I tapped the screen on the picture of Luis. His look was just... mmm, and trusting my gut was always the best bet. Well, usually. I waited a minute, then two, then three. No reply. My Uber dropped me off at my hotel, and I was feeling that kind of disappointment you feel when you get your hopes up only to have them come crashing down. Damn it. I knew I'd debated too long. Someone else must have clicked him first and he replied. When you're thirsty, you take the first drink that comes along, you don't wait for the perfect drink. It was okay, there were two other viable options.
I was in the hotel lobby now, an expansive, high-ceilinged waste of space designed to impress. I took a seat on one of the elaborate couches in the lobby, crossed my legs, smoothed my skirt, and looked at my phone. Still nothing from Luis. I sighed and stared at the picture again. Those eyes. That chest. Tragic. I swiped over to check my other matches, when the phone pinged.
It was Luis. He had matched me. Hot damn. I tapped the button to see his message.
Surprised to see someone as classy looking as you on here. Where you at?
I could invite him to my hotel; hotels were always safe places for hookups. But it was early. Maybe there was still some adventure in this night. I typed a reply.
Where do you want me to be?
His reply was quick. Right here beside me. VIP lounge. The Night Owl.
I looked up the destination. It was ten minutes away. I arranged an Uber. They'd be here in five. I typed, Uber will be here in five, see you in fifteen.
Skip the line, he typed. Tell them you're with Luis in the VIP. They'll be expecting you.
His vibe wasn't what I was expecting, but I was still thinking of staring into those eyes in person. Can't wait, I replied.
The Uber ride was quick and uneventful, the line outside stretched around the block. I got out right in front of the club, went to the bouncer, and told them Luis in the VIP was expecting me. He smiled and opened the door. I stepped inside.
The first thing I noticed was the music, a smooth and groovy fusion of jazz and dance beats played by skilled musicians with the voice of an seductive angel crooning over the top. The woman on stage was a presence that pulled all eyes to her, tall, thin, and gorgeous with coffee colored skin and a waterfall of kinky curls that cascaded down over her shoulders and covered half her face. Her eyes were closed and her mouth caressed every word she sang like a lover building to erotic fulfillment. Everything about her screamed seduction, and from the looks of the crowd, they felt the same way.
The main room was huge and circular. A curved railing separated a walkway around the circumference of the room from the center. Tables lined the walkway, and the railing opened in four places for stairs to lead down to the center. The center had more tables around the outside, and huge, crowded, round dancefloor lit from below. Bodies moved to the beats, less of the wild abandon I was used to on dance floors and more subdued, sensual movement. The stage was at one end, and the long, curved bar back near the entrance where I stood.
I took in the scene. The general vibe was chill but there was an undertone of anticipation I couldn't explain. The patrons seated around the walkway had a great view of the dance floor, and they seemed watchful, like they were expecting something to happen. I watched the people dancing again, but aside from a little more grinding from a few more people that you usually see on a dance floor, I didn't see much to make me think anything was different here from any other club. Still, there was that tension in the air, a sense of foreboding or premonition.
I could see the edge of a railing above the walkway to either side, so I assumed I looked around for a door or stairway, something that said VIP. There it was, a wide, elborate staircase that opened from the left side and curved upward into darkness. A burly man in an expensive suit stood nearby. That's who I'd need to talk to. I approached him and he smiled and waved me upstairs.
I climbed the wide staircase slowly as it twisted up and around. At the top was a wide open area with a bar and two more doorways. The open doorway led down to the balcony, the closed door was labeled VIP. I debated going straight to the VIP door, but instead decided to get a drink first. I didn't want to seem to be in too much of a rush.
A glass of wine in hand, I approached the door to the VIP lounge, which opened seemingly on its own as I got close. In truth, a man just inside held the door open and gestured for me to precede him in. I entered, nodding to him and saying thank you. He smiled graciously and exited the room, the door closing behind him.
Inside the VIP lounge the lighting was dimmer, the furnishing much more plush and expensive. Groups of plush leather chairs and couches around small tables were arranged in several groups around the room, and a wide, high window looked out over the dance floor and stage below. Small round tables with comfortable chairs were placed along the window, a wide low couch in the center.
At one of the tables sat Luis, his hair tousled, a smirk on his face and a small wide glass filled with amber liquor in one hand. He was more gorgeous in person, if such a thing were possible. He stood as I approached him and his smirk became a smile.
"Isabella, welcome," he said, one arm gesturing to the chair beside him.
"Thank you," I said. I sat down, crossed my legs, smoothed my skirt. The woman on stage was singing a new song now, more upbeat, the crowd getting a little more into it on the dance floor, but her voice still sounded like seduction personified.
Luis sat opposite me, his gaze intense. He seemed to take in more than just how I looked with those eyes, and under his scrutiny I felt myself flush. Jesus, he was amazing. Why would he need to use an app like Fling? He could probably have any woman in this place in bed within five minutes.
"I can't believe a woman like you would need to use an app to find a man," he said with a small shake of his head. "You could probably have any man in here with a look."
That was weird. "I was just thinking the same thing about you," I said, trying to play it off. "A guy who looks like you, hangs out in the VIP lounge, what do you need an app for?"
He grinned. "How else was I going to find you?"
I laughed. He was getting to me. I mean, we met on an app for a casual fuck, but this was next level attraction. "You're smooth."
"Is that a bad thing?"
I took a sip of wine and looked at him over the rim of the glass. "Not at all."
"Good," he said.
He snapped his fingers and the only other man in the room stood up, nodded to us, and left. The door clicked closed behind him. We were alone in the spacious VIP lounge.
"We won't be disturbed," he said, setting his drink down on the table. "And we won't disturb anyone else. This is one-way glass. From out there, no one can see in."
He gestured toward the ceiling. "Soundproofing. We can say anything we want, make whatever sounds come natural. No one will be the wiser."
A smart girl would sense danger then. I was alone with a man who was treated like a king, in a private room where no one could see or hear me. No one knew I was here. Anything could happen.
But by the same token, I'd asked for this. I had swiped on him, chosen to meet him in a club, in the VIP lounge. I had an idea of what kind of setting this might be. It just turned out to be more of that than I'd expected. But still, you couldn't ask for more from a random hookup than sex in the VIP lounge. Unless he was a serial rapist and murderer.
Should I stay and see how this played out, ignoring any of the weirdness, or should I trust my instincts and run away scared with my tail between my legs?
If I should stay and see how crazy the night would get, react with Woohoo.
If I should run away from potential danger, react with Thanks.
