Page 33 of Born to Make You Smile

“Great!” I pushed out my shoulders, feigning confidence.

Then Ashna told me the hourly wage.

Holy shit. I definitely made the right decision to work here. Kinky sex club or not. I could do this.

An attractive young man, looking in his late twenties, popped his head into the doorway. “Ready?” he said.

He had light-brown shaggy hair that fell in his face, his lean physique outlined in a tight maroon T-shirt.

“Grace, this is Joshua," said Ashna. "He’s going to give you a tour of the place and answer any questions you have.”

Joshua shook my hand with an excited smile and proceeded to take me around the club.

“Welcome to the team! You’ll love it here,” he said, leading me down some dim hallways. “Oh, and you’re starting at the perfect time. October isinsaneat X-PLORE. We really lean into the season with costumes and role-playing. Here, every day is Halloween.”

His enthusiasm was contagious, and I couldn’t help but feel comfortable in his presence.

Our first stop was a spacious arena with banners and rainbow lighting.

“This is our gymnasium,” he said. “Right now, it’s set up for naked skate.”

Naked skate.I nodded, apprehension filling me.

He led me to more rooms, including a BDSM dungeon with various leather furniture, and a wall of tools, including whips, toys, and wood paddles.

He showed me the main stage, and finally, the ’70s themed lounge, Studio 69, located on the top floor. The entire room was lit up with purple and pink neon lights. Burnt orange leather couches and potted palms in ceramic filled the space. A lit-up tiled dance floor covered the center of the room, and a giant disco ball hung from the ceiling. I thought about Gavin and how much he’d love this lounge. But then reality set in.Yeah, right.Never in a million years would Gavin come to a place like this.

Joshua continued to take me around, then went on to tell me his role here at X-PLORE.

“I’m in charge of updating the website. I also run the Pup Pound on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and help organize the pet-play events. When I’m not here, I’m a photographer by day. Still life. Landscape. The odd event or wedding. Nothing kinky.”

I chuckled. “What’s the Pup Pound?”

“The arena you saw there, we transform it into a puppy park for the guests to play and mingle. I’m a pup, a switch pup player.”

“A switch. What, like a light switch?” I chuckled.

“Oh,Goldie. Let me take you to Le Gourmand. I’ll buy you a coffee and a cookie, and I’ll tell youeverything.”

The two of us sat together at the coffee shop. Joshua told me more about the club, how it was all about learning, kink exploration, finding hidden desires, and meeting new people he called “kinksters.” He told me that any sexual acts or complete nudity were only permitted in certain areas or rooms, but bare breasts, chests, and ass cheeks were fair game anywhere in the club.

“Every Tuesday night, we have a lecture, which can be a talk or demonstration. Those are super fun.”

“What kind of demonstrations?” I asked, breaking off a piece of my cookie. It was moist and decadent. Probably the best chocolate chip cookie I’d ever had.

“All kinds of things. How to use various sex toys, how to use nipple clamps, how to spank or whip your partner properly and safely. It’s great.”

“Ahh. I see.” I forced a smile. This was so out of my comfort zone.

“But no one will ever force you to do anything without your permission,” Joshua said, sensing my discomfort. “At X-PLORE,we are all about full consent. And we never, ever kink shame. No way. No judgment here.”

I decided to ask him about what Dorina told me.

“So one of my friends mentioned some creeps coming in and being a threat to the women. She had some concerns about the safety of the club. Is that true?”

He tilted his head with a wince. “We had some issues a few years ago, followed by bad press. A guy kept coming in, obsessed with his ex, and he and his friends kept getting through the system. Suffice it to say, we’ve upgraded our security system and haven’t had an incident since. Sure, sometimes we have to remove some clients or revoke their memberships, but it’s nothing to be concerned about. If there’s one thing about X-PLORE, management takes the best care of their staff.”

“That’s good to hear.” I took a sip of coffee. “You said you’re a pup? A switch pup?”

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