Saffi

The Man in the Venetian Mask.

That looked damn good on paper.

Thanks, G, man of mystery. And sex god…

In the office the next morning, exhausted and drained by that insane session with my masked friend, I found myself on an unexpected roll. I sat at my computer and wrote for three hours straight. When the gang came by to give me their Chinese food order, I actually told them I was too busy.

God that felt good.

Tom invited himself into my cube. “What?” I asked as I kept typing.

He frowned. “Saff, my friend. What’re you so busy with? Heard you couldn’t even get us lunch.”

I whirled to face him. “Why don’t you get your own goddamn lunch, Tom?”

His eyes widened and his head snapped back. “Damn. Okay. I see how it is. Guess somebody’s on her period. I’ll leave you alone now. Although I did come over here to ask you something.”

I pursed my lips in annoyance. “What?”

“Well, did you want to go out for a drink sometime after work?”

I was done.

“Get out of my goddamn cube. And if you ever talk about my period or anyone else’s again, I will go right to HR.”

He backed up, the color draining from his face.

I turned back to my writing after a couple deep breaths. I desperately needed to know more about the club—how long had it been around, how many members were there, how much money did it take in? And how did they keep the outside world from finding out about it? That would make the story complete.

* * *

Just as I popped two aspirin, my editor, Ed, showed up at my desk.

“Saffi! You got a headache or something?” he asked.

I put on my “perky face” and looked at him. “Hey, Ed. I’m actually great. The story’s coming along really well. I was just taking a break from writing.”

That was only a little lie.

“Good. Good.” He stood there, hands on hips, like he expected something.

So I jumped in with small talk. “You having a good day?”

“Oh yeah. Great day.”

We kept looking at each other.

“Saffi, do you have something I could take a look at yet? Get a sense of how the story is coming together?”

Shit. I was afraid of that. “Yeah, sure. I mean… Well, can I have some more time with it first? I need to get a little more info about the club itself. It hasn’t proved easy to do that.”

“I can imagine. But I want something by end of the week. Okay?”

“Sounds good. Thanks, Ed.”

Whew. That was a close one. Now, how was I going to finish the damn story?

And was I going to see G again?

As if he’d read my mind, a text popped up on my phone.

club? tonight?

Maybe he’d be the ticket to the info I needed. If I could get him to talk. And other things…

yes. 9?

c u then

Okay. That was taken care of.

I dialed my dad.

“Hey sweetie,” he answered.

“Hey, Dad. I’m going out after work tonight, so don’t wait on me for dinner.”

“Okay. Hey, I saw my client, Varden, in a meeting this morning. You remember him?”

Wasn’t he that good-looking guy from dinner? “Yeah, I remember him. He seemed distracted by some ladies at the bar.”

My dad laughed. “Well, he is a bit of a ladies’ man. Anyway, he asked for you. I thought that was nice.”

I made that much of an impression? “Really? He barely spoke to me that night.”

“Well, he seemed to remember you fondly.”

“That’s nice. Anyway, I’ll probably see you in the morning then, okay?”

“Sounds good. Love you.”

Next, I phoned Nelle.

“Hey there,” she answered.

“Hi. Got time for a drink or two after work?”

“Sure! See you at six?” she suggested.

“Awesome. See you then.”

I needed to see Nelle, but first I had to clear my head. I headed to the mailroom for a long walk.

* * *

This time, Nelle beat me to the bar. It was a first. I threw my arms around her.

“Dang, girl! You almost knocked me off my chair,” she said. “Are you okay? Why the dramatic hug?”

Was my neediness that obvious?

“Oh gosh, sorry. I’m just so glad to see you.” I waved the bartender over so I could join her in a beer.

“Well,” Nelle started, “I’m off to London next week for work. I’m psyched.”

“Oh my god, that sounds so glam.”

She laughed. “It sort of does, doesn’t it?”

“Hey, whatever happened with your office crush? The one who asked you out?” I asked.

