7. Lila
Lila
The house before me isn’t how I imagined the Escape Room to look. It’s three levels at least. Huge. The sign above the metal archway reads ‘ Knotty Escape .’ That sounds, um, suggestive?
There’s a parking lot just beyond the gate, so I park, climb out of the car, and pull my phone out of my purse, leaving it in my empty seat.
Wendy answers my FaceTime call after three rings.
I watch her place her phone in front of her on the floor, as she returns to the task of painting her toenails.
“What’s up, sexy?”
“Maybe I entered the address wrong?” I ask, as I turn the phone screen, so Wendy can see the house. “This can’t be the right place, can it? Knotty Escape?”
“Oh, that’s it, alright. This is just one of the locations.
There are two others. This is the one used for bigger parties.
The house has six rooms, plus bathrooms, of course.
It can be customized, so if you want certain areas sectioned off, or like, only available after certain tasks…
” She trails off with a mischievous sort of look about her, one that sends suspicion prickling down my spine.
“Anyway, you’re definitely in the right spot. ”
I know that look. She’s leaving something out.
“Spit it out.” I glare at her, waiting for a response.
“I’ve just heard stories, that's all,” Wendy replies dismissively, waving the nail polish brush at me, like I can’t see her face right there on my screen.
“Go have fun! It’ll be a blast. Just remember you signed up for this.
” With that, she blows me a kiss and then promptly hangs up before I can finish my interrogation.
I try calling her again, but it declines immediately.
“Shady omega.” I shake my head, stuffing my phone in my purse. I let out a slow breath before looking back up at the house. If I want answers, I’ll just have to go find them for myself. Or leave.
The gothic structure looks haunted. It's a large Victorian home with weathered gray clapboard siding and leaded glass that would have been beautiful if not for the broken shutters and cracked glass. Like something you’d see in a movie where the main character doesn’t realize this is a horror flick, and she’s about to be brutally murdered.
Am I about to be brutally murdered? Possibly.
“You wanted excitement, Lila? Well, here it is,” I huff, then tie my hair up out of my face before grabbing my purse. I wore black leggings and a baggy band t-shirt. I went for comfort, since I don’t know what to expect from an escape room.
I do a quick sweep of the contents of my purse, making sure I have my wallet, a granola bar because I’m always hungry, a water bottle, and my heat suppressants. I always carry them with me. If my heat starts, I can take one, and once the first wave passes, I can get my ass to a clinic.
“Lady up, Lila. Have fucking fun for once, let go, and just…follow your instincts,” I order myself, hoping to quiet some of my self-doubt and nervousness.
With one last skeptical look at the house, I head inside.
There’s a reception desk in what looks like an entryway that's been turned into a waiting room, with several chairs lining the walls. A pretty woman smiles at me as I approach.
“Lila?” she asks, and I nod. “Great! I’m Trix. I’m the owner here at Knotty Escape. We received your waiver last night, but I wanted to go over it with you in person, as well as offer to answer any questions you might have,” she says as she grabs a black tablet and heads to my side of the desk.
“Okay,” I agree.
“Perfect, so first things first, there are red panic buttons throughout the entire building. If at any time you feel unsafe or just can’t handle any given situation, hit them. This brings the experience to an immediate end. You will be escorted out and offered any assistance you might require.”
Trix pauses, waiting for me to respond, so I nod again. I might have signed the waiver without reading it… So this is news to me. Oops. I blame Wendy. And the vodka. But mostly Wendy.
“Alright. Now, along with the red panic buttons comes the black curtain lever.” Trix smiles in a mischievous way that reminds me of Wendy.
“Those will cut the camera view, but not the audio. We need to be able to hear you call out your safe word, which you may pick now. I often suggest using the phrase banana hammock. Not a common thing to say.” She shrugs.
“Uh, okay, that's fine,” I agree, but the more she speaks, the more confused I get. Why do I need a safe word for an escape room? Something I should ask, but that would mean admitting I didn’t read the waiver I signed, and I don’t want to look as stupid as I’m feeling right now.
“Fantastic, I’ll just add that…” She taps the screen a few times before glancing back up at me.
“You’ll be entering this experience with three alphas.
Is that okay?” Trix tilts her head, watching me carefully.
