A Gray Area Read online

  “You have training sessions?” I asked casually.

  “Oh yes! Several types with our professional trainers who will guide you through a world of sexual possibilities. Each trainer is an expert and will be as hands-on or hands-off as you desire. Nothing that happens in your session will leave the room unless you wish it. We are the soul of discretion here at Dirty Nothings.”

  We entered a small sitting room with doors set into three of the four walls. There was the door we'd just entered through, one to the left of it, and one across the room. The fourth wall was on our right and had a window in it, but its curtains were pulled shut. No, not curtains; heavy, tapestry drapes that no breeze short of a storm could budge.

  “The men's lounge is through there.” Mimi waved to the door across from us. “Please have a look around at the facilities and then enter the club through the red door. We'll meet you in the main room.”

  Malik gave me a wary look.

  “It's just a few minutes, darling,” I teased him and kissed his cheek as I gave him a meaningful look. Then I turned back to Mimi. “He hates being parted from me.”

  “Really?” Mimi licked her crimson lips. “And Dav, is it? Are you the third in this menage?”

  Davorin choked and went red. “Um, no; I'm single.”

  “Wonderful!” Mimi's dark eyes lit up. “We'll see you soon.”

  Mimi took my hand and led me into the Women's Lounge. I nodded my head in the direction of the other door to hurry Malik and Dav along. They gave each other a wary look and then went forward as if they were walking to the gallows. I chuckled. You'd think men would be more eager to get into a sex club.

  “Is this their first time in an alternative lifestyle club?” Mimi asked as the door shut behind us.

  “Yes; they're nervous.” I gave her a secret smile.

  “But you have experience?” She trailed her long nails down my arm.

  “Well, I've done some research.” I shrugged. “I've never actually been to a club like yours, but I'm looking forward to seeing firsthand what you have to offer.”

  “Excellent!” Mimi wound her arm around mine and escorted me forward. “I love newbies. Here we have a resting area. The pursuit of pleasure can be quite taxing.”

  She waved her hand at a collection of chaise lounges set on thick, white carpet. More of those heavy, velvet drapes covered the walls. Nothing as mundane as drywall was allowed there. A few women laid across the lounges in various states of undress; one completely naked. Her body displayed angry red welts that she stroked absently. The women talked in hushed tones and sipped glasses of champagne. When they noticed us, they lifted their glasses in salute to Mimi and smiled.

  “Ladies.” Mimi nodded to them and led me past. “Here is our changing room.”

  We went through an arch into an upscale shower room. There were wooden lockers to the right and a bathing area to the left; tiled in pale blue with individual stalls for privacy. Steam drifted across to the other side. Curtained changing rooms were set among the lockers. Straight ahead, on the opposite side of this room, was a red door. There was no getting lost here.

  “And now, welcome to Dirty Nothings,” Mimi declared dramatically as she opened the door.

  I stepped out into an enormous, circular room. It was two stories high with a ring of windows at the top. Elegant, Old World wallpaper gave it a warm feel and the potted plants set around the place added some freshness. Sheer curtains hung in straight lines from the ceiling to partition the room; creating the illusion of privacy for those within while concealing absolutely nothing. The carpet was thick and cardinal red; helping to muffle the moans, cries, and slaps of flesh on flesh.

  In the center of the room there was a round stage; a shiny, black pedestal with a single set of steps leading up to it. A muted spotlight shown down on a redheaded woman who was bent over a wooden contraption that looked like half an X with a plank laid over the top of it. Her arms were strapped to the plank; stretched out to the sides. Her legs were buckled to the bottom half of the X. She wore a corset and that was all. She was a real redhead.

  I blinked and tried not to blush as a powerfully built man thrust himself inside her hard enough to rattle the wood. As he did, he zapped her with an electric rod; the sort you use on cattle. His ass clenched with each thrust and sweat dripped down his muscled chest. The woman was screaming in ecstasy and when the man reached between her legs and started rubbing her violently, liquid streamed over the stage and down her legs. The thick crowd of seriously under-dressed people applauded her orgasm.

  “What the fuck?” Malik whispered as he and Davorin joined us.

  “Oh, Melody is a squirter,” Mimi said gaily. “That's not piss, in case you were wondering; it's female ejaculate. Well, technically, female ejaculate has a hint of piss to it so it's partially piss.” She giggled.

  “Girls can ejaculate?” Davorin looked as if the laws of Nature had just been overturned. “And it's part pee?”

  “Just a very small part,” Mimi amended. “it's mostly prostate enzymes.”

  “Girls have a prostate?” Davorin was wide-eyed.

  “A female version called the Skene's glands.” Mimi nodded. “They located in the front wall of the vagina; they surround the urethra.”

  “Nope; too far!” Davorin held up a hand. “I don't wanna know.”

  Malik nodded emphatically in agreement.

  “They're adorable,” Mimi murmured to me.

  Both Davorin and Malik grimaced at Mimi as I hid my grin.

