Page 53 of A Lesson In Beginning

“I get it! I get it! Shush! Please lower your voices.”

“Out with it, Adah. Or you know what will happen.”

“Fine.”

“Time’s a-ticking!” Talia goaded gleefully.

“Now there’s a countdown?! Lord have mercy!”

“Tick Tock!”

“Fine!” I took a deep breath, checking that the children were not paying attention before I whispered, “Cunt.”

“What was that? I couldn’t hear you.” Ruth teased mercilessly.

“Cunt.” I whispered a little louder.

“I don’t think I heard it that time, either.” Talia played right along.

“Cunt. Cock. Fuck! Are you happy?” I nearly yelled the words, drawing the children’s attention, much to my chagrin and shame. Talia and Ruth were hopeless, both of them victoriously cheering and cackling in delight.

“You both are impossible.” I rolled my eyes with an incredulous huff of exasperation.

“Yes, but you love us.” Both women wrapped their arms around my shoulders, and I couldn’t help but smile. It was true; I sort of did.

CHAPTER 17

Tonight felt different as I walked in silence through the long hallway of offices on the upper floor of The Temple towards the staircase. The staircase that would lead me down to the main floor, and to him.

“Are you excited?” Ruth’s question, spoken just loud enough to be heard over the sound of the pounding music behind the door before us, did little to ease my nerves.

“Yes.” I hoped my answer was confident enough to assuage her concern. She’d asked me that exact question no less than a dozen times since dinner that evening. I pushed open the door, the sound of the music nearly making me cringe as it assaulted my eardrums.

“Do you have any questions?” Barely able to keep myself from rolling my eyes and shaking my head at her incessantly repeated line of questioning, I plastered a smile on my face.

“No, Ruth. I am ready. But thank you, again, for asking.” Hoping to stave off any further questions, I made my way quickly across the bustling main floor toward the back doors that lead to the kitchen area.

Just as we neared the back wall, the door opened, and Joel appeared. His calm smile instantly set my nerves to a fever pitch. I’d thought it would soothe me, as it often did, but tonight was no ordinary night.

“Hey.” His tall frame loomed over my own short stature. We had quite the height difference, with him standing a complete foot taller than my five-foot-two frame.

“Hello.”

“Well, we will leave you two to it.” Ruth’s excitement was palpable, and a stark contrast to my own nervous and anxiety-ridden countenance. She and Levi made their way to the main floor, leaving Joel and I to stand there in awkward silence.

“Shall we?” His hands were stuck in his pockets, a telltale sign of his own nerves which, oddly enough, soothed me more than any of Ruth’s words ever could have. If Joel was nervous, maybe it was alright that I was, too. With a proffered smile of my own, I nodded, turning towards the door to the kitchen. I stepped forward, as I had done night after night for my work shifts, but his hand wrapped gently around my elbow, halting my movements.

“This way.” He tugged me gently, turning me back towards the main floor of the club. It was a reminder that hit me like a brick wall. This wasn’t a normal night of work. I could not lose myself in the act of baking and preparing food while we laughed and talked like old friends. Tonight was for much more… carnal exploits.

“Oh, you don’t want to work in the kitchen for a while first? We could bake a cake or something. I don’t see why we have to rush into anything, you know?” I asked in a weak attempt at humor, but he just laughed, shaking his head. He led me out onto the floor, one hand wrapped around my waist as he steered me through the crowd of patrons towards the long staircase along the back wall. It led up to the balcony design of the second floor, where a line of private rooms and themed spaces lay.

His hand did not leave my waist for a single moment as we trekked up the stairs and down the long mezzanine that overlooked the main floor to the end of the line. The very last room was reserved for us this evening. Ruth had assured me it was a large space, comfortable, with no strange themes or seating areas for patrons to watch. Joel had assured me the door locked as well, giving me that last measure of protection and privacy I craved.

My shoulders ached with the tension of keeping my spine perfectly erect. The music and loud, incessant chattering below grated on every nerve in my body. I was wound as tightly as one woman could be. My hands played with one another, picking at my cuticles nervously.

My hands were sweating. Why was I so sweaty? I rubbed my palms against the fabric of my dress. I had chosen to wear the dress Talia had gifted me. It was easily the most beautiful article of clothing I’d ever worn, much less owned, and absolutely the only thing that could possibly be classified as sexy or sensual. Ruth had reminded me it was less about how the clothing looked, and more about how it made me feel. Truthfully, I felt beautiful and sensual in the dress. It curved over my breasts, my waist, and my hips, while not drawing too much attention to the soft roundness that age and childbirth had given my stomach.

He opened the door, leading me into the room without speaking, then firmly closed the door behind us. Immediately, the sounds of the club cut off as if with a knife, leaving nothing but the sound of our own breathing to be heard in the room.

---