Dancing In Darkness (6 page)

“I’m not going to walk out on the woman that basically saved my life over some sex club that I might not even want to be a part of.” She was adamant. “I’ll talk with her but if it’s a problem, then the answer will be no.”

“Agreed. If you do decide to join us, and I hope you will, I think it will be a fascinating night for you as well as for us, I can send a car for you to drive you out.” He told her.

“I can drive myself, just give me the address.” She said.

“Ah, I can’t do that. Again, no contract, and member privacy are of our utmost importance.” He explained.

“Leave me a number where I can reach you, after I speak with Nina I will contact you either way.” She told him.

Handing her a business card with his number, he told her that he hoped she would agree to do this. If she did and was successful at capturing the interest of the members, there was a possibility that other clubs in the networking area would want to hire her on as well. This could be very lucrative for her and she had to consider it. She had been looking for ways to branch out and now this offer fell into her lap.

“Mr. Linston, I will call you as soon as I hear anything from Nina. Now, I should excuse myself and gather my thoughts. Thank you for the coffee and for the offer. I will be in touch.” She told him.

“The pleasure was all mine.” He replied.

What the hell was this? She felt like she should be looking around for hidden cameras. This was the single oddest thing that she could have had happen to her. It was also the single best paid opportunity she had ever had. If she could handle the strip club, she could handle a small group of members of some club, right? Plus, if she decided to take this on, not only would she be making twenty thousand dollars per month for two days of work, she wouldn’t be an exotic dancer at Nina’s and constantly looking over her shoulder for a murderer. It made sense on several levels.

Pressing the numbers for Nina, she felt kind of silly. How was she going to bring this up into conversation? “Oh, they want me to dance for a sex fetish club.” She laughed out loud at the ridiculousness of it. Really, there was nothing else to say, that was the exact truth. Wait until she tells her that she can’t tell her about it because of a non-disclosure agreement she had to sign first. This just got better and better.

“Hello?” Nina answered.

“Nina, it’s Priscilla, I need to talk with you for a minute about something serious. I was just offered a private position as a dancer for a member’s only club. The problem is, it’s the first and third Saturday’s of every month. Tonight being that first Saturday.” Priscilla explained to her.

“Seriously? Those people pay damn good money.” Nina said, not phased in the least.

“Wait, you know these people?” She asked her.

“No, not technically. I know of them. Have known girls that left big clubs to work two times per month.” Nina told her.

“So it’s not a bunch of bullshit?” She asked.

“No, not at all. It’s not often that they find the girl they are looking for, and it’s unheard of for them to actually seek her out.” Nina went on.

“Would you mind if I went to check it out tonight? I know with everything going on, we are short on dancers, but this could be life changing.” Priscilla pleaded her case.

“All you had to do was tell me you needed the night off. You haven’t missed a single shift and had picked up more along the way.” Nina said, “I don’t mind helping you out.”

“You are the greatest and I love you!” Priscilla told her. “I am a little nervous though too. I mean I don’t know what to expect. The element of surprise is definitely on their side. I’m in the dark on this one.”

“You’ll do amazingly well, I have no question.” Nina said.

Hanging up and dialing her phone again, she called Adam Linston. She had to have a car set up to pick her up and she would need to know what time she would be done. Tonight would be her first party and she was a little excited on top of the nerves.

“Hello, Mr. Linston?” Priscilla said.

“Hello, Priscilla.” He replied.

“I just wanted you to know that I will take up your offer for the night. I will try this party and see how it goes. I won’t promise you anything though. Except for discretion. I will be discreet.” She told him without stopping.

“I’ll have a car meet you in front of the same coffee shop from earlier, if that works for you?

“Yes sir, it does.” She said. “I’ll see you around six thirty.”

“See you this evening and thank you for getting back to me so soon.” He added.

CHAPTER SIX

Parking the car just before six twenty, Priscilla could see that the limousine was not there yet. This gave her some time to think about what she was getting into. Over her time in Florida she had held a variety of jobs, even her most recent and current as exotic dancer. She always did what she needed to make ends meet, but this time was different. This would give her an opportunity to not only live comfortably, but to be highly secure financially allowing for her to do more of the things that she wanted to do. With just two Saturdays per month, bringing in twenty thousand was going to be a cake walk. Although she wasn’t exactly sure what she would be a part of, if it was strictly dancing for her, who cared what they were participating in, as long as it wasn’t illegal?

Exactly at six thirty she saw the car turn the corner and pull up in front of the empty coffee shop. Adam stepped out of the car and leaned against it. Of course he didn’t see her, she was parked across the street in the lot with other cars. When he got out, she opened her door and stepped out as well. He had his back to her and didn’t see her until he heard her heels on the pavement as she crossed the street. Turning to look at her, he realized just how beautiful she was.

“Priscilla.” He said simply.

“Adam.” She said in return.

“Are you ready to go?” He asked her.

“Nervous but ready. I guess there is no better time than the present.” She giggled a bit.

