I nod. “Okay.”
“I actually want you to do that now. Come with me.”
We make our way across the dance floor to one of the staircases. Rosie leads me up the stairs and to a back corner where there’s a door that blends invisibly into the wall. I probably wouldn’t have noticed if Rosie hadn’t stopped in front of it. She waves her own plastic card by the door at hip level, and I see the outline of a sensor there. The door slides open, and I follow her inside. Again, the sudden absence of sound is jarring. “There are two stock rooms: upstairs and downstairs. It makes it easier to restock when you don’t have to carry tons of supplies up the stairs.”
The stock room is bright and clean, shelves filled with blankets, bottled water, chocolate bars, condoms, bottles of lube, and more. Rosie gestures to the computer in the corner and activates the screen with her finger. “The rooms up here haven’t been restocked in a couple of hours, so I want you to do that. I don’t think anything will be really low, but it will be good practice for you. There are seven rooms on this floor. You can’t miss the shelves you’ll need to restock.”
I clear my throat. “And what if…something’s happening?”
“You mean if someone’s doing a scene or having sex?”
“Yeah,” I say. “I didn’t actually know about that…aspect…when I applied.”
An unexpected laugh bursts from her. “You’re shitting me right?” I shake my head and she laughs harder. “Well you must be feeling like you’re in way over your head.”
“You could say that.” I let out a nervous giggle.
“It’s not going to be as awkward as you’re thinking,” she says. “Everyone who plays at the club knows the rules. They’re used to both wait staff and monitors walking in and out. Besides, most of the time they’re so immersed in their own little world that they’re not even going to notice you. Just be quick and quiet. Don’t be a distraction.”
“I can do that.” I mean, I think I can do that. No fucking clue. “What’s on the third level?”
Rosie waves a hand. “That’s the VIP area. You don’t have to worry about that for now.” She points to the computer. “After you finish stocking a room, just make a note of how much of each item you put in there.” Clicking on the tab labeled ‘orgy,’ she shows me the menu that pops up and how to input the numbers. “This makes sure we can keep up on orders so we don’t run out, so it’s important. That’s about it—pretty straightforward. If you have any problems, come find me downstairs, or if there’s an emergency, there are monitors walking the floors.”
The door to the stockroom seals behind us as we step out, and Rosie walks towards the stairs. She’s got the movement of someone determined that she won’t be slowed down. She turns back just before she reaches the stairs. “Oh, and the club safe word is ‘Red.’ If you hear someone saying that, get a monitor in that room immediately. Got it?”
“Got it.” No pressure.
Part of me is glad I don’t have to serve customers right away. At least I’ll be able to get my bearings a little. Even if I’m going to be going in and out of rooms full of naked people. Immediately my mind takes over, imagining rooms swarming with people in various stages of sex. Hands stroking, mouths sucking, skin shining with sweat and fucking. A streak of heat flares through me, and I ignore it. I take a deep breath and look around the balcony. Might as well go clockwise, right?
The first room, to my immediate relief, is empty. I scan my card and the door slides open silently. It’s warm in here, and dry. It’s draped in silks like some kind of magical desert temple or something out of Aladdin. Pillows are scattered across the floor and the room smells sweet, like incense. It clicks in my mind—this is a harem room. As Rosie said, you can’t miss the shelves, they are right beside the doorway, and I look through everything. I’m going to have to grab a notepad from the stockroom in order to keep track of what to stock. I can do this.
I add a few bottles of water to the harem room and note them in the computer. There’s a small room off to the side with racks of clothing. Curiosity gets the better of me, and I flip on the light. Costumes. Everything from Disney’s Aladdin to more traditional Arabian Nights is in here. There’s a basket labeled ‘laundry,’ too. This is crazy and also amazing. It’s easy to imagine getting carried away in a place like this, and I’m not at all surprised that it’s so crowded.