  “Come on, Mr. Adorable.” I took Malik's hand. “Don't be shy.”

  Mimi had let go of me in favor of clinging to Davorin's arm. She rubbed her tiny breasts against his bulging bicep and smiled up at him. “There are stages for all of our exhibitionists in the main room. Voyeurs are encouraged to watch but may not participate unless invited.” She waved her hand out to draw our attention to the other, smaller stages that were set along the curved wall. “We can take a closer look if you like, or I can show you the private rooms.”

  I took a quick look around the room and didn't see the aura I was looking for. “The private rooms please.”

  “This way.” Mimi drew us forward.

  There were several doors around the room, but Mimi led us to one directly across from us; making us walk the gauntlet. We wove through couples, thruples, and quadruples who were moving from the main stage to the smaller ones now that Melody's performance was over. They perused the other stages like hungry lions trying to decide on their next meal. There were light murmurs beneath the cries of rapture, but no one spoke loud enough to detract from the entertainment. I glanced up as we passed one of the smaller stages and saw a woman dripping hot wax from a candle over a man's erect penis. He moaned; his hips jerking forward as he strained against the ropes that held him down. I blinked and looked away.

  Mimi took us into a hallway that looked as if it could have come out of any Victorian manor. The wallpaper was velvet rose, the wainscoting was mahogany, the floor was an intricate parquet, and the art was expensive oil paintings... with erotic themes. I cocked my head at a portrait of an erect penis surrounded by flowers. The bouquet made the penis look like an enormous flower stamen. It was done well enough to be considered art, not pornography. But it led me to a question. Was it still a portrait if there wasn't a face in it? Perhaps it was considered a still life. Genitalia d'art. Although, the moans, screams, and slapping sounds that filtered out through the closed doors lining the hallway made the art seem more naughty than it was. It was one thing to appreciate an artist's eye for the human form and search for his or her underlying meaning in a sterile gallery and quite another to admire the same painting in a house of sexual hedonism.

  “Ah, here's an open room.” Mimi fluttered her fingers at a sign.

  A beautiful gold frame hung beside the door. The white panel in the frame had black lettering that read; open. As opposed to the signs hanging beside the other doors that had red backgrounds with the words “in use”
calligraphed on them in gold. Mimi opened the door and waved us inside.

  “This is one of our wet rooms.” Mimi pointed at the tiled floor with the drain in the center.

  A vinyl-covered bed sat on a platform to the right and manacles were set into the wall on the left. A bench, a ballet bar, and a table of toys were placed in the center of the room; well within reach of the bed.

  “There are several types of oils available.” She waved her hand at a selection of large bottles with pump tops that were lined up on a shelf. “There are also hoses for water play. Disposable, silicone tips for insertion are available in the vending machine here.”

  Mimi waved her hand at a steel machine on the wall; the sort you'd find in a restroom. Except in addition to the packets of condoms you could purchase, there were also different sizes of silicone nozzles. They seemed quite affordable but it wasn't as if I knew the going rate for silicone tips.

  Malik gave me wide, horrified eyes, and I shook my head at him. Come on, baby, keep it together. You've been to battle on other planets, surely you can handle some sexual fetish? He grimaced at my unspoken taunt and then straightened his shoulders. Malik was far from being a prude. Frankly, I was a little surprised that he was so shocked by all of this. Surprised and delighted. I was secretly relieved that he wasn't familiar with things like silicone tips and squirting.

  “You're welcome to bring your own accouterments if you so desire, but we also have a shop on the second floor where you may purchase items beyond these little basics,” Mimi went on. “In addition to wet rooms”—she walked out and we trailed after her like lemmings heading for a cliff—“we have bondage rooms, baby rooms, tub rooms, and fur rooms.”

  “Baby and fur?” Davorin asked as if he wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer.

  “For people who want to dress as, and be treated like, babies,” I explained before Mimi could. “And I'm imagining the fur rooms are for those people who are into wearing those fluffy, cartoonish suits.”

  “Very good, Mara.” Mimi stroked my hair as if I were an intelligent child. “We also have the stables for those into horseplay.” She smiled at her own joke. “And maze rooms for those who enjoy being chased.”

  “Thorough,” I murmured.

  “What are your membership fees?” Davorin asked.

  I knew he was trying to play the interested customer but it was the wrong thing to say in a place as upscale as Dirty Nothings. I quickly covered for him.

  “Oh, Davorin darling,” I purred, “if you have to ask, you can't afford it. Don't worry, I got you.”

  Mimi laughed. “I like you.” She tapped my lips with the tips of her fingernails.

  I absently wondered what kind of bacteria she'd just deposited on me. She obviously liked to use her nails for all sorts of things. I'd have to put some hand sanitizer on my lips later.

  Also, I knew where her behavior was heading, and I had to stop it before she went too far. Mimi was trying to establish whether I was a dom or a sub. I wanted information out of her and the best way to get it would be with domination. So, I grabbed her finger and used it to yank her arm behind her back. As Mimi stared at me in shock, I got in her face; pressing my chest against hers.