Driving for what felt like forever, Priscilla found herself thinking of Nina’s. Hoping that there were enough girls there to cover. Things had changed for everyone since the deaths of Zena and Diamond. There had been no new developments and nothing close to solving the cases. However, it was of general assumption that they were related, due to the circumstances. Both girls died by the same manner, as well as all of the other similarities and connections. Priscilla had been fearful since Diamond’s murder, because someone was targeting them directly. Who would want to hurt two women who had done nothing to anyone? It was a question that she wasn’t sure would ever be answered.

Jarring her from the emotional state she was approaching, Adam told her they were almost there. “Just down the road here on the left. You should be able to see it around this bend.”

Coming into view was an extremely large home. No, you couldn’t call it a home, it was a mansion by all definitions. She couldn’t pry her eyes away from it. Even in the dark, the lights coming from seemingly every window and doorway, made it appear gorgeous. Everything about this man looked like something from a magazine. Him, his home, his limo. Everything.

“It’s amazing.” She said in awe.

“You should see it in the daytime, when you can see the gardens and pool. I love it here. It’s far enough away from any cities, but not so far out that you can’t easily get there.” He said with pride in his voice.

“Nice. Looks like you have done well for yourself.” She commented casually. Thinking to herself, “If he knew where I was just a few short months ago, he wouldn’t have had me out here.”

“It wasn’t always easy, I was simply determined to get out of the hell hole I was in. Most of our problems are caused by something we either did or something we did not do. As children, we don’t have much input into what happens, but as we near adulthood we can start slowly changing that.” He told her.

The driver turned the car down a tree lined drive like you see again, in magazines. Weeping Willow trees intermixed with Wisteria. Even at night, though slightly creepy, you could see that it was beautiful.

“Well here we are. There probably isn’t anyone here yet, I don’t see any cars. This will give you time to change, I took it upon myself to provide you with your attire for the evening. Since this is a themed party, you will have to look the part.” He said. Inside he was still waiting for the panic button to push and for her to run. Finding someone new was not an easy task.“That’s fine, costumes are costumes. They aren’t a permanent wardrobe choice.” She answered.

Opening the door, Adam stepped out. She hadn’t realized how tall he was before now. Maybe because she was looking up at him from the seat of the car. He extended his hand and helped her out of the backseat.

Putting one foot in front of the other she nervously followed this stranger of a man into this mansion of a house. It was the hardest thing that she had to ever make herself do. She had to stop her mind from racing. He wasn’t a killer. The killer was stalking dancers from the club she actually worked at. This was some party for a bunch of freaks. That’s how she had summed it all up. Freaks, and yet here she was, here to put on a show for the freaks. Didn’t that make her one of them? In a brief moment of comic relief, all she could think was, “Let your freak flag fly.” She almost laughed out loud.

Before they reached the main door, it opened before them as if on cue. The butler, (of course there was a butler, she thought as she rolled her eyes) opened it as if he were showing in a king. Then again, for all she knew, he could be royalty. She never thought to ask, but she knew it wasn’t royalty, they wouldn’t have had a childhood where they wanted to improve themselves to this degree.

She had to admit, the foyer was beyond impressive. From the marble tile all the way to the domed ceiling. Breathtaking. There were two massive staircases off both sides of the foyer that led to a lofted area and the second floor. Walking through the foyer into the formal living room took longer than it did to walk across her entire new apartment. The art collection was amazing, everything about the house so far was insanely finished. She could get used to this, even though she would never achieve this level of wealth. This was beyond stability and crossed over into ludicrous.

“If you will follow me, we shall go downstairs to what is affectionately known as the dungeon.” He told her as he smiled. He noticed her eyes grew larger when he named the room.

“Okay.” She said, suddenly very unsure of her decision making skills.

She looked around for the staircase and didn’t see one off of this room. He walked to a wall and pushed a hidden button. To her amazement the entire bookcase slid to the right and opened into a long narrow hallway. There were a few doors on each side along the hall but she had no idea where any of them might go. He kept walking until the hall ended in yet another giant expanse of a room. Suddenly, she knew where she would be. The seating in the room spread so that the stage was in the center of the room. There was a pole and ribbons. She wasn’t too sure about the ribbon dancing, she had only tried once and it was an epic fail.

Looking around in her bag for her cellphone because this was the third time it had gone off, she saw that it was Nina. She couldn’t imagine what was going on that she would call her three times in a row. Hopefully she remembered that she was coming here tonight instead of to Nina’s Place. She would feel horrible if they were without dancers.

Asking Adam to excuse her for a second so that she could make a phone call, he showed her to a more private area of the room. It was a small sitting area that was cordoned off by large potted plants. Just another touch of detail that had not been left out. Dialing the number on her phone, she waited for Nina to answer.

“Priscilla, when you get finished there tonight, I need you to come to the club. I do not care what time it is. I’m not leaving until you get here.” Nina rambled on into the receiver.

