Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
The music vibrated through my veins like tiny bombs, each beat a little explosion of sound and feeling.
It felt as if my pulse melded with the powerful bass line emanating from the speakers next to the DJ.
I didn’t know the music, but it didn’t matter.
I danced with my arms flung high and a smile playing on my lips as the vibrant music filled the air with a joyful, swirling energy of notes and rhythms. This was what it felt like to be alive.
And I was obsessed.
Multicolored lights strobed alongside the heavy beat drops, painting the swaying crowd in a hypnotic rhythm.
The bass thrummed through the floor and crawled up my body.
Flashing light sticks and neon props created a dizzying spectacle, their movement a blur of color against the darkness, while a tangible energy vibrated through the crowd.
It was like I was in a movie, and everything was happening in slow motion.
Swaying my hips and moving my feet to the rhythm, I let my body take control, feeling the music course through my veins.
Though the room was full of vampires, the air was warm with the combined heat of our bodies. The cold metal of the bottle, hooked onto my belt, clinked rhythmically against my leg with each step, a constant reminder to stay hydrated.
Snapping out of my euphoric state, I opened my eyes to a world of vibrant colors and unfamiliar sounds, feeling like a newborn taking in the world for the first time.
The flashing lights blurred my vision, and each face became a jumbled mess of features, making it impossible to recognize anyone.
I was dancing by myself, but it was clear I was in the minority.
A couple engaged in an intimate kiss caught my eye to the left, while a group of girls danced energetically together ahead.
Time became meaningless, but the gnawing thirst was real, and I knew I needed to fill my empty canteen as quickly as possible.
Pushing through the throngs of people, I made my way to the bar.
With a sigh, I leaned on my elbows, the bar’s dim lights reflecting on my wet hair as I ran my fingers through it, waiting for the bartender to notice me.
I noticed two men, one of whom gave me a brief, almost imperceptible nod.
“Hey, don’t we know you?” one of the men yelled over the blaring music.
I shook my head and turned away from them, scurrying away to not be seen. I knew what would happen if anyone recognized me, and I was having too much fun to go home. Plus, even though the rest of The Carlton was a bit sleazier, I wanted to see more.
With a burst of adrenaline, I raced for the exit, my fingers hitting the elevator button for the hotel’s second floor.
The old metal doors groaned open, and I leaped inside, slamming the button to close them with a frantic push.
With my back to the metal interior, I sighed in relief as they sealed shut, keeping out all others.
Barely a moment passed before the doors re-opened with a slight creak, revealing a small, empty foyer and two plain doors directly across from one another.
Walking through the door marked with a man icon, I was thrust into a room that reeked of sweat—a locker room whose smell instantly turned my stomach.
Before the apocalypse, the locker room at my school always felt like a battleground.
Was I going to get caught in an explosion of name-calling, or was a bomb of toxic masculinity going to go off?
Would I get shot by snide remarks from metaphorical guns or be left alone to fight another day?
As an openly gay guy in school, being around straight men was always anxiety-inducing—what would they do and what would they say if I accidentally glanced anywhere but directly in front of me?
With my arms crossed and shoulders tense, I walked through the locker room, taking care not to look anywhere there was movement.
Reaching the back of the room, I found an empty locker in the corner amongst the faded red metal lockers.
A rusty groan echoed from the door as it swung inward, revealing a lone white robe hanging limply from a hook.
Here we go.
I untied the silky shirt around my waist and carefully hung it from a hook inside.
I grabbed the soft cotton undershirt, pulled it over my head, and shimmied out of my sweaty pants.
As my belt hit the tiled floor, a metal clank sounded through the area.
Together, I rolled them into a ball and threw them inside.
I looked down at my exposed body and looked past the small tuft of hair in the center of my chest. Do I wear my underwear?
I returned to the battlefield and glanced at those around me.
While one man, with a sagging belly, paraded around in his birthday suit, another man swiftly discarded his clothes to slip into a robe.
I diverted my eyes before each of them could notice and let out a sigh of relief—no need for open fire today.
I lifted my head, the fluorescent lights reflecting harshly, and squinted to make out a faded sign hanging from rusty chains above the lockers that read, ‘No outside clothes beyond this point.’
Well, there’s my answer.
As I wrapped the scratchy robe around my shoulders, it served as a barrier from the prying eyes of others while I discreetly removed my underwear and placed them with my other possessions.
I did it.
I didn’t think I’d be comfortable being naked in public, but I suppose when everyone else was, what’s there to be embarrassed about?
A tremor ran through my body, a mixture of jittery nerves and excited anticipation.
I pushed the sense of guilt nagging at me to the side.
I wasn’t going to cheat on Gabe; I was simply there to observe and soak in the atmosphere.
With a deep, steadying breath and a long, releasing exhale, the quiet confidence settled over me, and I was ready to explore the upper floors of The Carlton.
Hotel room doors lined the dimly lit hallway on each side of me, with a strange energy emanating from each of them.
Many rooms were closed, their doors silent and still, but I couldn’t help but peer into the ones that stood slightly ajar.
As I walked by, I saw a solitary woman sitting on a bed, naked, gently playing with her nipples under the flickering light of the television.
I grimaced as I turned my head across the hall, where a young woman had an older man blindfolded and handcuffed to the bedpost.
