The Roleplayers Read online

The shock must have shown all over her face because Bruce just smiled and said, “It’s okay. I know it’s a lot to take in.”

  “What is this place?”

  “Bitter Jupiter is the best place to get a date when you’re into something a little…unusual.”

  “Like dressing up in costumes for sex?”

  “They don’t call us ‘The Roleplayers’ for nothing.”

  “So what, you just meet women here and pretend to be a mummy while you have sex?”

  He smiled and sipped his drink, making her wait just a moment longer than she liked for an answer.

  “Something like that.”

  Kayla sighed and turned away slightly, facing her drink. The bartender returned and she gave him her glass, nodding that she wanted another. This was who she was supposed to hook up with? This was who she was supposed to experiment with? This? A weirdo in a costume?

  Grateful at the pirate bartender’s quick pace, she tipped him double and downed her drink. Bruce continued watching her as she did.

  Kayla wondered if she looked as nervous as she felt.

  Bruce’s hand on her thigh let her know that she did.

  “It’s okay,” he told her. “Why don’t you tell me a little about yourself? I had to admit that your text intrigued me.”

  “How so?”

  “It’s not every day a beautiful girl wants to go out with me on a whim.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Have you seen the mummy costume?”

  She laughed, not bothering to push his hand away from her leg. Was it forward of him? Absolutely, but something about him put her at ease, made her comfortable.

  Something about his eyes made her feel okay.

  “What do you do for work?” Bruce pushed, seeming genuinely interested.

  “I’m an administrative assistant,” she rambled off.

  “So what do you do?”

  “Anything my boss doesn’t want to.”

  “Sounds like it could be fun.”

  “Or awful. Yesterday was my first day. Just got promoted.”

  “Congratulations. That’s quite impressive.”

  “Thanks. So, what about you?” Somehow, she couldn’t imagine him as anything but a mummy. His short dark hair was invisible beneath the wrappings. The only part of him she could see was his eyes. Well, those and his near-perfect teeth. Seriously. Did the wrappings make them look whiter? Did he use whitening strips? She bit back the temptation to ask.

  Just be cool.

  Be cool.

  “I’m in legal services,” he told her, but before she could ask, he leaned down to whisper to her. “But what I do is not nearly as interesting as what I would like to do…to you.”

  She blushed and pulled back, slightly embarrassed at his advances. She thought he was charming, sure, but was this the kind of situation that she wanted to get into? Was this what she really wanted to take a chance on right now?

  “You seem a little nervous,” he told her, “but that’s okay. It’s normal. I know that this,” he waved his arm at the room around him, “is a lot to take in at once.”

  “Yeah, it’s definitely not really what I was expecting,” she said, allowing a small smile to play on her face. “But then again, is it really living if you never try anything new?” She couldn’t help but wonder what was beneath his mummy form. More importantly, would she get to see it? Was he into sex with the costume on? Did he want to be unwrapped? How did it all work?

  “Does that mean you’re ready to try something new, Kayla?”

  “Maybe. Can I think about it for a little while?”

  “Kayla, you take all the time that you need.”

  FOUR

  He wasn’t asking for a relationship.

  Neither was Kayla.

  It was just sex.

  It was just going to be one steamy, hot, weird, passionate night, right?

  So why was Kayla so nervous about jumping into bed with Bruce? Anne had vouched for him. He was clean, he was polite, and he was fairly kindhearted. He was hot. At least, she thought he probably was. It had been tough to tell beneath the wrappings. But either way, he wasn’t going to knock her up and then never call her again. He wasn’t going to give her some weird disease. He was fine. He was experienced.

  She stared at her phone, wondering if she should text him.

  Maybe not just yet.

  Maybe it was too soon.

  Meeting Bruce last night had been fantastic. Kayla had genuinely enjoyed chatting with him and getting to see everyone dressed up at Bitter Jupiter. That didn’t mean that she was ready for a relationship with a guy into fetishes, though.

  It didn’t mean she was ready for this.

  She glanced at the clock. It was time for work. She showered quickly, pulled her hair into a neat bun, and splattered on some makeup. While she typically put more effort into her appearance, Kayla just wasn’t feeling it today.

  She still looked good. She just didn’t look great. She looked tired, worn down.

  Today she just wanted to survive work, so she could come home and find a way to get her mind off of things.

  She marched into the office with a plastered smile on her face that only had to last until her lunch break. Then, she told herself, then she could crack if she needed to. During lunch she could hide in her car and smoke a cigarette or just cry alone for a few minutes.

  But she had to pull herself together until then.

