Page 19 of Pretty Little Thing

Five

Nora

I can’t believeI’m doing this.

I keep telling myself that it’s not big deal. I’m just going to a club. I’ve gone to dozens of clubs before. They’re all the same. You just walk in, grab a drink, listen to some music, do a little dancing, and go home — sometimes alone, sometimes not.

It’s fun. It’s exciting. It’s...

Not at all the same thing.

I have no idea what will happen when I walk through this red door. I don’t know what the kink club equivalent of dancing will be. Is it spanking? I’ve been spanked before. Sort of. I dated a guy that liked that. Didn’t last, but that didn’t have anything to do with the spanking thing.

“Are you lost, honey?”

I flinch, my attention instantly yanked away from the giant red door in the entryway. Was it this big earlier today?

“Huh?” I ask.

Judy sits behind the counter, smiling at me. “Just follow the red brick road,” she says, waving a hand downward.

I glance at the winding brick beneath my feet. “That simple, huh?”

“Of course.”

The entrance opens behind me and I jump out of the way as two men walk in. They each raise their hands to show her the stamp on the back. Judy waves them in, quickly tapping the button below the counter to unlock the red door.

They go through it so fast I don’t get a chance to peek around them to see what this place is like after dark.

“Come here,” she says to me, beckoning me closer.

I walk up to the counter and she stands up out of her chair. My eyes instantly fall to the tight, midnight blue corset around her waist but I raise them back up just as fast.

“Guest passes are twenty-dollars a night,” she says, her voice deep and raspy. “Or you can purchase an annual membership.”

I reach for my purse. “Guest pass, please. Might be a bit too early to think annually,” I say, withdrawing my debit card.

“That’s what they all say,” she says with a wink. She takes my card and swipes it. “Do you have questions?” she asks. “That’s why I’m here.”

I inhale, prepping my tongue, but I quickly draw a blank. “Well...”

She grins. “You don’t have to do anything here you don’t want to do,” she says.

I nod. “Right...” I pause, leaning in. “Do people really just let you watch?”

“Of course. However, do not interrupt, do not distract, do not get too close, and... do not touch yourself.”

I blink. “Is that a thing that happens?”

“Not really, but it still needs to be said.” She picks up a stamp and dabs it into a dark green ink blot. “Your right hand, please.”

I lay my palm on the counter and she presses it into me. This stamp is different than the one Melanie used earlier. This one is shaped like a whip, all curly and snappy.

“If you have more questions, I’m here. Or you can speak to any of the uniformed staff on the floor. Look for the reflective armbands.”

I nod. “Thank you.”

“Enjoy your stay,” she says, reaching below the counter.

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