Dancing In Darkness

by Sherrie Weynand

  Putting one foot in front of the other she nervously followed this stranger of a man into this mansion of a house. It was the hardest thing that she had to ever make herself do. She had to stop her mind from racing. He wasn’t a killer. The killer was stalking dancers from the club she actually worked at. This was some party for a bunch of freaks. That’s how she had summed it all up. Freaks, and yet here she was, here to put on a show for the freaks. Didn’t that make her one of them? In a brief moment of comic relief, all she could think was, “Let your freak flag fly.” She almost laughed out loud.

  Before they reached the main door, it opened before them as if on cue. The butler, (of course there was a butler, she thought as she rolled her eyes) opened it as if he were showing in a king. Then again, for all she knew, he could be royalty. She never thought to ask, but she knew it wasn’t royalty, they wouldn’t have had a childhood where they wanted to improve themselves to this degree.

  She had to admit, the foyer was beyond impressive. From the marble tile all the way to the domed ceiling. Breathtaking. There were two massive staircases off both sides of the foyer that led to a lofted area and the second floor. Walking through the foyer into the formal living room took longer than it did to walk across her entire new apartment. The art collection was amazing, everything about the house so far was insanely finished. She could get used to this, even though she would never achieve this level of wealth. This was beyond stability and crossed over into ludicrous.

  “If you will follow me, we shall go downstairs to what is affectionately known as the dungeon.” He told her as he smiled. He noticed her eyes grew larger when he named the room.

  “Okay.” She said, suddenly very unsure of her decision making skills.

  She looked around for the staircase and didn’t see one off of this room. He walked to a wall and pushed a hidden button. To her amazement the entire bookcase slid to the right and opened into a long narrow hallway. There were a few doors on each side along the hall but she had no idea where any of them might go. He kept walking until the hall ended in yet another giant expanse of a room. Suddenly, she knew where she would be. The seating in the room spread so that the stage was in the center of the room. There was a pole and ribbons. She wasn’t too sure about the ribbon dancing, she had only tried once and it was an epic fail.

  Looking around in her bag for her cellphone because this was the third time it had gone off, she saw that it was Nina. She couldn’t imagine what was going on that she would call her three times in a row. Hopefully she remembered that she was coming here tonight instead of to Nina’s Place. She would feel horrible if they were without dancers.

  Asking Adam to excuse her for a second so that she could make a phone call, he showed her to a more private area of the room. It was a small sitting area that was cordoned off by large potted plants. Just another touch of detail that had not been left out. Dialing the number on her phone, she waited for Nina to answer.

  “Priscilla, when you get finished there tonight, I need you to come to the club. I do not care what time it is. I’m not leaving until you get here.” Nina rambled on into the receiver.

  “Nina are you okay?” Priscilla sounded extremely worried. It wasn’t like the older woman to be this upset and nervous.

  “I have to go for right now and I know you are going to be busy. Please, come straight here after you are done. If he picked you up, have him drop you off here. I will take you to get your car.” She said.

  Hanging up the phone, Priscilla was confused and worried. No, she was scared and terrified. She wanted to leave right now, but she had made this commitment and Nina told her to be dropped off there. She would have to make it through this party first.

  “Everything okay?” Adam asked her.

  “I don’t know for sure. When you take me back, could you drop me off at Nina’s, please?” She replied.

  “Of course. Let me know if everything is okay.” He told her.

  “I will, definitely.” She said, unable to shake the bad feeling that had settled over her.

  “I can show you your costume and where to change now. Guests should start arriving any time. I still need to get the lights and music going. I’ll help you out the best I can tonight since it’s your first time.” He said to her.

  “Thanks. I guess I should get ready then.” She replied.

  Leading her past a couple of doors, he opened one on the left. When he turned the light on in the room she was stunned. It was a dressing room, with full length mirrors, benches, a sofa, vanity bench in front of the mirror. The closet was immense and filled with every costume type imaginable. Hanging from the hook on the door was hers for the night. It was a black vinyl bra and a thong to match. With it was a matching garter and thigh high boots. The bra had crisscrossed straps that wound around her torso. While it wasn’t her usual choosing for herself, she had to admit that it was rather hot.

  When he left the room, she started to undress and neatly folded her clothes in a pile on the sofa. First the thong and then the bra. Getting the strapping just right was a chore, but she accomplished it. When she put the garter on, it took her a second to realize there were no stockings, these garters were meant to attach to the boots. Those were another story. She was trying to figure out how she was going to walk, let alone dance, in the sky high platforms. Whatever it took.

  After dressing, she stuck her head out the door and called for Adam. “I’m ready as I’ll ever be.”

  Entering the room he looked at her up and down. “You are amazing. I think our guests are going to be very pleased.”

  “Entertained at least.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I do have a question.”

  “Ask anything.” He told her.

  “If these people are here for the ummm, activities of their choosing, are they really even going to be that interested in dancing on a stage?” She asked.

  “You would be surprised. Some of the guests don’t even participate outside of the main room. It’s something about being with like-minded individuals. Plus, they do pay more attention than what you think.” He replied.

