The Palace of Pleasure

"What is this?" He asked but there was no answer aside from the door before him opening with a click. Sticking the change in his pocket, he was surprised by how heavy it was, Jack opened the door and stepped inside.

There was a long, dim hallway with doors all on the left hand side, trailing off to darkness. He took a few steps forward, checking the first door. There was a little sliding panel near eye level and he opened it, not having any idea what was going to be on the other side. He saw what looked like a narrow stage with someone dancing on it. Instantly he thought this was a strip club but noticed there was no pole and the person inside was clothed, even if it wasn't in much.

Shutting the panel, he moved to the next one and checked that. Sure enough, there was another figure in there dancing. Closing that, he went to the next one, not thinking about much of anything aside from the background chant of 'What now?' that had almost become white noise for how constant it was.

This time when he slid the peep slide open, Jack paused before even looking inside, hearing music. It had a darker sound to it, not like the pop that Jensen usually listened to but the other sort, that stuff that his Mom would break out every so often when she was having a bad day. But this wasn't depressing.

No, it was enticing and Jack couldn't figure out why. And it sounded familiar. Reaching for the handle, a first for this place, he found it wouldn't move under his hand. Stepping back, feeling annoyed, he saw a chrome coin slot beside the door. Reaching in his pocket, he came up with a pitted half dollar and fed it to the wall. It went in with a satisfying clunk and then with another sound that was pleasing to his ears, the door unlocked.

Jack opened it and went inside, finally seeing the person within. There was a stool before a counter, a sheet of glass and then a stage with someone dancing. She was wearing a decorated bra, a mini skirt with stockings and nothing else aside from an abundance of bracelets. Taking a seat, Jack nearly missed her wink, too busy trying to place the song that was playing.

A clap caught his attention, the slim and fit woman giving two more quick ones before striking a stance. She might not have had much in the way of a bust but there was enough she wore it well, at least in Jack's opinion. The music picked up, the beat driving onward as she flung her arms out to the sides and swayed for a moment before taking a step forward, her hips lulling as the skirt barely kept her decent. Turning to the side, she then hopped in time with the song Jack still couldn't place, one leg curling, back arched, her butt sticking out and the skirt was failing to cover it as she was coming down. He saw a flash of dark red and then she was airborne again, the straight leg bending as the other extended back. With one foot on the ground she spun, facing him again.

As Jack was growing more certain he'd heard this song before, from where he couldn't say, the woman in there kicked it up a notch. Swaying with the slow but steady beat, the skirt hem was whipping up as she raised slim arms above her head, entwining them with each other. Her legs followed suit and all the sudden she was showing off her figure while looking down at him, Jack finding her eyes were dark, not any one color but just... Dark and enticing, like the music.

Before he could think more about that the dancer slowly unfurled her arms, hands with fingers splayed out going down to her skirt before touching her legs, running those reaching fingers up the stockings until she touched bare skin. They brushed the skirt, pulling it up slightly and Jack saw her panties once more before she drew his attention back upward, fingers running up slim figure before she grabbed her own breasts, taking great relish in doing so. The song pounded anew, louder in his ears, in his head.

A step, another, and then she was right at the glass, looking down at him before her hands fell away from the chest and touched what separated them.

This close, Jack saw she was panting from her dance, red blooming in her cheeks and shining brown hair sticking to her face. He had the thought of looking up her skirt but didn't act on it, having something else in mind.

"What is the name of this song?" Jack asked, never thinking that she couldn't hear him. She gave a wan smile before shaking her head. Instead she pointed to the right then mimed feeding a coin to a machine. He nodded, understanding what she was saying but not why. There was no reason here but he still rose and thanked her before leaving, ending up in the hallway. Jack didn't notice the woman behind the glass looking at him the whole time, not in naked contempt or lust but as if studying for a scientific purpose.

Going to the next door, he opened the sliding door and the music was louder here, not the same song but still so familiar. Without thinking he plunged a hand into his pocket for a coin, the half dollar still making the solid sound of unlocking the door, even as damaged as it was.

