City of Sin - Chapter 54
Bee
We were standing outside an unmarked building.
"I'm actually getting hungry for lunch," Mason said. "There's this place down the street that's really good. What do you say?"
"Is it really that bad?" I asked. He looked upset. No. He looked guilty.
"I don't know why we're here," Mason said. "I told you I was done with this. I wish you would just trust me."
"It's not really that." I folded my arms in front of my chest. "When Patrick broke up with me, he made it seem like it was my fault. Like I wasn't giving him what he needed."
"Do you still have feelings for him?"
"No." My voice sounded small, but I meant it. "I just need to know."
He looked a little relieved. "Patrick is a dick. That's all you need to know."
"Please, Mason."
He sighed and tapped three times on the door.
There was a buzzing sound and a little box next to the door lit up.
Mason pulled out his phone and looked down at something before pressing the button on the box.
"Sunset," he said into the small speaker and then let go of the button. He put his phone back in his pocket.
A huge bald man in jeans and a black t-shirt appeared at the door.
"She's with me," said Mason.
"Did she sign the forms?"
Forms?
"I'll vouch for her," Mason said.
The bouncer looked me up and down. His eyes made my skin feel cold. "She doesn't work for the press?" he said.
"No." Mason sounded annoyed.
The bouncer stared at me for another minute. "Fine. If there's a leak, it's on you, Mason."
"She's not going to tell anyone." Mason looked at me. "Right?"
"I won't," I said. Geez, what the hell is behind those doors?
"Good to see you," the bouncer said and slapped Mason on the back. "It's been awhile."
"Yeah." Mason looked back at me again. "I've been busy." He lowered his eyebrows for a second but then looked away. He seemed sad.
Had he missed coming here? Or was he sad that I didn't trust him?
Of course I couldn't trust him. I didn't know what weird stuff was behind those doors.
And Mason had introduced Patrick to whatever it was.
I wasn't trying to vilify Mason. But I felt nauseous standing there.
I didn't care why Patrick had cheated on me anymore.
I cared about why Mason was going to cheat on me.
Because he would. Maybe not anytime soon, but he would.
Maybe I could prevent that. I wanted to be able to give him what he wanted.
Because I was falling for him. No matter what I told myself.
I could see myself loving him. I could see a future with him. And it terrified me.
I wasn't backing down now. I was here. And I was determined to see what was behind those doors.
"Are we good to go then?" I asked.
The bouncer smiled. "She has a lot to learn." He winked at Mason.
"This isn't a training session," Mason said, and walked past the bouncer.
Training session? I felt even more nauseous. Did Mason bring women here to show them what men wanted? Did he practice with them? How many woman had he actually slept with? I took a deep breath and followed Mason as he opened up the second set of doors.
It wasn't what I expected at all. I stopped in my tracks and looked around.
It was just a hallway, but it was beautiful.
It reminded me a little of The Plaza Hotel.
Everything was painted black but there were gold designs hung on the walls.
Everything seemed to shimmer. I could hear music, but all I could see were doors.
Tons of doors. And the hallways curved on both sides like it looped around in a circle.
"Mason, is that you?!"
I turned my head to the sound of a females' voice. A woman in a tight, silvery dress had just come out of one of the rooms.
Mason didn't say anything.
But the woman walked over as quickly as she could in her heels and wrapped her arms around him.
Mason kept his hands to the side, not touching her.
"Mason," she pulled back and put her hands on the collar of his jacket. "Thank you. I owe you." She leaned forward again and whispered something in his ear. Mason's body seemed to stiffen.
I wanted to punch her in her face.
Mason cleared his throat, but the girl didn't let go of his collar. "We need a private room," he said.
"Private?" The girl glanced over at me. "Are you sure?" She trailed her fingers down his abs and stopped at his belt. "I have something new to show you."
He grabbed her wrist so she couldn't unbuckle his belt. "We're just here to observe."
The girl frowned and turned away from him.
She opened up a cabinet, but I wasn't interested in what she was doing.
I was too busy staring at Mason. He wasn't looking at the girl, but he wasn't looking at me either.
Maybe it was a mistake coming here. He seemed tense and upset.
