Page 33 of Savage King
I skim the rest of the room and feel myself deflate a little when I don’t see Rose.
A shiver runs down my spine as I walk directly to the bar and slide onto a stool. The bartender at this end is another tinywoman, but this one has blue hair and a ton of piercings, and when she sees me, she grins.
“Welcome,” she says. “What can I get you?”
“Whiskey neat,” I reply, and she lifts an eyebrow.
“Oh, I like you already,” she says as she grabs a lowball glass. “I have Macallan, Johnny Walker?—”
“Do you have Jack?”
Her smile widens. “Keeping it simple. Attagirl.”
She grabs the bottle and pours my drink, then passes it over to me before she moves on to the next customer, and I turn on my stool so I can look around while I sip my Jack.
Everyone here is fully dressed, thank fuck, because I don’t think I could handle being tossed in the deep end right away. Not only are they fully clothed, but the clothes are expensive. Lots of jewelry, watches, fashion that screams wealth.
I do not belong here in my Ann Taylor dress and Macy’s boots.
My eyes skim back to the group in the corner. A couple of them are looking my way. The pregnant woman smiles at me, and I can’t help but offer her a smile in return.
Finishing my drink, I set the glass on the bar, and the same bartender returns to me.
“Another?”
“I’ll pass. So, what’s behind the double doors?” I gesture to the tall black doors behind me, and she smiles.
“That’s the playroom.”
I nod and nibble my lip again.
The playroom.
“Sounds innocent enough.”
She laughs and then shrugs a shoulder. “I’ve personally never been in there, but I don’t think it’s terribly innocent. Go have a look. And you should know, the owner isverystrict aboutconsent here. Respecting boundaries. Nothing happens that you don’t want to happen.”
My shoulders loosen at her words. If Rose is here, do those rules apply to her too?
“Thanks for that.”
“You bet. If you have questions, there are employees in there. They’re dressed in white, and they can help you if you need it.”
“How do people become employed here?” I ask, since she’s offering information.
“The usual way, I guess. They send in a résumé, go through a vetting-and-interview process, medical screenings.”
“So, everyone is here ... voluntarily?”
Her smile slides right off her face. “Absolutely. Like I said, consent is huge here, and every single person employed here is paid well, respected, and not under any duress.”
I’m glad. But that also tells me that Rose probably isn’t here. That doesn’t mean that I can’t look around, just in case, since I’m already here.
Nodding, I slip off the stool and smile. “I’m Violet.”
“Rita,” she says with a wink. “Have fun.”
Have fun.
