Page 9 of Ruined
“I guess I didn’t want to scare you by saying clothes were optional here,” Kyrin replied, turning toward me and squeezing my hand back. “Besides,I’mnot the one you should be saying that to. I like yellow.”
Even though his mask covered it, I knew he was smiling. It was that moment that I decided to stop caring about how I looked, since it was obvious that no one else here did.
The top of the stairs opened into an office resembling a penthouse. Everything inside was immaculate, no stains, no impressions on the seats,nothing. Every item had its place,as if nothing within the four walls had ever been moved. I was immediately uncomfortable, especially with how sterile it felt. There was no color—no life. The room reminded me of a hospital,or a prison.
A voice deeper than Kyrin’s pulled my attention toward the desk, where the man who had been watching us now stood. “I want to make my expectations very clear. You were invited here tonight because we’re testing you on your skill. We want the atmosphere captured. If you can do that, we’ll talk about the next steps.” Pausing for only a slight second, he continued, “We’re looking for headshots and members in motion. We want the masks—and what weofferhere—to be the primary focus. Do you think you can handle that?”
I cocked my head to the side, stuck on the fact he hadn’t even introduced himself. Holding out my hand, I stepped toward him. “I’m willing to bet you’re Silas.”
He made no attempt to move. “And I’m willing to bet you don’t survive tonight.” Instead of shaking my hand, his head moved up and down slightly, like he was sizing me up. “The darkness here tends to destroy anything that it deems too bright.”
So, he was the one who had a problem with yellow. I pulled my hand back and straightened, making it clear he didn't intimidate me. “Is that what this club offers—what I’m supposed to capture?Darkness?”
Silas’s answer was immediate, his voice seeming to fill the space around us. “What we offer here goes deeper than that.Our darkness is one that invades without you knowing, a slow kind of ruin. A type that eats at you until you're ready to admit exactly who you are. You don’t strike me as someone who would understand that.”
My eyes locked onto his mask as his words echoed inside my head. Each time I heard them, my anger rose.Who did this man think he was? “Andyoudon’t strike me as a people person. Tell me—did you go with the masks because you're ashamed of your dick size? Is that what your whole attitude is about?”
When he answered, his response was to Kyrin. “Huh. Color blind and childish, nice choice.” The words were dismissive, his tone bordering between disinterest and disgust. With his head inclined toward me, he continued. “Are you sure you want to be responsible for her? There are a million other photographers we could use.”
The anger in me magnified, and I didn’t know whether I wanted to swing at him or just leave his presence altogether. Steadying myself and the growing irritation, I responded with a clipped voice. “No oneis responsible for me.” Then, I softened my tone as I turned toward Kyrin. “Let’s just get started, yeah?”
Silas watched the interaction and scoffed as Kyrin let out a loud laugh. “Yeah, sunshine, let’s go.”
The repeated nickname was enough to push me over the edge, and I pointed my finger at him as he crossed the space in front of me. “Don’tcall me that.”
Silas stepped around us, ignoring the interaction, and led us back to the main floor. Exiting the stairs, I noticed a group ofnaked models lined along one of the walls. I immediately knew they were waiting there for me. I studied each of their bodies before turning to Silas, who seemed to already be watching me.
He was expecting me to fail.
A large smile formed beneath my mask as I faced the models. Looking around, I scoped out the areas around us and scanned for the best backgrounds.
Fuck him and his stupid darkness.
One by one, I took the model’s hands and repositioned them, gauging the light. Within seconds, my instincts kicked in and several visions formed in my mind. I began directing the women with silent gestures as the bass of the music picked up and thundered around us. They followed my cues easily as I aimed the camera toward each of them and started shooting. After checking quality with a few test shots, I angled myself to catch the fog and the gleam of leather props hanging behind them. After a few simple poses, I encouraged them to move with each other instead. Eventually, I pulled away from staging them and just observed from the side with my camera. I’d just captured a few amazing close-ups when I heard an eruption of throaty moans nearby.
Looking to my left, I followed the sounds until I reached a room filled entirely with green light. The hue cast a haze over everything, including the people inside. Everyone was fully immersed in play with someone and unbothered by the fact that I had entered. I couldn’t stop watching them, completely lost in the moment. It was captivating, even to me.Maybe thedarkness he was talking about was this. A feeling that left you intoxicated and full of adrenaline.
It took me half a second to decide thatthiswas what I needed to capture next. Lifting my camera toward the group in the middle, I dismissed all the models around me besides two. My eyes widened beneath my mask as I moved closer to document their passion. Every movement was real and raw, filled with a feral need.
That exact feeling was what I needed to produce for these pictures to turn out—the feeling that stripped away all simplicity and turned up the intensity.
Steadying my camera, I stepped further in and directed the models to join them. The people in front of us gladly welcomed the company, grabbing at them with low groans and lapping tongues. Immediately, one Volunteer dropped to her knees as a Dom pushed inside her mouth.
I watched until I found an opening, slightly adjusting the models themselves to caress the back of heads or squeeze thighs. Seizing every opportunity, I went to work capturing the feeling within the room. I didn’t hesitate as I moved around, letting Silas's doubt guide me on what to do next. Soon, my simple suggestions turned into instructions on how to please one another, and I captured that as well—all while keeping my camera angled so the masks were fully visible.
I used the room too, moving around to catch their reflections in the mirrors surrounding us. Kneeling, turning, and stretching, I focused on anything that would help catch theunique energy here. I was completely in my element, and I knew the pictures would prove that, but I also planned on succeeding just to slap the shit out of Silas with my worth.Other photographers? He could suck my metaphorical dick.
For all I cared, they could leave the room,the whole building, and I’d be just fine. As for now though, they were probably still watching me intently. Honestly, at this point, I was barely paying attention to their existence anymore. Especially because the more I watched the people in front of me, the more everything else seemed to fade into nothing.
As they groped each other, I bent them into position, guiding hands, and opening mouths. With each choice I made, the pictures came out better than I initially imagined. Each shot caught a different form of euphoria, at one point I was even able to capture one of the women as she hit climax, her head thrown back in ecstasy.
When I finished the last round of shots, I stepped back until I made contact with one of the walls. The rigid surface grabbed my attention, and for a moment, I lowered my camera and allowed myself the opportunity to step out of my job and be aWatcherfor a moment.
I could immediately tell why this mask existed. The air in the room was pure electricity, crackling with every movement and I was able to witness it all. From my corner, I watched the people in front of me unfold into a blur of skin and tongues.
The more I watched, the more I understood this place, how it could be a craving to some and a need for others—myselfincluded. The realization made me angry, because there was no way in hell I was admitting that to the devil who owned it. Silas Solstice was already a big bag of smug.
I crossed the room and headed back toward the two men who followed me in. Sliding the camera strap over my head and settling it securely against my chest, I stopped directly in front of them. A sudden rush of confidence, along with my growing irritation, fed into my petty side as I locked in on Silas. Slowly using my hand to move my hair to one side of my neck, I paused at my chin and slipped the Watchers mask free from my face.
