by Cynthia Dane
Oh, she saw some stuff, all right. Within an hour she saw her first blowjob and a woman being led around by crystal nipple clamps. Luckily, Alice was so busy learning her job that she couldn’t be bothered by any of it. The guests smelled good, drank priceless drinks, and spoke Romantic languages off the cuff, but they weren’t that much different from what Alice was used to. So what if they dropped a hundred bucks on a single shot of liquor? So what if they ordered these drinks while a beautiful young woman was face first in their laps? So what if they pulled Susan aside and asked for a private room, which the experienced hostess gave to them without another word? The only thing off about that was hearing moaning and screams of pleasure whenever Alice walked up and down that particular hallway.
All the regulars wanted to meet her. Who was she? When did she start? What was her name? How old was she? She didn’t look a day over twenty-five! That’s good? I’m only twenty-eight? One loud woman wearing a Chanel dress yanked on Alice’s hair to “test her roots.” After Susan calmly diffused the drunken situation, the female guest cried out, “That’s no bottle on her head, boys! Crispin, you’ll love this one. She’s a real blonde!”
Crispin was about fifty-five and four-hundred pounds. Alice couldn’t say she was tempted to fraternize with him, even if he was worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
She didn’t need money that badly.
Were there escorts working the club that night? Absolutely. Susan confessed that some were actually endorsed by the club – the women paid a flat rate to appear for the night and bag themselves a rich client for the evening. Alice saw this happen more than once. Some single woman wearing a simple designer dress would sashay up to some lonely man, whisper in his ear, get a drink, and either be whisked out of the club or into one of the private rooms. Sometimes money slipped between hands. Other times, Alice missed the pay off. This didn’t include the women – and men – who willingly went for free to have a good time on the hard end of a man’s erection.
Good thing she wasn’t shy about sex. Her roommate Candice was in the sex toy and porn production business. Just because Alice had yet to see some things in real life, didn’t mean she was unaware of their existence.
Even so, nothing prepared her for what happened three hours into her first shift.
A woman from the coat check raced up to Susan. “Mr. Monroe has arrived.”
Susan flinched. “I will take care of Mr. Monroe.” Both women glanced at Alice, standing a respectful distance away. “It will be fine.”
The coat check girl gave Alice one last lingering look before returning to her post.
Susan turned to her trainee and reiterated, “No fraternizing.”
“Got it.”
Alice was ready to move on. Susan, however, narrowed those dark eyes once more.
“No. Fraternizing. Understand?”
A slow nod commenced. Feel like I’m getting talked down to at this point. “I understand, Susan. Is there something I should know about this guest?”
Susan looked around before closing the gap between them. “Mr. Monroe is one of the owners of this club. Do not upset him.”
“Oh! I see…” All Alice knew about the club owners was that they were two billionaires. One lived Stateside, right there in the city, and the other was from somewhere else in the world. Beyond that? The only person she ultimately answered to was the club manager Sid, the man who narrowed down the job candidates and led the interviews. She never thought she’d see one of the owners, let alone on her first night. “I will behave, rest assured. I’ll let you lead.”
“Good.” Susan released her pent up breath. What? Was Mr. Monroe a hardass of some kind? Great. If Susan had been thrown off her balance at the announcement, then what did that mean for Alice? Shut up and shadow like you’re supposed to.
“Mr. Monroe will be taking the upstairs Diamond VIP area,” Susan said as they moved to the front of the club. “Catalina will be his server. She always serves him when he comes here. If Catalina isn’t here, inform Destiny. She’s his second favorite.”
Alice wished she had time to write this down. “I thought we didn’t refer to them by name,” she said.
Susan stopped in the middle of the club, the laughter and music almost drowning out her next few words. “Mr. Monroe is the exception. You will soon learn that he is the exception to everything around here.”
After a warning like that, Alice had no idea what to expect.
She certainly did not expect one of the most handsome men she had ever seen to be waiting at the front entrance.
