Chapter Two

~ Serafina ~
​
The elevator came to a smooth stop and the doors slid open. Two women wearing skimpy party dresses and spiked heels joined me inside the spacious compartment. One of them glanced over to see the “L” already lit up before returning to their conversation. They looked to be a few years younger than me, in their early twenties. 
“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather go to Lilith’s Lounge?” the brunette asked her redheaded friend. 
She held a colorful brochure in her hands, flipping back and forth between two pages. I recognized the brochure since one just like it had been left in my suite as well. It highlighted the main attractions found here at the Myths and Legends Casino Resort, a supernaturally-themed resort on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
“Are you kidding?” the redhead exclaimed, pointing at the brochure. “Look at that tagline.”
“I am. That’s the problem. ‘Virgins Beware?’ Seriously? And what about the description, ‘For a wildly erotic dance experience look no further than Mystique.’ What does that even mean?”
“Hopefully it means what I think it does. I heard they pass out condoms at the door—the kind that glow in the dark and react to black lights.”
The brunette drew in a sharp breath, obviously scandalized. “Who told you that?”
“The hottie from the pool this afternoon,” the redhead told her friend with a sly smile. 
“Jesus, Sloane. Are you really planning to have sex with that guy? In public?”
“When in Rome...” the redhead said with a shrug as the elevator doors opened and they exited into the lobby. 
I’d planned to check out Lilith’s Lounge, a vampire-themed jazz club, but after hearing their exchange, curiosity got the better of me. Following behind the two women, I crossed the stone floor of the lobby and stopped on the other side, in front of Mystique. The redhead grabbed her friend’s hand and dragged her down the hall to the get in line.
A massive pair of scarred wooden doors, held together by wide iron bands, were propped open at the entrance to Mystique. The doors fit with the medieval castle look of the resort. Thick black curtains hung across the open doorway. Loud dance music thumped from inside, vibrating the floor beneath my feet. 
Two men, wearing black slacks and red long-sleeved button downs, stood near the entrance. The fire-breathing dragons embroidered on the left side of their shirts marked them as resort employees. Both men were tall, and well muscled, with dark hair. I watched while they joked and laughed with the people in line before waving them through into the club. Each time the curtains parted, the music flared louder. 
One of the men, the one with slightly longer hair, eyed me curiously. Then something seemed to catch his attention, and he moved to block the next group of partygoers from entering the club.
“Sorry, Ma’am. You have to be twenty-one to enter this club,” he said, and I realized he was talking to the two women from the elevator. 
The redhead gave him a flirty smile, and moved her arms in a way that plumped up her cleavage. “Oh, but we are. Would you like to see our IDs?”
“No need, Sloane. Come back in August, after your birthday, and I’ll even let you cut in line.”
“How—” Sloane began, but then she turned on her heel and walked away. 
A moment later, her brunette friend followed her down the hall.
Instead of greeting the next person in line, the man with longer hair stepped away from the door, and asked me, “Ready to check it out for yourself, Serafina?”
I gasped, wondering how he could possibly know my name. And for that matter, how did he know Sloane was underage? She didn’t seem to recognize him when she tried to flirt her way through the door.
“It’s all up here,” he said, tapping his index finger against his temple. 
I shook my head and snorted. I’d been at the resort for five days, four of which I’d spent auditioning for a dance position. He’d likely seen me and asked someone my name. Or maybe he’d heard Scarlett, the woman running the auditions, barking my name, along with those of the other dancers, one of the many times she felt we weren’t meeting her impossible expectations.
The man smirked at me and held out his arm, as if to guide me through the black curtains. “It’s up to you, but if you do go inside, I suggest you head straight up the stairs. Soak in the atmosphere a bit before you join the mob on the dance floor.”
How could I resist a warning like that?
As if he knew he had me hooked, he bowed slightly and pulled the curtain aside. Throwing caution to the wind, I stepped inside and the curtain fell back in place behind me.
A hot wave of pure lust immediately stole my breath and weakened my knees. My body suddenly ached with need. Moisture pool between my legs, and no matter how crazy the thought, I knew that I was one touch away from orgasm. 
