Hope's Despair

The Den

Hope looked around the outside of the warehouse, it seemed innocuous enough, but the light beat of music from within gave away its purpose for the night. This was the den; she was going to the infamous den that everyone talked about but no one acknowledged. She didn't know what to expect, but she was cold enough in the November snow that she hoped she could escape inside the warehouse quickly. Her coat was warm enough during the day, but in the cold night air the chill permeated her bones. Her shirt was lacking in warmth altogether and she shivered against the thin jacket.

Everly grabbed Ben's arm and Hope followed closely behind the duo. Ben knew the way in and the phrase to enter, so Hope stuck close to him, letting him lead their way.

A fierce north-ender guarded the door to the downstairs and stared at the newcomers with suspicion. Ben stepped forward confidently, his hand grasping Everly’s as he met the gaze of the guard. The guard nodded in recognition but waited for Ben to speak.

Hope felt a tingling on the back of her neck from the cold but she brushed her hands up and down her arms for warmth, wishing, not for the first time, for a thicker coat.

"The duke will find a pig tonight if he goes to bed with his duchess," Ben said quietly and the guard nodded and let them pass.

Hope looked aghast as she heard the phrase for entry, how crass! The poor duchess was likely a very lovely lady and didn't deserve to be called a pig, for heaven's sake. Hope kept up her mental tirade and didn't hear the loud laughter from two men behind her as they, too, heard the phrase and used it to gain entry. She moved closer to Everly's side, glancing around the still empty warehouse as they walked inside.

It was dark and empty, no sign of a party except for the music pounding through the air.

"It's downstairs, Hope," Everly replied to Hope's silent question. The two men followed the party closely. Hope felt a stirring in her chest. She smelled the most delicious scent, something that she couldn’t quite identify. For a brief moment, she thought they might have food here, but she brushed the thought away as fast as it had come.

As she descended the stairs toward the den, the smell of hundreds of sweaty bodies dancing wildly to the music overpowered all other scents and she looked around at the wild mass of people.

Hope followed Everly toward the pounding music and gyrating bodies. There was barely room to stand, much less walk so Hope clung to Everly’s arm as they threaded in between humping couples and barely clad women. True to her word, Everly led Hope toward the back of the room. The warehouse was so crowded it took several minutes to walk a hundred steps but at long last they had made it to the other side of the room.

Everly pulled Hope to the side of the room against the back wall where there were drinks sitting out on a table. She grabbed two cups for them and handed one to Hope. Everly's eyes glanced around the room as she took a sip of her cup.

Hope looked at the red drink and sipped it cautiously, coughing on the strong liquid as it burned her throat. She was pleasantly surprised when her entire body started to warm from the drink. Her chest felt toasty and her limbs were regaining the feeling they had lost in the cold outside.

Hope felt a body sidle up behind her and she tensed. A deep voice teased, "Not happy to see me tonight?" She relaxed against the warmth of Freddie and smiled before turning around.

"Hi, Freddie," she smiled shyly. Her heart beat wildly as she looked into his dark eyes. His hair fell over his eyes in a perfect, disheveled way and his face reflected his arousal as he looked Hope up and down.

Freddie leaned close to Hope and reached around her for a drink. He let his body brush against her chest and watched as her cheeks blossomed with bright red. He leaned back and surveyed her outfit underneath her open coat.

"Everly must have dressed you," he laughed as he looked down appreciatively. He let his eyes gaze her midriff and settle on her chest. Her heart was pounding under his assessing eyes. He licked his lips and put his arm around her waist, watching her heart beat under her heaving chest.

Hope nodded and spoke loudly over the noise of the crowd, "It's not really my style."

"Well, I for one, think it suits you perfectly," he said into her ear before he leaned back and smiled salaciously. He reached around her with his other arm and pulled her closer to him.

She blushed a deeper red as he pulled her tight against him, her breasts pushed against his chest, her hands flat against his pecs.

"Stay with me tonight," he whispered in her ear.

"I don't know, Freddie, I'm not sure I'm ready for that," Hope whispered back honestly, the momentary magic lost.

"You'll be ready," he said confidently as he leaned down and caught her lips in his, sucking her bottom lip in his mouth and running his tongue along the edge, pushing it down as he teased her. He pressed his lips closer, pressing against her with an urgency that spoke to how much he had drank and how much he wanted her. He kept running his tongue along the edge of her lip, willing her to open her mouth when she finally relented and did. He had caught her off guard and she gasped in surprise, opening her mouth just wide enough for him to slip his tongue inside. He touched her tongue lightly, moving his lips against hers as he reached around her and pulled her closer. She pushed against his chest and leaned back breaking the kiss.

His eyes were dark, his voice rough, "Let's go to the back room."