  Kevin couldn’t see her being a hot mess at work. She had fought hard for this promotion. So what if she felt overwhelmed? Feeling like you were drowning came with the job. Isn’t that how everyone felt at work? Either hopelessly bored or hopelessly helpless?

  Kayla slid into her chair and stared at the pile of paperwork on her desk.

  She took a deep breath and stared at the tiny clock mounted on her wall.

  She could do this.

  FIVE

  “What did you think?” Anne nearly shrieked as she burst into Kayla’s house. She had brought take-out, which was what Kayla really cared about. Grabbing a plate and dumping a pile of noodles onto it, Kayla began to chow down on the still-slightly-warm food.

  “About what?” She muttered through a mouthful of noodles.

  “Come on,” Anne insisted. “Bruce! You never said anything. What did you think? Did you guys…you know?”

  “No.”

  “No?” Anne seemed genuinely surprised. “But it’s…Bruce. It’s Bruce. And he’s so…Bruce.”

  “Yeah, Anne, I got his name.”

  “So what happened?”

  “We just talked.”

  Anne just gawked.

  “Seriously, close your mouth before a bug flies in.” Kayla knew she sounded harsh, but why was it so crazy to think she didn’t sleep with this guy the first time she met him? Bruce had been absolutely great. He had been really sweet. He also seemed like he was into some weird stuff. While there was nothing wrong with that, she needed some time to get used to the idea.

  Was he going to wrap her up like a mummy?

  “Okay, so what happened? I thought you wanted a quick fling. You know, something fun, something casual.”

  “I did. I do. It’s just…I don’t know.” She dropped her fork and brought her hands to her head. “It’s just a lot to take in, Anne. When I walked into that bar…it’s a fetish bar. Did you know that? You probably did. Okay, whatever. I’m not mad you didn’t warn me. It’s just…it’s a lot.”

  “I knew it was different, but I haven’t been there. Didn’t know it was all kink.”

  “It is. I walked in and saw two giant bears making out with two giant turtles.”

  “Seriously?”

  “No lie.”

  Anne choked back a laugh, trying to take the situation seriously. Kayla obviously was.

  “How do you know Bruce? You said you guys were ‘bros.’ What did you mean by that?”

  “He used to work with me before he went to law school. We always kept in touch, though, even when he
was away. I don’t know. Nothing ever happened between us. We were just always really good friends. I always felt like I could confide in him.”

  “He sounds like a good friend,” somehow, this made Kayla feel relieved. He was normal, at least on some level.

  “He is. And after I’d confided in him about some things that I’d done, he let me in on the mummy thing.”

  “What exactly is it?”

  “It’s just this weird fantasy he has. I don’t know all the details.”

  “He was in the costume last night. It was weird. It wasn’t sexy, but I wasn’t scared or anything.”

  “I’m not sure how he likes to use it, honestly. I know he needs to be dressed up during sex, but how much of the wrapping comes off, I don’t know.”

  “Least helpful friend ever.” Kayla rolled her eyes playfully. She couldn’t expect Anne to do all the legwork for her. At some point she’d have to decide to go for it or back off and stop wasting Bruce’s time – and her own.

  “I’m guessing you haven’t made a decision yet.”

  “I don’t know what I want.” Kayla looked around the room. She really led a charmed life. She had an amazing best friend, a loving family, a beautiful house, and a steady job. She had gotten a promotion that she had worked hard for and that she deserved. She had a great paycheck.

  The only thing missing was, well, someone to fuck her and love her and call her sweetie.

  But was that really what she wanted from Bruce?

  Her phone vibrated and they both looked at it. Kayla didn’t pick it up right away.

  “It’s probably him,” Anne said gently. She placed her hand on Kayla’s and caught her eye. “It’s okay to be nervous,” she said. “Being with someone new isn’t easy. Trying something you’ve never done before can be scary, but you’re never going to know unless you try.”

  Kayla knew that Anne had been with a lot of people: guys and girls. She also knew that Anne would never steer her wrong. The girl had been through a lot in her short life, but she was also always ready to share her life lessons and knowledge of the world with Kayla.

  And at this moment, that’s exactly what Kayla needed.

  She picked up the phone and opened her messages.

  I had a great time last night. Dinner tomorrow?

  “What did it say?” Anne asked impatiently.

  “He wants to know if I’ll have dinner with him.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  Kayla punched in a response and set down her phone. With a sneaky grin, she told Anne, “I’m going to go buy a new outfit.”

  SIX

  When Kayla agreed to meet Bruce for dinner, she decided not to show up early. It’s not that she wanted to make him wait or that she wanted to have him under her control. No, it wasn’t that at all.

