The Shadow Box

by Ke, Alexis

  “I’m gonna do it,” she mumbled, mainly to herself.

  “I can’t hear you. Did I hear you say something? Was that a yes?”

  “Yes.” She cupped her face with her hands, embarrassment flitting through her body. She glanced back toward Tess. “Yes! Now leave me alone. I’ve got a plan to devise.”

  “Now that’s what I’m talking about.”

  Tess closed the door behind her, leaving her to her endeavors. Afryca glanced at her watch and realized it was almost four p.m. She grabbed her tote from the desk drawer, relocked it and pushed away from the desk. Walking toward Simon’s office, she formulated the plan in her mind. Step one, find Simon. Step two. Ask him to dinner, tonight.

  No. Not tonight. Not enough time. Tomorrow. Saturday would work best.

  She thought maybe she’d cook dinner, but immediately dispelled that thought remembering she hated cooking and anything that put her in the kitchen. Well, anything other than sex on the table or counter. Dinner out would be good. But where? Several restaurants entered her mind and were just as quickly kicked out. She didn’t want it to be too romantic, but a pub and café meant friend and she was tired of being his friend.

  She paused outside his office door, took a deep breath and blew it out. Three knocks and no answer. Three more. More silence.

  “He’s not here.”

  She turned toward the voice talking to her.

  “He’s not here.” The new IT associate, whose name escaped her, repeated.

  “Oh.”

  “He said he had some errands to run. He left after lunch, said for anyone to either page or cell phone him. He won’t be back until Monday.”

  “Monday, huh? Well, um. . . Okay. I’ll call him. Thanks.”

  She felt her shoulders slump with defeat. Now she’d have to build her courage up all over again. Maybe the phone call would be better, easier. That way she wouldn’t see his initial expression when she asked the question. Dinner? Dessert? Me?

  She pulled out her cell phone and began dialing his number as she closed her car door. He answered on the second ring.

  “I um.” She swallowed past the lump in her throat. “I. . . Where are you?”

  “Had to do some things.”

  “Oh.” Is that all you got? Just spit it out. She chastised herself. “You wanna go out to dinner? Maybe grab a movie, dessert?

  Silence filled the air.

  “You still there?” Her mind ran rampant wondering what he was thinking, what expression he had on his face. Was he smiling, frowning or laughing at her stupid attempt?

  “Sorry. Ah man. I can’t.”

  More silence.

  “Oh.” God, what was it with the ‘ohs’. Couldn’t she even come up with a more tangible word? “Okay.” Like that’s better. “Maybe next time.”

  “I’m really sorry. I told a friend I’d cover for him tonight and there’s no way I can get out of it. I’ll call you later.”

  “You do that.” She hung up the before he could hear the hurt in her voice. She was such a fool. She should have known he was going to say no. It was her pipe dream, not his. He was probably laughing his head off that very second. What…A…Fool.

  * * * * *

  Simon pulled the car onto Interstate 95 N toward Northern Virginia. He’ds already slammed his fist three times onto the dash board. Of all the times for him to have to work at the club. Damn. The Gods must really hate him. It would have been the perfect time to get Afryca and maybe go somewhere during the dinner or dessert trek he’d have enough nerve to tell her exactly how he felt about her. If that didn’t work, then he’d planned to take her hand, bring it to his crotch and let her feel what she did to him each and every time they were together. Friends didn’t give friends hard-ons.

  Simon flipped his cell phone open, glanced back and forth from the phone to the highway stretching ahead, attempting to figure out who he could call to cover for him. It was no use. No one would be available at such short notice and no way could he call and say he couldn’t make it. That just wasn’t his style.

  He gritted his teeth and hoped he could make it up to her. She’d hesitated when he told her he couldn’t do it. What was going through her mind? What did she have planned? He hated himself for not seeing this coming. He should have felt it, seen it, and heard it in her voice when he talked to her earlier in the day. Had something happened at work? Damn.

