by Tabatha Kiss
We’re not welcome here.
“I’m sorry, ladies,” the man with the clipboard says. He holds up his hand to stop us in our tracks before we even make it to the doors. He’s much shorter than the other men, who were obviously hired as muscle to stop exactly what Gabby and I are attempting to do. “It’s a private party. Please return to the main lobby.”
Gabby licks her lips and sticks her chest out. “Well, I’m sure there’s been some kind of mistake. We were invited.”
“By whom?” he asks with a raised eyebrow.
My eyes bounce between him and the two other men. They’re all twitchy, as if we are the first bit of action they’d had all night. Their fingers dance against their thighs, just hoping for us to cause a scene so they can bounce us out onto the street.
“Wow, you have no idea who we are, do you?” Gabby raises her little voice, drawing the eyes of those around us. “This is ridiculous. I have never been treated this badly here before!”
I dig my nails into her arm as I watch the guards crack their knuckles. The celebrity routine didn’t work at the last two places she tried it and it certainly isn’t working now.
“Please,” the man sighs. “Turn around and exit the building now, or I will have you removed.” His voice is stiff, like he’s rehearsed the line in front of the mirror countless times. But it’s no joke to him. His eyes show every bit of his intent to cast us out.
“There you two are!”
A new voice carries above the dull hum of the lobby. It scratches down my back, sending deep shivers across my skin. A hand falls onto my shoulder. I look up to find out who it is.
He’s older than us by a decade, possibly two. And handsome. Extremely handsome, with features I’ve only ever seen before on statues carved out in Ancient Greece. Black hair. Forest green eyes. A sleek, black suit. His eyes bounce from Gabby’s face, then over to mine. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you two!” He flashes me a subtle wink that shoots a sudden tremor through my knees. “You’re missing the party!”
“You know these girls, sir?” He asks it with a ludicrous tone, as if he already knows the answer.
“Of course I do!” He shifts behind our backs, his height towering above us, and reaches over to set his other hand on Gabby’s shoulder while keeping a firm hold on mine. “These are my guests!”
“They are not on the guest list, sir, nor are there any free slots,” the clipboard man states with rolling eyes. “They were not invited and unless I hear otherwise from the owner, I can’t let them in.”
“Well, I just so happen to have the owner right over here—” He turns and his hand drops off Gabby’s shoulder, but he keeps his grip on me. “Oh, Ian!”
He shouts across the lobby towards the sitting area next to the reception desk. Another man leans over a leather chair with one foot propped against an ottoman. His attentions lie on the woman in a green dress sitting before him, locked on her youthful face. He’s tall, clad in a deep blue suit, with blond hair brushed back over his eyes. His cheeks are pink and I get the feeling the drink in his hand is not his first of the night.
“What?” he asks without even a glance in our direction.
“There’s room for two more, right?”
“Sure, why not?”
He squeezes my shoulder as he turns back around to grin at the clipboard man. “Well, there you have it,” he smirks. “Straight from the owner’s lips.”
The clipboard man cocks his head and turns to the side. “Have a good night,” he mutters without emotion. He gives a nod to the muscle behind him and they open the black doors.
“Let’s go, ladies,” he whispers into our ears. “The night is still as young as you are.”
Gabby beams and immediately takes a step forward into the black doors, but I stand frozen in place. I want to move, but I can’t bring my muscles to function. I feel trapped, unable to budge without his strict instruction to do so.
“After you, my darling.”
I glance up at him again with shaking eyes. A smile sits on his lips. I take control of my feet and follow Gabby inside.
Just as we enter, the doors slam closed behind us. The golden safety of the lobby abandons me as I’m lead into perfect darkness.
I shudder with fear as my eyes adjust.
“Gabby?”
She doesn’t answer. I can’t see her.
I feel a strong hand on my back. It pushes me forward through the dark curtains and onto the main floor.
I had expected champagne and caviar. Maybe a string quartet. Or men in suits chatting about the stock market while the women admire each other’s shoes.
Twelve cages in total line the walls of the room. Young women sit inside ten of them. A beam of light shoots down from the ceiling above each cage, providing the only illumination for the entire room. The girls are young, not much older than myself, each one wearing nothing but a red bikini made of silk and a blindfold to match.
A few dozen men stand around the room. They drink and admire the girls, none of them talking above a whisper to each other.
My eyes land on the fishbowls, one sitting on a pedestal before each cage, filled to the brim with folded up slips of paper.
I finally lock eyes with Gabby.
“We have to leave,” I say to her. I wrap my shaking fingers around her elbow. “We shouldn’t be here.”
She looks at me with wide eyes, like a child in a candy store.
“What’s the matter, ladies?” He slinks in behind me, his body cloaked in shadows.
I flinch at the sound of his voice. “I… uh…” My voice shakes and fades off into the thick, warm air.
“It’s called the Blind Girl Party,” he explains. He rests his hand against my back once more and slowly pushes me towards the first cage. As he steps back in front of us, his hand slips into his pocket and he withdraws a rather expensive looking pen.
We come to a stop in front of the fish bowl. The light strikes his face, sending shadows down one side of him.
