room. Surprised, she stepped through a very cozy and normal scene. The place wasn’t intimidating at all.
Destini held her small clutch with both fingers. Men were sharply dressed in dark suits in shades of black, some leather and some not. There were a few women like her. White, Black, Indian, Middle Eastern, Asian, Latino. It was a cornucopia of races of men.
Destini found the nerve to move on. Others, men mostly, gathered at the bar. There seemed to be a shortage of ladies, unless upstairs...
Maybe upstairs is where a small-town girl like you is introduced to the strap? You know that’s where you’ll be heading eventually. Are you ready? Of course you are, Destini, this isn’t your first time at the rodeo. How many times have you visited a place like this in your dreams? Careful though, reality can have a different bite .
Destini cast aside the warning voice in her head and conjured more of Rain’s fearlessness. The music tempo switched to another jazzy melody with the piano rippling sweetly in key with the musician’s love affair with his saxophone. Again she had to give it to them on their choice of music. It definitely set her at ease. Destini stepped deeper into the room. Open and spacious like a large warehouse, Club Ajani’s floor plan had taken up more with floor space than actual seating. A long bar occupied one wall and several booths spacious enough to seat ten each occupied the other. Tabletops were covered in black linen topped with vibrant blood-red roses and black candle centerpieces.
She kept glancing to the booths. Some had dark drapes drawn. Some not. Singles and couples lounged, sipping drinks and observing, just as she was.
“Excuse me, beautiful.” A stranger with a mask sidestepped her, his hand brushed close against her.
Destini frowned at the unwanted touch. But the action broke her from the spell. That was the interesting thing about the club. Some men and women concealed their identity, and some didn’t. She wondered if she should have worn a mask too. When she looked back to the booth, she could see nothing remarkable. She wondered why she felt so compelled not to turn away.
She decided on the bar and gracefully headed that way. She caught the eye of several as she passed but it was the men who wore masks who stared the most heatedly. Avoiding the challenge she met in their eyes meant she kept hers trained on the bartender only. She needed a drink. Maybe two. Then…
Then maybe you’ll be ready? Come on, Destini. You are ready; you just got to loosen up. You’ve made it this far, what’s the point of not seeing this through?
“What can I get for you, sexy?” the bartender with a devilish smile asked as he wiped down the counter. She went for the open seat, but the man before her stood. He offered his instead. Destini smiled her thanks and sat down. Coolness spread over her thighs and she tugged at her rising mini. She thought the split was sexy when she strutted out the door, now she felt overly exposed. So much was revealed from her raised hem that she put her clutch bag in her lap to make sure her jewel remained covered.
“I’ll… I’ll have a dry martini,” she said.
“Your name?” a voice spoke to her left.
“Rain.” Destini accepted her drink. She cast the man a shy smile. He looked so much like Russell it set her stomach to fluttering.
“So tasty,” he said under his breath. “I wonder if your pussy is as sweet?”
“Uhm,” Destini steadied her voice and nerves. She spoke up boldly. “Is that your very best? Tasty?”
“It’s only a compliment, beautiful,” he said, moving a martini toothpick over his tongue to the corner of his mouth.
“Move on,” she said.
He blinked, his silky brows dipped, and he pulled back from how he had leaned toward her. “Yes, ma’am,” he said obediently, sliding from the barstool. Destini couldn’t believe it. She opened her mouth and spoke and it—it just happened. Most times when men approached or