It took my eyes a few moments to adjust as I went from the bright shine of the midafternoon sun to the dim fluorescent lighting of the building I'd just entered.
I hadn't visited an "Adult Entertainment Store" like this one in many, many years. But the sign out front had called to me with the promise of
"Live NUDE Girls!"
And not having seen a nude woman since my divorce several months ago, (outside of online porn), I figured I was about due.
Still, I was rather nervous, not knowing exactly what to expect, or even what I truly wanted. I couldn't assume the women here were prostitutes. Maybe they were simply dancers, performers. But even if sex was on the table, I wasn't sure I was looking to go that far. Not that I was squeamish about the morality of paying for sex. But the whole idea of it felt very awkward. And yet I couldn't deny I was also curious about the possibilities.
And so I moved as casually as I could through the main store, pretending to look at the various sex toys and videos on display as if I had an interest in purchasing something. Meanwhile my feet kept me moving to the sign I'd spotted in the rear:
"Live Girls."
That room was even more dimly lit than the store, the only real lighting coming from a few spotlights above and the windows of the booths that lined the left and right walls, four to each side.
Five of the eight booths were occupied, as promised, with real live women, standing at their windows. Being the only man currently in the place, I suddenly felt very much under pressure as they each vied for my attention.
The ladies were certainly attractive enough, although none of them were flawless. But I certainly had no wish to be overly critical, especially considering all but one were already topless and more than happy to flaunt their assets for me.
And yet it was the one still wearing a bra that caught my eye. Her dark braided hair, ebony skin and genuinely welcoming smile immediately drew me to her. Her petite yet curvy build didn't hurt either. I managed to tear my eyes away from her body long enough to spare a glance at the sign hung above the door to the booth that proclaimed her name: "Barbie."
I laughed inwardly. Many people would probably think that particular moniker ill chosen, considering most would picture a California Blonde white woman, but considering her almost doll-like proportions - rounded breasts, skinny waist, wide hips - I found it an amusing and fitting choice.
I knew instantly she was the one. But now, the question became: The one for WHAT?
I approached her booth, nervous yet excited, when a voice from behind stopped me. It was the guy at the front desk, the one I'd avoided eye contact with as I'd walked past. "You can talk to the models on the phone; a dollar a minute. Follow the hallway around the corner, booth six."
"What? Oh, right. Of course." I was glad the darkness hid my embarrassment as I made my way to the rear hall. Finding the door marked '6,' I entered what was reminiscent of an old telephone booth, and only slightly larger. Against the far wall was an almost ceiling to floor window, currently covered by a curtain. To the left was a corded phone, and beneath that, a slot to insert money.
Pulling out my wallet, I found a ten; figured I'd start slow and see where it went. I slipped the bill into the slot and up went the curtain. And there was Barbie, a vision of beauty in her lacy red bra and panty set.
"Hey, how you doing?" Barbie greeted me. Much like her smile, her voice was natural, genuine. There was no hint of fake enthusiasm to cover up some inner disdain for yet another pervert entering her booth. She appeared comfortable, completely at ease.
"What's your name, sweetie?"
"Hi. Um, I'm Jack. Nice to meet you. Um, Barbie, right?"
She laughed, not at all dismissively. "Yeah, that's me. Cause I'm such a doll, dont'cha think? Although I wanted to go by 'Black Barbie,' but the owner thought that might piss off some white folks, so..." She shrugged and rolled her eyes in an exaggerated way I found absolutely adorable.
"Hey, not all us white folks are so easily offended," I chuckled. "I think it suits you."
"Thanks, sweetie." Even her use of endearments felt authentic. "So, Jack, what you looking for today?"
Despite feeling far less anxious already, I was still hesitant to vocalize my requests. "Well, um, to be honest? I don't really know; wasn't sure what the, well, options were."
Barbie gave me a sympathetic smile. "First time here?"
"Yeah." Ever the wordsmith, that's me.
"Look, relax, okay? I'll explain how this works." Barbie spoke with the patient tone of someone who'd had to do this often. "If you wanna keep it simple, we can just talk here; Just put some more money in the slot, I'll get naked and you can jerk it. But if you were looking for something more up close and personal, we can move things to the private room. It's sixty dollars to rent the room from the house for thirty minutes. Then there's my rates, which start at a minimum of another sixty."
Mentally I was counting how much cash I'd brought with me. "I see. And what does that sixty get me?"
"Well, I don't fuck, and no butt stuff," Barbie said matter of factly. "Maybe some other girls here do and, if that's what you're interested in, I get it if you wanna move on. But we can do plenty of other things, including blowjobs, although those cost extra. And you can touch me anywhere you want."
Surprisingly, I felt a sense of relief at her declaration. Having taken intercourse off the menu, I felt like the pressure of the situation had been lifted from me. Weird, I know. But I have my quirky insecurities.
"That's fine," I managed to respond. "I actually wasn't looking for anything that... extreme. Not now, anyway. I was kinda just hoping to relax, get a little closer with you and, well, see how things went."
"Sounds good," said Barbie, her hands suggestively caressing her curves. "We can definitely get nice and close. Just go see the guy at the front, tell him you want me for thirty minutes, then meet me in Private Room Two down the hall, 'kay?"
***
Private Room Two was larger than the phone booth, but not by much. The difference now though was that there was no glass separating me from Barbie. She stood close enough that I could smell her perfume; light and fresh and not at all cloying.
Awkwardly, I reached into my pocket and handed over her fee.
"Thank you, sweetie." Barbie bent and tucked the cash into a small carry bag on the floor. I had to laugh at myself for sneaking a peek at her ass like she wasn't aware what she was showing or about to let me do much more than look.