Tajah Prologue-Three Weeks Ago

I was so nervous my hands were sweating, and so were my armpits. Good thing I had put on extra deodorant. On top of sweating, my heart raced, and I was weak in the knees. Wouldn't it be humiliating if I passed out? As I stared at the building I was about to enter, I gave myself another pep talk. I think this was the tenth one today. I wouldn't chicken out. This was an opportunity I might never get again. Carver had gone to a lot of trouble to get me in, and it had taken me weeks of begging before he'd do it. If I backed out now, I'd never get him to help me again, and I'd probably never hear the end of it from him.

Taking a deep breath, I stiffened my spine and pasted a pleasant smile on my face as I followed him to the entrance. There was a doorman who was big and intimidating. The sight of him made me want to run in the opposite direction. He nodded to Carver while he eyed me.

"Hey, Tuck, it's good to see ya, man. This is Tajah. She should be on the list. Reuben was supposed to add her," Carver told him.

Tuck pulled out a tablet and scrolled through it for several moments before nodding his head. "Here she is. Have a good time, and welcome to the House of Lustz, Tajah," he told me with a smile.

I was surprised it was a friendly one. Lesson one, his fierce persona, hid a nice side, and not everyone would automatically leer at me like I was a piece of meat. Carver had done his best to prepare me for what I was about to see and experience, but he also said I had to see most of it to understand.

"Thank you, Tuck, I plan to," I said back automatically.

Carver reached back and took my hand to lead me inside. He gripped it tightly. Just inside the door, we stopped at a small alcove where there was a woman sitting. She had a variety of colored beads and lengths of silver wire to make bracelets on the table. She smiled and nodded to Carver. He'd explained those to me. Each color indicated what you were willing to do. He had his own already.

He told her I was there to observe only and wouldn't be participating in anything. She gave me one with a single, orange-colored bead on it, and I was told to wear it on my right wrist. She cautioned me to keep it on that one at all times. Otherwise, it would be seen as me being available for anything, anytime. I hurried to put it on the right side. Carver, the asshole, laughed at me. I gave him the finger, which made the woman giggle.

He kept grinning as he led me through another door, and we were finally inside the actual House of Lustz. I gazed around, trying not to gape, but it was hard. I had tried to imagine what it would be like, but it was nothing like I pictured.

I realized I was guilty of thinking it would be pitch dark and look sleazy and dirty, kinda like the strip clubs I'd seen. Not that I spent a lot of time in those, but I'd been in a few. While the lights were low, it wasn't dark. This first floor was set up like a very nice high-end bar. The actual bar ran an impressive length of one wall. There was seating all along it. Plus, there were a variety of other seating options, tables scattered in another section, and a large dance floor. A DJ was playing music. People were talking, drinking, laughing, and even dancing. It was like most of the nightclubs I'd been to.

Carter turned to me. "Do you want a drink to help you relax, or would you like to go on a tour first? We'll be meeting with Reuben later to have him go over some things."

"You mean there's more than the online orientation I did?"

"Yep. Nothing to worry about, Taj. If you've changed your mind, just tell me. I'll take you home." He sounded like he was hopeful I'd say yes.

"No, I want to stay."

He sighed, then waited for my answer to his offer of a drink. It was a bit too soon to start doing that, and I wanted to keep all my wits about me, so I shook my head and told him, "No, I don't want anything, but you can if you want."

"Nah, I can wait. Tour it is." He took my hand again and began to weave us through the people. As he did, he had to yell to be heard as he pointed out various things to me. I worked to absorb it all. I didn't want to forget a single detail.

After he finished showing me the highlights of the first floor and explained how it was more for relaxation than viewing or playing, we went up a flight of stairs to the second floor. This was where the real stuff happened, according to him. You could observe like I was about to do, or you could participate. It was dimly lit, too, but there were areas that were brighter. There were raised stages, for lack of a better word. I saw people on most of them and they were doing a variety of things. It was much harder not to stare or show astonishment up here. I knew enough not to react in a way that would come across as kink-shaming someone. Whatever got people off was their business. As long as all parties consented and it didn't involve underage kids, then go for it.

As we wandered, Carver pointed out a variety of doors. "Those are the fantasy rooms. Each has a different theme, I guess you call it. The theme is on the door. For example, this one is set up for impact play. Some aren't comfortable performing in front of others, so they go in those for privacy. You can open the privacy screen on the windows and let people watch, too. There are a few you'll find that don't have windows at all."

I wanted to read all the signs to find out precisely what themes there were. Before I could, he tugged on my hand and took me over to a couple of leather chairs. There were numerous leather chairs and couches scattered everywhere. Some had people sitting and talking, but others engaged in more amorous pursuits. I didn't know where to look.

He reached out to lightly grip my chin, so I had to look at him. "Hey, you're doing fine. You're allowed to watch, Taj. If they didn't want you to, they wouldn't be doing it out in the open. As long as you remember what I told you, no one will get upset or offended. I'm gonna send Reuben a text to let him know where we are."

"Okay."

As he typed out a quick text, I watched a couple across the way. They were in a passionate embrace, and it appeared they'd be moving into a much more passionate one soon. When Carver was done, he talked to me more about the club. It wasn't long, though, until Reuben approached us. He wasn't wearing a suit, which surprised me. He smiled and held out his hand to Carver, and they shook. He then smiled at me.

"Hi, Tajah, it's good to see you again. Are you ready?"

I nodded. He held out a crooked arm. I placed my hand on it. Here went nothing. Let the real adventure begin. At least I'd met him before. I had to come in and be interviewed by him before he would even consider letting me go through the process to gain entry. I had to explain to him what I was expecting to get out of the experience and why. When I was done that day, he seemed to be all for it, which made my life much easier. I think Carver had hoped he'd say no.

As Reuben and Carver showed me around, I began to relax just a tiny bit. It was still nerve-racking, but I thought I could get used to it. All I had to do was remember why I was here and the end goal I was trying to achieve was.