  Kayla wanted to make an entrance.

  She wanted to show Bruce that she was ready for what he had to offer and that she was ready to start exploring his world.

  She wanted to turn all the heads in the restaurant.

  She wanted all eyes on her.

  So when she walked up to Lala House, one of the most upscale restaurants in town, she was ready for all of the attention she would be awarded.

  “Good evening,” the hostess greeted her, obviously trying not to stare.

  “Hello,” Kayla smiled broadly. “I’m meeting Bruce Colyer this evening. He made reservations and may already be here.”

  “Absolutely,” the hostess told her. “Mr. Colyer is already at your table. I’ll take you to him.”

  Kayla followed the hostess to the table, where Bruce was pouring over a wine menu. Unlike their previous encounter, this time he looked normal. Donning a fantastic suit that brought out the sparkle in his eyes, Kayla tried not to lick her lips. He was luscious.

  And then he saw her.

  “Mr. Colyer,” the hostess nodded as Kayla slid into her seat.

  As the woman disappeared, Kayla wondered what she was thinking. It was probably something about how Kayla didn’t understand propriety or the atmosphere of the restaurant. None of that mattered, though, not now that Bruce was looking at her.

  Not now that he was looking at her like that.

  “We meet again,” Kayla prompted the conversation, enjoying the fact that he was obviously surprised at her attire.

  “So we do, Miss Hart.” He leaned forward attentively, “Or should I call you ‘Cleopatra’?”

  She grinned. “What do you think?” Kayla motioned to her short black wig and white dress. She had searched three costume shops in the city before finally stumbling across a Cleopatra costume she could afford. Even then, it hadn’t been cheap. Kayla was never particularly interested in history and didn’t know much about the woman herself, but hoped that the outfit would impress Bruce.

  At the very least, she hoped it would demonstrate that she could keep up with him.

  “You look stunning, Kayla,” he smiled. “I love your dress.”

  “Thanks. I was hoping you’d say that.”

  “What made you decide to dress up?” His eyes kept roaming from her dress to her breasts to her smile to her eyes. He couldn’t get enough of her.

  “I wanted to show you that I’m ready, you know, for you. I’m ready to see what you’re all about.” Kayla felt a little shy being so open with him. She’d had boyfriends before, of course, but their relationships had always been very ordinary. They’d been very plain. They’d been, to a certain extent, very superficial.

  While she had never considered herself scared of sex or a prude, by any means, Kayla also wasn’t the type of person to blatantly say what she wanted.

  And she’d never explored fantasies before.

  Not like this.

  “It takes guts to do what you’re doing. People are staring and wondering why you’re in costume, but I love it. I love the way you look. I love that you took a chance. It really speaks volumes, Kayla.”

  “Thanks. That means a lot. I was actually a little nervous about it.”

  “Why would you be nervous? You’re fantastic.”

  “This is all still really new to me. You know, the whole ‘kink’ thing.”

  “You’ve been with a guy before, right?” He cocked his eyebrow, questioningly. He looked like a cartoon character and she choked back a laugh.

  “Yeah, I’m not a virgin or anything like that.”

  “Just making sure. I’d hate for your first time to be, well, particularly unusual.”

  The waiter chose that moment to show up and pour them each a glass of wine.

  “I took the liberty of ordering our drinks before you arrived,” Bruce explained. “I hope red is okay.”

  “It’s perfect. Thank you.”

  She took a sip of the wine as the waiter recited a list of specials. They both ordered and the server headed off without writing anything down.

  “Is he going to remember what we wanted?” She asked, suspiciously. During her high school days as a waitress, Kayla had been notoriously forgetful. Keeping track of which table needed what items had been a nightmare. She was impressed that their current waiter was able to remember. She just hoped she’d actually end up with what she ordered.

  “It’s okay,” Bruce assured her. “Henry is my regular waiter. He’s never ruined a meal yet.”

  “Good to know.”

  “So tell me more about your past sexual experiences.”

  Kayla almost spit out her drink.

  “Here?” She glanced around the room. It was nice. It was really nice. And it was filled with retirees and nice-looking couples and men in suits.

  And Bruce was asking her to spill her guts.

  He nodded slightly, watching her, waiting for her response.

  And that’s when Kayla realized what he was doing.

  It was a trust exercise.

  They didn’t know each other well. They barely knew each other at all, yet they were about to embark on an extremely intimate adventure that would require respect, compa
ssion, and trust from both parties.

  And this was the first step.

  If she couldn’t trust his judgment now, at the restaurant, how would she trust him later?