The Club Ch. 02

Ch. 02 - The Club

Sylla drove past the mostly empty lot twice before finally pulling in and parking. The address was correct, but there was nothing here. She climbed out of her Mustang and looked around, wondering at the purpose of Samael's deceit. The parking lot was the overflow for an unpopular movie theater with not a single distinguishing feature except a solitary blue door in the center of a white wall behind the cinema. Curious, Sylla approached the door. There was no door handle, but the number 13169 was stenciled neatly above the frame. Feeling slightly foolish, she knocked on the door, but it was so thick it produced almost no sound. She looked around for a buzzer and discovered a small rectangular slit where a door bell would normally be located.

A knot of excitement formed in the pit of her stomach as she dug through her purse until she found the device Samael had given her. There was something strange and mysterious about the entire scenario. For the first time in her life, Sylla felt as though she were embarking on some real adventure. She slipped the key into the slot and was rewarded by a subdued click. The door swung open revealing a dimly lit stairway descending into the unknown. Classical music drifted out to her from deeper within. Sylla took a deep, steadying breath and stepped inside.

At the bottom of the stairs stood a petite Asian girl wearing a highly revealing cocktail waitress uniform. The plunging neckline only barely contained the young woman's large, round breasts. The skirt was so short as to reveal her entire ass should she bend over even slightly. Sylla looked with mild disdain from the girl's obviously artificially-enhanced tits to her face, judging the girl's age to be barely 21. She was cute, but Sylla felt disappointed. She had expected much more from the woman Samael considered her better.

"Are you...Annie?" Sylla asked, a chill in her voice.

The girl bowed her head slightly, her eyes never rising to meet Sylla's. "No, Mistress Sylla. I'm Anika," she answered submissively. "Mistress Annie is expecting you. I will take you to her directly, unless you desire anything else first."

Sylla wondered if this was some sort of S&M club with all the 'Mistress Sylla' and 'Mistress Annie' nonsense. Sylla didn't mind a little S&M, but in general, she didn't have any real use for sex toys, bondage, or feigned domination. There was nothing any device could do that she couldn't do better herself. And she never had any problem dominating her lovers. Sylla decided to test the waters. "Yes, Anika. I desire you to eat my pussy."

Anika dropped instantly to her knees, replying, "As you wish, Mistress Sylla."

Sylla laughed and waved the young girl back. "Maybe later, Anika. How about you just show me to your Mistress Annie?"

Anika rose smoothly, as though nothing out of the ordinary had transpired. "Yes, Mistress Sylla. Please follow me."

Sylla followed the girl down a short corridor which emptied into a lounge of sorts. A number of empty couches filled the room, separated by thin partitions, lending each some small amount of privacy. A pair of women sat close together on one of the couches, speaking to each other in low tones over glasses of wine and paying no attention to Sylla and Anika's passing. The entire far end of the room was a long, well-stocked bar. A lone, female bartender watched Sylla walk by while extracting the cork from a bottle of wine. She was tall and thin, with strawberry blonde hair pulled straight back into a long ponytail. She wore a sleeveless tuxedo shirt open at the neck. Sylla's hopes sank a bit lower. An all-female S&M club was even less interesting to her.

Beyond the couches, a spiral staircase descended into darkness. Sylla followed Anika down the stairs, admiring the young woman's figure despite herself. She was certain that Anika's uniform did not include panties and briefly considered taking advantage of the girl in the middle of the stairway, just to confirm her theory. But she was too interested in meeting 'Mistress' Annie to delay any further.

At the base of the stairs, Anika led Sylla down a long hallway lined with paintings on the left side. Opposite the paintings were a series of closed doors. Anika came to a stop at the third door, knocked quietly, and then slid the door open.

The room was small, but not confining. A deeply cushioned sofa sat in the center of the room. Tasteful art hung on the walls. But Sylla's attention was focused solely upon the woman walking towards her, smiling. Annie was not at all what Sylla had expected. She was young, not much older than Anika, by Sylla's estimation. She was shorter than Sylla by several inches with short, spiky blonde hair. She was barefoot and dressed very casually in a tight T-shirt and jeans. She wore thin gold loops through her left nostril and eyebrow. Her arms were covered in intricate tattoos, which continued past the collar of her T-shirt up the sides of her neck.

