Total pages in book: 147
Estimated words: 140742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 704(@200wpm)___ 563(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 140742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 704(@200wpm)___ 563(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
“Joss?”
I blink. “Tate has a threesome band on.”
She drops her hand from my waist and pulls away, frowning as she looks at my bands again. “I thought you guys discussed tonight?”
“We did, and in the lobby, he all of a sudden decided he wanted me to ‘go have fun.’”
“Maybe you should then.”
I bite my tongue so I don’t say anything that might offend her. While this may not be my scene, it is Mallory’s, and it took her a while to admit that to herself and to us. The last thing I want is to shame her in any way. I take a deep breath and look at her.
“I respect that you like this. I think it’s super cool that you’re able to let yourself go and actually enjoy it,” I say. “But you know it’s not my thing.”
“I can’t imagine why. If I had a body like yours…” She shakes her head. “I would take full advantage.”
“What are you talking about? You’re perfect.”
She smiles sadly. “I went to therapy for years and was told that over and over, but you’re the only person who’s actually made me believe it.”
I grab her hand and squeeze it.
She sighs heavily. “There’s a bar down the hall. It’s beautiful and it’s fun. No one will be naked or doing anything in there that might make you uncomfortable. Go have a drink, or water, or whatever.” She pulls me into a tight hug, smothering me with her Chanel No. 5. “If you want to leave, I totally understand.”
“I’m not going to leave. We said we’d go for pizza after, remember? Besides, I want to be here,” I say, which isn’t a complete lie. “You go have fun. I’m going to head to the bar.”
She gives me one last long look before she leaves. I look down at my wristbands again and think about my conversation with Tate last night. He seemed curious, but not overzealous about coming, so I figured it would be perfect for us to check the place out and watch without actually participating.
Now that I know he only has a white and black wristband, I take a deep breath and step away from the partition, ready to tell Livie about this, but she’s gone. As are Devon and Tate. I look around as I head to the bar Tate was just at. The woman who had been there just moments before is gone, replaced by a man wearing a bow tie and the shortest and tightest black briefs I’ve ever seen. He smiles wide when he sees me.
“Cocktail of the night?” He points at the small digital board that displays a picture of the drink and its contents. “It’s included in the admission.”
“In that case, yes. I have a feeling I’m going to need a little liquid courage.”
He grins. “First time?”
“Yeah.” I look around again. “I already lost the people I came with.”
“That happens here.” He starts pouring things into a shaker. “It’s kind of like going to an art gallery. Everyone has their preferences, so groups rarely stay together.”
“How many rooms are there?”
“Ten if you count the pools.”
My eyes widen. “There are pools?”
“Indoor pools, but they’re not for swimming.” He winks. “There’s even a little forest outside. No animals, of course, but if you’re into the whole ‘caveman, catch me if you want to fuck me’ vibe, it’s available.”
“What the—how big is this place?”
“Big enough to fit approximately one hundred and fifty guests without having them run into each other. We cap it at eighty, though, so reservations are highly encouraged.” He shakes the drink and pours it into a small tumbler with ice. “Don’t waste your time looking for your friends. Go have some fun!”
“Yeah, I will.” I thank him as I take the drink and walk away.
They couldn’t have gone too far. If I’m being honest, I’m more upset with Livie than I am with Tate. We have a buddy system, and no one is supposed to get left behind. I walk into the next room, and the next, and then over to some that are locked. I whirl around and gasp, almost crashing into a blonde woman dressed like a bunny. She’s gorgeous, has a name tag that says Scarlet, and beams a smile that puts me at ease.
“Can I help you find something?”
“I lost my friends, so I went looking, but now all I find are locked doors.”
“Those are private.” She points up at a red light on top of the door. “If it’s red, it means it’s completely private. If it’s green, you’re allowed to watch or join if they give you permission. Most of the time, they’re red.”
“Oh.” I look down the hall and see a series of red and a couple of green lights. “That makes sense.”
“The doors have small windows, like in a classroom.” She walks over to the door behind me and presses the screen next to the door, which illuminates with the word “private.” “This window is shut since it’s private. The green ones will be open, so you can peek in without actually going inside.”