“Can I help you?”
She was attractive in a really unassuming way. Her blond hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, her eyes covered in chic and stylish eyeglass frames, and her outfit was obviously expensive, though it looked like it would be more appropriate in a five-star restaurant than a sex club, but her shoes—oh, I’d recognize those shiny black stilettos with their unmistakable red soles anywhere. The lady had excellent taste in footwear.
She lowered her eyes behind her glasses and I saw her blush. She lifted her fingers and fidgeted with the gold key that was hanging from her neck. She looked about as uncomfortable as any woman alone in this kind of establishment could look.
“No. I don’t think anyone can help me. I’m not even really sure what I’m doing here.” She lifted her gaze back up to me and shrugged.
I frowned a little and pushed the shot that was in front of me down to her. “Try that. It might help.”
She looked at the shot glass then up to me. A half grin pulled at her lips. “Thanks, but I would choke on it and look ridiculous. That’s why I was watching you. I was in awe of how effortlessly sexy you seem to be. You look like you were made to be part of this place. I feel so out of my element.”
I wasn’t sure if that was a compliment, but considering I stood to make a lot of money off of this club, money that I was determined to put back into the community in some way, I was going to choose to take it as one.
“What are you doing here, then? I know how much it costs to get your hand on that little key hanging around your neck, so obviously you want to be here.”
She picked up the shot and tossed it back. It did make her cough and turn red. I bit back a laugh as I reached out to pat her on the back. Once she got some air back in her lungs, she looked at me through watery eyes and explained, “I have a very high-stress job and I work a million hours a week. I’m not really looking for a relationship or anything serious. I just wanted to go somewhere I could have fun, let go of the control a little. I thought this place was the perfect fit, but once I got here, the idea of forking over hard-earned cash for someone to put me over their knee and spank me seemed so cheap and silly.” She sighed. “It’s just ridiculous.”
I let my gaze slide down from the top of her head to the tips of those fabulous shoes. If ever there was a lesson to be learned about not judging a book by its cover, this was it. I clicked my tongue at her and leaned a little closer so that I could lower my voice when I talked into her ear.
“You should never feel cheap or guilty for wanting what you want. You should be proud and not afraid to ask for it. Look around you.” I indicated the packed club. “All these people are here for the same reason as you. And who says you have to pay for it? You’re cute, you have great taste in shoes, and I bet we can find you a guy that would be more than happy to give you what you need at no extra cost.”
She blinked at me again and I saw a warm flush work into her cheeks. She looked so sweet and so proper that the idea that she wanted someone to spank her made me want to laugh, but I liked how unassuming she came across, so if that’s what she was after, I would help her get it.
“I’m not very good with men. I’m shy and I have a hard time carrying on a conversation around someone I find attractive. I usually end up looking like an idiot.”
I leaned back away from her and started scoping out the men circulating in the bar area. Many of them were already with women, many had that lock clicked shut where it dangled around their necks, and a few were obviously the hired help working the crowd to make a buck, but there were a few that appeared to be single and looked like they would be an all-right fit for the blonde.
“You don’t need to have a conversation. All you need to do is find out if he’s into what you’re into, and if he is and you think he’ll flip your switch, you give him the green light.”
She gulped a little and fidgeted with the empty shot glass in front of her. “Doesn’t that make me easy?”
I lifted both my eyebrows at her and indicated the tight, black leather pants I had on and the deep red bustier that was barely containing my chest. “Do I look like the type to judge? And what’s easy? You had to buy a membership, work up the courage to come in here, and find the right guy. That all sounds like work to me. Besides, what happens in this club stays here. That’s part of the fantasy. No one else should ever get a say in the kind of sex you choose to have as long as it’s between consenting adults.”
She considered me thoughtfully for a few seconds and then moved away from the bar. “You’ll help me?”
I nodded. “Sure, and if I can’t deliver, then you always have the option of taking one of Nassir’s guys for a spin.” I pointed to a beefy-looking young man that was obviously checking her out. She put a hand up to her neck again and turned wide eyes to me.
“Holy shit.”
I laughed a little and took her elbow to guide her toward a table of guys that were just a few feet away. “He has good taste.”
“Who? Nassir or that guy?” She had some sass. That made me like her even more.
“Both. Now let’s go get you what you want.”
The first table of guys was a bust. They were too young, and as soon as we approached they couldn’t tear their eyes away from my boobs long enough to pay attention to my new friend. A guy at a second table had more potential, but when he tried to talk to the blonde, she really did clam up and the situation got awkward fast. I struck out with guy three as well. Turned out he was much more interested in the handsome bartender than he was in what we were offering, and I could feel the woman’s confidence and enthusiasm starting to waver with each failure. I told her not to give up even though I was starting to wonder if I was going to be successful in my plans when an older gentleman caught my eye. He was standing off to the side of the crowd watching the circus with amused eyes. He had dark hair with a liberal sprinkling of silver woven into it and a strong jaw with a bit of dark scruff along the edge. He was very, very good-looking in a mature kind of way, and as I started to make my way toward him his gaze skimmed over me and landed solidly on my charge.