pleased with himself. “Why are you hiding behind all that stuff?”
“It’s my sister, Lola. The brown-haired girl .“
“The one who looks like you! Yes, I didn’t see it before under all those curls.” He was nodding as if everything made more sense now.
“S omething’s going on with her but she won’t talk to me,” I admitted. “She’s got this new boyfriend, Martin, and she’s suddenly started modeling in fetish photos. She broke up with her old boyfriend, Dick, the cop waiting in the car. He’s the one who told me she was at the Chamber. That’s why I went that night. I was trying to find out what she’s up to. I thought Dick could rescue her…”
For the first time, Victor looked less than self-assured. In fact, he looked a little sick for a moment. “That’s why you were there?”
I nodded. I could swear he was feeling bad right now. He shifted in his seat, suddenly unable to meet my eyes. “Did you think I was like Monica?” I asked. “That girl I met at the Chamber?”
“I thought you had some experience, a little at least. You were keeping those guys away with just your vibe, and let me tell you, that’s not the place for newbies to go roaming around alone.”
I took a deep breath, silently cursing Dick for tossing me in the deep end. “So you don’t go around scaring every woman you flirt with?”
“No! Not even at the Chamber.”
“But you couldn’t resist me,” I said, echoing him from earlier.
“No, I couldn’t. I’m really sorry, I thought you were something else.” He ventured a small smile. “But then again, you were wearing a disguise.”
I had to admit that was true. “I guess it’s more dangerous than I thought.”
“It’s actually pretty safe, if you use common sense.”
He was remind ing me of his first warning which I had ignored. Why did he keep trying to get one-up on me? It kept me on edge even while we were talking so friendly-like.
Victor pulled out a card. “Martin gave me this. It’s got his website on it.”
He opened it on his iPhone. The website was mostly black with vivid slashes of arching fire, and brightly colored wisps of costumes on nearly naked girls. It was nothing I hadn’t seen on Martin’s profile, but it had a more complete calendar of events where they were performing. Including a park in Brooklyn on Sunday.
I finally sat back, shaking my head. “Why would they do this kind of show in a park? There will be kids around!”
“Martin says they do vanilla events, more like a circus freak show, I imagine.”
I considered it. “Okay, that’s sounds more reasonable. But why did she let him hit her like that? That fire looks dangerous. I can’t believe they allow it here.”
“It’s mostly cement down below.”
“What about the girls? What if Lola caught on fire?”
“She had stuff in her hair and on her skin to keep the fire away from her.”
I looked at him closer. “Really? So it’s just an illusion?”
“I wouldn’t say that. It can be dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. Like anything else. But from what it looks like, this guy Martin has a lot of documented experience. And that’s good in the scene.”
“You seem to know a lot about it.”
“I dabble. I work too much to make it regular thing.”
“Two Fridays in a row is sort of regular,” I pointed out.
His expression was more serious. “I came tonight to ask the producers if they knew you. Most people come through here at some point. It’s one of the main gateways to the scene. I wanted to find you to make sure I didn’t hurt you. And I found you.”
My face flushed. It was intensely flattering. Especially coming from a guy as successful and good-looking as he was. He could have any girl. Literally, any girl. But he came looking for me.
“Mission accomplished,” I told him. “You actually proved to me how dangerous this is. I don’t get why you do it. I don’t get why Lola lets that guy hit her with those whips. It looks
“It’s my sister, Lola. The brown-haired girl .“
“The one who looks like you! Yes, I didn’t see it before under all those curls.” He was nodding as if everything made more sense now.
“S omething’s going on with her but she won’t talk to me,” I admitted. “She’s got this new boyfriend, Martin, and she’s suddenly started modeling in fetish photos. She broke up with her old boyfriend, Dick, the cop waiting in the car. He’s the one who told me she was at the Chamber. That’s why I went that night. I was trying to find out what she’s up to. I thought Dick could rescue her…”
For the first time, Victor looked less than self-assured. In fact, he looked a little sick for a moment. “That’s why you were there?”
I nodded. I could swear he was feeling bad right now. He shifted in his seat, suddenly unable to meet my eyes. “Did you think I was like Monica?” I asked. “That girl I met at the Chamber?”
“I thought you had some experience, a little at least. You were keeping those guys away with just your vibe, and let me tell you, that’s not the place for newbies to go roaming around alone.”
I took a deep breath, silently cursing Dick for tossing me in the deep end. “So you don’t go around scaring every woman you flirt with?”
“No! Not even at the Chamber.”
“But you couldn’t resist me,” I said, echoing him from earlier.
“No, I couldn’t. I’m really sorry, I thought you were something else.” He ventured a small smile. “But then again, you were wearing a disguise.”
I had to admit that was true. “I guess it’s more dangerous than I thought.”
“It’s actually pretty safe, if you use common sense.”
He was remind ing me of his first warning which I had ignored. Why did he keep trying to get one-up on me? It kept me on edge even while we were talking so friendly-like.
Victor pulled out a card. “Martin gave me this. It’s got his website on it.”
He opened it on his iPhone. The website was mostly black with vivid slashes of arching fire, and brightly colored wisps of costumes on nearly naked girls. It was nothing I hadn’t seen on Martin’s profile, but it had a more complete calendar of events where they were performing. Including a park in Brooklyn on Sunday.
I finally sat back, shaking my head. “Why would they do this kind of show in a park? There will be kids around!”
“Martin says they do vanilla events, more like a circus freak show, I imagine.”
I considered it. “Okay, that’s sounds more reasonable. But why did she let him hit her like that? That fire looks dangerous. I can’t believe they allow it here.”
“It’s mostly cement down below.”
“What about the girls? What if Lola caught on fire?”
“She had stuff in her hair and on her skin to keep the fire away from her.”
I looked at him closer. “Really? So it’s just an illusion?”
“I wouldn’t say that. It can be dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. Like anything else. But from what it looks like, this guy Martin has a lot of documented experience. And that’s good in the scene.”
“You seem to know a lot about it.”
“I dabble. I work too much to make it regular thing.”
“Two Fridays in a row is sort of regular,” I pointed out.
His expression was more serious. “I came tonight to ask the producers if they knew you. Most people come through here at some point. It’s one of the main gateways to the scene. I wanted to find you to make sure I didn’t hurt you. And I found you.”
My face flushed. It was intensely flattering. Especially coming from a guy as successful and good-looking as he was. He could have any girl. Literally, any girl. But he came looking for me.
“Mission accomplished,” I told him. “You actually proved to me how dangerous this is. I don’t get why you do it. I don’t get why Lola lets that guy hit her with those whips. It looks
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