Page 11 of Only in the Dark
Olivia Mercer
The night had come for me to head to Club Obsidian and meet my stalker, and nerves began to take over. Sarah promised I’d be safe, but how could she guarantee that? She assured me that the club’s security was reliable, and her familiarity with and assurance about the club helped me feel more at ease. She even showed up hours early to help me with my makeup, and for us to take a few shots before heading out. She said the club didn’t provide more than two drinks per person for safety purposes—a policy I liked. I wanted as little alcohol as possible tonight, scared of losing my inhibitions in the presence of someone dangerous.
“There’s something I didn’t tell you that I should tell you,” I admitted when Sarah sat down on the edge of my bed while I paced near my closet. I had been thinking about how to tell her what had happened between my stalker and me—whyI changed my mind about going. She was so thrilled that I decided to go that she hadn’t questioned why I had a change of heart.
“Okay, well spit it out. You’re worrying me here, babe,” she responded. “Did anyone hurt you? I’ll kill themif you won’t.”
Sarah might’ve been more protective-sounding than the stalker who threatened Matthew and anyone who laid a finger on me. Thankfully, neither of those things were a concern right now. Matthew was out of my life—even if he didn’t understand—and I had no desire for anyone else to touch me…except maybe Kieran, but I couldn’t do that. It would mean seeing Matthew again, and while he was better looking, I had no reason to believe his brother was any better than him, in the bedroom or out. He was right about Matthew essentially being an alcoholic, though.
“My stalker implied he knows about my past. He said he’d turn me in if I fled, but all he wanted was to meet me tonight,” I explained. I stopped pacing and took a seat next to her, sighing a breath of relief. It felt good to get that off my chest. She deserved to know the full situation before we walked in there.
Sarah stood up, walked to her bag, and shuffled things around. I was unsure what she was looking for until she grabbed two shot glasses and a bottle of Captain Morgan. “I think we’re going to need this now,” she muttered. We had our makeup and hair done. The last thing was to change into my lingerie and find something to wear over it to cover myself until we were alone,ifI decided to take it off then. “Don’t do this tonight because of me or him. Do it for yourself. No matter what you choose, I won’t let him expose you. You’re my best friend. No one can hurt you, or I’ll kill them.”
I reached out and gently accepted the shot glass from Sarah’s outstretched hand, feeling the coolness of the glass against my palm. As I carefully held it in my hand, I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her into a hug.
“I promise I’m doing this for me. Despite all the pressure, I made this choice for myself. I need to know who this guy is. If he really accepts me, past and all, maybe it’s worth exploring. A serial killer and an obsessed stalker—what could go wrong?” I laughed and then downed my shot. I coughed a few times from the burn of the liquor. We had no chasers up here, but it was okay. We had been drinking long enough as to not always need them. I hated the burn of the first shot of alcohol, but it didn’t take long for it to go away.
“If you need away from someone, the bartenders have a code word. Go up and order a safe word shot. It’ll make sense to them, and they’ll grab security,” she explained in detail. I hoped she had never had to use it before, but now wasn’t the time to ask her about that.
“I think one shot is enough if we want to stay alert,” I suggested. “We should probably call for our car soon. I’ll get dressed now. I’ve got the lingerie set you bought me, and then I’m going to throw on my long, button-up fall cardigan. It has pockets inside for…things I might need.” Like a vial of poison or a knife.
By now, my stalker realized I was a threat, yet he seemed to believe I wouldn’t spike a drink with poison at the club, which was quite telling. Alternatively, he might have decided not to drink anything near me, constantly worrying that I’d be trying to kill him. If he accepted a drink from me, it’d be the ultimate show of trust.
I left my walk-in closet in my lingerie, showing Sarah the outfit she had picked out for me. It was a two-piece lace set, with lifting support for the breasts, and it showed off my cheeks. I was proud of my body and didn’t try to hide it.I felt comfortable and beautiful in something like this, though it was something I’d normally reserve for a private moment instead of wearing it to a sex club.