Hope looked around, she didn't know what the back room was but this was the second time tonight that someone had mentioned it, "What back room?"

"It's over there," he nodded toward a separate part of the warehouse, a door leading away from the main area. A large man was guarding the door, pushing most people back and letting a few through.

"What's through there?" Hope asked curiously, her interest piqued.

"I can take you there and show you," Freddie said soothingly as he leaned down to kiss her neck. He nuzzled her neck with his nose as he licked and sucked his way down her shoulder and back up to her ear.

He wanted her, finally. She had wanted him for years, but she didn't want to have s*x in the back of a warehouse with a thousand north-enders raving in the background. Especially not for her first time.

"Not here, Freddie," Hope said in reply. She wanted to have fun, and losing her virginity in a dirty warehouse didn't seem like fun. She pushed her head away from his wandering lips and put her arms around his waist to hug him tight. She loved the closeness of being in his arms and she sighed in contentment.

"You're such a prune, Hope, God, you're never going to be ready," Freddie said with disappointment as he stepped back from her. She stared up at him in surprise, unsure what set him off. She wanted him, yes, but not here, not in a dirty warehouse.

She watched in surprise as he pulled away from her and stepped away.

"We can still dance," she pleaded as she reached out for his arm, but he pulled his arm back violently and looked at her in disgust.

"I'll find someone else to dance with, someone who puts out at the end of the night," Freddie said venomously and he turned away, storming through the crowd. Hope looked after him in shock. She couldn't believe he would leave her like that. Her face flushed with embarrassment as she saw him find a pretty brunette and walk with her through the doors toward the back room. Her heart hurt when she saw the girl giggle and Freddie reached around to squeeze her ass.

Hope glanced around, looking for Everly and spotting her by the drink stand still. She walked up to Everly, who had been talking with Ben.

"Where's Freddie, lovely?" Everly asked Hope.

"I don't know, he stormed off that way," she gestured behind her in the general direction he had gone.

"s**t, he's probably already drunk," Ben said. He leaned down to kiss Everly gently before he whispered, "I'll be back, I just need to check on him." Everly nodded and watched as Ben went in the direction Hope had pointed. Ben glanced around and seeing that Freddie was in the back room, he followed him through, nodding to the guard as he went.

"He wanted me to go with him to the back room," Hope said to Everly. "What does that even mean? Why won’t you tell me about it?"

"The backroom is basically a big orgy. It's a lot of fun if that's your thing, but it's definitely not your thing," Everly shook her head. "I don't know what he was thinking. He’s been talking about you all week."

"Why do they guard the door, then?" Hope asked as she gestured toward the door.

"Well, in order to get in the back room, you have to be invited. It's like a club, of sorts. The Marcherelli’s run it, it's like its own brotherhood, really. Once you're in, you're family. If you're part of the family, they take care of you, you get all your fantasies brought to life, and in return, you fulfill the fantasies of other members. I've heard there's some real weird s**t that goes on back there." Everly explained then she took another drink.

Hope shuddered, she wasn’t ready for regular s*x, much less an orgy of naked people jumping each other all night.

“Have you been back there?” Hope asked, glancing nervously at Everly as she considered her friend.

“No, not yet. Ben and Freddie just started working for the Marcherelli’s, so he hasn’t had a chance to take me back yet. We were thinking about it tonight, it’s supposed to be mind blowing, but I didn’t want to leave you out here all alone,” Everly said as she smiled at Hope and sipped her drink, the liquid making her braver as the night wore on.

Hope smiled back, “Thanks. Maybe you can go next time?” Her voice was unsure as she glanced toward the door. She couldn’t see anything beyond the door but she could feel the energy of the room and it was pulsing with desire.

“Don’t worry about it, Hope. I’m not sure I’m ready to be honest, this lets me get used to the idea a little longer. I just had s*x for the first time last week with Ben, an orgy seems a big jump.” Everly laughed as she grabbed Hope’s arm and steered her away from the doors to the back room and toward the drinks, hoping to score another one.

"Come on, Ev, let's dance. Coming to the den is enough, learning about some s*x club is too much for one night," Hope said as she chugged her drink and pulled Everly on the dance floor. The loud beat of the music was pulsing through the air and the girls were dancing without any thought to the mundane life they had left at the doors of the warehouse.

Across the room, a man with dark hair and dark eyes was watching Hope and Everly closely as they danced across the back of the warehouse. He wore a dark jacket pulled tight covering his chest and neck. He normally didn’t come to the main floor during the den, he stayed above watching the occupants and choosing the ones he wanted to join him. Tonight he had felt a pull, a draw to the main floor so he had followed his instincts and ventured out toward the crowd. It was there he had caught sight of the two girls. They were breathtaking, both in their own distinct way. They each had a beauty that was rarely seen among north-enders. He watched as two of his new recruits spoke with the girls. Then, he watched as the men left the girls behind, finding other pursuits in the back room. The man quickly beckoned two of his guards over and spoke quietly to them.