Maybe if I just crossed my legs and squeezed a bit...
A group of men and women came in behind me, and I stood still, mortified, because I hadn’t needed to be touched after all. Pleasure radiated from my core as a minor orgasm worked its way throughout my body.
The group stopped briefly by the wall, where I heard one of the women say, “I’m in a purple mood tonight.”
The other women laughed while the men questioned her boyfriend’s ability to keep up with her needs. They all moved toward the stairs in front of us, but instead of going up, they went right and left, around the staircase, headed for what I assumed was the dance floor.
I sagged against the stone wall beside me and debated whether to move forward, or turn around and see what Lilith’s had to offer. 
Another group came in and stopped like the first. Once they had moved on, I crossed the narrow space to see what drew all their interest. A large bowl filled with colorful circles sat atop a small table. Upon closer inspection, I realized the circles were glow-in-the-dark condoms, wrapped in clear plastic squares.
What the hell kind of place was this?
A couple came through the curtain, and when the woman whispered something in the man’s ear, he tossed her over his shoulder and smacked her ass. She squealed with delight, and they laughed their way into the club. 
Knowing it was a bad idea, but needing to see for myself, I headed straight for the stairs.
The sexual awareness humming through me lessened with each step I climbed. By the time I reached the top, my body was almost back to normal. Just a slight throb between my legs let me know I still wasn’t clear of the cause. 
Drugs maybe? No. Surely they would have been shut down if they were pumping narcotics through the ventilation system. There had to be another explanation. Whatever it was, I’d worry about it later. For now, I needed to see more. 
Bypassing the bar, and a section of high tables, I worked my way through the crowd to the railing. Everything on the upper level seemed normal. People were chatting and laughing. A few couples were making out, but everyone still had on their clothes.
One look over the railing showed me that wasn’t the case downstairs. Clothing was definitely optional. And yes, some of the men were putting those condoms to good use. But there were plenty of people still fully clothed who seemed to be enjoying the usual bumping and grinding. By the looks on their faces though, the stimulating contact had considerably more oomph than it normally did.
And maybe that was okay. I had an orgasm standing still, by myself, after all. How much better would that have felt in the middle of that writhing mass of bodies? My whole body flushed warm and tingly at that thought.
Could I handle all that stimulation and still keep my clothes on?
I’d never been a promiscuous person, and had to believe that wouldn’t change now, no matter what was going on in this club.
I was about to head back the way I came when I noticed several people going down through a break in the railing. Following their lead, I found a corkscrew staircase that ended right beside the dance floor. During my slow descent, I scanned the club, soaking in the atmosphere, just as the bouncer suggested.
Misty darkness hid much of the club, giving it both a mysterious vibe, and a sense of intimacy. Colored spotlights highlighted several pedestals and raised stages spread around the vast space. Within those spotlights, male and female dancers performed various acts. Some had poles, others used aerial silk. Many of the dancers simply moved their bodies in time with the music. All of them wore minuscule costumes of hot pants, and halter tops for the women, with long pointed tails that made me think of devils or demons. 
Seeing the demon costumes, I remembered reading in the brochure that Mystique was a demon-themed dance club, succubi and incubi in particular—demons that thrived on sex. Which explained the sexy costumes and intimate lighting, but not the instant orgasms. And it would be plural, because with every step down, the need I’d felt near the entrance returned and intensified. By the time I reached the dance floor, every inch of my skin throbbed and ached with a need to be touched.
Compelled by the music, and the unknown aphrodisiac, I moved forward and the crowd swallowed me whole. Hot, slick bodies brushed against me, and I had a vague thought that this was my last chance to get out.
Another body brushed against mine and any thought of leaving disintegrated. Another touch, and another. Each one sent a burst of pleasure through my nerve endings. Within moments, I was on the verge of another orgasm. I felt it building, sinful heat and aching pressure. The music flowed through me, tugging my hips and raising my arms. My body moved without any conscious thought. 
Strong hands landed on my hips and pulled me back against a warm body. Hard muscles, and an even harder cock rubbed against me. 
