“She got off. Well, she didn’t the time I fucked her ass when her pussy was sewn closed, but the other times, she seemed to get off on being modified. I knew she was twisted, so I figured it was just the next step in whatever kink they were playing.”
I shook my head and sat on the raised edge of the roof, dangling my feet off the side. “She said she had baggage she needed to work through before she could be in a healthy relationship.”
“Fuck, brother. She wasn’t joking.”
“Anything else?”
He sat beside me. “She was a statue once, at a party. She was posed on a pedestal when we got there. Bandages wrapped around her. I guess they’d been soaked in something that hardened when it dried. Her tits and pussy were bare, and part of her ass, but the bandages covered most everything else. They had dildoes and vibrators and clamps and shit laid out, with a sign saying to feel free to use any of the tools you wanted in her cunt, ass, or on her nipples. Her cunt and asshole were about as high as my shoulders, so it was easy to play with her. She had a full face hood on, so she couldn’t see anything and no one could use her mouth. After the party, they let those of us still around have a piece of her. I guess maybe a dozen of us? Two at a time, at first. A few people went back for seconds.”
He tossed a pebble from the roof onto the pavement below. “We seriously need more kinky sweetbutts.”
“Fuck yeah. Any idea how to go about getting some?”
“No, but I’m up for a plan to train the ones we have to enjoy that shit.”
“Chattanooga has contests for the one who can take the most strikes of a belt, and the winner gets to choose between a few guys, so she gets her favorite. Or sometimes the winner gets eaten out by Dawg in front of everyone, but I’m not sure we have anyone who’ll volunteer to deliver that prize.”
“Fuck, if it gets the girls to bend over for a belting, I’ll volunteer.”
“And if no one wants to compete?”
He rubbed his chin. “We start out with a hand spanking, move up to a paddle. Get to the belt eventually. Chattanooga has the loser having to go downstairs to run a train. We probably shouldn’t start out with that, but we can implement it later.”
“Might just work.”
Dementor
Six weeks later, I considered showing up for one of Ember’s matches, but I couldn’t do it. I wasn’t going to make a fool of myself. She either still needed space or was done with me. Either way, I needed to move on.
I missed her, but I got involved with our little project to train the sweetbutts to enjoy pain. Banshee, Daffodil, and Crystal usually joined in whatever competition we invented, but it was slow going and I wasn’t sure they were going to learn to love the rough stuff. I was fully on board with the experiment, though.
Nearly two months later I was working Blaze’s door, and I froze when I scented her, certain I was imagining it. I looked around and saw one of her derby teammates, and looked down to see Ember with her. It only took a second for me to realize the team had come here for their afterparty, and I wondered if this was Ember’s idea or her teammates’.
I pressed my earpiece. “Bobcat. Got a roller derby team of women in line. My guess is they’re celebrating a win. Is it okay if I let them in gratis? Do we have any party areas open?”
“Ember?”
“Yes, with her team.”
“Go ahead. I’ll send someone to relieve you so you can bring them in and seat them. Some of them are gay and bi, right?”
“Yes.”
“Party area B, then. It’s the closest available one to the stage.”
“Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it.”
I let people through and watched for my relief. When he arrived, I turned it over to him, and stood with him to wait for Ember and her friends to make it to us.
“Ladies, we have a party area for you. I’m hoping ya’ll won tonight and this is a celebration?”
“Damned straight it is,” one of the tallest women told me. “Kicked their asses all the way back to Atlanta. How you doin’, Big D?”
She talked to me all the way through the club, and Alondra walked up as I showed them their seats. “Hi, I’m Alondra and I’ll be takin’ care of ya’ll tonight. You want to pay as you go or run a tab?”
Bobcat joined us and told Alondra, “This is most of the Birmingham Hellcats, and they’re here to celebrate their victory.” He turned to the team. “Food’s on the house, but you’ll have to pay for anything alcoholic. Don’t want to get in trouble with the liquor board. If you need us to break your large bills into smaller ones we can do that. If you want a lapdance with someone and can’t get her attention, let Alondra know and she’ll set you up. Most of the new girls charge twenty bucks for fifteen minutes, but the more experienced dancers have their own prices, so find out what they charge before you go back. Any questions, ask me or Alondra.” He looked at me and then back to them before adding, “Or The D. I’ll check in with ya’ll again in a little bit. Have fun!”
Bobcat walked away, and a female voice asked, “What are the rules?”
I looked at the group and didn’t know who asked, but I answered them as a group. “No touching the dancers. If you want to put money in their g-string, hold it up. They’ll show you where you can put it. Don’t try to put it somewhere else. They won’t know you’re interested in flirting unless you give them money. If you step out of line, they’ll let you know and ya’ll can keep having fun. If you step out of line again, it’ll be me or another bouncer explaining the rule, but I don’t think that’s gonna be a problem with ya’ll. I’m here to protect the dancers and the patrons. If you need help, say my name. If one of you needs to leave before everyone else, let one of us walk you to your car. We don’t have problems often, but I’m not a fan of women wandering around alone outside. I know ya’ll can take care of yourselves, but humor me in this. The group of ya’ll together will be fine. I’d be more worried about the men giving ya’ll grief.”
I smiled and started my rounds. As a bouncer, you identify the potential problems so you’re ready for them when they step out of line. I have a set path I take winding through the club so I can listen in on conversations and get everyone’s scent. On this night, I listened to the derby girls chatting from across the bar while I watched everyone else.
I soon found out Ember hadn’t known where they were going until they were almost here. She’d ridden with someone and couldn’t leave. For the first thirty minutes, I wasn’t clear on whether they came because they wanted to party here, or because they wanted to force Ember to see me again. Finally, one of the women told her, “He’s right over there. Go talk to him. See if he wants to have dinner. Girl, I’m tired of you doing dangerous shit, chasing the high he gave you. He’s right, fucking, there.”
Ember met my gaze and realized I’d heard her friend from across the room. I pointed to Bobcat’s office, and she nodded.
I touched my earpiece on the way. “Bobcat. I’m gonna use your office. Can you pretend you’re a bouncer for five or ten minutes?”