Bang (A Club Deep Story)(2)

Club Deep

Be who you really are



And on the back, their website. My stomach sinks. There's no phone  number, no way to directly contact him. I head out to my car. With an  adrenaline shot like the one he gave me, who the hell needs coffee?  Besides, I'm not going to waste any time before finding out what the  hell Club Deep is. He seemed like he might actually be interested if he  didn't have ‘responsibilities.' So if this is the only way to see him,  then maybe I'll go. How bad could it be?





2





The Desert Rose Photography Studio is quiet today. The last couple of  weeks have been crazy with all the high-school homecoming celebrations  and portraits, but now we're in that period where everyone has had quite  enough pictures, thank you very much. I'm hoping that in the downtime  I'll be able to take some time and work on my own stuff, but we'll see  how it goes. Right now though, I'm engrossed in a website. Club Deep's  website, to be precise.

This is not at all what I expected.

The homepage is dark, the background a subtle picture of dancing women  in silhouette. Their tagline the only text on the homepage: "Be who you  really are."

But it's the ‘About' page that really gets me. Club Deep is a sex club. A  real-life actual sex club where people go to do … well it seems like  pretty much anything. There are pictures of themed rooms for sex,  packages for private rooms and pictures of a massive dance floor. I  didn't realize that these things existed outside of movies and books.  This isn't something I would have ever considered doing, but the way  he-Hudson-said it so casually, If you come to Club Deep.

What would it be like to go to a sex club? Maybe not even to have sex,  but to just see what it's like? To see what kind of people actually go.  And if I happen to run into Hudson while I'm there, then that's all the  better, right? The thought makes me blush almost as much as I did when  he called me beautiful. Even when I wasn't in the middle of a dry spell  as wide as the Sahara Desert, this is not usually something I would  think to do. I'm not that daring.

I click on the tab labelled ‘hours and rates' and I look over the  schedule. I've never been a lucky person, but something about running  into him earlier and then seeing this page feels like my luck just might  be changing. They're having a special event tonight, a masquerade party  since Halloween is a few days away. You have to buy a special ticket  for the party, but it's not expensive. No wonder he said he had  responsibilities. If I had bought a ticket to a secret sex costume party  I'd make sure that I went, too.

Oh wait … I just bought a ticket, too. Oops.

It's almost four o'clock. I'm out of here in a half an hour which is  plenty of time for me to hit up a store for a costume and not be there  too early. I have a feeling it's more awkward than polite to show up for  a sex party early. Then you're by yourself just waiting for other  people to show up? No. That sounds like a terrible idea. What should I  wear?

The door to the back office opens, and out comes Sandra, my boss, who's  the most laid-back woman I've ever met. She's a hippie through and  through in the best way. She looks around the studio, "Do we even have  any appointments today?"         

     



 

I laugh under my breath. "No. And I already cleaned the studio."

She shrugs, "Oh well. They'll all be back for Thanksgiving family photos."

"Won't that be fun."

Sandra swats me lightly on the arm, but she's laughing. "Well, at least we'll try to make it fun."

We both know that holiday family photos are the worst. Half the family  doesn't want to be there and it's hell trying to get them all to smile  and have their eyes open at the same time. But I stay here because  Sandra pays me well and gives me plenty of time to pursue my own  photography goals. She pokes her head over my shoulder. "What are you  doing?"

I blush, trying to close the window before she can read, but she starts  to laugh loudly. A laugh that I've only heard a few other times, filling  up the studio. "I knew you hadn't had any in a while, but I didn't  think that's the way you'd do it. Good for you."

"Good?" I'm trying to ignore the burning in my cheeks.

"Of course! You think I'm going to judge you for that? If you knew what  went on when I was younger you'd be redder than you are now."

This isn't happening. I close the browser window and pretend that I'm  buried in a hole where no one can see me. "Spare me those details,  please."

Sandra waggles her eyebrows. "I don't know, maybe it would give you some ideas."

A stab of pain goes through me. She's right. I'm not that interesting a  person, not that talented, not that beautiful. It's one of the reasons I  left Aguila. I was exactly what everyone said I was-completely average  and on track to stay there and do nothing and be nobody. Just like  Catherine said on the phone, I'm probably going to end up alone. But  just for tonight, I thought it would be fun to imagine what a man like  Hudson would see in me. I didn't lie to Catherine, I am happier here in  the city, and I have ambition. I want to be a successful photographer,  and I love that Sandra is helping me with that goal. But she's not  wrong, I'm not a person that would do something crazy like this. Or at  least I wasn't until I spilled coffee on a ridiculously handsome man  named Hudson.

"Sandra," I say, "This is embarrassing."

"Sweetie, at my age, nothing is embarrassing. Throw me a bone."

I feel like my heart is going to beat out of my chest. "I … ran into a man this morning," I say. "He mentioned this club."

She grins, "And you want to go see him?"

"Yeah..."

"Good for you, girl," she says. "It's a costume party?"

I laugh nervously. "Yes. But I think there might be more lingerie than actual costumes."

"Ooh," she smirks. "Sounds fun. Maybe I'll buy a ticket." The look on my  face must be horrified because she starts laughing again. "I'm just  kidding, dear. I'm too old for all that. Well, I'm not, but I understand  why you wouldn't want to go to a sex party with your boss."

"I mean … I'm not going to stop you," I say nervously.

Sandra rolls her eyes. "Don't worry. I have no plans to infringe on your sexy time."

"Oh," I hold out a hand, "I don't plan on-I'm not going to-" my breath  is shallow in my chest, and the words come out in a whisper, "have sex. I  just think it would be fun, intriguing, to see what one of these things  is like." The thought of going to this and actually having sex is  overwhelming and embarrassing. Even if Hudson did call me beautiful …

Sandra raises an eyebrow. "So …  you're telling me you bought a ticket to a  party you would never normally go to, to see a man you've only just  met, and you're not going to fuck him?" Blood flames in my cheeks again  and she nods like she's gotten a confirmation. Oh, God. Next time I need  to do my research at home. I love Sandra but this isn't something I  want to talk about with her. "Keep telling yourself that, dear. But when  the time comes, I hope you get some." She glances at her watch. "We're  not going to have any walk-ins at this point. Go get yourself something  sexy."         

     



 

"You sure?"

"Course I'm sure! But I want details tomorrow." She laughs as the blush  comes back into my face and I hurry out the door before she can  embarrass me further. She won't be getting any details out of me, that's  for sure. Though I'm sure she'll tease me until I'm blushing brighter  than a tomato. I already can't believe I'm doing this. But here I am,  driving to a lingerie store. For something I'm going to wear. In public.  What am I getting myself into?





3





"This might be the worst idea I've ever had," I say to the mirror. I'm  in the only lingerie store I know of, and they do have a hell of a  selection, but nothing feels right. I'm currently wearing a bright red  babydoll dress that feels garish and like I'm trying way too hard. This  was probably a mistake. It feels like I've already tried on the entire  store, and I don't know that I'm going to find something that I'm  comfortable in-if that's even possible when shopping for something  you're going to wear to a sex party.

"Hello?" A chirpy voice calls from outside the dressing room.

I open the door a crack and peek out at one of the sales assistants I've seen walking around the floor. "Hi."

"Can I help you find anything? I heard what you just said, and maybe I can help."

Groaning, I open the door further. She works in lingerie-I'm sure she's  seen plenty of women in it. "As embarrassing as it is," I say, clearing  my throat. "I'm going to a Halloween lingerie party tonight. I've never  done anything like this, and I have no idea what I'm doing."

Her face lights up. "That's awesome. I can totally help you."