  As they were talking, she could hear voices of others that had arrived before they made their way back to the main room. The lights had been lowered and replaced with softer red lighting. It made it difficult to see but she was sure her eyes would adjust. There was music playing loudly in the background, it had a good danceable beat and it was quite sexy. Priscilla didn’t know what the music was but she did like it. “I can dance to that.” She thought to herself.

  She was somewhat self-conscious of her outfit now that she knew there were people in the room where she was going to dance. If she could undress for a huge room of drunk men, she could do this. “Get your shit together, Priscilla. This is nothing.” Her inner voice told her.

  “Here you go.” Adam said when they had reached the steps of the stage. “Under the stage is a break area for you. There are drinks and snacks, a place to sit down. Don’t worry, it’s lighted and quite roomy. You won’t feel trapped.”

  Priscilla tried to take it all in and listen to him at the same time. There certainly was a varying degree of members. She saw the gentleman in the business suit sitting in an oversized chair, next to him a woman. The woman was not in a chair, but rather, on her knees next to him, her head and eyes cast downward toward the floor, her palms face up on her thighs and he was holding a leash that was connected to the collar that she wore. She could see that there were several variations of this pairing scattered around the floor. There were women with men on leashes as well, so at least she knew it wasn’t something that was only against women.

  “Adam, don’t these people on these leashes find it to be humiliating?” She questioned him.

  “Perhaps to a small extent they do, however as a sub, they receive their joy from making their masters or Doms happy. Pleasing their Doms pleases them.” He explained.

  It was all too much for Priscilla to wrap her brain around. She couldn’t imagine being any of the people she
had witnessed on a leash.

  “In all reality, Priscilla, it’s the subs that hold all of the power in these types of relationships. They have to consent to everything, without that trust and consent, there is no Dom/sub relationship.” He went on.

  “To each their own I guess.” She replied.

  “I’ll let you go so you can start. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask me. I’ll answer to the best of my abilities.” He told her.

  “Okay, one more question first. Do you do this? You know, have a sub or are a sub?” She asked him. As soon as she asked she felt bad, that was private and if he wanted her to know, he would have already told her. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that.”

  “It’s fine. It’s a legitimate question.” He responded. “No, I am not a sub. I’m not wired that way. Yes I am a Dom, currently a Dom without a sub.” He answered honestly.

  “I see. Again, I am sorry for asking that.” She told him.

  “Questions are how we learn, Priscilla.” He told her. “Come, it’s time to get you started.”

  Taking her by the hand, he started to walk up the stairs to the top of the stage, she followed behind him now quite nervous. When they were on the stage he picked up the microphone that was placed at the very front.

  “Ladies and Gentleman, tonight for your entertainment and pleasure, we have a special guest. A beautiful woman and spectacular dancer, please welcome, Ms. Pris.” He announced.

  The room filled with applause. In the far corner of the room, sitting on a sofa that was hidden in the dark, a pair of eyes followed her every move. He didn’t applaud, he didn’t stand. He folded his hands in his lap and simply watched. “Well isn’t this interesting.” The shadowed figure thought to himself.

  Priscilla started to dance to the music coming from the surround sound system. Soon, as always, the music filled her and she was one with it. Her movements and the music moving simultaneously together. It’s what made her so damn good. Her body worked on its own. Time slipped by and she hadn’t even realized that she had been dancing as long as she had. It didn’t matter to her, she loved the way she felt when she danced. Tonight, she had other things on her mind. From Nina’s call to activities here at the party. She could see more and more of her surroundings.

  Couples and individuals alike would come and go from the main room. Some pairs would split up and go separate directions, others would leave the room together. Some would walk with their mates, some would crawl out while their Doms held their leashes. It was odd to her. Perhaps it was something that had to grow on you or there was some mental issue making this seem logical. She didn’t know. It didn’t affect her, so she was going to do what she did best, mind her own.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  She caught a glimpse of the man in the shadows as she made her way down the stairs to take a break. Losing track of time was a job hazard, especially when you enjoyed what you did. Priscilla had an innate ability to know when someone was watching her and she had felt this since the beginning. Trying to see if she could tell who it was without being obvious, she looked around the room slowly and concentrated. It didn’t help. It was too dark behind the flashing lights.

  Thinking that it might be Adam, she opened the door that led under the stage. Her original thought of Adam was confirmed when she heard him say, “Stunning.”

  “Adam! You startled me!” She exclaimed.

  “Sorry, didn’t mean to. Everyone is raving over you and I’m wondering why I hadn’t thought of this sooner.” He smiled.

  His smile was true and pure. She noticed when it went from a grin to a full smile, it lit up his eyes. It momentarily took her mind off of the person who had been watching her. She had seen some familiar faces here tonight. Not familiar as she knew them personally, rather, she recognized city officials, the deputy mayor, and one that she knew was a plastic surgeon in the area, because his face was plastered on billboards throughout the city. Adam was the only one she knew, even then she had just met him.

