“Where’s here? If I know that, maybe I can answer you.” Lara asked,
looking around the room, the smell of leather and ***** coated every
surface. She was having trouble breathing, her mind not catching onto
what was going on around her.

“Susan’s new club,” Alice fumed. “Susan and a silent partner, that I
think we met earlier. Cute tomboy with a hat?” Alice offered the shot
in the dark.

Lara went ghostly white. “N-n-n-o!” She began to back up but she was
already cornered, shaking her head, panic in her voice, fear in her
eyes.

Alice reached out to her. “Lara? Lara, honey, it’s OK. It’s OK!” She
was lying through her orthodontia-straightened teeth but it was evident
that Lara was not herself. Or maybe now she WAS herself when before she
hadn’t been. Or something. She’d sort that all out later. Right now,
“We need to get out of here.”

Lara nodded. “Is Susan here?” Her voice was barely audible, the hoarse
whisper making Alice want to take her into her arms and hug her.

“I don’t know. That great looking hard assed broad with the hat took
her to a meeting, and you decided to show me around the club.”

“Well, what are YOU doing here?” Lara begged for an answer, anything to
clear the cobwebs of her mind. Was she high? Was she drunk? What was
going on?

“I’m writing an article on Best of BDSM clubs. That’s not the point.
What are YOU doing here?” Alice shot back, the answers to all of this
most certainly not falling into place.

“I have no idea,” Lara shook her head, looking down at her self and feeling suddenly underdressed and over sexed.

“Well, do you remember backing Susan down a few minutes ago?” Alice
asked, moving to the door and locking it. Not sure it was a good idea
with the schizophrenic Lara, but it was better than Susan walking in on
this little tete et tete.

“What?” Lara’s eyes rounded, her whole body began to shake at the
thought of her making Susan back down, never. She’d tried, but she’d
never been able to utter the right words or gather up enough courage.

“*****, yes, girlfriend, you put her in her place real quick!” Alice laughed, snapping her fingers and grinning.

“How did I do that?” Lara grabbed her shaking hands. “I don’tknowI don’trememberI.”