Annie hugged Sylla and gave her a peck on the cheek, which Sylla accepted stiffly. "I'm so glad you came," Annie burst out, pulling Sylla by the hand to the couch. "Bring us some wine, Anika. And then give us some privacy. We have a lot to discuss." Annie sank into the couch and lounged comfortably. Sylla sat next to her, facing her warily. Annie had a classic girl-next-door face, complete with dimples, blue eyes, and an innocent smile.

"I know you have a lot of questions," Annie prompted. "Where would you like to start?"

Annie's friendliness seemed genuine, but Sylla could not forget the insult she had suffered from Samael. Could this bit of fluff actually be better than me? Sylla wondered. Impossible!

"What is this place?" Sylla asked, choosing a safe and obvious question.

"This is The Club," Annie answered simply, somehow implying the gravity inherent in the name. When Sylla didn't respond, Annie continued. "There are thirty-three Members. You'll make thirty-four when you accept the invitation."

"I didn't receive an invitation to join any club."

"This isn't just any club. And you received the invitation when Samael gave you the key. He was your test. And you passed." Annie favored Sylla with a mischievous smile. "I wish I could have seen it. Samael was very upset at having been defeated by you," she confided.

"And what do you do in this club?" Sylla asked.

Annie grinned. "We do lots of things. But what you'll be most interested in are the competitions. They determine your ranking."

"My ranking?"

Annie nodded. "You start out at the bottom. When you defeat someone, you take their rank and they move down one slot. You're thirty-fourth. Assuming you join."

"And how do I join?"

"By accepting my challenge." Annie bit her lower lip as her eyes strayed down Sylla's body.

Sylla leaned back and considered. A club dedicated to sex as a competition was far more enticing. "And when I defeat you, what will my rank be?"

Annie threw her head back and laughed. "Sorry, beautiful. You're not defeating me. But I'm ranked thirty-third currently."

Now it was Sylla's turn to laugh. "So you're dead last. No wonder you're recruiting."

Annie shrugged. "One of the membership requirements is to make or accept a challenge at least once every two months. You can have more, if you like, but that's the minimum. Depending on your rank, you have to accept a challenge from someone lower than you every so often before you can challenge someone above you again, but you don't need to worry about that for a while," Annie explained. "As for me, I'm not ashamed of my loses. I've been defeated by three of the most incredibly sexually talented women you will ever meet. And tonight, I will get my first victory."

"Wait, are all the club members women?" Sylla demanded. "This is just a bunch of lesbians?"

Annie frowned. "I would think that someone of your abilities would understand that women with this much sexual power cannot be labeled as simply gay or straight."

When Sylla reluctantly nodded, Annie continued. "Yes, all the Members are women, but there are plenty of men to entertain you between challenges. You won't be disappointed. We have divided them into five tiers, based upon their abilities," Annie leveled an even look at Sylla. "Samael is in the lowest tier."

Sylla sat up a little straighter. "Seriously?"

Annie's easy smile returned. "Seriously," she assured Sylla. "But you'll have to crack the top twenty-five to enjoy the next tier. Of course, there's nothing stopping you from taking two or three of the Rulers at once to amuse yourself. I highly recommend it."

Sylla raised a skeptical eyebrow. "What is a Ruler?"

"Oh! The men named themselves after orders of angels from mythology," Annie counted them off on her fingers as she listed them. "Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, Powers, and Rulers. Most even took the names of angels, like Samael. They refer to us as devils sometimes. Angels and devils," Annie giggled.

"I see," Sylla mused, wondering how quickly she could climb the ranks to get after the higher tiered 'angels.' "How do you keep track of all this?"

"We have a web site with all the rankings, competitions, Gatherings, and a message board. I actually took over maintaining the site when I joined. All of the competitions are recorded and can be viewed by any Member. Except for competitions between Members ranked in the top ten. Their matches can only be viewed by other top ten Members. If there is a dispute about who won a match, it's decided by a random group of three top ten Members. But that rarely happens."

Sylla looked Annie in the eye. "So, this room has a camera in it?"

Annie nodded in affirmation. "Don't worry, you'll get used to the idea of having an audience."

Sylla laughed. "Oh, some of my best performances have been in front of an audience."

