And Jennelle wasn’t losing an instant.
“Thanks,” she said breezily, striding through the velvet. “Let’s go Abby, it’s time to party.”
Reluctantly, I tottered in after her. It was so dark inside that I couldn’t see anything at first, eyes adjusting. But slowly, the gloom came into focus and I realized we were looking at bushes. Yep, big bushes shrouded the interior and I turned to my friend once again.
“Um, is this an indoor garden or something?” I asked. “I didn’t know we were here to look at plants.”
But magically, a woman appeared, hair swept into a tight bun dressed in a black cocktail dress, looking very competent and business-like.
“Welcome,” she said smoothly, “I understand you’re the new girls.”
Before I could say anything, Jennelle piped up.
“That’s right, that’s us,” she chirped. “I’m Jennelle and this is my bud Abby.”
I gaped, mouth opening and closing silently. What had happened to our fake names? My friend was supposed to be Candy tonight, and I was supposed to be Barbie. What the hell, she’d just given away our real names, and I groaned internally, shaking my head. If we’d gotten off to a bad start, then this was only making it worse. I’d never be able to live this down if word got out.
But it was too late because the woman nodded, writing something on her clipboard.
“Well you’re just in time,” she said, “because we have some guests waiting. Let me take you to your first assignment.”
She turned, both of us trailing in her wake. But before I took two steps, the woman in black spun back to look at me.
“I’m sorry, this is for your friend only,” she said smoothly. “Only the blonde.”
I stopped, gaping. What? We were supposed to stick together, this nightmare was only getting worse. It was one thing to be matched with guys, it was another to be separated from the only person I knew in this place. My warning bells went from ringing mildly to a five-alarm fire, going off in my head like siren’s wail.
“Um no,” I said quickly. “I’ll go too, I can meet the same guy.”
And Jennelle for once, agreed.
“Two for the price of one!” she piped up. “It’s his lucky day!”
But the woman shook her head again, expression cold.
“I’m sorry, only one customer per companion,” she said. “You’ll have to stay here,” she said again, looking at me pointedly.
I’m not one to be cowed easily, but her expression was so sharp and definitive that I faltered.
“Um okay?” I asked hesitantly. “You won’t be long, will you?” I asked my friend, pleading a little.
And for the first time all night, Jennelle looked a little hesitant. I could tell this was spiraling out of the blonde’s comfort zone as well, throwing her into the deep end. We’d counted on being placed as one, there was so much comfort in having a buddy with you, we’d be okay if we stuck together. But now, we were being separated and it was like getting doused with ice water, the reality of the situation hitting us full in the face.
“I guess so,” she said slowly, trying to smile. “I won’t be long, will I?” she asked the woman in black.
But our handler was vague.
“Every client is different,” she said smoothly. “Every customer has different needs.”
And that just made the alarm bells go off even louder in my head. Needs? Clients? Customers? These were words that had connotations of something darker, tinged with desire and the illicit. Suddenly, it didn’t sound so platonic anymore, the situation didn’t sound like it was limited to snacks and drinks with a random guy.
But there was nothing we could do. We were already inside, the door clanking shut behind us, the darkness overwhelming. I guess we could have turned and tried to bolt, to fight our way back to the sidewalk, but it seemed impossible. There was the bouncer, looming and large, and even more, the icy glare from this woman was just so scary. I thought I was a feisty, take-charge type of girl, but clearly, there was confident, and then there was downright intimidating.
So nodding hesitantly, Jennelle turned bright eyes to me.
“Okay, well bye for now,” she said, trying to sound cheery, giving me a small wave. “I’ll catch up with you once all this is over, okay Abs?”
I nodded dumbly, my throat stuck. Holy hell, what was happening to us? Suddenly this whole thing seemed like the delusional adventures of two teen girls who had no idea what they were doing. Because in a matter of minutes we’d gone from sassy and confident to completely overwhelmed, out of our depths, paddling with sharks. But it was too late, so I just tried to look confident and positive.
“Sure,” I replied, trying to keep the waver from my voice. “See you soon.”
And with that, my friend and the woman disappeared around the row of bushes and I was left on my own in the narrow hallway. What the hell, what the hell. I stood there, stock still for a moment, cold as ice. The corridor was so dim, and all I could see was a purple wall along one side, and then those damn bushes. It was like my friend had been led into a maze, a labyrinth from which escape seemed unsure. It was scary, downright frightening, and I bit my lip, unsure again.