Taylor Momsen sat in her hotel room on an off night. Her band wasn't due to leave for another day, but she was still buzzing from the last show. Her bandmates were off doing their own things, watching Netflix or who knows what. She would've joined them if her friend Alie hadn't told her about some fun place in town. Anything was better than sitting still with pent up energy, so she was excited to check out a new place and enjoy a night of drinks. The place in question was some sex establishment. It technically was neither a strip club nor a brothel, but whatever it was, Alie made it sound amazing.
They met up at the hotel lobby and got a cab. She was flattered when the driver recognized her; he told her he knew some of her songs and that she looked better in person. Aside from that, the cab ride was relatively quiet even in spite of the slow traffic.
"So what else should I know about this place?" Taylor asked. "How did you even hear about it?"
The driver smirked quietly as he and Alie briefly made eye contact through the rear view mirror.
"Funny thing," Alie replied, "I was looking for some restaurant that does delivery. I guess I wasn't paying attention and got one of the numbers wrong."
"Oh?" Taylor remarked. "So who did you end up reaching?"
"The front desk at the place we're visiting."
The cab finally pulled up to a rather subdued looking front entrance. The building was equally unassuming, or it would've been without the marquee. They could also hear the thumping rhythm of the music inside. It was faint, but Taylor could still tell it was a type of music she didn't normally enjoy. She shot a look of skepticism at Alie. However, she assured her the place would be cool. Taylor normally trusted Alie's judgment, so she decided to just take her word. The cab driver was paid and the two women stepped out.
As they made their way inside, they discovered the size of the place, which when paired with the decor belied the meek exterior. It surprised them, to say the least. Alie had no idea what she was getting herself and Taylor into. The room below them looked cavernous from the upper level front desk area where they stood.
Descending the stairs into the main level, they could feel a good number of eyes on them. The room had an intense energy, people were dancing barely dressed, pulling moves that would make Rihanna blush. The DJ kept pumping up the crowd over the PA as the music blared.
"What did you say they did here?" Taylor asked, having to raise her voice despite speaking right into Alie's ear.
"I didn't."
Just then, the music changed as the lights converged on a stage at the far end of the room. An announcer came out to introduce the entertainment for the evening.
"Ladies and other ladies," went the announcer, "welcome to The Warehouse: your one-stop shop for all your sinful needs. We have an amazing evening planned and plenty of space to enjoy it in. How about we kick it off with a little game?"
Taylor and Alie watched with jaws agape as several performers dressed in next to no clothing. They were all men, but the look of concern on the announcer's face seemed to indicate that wasn't the plan. One of the men whispered something in the announcer's ear, then the announcer gave a single nod before speaking into the microphone.
"Ladies," the announcer continued, "these three virile men have inhuman levels of stamina. But like any athlete, they must train to keep themselves in peak condition. Tonight, they need a volunteer to help them."
Before Taylor could react, Alie grabbed hold of her arm with both hands and raised it.
Taylor quickly pulled her hand away and said, "I'll raise my own hand if I want to."
The two women were some distance behind the crowd of women who gathered around the stage, all of whom had their hands up. Though the announcer was focused solely on that crowd, one of the men, dressed in nothing but a codpiece, tapped on the announcer's shoulder and pointed out Taylor.
Noticing this, Taylor gave her friend a look of concern. All she received in exchange was a wink and a smile from her.
"I think that's a good sign."
Though Taylor loved being on stage as she had done mere hours earlier, she was still exhausted and just wanted to be in the crowd.
The announcer stepped off the stage and spoke "Seems we have our volunteer."
He made his way around the crowd toward Taylor, who remained polite despite her lack of interest. As she was preparing to greet him, she felt a hand on each shoulder. She turned to look and saw two of the stage performers on either side of her. How she didn't notice them eluded and frightened her.
"Give it up, ladies!" commanded the announcer as he and the performers led Taylor to the stage.
To their credit, both men were gentle; each led her by the hand on either side. Taylor's poor eyesight prevented her from being able to clearly see Alie from a distance, but she guessed the blurry figure at the far end of the room waving its arms like an airport traffic controller was probably her. With that giving her solace, she turned her attention to the announcer.
"Welcome to The Warehouse. What's your name?"
She responded, "Taylor."
"You look familiar. Have you been here before?"
"No," Taylor answered. "But if you're into rock, you might have seen me before."
"I'll take your word for it. Anyway, here's how this works, Taylor. These men are very competitive, and if you're up to the task, you can help decide who will last the longest."
Taylor had many questions. She knew what she was being asked to do, but she was already thinking of ways to politely decline.
"Sounds fun, but, uh... I only came for a few drinks and a good ti-"
Just then, the announcer cut her off.
"There's more. Please let me finish before you decide."
Taylor opted to let him finish speaking as she surveyed the stage, and specifically the other men on it.