  He dialed her number back and waited for her to answer. He’d make up some story. Something she’d believe. She didn’t know about this part of his life, but, he wished she did. It would certainly make things easier. Damn, if she knew about his insatiable taste for passion he’d take her with him to the club. Introduce her to his other half. Shoot, he’d invite her into the Shadow Box and finally get his fill of her. Or at least satisfy a tiny piece of his hunger for her.

  * * * * *

  “Okay, you need to calm down and talk a little slower.” Tess’ voice boomed over the phone receiver. “And stop sniffling. You had better not be crying. What did he say, for God’s sake?”

  She didn’t want to be, but she couldn’t claim the moisture leaking from her eyes was anything but tears. And she hated herself for it. She didn’t even know why it upset her so that Simon couldn’t go out with her. After all, if wasn’t his fault. She didn’t really give him any notice now did she?

  “I’m not crying.” She blew her noise on the wadded up tissue she found in her pocket. “I think it’s my allergies, that’s all.”

  “Sure you’re right. Well, this is what I want you to do.” Tess paused as if she was thinking what to say next. “My sister didn’t need me to babysit after all and I was just getting ready to hit the road.” Silence filled the air yet again. “Go out with me.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “I’ve got an exclusive pass to a very exclusive club in Northern Virginia and tonight is your lucky night.”

  “I couldn’t.”

  “You couldn’t, but you will.”

  “No, seriously. I don’t want to impose on your night out.”

  “Blow your nose, get dressed and just in case, toss some extra panties in a bag. I’ll be there in twenty.”

  “Tess wait a—” She was greeted by the dial tone.

  Afryca stared at the dead phone in her hand. Maybe Tess was right. Maybe she needed to get away, go to a club, met some new people. Maybe for once get her groove on. She swung around in a circle, her head swimming. What was she thinking? There was no way she could do this. Her heart wasn’t in it. The one person she wanted she couldn’t have. A night out on the town wasn’t going to change that.

  She re-dialed Tess’ number, got a busy signal. Closing her eyes she tried to figure out what to do. The options stabbed at her. One, get dressed and got out with Tess. Two, stay home. Three, get a life.

  “Urgh!” Confusion swamped her. Her mind was made up. There was no way she was going to go out with Tess, especially to some club she’s never been to and after all, it was hours away. No. She wasn’t going to do it.

  The ringing of her door bell caught her attention. Had twenty minutes gone by already? She glanced at her watch, frowned and strolled toward the door. Swinging it open she greeted Tess.

  “I’m sorry. I can’t go.”

  “The hell you can’t.” Tess moved into the apartment, walked over to the table where she’d tossed her purse and grabbed it. “Unless you want to possibly wear the same panties tomorrow I suggest you grab a clean pair and come on.” She held up her hand and silenced Afryca’s opened mouth. “Not gonna take no for an answer. Trust me, just this once. You are going to love this club. If it doesn’t get your mind off of your. . . troubles, I will never harass you again.”

  She raised her eyebrows.

  “It’s different than the others.” A broad secretive smile lightened Tess’ face. “Trust me.”

  She drew in a breath, blew it out and snatched her bag from Tess. “We are not spending the night.”

  Chapter Four
>
  Almost three hours later, after two arguments about stuff they could only laugh about and debates that encompassed everything from wicked sex to the eco system, Tess was pulling into the parking lot of the club. Her mouth curved into a devilish smile as she turned and faced Afryca.

  “What is this place?” Concern and confusion laced Afryca’s voice and she knew it. She scanned the front and side of the building. It didn’t look like any club she’d ever been to.

  “It’s an exclusive adult club.” Tess glanced back toward the front of the building. “I told you about it.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Yes I did. Remember, I told you about a wonderful place where we could go to fulfill our secret desires and not worry about it the next day.”

  She pulled her mouth into a tight frown, her brain working overtime trying to remember the conversation. It slammed into her like a sledge hammer. She opened her mouth to say something, closed it. “I—I thought you were telling me about a dream, some place you made up.”

  “Damn, I wish I’d made this place up. I could retire.” Tess reached behind the car seat and grabbed her purse. “Come on. You are in for a wonderful treat.”