Annie reached out and brushed aside a lock of Sylla's hair, trailing her finger down Sylla's neck. "Well, we'll have to see about that."

There was a quiet knock on the door and when Annie answered, "Come!" Anika entered with a decanter of red wine and two glasses. She poured a small amount into a glass and handed it to Annie, who tasted it and nodded. Anika filled Annie's glass and then poured another for Sylla, handing it to her without making eye contact. With another slight bow, Anika backed out of the room and slid the door shut.

"That's the first time I've ever gotten to okay the wine," Annie giggled. "I'm gonna like having someone ranked lower than me around."

Sylla took a sip of the wine. It was a deep, fruity red with a lingering aftertaste of oak. It was one of the best wines she had ever tasted.

"All of the employees of the club, including the angels, are required to know the rankings and preferences of every Member. They follow a very strict hierarchy when serving," Annie explained. "And servicing," she added with a giggle.

Another reason to rise through the ranks quickly, Sylla thought to herself. "Any other club policies I need to know about? Are you going to hit me with some kind of membership fee?"

"No, no, everything here is provided for free," Annie assured her.

"How does that work?"

Annie shrugged noncommittally. "The Club is well funded," she answered. "As for rules, there aren't many. And you'll pick them up as you go. The big one is that you can't have sex with anyone outside of approved circles. The lists are on the web site."

Sylla stiffened. "No one tells me who I do or do not have sex with," she informed Annie.

"Why would you want to have sex with some drunk guy at a bar when you have access to the most sexually talented men and women available?" Annie asked. When Sylla still looked unconvinced, she continued, "It's a small price to pay, really. You don't have to worry about STDs and you'll have better sex than you ever could have imagined."

"I suppose," Sylla grudgingly allowed.

"Everyone is reluctant when they first join, but no one has ever left The Club. And no one ever complains about the selection." Annie stretched seductively, her T-shirt tightening against her small, firm breasts. Her nipples were slightly distorted. They must be pierced, too, Sylla realized. Annie caught Sylla staring and bit her lower lip as she favored Sylla with a steamy look. "Let's get the rest of your questions out of the way, I'm eager to have my first victory," she teased.

She wants me so badly, Sylla mused, but she can't start until she's answered all of my questions. Whether it was another of the club's rules or just the way Annie had chosen to handle herself, Sylla intended to use it to her advantage. She rested a hand on Annie's thigh as she leaned forward, allowing Annie a beguiling glance at her own cleavage over the neckline of her black dress. She needed to get Annie's mind focused solely on sex so she could tease her with it even more effectively. "What's the best match you've seen recently?"

Annie grinned, her eyes widening in excitement. "That would be Tamika and Carla. I have got to tell you about Tamika. You're going to love this," Annie bubbled. She took a long drink of wine and began, "Tamika only joined five weeks ago. She's the most recent Member before you. But she's had more challenges in that time than any other three Members put together."

Sylla sipped her wine and relaxed into the couch. So, Tamika is the hot number right now, she thought. Defeating her will capture some me some attention.

"Tamika is this little, cute Japanese girl with huge titties," Annie giggled. "She looks like a perverted nerd's toy doll." Annie's face grew uncharacteristically serious. "But she's completely fucking insane. She won twelve matches in a row. She didn't even care who she was against. She challenged anyone available whether they were higher or lower ranked. And she's been at every Gathering. And every night that she isn't in a match or a Gathering, she's here looking for someone to fuck. She's scary," Annie shook her head in wonder.

"You've been with her?"

Annie blushed. "Just once, at a Gathering. I was going down on Raine, she's ranked 25th, and I was really into it, when Tamika came up behind me and started fucking my brains out with a huge strap-on. She was only ranked 27th at the time, so it was a little bit of a slap in the face to Raine to burst in uninvited. So Raine went after her," Annie shook her head as though she still couldn't believe it. "Let's just say it didn't work. Not only did Tamika handle Raine, but she kept fucking me the entire time she did it. I was barely conscious by the time she finished Raine off and wandered away," Annie admitted.

"Impressive," Sylla acknowledged.

"You have no idea," Annie assured her. "She broke Monique."

"Broke her?"

