Close Your Eyes

The upscale club buzzed with excitement.
Lights flashed in a myriad of colors,
painting
the swaying crowd in hues of pink, blue
,
and orange. The hypnotic sound of loud music added to the
place’s
surreal feel
;
the air
was
charged with
a palpable, hectic
energy.

Matt
Harper
liked
the
atmosphere
.
This is exactly what I need
, he thought as he watched the dancers performing on many small stages.
He sipped his drink
;
the ice cubes ma
de
a
small
,
soft sound against the heavy glass.
His whiskey
tasted great, which was
what he expected
,
given
the price tag that came with the pleasure of getting drunk in style. He
could tell he was
close to achieving
precisely
that
. A
small smile
creased his lips
,
and
the pleasant buzz in his head
was
a welcome
d
sensation.

I
ndifferent to the dancers’ seductive curves accentuated with sparkling glitter
,
Matt let his
eyes
lazily
wander
over
the women’s
half
-
naked bodies
.
He knew what
he was looking for.
With narrowed eyes, he
carelessly surveyed
the girls.

None of them
will
do,
he thought
,
disappointed
. H
is eyebrows knitted together in a disapproving grimace.
W
ell-dressed
men
threw
mon
ey at the
slithering
dancers,
who were
both
erotic and challenging.

‘Do you need some company?’

Matt
looked up, startled briefly by the seductive voice that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Tall, dark
-
haired
,
and barely dressed in
a
blue dress that left little to imagination
,
the woman
had
moved
right up
to him without hi
s
even noticing.
Matt studied the woman:
the
long, dark
hair that framed
her
pale face
,
heavily made
-
up blue eyes
,
and lips that could have been pretty
with
half as much lipstick.

Suddenly
,
he felt much better. The haze of alcohol only added to his good mood
.
H
e hesitated for a moment
, speculating
.

This is
it
.
A
satisfied
grin
stretch
ed
his somber features into a welcoming expression. She was exactly what he wanted
. He reached into
the pocket of his pale blue shirt
and pulled out
his wallet.

‘I might
.
’
H
e nodded, his mood already improving.
Maybe this evening
won’t
be
a total loss
,
he thought,
silencing
the
tiny part of his brain that
screamed
for him to back out
.

‘It depends if you’re wi
lling to play on
my terms,’ he continued, his grin widening as he noticed the
girl’s
expression change from seductive playfulness to caution. ‘
N
o, I don’t
mean anything kinky…’

S
he relaxed ever so slightly
as
his expensive leather wallet
, which was
lying
in full sight on the table
, grabbed her attention
.

‘Just a
role play
. T
hat’s it.’

‘
S
ounds interesting
.
’
Her
eyes still on the money, she slid into the chair
next to him
in one fluid motion.

Now that she was close
r
, he could see her clearly
. His
good mood
improved further
. He
had
got
ten
really lucky
;
he congratulated himself, taking in her slim features and elegant bone structure.

‘I will pay you five hundred pounds
per hour
to be my girlfriend for tonight
.
’
He was
glad for the semidarkness that
hid
the blush he couldn’t stop from covering his pale cheeks.
Damn, it should
be
easier by now, but somehow
,
never
is
.

‘Wha
t do I do as your girlfriend?’
H
er voice was
all
wrong
,
he thought
disappoint
ed
.
Its pitch was too high
,
and
she had
a strong Southern
accent. Not that he had anything against
the
S
outh
of course
;
he
just
wished
she
were
more soft-
spoken
and gentle
.
He
didn’t even need to close his eyes to recall another, familiar
voice.
He
knew
it
so well
,
it wasn’t necessary
.

‘What don’t you do?’
he
par
ri
ed
, his eyes questioning
her
. He
felt
slightly
drunk
,
but his head was clear enough to know that she was a
high-class
escort, used to all kind
s
of demands. It was important to
lay
out
the rules, if only to avoid further disappointments.

‘I
won’t do anything
without protection
.
’
She
was all business
now, her lovely face
becoming
serious. ‘
Otherwise
,
you will find me very
open-
minded.’

‘Good
.
’
He
finished off his drink
;
the
pleasurable
burn of the alcohol
slid
down his throat. ‘I have only two demands
.
’
He
shifted in his chair, stretching out his long
,
muscular legs. ‘You don’t mention our… date to anyone
. T
hat’s first.’