Page 81 of Blood and Bonbons

I considered that for a moment. “You might be right, but I’m still getting a bad feeling about this place.”

“You had a bad feeling before we walked in the door. Calm down. We’re not actually going to work here.” Vena prowled along the room, looking at the shelves that contained boxes of tubes and syringes. “What is up with this stuff? I wonder if this is some kind of kink club.”

That did not help calm me.

“Ah-ha! Check this out.” She held up a blank ID card with a uniquely designed “NC” logo in a circle. “This must be their member’s only ID he was asking about. Wonder if I should take one.”

“Vena, we need to leave.”

“We’re here to look around, Ev. When the house mother gets here, ask to use the bathroom. It’ll give you a chance to check this place out.”

“Why me?”

“Because if I volunteered, you’d think I would do something reckless.”

She wasn’t wrong.

“I’ll stay here and ask a few questions. Once you get back, we’ll say that we’ve rethought our career path, thank her for her time, and get out of here.”

Her plan sounded reasonable enough until I thought about exploring a currently all-male strip club on my own.

She pulled down a box from higher on the shelf. It was taped shut. Vena inched up her skirt to pull out a small knife.

“Do not open that.”

“Why not?” she asked, sliding the blade along the tape. “I’ll take a peek then put it back. It’s not like I want to steal it.”

She handed me the knife and lifted the lid.

“Just some cheap boas.”

She replaced the box and reached for another one. Nervous that the house mother would catch her snooping, I went to the door to play lookout. However, when I grasped the knob. It didn’t turn.

“Vena,” I hissed. “We’re locked in.”

She paused her riffling and glanced at me with a slight frown. “Probably for security.”

I knew she was trying to come up with a reasonable explanation to keep me from completely freaking out, but it wasn’t working. I’d heard the hesitancy in her voice.

“Or they locked us in tokillus. What kind of kink club has syringes and locks applicants into a back room that houses storage? There are no windows. No chairs or a table to sit at for an interview...”

“It’s not like we were applying for an office job, Ev.”

I was past listening to her reason. “This is how people go missing, Vena.”

“Calm down, and give me the knife. I’ll jimmy the lock.”

“With a knife?”

“Pressure and leverage. And the tubes might not be weird in an all-male strip club. Maybe they use them for, you know, cleansing if more than stripping goes on here.”

I paused as the picture of how those tubes might be used filled my head, purposely ignoring the fact that she didn’t mention the syringes.

“Are you saying we tried getting hired at a gay male strip club?” I demanded in a whisper.

Vena had the nerve to grin at me. “It does make you wonder why Miles received the coordinates for this place, doesn’t it?”

“Just get us out of here. And you can forget about coming back later.”

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