Was he still clothed? Did I care?
I looked over my shoulder into a pair of deep blue eyes. He stared back at me, drunk on lust, and begging for permission. Instinct had me twisting my hips in a way that made him growl and tighten his grip.
Tingles of pleasure turned to jolts of electricity as we moved together. I hadn’t intended to have sex tonight, but the longer I stayed, the more the idea grew on me. All around us men and women were pressed together, grinding their bodies in a writhing frenzy. Inhibitions long gone, clothes came off. Some remembered their condoms. Others dropped them to the floor, so mindless with need, and consumed by carnal desire, that they simply couldn’t be bothered. 
The intoxicating musk of sex and sweat filled my head, increasing my desire to the point of painful need. 
A blonde man appeared before me. My eyes drank in the sight of his bare chest, and the unbuttoned jeans riding low on his hips. He moved in closer, dancing in front of me. His sculpted muscles brushed against my breasts, teasing my nipples until they formed tight little peaks that throbbed with need. I strained forward, lifting my breasts higher. Taking that as an invitation, he skimmed his hands slowly up my sides and grazed his thumbs over the tight buds, as if testing to see how far I would let him go. When I didn’t protest, he eased the front of my dress down, and exposed my breast for his hot, wet mouth to devour. The first touch of his tongue fogged my brain completely. I trembled in his arms, and buried my fingers in his thick, blonde hair. He licked and sucked with ravenous hunger while my breathing grew more labored by the second.
Not to be outdone, I felt the man at my back working to free his erection. His calloused hands massaged my thighs, moving up and down with increasing pressure, while he dragged the hemline of my dress higher and higher. His hips moved behind me, thrusting with erotic intent, making everything below my waist clench with anticipation. Warm hands slid over my bare ass, and then down along my hip bones. They pressed against my lower abdomen just above my black, lacy thong. There he paused for a moment, awaiting my reaction. 
A tiny voice screamed in the back of my mind. I shouldn’t be doing this—any of this. I opened my mouth to say stop, but the only thing that came out was a harsh demand for more. Nothing could override the pleasure now. I was too far gone. Closing my eyes, I moaned as a rough hand slipped under my panties.
The next instant everything stopped. I couldn’t feel their hands or mouths, or any of the pleasure from only a moment before. My eyes flew open and darted around the immediate area. The two men were gone. The dance floor was still packed, everyone doing whatever they’d been doing before, but no one came within touching distance. I stumbled toward a couple on my right and they backed up, maintaining their distance from me. 
A sudden chill washed over me as every hair on my body stood on end. The haze of lust began to lift. I felt eyes on me, and raised my head. A tall, dark-haired man stood on the upper level overlooking the dance floor. His intense gaze was focused on me, piercing, as if he could see straight into my soul. I froze in place. Unable to move or look away, I could only watch as rage and lust blazed in his dark, hungry gaze. 
The nightclub suddenly dissolved around me, and I saw myself in his arms, pinned to the wall, with my legs wrapped around his waist. My hands gripped his broad shoulders while he drove himself into me over and over again. On some level I knew it wasn’t real, but my body reacted as if it were. The fire stoked by the other men suddenly burst into flames, drenching my panties with a violent orgasm that left me trembling and gasping for air. 
As the orgasm ripped through my body, I saw the dark-haired man thrusting harder and deeper, frantically pounding into the wet center of my quivering body. Through it all, his magnetic eyes bore into mine, holding me in place while the fantasy played out. With a final thrust of his powerful hips, he growled savagely, and buried himself deep while his cock pulsed with his release. 
Before I could catch my breath, the dance club came roaring back into focus. The vision shattered, leaving me wet and aching, alone on the dance floor. With a sharp pang of despair, I realized the dark-haired man was gone as well. I hadn’t seen him leave, but he was definitely not anywhere that I could see. I raced for the stairs, righting my clothes along the way, and quickly climbed, searching, but found no trace of him. 
Was he even real? Or just a fantasy born of the raging lust threatening to consume me again?
I took one last look at the dance floor below and fled while the thought to do so could still form in my mind.