She pursed her lips. “Ugh. He was a dick. We went to dinner. He had bad manners, was boring, and then was pissed I wouldn’t let him up to my apartment at the end of the night.”

“Oh, yuck. Well, glad it didn’t go anywhere. You don’t want to get involved with someone you work with, anyway.”

“You’re right. It could have been a freaking mess. Crisis averted,” she said, dramatically swiping her hand across her forehead. “And what’s up with your job?”

I hesitated, but I was desperate to talk. “That’s pretty much why I wanted to see you tonight.”

Her eyes opened wide. “No! Did you sleep with that guy in the office? And now everything’s fucked up?”

“No, I did no such thing.

Disappointment washed over her face. She always loved a drama.

“What I have to tell you is way better,” I teased.

Her disappointment was replaced with glee. “Ohmygod! Tell me.” She slid to the edge of her seat.

“So…I told you I lined up a good assignment, something I hoped would really kick start my career and earn me some respect at the office.”

“Yeah. I remember.”

I took a sip of my beer. “I’m doing an undercover investigation.”

“Get. Out.” She cuffed me on the shoulder.

“It’s true. And I want to tell you about it, but you’ve got to keep this top secret and confidential. You cannot tell a soul until the story comes out.”

“Promise, I promise.” She did the whole cross my heart motion.

“Have you ever heard of Club Silk?”

She ran her hands through her hair while she thought. “You know, I have. Wasn’t there some story in the news a few years ago that it was some secret sex club, but every time it was discovered, they moved it to another location?”

I nodded.

Her eyes bugged out of her head. She looked around and whispered, “You’re doing a story on a sex club? Holy shit, tell me everything! Have you been there?”

I nodded.

“Was everyone just fucking with abandon, right there in public?”

“Pretty much. I mean, that’s what goes on there, basically.”

“Oh my god. Did you hook up with anyone?”

“I knew you were going to ask that.” I laughed. “Yeah, there’s a guy there who I’ve played with a couple times.”

“So that’s the term? Play with? I like it! Now tell me about him.”

“Well. He’s very sexy. Kind of commanding, which I like. A lot.”

She looked like she was going to explode. “Is he hot? What’s he look like?”

Some things were going to be hard to explain. “I don’t exactly know.”

“What?”

“I know that sounds crazy, but I don’t know. He wears a mask.”

She grimaced. “Okay, that is creepy. Really weird. He must be ugly. Not sure I’d be down with that.”

“I suppose he could be ugly. He says he wears it to protect his privacy. Whatever that means. Anyway, it’s been quite the experience. It’s also a mysterious place.”

“Yeah?” Nelle asked. “How so?”

I leaned closer to her. “When I ask questions—really basic stuff like how long the club’s been around, how many members it has, etc.—no one will answer them. It’s the weirdest thing.” I ordered another round of beers.

Nelle put her elbow on the bar and propped her chin on it. “Oooh. Do you think it’s safe to go sniffing around there for info? Do you think you should leave well enough alone?”

“I feel safe, I mean I’ve been pretty discreet. But without some background on the club, I don’t have a well-rounded story.”

In truth, the story wasn’t the only reason to go back. The masked man had been intruding on my thoughts all day long. And left an ache between my legs.

“Just be careful, okay?” Nelle grabbed my arm. “I’m serious. Don’t take any chances. But I do think it’s super cool you’re going to a sex club.”

“Shhh. You don’t have to announce it.” I looked around the bar. “Jesus.”

She clapped her hands. “So, what’s it like? C’mon, tell me.”

I lowered my voice even more. “At first it’s jarring to see people fucking in public. But once you get beyond that, it’s hot. I mean, it’s a real turn-on.”

“After I come back from London, will you take me there?” she begged.

“I’m not sure, I’ll see. I mean, once my story comes out, they may never let me in again.”

She nodded. “Right. Well, you better enjoy it while you can.” She threw her head back and laughed. “My little friend, Saffi. Sex goddess.”

Actually, I did feel like a sex goddess, thanks to G. What was wrong with that?