Page 22 of What's the time, Mr. Wolfe
I nodded enthusiastically. Although architecturewas my primary goal, it was the interior of hotels and clubs that I wanted to work on the most. I rushed over.
On the desk was a layout of a two-story building. Whoever made the mock-up had done it to scale, which was great when it came to visualising. Also on the desk was a storyboard. All I needed to know was what the club was used for. It seemed the downstairs was the usual bar and DJ booth, but upstairs, it was different. More a lounge area with VIP rooms. Perhaps he had dancers. I also noticed a name on the storyboard. It had been put together by Amelia. The woman that paid his restaurant bill had the same name and I hoped I wouldn’t have to work with her. I pulled over a stool and sat. I just looked at the downstairs first, taking the top layer of the mock-up off. The storyboard suggested it was dark in colour, perhaps dingy looking, but it was hard to get a feel for it, having never visited it before. I wasn’t the club type, although I had visited one a couple of times on the odd occasion I had college friends. One of the main complaints had been how dark clubs were. It was dangerous for women.
I grabbed a pen and wrote,women only lounge set up from the main floor and with security.
I also noted a lack of toilets on both sides of the building, so added that. Women liked to congregate in toilets, and yet, it was often men who designed those spaces. I drew a room that was more along the lines of anold-fashioned powder room. I added sofas and dressing tables at one end, toilets and sinks at the other.
There was no space to attend to anyone who was ill. Spiking drinks was commonplace in clubs, perhaps there needed to be an area specifically for dealing with that, with a door straight to the outside for paramedics. The more I thought about it, the more I wrote and sketched.
“What’s that area?” I heard. Sebastian leaned over my shoulder and pointed. He made me jump.
“Women only,” I said.
“Mmm, interesting.”
“It’s hard to know what to do without seeing the space, so I’ve sketched some areas I know clubs are missing.”
I pointed out the medical room, a different layout for toilets, and repositioning the bar so people didn’t have to walk directly through the throng of dancers each time. Different flooring to define the spaces. Water stations where cups could be filled for free.
“What is upstairs used for?” I asked.
I heard him chuckle. The sound ran from my neck, where he was, down to my toes. I curled them in my trainers.
“That’s a different sort of club. Members only.”
“There’s no DJ area,” I said.
“No, because, as I just said, it’s a different sort ofclub.”
“Well, unless I know, I can’t visualise the space.”
He chuckled some more. “Perhaps you’d like to visit it. It’s open now.”
I picked up my phone, knowing full well I wouldn’t be able to tell the time. “What’s the time?”
“Ten p.m., that’s all.”
“That’s my bedtime,” I said, laughing. “Are you a night owl?”
“Pretty much. Although I can live on very little sleep, thankfully.”
I felt a distance creep in and knew he’d stood back. “So?”
“Okay, why not. I need my camera, though.”
“No cameras, not this time. Perhaps I’ll take you back tomorrow.”
I frowned. “I clean in a strip club. I doubt you have anything in there I haven’t seen.”
He raised one eyebrow and did that thing. The one thing that got my insides in a knot. His tongue gently darted out to wet his lower lip before he bit down on it. It didn’t seem it was a conscious thing from him, it was natural, but, boy, did it turn me on.
“Shall we go?” I said, wanting to break the moment.
I followed him back down the stairs, at a slower pace, and to the car. He waited until I had my seat belt on before he closed the passenger door and strodearound the car. He pulled his phone from his pocket and made a call before he opened his door.
“Ready for this?”
“Yeah. You’re making it sound like we’re heading to something weird. You’re not going to kill me in there, are you?”
