So Alice -

(ONE WEEK EARLIER)

The familiar, unwelcome buzz of the phone alarm woke me. I checked the screen and saw that it was 9am, time for me to get up and face the day. As an unemployed performer I currently embraced the opportunity to sleep in and tick off my 'to do' list in a leisurely fashion. After today though, it was entirely possible that would no longer be the case.

At 12 midday I had an interview in a quiet bar in East London. I hadn't heard the name before and had only happened to see the advertisement as I walked past after a yoga class. The red brick exterior of the building gave nothing away, with only a heavy set of double doors alluding to the possibility of life inside.

I stopped the alarm and stretched my body before climbing out of bed. I stood for a moment in front of the full-length mirror and traced my eyes over my lean dancer's body. I took a moment to appreciate my fiery red curls, uncontested as my favourite personal feature. After some time looking through possible outfit combinations I decided on an oversized white shirt with tights and boots. I lightly dusted some makeup over my face and sprayed some perfume before checking the entire ensemble once more. I looked plain, but that was me to a T. At the very least I looked clean cut and professional, and I hoped that would be enough to sell me to a potential future employer.

Just before leaving the house I snapped a picture and sent it to Joshua.

"Wish me luck!"

He replied almost immediately, "Just be yourself, they will love you."

I smiled. In the few years I'd been living in London nobody had been as good to me as he had. He'd reached 'best friend' status pretty quickly, and nobody had come remotely close to knocking him off of the leaderboard.

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"Welcome to Hedone. Respectfully, photography is not permitted."

I stood before the double doors and read through the notice above the handle. I checked my watch, 11:50. I tapped the heavy brass knocker and waited, ringing my fingers gently in anticipation.

I didn't have to wait long. Within a few moments the door creaked open to reveal a beauty in leather trousers and thigh high boots. My breath caught in my chest. Looking at her face I was enamored with her flawless black skin; in the light of the midday sun it looked to be almost satin in texture.

"Alice Webster?" she asked, her voice as velvety as everything else I'd noticed about her. Even the way she smelled as she hovered close to me seemed luxurious and decadent.

"Yes" I replied.

I tried to steady my hand as I reached it towards hers to shake. She smiled warmly and stretched a manicured hand towards mine, gently tickling my palm with long black fingernails. I couldn't help but notice the elegant tattoos that adorned her fingers and knuckles.

The lady in leather handed me a small round sticker and instructed me to cover the camera on my phone. Once I'd complied she pushed the door open to let me through, "please follow me" she instructed.

I could not have been prepared for what awaited me.

Walking the corridor of Hedone I was overcome by the smell of polished wood and treated leather. The lighting was low, illuminating my path as well as the decorative damask wallpaper and intricate wooden flooring. Explicit photographs of bodies in various stages of ecstasy adorned the walls in beautiful black and white prints.

Reaching the end of the corridor I was ushered into a wide open bar area which faced a curved stage complete with chandelier. Already, I could tell the clientele that would populate a place such as this, and it wasn't the bohemians and artists that I shared my time with outside of work. I tried to steady my breathing as well as my shaky hands. Just because people have money, I reminded myself, doesn't mean they are worth more than you.

My chaperone led me to a table on the other side of the room where I noticed another person waiting. As my eyes adjusted to the candlelight on her table I started to unravel the vision in front of me.

"Alice." The vision stood up, extending her hand to greet me.

I felt my mouth dry up immediately and I slowly reached out to her without breaking away from her gaze. I'd been around beautiful women in the performance industry, but I had never seen anyone like Monica. A slicked back ponytail of dark hair highlighted a breathtaking face of high cheekbones and olive skin. Strong but sophisticated makeup made her dark eyes stand out with almost hypnotic quality. I imagined her the embodiment of Greek goddess Hedone herself, with a statuesque but curvaceous body that would be sure to make any admirer drop to their feet in weakness.

"What do you think of Hedone?" she asked, her eyes fixed on me with a captivating sparkle.

"It's lovely" I responded, "very..." I struggled for the words, "atmospheric".

Monica smiled, a flash of perfect teeth. "I'm glad you like it, I'm very proud of the empire I've built".

Of course, I thought, this could only be the owner. My nerves suddenly ramped up and my heart pumped in my chest. I shuffled my belt and badly ironed shirt in an effort to compensate for the lackluster image I surely must have been portraying.

The beauty that had greeted me at the door brought over two crystal glasses of iced water with a slice of lemon. I thanked her. Monica took the slice of lemon from her glass and bit into it, sucking the fruit as her lipstick left a red residue on the peel. The next time she spoke I could smell the zest of fresh lemon on her breath.

"And what made you apply for the role?" she asked next. I noticed she wasn't taking notes.

Because I'm an artist and I need a second job to feed myself. I stifled my internal monologue and took a sip from my cold glass to allow myself time to think. "Because I enjoy working in hospitality, and I wanted to try my hand working with premium clientele" I responded.

Monica leaned forward in her chair and gently sucked some remaining lemon juice from the tip of her finger. "You are correct, we do serve a premium demographic here at Hedone" she responded, "but they are much more than that." A pause, "Alice, are you familiar with the Kink community?"