  “Don't point your finger at me, darling,” I said sweetly. “I do the pointing. Understood?”

  “Yes, Mistress,” Mimi whispered adoringly.

  “Good.” I let her go. “You may continue.”

  Malik and Davorin gaped at me; Dav's tongue was practically hanging out of his mouth. I gave them both a smug smile. This was starting to be fun.

  “Out here we have a bar.” Mimi took us into a dimly lit lounge full of men and women casually making out in between sips of alcoholic beverages.

  I glanced over the booths with their high backs and padded leather cushions; looking for a bright aura. I paused when I saw a woman take out her companion's cock and dip it in her drink before leaning over his lap to suck him clean. Even the bartender was getting in on the action; he had a naked blonde bent over the bar and was casually pumping into her as he poured a drink and she sipped her champagne. She had a Lolita costume on; her full skirts and crinoline ending at ass level so they wouldn't have to be hiked up. The bartender had on far less; all I could see were leather straps. He winked at me when he noticed me watching.

  “There is the elevator to the upper floors where we have fantasy rooms for very particular palettes, the shop I mentioned before, and a dance club. But to see those, you must be a member.”

  I still hadn't found the Aura Man and something was telling me that he was important; that this place was important. I needed to do a more thorough investigation. Damn, but that sounded naughty in context. I honestly didn't mean it as such. The sex show was fascinating but when it came down to it, my mission was to figure out what was turning D.C. gray and that was far more important than anyone's orgasm. I would do whatever I had to do to discover who the Aura Man was and why he had come to this place.

  “I've seen enough; I'd like to apply for membership,” I declared.

  The bartender licked his lips and looked me over as if I were a dessert he was interested in tasting.

  Okay, maybe there were some things I wouldn't do.

  Chapter Eleven

  “How the hell do you know so much about sex fetishes?” Davorin asked me as soon as we were off Dirty Nothings' premises.

  “I've overheard a few interesting conversations with visiting dignitaries while waiting for meetings.” I shrugged with a smirk. “Before they knew that I could speak their language.”

  “I'll bet they blanched when you were introduced as their translator.” Davorin grinned.

  “Blushed is more like it,” I said. “It didn't bother me. I found it intriguing; the extremes some people must go to just to feel pleasure.”

  “Can you please tell me why you not only purchased a membership but also signed us up for a training session?” Malik interrupted. His eyes were twitchy and his throat kept convulsing. In short; he was about to lose his damn mind.

  “And why you didn't buy me a membership after you practically promised to,” Davorin teased.

  “I didn't see the Aura Man in there,” I explained as I ignored Dav. “He must have been on one of the upper floors.”

  “Or in one of the private rooms.” Davorin's eyes went glassy as he contemplated it.

  “Wherever he was, I'm sure he'll return,” I said. “And I believe he's a solid lead. We need to find him and find out what he's doing here. I have a feeling that it isn't for the sex. Dirty Nothings is hiding a dirty little secret; I can feel it. A training session will get us alone time with one of the staff members who will know their way around and who will possibly know the man we're after. In a private room, I can alter our trainer's aura and coerce them to help us. Perhaps even coerce them into telling us what's going on behind the scenes.”

  “But you requested an S&M package,” Malik ground out.

  “I thought it would be preferable to the others.” I shrugged. Then I lifted a saucy brow and asked sweetly, “You don't want to tie me up?”

  “If you have a problem with it, I'll sacrifice myself for the greater good and tie Amara up,” Davorin offered.

  “I don't have a problem with tying you up,” Malik ignored Dav to say. Davorin gets ignored a lot. “But I don't want to hurt you. From the pamphlets Mimi showed us, those sessions looked rough. I can't do those things to you. You're my dvarra; I must protect you. It's instinctual.”

  Davorin rolled his eyes.

  “You can be the sub then,” I offered. “I think I did pretty well as the dom, don't you?”

  Malik's body jerked and something shifted in his face. I grinned mischievously. The thought had not only interested him, it had also aroused him.

  “I think that would be best,” Malik said gruffly. “I'm a warrior; I don't have a problem with pain.”

  “Yeah; that's it.” Davorin chuckled. “Who would have thought the Demon Prince was a submissive?”


  Malik's face went ferocious as he grabbed Dav by the front of his shirt. “I am not, in any way, submissive.”

  “That's what a sub is, dude.” Davorin wasn't intimidated in the least. “It's short for submissive.”

  “It's also an act. I'll be allowing my dvarra to take her pleasure with my body. That's not submission; it's providing for her needs.”

  Put like that, it was unbelievably sexy; that's what it was. I shivered at the thought of Malik submitting to me purely to make me happy. Have I mentioned how much I love that man?

  “Fine.” Dav held up his hands with an annoyed grimace. “Trust me; I don't want to know about your sex life. Can we get back to the Gray now?”

  Malik let Davorin go and looked at me. “This does not make me submissive.”