Jack opened the door and stepped inside, sitting on the stool and listening to the music before motion got his attention. There was another woman on the stage with a shadowy backdrop, hands on hips as she looked down with a smirk. She was curvier and dressed much in the say way as the previous dancer, catching his eye but he was tapping his fingers in time with the music. The song had vocals but he couldn't quite make them out, the dark aura it had sexy more than anything. Jack was sure his Mom hadn't listened to this with him around but it wasn't impossible.

The lady in there, with black hair that was held back with a headband, rapped on the glass a few times, fighting to get Jack's full attention. With exaggerated, sweeping steps, she moved back towards the center of the stage and waggled her fingers at him once there. Holding her first two fingers together, she thrust her hand upward to the ceiling and the song played louder, the vocals being provided by both a man and a woman singing together. And the feeling of having heard this before hardened into a stone cold fact but unless it was in the kitchen at work, Jack had no idea when he might have heard such a thing.

Standing without being aware of doing so, Jack was too entranced by the music to pay any attention to the woman, who wasn't dancing but instead watching the person who had entered her room. In addition to tapping his fingers Jack was swaying ever so slightly to the music, hips moving side to side as he closed his eyes to better hear the song.

Walking to the back of the stage, the woman moved a curtain out of the way and pushed a button inlaid on the wall before walking back to the glass barrier. She watched with amusement and kindness as there was a knock at the door, scaring Jack to the point he jumped. The lights on the stage dimmed, along with the music as he left the booth, seeing someone in the hallway.

It was a she, at least judging by the shape, and very tall. The figure was in a full body dress with no skin showing but plenty was being displayed all the same. A thicket of dark hair spilled down to at least her lower back, curling like rose thorns the whole way down. A mask covered her face, having no obvious way for her to see and had simplistic, very feminine eyelashes about the drawn on almond shaped eyes. "I take it you are enjoying The Palace of Passion?" Her voice was low and calm, not what he expected to hear in such a place so late at night.

"Is that what this place is called?" Jack asked, not sure why any of this was happening but the beat from the song was stuck in his head, refusing any attempt at identification.

"Well, call if whatever you want as long as you include The Palace in there." She said while walking towards the entrance, Jack falling in along side her. "I take it you've enjoyed your time here?"

"Yes but what is this place? What music do you play here?!" Jack asked, too forcefully but the melody was maddening him.

"How about this: Come back another night and enjoy a few more dances. Then I might tell you." She said, opening the door to the tiny room he had received the coins in. Jack noticed she was wearing old fashion white lace trimmed gloves, holding the door open for him. "I await your return, just be sure to have your ticket." Jack went through the outside door and ended up on the landing with the tinted teller booth, once more feeling like he was being watched.

The door closed and then Jack was left alone with a fitful light and whoever was working in the booth. Checking his pockets, he felt the messed up coins and the ticket, along with his still silent phone and keys. Walking down the stairs carefully he stepped back out into the night, looking both ways and seeing not another soul out.

Heading to his car, Jack didn't think about Jensen or his Mom or even Tiff but the music that had been playing. The strangeness of The Palace of Passion wasn't occurring to him yet, the songs that evaded his reach of recall too powerful. He drove home, unlocked the apartment door and stripped down to bare skin before crawling into bed, only now feeling the need to sleep when late night meets the earliest of morning.

Tiff beat Jack awake, not a very common occurrence. And him sleeping in the nude wasn't all that usual either but she gave a small smile at seeing his body stretched out under only a sheet. Had she thought that he only sometimes was pretty? Well, if so then now was one of those times. His brow wasn't heavy with worry, those lips were parted slightly as he slept and they begged for her to kiss them.

Leaning over him, Tiff did just that and felt soft resistance there, sending a shiver down her spine. Jack stirred but didn't wake and she got out of bed, feeling very good about today. It took Jack another hour to rise, his mind going over what needed to be done that day and finding it empty aside from cooking supper. The question of why he was naked occurred but was forgotten as it really didn't matter. Picking up his pajamas off the floor, he saw something flutter to the floor and picked up a bent business card.

