Voyeur, page 2
I gripped the pen.
I was signing an agreement of the rules.
Because I was going to be an employee at Voyeur.
A sex club.
Goose bumps sprang up across my skin. The scrape of the pen across the paper sounded loud in the quiet room. But it felt like I’d re-opened the door to my education, and that made the smallest of smiles twitch on my lips.
“Okay, Miss Derringer. The final process requires you to submit to an STD test as you will be interacting with other employees, and we keep everyone safe. Then, another of my associates will look you over for me.”
Look me over? My expression must have given away my alarm because he chuckled and rushed to explain. “Her name is Agnes. She does this part to prevent me from getting sued for sexual harassment. But I can’t have you going out without her approval. I hate to say it, but the job is based on looks. While you look good in clothes, I need to know you don’t have a swastika tattoo on your ass for as much as you’ll be naked.”
The reminder of my nudity made me swallow. I was comfortable in my own skin and never hesitated over nudity, but anyone would be nervous to strip down for a stranger and perform.
“Personal upkeep is also continuously checked on. We need our employees clean and healthy, so we do regular checks.” He extended another paper across the desk. “Here’s the list of things that you can sign up to do. Feel free to look it over.”
My eyes almost bugged out of my head when I looked at the sheet with a list and check boxes on it. “This is the checklist you’ll be filling out each time you begin a shift to let members know what you’re comfortable performing that night.”
Anal.
Caning.
Solo Masturbation.
Joint Masturbation.
Vaginal Penetration.
Non-consensual Play.
Daddy Play.
Asphyxiation.
Dry sex.
Multiple partners.
Oral sex. (Male)
Oral sex. (Female)
I remembered back to when I thought I wasn’t a prude. Or when I said I’d experimented. Apparently, I skipped the caning experimentation phase and couldn’t say I was sad about it. Doubt began to creep in.
“Don’t let the list alarm you. These are at your own discretion, and I try to provide something for everyone. We have a wide clientele, and we keep it a judgement-free zone. If you’re unable to do that, then we should stop here.”
“No. No. I just . . .” A nervous laugh bubbled up. “No judgment. Different strokes for different folks. I’m just not sure I’m ready for a gang bang.”
Daniel was pretty damn handsome when he smiled. “Fair enough.” He leaned back in his chair and folded his hands on his tight stomach. “We try to make our employees as comfortable as possible and try to provide realistic scenes for our customers. Therefore, we usually pair up the same couples each time. Next time you come in, I’ll be sure your partner will be here so you two can meet. Jackson is off today.”
He stood, and I did the same. “Let’s find you a locker and introduce you to Agnes.”
I stared at his broad back as he walked toward the door and one thought raced through my head.
I’m in.
2
Callum
“You need to get fucked, man.” My best friend, Reed, stated this like a decree.
I bit back my initial response, which was that I wished that I could, and grunted instead. I was in no mood to encourage him. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to work.
“You’ve been so damn focused on your job.”
“I like my job.”
Reed took a long pull from his beer bottle, eyeing me with skepticism. I mimicked his motions and held his stare with one of my own.
“I don’t know why you didn’t take that bigwig job back in Cali when we graduated. I mean, I know I’m pretty, but you didn’t have to stay here for me.”
Nothing would ever get me back to California. I got out of that state as soon as I could. My parents still lived there, but they knew my stipulations and came to visit me instead. They knew my demons wouldn’t let me rest if I ever went back.
“I like it here,” I said, defending my decision. “It’s too sunny and there’s no snow in California. At least not in Sacramento. Cincinnati suits me.”
“I suppose I just sweeten the deal,” he joked.
“Nah, I’m really just here for your wife and her delicious meals.”
He rolled his eyes. “Speaking of Karen, she told me you gave her friend a peck on the cheek and bolted after your date.” He said it like I’d made her tuck and roll out of the car. “Listen, Cal. I say this with all the love, but Lucy is Karen’s slutty friend. The woman loves sex, and I was sure you would’ve taken her home.”
I nudged my spoon up to better line up with the knife centered on the napkin as I thought about how to answer. Reed had been my best friend since college, but he didn’t know everything there was to know about me. He didn’t know my secrets, and I wanted to keep it that way.
“She was nice. Just because we went on a date doesn’t mean we need to have sex.”
“How long has it been, Cal? A year? More?”
“Reed,” I said, my tone warning him to drop it. I didn’t want to answer that question because it had been a lot longer.
“It’s been more than a year since you broke up with what’s-her-face. I know you’ve dated, but when have you gotten laid?”
I took another drink of my beer, looking around at the other patrons of the restaurant avoiding meeting Reed’s eyes.
“You. Need. To. Get. Laid,” he said again.
“I get plenty of action.” I didn’t need to explain what kind of action I was referring to.
“No, you see plenty of action.”
“We all have our kinks,” I said avoiding that topic. “I’m sure you let Karen tie you up all the time.”