“If you want to take the girl home, you write your name on a slip of paper and toss it into her bowl.” He slides the lid off the pen and jots his name down on the notepad at the pedestal. “At the end of the night,” he continues as he tears the paper free, “she reaches inside and lets fate decide the victor.” He pauses for effect, his green eyes jumping between us at the right moments. “You can enter your name into as many bowls as you please.”
He takes the freshly folded paper and tosses it into the bowl. His hand lingers inside and he swishes the papers about, burying his own deep down.
“What happens if more than one girl chooses your name?” Gabby asks.
He smiles. “Then you go home one very, very lucky man.”
Gabby nods her head and looks around the room. “Sounds like fun,” she says.
I, on the other hand, taste bile in my throat. “Why would they do this to themselves?” I ask.
“What do you mean?” he asks with curious eyes. I flinch as he reaches out and snatches a glass from waiter’s tray as it passes by in the darkness.
“Isn’t it a bit… degrading?”
Gabby scoffs at me and crosses her arms. “Madame Killjoy strikes again.”
“No, she has a point…” His eyes never stray from mine. “I assure you, every girl is here because they chose to be. They find their own pleasures in it — even if it is simply to be taken home by a millionaire.”
Gabby leans in with wide eyes. “Is everyone here a millionaire?” she asks quickly.
“Gabby…” I mutter at her.
“No,” he answers her, smirking. “Some are billionaires. Like me.”
Her eyes dance around the room. She can’t contain her excitement any more than I can hide my disgust.
“Why are they blindfolded?” I ask.
He steps closer to the cage and I follow him without thinking. “Have you ever been blindfolded?” He questions me as he reaches between the bars. His fingers glide along the girl’s thigh. She twit
ches at his touch and her blonde hair slides over her shoulders as she jerks her head in his direction. He continues his trek along her milky skin and she coos in excitement, her body shaking.
“No,” I answer truthfully.
“There are great pleasures to be found everywhere in this world…” He continues to admire the girl in the cage. “But the best of them can be found in the most unexpected of ways… when you’re completely in the dark.” He withdraws his hand, but keeps his eyes on the girl’s face as she contorts with desire.
“Wouldn’t that be more frightening than sexy?” I ask.
He looks down at me with amusement. “Some people like to be scared,” he replies. “Don’t you?”
“No.”
“Well…” He takes a sip of his drink. “I guess this will all boil down to that old saying of ‘don’t knock it ‘til you try it.’”
I tear my eyes away from him and turn to look at Gabby. My heart skips. She’s gone.
“Gabby?” My eyes dart in all directions. “Where did she go?” I ask him, thinking that he may have seen her walk away.
“What’s your name?” he asks me, ignoring my question.
I shake my head. “Gabby?” I call again.
“What’s your name?” he repeats.
“It’s Alice—” I say, panic rising in my breast. “Where’s Gabby?”
“She went to have some fun.” He reaches down and places a hand on my wrist. “Maybe you should, too.”
I pull my arm away. “I have to find her.” I break free of him and attempt to navigate the crowd alone. It’s a room full of men. It shouldn’t be too difficult to locate one girl.
After a minute of searching, I let out a deep sigh.
“Alice…”
My body reacts to his voice with a chill that bleeds down my spine, teasing me to lose control. I long to hear him say it again, relishing in the way he keeps it on his tongue for longer than necessary.
I squint up at him to find his green eyes bearing down on me from nearly a foot higher. Once he has my eyes, he gestures behind me and points my attentions higher than the floor.
“Gabby!” I shout.
She stands in the center of a cage at the far side of the room. Her short, black dress has vanished, leaving behind nothing but her strapless bra and panties. I rush over to her, searching the floor around the cage for her dress, which is nowhere to be found.
Her eyes are lost by a blindfold, deep red in color.
“What are you doing?!” I say. “Get out of there!”
“No,” she laughs.
“We’re going home. Now.”
“If you want to take me home with you, put your name in my bowl!” she jokes, giggling to herself.
“This isn’t funny, Gabby. You have no idea who any of these people are.”
“I’ll be fine,” she growls. “Don’t worry. Go have some fun of your own. For once.”
I step back, pierced by the bite of her tongue. “Fine,” I say. I snatch a pen off the pedestal in front of her and scribble my name on a piece of paper to toss into her empty bowl. It settles to the bottom, immediately eclipsed by many other men who have gathered to do the same.
“She’s right, you know.” I turn to find the green eyed man hovering above my shoulder. “She’ll be fine,” he says with a calming tone.
“How do you know that?”
“Because this is a very professional group of people.” He leans in closer with serious eyes. “We don’t mess around here. Either there are two consensual adults involved or nothing happens.”
“That’s very reassuring,” I mutter with bite. Terror clouds my mind as I watch the men surround her cage. Hands push through the bars, fondling her breasts and legs. My skin crawls, but I can’t bring myself to look away from the spectacle.
“Do me a favor.”
“No,” I snap at him.
“Please, Alice.” He charms me with a whisper, laying his hands just below my shoulders and guiding me to turn away from the cage. “Humor me for a moment.”
“What do you want?” I stare at him with shaking vision. Blood rushes through my veins, igniting the thrill of my pounding heart.
