Pamela dreamt of Harley that night.
She dreamt of all the times she had left her alone, of all the times she came back… she dreamt of the night that she stayed, and of when she struck out to pave her own way in the world. She dreamt of the pride she felt for Harley, and the love they shared whenever they were together. She dreamt of Mason, and how he hung off Harley's every word, and she dreamt of the fear she felt when she read the letter for the first time.
Then, the dream shifted.
She then dreamt of ocean blue eyes and midnight black hair. She dreamt of olive skin and strong arms wrapped around her waist. All the while, she knew another set of blue eyes was on her, and that knowledge made her skin crawl and her stomach sink. Baby blue eyes were watching her galivant around Europe with another woman. Betrayed eyes, hurt eyes…
Pamela woke with a start. The room was dark, but the clock on the nightstand read that it was late in the morning. Rain pattered against their window lightly, and through the darkness Pamela made out the shape of Diana's still sleeping form in the other bed.
Harley.
She felt ill remembering the night before, of having spilled her heart out to Diana. She felt embarrassed for being so weak, and guilty for having shared her fears with the Amazon instead of with Harley, her best friend and lover.
In the dark, she dressed herself and quietly slipped out of the room and onto the covered balcony next to her bed. Sitting at the little table squeezed into the small space, Pamela took up the necklace Diana had bought for her and toyed with the charms along its chain.
She was too embarrassed to admit she had taken interest in the necklace because she had thought it would make a cute and slightly ironic gift to Diana but thought better of it in the end. But then of course, Pamela didn't expect Diana to see her examine the necklace or to be so bold as to buy it for her as a gift.
The memory of it made Pamela smile to herself, and her heart fluttered a little.
Harley.
She clenched the charms tightly in her hand, bringing her fist up to her chin as she winced against the thought of the blonde.
Pulling away from her internal struggle, she thought about the next hint, which she had left on the nightstand between her and Diana's bed. She didn't want to accidentally rouse the woman, especially since they had stayed up so late last night but sitting out here with her thoughts running wild as they were would certainly be a detriment to her own health.
She chose a middle ground, having grabbed her phone from her bag before stepping into the cool morning air. Taking a moment, she updated everyone on the Harley situation and checked in on some of her business projects. One was set to be cancelled, the other was turning out to be far more lucrative than expected… still, she couldn't manage to feel any way towards her current line of work.
She couldn't feel any way towards anything at the moment, her head still locked between two different sets of blue eyes.
"Pamela?" Diana's voice makes her jump after ending a very arduous phone call with realtors about some of her property in Canal point. "Is everything alright?"
She schools herself immediately as the woman joins her across the small table. "Of course. Seems we slept in a little."
"Apparently." Diana gives her a gentle smile, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes. The Amazon shifts, and places the note between them on the little table. "We've waited quite a while, it's probably time to resume the game."
Pamela nods, hiding away her anxiety. Diana opens the note, handing her the little envelope as she read it aloud.
"idk you're going to Rome. Don't miss your show~"
They blink at each other, and Pamela hesitantly opens the envelope. Two tickets fall into her hand. As she reads the showing, her blood runs cold.
"You're fucking kidding me…" She seeths.
"What?" Diana takes the tickets as Pamela buries her head in her hands. Diana jumps up after she reads it. "Great Hera!"
A sex show.
This creepy ass mother fucker was sending them to a sex show.
The balcony falls into an awful, uncomfortable silence. With the hotel, at least they could pretend like there weren't any undercurrents. They could pretend this was all just a poor joke meant to get under their skin.
This was wholly different. There'd be no pretending tonight.
Diana finds her voice first after audibly swallowing. "We- we'd best hurry. Rome will take a few hours to reach in the Jet, and these tickets seem awfully formal. There might be a dress code to adhere to."
Pamela rubs the bridge of her nose and nods with an annoyed groan.
They packed their things and made for Italy. Pamela looked up the location and found that their humiliation would be two-fold, as the show was at a prestigious BDSM lounge. A single ticked alone to one of their showings cost hundreds of dollars, and while there was no recommended attire, she was sure there was at least an unspoken standard.
She and Diana also seemed to be on the same page about taking their sweet time preparing for the show. Pamela dozed most of the way to Rome as neither were in a very talkative mood, and when they arrived the found themselves a hotel for the night before beginning to search for something to wear.
It was a rainy day in Rome as well, and they purchased an umbrella to use as they visited boutiques for dresses and outfits.
"I'm afraid I'm not quite sure what is to be expected." Diana admitted as they left the third shop they had visited in an hour.
"The lounge seems to be classy, but then again it's a sex club, so nicer than business casual, but no ball gowns." Pamela said as she guided them into another dress shop.
"That… doesn't narrow anything down for me." Diana deadpanned.
"I'm sure we'll find something here." They had walked into a women's dress shop, and there were wall to wall dresses on display for all manner of events.
Knowing generally what she was looking for, Pamela decided to help Diana out first. They found a few dresses that seemed to fit the look of the lounge, but didn't scream that they were going to a sex club.
Pamela waited outside of a fitting room with a pile of rejected dresses, waiting for Diana to come show her the next. "I hadn't guessed you'd be so choosey about this."
"What do you mean?" Diana called out from behind the door.
"You've got a pretty clear style already," Pamela looked through some of the dresses they had said maybe for. Most of them were patterned or had some elegant folding or seams, nothing she would have picked out for the woman. "And none of these fit the bill."
Diana hesitated. "Well- I don't know the appropriate attire for one of these functions."