Annie nodded solemnly. "Monique is ranked 13th. One of the most beautiful women I've ever seen in my life. She had been making her way steadily through the ranks. Everyone knew she was destined for the top ten. But then she ran into Tamika."

"I was getting the impression that losing wasn't that big of a deal here. Can't she just keep challenging her way up?"

Annie didn't seem to hear the question. "Tamika is really into toys, as I learned first-hand at that Gathering. Not just big strap-ons, though. She's got a collection like I've never seen, and she always has something new. And she knows how to use them. Many other Members have learned the same way I did. In a challenge, the two Members can add any kinds of rules they want, so long as they both agree ahead of time. But, by default, it's just two women. No restraints. No toys. No third parties."

Sylla nodded in approval.

"Tamika posted to the message boards that she was looking for a challenge, as she always does immediately after winning one. She had made her way up to 16th by this point. Monique accepted, but for some reason she suggested that they allow toys. She even agreed to have the challenge at Tamika's home. 'Anything goes', she said. I don't know what she was thinking. Maybe she thought she could use it to her advantage. I don't know. But..."

Annie had sunk back into the couch with a troubled expression and sipped her wine silently. "What happened?" Sylla prompted, leaning forward with interest.

Her eyes still distant, Annie continued, "I've never seen anything like it. Tamika just...destroyed her. I mean, I've seen plenty of dominating performances, but nothing like this. I don't know how Monique took as much as she did. But eventually Tamika reached her limit. And then she just kept going. Monique was too far gone to even beg for her to stop. So Tamika didn't. She just abused Monique's body until she grew bored. And then she walked over to her laptop and posted that she was looking for another challenge. You can see her doing it on the video. She's sitting at her desk calmly typing a challenge while Monique is dangling from handcuffs behind her, whimpering like an animal." Annie shivered. "She hasn't been back since. No one knows if she will ever come back. Tamika may have retired someone from The Club for the first time."

"Carla accepted her challenge. She's ranked 9th," Annie continued, visibly composing herself. "It would have been the fastest anyone in The Club had ever made it to the top ten, but Carla stopped her. It was amazing. She just took it and took it and took it. I didn't think Tamika would ever slow down, but eventually she did. And then Carla turned it around and won. Tamika's defense isn't as good as her offense. It's not surprising, really. I'm sure no one had ever been able to withstand her before."

Sylla emptied her glass, thinking of her own performance against Samael. It hadn't been so different, really. She had never been put on the defensive like that. But eventually she wore him down and defeated him. Annie leaned over and refilled Sylla's glass, her body momentarily pressed up against Sylla's. "I'm getting impatient, Sylla," Annie whispered in her ear. "I've learned from some of the best in The Club and I'm ready to show it."

Sylla sipped her wine and leaned back away from Annie. "So eager to lose again?" she asked. "Why don't you tell me about your last challenge?" Sylla wanted to catch Annie off-guard. She should have attacked while Annie was distracted, telling her about Tamika. But Sylla had been too engrossed to interrupt. Now she had to wait for another opening.

"Why don't you ask me the question you really want to ask?" Annie challenged.

Sylla crossed her arms across her chest and glared at Annie. There was one question that had been nagging at her this whole time. And really, it was the only question that mattered, ultimately. She looked Annie in the eyes. "Fine. Who's the best?"

Annie's face lit up with a grin. "Her name is Donna. She's always been in first place. She started The Club. It's hers. No one has ever come close to defeating her, from what I've heard. Not even when several go up against her at once. There are rumors of various groups of Members forming an alliance to defeat her, but they've never succeeded."

"Have you ever been with her?" Sylla asked, leaning forward with unfeigned interest.

"Yes, she selected me and several others at a Gathering not long after I joined. She makes it a point to meet all new Members personally." Annie trembled at the memory. "It's like a dream when I try to think back on it. There's something unnatural about her."

Sylla gave Annie a skeptical look.

"I'm serious," Annie insisted. "She took us to her room here in the club and said, 'Welcome to The Club, Annie,' and then she kissed me and I came. I came just from the touch of her lips. And her scent," Annie took a deep breath. "When I recovered my senses, she and the rest had already started without me. Even the taste of her skin is unreal. And every time she touched me, I melted." Annie's eyes had gone glassy as she thought back on the experience.