The Bad Girls' Club (18 page)

Why would anyone
willingly
hang out in a place like this? Between the freaks, the heat and the boom, boom, boom of the music, my head would surely explode. Maybe I could convince Juliette and Imogen to leave after a few drinks.

Unfortunately, when I turned to Imogen sprawled beside me on the couch, she seemed positively
entranced
by the parade of mutants around us. And God knows where Juliette had disappeared to. I gulped down my drink and got up.

‘
Keep an eye on my stuff,’ I yelled at Imogen above the grinding beat.

‘
What?’ she mouthed.

I mimed chugging a drink. She shook her head and pointed at her full beer glass. I nodded toward my jacket and bag beside her on the couch. She nodded back, finally getting the message.

As I walked to the bar, a woman passed me holding a leash. She had some weirdo on the other end, crawling around like an animal. I seriously had to get out of this place.

At least things were quieter in the bar area. I ordered my drink and waited, massaging my temples when a clammy hand gripped my arm.

I shrieked, shaking it off. A fat man in a leather vest leaned across the corner of the bar, beads of sweat gleaming through his thick mat of chest hair.

‘
Having a good night?’ he asked.

I nodded but stared at the row of bottles behind the bar. Anything to avoid eye contact. He actually moved over closer to me. I could feel his breath, heavy on my skin, and backed away from him.

‘Oh, you’re shy. I like the shy ones. They can be a lot of fun when you warm them up.’ He rubbed his pudgy hands together. ‘I saw you looking at me earlier and I knew you’d be keen.’

Looking at him? Was he on crack? He reached out toward my arm again but I was too fast for him. I grabbed his hand in midair, crunching his fingers in my fist.

‘Back off, tubby,’ I hissed and he shrunk away.

I paid for my drink and moved away.

Then I saw
her
. The most incredible woman strode across the room, her blonde hair swirling around her. She carried a Prada bag, not a whip, and the cut of her purple dress suggested a Paris runway rather than dungeon. Maybe she was lost or, like me, dragged here on a dare. And, oh my God, she was wearing those boots. The ones I lusted after. The ones that mocked me – sitting in the shop window as I walked home from work – saying
you want us but you can’t have us
. The ones I’d have to mortgage my flat to buy.

I stared, devastated yet transfixed. It was like seeing another woman with the man you love, but a woman so perfect you knew she deserved him more than you ever would.

She took a seat at a corner of the bar, resting her bag on the stool beside her. The barman waved and poured her a drink. Maybe the barman was her flatmate or her friend? Maybe that’s why she was here.

She crossed her perfect legs and smiled her perfect smile then extended her perfectly manicured hands to take the drink from him. She sure didn
’t fit in. This was a place of bad boots. I felt myself drawn to her; a lighthouse of sanity guiding me through this sea of freaks. Those boots had the kind of workmanship you’d never get from a mass produced factory line – the supple Italian leather embracing her calf like a lover’s caress. These were the boots of a lifetime, the boots of dreams, exquisite enough to make me weak in the knees.

I jolted back to reality, realising I
’d been gawping at a stranger’s footwear. Not just gawping, salivating, almost drooling. I looked up to see her smiling at me.

‘
Sorry,’ I said. ‘How rude of me.’

‘
Don’t be silly,’ she replied, her voice thick and throaty. ‘Take a seat.’ She moved her bag off the stool. ‘I’m Maxine, by the way.’

‘
Beth,’ I said.

She snapped her fingers over the bar.
‘Jeff,’ she called, ‘get my friend, Beth, a drink.’

‘
The champagne here tastes like cat’s piss.’ She plunked the champagne glass from my hand. ‘They do have a passable red though. So, Beth, you sure like shoes.’

‘
Shoes, bags, clothes. If you can wear it, I love it.’ We laughed.

‘
What brings you to Bound anyway?’

I rolled my eyes.
‘You won’t believe this. I’m here with a couple of friends... for a dare.’

She raised her eyebrow. My God, she had perfect eyebrows, just the right shape and arch. I could never get mine to look like that. They just didn
’t grow right.

‘
A dare?’ she asked.

‘
Well…’ I moved in closer. ‘I’m supposed to get a spanking.’ Her perfume enveloped me, floral and light with just a subtle undernote of musk.