  While Priscilla was entertaining at the party, Nina was distraught. The girl that had become her assistant and Priscilla’s best friend, was found dead in the park earlier in the evening. This was number three and nowhere near being random. Someone was targeting girls from her club and she had no idea why. Megan Dryer, Diamond Jacquere and Zena Wilkins all murdered within weeks of each other. It made no sense. Not only was she losing good women to senseless acts, her business was going to be affected. Girls wouldn’t come in to work and the clientele were not going to want to be targets of the police investigations. Tomorrow, Nina would have to contact the police department to speak with Detectives Ward and Tony.

  Unaware of the tragedy she was about to be wrapped up in, Priscilla made her way back to the stage. There was a little over an hour to go and she wanted to give it her best. Whatever happened behind closed doors here, didn’t bother her in the least. Everyone was here of their own free will and the worst thing she had witnessed was one man spanking his sub. She couldn’t tell if it was serious or for show, but either way, they were consenting adults.

  After the party started to come to a close and the guests were all gathering back in the stage room, Priscilla made her way to the bottom of the stairs. “Not yet, Ms. Pris.” Adam called to her.

  “Excuse me? I thought we were finished. My apologies.” Priscilla started.

  “No apologies, we just have a tradition of treating our guests and performers well. We would like to thank you for participating with us and if all are in agreement, we would love to have you return on a regular basis.” Adam said.

  The crowd of almost one hundred cheered loudly at the suggestion. They had all mentioned how absolutely stunning she was to watch. Her movements, the music, the entire scenario played well together. Priscilla turned a light shade of crimson. While she was used to the cheers, this was a much smaller group of people who were entirely focused on her. She wasn’t sure if alcohol had been served, but no one appeared to be intoxicated.

  Thanking them for their kindness, Priscilla asked if she could go get changed.

  “Yes you may. When you are finished, please come back out. There is a large jar on the edge of the stage. Those are your tips above and beyond your compensation.” He told her.

  “I’ll be right out.” She said.

  Walking down the hallway, she could see that some of the doors were ajar. While she couldn’t tell exactly what was in them, without opening them the rest of the way, she had to admit that she was curious. Reaching the changing room she hurriedly dressed in her own clothes. Taking the time to hang her costume carefully on the hanger, she took a look in the mirror and said to the image, “You, Priscilla Barnes, are now ten thousand dollars richer.” She knew that she would attend any other parties that she might be invited back to. Hell, she knew that she would sign his contract.

  “All done.” She said as she entered into the room. It was now drastically emptied out.

  Priscilla found her eyes making their way back to what had been the shadowed corner with the figure watching her. It was eating at her and she reminded herself to say something to Adam.

  “Yes, all done.” He responded. “If you would like to collect your tips, I would be glad to see you back to your car.”

  “Oh, I have to be dropped off at Nina’s Place. She will take me back to my car.” She reminded him.

  “That’s right. I almost forgot.” He shook his head.

  As they pulled up in front of Nina’s Place, he handed her an envelope. In it were one hundred crisp and new hundred dollar bills. Priscilla couldn’t speak for a moment. When she found her voice, she muttered, “Thank you.”

  “The tips that were in the jar amounted to another two thousand five hundred and fifty dollars. I went ahead and kept that, so it wasn’t so much bunched up together and have the larger bills for you.” He told her as he handed the second envelope. “Go ahead and put these both in your bag and I will wait until you are safely inside.”

  “Tha
nk you, Adam. This means a lot to me.” She told him sincerely.

  “You’re welcome, but I should be thanking you for willingly coming out. Can we look forward to the pleasure of your company next time?” He asked her.

  “Of course, I would love to.” She said, adding, “I have to admit that my curiosity was getting the better of me all night. Somehow it seems a little voyeuristic but I was a bit intrigued.”

  “You aren’t the first one to admit that.” He answered her with a laugh. “Hey, can I take you for a drink? An actual date I guess you would say. No more strange business propositions.”

  “I think that would be nice. Just give me a call and let me know when.” She replied.

  “Alright, you better get in there before Nina gets suspicious of me. Besides, with everything going on, I don’t want you out here at night by yourself. Do you understand?” He said with a firmness in his tone that she was not used to hearing. His dominant side rearing its head.

  Adam reeled himself back in when he heard the tone he had taken with her. He didn’t want to scare her away now, he was interested. Not only business but for pleasure. Her reaction to the submissive side of things had him a bit concerned, but he knew that she had never been exposed to it on this level. All he could see was her as his sub. Would it ever come to fruition? Who knows, but it would be fun to see where it led.

  It was a side of him that she had never seen and while he wasn’t mean in any way, she could tell that when he said something, he meant business. It made her look twice at the man. For whatever reason, he grabbed her attention when he spoke. Getting ready to open the car door she looked at him and thanked him again. “You really do not understand how much this opportunity means to me.”

  “It’s fine. I will call you about that date. Now go. Get indoors.” He said.

  “Good night.” She called as she closed the door. The car sat waiting patiently for her to make it inside.