Page 32 of Contention

The erotically dimmed lighting gives some privacy to those engaging in such acts in their seats, but as Kara wanders around further, she notes more and more acts of indecency happening without a care for who is watching.

Bianca is like electric energy at her side, practically vibrating with her excitement to start engaging with the scenery. As always, this is Bianca’s scene; Kara is along for the ride to try and unwind, keeping her guard raised.

They pass a group of men dressed like they just walked off a photoshoot, suits tailored to perfection. Their masked faces turn towards them and one man holds out his drink to Bianca as she drifts closer to them.

“Nah ah,” Kara pulls her away from temptation. “That’s bait. Get a fresh drink. Less likely to get your ass drugged.”

“You are so paranoid!” Bianca whines, pouting her plum-colored lips at the men as they stroll past.

Kara remains unmoved. “With good reason.”

They find the bar on the far-left side of the large lounge, sprawling through a dark corner section of the floor, just around the corner. Deep purple and blue lights shine over the bar, the stools looking like handcrafted masterpieces with ornate steel backs. The mirror behind the bar is huge, with dark gold leaves and jewels encrusted into the frame. The assortment of extremely high-class liquor rises up and up towards the ceiling, dark mahogany shelves holding them in place.

In fact, there appears to be no bottom shelf booze here. Kara doesn’t even recognize some of the scotch and whiskey she sees. Some of the vodka looks far above her dollar, but she sees her typical Ketel One glowing towards the bottom.

Oh, look. More naked photography of people climaxing.

Kara orders her final drink for night, telling herself firmly that there will be no more. She steels her resolve in the matter, that no matter how badly she wants another, she needs to be as close to sober as she can be while not actually being sober.

Can’t lose control.Can’t won’t shouldn’t…

The woman behind the bar is wearing a lovely corset, red and black with old-world lace around the edges. She gives Kara a roll of her eyes as she pours the liquor into a shaker for Kara’s martini. “Naughty girl,” the bartender says silkily. “You ordered that on purpose.”

It only takes Kara a second to realize what she means; when she shakes the drink together, her chest moves in time with her quick movements. Kara flushes, looking away. “I didn’t think about it that way!” She notices the men at the bar watching with careful interest. “Sorry!”

The bartender laughs, handing Kara her martini before moving on to Bianca’s wine. “I’m just teasing you, sweets. Everyone likes a good show. You’re not the only martini sipper here, after all. Certainly won’t be the last.”

Bianca tosses back her wine in a very…unclassy fashion the moment it’s set down in front of her. The bartender’s mouth twists in surprise. Bianca asks for another with a big wine drunk smile. Oh, this isn’t going to be good.

“Slow down, B.” Kara says in her ear, disapproving. Is she going to be carrying her ass home? She can only hope she can keep track of her tonight; Kara’s anxiety is clawing at her spine. After that…stupid, ridiculous mistake of a night, Kara now feels more on edge, exposed. How simple it is for someone to just…well…

Not everyone is chivalrous, after all. One can’t control the actions of others when they’ve set their mind to devious ends. To that note, Kara is well aware that she got by relatively unscathed and unharmed that night in the limo.

So, she got a roughed-up jaw; she doesn’t really even remember much of it anyway. Only the knowledge that itoccurred. That dark, twisted, slimy feeling that something happened to her body, something she didn’t control, something that barely scratched the surface of her strong mental shields, honed from years of mental and physical abuse.

There are worse things, there always are,Kara tells herself.

Bianca is loud and giggling when she says, “I’m fine! God, you’re like an old woman.Relax! I’m going to go talk to those guys. I want to know about all the freaky things they get up to here.”

Kara opens her mouth to stop her, but realizes that would be an exercise in folly. Bianca is going to do what she wants to do; common sense be damned. Taking care of others be damned.Sigh.Kara sips through her martini with a scowl.

Naturally, Kara will be there to pick Bianca up off the floor, if necessary. She’s always known how to take care of others. Her father had been a fulltime job; she’d learned from that.

Somewhere in the lounge, a man groans loudly and there’s the sound of enthusiastic clapping. Kara doesn’t turn around because she doesn’t want to see. She imagines Bianca clapping gleefully along with a big grin.

The female server smiles down at Kara and leans over, reaching for Kara’s blouse. “May I, darling?”

Before Kara can say no, because she definitely is going to say no, the woman is pulling her tank top down further, the space between her breasts now clear as day through the opening in her blouse. Shocked, Kara looks downward at her body, now creeping into indecent territory.

Definitely not work appropriate! But, she’s not at work. Not really. Well. She could research the enemy…

“You dressed so modestly; it would be such a shame to not show off the body you’re hiding under that lovely blouse,” the bartender says. “If you’re here on trial, sometimes this is the best way to get someone else to pay your fees, if you get my meaning.” She winks at Kara from behind her mask.

That…sounds suspiciously…like whoring yourself out,Kara thinks to herself, mulling over the words she just heard.Who the fuck wants in this club that bad? Jeez. Can’t you all get laid like normal people?

Because,really. It isn’t like Kara has seen hordes of grotesque people in the lounge. Just filthy rich, bored people. Perhaps that’s all it really takes.

“What’s it like? Upstairs, I mean.” Kara wonders what sort of info she can get; perhaps it could be valuable for the case. Research is a good reason to be here, if nothing else. As long as she isn’t caught.

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