Amara – Reunion

Author's note: this is from Seraphina's point of view

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Bayswater is an attractive cobblestoned neighborhood in London, lined with tall Victorian townhomes that offer on the street level a vast variety of eateries, independent shops, and galleries.

Duke and I had a late dinner in an Italian restaurant and then walked the streets while holding hands.

I was wearing a dark blue dress with a snug bodice, and a skirt that flared up to my knees. Duke picked that for me in the mall earlier that day. He wore black dress pants and a dark blue dress shirt. The colors were matching, making it look like couple's outfits.

"This is something I wanted to do with you.", Duke said and lifted my hand to his lips before adding, "Late night walk on the streets of London after dinner."

I smiled at his words while he kissed my knuckles. It seems that today each of us got one of our fantasies to come to life.

I've got a date in the mall, and he got dinner and a walk.

His expression turned serious. "About those three scheming girls… Are you ready?"

With all the lovey-dovey mood during the day, I forgot about our talk from that morning! But it seems that Duke didn't forget.

It was after midnight, and I assumed that we will head back to his apartment.

"Now?", I asked.

"Did you change your mind?"

"No, no. It's just…" I had no idea what I wanted to say. "Yes, I'm ready." I was curious to find out what he planned.

Duke wrapped his arm around my shoulders and led the way down the street.

We entered a pub that was packed with patrons. It was stuffy and noisy, and the stench of liquor assaulted my nose.

Duke held me close until we reached the counter and then he pulled a black paper from the inner pocket, it was about the size of a business card.

The bartender glanced at it and tilted his head toward the left, indicating that we should go there, and then he raised his arm, signaling something to the man who was standing at the door which was in that direction.

It was an older man, probably in his sixties. He also glanced at the black paper and opened the door for us.

The man cracked a smile, showing a silver tooth. "Enjoy your evening."

We found ourselves in a dark hallway that had a thin string of tiny LED lights near the ceiling, the light was barely enough for me to see the stairs and realize we are going down without missing a step and making a spectacle of myself.

I was happy that Duke held me close.

"Where is this?", I asked, giving in to my curiosity.

Duke hummed questionably. "I thought I should take care of everything, and you only want to watch."

"I would still like to know what your plan is."

Duke chuckled. "This place is called, the Darkest Hour. It's an exclusive club, not many know about it."

I wanted to ask more, but then we reached the door at the landing and Duke gave several knocks that looked like they came in some pattern.

The door cracked open and another burly man, this one in his late forties, looked at the black paper before glancing to the back.

A petite curvaceous woman with her blonde hair raised in a high bun appeared and I couldn't stop staring at her skimpy maid outfit that looked like it came from a slutty Halloween store.

She inspected the card and flashed purple light on it that revealed some glowing patterns, before returning the card to Duke.

"I'm Tilda and I will show you to your seats. Please, follow me.", she said and walked forward in her high heels.

The burly man stepped aside to make space for us to pass without touching him.

We made a few turns along the hallways that had doors on them, and she opened the door with A21 on them.

The seductive music reached us before we stepped inside.

It was like a private lounge in the opera house, with a sofa and two sofa chairs. There was a side table with a tablet on it, a television hanging on the wall, and a dresser with four wide drawers on it. Another door on the right was closed. The wall opposite from us was missing its middle third, and I assumed it's for watching the performance, but I couldn't see down from where I was standing.

"Is this your first time here?", Tilda asked.

Duke glanced at me, and I nodded, unsure why he didn't answer.

Tilda gestured toward the door on the right. "That's a bathroom…" She pointed at the side table. "You can order extra drinks or towels or whatever you need. The television will show you performance and has the ability to zoom in. You might find something that works for you in there…", she gestured toward the dresser. "We only ask you not to move furniture around because our staff wears blindfolds. Enjoy your stay here."

With a small bow, she left the room, closing the door behind her.

Duke removed his suit jacket and sat on the sofa while I made my way to see what kind of a show we will be watching.

It was a wide runway-like stage that ended with a three-prong fork. At the tip of each fork was a scarcely dressed woman, dancing to the slow music and shaking her assets.

There were people around the stage, whistling and catcalling and giving money when the girl in question came within their reach.

"This is a strip club?", I asked Duke, unable to hide my surprise. I saw them in movies, but I was never in one.

Duke gave me a lopsided smile. "This is much more than a strip club, love."

"What is it?"

"Should I tell you what I planned for Adele, Ruby, and Willow? Or should I leave you guessing until you see?"

An idea hit me, and I focused mightily to see who the three girls performing are.

Duke chuckled. "They are not the girls on the stage. Not yet, at least."

I knew that Duke made it nearly impossible for them to find a decent job, so I assumed… "Are they working here?"

"Who knows? Maybe…", he said mysteriously.

I puffed my cheeks in frustration. "Tell me."

"I thought you wanted a surprise."

"And I am surprised. I'm not sure if I can take more than this so… tell me.", I demanded.

"They don't work here.", Duke said. "But they are here…" Duke reached on the side and got a remote.

He turned on the television that showed the stage, and a second later we could see a room, similar to ours. Adele, Ruby, and Willow were in there with three young men. There was no sound, but they were drinking and chatting, and the mood was good.

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