“Did it finally slow down in the bar? That explains why my floors are mobbed. My guys keep telling them if they don’t have a room reserved it won’t happen, but it doesn’t keep them from hoping something will open up. This is typical Halloween behavior at Club X, though.”
“Maybe it would be better another time when it’s not so crowded?”
Kane’s blue eyes lit up and he gave me a smile. “Come around here. I’ve got an idea.”
I walked around behind the counter almost chest high on me and saw a bank of nearly twenty monitors he used to watch all the rooms. The scenes they showed were in black and white, but even in those bland colors I instantly saw what Carrie had meant by the freaky side of Club X.
He pointed at the screens and said, “Each one belongs to a room and I can use the bigger ones to take a closer look. Which one would you like to see better?”
A feeling of exhilaration raced through me. “I don’t know. This feels like spying on people’s private moments together.”
“If they wanted privacy, Shay, they’d stay home.” Looking down at me, he smiled. “Take your pick.”
My eyes traveled from one screen to the next, each one showing me sex and lust at its finest. A dark haired beautiful woman dressed in a nearly see-through black dress that fell to the middle of her thighs danced behind a window for a man who kneeled just inches from it staring at her like a starving man seeing food for the first time in months. I pointed at the screen and looked up at Kane. “He looks like he’s having a good time.”
“That’s exactly the fantasy he requested. He wants her close, but not too close as to tempt him. He won’t risk losing his wife and kids for his fetish, but he can’t stop himself either. So he has us stop him.”
“What’s his fetish?” I asked, studying the scene playing out in front of me.
“See-through clothing,” he said with a deep chuckle. “Gets him off every time.”
I turned toward Kane and shook my head in confusion. “Why doesn’t he just have his wife wear something see-through and save himself some money?”
“It’s not the same for him. Nothing to fight against.”
Rolling my eyes, I couldn’t help but think men were silly creatures. “Leave it to a man to want that.”
“Oh, you think this is just men? Look over here.” Kane pointed at the monitor farthest from me and I moved to stand in front of him to see better. “Sex is an equal opportunity game, Shay.”
I looked down and saw a woman sitting on a couch watching a man slowly undress another woman. As Kane and I stared at the monitor, the man removed a long white glove one finger at a time and then held it up for the woman next to him to examine. The entire scene had a surreal feel about it.
“What are they doing? Will he and the woman he’s undressing have sex right there in the room?”
Kane looked down at a sheet of paper and nodded. “After he removes every single piece of clothing she’s wearing, he’ll have sex with the woman on the couch. Simone had to find two of everything to wear tonight. The member has a thing for watching her husband undress another woman before she sleeps with him. See? Freak isn’t just a male thing.”
“Do you watch these every night, all night?”
“No,” he said with a grin as he sat back on a barstool. “I’ve seen everything here, so my eyes are trained to merely scan the monitors for any signs of problems. Other than that, I don’t watch because I don’t care.”
“Doesn’t anyone just have hot sex in these rooms?” I asked and felt my cheeks grow hot as I realized the words that had just come out of my mouth.
He nodded. “Sure, but most of what happens at clubs like this has little to do with just sex and almost nothing to do with love, so what you might think of as hot probably wouldn’t be what you’d see in any of my rooms.”
“This is an interesting place you have here. Thanks for the closer look.”
I felt someone’s hand touch mine and turned to see Stefan standing in front of me. His knitted brows and frown told me my boss was none too happy with me.
“What are you doing up here, Shay?” he asked sharply.
“Just getting the tour of Kane’s area.”
“You need to get back downstairs. I’m sure Kane can handle things on his own.”
I turned around toward Kane and bit my lip. “I think I’m in trouble with the boss. Thanks for the closer look,” I whispered.
“My pleasure. Come back anytime.”
As I walked toward the stairs, I tried to avoid Stefan’s angry stare and hoped I hadn’t ruined the good relationship we’d developed since I’d come back. I heard him snap at Kane, but didn’t quite understand what he said as I hurried downstairs back to see how Lola was holding up.
After the club closed, Lola and I stood in stunned amazement at how much the two of us had earned for just one night of bartending. This was what I’d come to Club X for.
“Can you believe this, Shay? I’ve never made this much in my life!” Lola squealed as we counted out our tips.
“I guess dressing up like this was a good idea, after all. A little T and A gets some great T-I-P-S,” I joked.
Stuffing her earnings into her purse, she finished the last of her clean up and motioned toward the door. “Want to get some breakfast? I’m starving.”
As much as I liked the idea of hanging out with Lola, after a long night all I could think of was hitting the bed, even though it would be another night alone. “Another time, okay? I’m feeling pretty beat.”
“No problem,” she said with a big smile. “I’m off tomorrow night, so I’ll see you Saturday?”
“I’ll be here. Be careful walking out.”
“I always ask Stefan to walk me out when I leave this late, so no worries. See you later!”
Lola headed toward Stefan’s office, and I finished the rest of my work. The idea of going home to bed had seemed like a great idea, but the fact that Elliot was gone and I was headed to an empty apartment made it more sad than anything else.
Lost in thought, I didn’t see Stefan approach the bar until he was right in front of me. “Hey, Shay. Good job tonight. You and Lola handled this front bar like the experts you are.”
Forcing a smile, I said, “Thanks, Stefan. I hope you weren’t too angry about me checking out the fantasy rooms upstairs.”