Just touching it was enough. Jack remembered driving to the abandoned street, opening the door and expected something to scare him off, the thing he was holding being taken by someone and then stamped, being called a ticket. And then the music. Jack recalled that before the women who had danced for him, the rhythm just beyond his grasp and his fists clenched at having forgotten the alluring songs.

Picking up the ticket, Jack found his wallet and tucked it away in there before dressing for the day. Finding his phone he fired off a text to Jensen then went to the kitchen and checked the fridge, finding there was eggs that needed to be used. Within short order he had two plates of scrambled eggs with toast, taking one to Tiff who was chatting with her newspaper pals. That ended pretty fast when Jack handed her a plate, replaced with her eating and regarding him with open curiosity and interest.

"What?" He asked and Tiff set her plate aside on her desk, giving Jack her full attention.

"You look different today." She said, studying Jack in the way he didn't like. Jensen was always the center of attention, not him.

"Good or bad?" He asked before finished off his toast and Tiff took the plate from him while answering.

"Good!" Jack blushed, something that wasn't common and that only made all of this worse. "You look happier? Relieved? Something like that but it's good." Jack looked away, thinking briefly of The Palace, so far away it might as well be a dream and then moved his thoughts away from it.

"Probably moving Jensen yesterday. He's got a boring, straight A dorm mate so hopefully that will keep him out of trouble." A quick check of his phone and Jack saw Jensen's reply to his question, saying his bunk buddy was cool and they were already talking about majors and upcoming classes. Jack sighed and Tiff saw the slight storm front of stress that had appeared due to even saying his brother's name go just as quickly as it came. Jack knew that Jensen tended to dive deep into anything that caught his interest and talking about the future was a damn good thing to go nuts over. Far better than the time Jack walked into Jensen saying he was sure nitroglycerin wasn't that hard to make, right? Just nitro and glycerin, nothing complicated.

"So! What do you have planned for today?" Tiff asked and Jack shrugged, getting a smile from her as Tiff brushed hair out of her face in such a way he always admired. Such a small thing but Jack silently adored her for those basic little female gestures and motions she did.

"Well, see, I have an interview today and was hoping you'd give me a ride. Ya know, be my partner in crime while I'm uncovering corruption!" Tiff said excitedly, showing a passion for her job that Jack had never managed to match. To him, cooking was a set of steps to follow until the desired outcome was reached. In his case, that outcome was usually a burger and or, if he was lucky, a steak.

"Sure." He said, giving Tiff a grin that made her heart flutter, the light coming through the blinds hitting the curtain of unbrushed hair and making it look like a blanket spun from gold. Tilting his head slightly sideways, Jack's lips spread into a smile, doing nothing to reduce their shape or her urge to kiss him. "I just hope you have a gun in case we get in trouble cause all I've got is a wrench."

"Well, I was planning on using harsh language so a wrench is a step up!" Tiff said, feeling like she was a giddy girl seeing Jack laugh for the first time, wondering why he was good looking only then.

"Long as we're not going after the big bad guys, a wrench might be enough." Brushing shining gold away from his face, Jack's grin didn't fade as he glanced away, as if ashamed of his attempt at wit. "When do we need to be ready?"

"We've got time." Tiff said softly, standing and holding a hand out for Jack.

"How much?" He asked, taking her help to get to his feet, the sun not reaching his head and now he was lacking the glowing golden locks but that didn't matter to Tiff right then. She kissed him, surprising Jack but he rolled with it.

"Enough." She said, leading him to the bedroom and she pulled his shirt up before he returned the favor. Jack thought of the first dancer he'd seen, how lean and yet curvy she had been. There was no lust, no distraction away from Tiff however, just that her near nudity happened to remind him of being at The Palace. But with Tiff in his arms, all of Jack's attention directed towards her, feeling lips against his and the press of bra clad breasts on his chest. She undid his jeans and then they hit the floor, showing off how eager he was for Tiff along with his untrimmed pubic hair. That part wasn't very appealing but it was going to stop her, not today.

At once, Tiff knew something was different about her boyfriend today. Jack wasn't hurrying along in the slightly desperate way he usually went about their sexy times as if unable to contain himself. This was more like when they'd first started dating, back when both of them were virgins, Jack far less sure of himself within the realm of sex.