  “Um, I don’t know.” Afryca diverted her gaze to the floor of the car, stared at her feet as if she’d never seen them before. “I don’t know.”

  “Too late to turn back now.” Tess jumped out of the car, ran around to Afryca’s side and jerked the car door open. “Come on. Trust me, just this once.” She reached in, grabbed her hand and tugged her out of the car. “If you find you are not loving it, find me and we will leave.”

  She settled her gaze on Tess’ face, stared into her non-blinking eyes. “Swear?”

  “On your momma’s grave.”

  Afryca chuckled, nodded and grabbed her bag. “This had better be as good as you say or you will need to find a new best friend come Monday. How’d you find this place anyway? It’s not exactly around the corner from us.”

  “Same way you did, through a friend.”

  They walked toward the entrance of the club. Nervous butterflies fluttered around in Afryca’s stomach. She wasn’t sure if it was from not knowing what she was getting herself into or from the anticipation of not knowing. She knew Tess wouldn’t put her in any kind of danger but she didn’t like the not knowing. She’d thought they were going to a dance club. She could meet a really nice. . . no, not nice. She was tired of nice. What she wanted was a really good, toe curling, don’t-think-about-it-just-do-it, one night stand with the tallest, best looking, muscle bound man she could hook up with. She blew out a breath and stopped walking, not paying attention to what Tess was saying.

  Who was she fooling? She’s never been into one nighters, but there was always that hope that maybe, just maybe, if she got her groove on with someone else it would wash the remnants of Simon from her mind. She sucked in a breath, fanned her hand in front of her face and blew it out. The air around her head, suddenly hot, sent waves of more butterflies to the pit of her stomach.

  “You okay? Tess was standing in front of her, staring at her with the strangest expression on her face, like she was staring at an alien.

  “Yeah, I’m cool.” She fanned her hand again. “Just got a little hot, that’s all.”

  “Well, you are about to get hotter.” Tess pulled the door open, held it for Afryca and then pulled it tightly closed behind them. “The one thing you need to remember, no matter what you see or do, you are not allowed to talk about it after you leave. They are going to make you sign a waiver and gag statement.”

  “It’s that secret?”

  “Oh, yeah, it gives me shivers just thinking about it.”

  They stepped into the foyer and Afryca gasped. The outside of the club didn’t do it justice. The colors and warmth of the interior took her breath away. The knots in her stomach loosened. She took in every inch of the room, the walls, the furniture, the lighting. Oh yeah, it was very nice. Candles flickered off the walls and a fireplace burned brightly on the other side of the room. Large plush chairs were scattered throughout with colors that blended with the soft gold of the curtains covering the wall space and nothing else. She hadn’t seen any windows when they entered so she knew they were just for effect. It worked.

  She pulled her attention back to Tess. “How often do you come here?”

  “Not as much as I wish. But don’t worry. After your first visit, I’m pretty sure you’ll come again and again and again.” Tess whispered a laugh that was way too secretive and the nervous butterflies skidded back into place.

  Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. Maybe she should let Tess go do her thing. She could take the car, ride around, and find something to do. She was quite sure there was a real dance club or even a book store somewhere in the vicinity. She took a step back, toward the front door.

  “Oh no you don’t.” Tess grabbed her hand, tugged her forward. “Trust me.”

  “Why when you say that, it doesn’t do a thing for me. I swear, Tess, if—”

  “I will not only be your best friend on Monday, I will be your best friend the rest of your life.” Tess smiled a broad expanse of white teeth. “Now come on. We are wasting time.”

  Forty-five minutes later, papers signed and instructions given, Tess and Afryca entered the forbidden area of the club she’d now learned had no name and couldn’t be found in any phone book or directory.

  Anticipation had her tighter than a drum. After browsing through the booklets of what the club offered, she had to admit to herself, it was intriguing. Who would have thought of an exclusive adult club like this? Secluded rooms where you could chose someone to get your groove on with, a place where others had the same unsated desires she had, a place where no one would laugh at her. Wow! And the neat thing was, you could even watch if you didn’t want to physically participate. She giggled to herself at the thought of sitting in a chair watching Tess do whatever it was Tess did.

