The Club

by A. L. Brooks

  “You should get yourself down to the Ace, find a little one-night-stand action.” Jacky grinned.

  Kath thumped Jacky in the arm, laughed, and mimicked a vomiting action with her finger near her mouth. The Ace was a cheap club tucked into the bowels of Stretford, somewhere she and Jacky had frequented years ago, before they knew any better.

  “Ugh, no thanks. The trash that goes in there, I wouldn’t touch with a barge pole. And anyway, you’re a happily married woman. What would you know about the pulling possibilities at the Ace these days?”

  Jacky smirked. “Nothing at all. I’m just guessing it hasn’t changed.”

  Kath smiled. “No, not one bit, so I’ve heard.” She mock-shuddered. “I have no intention of setting foot in there again. Still, a one-night stand would be quite nice, actually. It’s just knowing where to go to meet someone who’d be interested.”

  “Ever done the chat room thing? You could always use it just to find out where all the women go these days. Or have cybersex.”

  Kath grimaced. “No thanks. I want a real woman, hands-on, thank you very much. But yeah, maybe going online just to find out where everyone goes would be a good way to start.”

  * * *

  Kath sat back in her chair and raised her arms above her head to stretch. She moaned loudly, the pull on the muscles of her back feeling so good. She’d been at her desk since eight thirty in the front-room-turned-office where she carried out her tax consulting work. It was now—she glanced at the clock in the top right of her screen—two in the afternoon. Although she’d looked after her mum’s needs during that time, she had neglected her own. Her water glass was empty, and she couldn’t remember when she’d last filled it. Had she eaten? Her stomach growled. Okay, that would be a no, then.

  She pushed back the chair and stumbled to her feet, her legs wobbling from their lack of use. She did some more stretches and then headed out of the room to check on her mum. Kath paused at the doorway of her mum’s room, not wanting to march in if she was sleeping. Her mum was sitting up in her armchair, staring at the small flat-screen TV. Rather than stepping in and talking to her, Kath hesitated. She just didn’t have it in her right now, and from the looks of it, her mum was off in another world anyway.

  Kath sighed, stepped quietly from the room, and headed to the kitchen. Sun streamed into the large room from the patio door at the back, and she took a few minutes to have a quick smoke outside before she made herself lunch. The garden looked as though it needed some work again. Maybe Saturday she’d help her mum out to one of the patio chairs while she worked out there. Maybe.

  She pulled together a glass of orange juice with a thick doorstop of a roast chicken sandwich and headed back to her office where she tucked in. When her mum had first started…drifting…and it became clear she needed around-the-clock care, it had been a no-brainer for Kath to move back in to the family home. Her mum had been rattling around alone in the four-bed detached in Sale ever since Kath’s father had died the year before. After tidying up all the remnants of her dad’s will and estate, Kath had rented out her flat in Stockport and moved into the big front bedroom. She and her brother had reconfigured the house so that her mum could stay on the ground floor—there was a small walk-in shower room and toilet downstairs already, so they’d only needed to rearrange furniture.

  With a small sofa and a TV, the old dining room became the new living room, somewhere Kath—and now the carers—could sit in the evenings and still be able to hear her mum in the next room. Her dad’s study-cum-library was just big enough for a single bed and an armchair, so it was transformed into a bedroom for her mum. The front room had been turned into Kath’s office. It was cold in winter and too distant from the rest of the house to serve as a bedroom. Kath had worried about keeping her mum within earshot.

  As workplaces went, it wasn’t that bad. And again, she was thankful that she was able to work from home, for the most part. She went into the city one afternoon a week to meet with Jude, her manager. Jude had been instrumental in transitioning Kath’s role from office based to home based. Each Wednesday, she spent the afternoon catching up on clients and forthcoming work with Jude at the office, while Mrs Davey, a neighbour from across the road, sat in with Kath’s mum. She always brought over a small cake and sat in the living room chatting around whatever TV programmes they watched until Kath got back at five. She seemed to genuinely enjoy her Wednesday afternoon visits. And the twenty quid Kath slipped her on the way out didn’t hurt, of course.