She sounded nervous. Pamela couldn't say she herself was intimidated by going to such a club, but she was a little stressed out by the idea of attending one of their shows with Diana. She didn't dare wonder if the dark-haired woman felt the same way.
"How about I hunt down something that seems more you, and I'll get back to you?" She offered, suddenly feeling a little antsy.
"Alright but be quick. I can't reach some of these zippers." Pamela smiles at no one as she heads back into the main store. She had seen a dress earlier that she thought might look nice on the woman, and miraculously found one in her size. It was a simple ruby red cocktail dress with long bell sleeves. Pamela guessed it would match well with a pair of black flats or sandals.
Taking up the dress, she took it back to the changing room and tossed it over the door. "Try this."
Diana took a few moments to pull on the dress and exited the fitting room, and Pamela's mouth dried up in an instant. The dress hugged her fit form perfectly, and the sleeves evened out her broad shoulders in a very flattering way.
She looked Diana up and down and gave her an honest smile. "It's beautiful."
Diana seemed genuinely happy with her choice. "You were right. I think I'll have this one."
Pamela picked out her own dress quite quickly, a long blue-green bodycon dress with a plunging neckline, much to Diana's detriment. The poor woman seemed unable to draw her eyes away from her chest when she showed it off. It made Pamela feel oddly confident.
They returned to their hotel room in order to complete their looks with some light makeup and dressed themselves before heading out again, hailing a taxi to take them a block away from the venue.
When they arrived, all of Pamela's anxieties returned, even as she and Diana walked arm in arm to the front doors. They gave the doorman their tickets, and he warmly welcomed them inside. Thankfully or not, they weren't overdressed, nor were they underdressed for the lounge, and they quickly found seating near the bar.
"I feel like I should be drunk for this." Diana said as she flagged down the bartender.
Looking down the wall of liquor bottles, Pamela gave a small huff of a laugh. "I'm sure they make a killing off drinks here."
Diana ordered some hard liquor while Pamela simply took a glass of red wine. The Amazon had a point, though. Pamela really would rather to be drunk instead of sober at the moment. She thought about offering rectify that with a kiss, but after everything that had happened last time and… and whatever was brewing between them, she refrained.
And Diana didn't ask about it.
After a few shots, Diana also ordered some wine and they found some nicer seats at the back of the sitting area.
"This has all got to be just some sick joke at this point." Pamela murmured into her drink as someone stepped onto the stage and welcomed everyone to the show. "We have no connections to each other, few shared interests, and now all the sex stuff? Someone's just screwing with us."
"And using Harley as bait?" Diana laced her fingers together and rested her chin on her knuckles. "No, there's something else going on. There's some sort of bigger meaning behind this, else I could have been paired with anyone. Instead, they paired me with you, Harley's closest friend."
Pamela had the sudden urge to correct her about her and Harley's relationship, but bit her tongue. She and Harley really were just best friends at this point, just with added benefits. That thought hurt more than Pamela would have liked to admit. But it was best for both of them. Harley had her life to live, and she had her own. The two of them being together and being exclusive would just make things messy.
Their chat ended as the show began. Pamela was sure she'd spend most of the act making hard eye contact with the backs of people's heads, but quickly found herself sucked into the performance. Diana seemed to be equally as enthralled when she cast the Amazon a side glance, though a deep blush had settled on her face. She was sure she had one as well. Thank goodness for low lights.
There was a small break in the performance, and Pamela felt as if she had been holding her breath for the entire time.
"That was…" Diana began, a little uncomfortable now that it was over.
"Interesting?" Pamela supplied.
"Yes," Diana nodded, still looking towards the stage. "Interesting's the right word."
"I guess it's just sex. There's nothing really to be embarrassed about."
"No, I guess there isn't. I just don't believe I've ever witnessed something like this before, especially out in public."
"What, you don't watch porn?" Pamela tried to joke.
"No, I don't."
Well, shit. "If I'm being honest, neither do I. This won't be a night I'll be forgetting any time soon."
Diana scoffed as she stood, taking up their glasses to get refills. "You could say that again."
She saw Diana do another round of shots at the bar before returning, but was stopped by a middle age man, who clapped her on the shoulder and said something to her with a laugh. Pamela tilted her head when she made eye contact with the Amazon, who looked like a deer caught in headlights. She managed to say something back to the man and excuse herself from the conversation before returning to the table.
"What was that about?" Pamela asked.
The poor woman's cheeks were still flushed as she sat down. "Oh, he assumed we were on a first date, and guessed I was trying to loosen myself up."
Pamela laughed at that. "What a place for a first date!"
Diana eventually joined her and the show began again. They both enjoyed it more now that their laughter had broken up the last airs of awkwardness at their table. They commented on positions and outfits and sat back and watched the bar erupt when a drunken fight broke out and bouncers swarmed the area.
As they left the club, Pamela was surprised to feel as if the night had salvaged itself slightly. They walked arm in arm together under their shared umbrella, visiting a nearby club that wasn't sex themed for some late-night food, but even as they returned to their hotel in the early hours of the morning, Pamela felt as if her skin was buzzing with excitement.
She had Diana unzip her dress, and it felt as if her entire back was lit on fire, and worse than that, Diana took a moment longer than needed to let go of the zipper and step away from her. They had gotten a room with separate beds again, and the Amazon quickly made her way to her own and slipped her dress over her head before finding some night clothes to wear.
Pamela watched her, letting her eyes travel down the woman's shoulders and spine…
Harley.
Swallowing the thick lump in her throat, Pamela grabbed some of her things and headed into the bathroom for a late-night shower. When she returned to the room, Diana was already settled down in her bed, and Pamela stared at the ceiling for far too long before finally falling asleep.