Alice assumed that the club was owned by two older gentlemen. Why older? Well, didn’t they have to be older in order to afford a place like this? That’s how it worked, right? The richest men were the oldest ones. A good chunk of the super rich currently in the club were gray in more ways than one. They may have young girlfriends, but they were probably owed such trivialities.
So to see a man who couldn’t be much older than her walk up and shake Susan’s hand… that was only the first surprise.
How is it possible for a guy to look this good? Money, of course. Genetics probably played a part, but it was mostly money. Money paid for that tailor-made suit hugging his body as he walked with a confidant gait. His hand, as it raised to take Susan’s, appeared heavy with such a wide watch on the wrist. Alice didn’t know the name of the watch or the suit. Nor did she know the name of the leather shoes or the black wallet poking in and out of his jacket pocket. What she did know was that Mr. Monroe had the cleanest haircut she had ever seen. There wasn’t a black strand out of place, let alone an eyebrow in need of trimming. This was the guy who didn’t even go to a salon to get his hair cut and brows trimmed. He had a man who came by every two weeks to make sure Mr. Monroe looked suitably kempt.
Alice also knew that cologne emanating from this man. The only reason she recognized Jean Patou was because she and Candice once went into a perfume salon in New York to pretend they were rich enough to buy such extravagances. This particular perfume stuck out in her memory because of how thick and flowery it was. Jasmine and rose. A striking combination, and it took a bolder man to pull it off, considering it was developed for women. But when worn by a man like Mr. Monroe? No doubt about it. In this case it was definitely a male perfume for the most masculine man. So happened it smelled as good on Alice back at that salon. Maybe some of it will rub off on me. She could only hope.
“This must be the new hostess,” came a deep voice. Alice remained frozen where she stood, even after a pair of bright amber eyes turned in her direction. “Who are you?”
Before Alice could open her mouth and subsequently lose her voice, Susan cut in. “This is Alice Culver. Tonight’s her first night.”
Mr. Monroe gave Alice a cursory look over, eyes lingering on her breasts as they humbly poked from her plain black dress. When they returned to her face, those bright eyes lit up even more… almost as if something switched on in the back of Mr. Monroe’s mind. “Welcome to The Dark Hour, Ms. Culver.” Mr. Monroe extended his hand to her. “I’m sure you’ll be quite successful here.”
“Th… thank you.” Alice took his hand, too soft to process. Talk about a guy who hasn’t had to do a whole day of real work in his life. Alice enjoyed the softness of Mr. Monroe’s firm grip until the man had to pull his hand away again. “I look forward to working here.”
“As well as you should.” He looked back to Susan. “Shall we?”
“Of course, Mr. Monroe. Right this way. The Diamond VIP area?”
“If you would.”
Susan led the way and Alice brought up the rear, following not just Mr. Monroe, but his small entourage of assistants, which curiously included one woman. The lot of them went upstairs into a secluded loft bedecked with plush leather furniture and enough warm lights to start a fire. Only a few were turned on, however. Mr. Monroe sat on one of the couches while everyone else spread out around him. There was no real intimacy between him and anyone else. That’s different fro
m the other groups here. Friends sitting next to friends and cracking drunken jokes. Lovers canoodling. Even business relationships were fostered across tables or on the same couch. Mr. Monroe, however, was more than content to put some space between himself and the others. Even Susan didn’t get too close. Nor did Catalina, who took drink and appetizer orders.
“Is Liza in tonight?” Mr. Monroe asked before the hostesses left. “I should like to see a performance of hers.” He gestured to the stripper pole set up not too far away. “It’s been a long week, and I wish to unwind.” Nobody else said anything.
“I believe she has started her shift, sir.” Susan retained a careful smile. “I’ll have her come up here right away.”
“See that you do.” Mr. Monroe flashed Alice a flirtatious grin. “Don’t be too hard on the new girl, either. She seems capable.”
Susan’s smile faltered. Did I do something? “We’ll go get Liza.”
“Do so.”
Susan let out another pent up breath as soon as they were downstairs again. Alice didn’t ask why. Did she have to? That man was intimidating! Seemingly nice, but intimidating. Not just because he was an owner, either… there was something about that confidence that unsettled even Alice.