  Her phone rang just as she finished her sandwich. She swallowed the last mouthful quickly and answered it on the fourth ring.

  “Hi Kath, it’s Jude.”

  “Hey, how are you?”

  “I’m good. Listen, just a quick call—any chance you could come in earlier tomorrow? I know it’s difficult with your mum and all, but I’ve got a family thing I need to get to and have to leave earlier than normal. Sorry, I would have asked sooner, but I completely forgot it was this week.”

  Kath’s mind quickly spun with the arrangements she’d have to make. Mrs Davey probably wouldn’t mind, especially if Kath threw lunch into the mix. She’d have to scoot over the road straight after this call, though, to catch Mrs Davey before she went off to bingo. Tuesdays was always bingo.

  “I’ll need to check with the neighbour, but I’m sure that will be okay. What time do you want me in?”

  “Say noon, so a couple of hours earlier than normal? I need to get out of here at three to catch a train to London at three thirty.”

  “Off to do anything nice? Oh wait, you said a family thing—I’m guessing not so nice then?” Kath made sure to put a laugh into her voice.

  Jude snorted. “Yeah, you guessed that right. Father’s birthday. I have to meet them at some fancy restaurant in Covent Garden and then stay overnight before catching a red-eye train back here Thursday.”

  “Okay, let me go and talk to the neighbour right now. I’ll send you a quick email once I know it’s going to be all right. If not, I could always see about coming in on Thursday instead?”

  “Sounds good, let me know either way. Thanks.”

  Her visit to Mrs Davey was short and sweet—yes, there was no problem with her coming in a little earlier to sit with Mum, and her eyes definitely brightened up at the thought of lunch. Kath made a mental note to pop out later to Tesco and get something nice for the pair of them to eat.

  When she got back to her desk, suddenly she wasn’t in the mood to work. She’d done pretty well this morning, so an hour off now wouldn’t kill her. She sent the quick email to Jude, then, smiling to herself, she opened up her personal laptop and resumed her search of sites that could help her in her…research. So far, she’d signed up for a couple of chat rooms that looked promising, and through them she’d made contact with two women who sounded as if they knew of a place.

  One of her contacts was online and in a chat room already. Another homeworker maybe? Or someone sitting at her desk in an office, bored out of her mind and sneaking a little lesbian chat to pass the day?

  Kath sent a message and got an instant reply. The afternoon was definitely looking up.

  * * *

  Kath pulled on her black leather trousers and zipped up. God, it had been so long, she’d forgotten just how good they felt against her skin. Black shirt next, over the black bra she liked to wear for nights out. She smiled to herself as she did up the buttons on the shirt. She was excited, and it had been a long time since she’d been excited about a night out.

  She’d lost a bit of confidence since Julie left, making her self-conscious and nervous on the couple of occasions she’d gone to bars in the Gay Village in the last month. She’d left early both times, unable to see the evening through to the conclusion she’d wanted.

  Time was she could walk into any bar or club and get off with someone, even for just a snog and grope. But now, all these months of looking after her mum had taken their toll. Julie leaving had been the final straw, somehow knocking her
confidence back decades to when she was a gangly eighteen-year-old, fresh out of the closet and not a clue what to do about it.

  She splashed a bit of CK One on her wrists, slipped on her watch, and ran her fingers through her dark, shoulder-length hair. Okay, ready as she’d ever be. She switched off her bedroom light, ran lightly down the stairs, and grabbed her long leather coat from the hallway cupboard. It was August, but she went nowhere without that coat. She stuck her head around the living room door to say a quick goodbye to Milo, the carer who was in tonight, and then headed out the door to the taxi waiting outside.

  Her insides did a little flip. The promise of the night stretched before her.

  * * *

  Twenty-five minutes later, she climbed out of the cab just up the road from the club. The black door was hidden in the shadows, but she found it easy enough, having done a drive-by in daylight the week before.

