Page 40 of Glass Wings
“If you’re looking for food, it will be in the next room,” she instructed. “This area is for staff and hired vendors only.”
“What kind of vendor are you?” Hadley blurted out.
“You can think of me as hired entertainment. I’ll go through the private rooms later, offering my particular services. Feel free to come find me.” She winked at Hadley.
Hadley let herself move in the direction the woman pushed her towards, hearing slow, burning music with a steady beat. Her shoulders had relaxed, knowing that she wasn’t the only escort there. The champagne began to hit her bloodstream, and she felt like she could breathe with more ease.
“Thanks,” Hadley said, walking onward towards the music in the next room over, trying to hold her head up high and project confidence even if it wasn’t there. She stepped into an open room with blue lights used to illuminate but keep a mysterious allure. There was a wide, buffet-style table backed against the far corner of the roomand a large rounded staircase with a red carpet ending right at her feet.
She took a few more steps in as partygoers were trying to move past her on their journeys to the second floor. She watched as the couples and groups that climbed the steps were kissing, touching, and moving intimately with each other.
“Do you want me to take you upstairs?” a man’s voice whispered into Hadley’s ear.
Hadley jumped, feeling the stranger's breath on her skin, and turned around, startled. She stood in front of one of the most beautiful men that she had ever seen, with medium-length silky blond hair that curved into his face and light stubble that she could imagine enjoying as his tongue worked its way up her thighs.
“What’s upstairs?” she asked breathlessly.
The man was dressed vaguely as a pirate, in tight jeans and a canvas shirt, and a long plastic sword hung from his belt.
“There are ten private bedrooms upstairs. There’s a larger entertainment room, of course, for the exhibitionists.”
“I see,” Hadley said vaguely, her attention moving back up the steps. “So the real party is up there, then.”
“I can take you,” he offered again, “and show my sword.” He smiled at her, dimples indenting his cheeks. Hadley couldn’t help but flutter her eyelashes instinctually.
A sharp handbell rang on the other side of the room. An attendant dressed as a member of a king’s royal court made her way to the middle of the room.
“Attention, attention, Sheng is ready to commence this party with a speech,” she announced as a man wearing a full tuxedo and a black half-curved mask walked up behind her. The room filled with guests who all clapped and celebrated as this man, Sheng, raised his champagne glass to the room.
“Who is Sheng?” she asked, craning her neck to bring her lips close enough to his ear.
“Sheng Bau is the main event. He owns this house, the largest shipping container business and a few office buildings, too. He is atrue billionaire, living in squalor compared to what numbers exist in his bank account. He has most of the state lobbyists wrapped around his finger. Now, what was your answer about being escorted upstairs?”
“Maybe later,” Hadley answered the blond pirate, one of his feet on the bottom step and his arm outstretched to her. Hadley walked in closer to join the crowd as even more people began to push in behind her.
“I want to thank you all for attending this event every year and bringing this simple town up a notch. Please make yourselves at home and enjoy your every fantasy tonight. Now, put your hands together for the show,” Sheng said, turning his attention to three performers pushing the crowd back to give them more space.
The music changed into a track with scattered drums and whispered melodic moans as the two female performers, dressed in golden bracelets and slit skirts, began moving into dramatic backbends, kicking their legs up so that they were in headstands.
A man, dark with a muscular chest, walked in between the women, a golden helmet shaped like ram horns on his head and a knee-length dark green and gold skirt hanging loosely from his hips. He began running his fingers down the right side of the woman’s leg, her feet opening, letting her skirt fall, exposing her bottom half in the nude. His fingers lingered as she exposed her clit to the ceiling, but then moved on to repeat the same movement to the second female performer on the left side.
“Holy shit,” a few of the partygoers exclaimed, while others cheered and clapped. The three performers continued their erotic circus act, ending with the three of them contorting their bodies in impossible positions around one another. The music ended, the crowd roared, and the performers took a bow after untangling themselves.
Hadley felt like a deflated suction bag beginning to take in air while the room began to slowly thin out, everyone moving away in groups, gossiping with one another in dark corners of the house.
What am I supposed to do?
She stood paralyzed in the same spot she watched the performance from. The guests walking by did not approach her, though she got many smiles, stares, and bitten lips from anyone she made eye contact with.
I’m never wearing heels again.
Hadley looked around, trying to find another waiter serving champagne, as her phone started vibrating. She took her phone out of her bag while her feet throbbed.
I might need to take off for a bit to pick up a stranded girl. Are you good?
Grant’s text graced her phone screen.
Right after she replied telling him to go, another notification came in, this one from Hector. It was a picture of him in their apartment, whipped cream and vodka being poured into his mouth straight from the bottle by a small crowd of people she recognized from his dance performances.
