It's 4' o clock in the afternoon. The crowd in the cafe is dwindling. Who am I? I'm a barista by day, an investigator by night. Tonight I end my shift earlier than usual. I hurriedly clean the espresso machine. Lately, requests have been pouring in my mailbox. All of them, the same. Even at work, I hear rumors of a nameless club. All those who have been to the club say that it was their best experience ever. Those who have been there more than once, know better. They say the staff changes on a daily basis. Not one of the staff is the same, and yet the manager remembers the regulars. The real rumors stem from the club's coveted "special service". In which you get to sleep with whomever you wish, and it always comes true.
I finish cleaning up and changing. I say good bye to my boss and leave the cafe. Greeted by the cold winter air, I first go to my apartment for my gear. I arrive and search for the letters containing the club's address. One client tells me that it only opens at 9 pm. Her request is that I find out the secrets that lie in the club. I wonder what kind of lady would really want to pursue the secrets. Did she want to replicate the club's success? Or did she simply want to see if her lover was truly there the night she visited. Pushing aside my thoughts, I gather my binoculars, notes, and a pill that makes me immune to alcohol and drugs. I leave my apartment.
Now it's a quarter to 9. I arrived at the club earlier than expected and decided to have a look at the surroundings. To my surprise, nothing was unusual. The club itself wasn't even situated in a seedy area. Exactly on the dot, the club opened at 9. I waited till a sizeable amount had entered the club. Then I entered.
To the left was the bar area, on the right, small tables for the customers and the staff to mingle. Further back was a dark area, which I assumed was for the "special service". I took a seat at the bar. There were two bartenders, both an elderly couple. I perused the menu. There was nothing but the usual drinks on the menu. Some of them weirdly named. There was the " Babymaker" and "Pink Surprise", both of which I decided to save for later. I asked for a beer and continued to look at the clients and the staff. All of them looked incredibly handsome or beautiful. Everyone looked amazing save for the two bartenders.
The night grew longer. One by one the customers are escorted to the darker area of the club. I decide to try the two peculiar drinks on the list but not before taking my anti-drug pill. They tasted sweet, and yet no aftertaste. There was nothing special to it, and yet I found myself wanting for more. I asked a man beside me. He seemed to be a regular as he chatted often with the bartenders. I asked him about the rumors concerning the bar, if he had heard them and if he believed them.
My questions were answered by soft chuckles.
"Sonny, nothing strange goes around here. I com here everyday and I assure you it feels like home. Why don't you go take another good look at the menu and order something nice?"
Puzzled, I take one more look at the menu. At the very bottom, I see faint and faded letters. M. I order for it, very unsure of the outcome. A few minutes pass by and I'm starting to feel nervous. What does it mean to transform? Am I turning into someone else? I check my reflection in my glass to make sure I'm myself. The bell at the door rings. Startled, I turn around to check who entered. I'm surprised to see my manager moving towards me.
I had never told anyone at the office of my other job as an investigator. In fact, I was determined to keep it a secret. I mustered enough strength to act natural. She waved at me and took a seat beside me. She was surprised to find me here and I expressed the same sentiment. We easily fell into conversation. I must admit, I did quite like my manager. She was a tad older than me and very respectable and well read. It didn't hurt that she was blessed with good looks. But I knew nothing of her outside work, my curiosity got the better of me and yearned to learn more about her.
In the midst of chatting, I checked my watch. I had noticed nothing peculiar about the club. I made the decision to leave the club with my manager. I offered the idea to her but the look on her face turned dismal. She clung to the sleeve of my jacket pleading with me not to go. She grabs my hand and leads me to the back. I'm afraid but I press on. I forgot I hadn't investigated the place.
We pass through a very long hallway, reminiscent of hotels. A faint smell permeated the air. I knew the musty smell immediately. She brings me to the farthest part of the hall in an empty room.
We rush in and she slams the door closed. she grabs onto my belt and starts unbuckling it as she assertively kisses my neck. Taken in by the moment I start kissing her on the cheeks. We bump into a wall as we try to make our way to the bed across the room, crashing into small decorations and paintings hanging on it. It was a rather compact room with just a small table next to a rather large bed. We then both start unbuttoning our clothes and throw them ever so carelessly to the floor. She pushes me onto the bed and I fall on my back onto its rather soft enveloping surface. She giggles and bends down towards me slowly making her way from my thighs up to my face, her soft skin caressing me as she goes. Her hands move like waves upward like water, making my body shudder in anticipation for what's about to unfold.
Her lips inching upwards and her eyes filled with fire. I gaze at them like a blaze of smoldering passion crashing down on me. I could no longer wait for her and so I pulled her up by the hips and took her face onto my hand and kiss her softly. The softness, however, would not last long. She retaliates by grabbing my hands and and putting them up over my head as she presses on with her lips. Our tongues intertwine and our bodies tingle in the cold naked night.
She proceeds to then kiss my cheeks and then my neck. She goes lower and lower until she reaches me where I am most stiff. "What have we got here?" she playfully asks.
She takes me in and savagely rides me. Though the longer the night went on with her, the less aware I was becoming. Perhaps it was the booze, or perhaps it was something else. My vision became fuzzy and my brain felt numb until I completely succumbed and drifted into sleep.
I lie awake in the room. It's morning now and the light seeps in through the windows. I check to see if my manager is there. All I see is a note for me.
"Thank you for your patronage"
Confused, I exit the room. Beside my room was the exit to the establishment. I went home puzzled and yet strangely refreshed. Last night felt so real. I wonder if my manager would remember later when I report for work.
I arrive home. I take off my clothes and head for the laundry area. On my way I feel a weird substance on my clothes. I check and I see a splash of pink goop. Mortified, I try to recall last night's events. I try to recall my manager. The feel of her skin… her face. It hits me, something was odd about her face. Halfway through she started having the same blank expression. Then the solution hits me. I grab my work clothes and change hurriedly. I rush to work and ask my manager where she was last night. To my dismay, she wasn't at the bar. She was at home with her own boyfriend.
I know what happened in the club. Fortunately, the anti drug pill worked at the right moment. I decide never to speak of it again. For I know the shame to follow, should I ever share the story to anyone. But the blank expression and the pink goop haunts me. The cold eyes and the empty smile paired with a body of goo. I know it. And I hope I forget it.