Page 65 of Long Shot

But when she lifted her head, Mac tried not to gawk. “Jesus.” The bar was nicer than any place Mac had been before. Soft Edison bulbs gave the room a warm, orange glow. Black tile and crystal clear mirrors lined the back of the ball where only top shelf liquor was stocked.

Mac looked around the room at the patrons. A smattering of A-list celebrities all intermingling. Some of them were known queer people… but others…

“Try not to stare, it makes them uneasy.” Taylor whispered.

Mac nodded.

As they walked to two empty bar stools, Taylor wrapped her arm around Mac’s waist, pulling her in close.

Mac checked around herself, worried someone would see.

Taylor giggled. “Relax, that’s why we’re here.”

Trying to get comfortable, Mac lifted her arm around Taylor’s shoulders. It felt somehow unbelievably natural and wildly scary. She almost felt like throwing up. Mac had never touched Taylor without fear of being caught.

Taylor pulled out a stool for Mac and sat on her own. Her orange dress draped down, exposing her bare legs. Mac took her seat, pulling up her trousers as she did.

“Jesus, this place is amazing.” Mac looked at the gilded ceiling, reflecting the lights glow back down. The entire place felt sultry.

Taylor smiled at her. “I’m glad you like it.”

Mac shrugged. “I kind of assumed we’d walk in and they’d be people fucking on the sofas.”

Leaning in, Taylor whispered over the soft jazz music. “That’s upstairs.”

A bartender, wearing a simple white button down and a black tie. “What can I get for you two?”

“An old fashioned for her and I’ll take a vodka soda.” Taylor smiled, placing a black membership card down. A gold emblem sat at the center. But the bartender took the card before Mac could make it out.

“What’s that?” Mac tilted her head toward the card.

Taylor nodded. “Right. So you have to be a member to come here. They have to pay the bills to keep it open but if you paydirectly, they could be shut down for prostitution. It’s a work around.”

Mac laughed. “I guess that works.”

The drinks were delivered to them on a gold platter. Handing the drinks to their respective party, the bartender smiled and returned the card. “Pleasure to see you, Miss. Bennett.”

“Okay, so explain yourself. Once was strange enough, now I need to know.” Mac took a sip. The drink was divine, probably the best she’d ever had.

Taylor rolled her eyes. “Look, you have to use a fake name here and I wasn’t about to pick some random celebrity.”

Mac scoffed. “Like Miss King?”

Shrugging, Taylor took a cheeky drink from her glass. “To be fair, it’s quite fitting.”

The two laughed and finished off their drinks as they listened to the music.

“What do you even call this place?” Mac’s chest felt warm as the drink made her relax. She couldn’t stop staring into Taylor’s blue eyes, trying to stop her gaze from falling to the cleavage peeking out from the top of her dress.

Taylor laughed. “There’s technically no name. But we’ve taken to calling it The Box after some silly rumors started.” After a moment, Taylor placed her hand on Mac’s knee. “Do you want to take a look around?”

Swallowing her nerves, Mac nodded. “Please.” Of course, it was nerve-wracking. But she had fantasized about it for a long time. Even before Taylor came back into Mac’s life, she had tried to find a way into an exclusive, inclusive space like this.

Taylor stood from her stool, holding out her hand for Mac to grab. When she took Taylor’s hand in hers, a jolt of electricity spread through Mac’s nerves. It still felt forbidden to touch her like this in front of people. But from the booths across the bar, other sapphics smiled at them.Did they recognize us?

Her questions were interrupted as Taylor approached another red, velvet curtain. She pushed it aside, holding it back so Mac could walk through. Inside, a tall staircase led to a dimly lit landing.

A coat closet waited to the right of the stairs.

---