by Lauren Runow
Chapter Four
Evangeline
“Angie?” I hear Kamii yell from her office.
I was just about to pack up my things for the night, but instead, I click off my screen and walk toward her office.
Standing in her doorway, I watch as she attempts to pick something up. Finally giving up, she asks, “Can you please pick up the pen I dropped over here?”
The laugh I’m trying to hide sneaks through as I walk up to her, grab the pen, and put it on her desk. “Was that all you needed?”
She shoots me a glare, clearly stating not to mock her. Yet, we both fall into a fit of giggles in a matter of seconds. “I’m such a mess. When will this baby just come out already? She needs to come out.”
I offer her a reassuring smile. “Just a little while longer. She’s not done cooking, yet.”
“I’m so over this, but here, sit. I wanted to see if you have plans tonight.”
“Not really. What are we working on?”
She takes a deep breath, pulling her fingers up to her lip where she starts to lightly tug. I’ve been working with her for years, and this is her tell-tale sign; something’s wrong.
“What’s going on here? What’s up with the lip thing?” I ask.
Her fingers drop instantly. “What? Nothing?”
“Kamii, you only tug on your lip when it’s something serious. What’s wrong?”
“Ugh! Preston says the same thing. Am I that obvious? I’m an attorney. I run courtrooms, yet with my personal life, it seems people can read me like a book.”
I grin because what she’s saying is so true, but that’s beside the fact. “So really, what’s up?”
“Preston and I need your help, and we were hoping you could have drinks with us tonight?”
“Sure, whatever you guys need. Where should I meet you?”
“Here, help me up and let’s walk to Rickhouse. Lord knows I need to walk as much as I can.”
When we arrive, Preston is already seated in a booth in the back, and we head toward his table. I love the way his face brightens when he sees us walking up.
The love they share is evident more and more every time I see them. I know there’s more to their story than what Kamii’s told me, but I’ve tried not to pry too much.
After he says hello to his wife and leans down to talk to his unborn daughter, he turns to me. “What can I get you to drink, Angie?”
“I’ll take a Dirty Shirley, please,” I respond as I slide into the booth, and Preston walks to the bar.
“Shut up. You’re kidding me, right?” Kamii almost yells in disbelief.
I point my finger, daring her to challenge me. “What’s wrong with that? Don’t make fun like I haven’t grown up because I still like my kiddie drink.” It wouldn’t be the first time someone made fun of my drink of choice, but I don’t care. I loved Shirley Temples as a child, and now, I love them with vodka.
“No, it has nothing to do with that. It’s just—” She takes a deep breath. “I knew you were perfect for what I’m about to ask you, and you just proved it right there.”
“With my drink order?”
“Yes, with a simple drink order.” She lets out a laugh as she wipes a small tear that slipped out of her right eye. “My close friend, Becca, used to order Dirty Chai at Starbucks, and I’ve always said you reminded me of her. Did I ever tell you exactly how Preston and I met?”
“No, actually, I’ve never heard. I assumed you knew him before the murder case last year, but I never wanted to get into your personal life too much.”
She laughs almost nervously. “Yeah, it might shock you a bit, but that’s why I want to talk to you.”
She reaches up for her lip again, and when I give her a squinted look, she drops her hand, shaking her head. “Yes, you’re perfect for this. So, Preston owns something no one knows he owns, not even the people there.”
“Huh? His construction company?” I ask, confused.
“No, this one is really private…a members only type of thing.”
“Okay, so do you want me to join or something?”
“Um, well.” She looks around like she’s nervous about something. “You see, we need help when the baby is born.”
“I’m not sure what kind of help I can be. I mean, I don’t know anything about running a business or anything.”
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned about you these past years, it’s that I love how open you are…sexually.”
Now it’s my time to laugh. That’s probably the understatement of the year, and I’m not afraid to show it. Kamii and I work so closely together, and I tend to overshare or have become the queen of TMI.
I have absolutely no desire to be in a relationship, and I love to have sex, so I have a little—okay, a lot of fun with whomever I choose at the time. Oh, and I love to talk about it.
I forget sometimes that people aren’t like me, and I tend to make them feel uncomfortable about it. I’ve never gotten that vibe from Kamii, especially more recently, but I still have no clue where this is going.
“You know I love sex, and I love to talk about it, but what does this have to do with anything?”
“This business of his is called Bridge. It’s an, um, a…” She closes her eyes, looking like she’s afraid to say what’s to come. When she opens them, looking straight into mine, she blurts out, “Fuck it, it’s an anonymous sex club.”
My jaw drops. “Are you serious right now?”
Kamii covers her eyes, and I can see her face turning red as a tomato under her hands.
“Is that how you met him?” I ask in disbelief.
She nods her head, not removing her hands. “Yes, that’s how I knew he was innocent and being framed. We were together at the club the night the murder happened.”
I reach out and remove her hands for her. “I’m so fucking in love with you right now.”
She grins, and I can see the red slowly start to disappear from her face.
“Seriously, I’m seeing you in a whole new light,” I say through a chuckle.