‘
You nervous?’

I shrugged.
‘Well ... yeah, of course.’

I swivelled on my seat, my arm draped across the back. She studied me for a minute then traced her fingers along the inside of my arm. Slowly. Deliberately. I sucked in my breath.

‘I can’t imagine much making you nervous,’ she said.

Surely she noticed the tremors as she touched me, the thin line of sweat on my skin, the glow radiating from my flushed face. No, not much made me nervous...

She took the wine glass from the barman and handed it to me. My fingers closed around the glass but, instead of letting go, she left our fingers slightly touching, her eyes locked into mine. My hand quivered, dribbling wine down the front of my top. A crimson line soaking into the white silk.

‘
Shit.’

Maxine reached across the bar, grabbing some napkins and a jug of water. She dabbed at the stain. The stain that covered my right breast. I felt like I was burning up – from the shame of my clumsiness, from the nearness of her, from the unmistakeable sight of my nipple straining against the damp fabric.

The boom, boom, boom of the music had been replaced by the boom, boom, boom of my pulse as my blood thickened and reached boiling point. Common sense screamed at me to get out of here but I couldn’t move, no more than a fat kid could leave a half-eaten chocolate cake, except I was the chocolate cake. I was the one about to be devoured.

She pulled me close, grazing her lips on mine, soft and gentle, barely touching. Giving me the opportunity to pull away but instead I melded into her body, the soft roundness of her breasts squeezing into my arm, the firm grasp of her fingers on my back, the tickle of her hair against my cheek.

I pushed myself against her, and she responded – firm but not rough. Her skin smooth against mine, her lips tasting of raspberries. The musk of her perfume becoming stronger and more intoxicating. Her nipples hardened against me and I could feel the texture of her stockings, my shoe slipping off as I ran my foot down her leg, feeling the soft leather of her boots rubbing against my instep.

I reached out to stroke her skin, wanting to pull her even closer to me but she grabbed my hands, pinning my arms behind my back. She ran a line of soft kisses down my chest, along my collarbone and down further, stopping just above my nipple.

I moaned as she broke away from me, thrusting myself toward her. She held me down, staring into my eyes. Watching me as I squirmed in my seat, hungry for more. She reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

‘
Come downstairs,’ she said. She got up and took my hand, leading me away.

As she pushed her way through the crowd downstairs, I wondered where she was taking me and what she planned to do and, if she were my girlfriend, would she loan me those boots? We looked like we had the same size foot.

She led me to a quiet corner and pushed me against a black leather bench. Every part of me tingled, my thighs wet from excitement. She bent me over and her fingers moved slowly up my legs, starting just behind the knees. The soft touches tickled as much as they inflamed me and I writhed and giggled. She leaned against me, pushing me harder against the leather, her breasts pressing against my back as her hand worked its way further up my leg.

Her fingers got to the top of my thighs as the music pounded louder, working its way through me. Only, I wasn
’t sure if it was the music or my own deepening breath. She hitched my skirt up then paused.

I stiffened, waiting for her to touch me again. Biting my lip and waiting. Throbbing with expectation. Waiting.

But her touch wasn’t what I was expecting. Instead of the soft touch of fingers, her hand struck me firmly on the butt, the impact pushing me harder into the leather bench, the sting resounding on my skin.

I jumped up, pushing her away from me. She reached out, caressing my cheek and I almost succumbed but as my eyes focused on the room around us, I saw Juliette standing at the top of the stage staring straight at me. My brain buzzed, trying to work out what was going on, when someone grabbed Juliette
’s arm. I pulled away from Maxine as though coming back to reality from a bewitchment. What the hell had I been thinking? I pulled down my skirt and ran.

Beth came bowling over to my table looking spooked.

‘What’s happening?’

‘
Nothing,’ she said then jumped as someone brushed passed her.

‘
Is it spanking time yet?’ I laughed and made a little spanking gesture on the side of my arse.

She folded her arms.
‘Shut the hell up, Imogen?’

