Even though it was a Sunday night, The Pendulum was in full swing, with a packed dance floor of hopefuls in their outrageous costumes. When Cooper had suggested a night of pleasure, Dylan thought it might be just what she needed, but the rhythm of the music did nothing to drown out the sorrowful thumping in her chest. It was going to take more than music and a few drinks to smooth the jagged edges of Dylan’s heart. There was a mutual betrayal that stemmed from both sides of a dagger, hers and Ari’s. Ari misled her. Made Dylan believe she was a woman in need of a job. But Dylan was no angel either. She only hired Ari because she wanted to fuck her. They were both at fault in this mutual game of deception. Still, within the short time she had gotten to know Ari, Dylan believed there was something real. An intangible force that drew them together.
In the twenty-nine years she’d been alive, Dylan learned to trust her gut and it said Ari was a decent woman. Yet, two months ago, she thought Maxi was too. That no longer held true. Maxi’s repeated betrayals had Dylan doubting her gut. The events over the past few days had really thrown Dylan for a loop. Not sure anymore what was real or fake, good or bad, right or wrong.
But Ari was gone, leaving Dylan to move forward and mend her broken heart solo. The first step was a liquid bandage.
“Did you ask Lucy to meet us?” asked Dylan while casting her gaze at the busy dance floor.
In a similar swoop of their surroundings, Cooper didn’t see her either. “Yeah, she should be here anytime.”
“What do you want? First round’s on me.”
“Thanks. A G&T with extra G.” The two of them spoke the same barkeep language.
“Extra G coming up. Go grab us a table, something tucked away.”
Cooper strolled off to grab a table and look for Lucy while Dylan turned toward the bar.
Lucy was no stranger to BDSM, though she might not practice it like they did. She had been to Adytum a few times over the years. It’s how Lucy and Cooper met. She didn’t mind her best friend hooking up with a coworker as long as Lucy respected the job. They lived in a world where sexual energy flowed around them daily. Women dangled temptation like a carrot in front of them, and they expected all employees to serve the whims of the client. Work was work. That meant being unfaithful in every sense of the word.
At the end of the bar, Dylan raised her hand. To her surprise, the big-haired, sexy bartender from her previous visit sidled up in front of her. This time, her mane was tame and her rapturous figure was sans eighties attire. Two months ago, Dylan might have slipped the woman a business card with her personal number. Alas, it wasn’t two months ago. The art of the chase was once something to be savored; now, it seemed tedious and meaningless after Ari broke her spirit.
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