When I don’t answer, she adds, “I’ll be monitoring you the entire time, unless you pull for a black curtain. ”
“Okay.” I don’t like that I’ve come into this blind, but at the same time, it sounds like a safe experience. I don’t fully understand what I signed up for, but fuck it. If it’s more than I can take, I’ll hit the red button.
“Great. Let's get you into the locker room so you can drop your stuff off in there. You’ll have access to your locker at all times, and there are no rules against bringing your phone into the rooms.” I follow Trix through one of the doors and into a locker room.
“The bathrooms all have locks, and while there are no cameras in them, there is audio and a panic button. Everyone is welcome to use any of the bathrooms at any time, as long as they aren’t already occupied.
” She opens an end locker for me. “The code is five five five. Don’t worry, if you forget, I won't! So, do you have any questions?”
“Um, no.” I mean, none that I’m willing to ask her.
“Okay, Hun, have so much fun! Once you’re ready, you can exit through that door, and you’ll be greeted by one of the alphas for the first room! Bye now!”
Once I’m alone, I take a few moments to get my shit together before stuffing my phone in the waistband of my thin black leggings. The pop socket keeps it from sliding down my leg, since I don’t have any pockets.
Looking around the locker room, I stop on a bright black and pink sign, and start questioning my life choices.
CONSENT QUEENS AND KINGS.
I could very easily just hit the button on the wall and walk my ass out of here.
But the curious part of me, the needy desires of my omega to explore life to the fullest that have been repressed for the last eighteen months, demands otherwise.
And I am pretty sure my chaos bestie would shit a brick if I back out.
I’m too anxious for answers to waste any more time in here, though, and push my way through the exit and right into the waiting stare of an alpha.
Oh, my… I suck in a deep breath as the attractive man in front of me pushes off the wall and approaches. Shit, is he wearing a scent enhancer? My good fucking god, he smells good. Something aged that makes warmth fizzle through my body. Is he speaking? Shit, what did he say?
“Huh?” Blinking up to meet his gaze, our eyes meet, and he smiles. It’s a knowing smirk, and his cerulean blue eyes sweep across my face as I snap my mouth shut and swallow. “Sorry, what did you say?”
“My name is River,” the tall, incredibly attractive, and deliciously scented alpha says as he holds his hand out for me to shake. The warm tone of his skin is so different from my own.
My fingers tremble as I place my hand in his, but his grip is firm. Self-assured. Not the least bit nervous. Clearly unbothered by my nervous scent. Is my scent unappealing?
I shake the thoughts off. I’m here for an escape room, not a fucking blind date.
“Yes, sorry. It’s nice to meet you, River.
” Licking my lips and gathering my courage, I meet his gaze once more.
Shit, he’s intense. “Wait. River? Oh my god, River!” How could I have failed to recognize him?
Possibly because his dominance is so much more potent.
He’s also taller, with styled hair, and a powerful scent of whiskey that nearly knocked me off my feet.
The glasses are the same, though, and so are his blue eyes.
“The very same. It’s nice to see you again. You look as beautiful as I remember.” My scent spikes from his compliment, and River takes a deep breath. “Intoxicating.”
“Oh, thank you.” I blush furiously, but can’t deny that I enjoy his attention.
“Of course. Have you been here before?” he asks, nodding his head to the side, so I know to follow him.
“No, I haven’t. I honestly don’t know what to expect.”
“That’s okay. I’ll talk you through it. Make sure you enjoy every moment. You’ll be desperate for more once I’m done teaching you.” His voice is a deep rumble, a hint of his purr slipping into the words.
My eyebrows shoot up, and my eyes go wide as I take in what he's just said. Did he just…was that supposed to be sexual? No, I’m reading into his words a little too much.
My heart races and my scent grows heavy with desire anyway, and I suck in a breath, trying to clear my mind, only to be filled with River’s husky need.
“Oh…my goodness,” I murmur, pressing my fingers to my lips. What are the chances that River is here, and Harrison isn’t one of the other two alphas joining us?
“The first room is for priming, so you can understand how some of these rooms work. It’ll last fifteen to thirty minutes, and then I’ll feed you, before handing you over to Wes.
He’ll take very good care of you, though, don’t worry.
” River doesn’t even pause as my scent grows heavy in the air.
This poor man is just trying to enjoy the escape room, and I’m acting like a horny omega in a heat haze.
“In you go, sweets.” River nods to the room before us, holding the door open for me, but only leaving a tiny sliver of space for me to pass through.