“Holy hell, babe. You lookinsanelygorgeous right now. He’s going to want to rip those clothes right off of you, but he can’t, because this is an expensive set,” she huffed. Sarah loved shopping, so it was no trouble to have her help me pick something out, but we spent hundreds of dollars for it. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I knew it was worth it, though.
“Okay. Call the car. I’m ready to go fuck or kill my stalker now.”
***
Approaching the club in our ride—the building thankfully discreet—my nerves got the best of me. I felt the sweat building in my palms, and could hear my heartbeat in my ears. If Sarah could feel what I felt, she’d no longer see me as some sort of badass assassin. I felt like a mouse who had just run into a cat—small and frightened. No matter what happened, I knew my life was going to change after tonight.
“Is this some sort of speakeasy club? Looks secretive,” our Uber driver questioned.
Sarah and I exchanged a glance. “Something like that. It’s invite-only with a hundred-dollar cover charge,” Sarah explained, hoping to rid him of his curiosity so he didn’t dig into this place further. She wasn’t entirely dishonest. It was a hundred-dollar membership fee unless a male member invited you to play, like my stalker had.
“Thank you again for the ride,” I said to him as I hopped out of the car, tipping him enough money to look the other way and pretend he never drove here.He could join the club if he wanted, but he’d be shocked when he found out the truth, and I didn’t want this stranger knowing intimate things about us.
“Next time, let’s figure out a better lie,” Sarah suggested, wrapping her arm around my shoulder as we walked toward the entrance.
“Next time? This is the first and last time I am coming to a sex club, Sarah,” I explained, rolling my eyes. She was crazy if she thought I’d do this experience again.
“That’s what they all say,” she said, but before I could ask clarifying questions like who she had brought to a sex club before, she approached the person working the front door. “Hi. Sarah Huntington. My guest here should be on the guest list tonight. Her name’s Olivia Mercer,” Sarah whispered my name as if my stalker was going to be listening nearby and jump us.
“Great costume, Miss Sarah. I wasn’t aware they made a slutty nun outfit,” the woman said with a smile. I looked around at the costumes of the people entering the building. Most of them chose costumes that were a very revealing version of something else. I had seen a slutty Buzz Lightyear and a slutty cowgirl walking away in assless chaps.
“Thanks, Tanya.” The woman—apparently named Tonya—looked at the list, her eyes widening before she looked up at me.
“You’re quite a special guest tonight, Miss Mercer. We’re very lucky to have you. Here’s a drink voucher, courtesy of tonight’s partner. He left directions to have a drink, relax, and meet him in room four at nine. He left an extra for your friend, too.” Tanya dug around before handing me a key with the room number on it. “Only you two will be able to get in. There is a private viewing area attached, but he has it closed off tonight. Please let us know if you need anything,” she said.
Sarah looked at me with a cocked brow as we walked into the club. “Whoever your stalker is, he’s rich and important, I can tell you that much.” I understood what she was saying, but I felt a pinch of jealousy. Was he rich and important, or did he spend enough time here that they knew him well? Then, I realized it was insane to care about the sex life of my stalker. He wasn’t mine; I wasn’t his. His sex life wasn’t my business. I wasn’t special. Soon, he’d forget about me and his misplaced obsession. I was sure he had done this to other women in the past, but I was glad for the negative test results he sent to me as promised. What he had done was hot, but risky. I preferred safety in every way possible.
I looked around at the surprisingly extravagant area decorated in red and gold. I expected a sex club to be seedy, but this looked like the decor came straight from a castle in England, but with more modern decorations. They took whatever building that was here and created a luxurious sex club, which was impressive.
“If he’s been here before, I wonder if you’ve met him. I certainly hope you haven’t slept with him,” I pointed out to a straight-faced Sarah. It seemed neither of us had thought about that before.
“I’m sure I haven’t. I’ve rarely slept with men here,” she said softly, her cheeks reddening.