The way she was acting, she
’d definitely be getting a spanking tonight. I’d be giving it to her myself. Who cared if Beth was sulky anyway, I was enjoying the club. Not my kind of thing, but interesting nonetheless. At the next table, a girl stood behind her boyfriend’s chair, only moving when he gave the signal. It amazed me that she could stand so still. I’d forget and wander off to the toilet or to the bar. On stage, there seemed to be a lot happening. I couldn’t see what they were doing with those candles but it looked like fun. And that little blonde girl had got back on stage. I squinted to focus more clearly. Shit, that little blonde girl was Juliette.

I grabbed Beth
’s arm.

‘
What?’ she said, shrugging me off.

‘
Look.’ I nodded with my head toward the stage. ‘Check that out.’

‘
Yeah, I saw the stage. I’m not that interested, OK.’

‘
No, you idiot. The girl on stage. Check it out.’

‘
Juliette. What the hell is she doing?’

‘
Having fun by the looks of it. Good on her.’

Beth and I stared at Juliette. She looked like she
’d been doing it for years. I could see her shouting orders at the guy; I couldn’t make out what she said but I could imagine.

‘
Ready for your spanking yet?’ I asked Beth.

Beth shrugged.

‘You might meet a nice Master. Or a nice Mistress even.’ I looked around. ‘Like that chick over there.’ I pointed out a stunning woman with blonde hair who was dressed kind of like Beth. ‘Check her out. She looks all tame and conservative, but I bet she’s kinkier than anyone else here.’

‘
Imogen,’ she said, glaring at me. ‘Shut the fuck up.’

‘
What’s up your arse anyway?’

‘
Nothing. I’m going to the bathroom,’ she said and stomped off. Screw her. I’d have more fun without her sour face around me. I wondered what these people did for day jobs. Did they work in banks and offices, dressing in business suits from Monday to Friday? Nearby a guy knelt on his hands and knees while his mistress used him as a footstool. I bet he was a bank manager.

The music was great, heavy and pounding. I tapped my foot in time. I wouldn
’t have minded getting up to dance, if there was someone to dance with. I really didn’t think Beth was wearing boogie shoes. Then, a girl asked if she could sit down.

‘
Yeah, sure.’

‘
Thanks. These boots look fabulous but they kill my feet.’

‘
I bet.’ She was wearing red vinyl thigh-high boots with heels so high I wondered how she could walk in them.

‘
You having a good night? You’re new here, aren’t you?’

‘
I just came along with some friends but it’s fascinating.’

‘
You think? It’s just like any other scene when you’ve been around a while. Lots of bitching and in-fighting. See that woman over there? The one with the purple streaks in her hair? She stormed out of here about six months ago after a huge fight with the owner, Sue. Spread all kinds of rumours. Now she’s back, and they’re best mates. And that guy over there, the fat guy in the leather vest at the bar, he tries it on with every new chick in the place. A real sleazeball. You wait; he’ll come over and chat you up soon. While that one there, the one with the grey hair at the end of the bar, comes here every week and never talks to anyone. Just stands there and sips his beer then goes home. Been doing that for two years and no one knows anything about him.’

Beth came back. She sat down and folded her arms over her chest. I had no idea what was going on with her.

‘My friend, Juliette, went off with some guy. He’s OK, isn’t he?’ I pointed him out because I didn’t want Jules getting involved with anyone dodgy.

‘
Oh, Peter, yeah, he’s a sweetheart. She’ll be safe with him. Well, as safe as she wants to be.’ The girl winked at me. ‘Where are they, anyway?’

I pointed out Juliette on the stage.

‘She’s taking to it like a duck to water,’ she said and laughed.

I had to agree. Juliette was one surprise package. I looked over at Beth but she had her phone out and was texting someone.

‘I’ve got to go,’ she said, suddenly. ‘I’ve got work drinks.’

‘
Huh? What work drinks?’ I asked her. ‘You can’t go. You’re here for a reason.’

‘
Too bad. I’ve got to go. You wouldn’t understand. It’s a work thing.’

‘
Beth. Be reasonable. We came here to support
you
on
your
dare. It’s not Juliette’s fault that she’s having all the fun. You’re being a complete douchebag all night and now you’re making up some work drinks so that you can leave. It’s not on.’

The girl in the red boots stood up and smiled.
‘I’ll leave you and your girlfriend to it, I think.’