He steps in closer. His hands inch up my shoulders, crawling closer to my neck. “Close your eyes,” he whispers.
I’m too defeated to argue with him and I do as he asks of me. I let the darkness fill my mind, pushing all of my focus towards the sound of his voice.
“Imagine you’re inside one of these cages,” he whispers. “You’re nearly naked. Exposed, but warm. Darkness fills the space around you, closing in on you. But inside that darkness lies a mystery. There’s one guiding light, Alice — and only one — that you can put your complete trust in.”
“And what’s that?” I ask, clinging to his every word.
“Me.”
I open my eyes and he smiles down at me.
“I’ll be there to show you the way when you cannot see it. To teach you when you don’t know what to do. To lead you when you lose your way. And you’ll enjoy every moment of it. I guarantee it.”
His seduction overwhelms me, leaving me mute, but consciously aware of his roaming touch. His fingers crawl down my arms like spiders until finally resting along the curve of my waist.
“Leave Gabby be,” he urges. “She’s made her choice. Now it’s time for you to make yours.”
I can’t look away from him, no matter how hard I try.
“Come upstairs with me, Alice,” he whispers. “I’ll show you what I mean.”
I nod my head.
“Good girl.” He takes my hand and leads me across the room, back to the exit. “You can call me Charles.”
I don’t look back at Gabby once.
BLIND GIRL: A NOVEL
Don’t Miss This Dark Alpha Male Romance
Written by Satine Sinclair & Tabatha Kiss!
Available Now Exclusively on Amazon!
If you enjoyed RAIL ME, RIDE ME, RUIN ME…
then you may also enjoy Having His Secret Baby: A Stepbrother Romance!
Enjoy the first two chapters NOW!
If you like what you read, follow the links to keep reading!
Chapter 1
“Isla, I’m getting married.”
Part of me knew this day was coming. Johnny has been serious about Martha for a few years now. I never got used to her, but that’s been very common throughout the years. Johnny’s numerous girlfriends have always regarded me with suspicion, the classic response to the female best friend. I don’t blame them though. We are honestly inseparable and have been since before our parents ever got married.
I met Johnny in first grade. He was the new kid and I let him borrow my crayons. Then he shared his cookies with me at lunch. My father met his mother at a parent-teacher conference and began dating soon after. We didn’t mind. It just meant we got to hang out more often whenever they went on dates.
Then the wedding happened and Johnny was officially my new stepbrother.
“I thought you didn’t believe in marriage,” I point out, shouting above the crowd around us. It’s open-mic night at Charlie’s bar, our busiest night of the week. Tonight is my night off, but I always make the trip out to watch Johnny perform.
“What?” he asks. His blue eyes shine different colors beneath the flashing neon lights above the bar. He raises his drink to his lips. “When did I say that?” he asks before he takes a sip. He balances his purple guitar pick on his other hand. His favorite pick. I made it for him in high school and he’s used it at every performance ever since.
“You’ve always said that,” I laugh. “That shit’s a waste of time,” I mock with a deep voice. “Not for me. Nope. No way.”
“Well, I changed my mind,” he laughs.
“You mean she made you change your mind.”
He leers at me through the little slits of his eyes. “Isla, be nice.”
“I’m very nice,” I say. “I’ve always been very nice. When have I not been nice?”
/>
“I didn’t say you weren’t nice before,” he says. “I’m just asking you to be nice now.”
I shrug. “When did you ask her?” I ask.
“I haven’t yet.” He flicks the purple pick with his thumb like a coin. “I told her I’d come over tonight after the show.”
“Do you have the ring on you now?” I ask.
“Yes,” he says. “I do.”
“Whip it out, Johnny!” I say with excitement.
He smirks and reaches into his pocket while he tries to ignore the odd looks from other patrons surrounding the bar. “There were other ways you could have said that, you know,” he jokes as he sets the black velvet box onto the bar in front of me.
I snatch it up quickly. “Oh, how cute. It’s in a little box and everything.” I snap it open. “Holy yikes!” I admire the large diamond. “How do you walk straight with this thing in your pocket?”
He tries to take it from me, but I hold it away.
“Isla, come on…”
“Johnny, calm down.” I pull the ring out of the box and watch as it shines in the colorful lights. “It’s beautiful,” I say. I slip the golden band down my ring finger. It stops on my second knuckle. “Damn, she has some dainty little girl hands, doesn’t she?”
“What was that about you always being nice again?” he jokes.
I stick the ring back into the box and snap it shut. “It’s beautiful, Johnny, really,” I say as I slide it back towards him. “She’s going to love it.”
“I hope so,” he says.
“How can you afford it?” I ask. “The last I checked, you don’t make that much in tips from these shows.”
He shrugs. “I saved up,” he says.
I take a quick drink of my beer. “You nervous?”
“Yes,” he answers. “I didn’t think I would be. I wasn’t when I made the decision. I wasn’t when I bought the damn ring. It’s only in the last few hours I’ve started to entertain the possibility that I’m about to be humiliated.”
“She will say yes, don’t worry,” I say. “No one would say no to you. Especially not a girl named Martha.”