Liza was in the back rooms, dithering between a black negligee and a pleather suit. When she saw Susan come into the dressing room with a pale face, she immediately said, “It’s Monroe, isn’t it?”
“Diamond VIP area, yes.”
“Hmph.” Liza tossed the pleather suit down and held the black negligee up to her dark hair. “Think he’ll be happy with this?”
“I doubt you’ll be wearing it for long.”
“Doubtful, indeed.”
Alice didn’t ask what was going on. Within ten minutes, when she was back out in the gallery helping Susan show a new group to their seats, she saw Liza bounding up the stairs to the Diamond VIP area wearing nothing but that sheer negligee. She would not be twirling on the downstairs stripper poles that night.
It was almost eleven, three hours shy of closing, when Susan was called away to consult with the manager on something. She told Alice to go take a break until the conference was over. Fine with her. Alice slipped into a small break area and slyly checked her phone in her purse. Phones were not allowed to be out at any time due to privacy concerns. Not like Alice wanted to take video of the third blowjob she saw that night anyway.
“Shit, are you the only one around? Where’s Susan?”
Alice looked up at Catalina. “She had to go talk to the manager about something. I’m on break.”
“Well, you’re not on break anymore. Mr. Monroe wants to see a hostess. Now.”
Um… Alice could only stare at the owner’s private server.
“Are you deaf? You do not keep Mr. Monroe waiting.”
“But Susan said…”
“Fuck Susan. Go now.”
Alice went, alone for the first time on the job. She climbed the stairs, looking out for Susan but not seeing her anywhere. Damnit! Oh, well. It was just the owner. Better him than a regular guest who might get her in bigger trouble. The owner knew the rules better than anyone. Right?
The scene had changed upstairs. Oh, had it changed! The guest count went from four to eleven, and now the VIP area looked like another scene from downstairs. Men making out with women. Women making out with other women. The only women not engaged with some sort of oral dance were Alice and the female assistant who remained taciturn in her seat, neither watching the scenes unfold nor spacing out. Likewise, the only men not partaking in some sort of revelry were the male assistant and Mr. Monroe himself.
He was busy, though.
Liza was in the midst of giving him an energetic lap dance the moment Alice arrived. She never touched him, but her naked breasts came close more than once, and her lips always hovered near his ear. Her crotch also kept lowering toward his. A convincing dance to anyone looking on, but by now Alice could see the definite difference between a skilled tease and the real deal. Lots of that was going on downstairs.
Another employee Alice vaguely recognized drew away from a male guest and hopped onto the stripper pole. While she split her legs vertically and dangled upside down, golden tresses scraping the clean floor, Alice approached the owner of the club and tried her damndest to not look incompetent.
“Do you need something, sir?”
Her voice came out meeker than she intended. So much for not sounding incompetent.
Mr. Monroe gazed at her from beneath Liza’s breasts. “Have a seat, Ms. Culver.” Wow, he remembered her name? “This spot next to me has been empty all night. I’m bored.”
Alice traded glances with Liza, who said nothing. Guess I should keep doing my job too. One of Alice’s jobs was to keep guests company if she deemed it worth her while. The owner was definitely worth her while!
She smoothed down the back of her skirt before sitting, careful to avoid Liza’s moving limbs. Alice did not, however, relax. That was impossible. It was her first night on a promising job at a fucking sex club for billionaires and she was suddenly picked out to entertain the handsome owner. How the hell could she relax?
“That’s enough, Liza. Thank you for your hard work.” Mr. Monroe held his drink to his lips, eyes never leaving Liza’s naked breasts. The performer hopped down and turned her attention to another lonely man. “So, Ms. Culver,” he said. “How do you like working for my club so far?”
She shifted in her seat. “It’s been a pleasant adventure, Mr. Monroe.”
“Please,” he began, and she thought he would ask her to use his first name. “Just Monroe is fine.”
Well… she was close.