‘
She’s not my…’ But the girl had walked off. Beth frowned at me. ‘Look what you’ve done now.’

What had I done? I
’d done nothing. If Beth hadn’t been sulking and acting all shitty then she wouldn’t have looked like my girlfriend.

‘
Beth, who gives a fuck what that girl thinks. And why are you being so shitty? You’ve been weird all night. And you were weird at Poppy’s the other night too. What’s up?’

‘
Nothing,’ she said. But she folded her arms and looked away.

‘
Right, you aren’t acting like it’s nothing.’

‘
I wouldn’t have thought you’d have noticed much at Poppy’s. You were rather busy, weren’t you? Throwing yourself at Daniel. My cousin’s husband.’

‘
Come on, Beth. Like you give a rat’s arse about Poppy.
Your cousin’s husband
. I can’t believe you’re upset about that? A bit of stupid flirting with Daniel. You know what he’s like. He didn’t mean a thing.’

‘
I dunno. He seemed serious. And you were lapping it up.’

‘
So would you if you’d gone for as long as I had without sex. I can’t even remember the last time a guy looked at me. So I had a bit of fun with Daniel – sue me.’

She frowned.
‘You had sex a few weeks ago at the beach.’

The beach? I
’d forgotten. Suddenly, my chest tightened.

‘
Oh… I meant apart from that.’

‘
No, you didn’t.’

‘
That wasn’t serious.’

Beth stared at me. I looked away. Damn, that blew it.

‘You made it up, didn’t you? You bloody liar. You told us all this far out story so we’d go out and do things we would never normally do.’

I heard a scream from the stage, accompanied by the regular pounding of leather on flesh. I gulped and looked at Beth.

‘Look, I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t. You can’t talk, anyway. You refused to do the work dare and you’ve been sitting here like a wet blanket all night. That’s two dares you’ve backed out on.’

‘
That’s completely different. I didn’t
lie
.’

‘
It’s not different. I didn’t mean to –’

‘
I bet. More like you’ve been laughing at us all along. You’re just a bitch, Imogen. A big, fat bitch.’

The screaming and pounding from the stage was reaching a crescendo and I could barely breathe. I gripped on to the table and tried to stop myself, but the words piled out.

‘Well it’s not like you’ve done anything that outrageous. You reject everything we suggest but you’re happy enough to push us into stuff. You’re a bully. You’re just like my mother – more worried about your hair than anyone else’s feelings.’

When her drink hit my face, I realised that I
’d gone too far. She grabbed her bag and pushed her way through the crowd.

I found a toilet downstairs and cleaned myself up. I
’d really fucked this up but Beth was just a stupid hypocritical bitch. I bet she was waiting outside expecting me to run out behind her grovelling. That was not going to happen, if I never spoke to her again.

When I got back, Juliette stood at the bar on her own.

‘Imogen, did you see that?’ She was hyped.  ‘I can’t wait for the next Bad Girls’ meeting.’

‘There isn’t going to be another Bad Girls’ meeting Juliette.’

‘
What?’ she asked. I was about to explain when Peter walked by. ‘Peter, could you please… I mean, Peter, I want a glass of water.’ She turned back to me.

‘
Jules, look it’s pretty bad. See, you know that dare I did? On the beach? Well –’

‘
Just a minute.’ Jules reached over and took the glass of water from Peter. ‘Good boy. Now go sit over in the corner and I’ll come over when I’m ready.’ As he walked off, she looked at me. ‘Mistress Sue told me to say that to him. Lets him know who’s boss. Now, what were you saying?’

‘
I lied. About my dare. I didn’t mean to, and it’s not like Beth has been exactly –’

‘
Don’t worry about it, Imogen. Beth will be fine. I’ve got to go for a minute.’

As she said this, the girl with the puppy-boy came over and handed her the leash. Juliette turned and grinned at me.

‘Jules, we need to talk. Seriously.’

‘
Yeah sure, Imogen. Later. Puppy needs exercise.’

I shrugged and walked off. No point staying around here.

As I left, I looked back at Juliette. She was reprimanding the puppy, the light shining in her eyes. She was having the time of her life. She’d forgotten about me already.

Outside, I could see Beth standing on the street, about a block down from the club. I turned in the other direction.