“This doesn’t look like a club.”
“It’s the back entrance. You wanted discreet.” Turning on his heel, he stalked over to a brown door that I hadn’t even noticed, rapping his knuckles on the surface. A few seconds later, it cracked open, and he ducked inside.
I guessed that was my cue.
Steeling myself, I stepped through the door.
2
Jude
The first thing I noticed was how dark this place was. The second thing was the sheer number of bodies. Sweat-slicked, writhing beneath the flashes of light, all shapes and sizes, moving against each other. My senses were filled with the overwhelming aura ofmen.
“Fucking hell,” I mumbled. I’d gone from bi-curious to being ninety-nine-point-nine percent sure I was bi in a relatively short space of time, but to be confronted withthis… It was a shock to my system, a sudden immersion in an ice-cold bath, and I had to place my palm flat on the wall next to me to steady myself.
“Breathe,” a voice husked out close to my ear, and my body relaxed, just like that.
“Thanks.” I blinked, staring at the man who’d brought me here. I was suddenly curious about more than just my sexuality. I wished it wasn’t so dark in here so I could actually see him properly. “You seemed offended when I asked if you were gay, but you seem more than comfortable in this place.”
He leaned in even closer, his breath skimming across my overheated skin, and I had to repress a shiver. “I wasn’t offended. But if you’re insinuating that I’m a regular, thinkagain. Sometimes I have an itch that needs scratching, so I come here to satisfy it. That’s all there is to it.”
“I think that’s the longest sentence you’ve managed to say to me.”
“Don’t get used to it.” He straightened up again. “Have fun.”
“Wait!” It was my turn to grip his wrist. “You can’t leave me here.”
“I fucking can. See ya.” With a smirk, he stepped back, melting into the crowd of bodies, and just like that, my panic returned.
When I eventually managed to peel myself away from the wall, I made my way to the bar. Maybe if I had a drink in hand, I wouldn’t feel so out of place.
“First time?”
I grimaced at the bartender. “Is it that obvious?”
He laughed. “Yeah.”
“Bloody hell. I can’t do this,” I mumbled, and the bartender’s smile faded. He studied me with furrowed brows before snapping his fingers.
“Two options. I can call you an Uber, or I can talk you through the basics. Which is it gonna be?”
Well…I was here. So… “Option two, please. Tell me what to do.”
“Good choice.” With a nod, he slid a shot glass across the bar to me. “Drink this to begin with, but after that, I’d stick to non-alcoholic beverages. You don’t wanna lose your head if it’s your first time.” He paused, tapping his finger to his lips. “I’ll tell you what you do wanna lose, though.”
“What?”
“That hoodie. Ditch the ball cap, too, or turn it backward.”
“Okay.” I downed the shot, wincing at the burn, and then stripped off my hoodie and flipped my cap so the brim wasfacing backwards. The bartender gave me an assessing once-over as he took my hoodie to store behind the bar.
“Much better. Go out there—” He pointed towards the dance floor. “—find a cute guy, and have fun. If you feel uncomfortable or need a break, come back here. If I’m not around, one of the other guys will be here to help you. We’ve seen it all, believe me, and we’re equipped to deal with it.”
I followed his gaze. Fuck. There were so many people, dancing and grinding up on each other, completely free and uninhibited and like nothing I’d ever experienced before. “Go there?”
“Yeah. There. It’ll be fun.” An encouraging smile accompanied his words, and with that, I gathered my courage and headed for the place where the mass of writhing bodies was concentrated.
“Come on, Jude. You can do this,” I mumbled to myself, trying to trick my brain into thinking I was okay, when, in fact, I was very much not okay.