“It’s what everyone I like calls me.”
She relaxed, but only a little. “Suppose that means you like me, sir?”
His face colored again. What did that mean? “I have no reason to dislike you. I prefer things that way.”
Hope I don’t get in trouble for this. If anything, she could tell Susan or Sid that she was afraid to tell the owner no on her first night. They might not be happy, but they would probably understand. She hoped. “You seem like an agreeable man as well.”
Something akin to a snort erupted. Was that his way of laughing? “Do I? I haven’t heard someone say that in a while. Give it time. You’ll see how disagreeable I can be.”
O… kay. Alice wasn’t going to say anything about that.
“This sort of place must not bother you if you’re working here.”
Is he testing me? “I tend to go with the flow.”
“Is that so?”
A blur appeared on the stairs, rushing into the room and gaping in a mix of fear and awe at poor Alice as she sat right next to Mr. Monroe. “Oh, oh my…” Susan cleared her throat. “I’m sorry about the trouble, Mr. Monroe,” she said, placing a firm hand on Alice’s shoulder. “Please excuse us.”
“Of course. Ms. Culver was merely keeping me company, as I asked her to.”
“Absolutely, sir. Excuse us.” Susan yanked Alice off the couch and dragged her toward the stairs. “What were you doing?” she hissed, once they were alone.
Alice stood up straight at the top of the stairs. “He wanted a hostess to keep him company. Is that not part of my job?”
“Listen…” Susan brought her halfway down the stairs and lowered her voice. “Do not attempt to please that man on your own. Do you understand?”
Not really, but what was Alice supposed to say? “I understand. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
Susan’s face immediately softened. “I’m not mad at you, I promise. You simply must understand that it’s not a good idea to hang around the guests like that – especially the owner – until you’ve gotten your feet wetter. There are many subtleties to this place. One false step and you risk everything.”
She never expanded upon that. Instead, Susan insisted that they get back to their work. Guests would continue to arrive until around midnight, when people were more likely to leave. Sure
enough, midnight rolled around, and their jobs greeting guests was, for the most part, over. What the next two hours would be dedicated to was checking up on the guests still there… and the most unpleasant aspect of the job. Namely, cleaning the private rooms.
Over the course of that night, Alice helped Susan clean three rooms, each one more disgusting than the last. When she wasn’t avoiding bodily fluids, she was pulling plastic sheets off beds and disinfecting the tools of the BDSM trade. Susan warned her that it often looked like sexual warzones in these rooms over the weekend. Thursday was nothing. Thursday was people getting off.
Susan did most of the dirtier work while Alice checked for wine stains and kept the cleaning supplies organized. By one in the morning, however, the club was mostly dead. The rooms were totally empty once a Chinese diplomat escaped with his new American friend.
“I desperately need to take a break,” Susan said after the cleaning. “Be a dear and tidy up some of the VIP rooms over there? I have no idea what might have happened in them, but it’s nothing you can’t handle by now. If you’re really in a dilemma, come find me in the break room.”
Alice took the cleaning supplies to the first of three VIP rooms to have been occupied that night. Sure enough, the usual suspects emerged. Trash? Ha! I wish it was just trash! Napkins were joined by condom wrappers and other napkins covered in… she did not want to know. Ew.
Fatigue began to catch up to her after the second room. Music thrummed in the club proper, but back here it was a bit quieter… peaceful, really. Low lights. Black lights. Comfortable seating. Alice thought about taking a break herself, but she would be out of there soon enough. She could wait to sit down on a comfy sofa until she got home. With any luck, Candice would still be up and they could watch TV reruns.
The final room wasn’t that dirty. Certainly nothing disgusting, unless one counted snot covered tissue. By now, that’s awesome. To be on the safe side, Alice sprayed down the stripper pole as she did in every room, picking up a clean washcloth to wipe it off with.
Once she finished, she let her hand linger on the pole and took one quick swing. Alice wasn’t athletic enough to do anything more than a couple swings with her feet still planted on the ground, but she giggled at the sudden rush it gave her.