20xx:
The Milk Bar wasn't difficult to find, so long as you first knew it existed and then followed the map off of the web page; otherwise, it just looked like a suspiciously clean alleyway and a door with a cartoon steer on the male side of the building, smugly winking at prospective patrons. "You and I both know why you're here," it said with the glimmer in its eye. Unlike more publicly available diversions, this business had an air of exclusivity which penetrated the unremarkable steel door set into the brick wall. Nino could hardly believe that this was the thing that had managed to draw her out of her house for the first time in years for something other than work or groceries, clutched her hand to her chest to calm not only the anxiety of coming to a place like this, but of being out in the world again.
She felt out of place, a skinny woman in a long, pleated skirt and an old sweatshirt, three sizes too large, that had once been purple, with messy hair that hadn't been cut in two years at least. There wasn't anything more formal in her limited wardrobe and she hadn't known about this place long enough to order something online the way she usually might. Walking downtown in the late evening, she already felt like everyone was staring, had to resort to a mantra, a-la, "Nobody cares enough about you to notice," to make it.
Why she of all people had received an invitation in her e-mail was a mystery. Nino could only think of a half dozen people who should know that she existed, government and employers excluded, and it didn't seem like the kind of thing that would be advertised randomly, even if people were so much more comfortable with that sort of thing recently. Fetishes still did exist... and so Nino did know to a degree what she might have done to get an invitation, given her search history...
The printed-out coupon crinkled in her grip, since she didn't have a smartphone, hadn't needed one since her last one broke in half. The bar was open all night, the page said, so maybe they wouldn't mention the dark circles under her eyes... She reached for the door handle with a trembling hand, in a cold sweat, but it opened before she could close her fingers around it.
"Oh? My apologies, miss." The man was tall, wearing a black vest and slacks with a creased dress shirt and a red bowtie. His dark, brown eyes contrasted gently-curling, bright blonde hair, burdened with vulgar knowledge and purpose above a kindly smile. He bent at the waist and bowed to Nino, let her recover from the shock of his sudden presence. "I felt that I should come out and greet you personally, since you've been standing out here in the cold all alone for the last hour. Little did I know that you would be on the precipice of entry as I came."
Nino's throat closed up, scratchy and dry. When was the last time she'd actually talked to another person without prep time? A year, when her landlord changed? The man standing in the doorway patiently let her cough and compose herself as well as she could. "Y-y-you k-knew I was out here..."
He chuckled lightly under his breath and nodded his head briefly at a camera hanging in the corner of the alley. "Many of our patrons value their privacy. We take care not to let them see one another when it can be arranged, so, the cameras. Please don't let it concern you."
It did. Nino rubbed the ball of her foot on the ground, clenched the front of her sweatshirt and shrank into herself while remaining standing in the way one could only do with practice.
"Bit nippy, but it is Autumn, isn't it? Wouldn't you like to at least come inside and warm up in a soft seat? Ah, but where are my manners? I'm Duncan, one of the so-called 'Studs' employed here. I'd be more than happy to seat you now, if you would like. There's no need to commit to a course this moment, or even today, if you don't feel up to it." He bowed again and offered his hand. "Please, miss, I would like to serve you."
Nino nodded, looking at the man through the curtain of her bangs and stepping forward without actually taking his hand. Respectfully, he pulled it back without mentioning the fact and kindly smiled before turning on his heel and leading the way inside. She had to pass his warm, looming presence as he kept the door open for her and she stared at her feet just to fail to ignore how small and vulnerable it made her feel. Beyond the door, he took her identification at a reception desk and continued within.
The mellow, slightly bitter scent of coffee roasting came to Nino's nose from a distance, through a seeming maze of walls opening up to luxurious booths, dark hardwood and leather, each hidden entirely from any of the others. All of those that Duncan led her past were unoccupied, though it looked as if all of them had been recently used and hadn't yet been bussed; his path made several hard turns which made sense if Nino assumed that he was narrowly avoiding booths that were currently in use by other women... Low, indirect lighting enforced a mental image of sitting next to a glowing hearth, warming up by the fire on a cozy winter night. At times, Nino could barely hear the clink of silverware or the hint of a moan from the hidden patrons that made her heart skip a beat. The warm air made Nino think that she was being flatly encouraged not to wear such concealing clothing. She'd start sweating if she became any more excited, and she was still shaking anyway...
At last, Duncan made it to a booth that butted up against two whole walls at one of the maze's dead ends, secluded entirely from any chance for someone else to accidentally walk past. He stood at the end of the table as Nino swept her skirt under her legs and slid into her seat. Rather than rest her arms on the expensive-looking table, having no clue about wood types, but thought about walnut. She laced her fingers together over her belly, still too self-conscious to look up from the table into Duncan's eyes.
"Miss, we all thank you for coming to see us tonight." His voice was low and deep, steeped in class only allowed by the bar's noise reduction. "Since this is your first visit, allow me to give you the ten-cent tour. To your right, at the other end of the table, you'll find a menu for food and drink, one card book for studs who are available to serve, and service, you, and a list of what services are available. It may interest you to peruse those before making any decisions, and of course I am here for you, if I happen to meet your expectations." He reached across the table and plucked the menu from its perch. "Can I recommend that we start you off with the house blend? It's a medium roast which happens to be fairly popular." He added in a whisper, "Though I'm not much of a coffee drinker myself, so I can only tell you that much."
Nino shook her head. "N-no caffeine..."
Duncan hid a brief smile behind his hand and chuckled. "You do have the coupon, I saw, so your first service is complimentary. May I take that from you?"
Hesitating to take her hands from her belly, she held out the crumpled piece of paper and nearly had a heart attack when Duncan purposely let his fingers brush against hers while taking it.
"Miss, may I make a suggestion?"
She nodded shyly, rubbing her fingers where they'd touched his.
"How about you let me make the decisions tonight? Until or unless you disagree with anything, of course. We're no stranger to customers who could use a little push."
Nino bit her lip. "I d-don't wanna hear about other customers..."
"And so I will not speak of them." Duncan bent in close enough that Nino couldn't help looking at his chiseled features through the veil of her hair. "May I take it that you agree otherwise?"
"... Fine..."
"Wonderful!" Duncan snapped back to attention and put up two fingers, at which another man appeared as if by magic from the maze with a notepad at the ready. "Carl, please have the kitchen send the number two platter and hot chocolate. Miss, is there anything you can't eat, or anything you dislike?"
"... Mayonnaise..." she said, and felt stupid when the newcomer sniggered under his breath.
Duncan dismissed the other man and shocked Nino by taking a seat directly next to her even though there was another whole bench on the other side of the table. There was enough time for her to shuffle inward toward the wall and leave a person's distance between herself and him, but she could already feel herself sweating in her heavy clothing and self-consciously sniffed her collar.