He didn’t take the bait and pushed on, letting out a growl, throwing his hands up. “You frustrate me, man. Look at you.” Reed gestured to me across the table. “Women flock to you. They dig all those muscles you go to the gym for. Karen raves to me about your eyes.” He fluttered his lashes and put on a woman’s breathy voice. “Callum’s eyes are so blue. They’re so bright.”
I laughed. “Jealous?”
“Yeah right. I satisfy my wife plenty. You’re just an enigma.” His eyes flicked to his left before leaning back. “I bet you don’t even realize the girl approaching our table has been watching you the whole time. She’s probably just coming over to be disappointed when she asks you out and you say no.”
I may not have been eager to be intimate with women, but that didn’t mean I didn’t date and appreciate a woman’s company. It didn’t mean I wasn’t attracted to them. I’d noticed the blonde across the room almost as soon as she walked in. My lips twitched when I thought about how I was going to make Reed eat his words.
I took one last swallow of my beer and then set it down, exactly back on the wet ring it had left on the center of the napkin. Satisfied with the fit, I leaned back and mimicked his position.
“Hi,” the woman said once she reached our table. “Excuse me, but I noticed you across the restaurant, and I just couldn’t leave without coming over to introduce myself.”
Her voice was soft and feminine, and I could imagine sharing conversations with her. I rotated my body toward her to get a better look. She was beautiful. Tall and slim in her black pants and flowy cream shirt. She looked professional—organized.
I shifted my lips into my most charming smile and extended my hand. “Hello. I’m Callum.”
“Shannon.” Her slim fingers slipped in my palm, feeling soft and fragile.
“Nice to meet you, Callum.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and cleared her throat. “Well, I don’t want to keep you, but I wanted to see if you’d like to get coffee sometime.”
I glanced quickly to Reed, making sure he was watching, satisfied by the smirk that was going to crumble.
“I’d love to have coffee with you, if you want to give me your phone number.”
“Yes. Yes, of course. I left my phone at the table but let me write it down and you can message me with yours.”
When she bent over and scribbled her number with the pen the waiter left behind, I smirked at Reed. I had to fight letting a laugh slip out when he mouthed, Fuck you.
I cocked an eyebrow and turned my attention back to Shannon.
Maybe she’d be different than the others. Maybe she’d be the one to help me move past my nightmares.
3
Oaklyn
After stripping down to the most minuscule pair of undergarments I’d ever known, Agnes gave me the approval I needed. Afterward, I went to the doctor they told me to use, and I got my STD test done. Lying on the table, a young female doctor between my legs, I wondered if she knew I was there because I needed to be clean for my performances. I wondered if she cared or judged the work I was going to do? Either way, she didn’t let on and I left the office, called only a few days later to let me know everything came back clean. No shocker there since I always practiced safe sex.
After finding out I was good to go, I’d headed to the Bursar’s Office armed with a whole new plan and plea to get me through the semester. To say I was lucky was an understatement. The man who listened and saw me almost break down in tears had helped me immensely.
We set up a payment plan to get my semester paid for before spring break, and he also found a spot for me in another work study program in the physics department. It seemed an easy solution since I was already in the building for my work study in biology.
For the first time in a couple of weeks, I felt like I could breathe, as though a weight had been lifted from my chest. The semester was going to be hard, but I wasn’t scared of hard work. My determination would keep me going. And next year, I’d be more careful. It would be easier. I just had to focus on these next few months.
However, I still kept my feelers out for other jobs, hoping to find something less . . . just less than Voyeur.
Less than the black pumps and Santa dress I currently wore. My breasts lifted to perfect display.
“Derringer.” Daniel called my name as he walked in with a tall, shirtless guy. To say he was attractive was an understatement. He looked like a modern-day James Dean and my jaw almost dropped taking in his bare chest and tight black jeans.
“My eyes are up here,” he joked.
“Be nice, Jackson.” Daniel issued a warning before speaking to me. “This is your new partner, Jackson.”
He reached his large hand out and I lamely placed mine in his, watching it get lost in his long fingers. “Hi, I’m Oaklyn.”
“Hey, Oaklyn. Can’t wait to make out with you.”
“Stop scaring her, Jackson.” Daniel glared at Jackson before turning toward me. “We keep it professional around here. Yes, there will probably be sexual acts between the two of you but think of it as an acting job. There will be a probationary period of sorts with you two to make sure the chemistry is there, and if it doesn’t work out, you’ll try another partner. So, don’t let Jackson scare you. He’s one of the nicest ones I know.” He turned his attention back to Jackson. “Don’t get yourself into a harassment suit. I’d hate to lose you.”
Jackson put his hands up in defeat. “Alright. I’ll lay off.” He turned to me with earnest eyes and a warm smile, different from the sexy smirk from earlier. “It’s nice to meet you, Oaklyn. If you have any issues, just come to me, and I’ll help you out.”
“Thank you,” I answered.
“But we probably should get together to talk soon. Get comfortable with kissing each other so it all seems more natural.”
“Yeah. Okay.”
My nerves had crept in and limited me to simple one- and two-word answers.
“I have paperwork calling my name,” Daniel said. “I’ll leave you two to it. Oaklyn, come to me if you have any issues or questions.”
And then it was just Jackson and me in the room.
