Page 4 of The Secret Club
Sophie is actually a similar age to me being in her thirties—strangely like many of the staff here. I was expecting to be surrounded by students or Uni grads but I have been surprisingly taken aback by the amount of staff here that are a similar age to myself or slightly older. Most have been here longer than Sophie, it appears they don’t have a huge turnover of staff, everyone must be happy. I guess the flexibility works great for everyone. Management seems to actually care about its staff too. I’ve felt more welcome here than in any employment other than working for myself.Now that boss is a real slave driver,I think to myself with a smirk.
I’m assuming all the staff enjoy the benefits from working here whatever they might be. Not as if I know what the benefits are other than a decent salary. Sophie has alluded to the fact there are actual benefits once you finish your six month probation but has refused to give me any kind of hint as to what they might be. I’m really hoping it’s not a golf membership. I don’t want to be ungrateful—although I have enjoyed working at the golf course, I still don’t feel the inclination to play the sport. Thanks, but no thanks.
“It’s time, good luck. Let’s grab lunch before you head off to your other work. We have lots to chat about,” Sophie says while hustling me out of the café/bar area and pushing me towards the grand staircase leading up to Sandy’s office.
“Do we?” I ask, wondering why we have lots to chat aboutconsidering we’ve just been chatting all morning between making coffees and looking after the cafe.
“We will,” Sophie promises in an ‘I know what you don’t know’ way. My stomach sinks a little. Does she know something I don’t? Clearly, she does. What if she knows I’ve not made the cut and knows I’ll need to talk to someone straight after my meeting. There is clearly a reason why it’s being held 30 minutes before my shift ends.
Heart thumping in my chest, I walk out of the Marion cafe and up the grand staircase to Sandy’s office. After knocking lightly, Sandy calls out, “Come in Roxy.” Taking a deep steadying breath, I push on the handle and let myself into Sandy’s light filled office overlooking the golf course.
“Hi Sandy,” I say as brightly as my nerves will allow it. I feel way more nervous now than I did six months ago when I first met Sandy. Back then I didn’t know what the job or extra money would do for me and how much I’d enjoy it. Now that I know, I don’t want to lose it.
“Hi Roxy, please take a seat on the sofa, I’ll make us a drink and come over.” Sandy stands from her desk and moves over to the boiling kettle. Pouring into two mugs with tea bags, she brings the hot brews of green tea over to us.
“How have you found the past six months here with us Roxy?” Sandy turns and looks straight in my eyes for her answer. Unnerving.
I stutter, “Iiiit’s been great, really great. I’ve enjoyed almost every moment of being here. Learning and getting to know everyone. It’s even made me question keeping my own business that I run in the afternoons seeing as I enjoy my time here so much.”
Nodding, Sandy says, “I’m really pleased to hear that Roxy, management and myself have enjoyed watching you blossom into the role. It feels like you have been with us longer than six months and that is a credit to you and your work ethic andattitude. None of us would like to see you go and to be honest, there are a fair few staff and members who have become quite attached to you.”
I blush at her words but also glow with pride. I have enjoyed my time here and I’m glad it showed.
“We would like to invite you to be a permanent employee of The Clarendon. This will result in an updated contract, a slightly higher wage and another perk.”
I nod and sip my tea trying to tame down the glee I can feel trying to escape my body. Keeping a fixed smile, I ask Sandy, “Oh what is the other perk?”
“That my dear is something you may not be expecting. It’s another way to make some extra money outside of your current shift hours. You see, we have a certain type of member here at the club. Our members enjoy their time on the greens. They also have specialised interests in things we help to accommodate here via our staff. Different tastes that they might not be able to cater to outside of our organisation.”
“What kind of interests do you mean?” I raise an uncertain eyebrow.
Sandy searches my eyes to see if I know even a hint of what she’s talking about. What she must see reflected in my wide eyes is a complete unawareness of what she’s talking about.
“Kinks my dear. We cater to our guests every type of sexual kink and sexual fantasy.”
Shock paints my face. I did not see that coming. Not at all.
“Really?” I reply, stupidly. I feel like maybe I’m being punked. But deep down I know that’s not the case. I can see it on Sandy’s face. I know her demeanour by now, and Sandy doesn’t joke around.
A few things start to slot into place in my mind. The non-disclosure agreements, the aliases for everyone. The rooms spotted around the building seemingly locked at all times.
“How?” It seems I can only speak one-word questions at the moment.
“We have an online portal that members can post ‘jobs’ on and each of our staff have their own profile and can apply for the jobs. The members can read the applicants and choose the one they believe will suit their kink fantasy the most. Each job will give a full description of what it will entail, the time frame, and payment offered. We operate with a traffic light system: Green is standard kinks, Amber is a touch more unusual and finally Red is on the more extreme end of the spectrum of kinks.” Sandy is looking at me all serious like she’s just reciting the rules of a game.
“I’m married,” I splutter.
“Indeed, you are. As are half our staff members and they are either in an open relationship or haven’t told their partners the type of work they are paid to do.”
“Oh.”
“When you reached out to us, I had a feeling deep down you were looking for something far beyond meeting new people and working for the extra money. It was why I took you on to begin with. Your eagerness to work hard and please. There is something very submissive and endearing about you Roxy. Something I know our clients would enjoy. Something you would enjoy.”
Now all I can do is simply nod my head with my eyes bulging out of my head. Sandy carries on.
“Every member is vetted. We have strict rules and procedures in place. Our team members are also vetted, medically safe and on birth control. Every job that is agreed upon goes through me first. We send our staff with drivers to their offsite jobs, our drivers text to confirm pick up times with our playmates on the day so they know in advance how long the journey will be and then return them home safely after the job is complete. Our rules are simply that they must wear ablindfold within the cars. You may not speak of where you are going or have been. Our members demand a superior level of confidentiality and we guarantee it. In return, we guarantee the confidentiality of our staff, their safety and their earnings. In my ten years of running Clarendon’s Playmates, not once has anything gone wrong. Our club's safe word is always Neptune. No member oversteps even a toe outside of our rules or risks their membership being terminated.”
I blow out a breath. This is a lot to take in. I was not expecting anything at all like this…was I? Something that seems a lot like excitement bubbles in my core. I cross my legs to curb the flutter I can feel between my legs. Shifting nervously on the sofa I try and speak, my mouth becoming very dry.
