"You do?” Sadie asked.
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"Like bondage, sadomasochism, that type of stuff?” Kyra interjected before Marley could respond to Sadie.
"Well...” Marley suspected her cheeks burned red. “I'm not sure what I want because I don't know much about BDSM, but I like the idea of being told what to do and having someone else in control of my pleasure."
All heads nodded, and in unison they said, “Sexy."
Bella jumped up, then ran into the kitchen. A moment later, she returned holding four straws. “The shortest straw goes first, and so on. Here, Kyra, you're up."
Kyra pulled one that could be the tallest, but at this point, it was only guessing.
Bella held the straws out for Marley. “You next, Marls."
Marley took a straw and grumbled at the small size, barely measured up to her pinky finger. Okay, she'd agreed; however, she didn't want to go first. She didn't think her friends would bail out, and she didn't plan to either, but she wanted to go somewhere in the middle. A comfortable place to be.
Sadie took her straw, measuring the size of her index finger. Then Bella raised hers. “Hold ‘em up, ladies."
Marley looked from straw to straw, then realized she'd picked the wrong damn straw. Bella was next, then Sadie, with Kyra picking the largest straw. Smiling faces looked at Marley, and she groaned. “Oh no."
"Oh yes.” Bella beamed. “You're up, buttercup.” She practically ran over to the computer desk, only to return with her laptop a moment later. “And I've got the perfect place in mind."
"What place?” Marley scooted toward her as Bella clicked away on the keyboard. “And how long have you been planning this?"
"Oh, not long, just a week or so,” Bella replied. “When I did some research on fantasies, I discovered this place in Bowleys Quarters."
On the small screen, a Web site with a castle decorating the background and big, black, bold letters on the top read, Castle Dolce Vita. “What is it?"
"A sex club."
Kyra's eyes went huge. “A what?"
"Don't get your granny panties all in a bunch.” Bella shushed her with a flip of her hand. “They have forums where you can contact people who have similar interests as you do"—she wiggled her eyebrows—"sexually."
"Ew.” Kyra groaned. “This sounds really dirty."
Bella ignored her as she usually did when Kyra protested one of her plans. “I was reading here. The rules are: all participants must sign a waiver form to insure privacy will be kept while at the castle. No cameras allowed and no videotaping permitted. All participants must provide a clear STD and AIDS test and a background check to the members they're involved with before they are allowed to engage in sexual acts. And lastly, when members are involved in club life, they're not allowed to engage sexually with anyone outside of the castle."
Bella stopped reading and glanced to Marley. “Sounds safe to me."
Marley looked to Kyra, waiting for her to disagree, but she only shrugged. “It sounds safer than if you went to a bar and slept with some random guy."
"Oh God.” Marley grumbled, dropping her head into her hands, realizing the inevitable had fallen upon her.
"Ha.” Sadie giggled. “Let's just hope you'll be saying that when you're with the guy."
The others laughed. Marley didn't. She raised her head, full of apprehension. “Do I have to go first? Can't one of you?"
Bella scowled. “Fate decided, and you've got to listen. Follow the rules, remember."
"Yeah, yeah, I remember."
Sadie squirmed closer to Bella to look at the computer screen. “So what do we do to become members of the castle?"
"The rules say it's by invitation only,” Bella replied. “We have to join the forum, write a letter from Marley describing who she is and what she wants, then wait for someone to call to discuss the possibility of an encounter."
Kyra snatched the laptop from Bella and settled it onto her lap. “Let me write the letter. We want to make you sound sexy but smart. We don't need some lunatic responding to you.” She rubbed her hands together. “Now then, let's make this good."