Dionysia, Chapter 1: Discovering Paradise
I'm only here because I didn't want that night to end. I never do.
Ever since my first music festival, I knew I'd found my crowd. My people. People think rolling on Molly is this generic party experience, like coke or shots or something. But for me, it was life-changing. It showed me what unconditional love and contentment really meant. For the first time in my life, I was truly happy.
But I've been chasing that first high ever since. Everyone is. That's where it gets dangerous.
So when the clubs flicked their lights for last call on the night of my 23rd birthday, I wasn't ready to go home. I'd been flirting with a guy all night, and he mentioned he knew an after-hours place. House music all night and all day. My kind of people. He told me this place was something special.
Our Uber took us a long ways. Out of the proper city, really, and into sprawling acres of rolling hills and farmland. But when we pulled up, it looked like any city streetcorner at 1am. People chatting and smoking cigarettes. Lights on and music thumping.
"Not all that discreet for an after. You sure the cops won't show up?"
"Nah, don't worry about it," said Marco. "We have a deal with the city or something."
"Oh... uh, okay."
"Don't worry, we're legit."
What did he mean by "We?"
"Marco! Good to see you man. Been a minute."
"Oh hey dude. Been a while indeed. But guess what? My time's almost up, so I'll be home soon..."
Marco caught up with the bouncer. He was a handsome, fit black guy in Warby Parkers. Mid forties, maybe.
"Who's your friend?"
"Oh my fault. This is Sophie. Sophie, this is Aaron. He runs security here."
"Nice to meet you."
"I don't think I've seen you here before. Are you a member?"
I glanced at Marco in confusion.
"Nah, she's my guest."
"Ah a newbie, huh? I need a photo ID, recent STD test from the last month and a signature. Fill this out please."
I had to show him an STD test? He handed me an iPad with a legal document for me to sign. A... long legal document. Looked like a nondisclosure agreement. What the hell was this place?
I knew I probably shouldn't be signing legal documents at 3am on a street corner, but fuck it. At this point, I just had to see inside. I scrolled to the bottom, plugged in my info, and handed it back.
"Okay, STD test?"
What an odd request, right? I had taken one a few weeks ago, fortunately enough. I frantically scrolled through my phone.
"Um... I... I think so. Maybe. Sorry, I didn't know I had to... does this work?"
He stamped my hand with a little insignia. It looked like an old family crest, but it had a woman's face in profile. Across the bottom were words I didn't understand. Maybe Greek or Latin something?
"Welcome to Dionysia. Your welcome gift, Miss."
He handed me a little breathmint. That's nice, I guess. I popped it in my mouth as he opened the door.
And my life changed, forever.
It felt like walking into a new world. It felt like the little corner of my brain that fantasized a perfect, beautiful utopia had suddenly snapped into existence. From my imagination to real life. This place couldn't possibly be real.
"What... what is this place?"
"Don't ask questions. It's Dionysia!"
The unassuming metal warehouse door opened into a long, cavernous hallway with cathedral ceilings. A deep burgundy carpet lined the way to a mysterious black curtain. Strobe lights and thumping bass seeped through the interstices.
But there was plenty to explore on this side of the curtain. On the left stood five towering marble pedestals. They're ornate and regal, like they'd been shipped in from the Parthenon itself.
Standing atop each one was a dancer, each wearing nothing but a thick leather collar and a facemask. The women wore heels, but the dancers on each pedestal oscilated between male and female. They looked precarious up there, but each dancer was enclosed by a bronze handrail on all four sides.
The dancers were beautiful, glistening and oily. All three women were the model of fitness, with beautiful, pronounced hips, tight thighs and flowing breasts. The two men were chiseled, with deep Vs leading to their impressive manhoods. Somehow, both men were completely erect. All five exuded sex: sexual desire flowing from within themselves, and a budding warmth in myself.
Down here on the ground, the people were beautiful, too. On the right of the room was a handsome marble bar, backlit and lined with a decorative mosaic. A seated area with couches and armchairs. People sitting and chatting and laughing, all in various states of undress, from club dresses to completely nude.
I don't know how to say this any better, but every person in the room would have been the best looking person in any other bar on the planet.
That's not to say they're all young, though. A stunning couple in the corner that caught my eye appeared to be in their mid forties. He was devilishly handsome, with with thick salt and pepper hair and a chiseled jaw. She was petite, with piercing eyes and an elegance that was hard to place. Somehow, they were the only two people in the whole room fully clothed.
I was a kid in a candy store. Distracted. But I felt a pull on my arm.
"Sophie! I want to introduce you to someone," said Marco.
I followed him across the room.
"Etsy! Good to see you babe!"
"Marco! You're back? Welcome home sweetheart. I missed you."
There's only one way I can describe this woman: radiant. She was a cute Latina gal, a few inches shorter than I am. She had a comely smile and inviting brown eyes. Shoulder length deep brunette hair with blonde highlights, layered into face-framing waves.
But her outfit was unlike anything I'd ever seen... at least until about ten minutes ago. She wore a flowing sheer dress about thigh high with absolutely nothing underneath. Everything was exposed: her pierced nipples, a tattoo on her hip. But still, somehow, she looked elegant, almost formal. And, like the five dancers on pedestals above us, she wore a collar. Hers was black leather and thinner than the dancers, inscribed in gold with a code: "Eta 14"
"Marco, who's your pretty friend?"
"Oh, this is Sophie. Sophie, this is my good friend Etsy."
"Uh, nice to meet you Etsy."
"You too. Marco, she's perfect! I love your hair. So beautiful. And look at those eyes! Is this your first time here?"
"She's a newbie! Just a guest for tonight."
"Oh we'll have to change that I think. I can already tell you'll fit in perfectly. I would know, I have a sense about these things."
I blushed. She was enchanting. Charming and flirty. She was playing with my hair already, genuinely mesmerized by my curls. I knew my people, the kind who love everyone, who connect immediately and keep their hearts wide open. She was like me in that way. And this place, these people? I couldn't have been more comfortable.
"Let's go dance!"
Etsy put one arm around my waist and another around Marco's. She walked us to that mysterious black curtain at the end of the hall.
The curtain slid open.
Inside, a sprawling dancefloor and a sea of beautiful people. The room was towering, with a domed ceiling that spread into a full planetarium. The night sky, complete with the cloudy Milky Way and occasional shooting stars. Just above our heads, laser beams of every color flickered against subtle smoke machines.
The crowd roared as flowing electronic music crescendoed.
"There must be a thousand people here! How have I never heard of this place?"
"We try to keep it a secret."
To the right, a staircase downward. A burly bouncer held court with his arms folded. A velvet rope and a sign: "Members only."
"What's down there?"
But Etsy only smiled. She took us each by a hand and pulled us onto the floor. We shuffled through the sea of beautiful people and found an open space. Her hands over her head. Flowing to the music. Marco, dancing like a goofball.
We melted into the music for an hour, lost in a sea of sexuality.
