard.
"Yeah. My mom loved Italian Renaissance." As he moves, his dark hair falls into his eyes just a little bit. I reach over, brushing it out of the way. He smiles.
"What's your safe word?" he asks.
I reach over to kiss him again.
"Tell me."
"I don’t know," I whisper.
"This is your first time. You don't want to take it too far. I need a safe word. Club's rules."
Oh, yes, I’m suddenly reminded of the fact that whatever it is we have between us isn't really real.
I sit down on the edge of the bed. It's not that the spark is gone. It's that by saying his name, I was at first excited and then I realized that this is part of the story like everything else.
He's here to meet a stranger and to have a good time. That’s why everyone’s here, right? Including me?
Dante sits down next to me and reaches over and kisses my shoulder. He tugs on the spaghetti strap of my cocktail dress and pulls it down a little bit.
With his lips to mine, it all comes back. How we danced, how we sweated together out there.
What if we did that here? I lean over and kiss him on the mouth. His lips find mine. He kisses me back, opening my mouth wider and deeper, leaning me back on the bed. He pulls up my skirt and finds my panty line.
I spread my legs open for him, and he kisses the inside of my thighs, and I feel myself starting to get wet. Drenched.
I want him. I want him inside of me. He starts to tug on my panties and unbuttons his shirt.
I grab onto the sheets because I've never done anything like this. Yes, I've had ex-boyfriends or rather one ex-boyfriend, but a stranger in a place like this? A one-night stand to do anything you want with? No, that I've never had.
Suddenly the door swings open, and four people barge in laughing and talking, clearly very intoxicated.
"Oh, sorry. It's occupied. It's occupied," they tell one another, each time louder and louder.
"Get the fuck out!” Dante yells, pointing to the door. "Didn't you see the red light?"
They apologize again and stumble out even more gracelessly than they stumbled in. Then he leans over me, but I shake my head no.
"What's wrong?" he asks.
"I don't know. I can't."
"Okay." He pulls away, just like that. "If you don't want to have sex with me, I'm not going to force you to," he says, mildly insulted.
"Or do you want me to just woo you again?" He smiles mischievously.
I shake my head no, but he grabs my hand and pulls me close, and with his fingers intertwined with mine, a spark returns.
3
Jacqueline
"I have to go.” I pull away from Dante.
He nods and our fingers separate. He sits down on the edge of the bed, not so much crestfallen, but a little di
sappointed.
I try to find my small crossbody bag with my wallet and phone, and I realize that I had dropped it somewhere and one of us had kicked it under the bed.
As I lean over, Dante reaches for me, grabbing me around my waist, and I suddenly remember how he held me out there when we danced. My heart starts to beat fast and everything within me yearns for him.
I turn around and he pulls me on top of him. My skirt prevents me from opening my legs too wide so he pushes it up to my waist and feels the smoothness of my butt, squeezing tightly.
I lean over and kiss him.
I cradle Dante’s face in my hands and kiss him over and over again. I feel the sharpness of his jaw, the harshness and the straightness of his nose.
I kiss his neck and he tilts his head back, closes his eyes, and I run my fingers up and down. I start to go down his hard body, running my fingers all the way down to his belly button. Instead of a six pack, there's an eight pack, each muscle clearly defined.
He has smooth, soft olive skin almost caramel in color. He gathers my hair into a ponytail again and pulls tightly, knowing instinctively that this will ignite and excite every cell in my body.
I can’t help but moan.
"You like that?" he asks.
I nod.
We don't know each other and that's why there's the rule about the safe word. You're supposed to say a word or phrase when you start to feel uncomfortable. It basically means no, that's too far.
I wait for him to ask me what mine is again, but he doesn't. He just runs his hands up and down my back as I pull down his pants and look at his big substantial bulge.
Right before I can reach for it, Dante flips me over on my back. He sits me up briefly, unzips my dress, and pulls it over my head. I'm wearing a strapless bra, but he flicks it off with one quick movement. My breasts fall before him and seem almost as surprised about what just happened as the rest of me.
Cupping one and kissing the other, he lays me back down and reaches down between my legs.
He teases me.
He kisses me right above my hip bones and then on the inside of my thighs.
And I want him to pull off my panties already and get inside but he doesn't. He takes his time and he makes me moan and then finally thrusts his fingers and I can't hold on anymore.
"No, no, no." He pulls away. "You're not getting away that easy."
“Please," I beg.
Every part of me wants him. Even just a little bit and I'm ready, ready to go over the edge.
But he likes to play games.
I can see that now.
"How do you touch yourself?" he asks.
My eyes get big. "What do you mean?" No one has ever asked me that before.
"That's what I'm asking. Do you do it when you’re on your back?”
I nod.
"Oh, that's why it was such a quick thing for you. You're used to it. What if we do it some way that’s not predictable?”
"Do something, do anything but I need you inside of me," I plead.
"Okay, I like that.” He looks around the room. “There. Take off your panties and wait."
This makes me even more aroused than I was before. But I do as he asks. He walks over, takes off his briefs, and I finally see his beautiful cock, big and thick, smooth to the touch without a single hair.
I reach for it, but he shakes his head no.
"You don't want to give me anything I want," I say.
"That's the point.” He smiles and I smile with him.