“Please don’t look at me any differently.”
“Oh no, not like that. I’m excited to hear you’re really just like me. You like to be fucked, and you like it kinky. I’m beyond thrilled right now to call you my friend.”
“Jeez, please, keep your voice down,” she whispers as she looks around, and the crimson color creeps back up her face.
Just then Preston approaches our table with a smirk. “So, I take it you told her?”
“Hell yeah, she did. Preston, my man.” I shake my head, looking back and forth between him and her. “You two just officially became my favorite couple.”
“So, you’ll do it?” he asks with hope lacing his tone.
“Wait, do I get to join?” I ask, coming out of my seat in excitement.
“Yes, we’re hoping you’ll join and keep an eye on things for us while we aren’t there. You’ll get a free membership. There’s not much to do, but we just like having someone there who can pay attention while no one knows who they are.”
I pick up my glass, holding it up to toast them both. “You don’t have to ask me twice. Here’s to the best job I’ll ever have.”
Chapter Five
Evangeline
“Front and center again, I see,” Professor Spence states with a quick smile covering his face before he wipes it away.
“What can I say, I like to be the center of attention,” I respond as I sit up straighter in my chair and fluff my hair, over exaggerating my comment.
“I can tell you are quite often,” he whispers as he walks by, giving me a quick glance before heading toward another student.
Did my teacher really just flirt with me? Well then, this class just took a turn in a direction I can’t wait to explore. He’s sexy even though I’ve never gone for the retro, glasses type, but he’s definitely worth looking into more. I wonder if there’s some policy against us dating, though.
He turns around and catches m
e checking him out, but I don’t turn my head or pretend I wasn’t. I’ve never been shy about who I am or who I like. If he’s going to flirt, I’ll give it right back. Shit, he’d know the rules better than I would. It’s not my job on the line.
“Tonight, we’re going to talk about stereotypes, judging a book by its cover, per se. In the judicial system, everyone is innocent until proven guilty, or so they say. But what happens when someone is judged to be guilty just by the way they look? Take Angie here.” He looks at me with his hand held out, and his pointer finger curled up like he’s summoning me toward him. “Come to the front for a quick second.”
I squint my eyes, getting the feeling he’s up to no good but follow his lead and approach him, eyeing him suspiciously before I turn to face the rest of the class.
“Alex, point out something that’s obvious about Angie.”
“She’s sexy as hell,” he blurts out, and I instantly blow him a kiss in return as my thank you.
“Why, yes.” Professor Spence looks down at my tight gray pants and over the knee boots that make my legs look ten times longer than they really are. “But give me more. Just by the way she looks, without knowing anything else about her, would you say she’s single or married?”
“Definitely single, and on the prowl,” Alex teases.
“So a girl in a relationship can’t dress nicely?” he responds.
“Not girls that I know,” Alex states matter-of-factly, which gets a soft chuckle from the rest of the class.
“Okay, how about you, Nichole? Tell me, do you think she grew up in the City, in California, or somewhere else?”
Nichole pauses, looking me up and down for any clues. “I’m going to say somewhere outside of California.”
“Interesting. Why do you say that?”
“Well, she’s older than I am—sorry, just stating a fact,” she says directly to me before continuing, which I just shrug off. “But still young enough to be fashionable and obviously not on a shoe-string, college budget. I get the feeling she lives here now, which has introduced her to more of the fashion world than wherever she grew up. That’s why she still wants to look this way like she hasn’t been able to dress like this her entire life.”
He nods in confirmation. “Very good, way to think deeper than what’s in plain sight. So how old do you think she is?”
“I’m going to guess late twenties,” she says, unsure of herself like she’s trying not to offend me.
A small laugh escapes my lips before I regain my composure.
“Okay, one more. Sonia, give me something else you see just by looking at her.”
“Um…” She thinks for a second, so I turn around, holding out my arms, putting myself on display even more. “Because she’s a little older than us, taking a night class and obviously dressed nicer than every single person here, I’m guessing she already has a full-time job where she works in an office setting and has to dress more professionally.”
“Oh, good point. Okay, Angie, how did everyone do?” Professor Spence asks.
“Well, I am single, I grew up in a small town far from here, I’m twenty-eight, and yes, I work at a law firm during the day, so that’s why I’m enrolled in night classes.”
“Well then, I say the class did pretty well reading your so-called book,” he says to me before addressing the class again. “So you see, there are more ways to get information out of people than looking them up on social media. We were trying to guess these things about Angie here, and she willingly gave us more answers than we planned. She could have just said you were right or wrong, but she gave us actual specifics without us having to ask. Sometimes you can extract the info out of people without trying.” He leans in to whisper in my ear, “I knew I’d find out more about you somehow.” Then he walks to the board to write something as I return to my seat, trying to hide the feeling running through my veins.
Yes, he’s definitely flirting with me, and I’m so game.
After class, I approach his desk once the room clears out, and only a few students linger in the back. “Nice little trick you pulled there.” His face says it all, so I keep talking, “Do I get to play your game, again?”
