I spent more money on clothes for the club than I'd liked to admit. Black and sexy were mostly what the dress code mentioned, with suggestions to what it could be—everything from negligee, bustier, and garter belts to little black dresses.

My wallet hurt from all the shopping spree, but for me, it was all worth it. If I was going to the dungeon, I wanted to go all out. The worst thing for me was to stand out, so I made sure I wouldn't.

Kevin was a huge help. Going into the stores, I was clueless and didn't know where to start. He, on the other hand, knew where to lead me and which lingerie to try on.

At the end of the evening, we took a bite to eat and just enjoyed each other's company. I had known Kevin for almost two years, ever since I got the job at Quick bite Queens Café. We had only hung out together a couple of times outside of work. It was more my fault than his. Whereas he had invited me many times out to parties, I'd been too busy with my nose in a schoolbook. I saw now that I'd prioritized poorly.

Suddenly, a day had gone by, and I was standing outside the same building I ran out of over a week ago. It felt strange being here when I was so sure I would never again return.

I could still remember the embarrassment as I practically fled from the place after finding out both the club and the members were way out of my league. I tried not to think about the fact that they still were and that I was more of a "soon to be a pity member."

"Ms. Emma, nice to see you again." I jumped as one of the bouncers spoke. At a closer look, I could see that they both had been here the last time I was.

"Nice to see you too." I smiled, trying to look calm even though my nerves were in high gear. When I started to unbutton my coat, one of the men shook his head.

"There's no need for that now. We've been told you're a new member."

Oh, had the word gotten around already? I didn't know how I felt about that.

One of them opened the door for me, and I thanked them as I went inside.

Jennifer, I believed her name was, was behind the front desk like last time. She looked up from a magazine at the sound of the door opening, smiling brightly... until she saw that it was me.

"Back again?" Her voice was condescending and strangely hostile. What the hell? Biting my teeth together, I gave her what I hoped resembled a smile. I would not descend to her level.

"Yes, I'm here to see Marcus." Her eye twitched as I said his name. Again, I was wondering what her problem was.

"Really?" Jennifer took in my cheap coat with disdain and disbelief.

"Yes, really." I ground my teeth, praying she would just do her job instead of whatever she was doing now.

"I'll call him. In the meantime, you can place your phone here." She pointed to a basket on the desk. "And hang up your coat over there." She said the word coat as if it was more garbage than a jacket.

I did as she asked. Soon standing in one of the new black dresses I bought. It was short and skintight, but I felt more comfortable in this one than I did the lingerie I wore the last visit. I felt this also suited more for a meeting than lingerie.

While I waited, another couple came in the door. This time, Jennifer's smile stayed in place as she welcomed them, taking their phones, and hanging up their jackets for them.

Yeah, if I didn't think she didn't like me before, I knew she didn't now.

Taking her sweet time calling Marcus, I couldn't do anything more but stand there awkwardly. I kept my expression blank, even though I was fuming inside.

Finally, a gaunt, short man with light blond hair walked into the room. His eyes zeroing in on mine.

"You must be Emma." He offered me a hand, which I shook.

"Yes," I answered. Outwardly, no one could hear or see how nervous I was. But damn, I wondered how long it would take until I got used to being here.

"Hi, I'm Marcus. It's nice to meet you, Emma. Let's go into my office so we can talk. Did you take your ID with you?" He had a pleasant voice; it was polite and elegant.

Before I hung up my coat, I'd taken out my ID card. I'd almost forgotten to take it with me to the club and had to run back up the stairs to my apartment to get it.

"Nice to meet you too. I have it right here." I showed him the card in my left hand.

"Great, come with me, and we'll get you all sorted out."

I followed Marcus down and through the hallway filled with photos. This time, I was calm enough to register some of them. They were all black and white, and the ones' I saw were all BDSM themed. Everyone was tastefully artistic and not pornographic. I liked them.

There weren't as many people in the lower levels as there was last time, but there were still quite a few. I could imagine it would be nice to come here and have some fun after a hard day at work.

Marcus had an office on the second floor, and I suspected it was the only time I would set foot up here. I didn't get to see much, there were only corridors with doors, and none was open. At the end of one of the halls, Marcuse opened a door and gestured for me to get in.

The office was spacious but simple in design; Dark brown walls and black carpet. He had two uncomfortable-looking chairs in front of a desk and an office chair behind the desk. Two more comfy chairs were placed in a corner with a table in between. The rest of the space was used for storage, with cabinets lining an entire wall.

"Please, take a seat, and we can get started." He indicated me towards one of the chairs in front of the desk.

After this, I would be an official member of Desire's Den, the most exclusive BDSM club in New York City.