Dante kisses my neck and then reaches over my legs and spreads them wider. He pushes me, my head onto the desk, and the cool surface feels good against my hot skin. I hear the sound of latex behind me as he puts on the condom.
Before I know it, he thrusts himself into me. I grab onto the desk and I let it happen because it feels so good.
He's impaling me and my body is wrapping tightly around his, taking him further and further inside. After a few moments, we start to move just like we did on the dance floor, grinding against one another. I raise up to my elbows and he pulls on my hair as if it were the mane of a horse.
He runs his fingers down my neck, and then makes his way around my breasts, squeezing my nipples in between his index and middle finger just a little, so that it feels both good and a little painful.
He moves at a steady rate until he starts to speed up faster and faster, and then a wave, an explosion rushes through my body. Every part of me convulses and I can’t help but point my toes even though they are still strapped into these awful heels.
Just as the waves slow down a bit, Dante speeds up harder and harder and I wait for him to reach his climax and then he kisses my neck sloppily and mumbles something into my shoulder.
"What was that?" I ask, trying to catch my breath.
"That was wonderful." He clears his throat. "You're so sexy."
He kisses me again and again.
4
Jacqueline
Afterward, Dante sits on the edge of the bed. He watches me get dressed. I suddenly feel very self-conscious about my body. It's by no means perfect. No toned stomach or shoulders. I'm about thirty pounds heavier than where I'd like to be, but he still admires me as if I'm the sexiest thing he's ever seen.
"What are you doing?" I ask.
"What? I'm looking at the girl that I just had mind-blowing sex with."
"Okay, but you're making me feel uncomfortable."
"I can't look at you?"
"No.” I shake my head.
"So I can fuck you but I can't look at you?"
"Yes.” I nod and he laughs. "Aren't you going to get dressed?"
"Yeah, just taking my time."
He sits back against the headboard naked, except for tight black briefs and I watch the way his muscular body moves with each breath. I finally manage to slip on my dress and zip it up halfway and I feel a little bit better. This has a nice shape to it, covering all of the parts that I feel uncomfortable about. I walk over to him to zip me up all the way.
"So this is your first time here, huh?" Dante asks.
I nod.
"How was it?"
"Much better than I thought it would go."
"Good, I like that."
"Do you come here often?" I ask.
He laughs.
"Okay, I'm not asking in that way that people ask at bars when they pick you up. I mean, is this something that you do often?"
He nods. "Yes."
“Really?" I gasp.
"Judgmental much?" He furrows his brow with disapproval.
"No, I didn't mean it like that. I just ..."
"Why are you here?” He points his finger at me, only half joking.
My face falls, I can feel it. I swallow hard. "No, we're not going to talk about that. Rules, remember?”
He nods.
“So, how long have you been coming here?"
"Well, like I said, I travel a lot. There are a number of these clubs all around the country and abroad. It's so much more honest than trying to get a girl who's looking for a relationship to have a one-night stand with you, don't you think?"
I nod. "I'm not looking for a relationship," I clarify.
"Good, because most people here are already in committed relationships and looking to expand their horizons sexually or single."
"And which one are you?" I ask.
"Which one do you think?" He gives me a smirk.
This conversation starts to feel like it’s veering off course.
"Well, it was nice to meet you.” I extend my hand, clearing my throat, bringing it to an end. "I'll be going now."
"Just back to the bar or going, going? We can get a few more drinks, talk, or you can meet someone else."
"No. I'm good for right now.” I nod my head. "This has been quite an adventure and I need to get some rest now."
"Wore you out, huh?" he jokes and I roll my eyes, suddenly hating the real personality that he has let slip through past his Dante persona.
&n
bsp; "Thanks for everything." He shakes my hand and I walk out.
Cassandra, one of the organizers of tonight's party, meets up with me when I get to the coat check.
"How was everything?" she asks.
She's dressed in similarly unisex black slacks, bell bottomed and covering her shoes.
She's wearing a vest underneath her matching suit jacket with a starched collar buttoned all the way to her neck. Despite this severe look, she still looks incredibly beautiful.
"It was great,” I say, handing her my ticket.
"Everything to your satisfaction?" she asks, looking for my jacket.
I nod.
"I know this is your first time, Jacqueline, and I just want to make sure that you were fully satisfied, not uncomfortable or pressed in any way. Please tell me how it went and hold nothing back. I mean, I don't need the details, but just your reactions and impressions. We want this to be a very inclusive and comfortable place for all women where they can explore and have fun and play and not fear that anything bad will happen."
"Well, actually, you've achieved that perfectly. I had a good time."
"You did?" Her face lights up.
"Yeah, I danced, I met Dante, and we went to one of the red rooms in the back."
"Oh, yes. And how was your private time? Was he respectful? Unless of course, you didn't want him to be.” She smiles mischievously.
"Everything was great. He was a gentleman.” I smile.
"Good, that's exactly what we like to hear."
I'm about to walk away when she takes another step closer to me and says, "We've really enjoyed having you. I'm really glad you had a good time tonight. I would like to personally invite you to a masquerade party that we're having next Saturday if you're interested and available."
I nod. "Let me think about it," I say.
"Of course, I'll send you all the details over email."
I walk out of Redemption and feel… I don't know… It’s hard to describe what I feel.
It was definitely better than going to a bar and having some sloppy sex with a stranger who doesn't care about where I am on the whole thing and my needs.
Dark Intentions, #1 Page 2