“Nice outfit, Derringer,” Jackson broke the silence.
Outfit was an understatement. More like barely-there lingerie that resembled Mrs. Clause. “Thanks,” I responded dryly.
Jackson shined his perfect smile at me, and I couldn’t fight the smile back. Somehow, he’d already begun putting me at ease around him.
“You nervous for your first night?”
“A little. But a little excited too.”
“That’s good. It’s better to just think of it like acting in a play—to remove yourself from the porny feel of it.” He closed his locker and leaned against it, staring at me. “You going to select any partner work tonight?”
“Umm.” I looked down and fiddled with the white fur lining the bottom of my dress. “I don’t think so.”
“Maybe next time.” He stood to his full height and looked me over before walking toward me. Each step he took, my eyes grew wider and wider until he stood right in front of me. I watched, frozen, as his hand came up to cradle my cheek and he leaned down to press his lips to mine. They were soft and lush and not at all demanding. When his tongue flicked out at the seam of my mouth, I opened and met him halfway, tasting the fresh mint.
I had expected the kiss to go further, to shoot to my core and set off sparks along the way. Instead, it was comfortable. Friendly. He knew exactly how confused I was when he pulled back and took in my face.
“It’s a good feeling to have, Oaklyn. We’ll be better partners if our feelings for each other are mild.”
I nodded and muttered an okay. He gave me a quick peck and a slap on the ass before heading out.
“See you out there, Derringer.”
I walked to the entrance of the employee lounge and grabbed an iPad to enter what I was willing to do that night. A giggle burst up as I started checking things off. The situation of sitting there in a slutty Santa costume, picking out what sexual acts I was willing to do in front of strangers was too funny for that moment.
Bypassing all the partner work, I select almost every solo performance possible. Except anything that required anal masturbation. Pretty sure I wasn’t ready for that just yet.
I placed the iPad back on the charger and snagged a bracelet that looked like a Fitbit. It would buzz to let me know if anyone had selected me for the night.
Walking into the lounge, you’d never know the things that went on behind closed doors. A black modern bar with glass shelving was off to one side. Booths lined the opposite wall. A sprinkling of bar-top tables ringed the dance floor. Dim lighting lent a secretive air to the place. The piped-in music fluctuated between a variety of genres, but all with an upbeat tempo, filling any silence and absorbing any conversations going on nearby.
The only thing different between this and any other upscale club, was that the employees walked around in lingerie or other seductive outfits. I made my way to the bar and asked Charlotte, who was wearing a slutty elf costume, what she needed help with.
“Keep a pad on hand to take orders as you walk around. Eventually, you want to get better about remembering without writing them down. But for now, if you could run these to table twenty, that would be great.”
The next few hours passed in a blur of taking orders and passing out drinks. Jackson helped the time fly by playing twenty questions each time we passed each other. I found out that he was twenty-two and had worked at Voyeur for two years. He was bisexual and not into being dominated but dabbled in dominating himself. His favorite color was green, and he liked Tic-Tacs, but only the orange ones.
Surprisingly, I hadn’t gotten any lewd comments, and no one tried to touch me. Sure, men—and women—looked and flirted, but no one had crossed the line or made me feel uncomfortable.
“These people pay a lot of money to be here. If they wanted to flirt and get handsy, they could go to a strip club for free two blocks down. People tend to be more respectful of the rules when they’re dropping over a grand a month to satisfy a specific kink of theirs,” Charlotte had explained when I’d mentioned it.
She laughed when my eyes bugged out. “Jesus. I hadn’t realized how much the membership fee was.”
My bracelet began to vibrate. The feeling traveled up my arm, sending an electric shock to my heart and jolting it into action. Lifting my arm, I looked at it like it was a bomb about to diffuse. I went blank, unsure of what the next step should be. Even though I knew. We’d gone over it. Go to the iPad and check the specifications of the request. Accept or reject.
Charlotte patted my shoulder. “Hey, hey, girl. You got one.”
“Yeah,” I said softly.
“Don’t be scared. It’s like your virginity. The first time is the worst, but still fun, and it only goes up from there. And you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”
I nodded, and she turned my shoulders to head where I needed to go. “Now go get ‘em, tiger.”
I went to the iPad and pulled up my file to find the request, almost sagging in relief to see what it was.
Couple session.
Male: 58
Female: 55
Request: Solo Performance
Comments/Specifications: Like you’re coming home for bed, lay down and start reading a book. Then begin to masturbate but show nothing. Just your hand moving under your panties with your legs spread. Make enough noise, but not overly fake.
In room or privacy room: In room.
As for what could have been given to me on my first go, this was a gift. It wasn’t too much exposure and something I could pretend I was actually at home for. How many times did I read a book and end up playing with myself before falling asleep? Plenty.
This was just like that. Sort of.
I went to the back hallway that led to all the rooms and saw the tag hanging on the knob indicating the couple was already in the room.
“Don’t forget your panic button if anything should happen,” Tim, the security guard who was placed outside my door explained. “I placed it on the nightstand for easy reach should you need it. I’ll be right out here the whole time.”