He zips up his bag before leaning against his desk in a sexy-as-hell, laid-back way. “What do you want to know?”
“How about we level the playing field, and I get to know everything about you that you know about me, and nothing more.”
“Sounds like a fun game. I’m in.” He pauses like he’s waiting for me to say something.
“So…spill it.”
“I’m thirty-one. Single. I grew up not far from here, and I’m an associate attorney at a law firm, trying to work my way up.”
“So why do you teach then?” I ask.
“Why are you taking this class then? It’s an answer for an answer, right?”
I grin, seeing how fun this game is going to be. “We’ll see how far this goes.” I start to walk away. “Night, Professor Spence.”
“It’s Cole, by the way.”
“I know, but I like Professor Spence better.” I wink before completely turning around to leave.
Chapter Six
Evangeline
Tonight is the night I finally get my first look at Club Bridge, and Kamii is treating me to dinner first to go over the last of the details. I didn’t get to actually visit it yet, but all of my paperwork has been filled out, and I took the necessary tests last week. They said I could go and watch, but that sounded like pure torture—not being able to actually join in on the fun.
“So how does this work again? I honestly get to fuck whoever I want tonight?” I ask after we eat, getting right to the point and putting it out there.
Kamii shakes her head almost in disbelief. “God, you’re too much like my friend Becca…the girl who brought me into the club. So yes and no. You don’t have to, and I encourage you to look around, take everything in, and get a feel for the place. I didn’t, um…” She leans in whispering, “have sex with anyone my first time.”
“Are you really shy about this? Um, have sex,” I jokingly mock her. “Really, Kamii? This, at a club, is plain, old, simple fucking, all day long.”
She shakes her head, covering her eyes. “Yes. I guess it is, but you’ll see. Some people will already be paired up, and some will be eyeing you. You’re fresh meat, so let that sink in. Try to be choosy your first time. It’s more overwhelming than you think. Do you have a name picked out for yourself?”
“Yes. Evangeline.”
She looks at me suspiciously, like she knows it means something. “Care to explain why?”
“No. Not really.” I shrug.
“Most people use names that are totally different than their own; mine is Eurydice, from Greek mythology. Are you sure you want to use something that could be a real name?”
“Let’s just say it reminds me of something I want to be, and this club might just be the answer to getting me there.”
“Okay then, Evangeline it is. Do you have your mask?”
I pull out a magenta mask that covers my forehead all the way to my nose in a solid black material with a lace overlay and a lace butterfly that sticks off the mask. It’s cute, sexy, and I felt it covered my face the most. If I’m going to do this, I don’t want to have to worry about the guy recognizing me at Starbucks the next day.
“Wow, that’s beautiful,” Kamii says as she reaches out to touch the butterfly.
“Thanks, I thought so, and it’s my favorite color, so it was perfect.”
“It’s totally you. Just one word of advice…There’s always a human factor you have to deal with. Feelings, jealousy, no matter how anonymous we keep it, things can happen, so my best advice to you is to keep the club at the club.”
I nod, knowing I’ll have no problem distinguishing between the two. I don’t do relationships, which is why this whole anonymous thing is perfect for me.
“Well then, what do you say? Are you ready?” she asks.
“Hell, yes, I�
��m ready. Let’s do this.”
The guards at the front door know who I am, but no names are exchanged or introductions made. Just seeing I’m with Kamii says everything they need to know, and my entrance is granted.
I take off my maroon dress to reveal my black lace bustier with magenta accents to match my mask. It sits right above my waist, and the garter belt straps hang past my lace thong and attach to a pair of simple, sheer black stockings.
I look over at Kamii to see her wearing the cutest baby doll nighty, showing off her belly in the most tasteful way. Preston must have been watching the door. Before I know it, a tall man has his arm wrapped around her from the back, embracing her belly and kissing her neck in a move so seductive I turn my head, not wanting to feel like I’m intruding on their time together.
Then I remember why I’m here and that I’ll see a lot of that tonight, but knowing it’s Preston and Kamii somehow makes it different. With that thought, I make sure my mask is on correctly, take a deep breath, and enter what I hope to be a new world for me to indulge in.
I’ve dreamed of what this place would be like since they first told me, but nothing prepared me for this. Kamii wanted to go a little later, so I wouldn’t be one of the first to arrive, and now everything makes total sense.
Everywhere I look, I see something I never thought I’d ever experience. I envisioned what it would be like to physically watch people having sex, but nothing compares to actually seeing it live, right in front of me. I can’t help but stare, opening my mouth slightly as my skin starts to flush with nervousness and excitement I can’t begin to explain other than it’s like nothing I’ve felt before.
Most of the scenes have already begun, and very few people line the areas in between. I secretly praise Kamii for making me wait till later to arrive. This way I get to see exactly how this all goes down without the whole wondering how and when.
As I stand in a big open room, I see five areas surrounding me, all with people engaging in some kind of sexual act on different things from beds to couches to tables that look like they’re padded in some way. In front of those areas sit a few random people who are obviously here just to watch.