She pushed him on the bed and undid her jeans and bra before pulling them both off. Tiff had always wished she had bigger boobs if only to be more like those troublesome reporters in novels and movies, who used their looks to get the scoop. 36B was good, she liked how they looked and Jack had never complained so it wasn't that big of a deal, more of an idle want.

The way he was looking up at her was making Tiff feel eager and powerful. Jack was softer, more pliable, the shadow of worry that had haunted his face now gone, at least for the moment. And she intended to use it.

Jack watched Tiff slip her panties down before crawling over his prone body, seemingly ignoring his erection. He wanted her but the songs from the Palace was returning in his head, he could almost hear it again and that split Jack's desires.

Tiff paused over him, seeing this new side of Jack and unable keep from kissing those, dare she even think such a trite but true thing? Yes, Tiff did just that and kissed Jack's luscious lips. Then down his thin neck, to the collar bone and she surprised even herself by planting another kiss on a nipple, his moan making it clear he was shocked by this as well. Jack stirred under Tiff, as if she was giving him head instead of playing around with his chest and that only urged her on.

He wasn't why this was happening but it felt good despite awakening him to a sort of tight feeling where she was at, as if Jack's skin was being stretched taut but there wasn't any pain. Tiff pinched the other nipple and he moaned louder, body moving under it's own volition and Jack wasn't able to see her naked hunger. His eyes weren't reliable right now, closing as if to drink in this feeling better while the songs from The Palace hummed under his thoughts, just out of reach.

Hearing Jack moan like that, Tiff had the impulse to ask if he was alright but the sound was more 'Do it again' than 'I'm dying.' So Tiff gave another pinch, this one slower and harder, the sort she liked when playing with her vibrator alone, and he shuddered, lips opening in silent bliss and she saw Jack's reaction. And she knew it for what it was.

Without warning, Tiff lowered her face to one of the pinkish spots on his chest and gave it a deep, searching kiss, the sort Jack rarely gave her. Tiff heard his heavy breathing and felt him moving under her but that couldn't distract from the silky expanse her tongue was teasing. She'd seen enough porn and racy pictures to wonder what it might be like to actually have a boob in her face and this was close enough that Tiff acted on all those secret urges as Jack only moaned more urgently.

Jack was lost. Lost in how good what Tiff was doing felt, lost in how close that dark music was to breaching from his unconscious to waking mind. He wanted to hear that mystery music so badly, to know where it came from and it being so close was maddening.

Tiff couldn't contain herself anymore. Jack had never been like this before, so passive and touchable and she wasn't sure what was possible with this chance. Rolling off of Jack, who was panting and laying there with his eyes closed, she yanked open a drawer on the bedside table and pulled out a condom. Ripping it open, she dived back on the bed, rolling over and reaching for Jack's erection. Her hand nearly covered it, Jack not all that big but like with her boobs, neither of them said anything about it so they just carried on.

Jack laid there, feeling her roll the condom on and being so close to being able to sing one of those songs. He felt on the edge of sanity, the second song right on the tip of his tongue as Tiff put a knee on either side of him and then her heat was engulfing Jack.

They moaned as one, together, her atop him and that was another first. Jack clawed at the bed, unable to speak and there was the tragedy, finally one of the tunes was running free in his head in all it's dark complexity. Yet his voice refused to function even as he wanted to share it with Tiff, to scream it to the world and see if anyone else knew it but Jack was rising, his whole body filled with a heat that didn't burn and he was going higher and higher, tapping the beat on the protesting mattress with numb fingers all the while.

There was nothing but joy on Jack's unburdened face as he let loose, the feeling of pleasure rolling over and through him, Jack was for a limited amount of time just a conduit for both orgasm and song. By the time Jack's thoughts made an attempt to return, he was just laying there while a finger was tapping away the beat still.

Tiff was still on top of him, deep brown hair spilling down in crazy spirals as she felt Jack start to go soft with her. She was slowly coming down from her own high but seeing the boyfriend who kept surprising her have something approaching meekness on his face wasn't helping in calming Tiff. While he was done for now, she was still raring to go at seeing this side of him.