Page 42 of Always Eros

“What’s going on?” I ask.

“It’s an exclusive club,” Eros says. “Only those with memberships or an established presence can enter. I let them know we’re only partaking in the main club tonight.”

“What else is there?” I ask, glancing around the darkened foyer. It looks like a castle to me, like in the fairy tales we sometimes read as kids.

“The upstairs is dedicated to people with more… specific ideas of fun.”

“Sex stuff?” I ask with a grin.

“Definitely sex stuff.”

A woman steps out from behind a curtain and smiles when she sees Eros. “Well, if it isn’t the elusive god of love.”

“Hi, Sinister.” Eros kisses her cheek. “How are you?”

“Beautiful as always. Who’s this little nugget of yumminess?”

I widen my eyes but say nothing, stepping slightly closer to Eros.

“My date,” Eros says, smiling proudly. “Justice, meet Sinister.”

“Pleasure,” Sinister says, her eyes focused on me in a way that doesn’t make any sense.

“Ah ah,” Eros says, pulling me closer. “All mine, Sin.”

The woman pops her bottom lip out. “You never share.”

“No, I do not. We’re going to the main part tonight.”

“Have fun. Tell Zax your first round is on me.”

“Thanks.”

Eros grips my hand and we step through a curtain to a wide-open space. It’s still dark, with black walls and red furniture. There’s a square in the middle of the floor that has people dancing on it.

“I don’t understand anything that just happened,” I say, rising on my toes so Eros can hear me.

“Sinister was flirting with you. She thinks you’re attractive.”

“Right in front of you?”

Eros stops walking, turning to face me. “You’ll learn that some people are more open with their sexuality than others, especially people who frequent clubs like this. You never know what someone is into until you ask. For all she knows, I may have invited her to join us in bed.”

“So normal people have sex with both genders?”

“It’s an orientation like anything else. Some people are attracted to all genders and others attracted to people regardless of gender. Are you familiar with things like sexual orientation and gender?”

I shake my head. “No. I mean, I know what boys and girls are. I know how sex works. Is there more?”

“So much more. We’ll talk about it. Sinister is actually transgender. Do you know what that means?”

“No.”

“It’s when a person’s assigned biological sex doesn’t match their internal gender. Sinister was assigned male at birth but came to understand she is actually female.”

“Oh. We have people like that at the compound. We call them tertius.”

“Third,” Eros whispers. “Are they treated well?”

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