  Was this place like the Bunny Ranch in Nevada? What would happen if the police busted it? Suddenly dread started prickling its way up her spine. The last thing she needed was to be tossed into jail for visiting a. . . house. What did you call this anyway? She wondered who worked at the club? What type of person took such a job? Did they work there full time? Did they have secret families? Double lives?

  Afryca stopped, settling her gaze on the room in front of her. Bondage. Now that was something she’d never done. She wasn’t sure if she would like being tied up. She loved using her hands, touching, caressing. She loved the sounds the man made when she touched him just the right way. Shaking her head, she moved along the hall. Another room had the word, Anal etched on the door.

  Immediately her mind shot to Simon. Back in the recesses of her mind, she thought of the late nights when she dreamed of him and his thick cock slick with lube and sliding in and out of her ass while his fingers fucked her pussy. Just the thought flooded her panties with moisture. Shaking her head, she closed her eyes and tried, unsuccessfully to get the image out of her head. She was on this crazy road trip to forget about him. It was going to be hard to do, but she knew she had to wash that man out of her mind.

  She chuckled and took one last glance through the window. The couple was oblivious to voyeurs. She tightened her butt cheeks and moved on. She peered into the next room and her breath stilled in her chest. Tess was secured to a wall, a masked man was standing to the side of her attaching clamps to her nipples. Sans nipple clamps, Tess was utterly naked.

  You go girl.

  She smiled and moved on, complimenting Tess to herself for getting right down to business. She wondered if she would find a room that grabbed her interest. God, she hoped so.

  It was all great. The rooms were exciting, but nothing piqued her interest. A room named, The Shadow Box was next. This room was set up slightly differently. You had to go through a door to get to the inner viewing room. She cracked the door and peered in. The room was muted in colors and light. A cream colored French settee faced a dar
kened window. Curious, she walked in. A small side table held a crystal pitcher of what she thought was water, and a delicate towel was draped across the side. Interesting.

  She took a tentative step into the room and closed the door. The lock clicked into place and a soft light behind the window flickered on. She opened her mouth, closed it. What she saw was absolutely beautiful. A huge brass iron bed sat in the middle of the floor. Off to the side was a padded chair big enough for two people to sit in comfortably. Satiny curtains floated from the ceiling to the floor giving the room even more shadows. A gentle breeze fluttered the curtains, fracturing what illumination there was. The light was so soft it gave the illusion of a dream. The room was a fantasy in itself. The almost-darkness of it made her wonder if she could be seeing what she thought she was. It was absolutely breathtaking.

  She found herself sitting on the settee, pulling her legs up and kicking off her shoes. Okay, this was odd. For some reason it felt okay to do this. Had she found the room for her? What was next? No one was on the bed. As soon as the thought hit her brain a door she hadn’t seen on the opposite side of the room opened. A man entered carrying a woman in his arms. All air left her lungs and her heart stopped beating.

  He was tall, maybe six-two, six three. His cream colored skin was sun kissed as if he’d spent time at the beach or a tropical island. He wore black tuxedo pants with a silver cummerbund that matched the masquerade mask covering his eyes. He wanted anonymity. She smiled, understanding. His feet were bare of shoes and he wore no shirt. She swallowed hard past the dry lump clogging her throat when her gaze settled on the man’s chest, arms and abs. He carried the woman as if she were a feather. Oh God! Could he lift her as easily? She knew he could. Her heart slammed against her rib cage. He stepped over the bed, stopped. He mumbled something and the woman nodded. He walked over to the chair and gently lowered her body to the cushions. Her face was covered with a mask as well. Were masks mandatory for this room or an option? She wondered. He said something else and the woman's head shook rapidly. He smiled and it shot heat straight to Africa’s core. He moved with such confidence and strength, and the way the one dimple softened his smile reminded her of Simon.