Page 13 of Want Me

I drained my glass and reached for the bottle. “I need a rebound. Immediately.”

“Immediately?”

“I need to find a hot girl and have a wild, sweaty night and fuck all my feelings out.” It was an appealing plan, if I did say so myself. “And it needs to be tonight.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Tonight? You sure?”

I slapped my hand down on the table. “‘Course I am. The sooner the better. She’s out there doing who-knows-what with Donovan so why shouldn’t I?” My head was turning cloudy, but the more I thought about it the better the idea seemed. “Take me somewhere, I need my head to be between a woman’s thighs.”

Oliver looked back toward the kitchen where I’m sure Ben was choosing to ignore our conversation. “I’m not sure that’s a great plan.”

“Oli I swear I will be so annoying unless you take me to a gay bar.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose, debating how much more annoying I could get. Finally, he sighed. “There’s this one place. It isn’t exactly a gay bar, but if you want to hook up with someone…” He pursed his lips. “Let me see if I can get us in.” He pulled out his phone, then paused. “You absolutely cannot tell Daphne about this place.”

I nodded so hard that I made myself dizzy. “Pinky promise.”

One grilled cheese and a few glasses of wine later Ben parked in front of a quiet-looking building. It was plain, with no signs or storefronts other than a simple one with the name of the place: Requited.

Ben had been grumpy the whole drive. It had taken some convincing to get him to agree - mostly from Oliver.

I went to open the car door and found it locked. “Ben?”

He sighed from the front seat. “Look, this isn’t a normal bar.”

“It’s a sex club.” I had already gotten the spiel from Oliver.

“I can’t believe we’re back here,” he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. He twisted around to face me. “As soon as you want to leave let me know, alright? I want you to get over Daphne and if this’ll help then we’ll try it, but the second anyone starts feeling uncomfortable we’re leaving.”

I gave him a mock salute. “Sir, yes sir.”

My head spun a bit as I stepped onto the sidewalk but I recovered as Ben led us inside. It looked like a normal bar. There were only a few people inside but they seemed like average bar patrons.

“Are we in the right place?” I whispered to Oliver.

He nodded, then waved to the bartender. She gave him a thumbs up and we continued further into the bar. “You a regular?” I asked, half joking. He didn’t answer.

There was a door at the back with a key-code lock - which Oliver quickly entered.

Purple and pink neon lights cast a murky glow into the long room. After a short entry hall, we arrived at another bar, but these patrons were anything but average.

“Oh.” I let out a low whistle. “It really is a sex club.”

Tables were filled with people in various stages of undress, some with drinks and some with…devices. Alcoves ran along the left wall, and while some had their curtains drawn, others were wide open.

My breath caught in my throat as we were bombarded with sights andsoundsthat were far from expected. But, while there were plenty of people caught up in their own worlds, there were more whose attention was focused on the stage.

A raised, round stage stood at the back of the room. It was hard to tell from where we were standing, but it seemed like the room opened up at the end, maybe forming a flipped L, with the stage at the joint. It was a burlesque, with half a dozen men and women entertaining their audience. And the audience was certainly entertained.

“I wasn’t sure I’d see you here again,” said a new man, interrupting my thoughts.

“It’s a special case,” Ben admitted. Even without the awkward tension radiating from Ben I recognized the man. He was Logan Graves, a member of one of the most wealthy and powerful families on the east coast - and Oliver’s friend.

He looked me up and down. “I hear you need to get laid.”

“News travels fast.” Ben had never liked Logan, but he didn’t seem so bad to me. I would have to remember to interrogate him later, but I had other things on my mind.

He nodded back towards the bar. “Drinks are on the house, courtesy of my Master.” Ben scoffed, but Oliver only smiled. “The show should be wrapping up soon, but feel free to watch the ending. In fact, feel free to watch anything, as long as it’s in the open.” He winked at me. “I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

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