  Through her chat room research, she’d ended up on a site where fellow lesbians looking for that no-strings action could swap stories. There, she’d learned about this club, and Kath’s pulse had quickened at some of the stories. Hot femmes after a quick, hard fuck from a dominant butch. Straight, bi, gay, it didn’t matter—it was all about the essentials, the basics, the needs. Behind that black door lay three rooms offering her all sorts of possibilities to quench her thirst for physical contact with another woman, without the long-term complications getting in the way. She was genuinely excited about how this could fit into her world, her life.

  She paid the cabbie and watched him drive off before she lit a fag. As she strode up to the door with her head held high, she smoked it quickly, sucking down the smoke in long pulls. She smiled to herself. She was ready for this.

  She was admitted to the club at the first buzz on the bell and handed over her money.

  “Welcome,” an older, rather striking woman greeted her. “I’m Mandy, the owner.”

  “Hi,” Kath replied as she accepted the change. God, the woman had the most amazing blue eyes. Kath tried not to stare, but they were incredible.

  “We have a locker for your coat, if you like?”

  Kath nodded and gratefully slipped out of the leather jacket. It was warm in the hallway. She followed Mandy’s directions to the small room further down the hall and stowed her coat. When she turned back, Mandy blinked rapidly and glanced away. Wondering what that was about, she cleared her throat slightly before speaking.

  “So, through that door, then?” She pointed to the only other door in the hallway.

  “Yes, sorry. That’s right. Do you need me to give you a rundown on the facilities first?”

  Kath shook her head. “I’m okay, thanks.” She knew all she needed to know from her research; all she wanted now was to get in there. She straightened her shirt a little, hitched up the leather trousers, and then took a deep breath before heading along the shadowy corridor.

  * * *

  Mandy fanned her face after the butch walked away from her. Jesus, talk about pheromones. She heard a giggle and looked over her shoulder. Dee, her assistant, smirked at her. Mandy gave her the finger.

  The club had been open for about nine months now, and Mandy had seen plenty of women of all shapes, sizes, colour, and looks come through that door. She was proud to give them this space to enjoy—a place to let themselves go, let themselves find something, whatever that might be. She hadn’t ever factored in her own needs, even though the idea of the club was based almost entirely on her memories of those needs. But occasionally, like tonight, a woman would walk through that door who made Mandy’s pulse race and her clit throb. And that woman, although nothing amazing to look at, had the kind of…charisma that worked for Mandy in all the right ways.

  Maybe it was the leather trousers—she’d always had a thing for leather. Especially when they fit someone as well as that. She tore her gaze away from the woman’s broad ass as the doorbell rang behind her.

  Back to work, you silly bitch, she chuckled to herself.

  * * *

  Kath entered the Green Room—a space where it was just bodies, no toys or BDSM equipment allowed here. There were other rooms for that, rooms that Kath fully intended to explore at some point. Her body immediately responded to the darkened atmosphere, the dim lighting, the muted music, the carnal sounds, and the sex she could almost taste on the air. She bought herself a beer and sat at the bar. Her old self was quietly returning, and the buzz of the evening permeated her, setting her nerves alight. She settled in her seat. She wanted to watch first, check out what everyone else got up to before she made her move. She had no doubt she would fuck someone tonight—this was definitely not just a reconnaissance mission. It had been too long, and she needed it. Badly. Three months wasn’t that long to go without sex, but somehow the way Julie had left and the toll of caring for her mum made it seem much longer. And her need that much greater.

  She sipped her beer while her gaze roamed her surroundings, taking in all the action. It was gone eleven by now, and the room was fairly busy; she counted ten couples already hard at work and another half a dozen or so unoccupied women placed strategically against the walls. Her blood warmed as she watched the couples who were active. There were hands, tongues, and fingers all being used to good effect, and she was getting wet at the ecstasy playing out on the faces around her. Oh God, to feel that again… She focused her attention on one couple in particular—a curvy blonde being caressed and kissed very slowly by a soft butch. The woman wore a black muscle vest and black jeans. Her dark hair was cut short in a feminine spiky look that highlighted her beautiful face. Though the two women were presumably strangers, they were totally into each other. What they were doing to each other made her realise that, for some, this place wasn’t just about quick, hard fucks.