I just needed to know what was behind those doors.
The girl slipped a key into Mason's hand. "Room 16. You have my number if you change your mind." She looked at me and winked.
Fuck you.
Mason grabbed my hand and pulled me down the hallway, away from the strangers.
"Did you train her?" I whispered.
Mason didn't say anything. Instead, he stopped in front of a door and slid the key into the lock.
"Mason?"
He sighed. "Yes, I did."
"Did you have sex with her?"
"No." He didn't look like he was lying, but his face was strained.
He opened up the door and I followed him in.
The walls were the same as the ones in the hall, but the room was more dimly lit.
There were leather seats and a coffee table where a bottle of champagne and glasses were sitting.
I wanted it to be gross. But it seemed classy somehow.
Like this was where rich men went to screw around on their wives.
The only thing that gave away where we were was a stripper pole in the middle of the room.
I turned around. Mason was already sitting on the couch. I looked down at his lap. "Did you do other intimate things together?"
"Fuck, Bee. What do you want me to say? I let her suck my dick? Fine. I feel like I'm on trial here."
"Who is she? Where did you even meet?"
He sighed. "She's an ex cheerleader. I met her at a bar. She doesn't mean anything to me. She's just some girl."
Just some girl. Like me? "What did she whisper in your ear?"
"Nothing important."
Oh God, why did I come here? I turned away from him and stared at the opposite side of the room. There was a gold curtain. It must separate us from wherever the music was coming from. Maybe it was a naked band. Like a weird groupie thing?
I wanted to think this place was disgusting and horrible.
But it made sense that Patrick had come here.
It was fancy. It was better than our small, dingy apartment.
It was better than anything I could give him.
Better than me. I never wore short, sparkly dresses for him.
Maybe I had stopped trying. Maybe Patrick had been right.
"Can we please just go now?" Mason said. "You've seen it."
"How do you get money doing this?"
Mason sighed and ran his hand down his face. "I get a finder's fee for new recruits. The better they are, the more money I get."
"Where do you find women to bring here?"
"Bars. One night stands. I don't know. Why does any of this matter? I haven't done it since we've met."
"And what about the guys you bring here to enjoy these girls you've trained? How do you make money doing that?"
Mason laughed. "My clients pay me to find them the hottest new places. And to make sure their identities are kept safe."
"And your father pays you to take out his new hires?"
"No. I use his new hires as a way to find new clients. My dad doesn't even know about it."
"He doesn't know about your sex ring?"
"It's not a sex ring."
"I don't understand." I sat down next to him, putting enough space between us so that we weren't touching. "Why do you do it?"
Mason opened his mouth, but then closed it again. He leaned back in his seat. "Because I'm good at it."
"Do you like it more than advertising?"
"It's a hobby, not a career."
"That's not what I asked."
"It's just a means to an end. You know I'm trying to start my own ad agency. I need the cash."
"Why, because you're not speaking to your parents?"
"I'm trying to make something of myself, Bee."
"Here?"
"What do you want me to say? That I'm good at fucking?
That I know when a girl would be good at this job depending on how skilled she is in bed?
That I can tell how loose a woman is by talking to her for less than a minute?
" He ran his hand through his hair. "I'm trying.
I really am. I haven't been here in weeks. "
"I didn't ask you to not come."
"You're right. You didn't." He looked hurt.
"Are you mad at me?"
"Why are we here, Bee?"
"I told you. I wanted to see."
"You know what? Yes. I'm mad at you. We have a good thing. Why are you trying to ruin it?"
"A good thing? All you want me for is sex."
Mason laughed. "Is that really what you think? If I just wanted sex, I'd come here."
"That's what I'm afraid of."
"I'm not Patrick."
"Aren't you just like him though? Didn't he learn about all of this from you?"
"If you're still hung up on him, maybe you should be yelling at him instead of me, Bee."
"I'm over him."
"Clearly you aren't. You didn't want to come here for me. You came here for him."
"Mason, that's not..."
"I don't want to talk about your ex. If you want to see it, then see it." He pointed to the curtain.
"I'm sorry."
He stood up. "You came here to see. I'm not sure what you're waiting for." He walked over to the curtain and pulled it back.