“Who made the exquisite quiches? They’re so good. I think I’ve had seven of them already.” I recognize the voice. It’s Evelyn Chambers, a sweet old lady I’ve known ever since I was a little girl. She lives in Sweet Briar, just like most of the other ladies in the group. I left the small town over a year ago, but everyone still remembers me.

I can’t help but smile as I refill the empty platters with more miniature spinach and swiss quiches. I’m too modest to say it was me who made them, even though most of the women know it’s me. My boss, Sandy Bruner, my parent’s neighbor and dear friend, walks over to the table and points at me.

“Who do you think made them? Alex is the best chef I have on my team.”

She waves me over and I join her, greeting the old ladies with a smile. I see them every Saturday afternoon for brunch. It’s actually pretty interesting hearing the kinds of things old ladies talk about. Never in a million years did I imagine I’d hear stories of their sex lives. One of the ladies lost her husband while having sex. He keeled over right after coming.

“Good afternoon, ladies. It’s good to see you again.”

Evelyn with her short, white hair and thick, purple glasses shoves another quiche in her mouth. “These are incredible. Is there any way to get the recipe?”

Giggling, I place my hands on my hips. “Now, now, Evelyn. You know I can’t give you that. It’s my secret recipe.”

She purses her lips and sulks like she always does. “Fine, but I want to take the leftovers home.”

Sandy winks at me and tries to hold back her laugh. Evelyn does the same thing every Saturday, requesting my recipes and threatening to keep all the leftovers. Sandy doesn’t mind since Evelyn pays for it all and the parties are always at her house. Since her husband died, meeting with her other widowed friends for Saturday brunch is what makes her happy.

Once the party’s over, two of my other co-workers and I help Sandy load the empty trays into the catering van. Let’s Get Baked Catering Services has been around since before I was born. I even worked at the café Sandy owned when I was in high school. Unfortunately, it had to close due to the slow market. That’s why now she just has the catering company and moved it to Portland since it was a bigger city than Sweet Briar. I’m the only employee who’s stayed with her through thick and thin. The money isn’t the best in the world, but Sandy needs me. My dream is to have my own catering company one day, but it takes money to do that.

“I think that’s it, ladies. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.”

“You too,” Adrienne says, giving her a quick hug.

Dani hugs her as well. “Thanks, Sandy. We’ll see you on Monday.”

Sandy hugs me and I squeeze her tight. “Take care. I’ll come up with some new recipes for next Saturday.”

“I’m counting on it,” she replies with a laugh.

Getting in her van, she waves at us and pulls out of the parking lot. Dani and Adrienne are waiting by my little silver Toyota Camry. They’ve grown to be not only my co-workers but friends as well. They’re different from my other group of friends, more exciting and full of life.

“Nice job on the quiches,” Adrienne calls out. “I think you’re going to have to make me some to take home.”

I shrug. “As long as you make me your famous chocolate chip cookies.”

She holds out her hand. “Deal.”

After shaking her hand, I lean against my car. “What are you ladies doing tonight?”

Dani checks her reflection in my sideview mirror and fluffs her hair. “I have a date. Hopefully, it goes well.”

I went to high school with Dani, but she graduated two years ahead of me. She has shoulder-length, curly brown hair with thick thighs and a curvy backside. Her husband cheated on her last year and she’s made it her goal to lose the weight even though I think she looks great. She’s surrounded by more men than I could ever dream of. Sometimes I wish I had her problem. My only issue is that I’m clueless when it comes to men.

Adrienne waves her off. “You’ll be fine. Just don’t have sex with him.” Adrienne’s around thirty-five, and ten years older than me, with an amazing body and gorgeous blonde hair. She’s also happily married with a kid on the way.

Dani scoffs. “Please, I have no intention of sleeping with him.” Then she winks at me. “At least, not until the next date.”

“How do you find the confidence?” I ask her.

Her smile fades. “What do you mean?”

I can feel the heat rise to my cheeks. “You’re comfortable with your body and with men. I don’t know how to be like that.”

Dani and Adrienne glance at each other and they snicker. “Alex, please tell me you’re not still a virgin,” Adrienne says, completely shocked.

It’s embarrassing to admit, but I am. “Is that bad?”

Dani puts her arm around me. “Not at all. It’s just rare to find a woman your age who hasn’t had sex. However, I do remember you being somewhat of a goodie goodie in high school.”

She’s right. I was, and everyone from my past still sees me as Alexandria Miller, the girl who never does anything wrong. “Why do you think I moved away? If it wasn’t for Sandy, I wouldn’t be here.”

Most of the guys I’ve tried to date can tell I’m a virgin the first time they they kiss me. It’s the reason they all run away. I’m inexperienced and they don’t want a woman who doesn’t know what she’s doing. My parents were really strict growing up, so dating was out of the question. It took going to college to find a semblance of freedom. It’s a freedom I haven’t been able to let go of. I love being on my own, except it does get kind of lonely. That’s why I concentrate on cooking and figuring out new recipes.

“Do you want me to see if my husband has anyone he can set you up with?” Adrienne asks.

I shake my head. “It’s no use. I don’t know how to be intimate with men.”

Dani snorts. “It’s not hard, sweetheart. You’re gorgeous with that sexy brown hair with blonde highlights, glittering green eyes, and luscious lips. Any man would be lucky to have you. When you like a guy, you get to know them and then you do whatever your body tells you to. Easy peasy.”

“Easy for you to say, you have experience. The closest I’ve come to sex is kissing. I know what happens during sex, it’s just the getting to that part I need help with.”

Adrienne steps closer and lowers her voice. “Have you ever tried watching porno?”

My cheeks flame bright red, but not out of guilt. I shake my head. “I was always afraid of getting a virus on my computer. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been curious, but I was always too afraid to click the links.”

She waves me off. “You’ll be fine. If you want to know about foreplay, just watch some videos on it. Trust me, the things a man can do for you are insane. My husband and I have a pretty healthy sex life.”

“Obviously.” Laughing, I glance down at her belly.

“You could always try out that club in downtown Portland,” Dani suggests. “My cousin goes there and she loves it. She has sex with random guys in the dark room. It’s her favorite.”

“Wait, what?” I shriek. “What club is this?”

After fumbling around in her purse for a few moments, Dani hands me a business card. “It’s called Society X. Basically, it’s a strip club with other benefits. She’s tried to get me to go, but I haven’t had the courage to try it out yet. It’s supposedly a whole different world there.” She winks. “But if you become a member like my sister, you get to reap the rewards of the sex rooms. Like I said, the dark room’s her favorite. It’s pitch black and she goes in there with another man she can’t see. They can do whatever they want. There’s also a viewing room, but she doesn’t like that one. I think next week she’s going to try the play room.”

Adrienne blows out a sigh. “Holy shit, that sounds intense. If I wasn’t happily married I’d have to try it out.”

“What’s the play room?” I ask, completely intrigued. I thought clubs like that only existed in the movies. Who would’ve thought there’d be one in real life?

Dani’s eyes twinkle. “It’s a room for anything basically. If you don’t want sex, you can find a partner who just wants oral. Or if you have a foot fetish, you can be paired with someone who wants to suck your toes. Whatever you want, you can get. The people you get paired with aren’t allowed to know your name or anything about you. It’s all anonymous.”

My whole body tingles with the idea of being able to go in there without any judgements and be able to live out the inner fantasies I’ve kept hidden for so long. It seems surreal, but then reality hits me like a ton of bricks. Shaking my head, I hand Dani the card back.

“Sorry, D. It’s just not for me.”

I say it, but I know the truth. I’m going to check out Society X.