“Nina are you okay?” Priscilla sounded extremely worried. It wasn’t like the older woman to be this upset and nervous.

“I have to go for right now and I know you are going to be busy. Please, come straight here after you are done. If he picked you up, have him drop you off here. I will take you to get your car.” She said.

Hanging up the phone, Priscilla was confused and worried. No, she was scared and terrified. She wanted to leave right now, but she had made this commitment and Nina told her to be dropped off there. She would have to make it through this party first.

“Everything okay?” Adam asked her.

“I don’t know for sure. When you take me back, could you drop me off at Nina’s, please?” She replied.

“Of course. Let me know if everything is okay.” He told her.

“I will, definitely.” She said, unable to shake the bad feeling that had settled over her.

“I can show you your costume and where to change now. Guests should start arriving any time. I still need to get the lights and music going. I’ll help you out the best I can tonight since it’s your first time.” He said to her.

“Thanks. I guess I should get ready then.” She replied.

Leading her past a couple of doors, he opened one on the left. When he turned the light on in the room she was stunned. It was a dressing room, with full length mirrors, benches, a sofa, vanity bench in front of the mirror. The closet was immense and filled with every costume type imaginable. Hanging from the hook on the door was hers for the night. It was a black vinyl bra and a thong to match. With it was a matching garter and thigh high boots. The bra had crisscrossed straps that wound around her torso. While it wasn’t her usual choosing for herself, she had to admit that it was rather hot.

When he left the room, she started to undress and neatly folded her clothes in a pile on the sofa. First the thong and then the bra. Getting the strapping just right was a chore, but she accomplished it. When she put the garter on, it took her a second to realize there were no stockings, these garters were meant to attach to the boots. Those were another story. She was trying to figure out how she was going to walk, let alone dance, in the sky high platforms. Whatever it took.

After dressing, she stuck her head out the door and called for Adam. “I’m ready as I’ll ever be.”

Entering the room he looked at her up and down. “You are amazing. I think our guests are going to be very pleased.”

“Entertained at least.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I do have a question.”

“Ask anything.” He told her.

“If these people are here for the ummm, activities of their choosing, are they really even going to be that interested in dancing on a stage?” She asked.

“You would be surprised. Some of the guests don’t even participate outside of the main room. It’s something about being with like-minded individuals. Plus, they do pay more attention than what you think.” He replied.

As they were talking, she could hear voices of others that had arrived before they made their way back to the main room. The lights had been lowered and replaced with softer red lighting. It made it difficult to see but she was sure her eyes would adjust. There was music playing loudly in the background, it had a good danceable beat and it was quite sexy. Priscilla didn’t know what the music was but she did like it. “I can dance to that.” She thought to herself.

She was somewhat self-conscious of her outfit now that she knew there were people in the room where she was going to dance. If she could undress for a huge room of drunk men, she could do this. “Get your shit together, Priscilla. This is nothing.” Her inner voice told her.

“Here you go.” Adam said when they had reached the steps of the stage. “Under the stage is a break area for you. There are drinks and snacks, a place to sit down. Don’t worry, it’s lighted and quite roomy. You won’t feel trapped.”

Priscilla tried to take it all in and listen to him at the same time. There certainly was a varying degree of members. She saw the gentleman in the business suit sitting in an oversized chair, next to him a woman. The woman was not in a chair, but rather, on her knees next to him, her head and eyes cast downward toward the floor, her palms face up on her thighs and he was holding a leash that was connected to the collar that she wore. She could see that there were several variations of this pairing scattered around the floor. There were women with men on leashes as well, so at least she knew it wasn’t something that was only against women.

“Adam, don’t these people on these leashes find it to be humiliating?” She questioned him.

“Perhaps to a small extent they do, however as a sub, they receive their joy from making their masters or Doms happy. Pleasing their Doms pleases them.” He explained.

It was all too much for Priscilla to wrap her brain around. She couldn’t imagine being any of the people she had witnessed on a leash.

“In all reality, Priscilla, it’s the subs that hold all of the power in these types of relationships. They have to consent to everything, without that trust and consent, there is no Dom/sub relationship.” He went on.

“To each their own I guess.” She replied.

“I’ll let you go so you can start. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask me. I’ll answer to the best of my abilities.” He told her.

“Okay, one more question first. Do you do this? You know, have a sub or are a sub?” She asked him. As soon as she asked she felt bad, that was private and if he wanted her to know, he would have already told her. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that.”

“It’s fine. It’s a legitimate question.” He responded. “No, I am not a sub. I’m not wired that way. Yes I am a Dom, currently a Dom without a sub.” He answered honestly.

“I see. Again, I am sorry for asking that.” She told him.

“Questions are how we learn, Priscilla.” He told her. “Come, it’s time to get you started.”

Taking her by the hand, he started to walk up the stairs to the top of the stage, she followed behind him now quite nervous. When they were on the stage he picked up the microphone that was placed at the very front.