The Carlton’s reputation for catering to every imaginable vice preceded it, but the reality of stepping inside was an experience I didn’t expect.
Ever since I first heard the two at Louie’s talking about this place, it was like a magnet drawing me closer.
It wasn’t the lure of music, sex, or drugs but more as an act of defiance—an escape to the wildest place imaginable, far from the confines of my own floor.
The hallway opened into a cozy scene: a small bamboo bar, the pale wood gleaming softly, surrounded by comfortable rattan chairs. Multicolored plastic cups, shaped like coconuts and slightly sticky from condensation, held refreshing drinks and cocktails.
A joyous scream, sharp and high-pitched, echoed off the walls from beyond the bar.
Craning my neck, I saw a crowded, steaming hot tub attached to a swimming pool, overflowing with naked, glistening bodies.
The yelp came from a blond woman who had one leg in the air and a man’s arm hooked around her neck from behind, her breasts bobbing against the bubbling water.
I knew the additional floors outside the party would be scandalous, but I didn’t expect everything to be so…open. A tingle stirred underneath my robe as a couple of well-endowed men passed by and posted up at the tiki bar.
One of them noticed me staring and slowly spread his muscular legs, making his presence more pronounced. “You lookin’ for a drink?”
I gulped. Boy was I.
“Uh…I’m all set!” A nervous giggle escaped my lips as I tapped the cold, metallic bottle at my hip, brushing my semi-erect member out of the way.
“Thanks for the offer.” Mortified by my own lame words, I cringed and fled, my steps echoing as I bounded up the carpeted stairs to the second floor.
At the top of the stairs, a long, dimly lit hallway stretched before me, splitting into three mysterious directions with three signs hanging above each. “Sauna, steam room, or…playroom?”
I knew two of the three, but the lingering chill from the outside air still sent shivers down my spine.
Turning left, I grasped the hot, smooth wood of the sauna door and pulled it open.
The hallway was filled with the comforting warmth and the distinct, pungent smell of cracked wood.
Walking into the warm room filled with wooden benches, I paused.
Two women with blood dripping from their necks were bent over the bench, while two men grasped their hips, thrusting behind them. “S-sorry,” I stammered.
“You’re welcome to join!”
I closed the door behind me and returned to the hallway, my eyes lingering on the steam room door.
Startled, I quickly jumped back as a dark figure slammed against the glass, and a throbbing cock was the only feature unobscured by the billowing white smoke.
My mouth dropped, hoping no one was hurt, but the moans of pleasure seeping through the door reassured me everything was fine.
To avoid disrupting the activity in both areas, I quietly walked down the hallway toward the playroom. I’d seen more tonight than I ever have in my eighty-six years of living.
And I felt on top of the world.
I suppose I should feel scared because there truly were no rules here, but my intrigue dispelled any fear in my body.
I’ve never seen another man’s body besides my own and have never seen another man’s dick besides Gabe’s.
As naive as it may sound, I never considered the fact that penises could be so vastly different—I knew they could vary by length and girth, but each was unique to its user.
“Speaking of cock,” I said under my breath as I arrived in the playroom.
A multi-level area opened before me, each level showcasing unique furniture styles, but at its heart was a mess of intertwined bodies.
This room was an orgy of epic proportions, and the diverse moans of pleasure echoed throughout the room.
Around its perimeter were a few leather slings, each occupied and rocking back and forth.
I was approached by a woman with red hair twisted into a bun and wearing black eyeshadow, her naked form exuding confidence as she brushed against my elbow with her large breasts. “You joining, handsome?”
“Oh… I don’t think so.” She seemingly came from nowhere, catching me off guard. “It’s my first time, I just came to watch.”
“You like to watch, got it.” The woman lifted her eyebrows, a nostalgic smirk pulling at her lip.
“I remember my first time here, said I was just going to watch, too, but as soon as I saw Israel’s dick, I knew I had to try it out.
” She nodded to a dark man who was feeding on a woman while thrusting into her. “Don’t be afraid.”
“I-I have a boyfriend.” A pang of guilt pierced my heart as I thought of Gabe.
“We all do, honey.” She smiled. “If you don’t want to be with a woman, most of the guys here are okay with getting fucked, too.” A leather harness encircled her waist, with a ribbed silicone replica of a man’s erection at its center.
“No, it’s fine, thanks.” A laugh, tight and uncomfortable, escaped my mouth, not knowing exactly how to communicate. Despite my discomfort, I couldn’t deny I was slightly turned on. The raw, untamed sexuality on display without any inhibitions almost tempted me to join.
Almost.
The woman lifted a metal bottle to her lips, and blood poured down her chin onto her breasts before she shrugged.
“The dominance turns me on, I guess.” She grasped the faux cock with her fingers.
“Plus, with one of these, you get deeper into them than they ever could with you…and it lasts longer.” She held it out to me with expectant eyes.
“I promise to take it slow, wanna give it a try?”
Summoning a polite smile, I shook my head, the muscles in my face feeling stiff from the effort. “You go ahead, have fun with Israel…and everyone else.”
“I’ll be here if you change your mind, handsome.
” She left my side and rejoined the throng of bodies, the murmur of voices, and the press of people closing in around her as she put one hand on the dark man’s shoulder.
Within a moment, his eyes widened, rolled back in his head, and his body shuddered with overwhelming ecstasy.