  Tonight, however, quick and hard was what Kath wanted.

  After watching them for a few more minutes, she finished her beer. With her arousal building rapidly, she was ready—there was no point waiting any longer. Her need consumed her, raging through her veins, making her skin tingle and her cunt throb. Her fingers ached to plunge deep inside someone’s hot wetness, and she searched the room for that someone to feed her fire.

  She passed over the first three women she checked out. None of them gave her a spark that flashed a “go.” But she stopped dead on the next woman. Oh, hell yes. Blonde, curly hair tumbled over her bare shoulders where her clingy black top had slipped down to pull tight across very full breasts. A black skirt, possibly leather, with a long split up the side, showed off bare thigh. She appeared a little younger than Kath’s thirty-six years and oozed sex appeal, and Kath practically drooled as she made her way over. Her target caught her movement and met Kath’s gaze, and Kath’s stomach lurched. The woman’s eyes said yes in no uncertain terms, especially when she ran her gaze deliberately down the length of Kath’s body and back up again.

  The woman splayed her hands back against the wall just as Kath reached her, and that gesture of submissiveness sent Kath’s pulse racing. She didn’t bother with pleasantries; she didn’t care what the woman’s name was. She just had to have her. Their lips met, and Kath pushed her tongue deep inside the woman’s mouth. Bracing her hands on the wall to either side of the woman’s head, she let their bodies barely graze each other, hinting at what was to come. She felt, rather than heard, the woman groan, and kissed her even deeper. And still the woman kept her hands splayed back against the wall. Kath was the one running this show.

  After a few moments, Kath pulled back. The kiss sent hot blood coursing through her veins. It was all she could do to keep some kind of restraint on herself and not just rip every bit of clothing off the woman. With her teeth.

  Instead, she took a deep breath and stared into the woman’s eyes as she slowly, and very deliberately, ran her hand down the woman’s body. Down her neck, over her bare collarbone, over the lush swell of her breast, registering the hardness of the nipple as she did so. Then past her hip and down to the split in the skirt. She skimmed her
fingers over the—yes—bare skin and the soft, pliant warmth of her flesh. Gripping her thigh hard, Kath’s desire flared brighter again. Jesus, this was sexy. She had no idea who this woman was, could possibly pass her in the street the next day and not recognise her. But here Kath was, about to run her hand up inside that skirt and find out what delights awaited her. The thrill of it left her breathless. She had finally found the solution to the imbalance that had plagued her life since her mum’s condition had taken over.

  Kath moaned loudly when she discovered the woman was, as she had hoped, not wearing any underwear at all. As she let her fingers move without hesitation into the—significant—wetness that awaited her, she stared into the woman’s eyes. The woman gasped and thrust against Kath’s hand.

  “Oh no,” whispered Kath, pulling her hand back. “No, no, no, that’s not how it goes. You have to wait until I let you, understand?” Kath dropped into dominant mode as easily as she had slipped on her coat earlier. She mentally grinned. Oh yes.

  The woman, panting in front of her, nodded. Her eyes were bright, desire written all over her face, and heat surged through Kath’s veins again. Oh, this fuck was going to be perfect. What a way to get back in the game.

  “Stay still,” said Kath, the strength of the command in her voice thrilling herself as much as it did the woman in front of her. “Don’t move. Take everything I give you and… Don’t. Fucking. Move.”

  Even during her best nights with Julie, she had never seen such utter surrender, such willingness to give everything—and take everything—written all over someone’s face.

  She pushed her hand back between the woman’s legs and nodded slightly in satisfaction as the woman contained her reaction, keeping her legs wide open but not moving her hips. The control that must have taken… Her muscles quivered beneath Kath’s hand. She ran two fingers through wet outer lips, down to the entrance of the woman’s cunt where she hesitated, her fingers poised but not moving. She kept her gaze locked on the woman’s eyes, kept her fingers still, and leaned down to kiss her, letting their lips just brush, nothing more. She pulled back and then kissed her again, just as lightly, this time keeping their lips in the merest of contact rather than moving away.