“Keep our new boys, Ben and Freddie, occupied for the night. Find some women for them. Make sure those two girls see them through the doors to the back room. Don’t let them in,” he nodded his head toward Hope and Everly and watched as his guards nodded in assent. They would do his tasks and they would finish them quickly.

The man moved toward the back room and looked around. There were couches and chaises set up throughout the room. Most of the room’s inhabitants were naked, their orifices occupied with other members. He found Ben pounding into a pretty brunette and watched as Freddie joined, pulling his d**k out to press against the same girl’s mouth.

Perfect, he thought. He watched as the two guards ushered the two women toward the door to the back room. The blond tensed as she approached the door but the brunette’s face reddened in anger as she glanced inside and saw Ben f*****g another woman. The brunette turned to the blond and pointed to the men inside, speaking vehemently. The blond glanced with wide eyes into the room and saw the same scene the brunette had watched a moment earlier. Her face was stunned and the brunette had to pull her away from the visual. It was apparent she had not been around so much s*x in one sitting before.

The man chuckled darkly as he watched the scene unfold. One of his guards glanced at him and he nodded briefly, glancing at the two girls in satisfaction. The guard nodded and resumed his duties, leaving the women behind as he took up a station inside the back room.

Below, Hope and Everly stood in shock as they watched the people in the back room f*****g with wild abandon. It was something Hope had never even imagined. She stepped back and saw Everly’s face wild with fury. Everly watched as Ben thrust over and over into the brunette, getting wilder the longer he went. Hope grabbed Everly’s arm.

“Come on, Ev, let’s get away from here. He’s no good if he’d abandon you for one naked hussy,” Hope said as she pulled Everly away from the door by the arm.

Everly fumed as they walked away. Hope grabbed two drinks from the back table and handed one to Everly. They both quickly downed the burning liquid like a shot and went to the dance floor to yet again dance away their worries.

“Time to make him regret what he missed out on,” Everly muttered as she threw herself into the dance, not caring what people around her thought.

“There’s the spirit,” Hope encouraged and they started dancing, letting the music flow over their bodies and the liquor warm their spirits.

Finn and Levi stood at the very back of the warehouse, surveying what was going on. There was a guarded door to their left, an exit behind the DJ toward the front, and a table of drinks set up on the right-hand side. In the middle were hundreds of people bouncing to the beat of the music playing.

"They must choose locations still on the grid," Finn said softly to Levi. Levi looked around and nodded his head.

"Good point, that may help us narrow down the choices for next time," Levi gestured toward the table with drinks, "Let's find out how the other side drinks."

Finn laughed and nodded in agreement as they made their way toward the far right table, laden with drinks. As he walked past the dancing crowd, he saw a girl with blond hair that fell to her waist, shaking to the music seductively. She was mesmerizing. He stopped and watched her. Her hips moved to the beat, her chest bouncing just right under her cropped shirt. He could see the underside of her breast as she moved. He adjusted his pants as he looked toward Levi who was grabbing two drinks from the table and walking back toward Finn quickly, weaving in and out of the crowd until he handed Finn the cup.

“Look at her,” Finn said as he gestured toward the blond.

“She’s mesmerizing,” Levi agreed.

Finn growled automatically then looked at Levi in surprise, “Sorry, chap, I don’t know what came over me.”

Levi laughed and clapped him on the back and mocked, “No trouble, Your Highness. I’ll leave the blond to you. Her friend is equally as enchanting from here.”

Finn laughed and nodded. He walked into the crowd and made his way toward the blond beauty. He quickly downed the liquid in the cup and curled his face in disgust as the strong, poignant liquor burned his throat and spread through his chest. He shuddered and glanced in distaste at Levi.

“I think I prefer the way our side drinks,” he tossed the cup toward the far side, where he saw other cups piling up and walked up behind the blond. He started dancing with her, putting his hands on her hips and moving along with her to the music.

"Mind if I join you?" Finn asked as he put his mouth next to her ear so she could hear him over the music.

She turned her head to look at him in surprise, her eyes wide. When she caught his gaze her face flushed, a blush rising on her cheeks. He smiled at the sight; it was mesmerizing. She nodded and continued to dance, letting Finn pull her close.

In front of her, a brunette was dancing. The brunette held a laugh in but gave Hope a discreet thumbs-up. The man chuckled when he saw it, but continued to dance, breathing in her intoxicating scent. He had never smelled anything like it. She was a mix of vanilla and spice, an exotic combination. He couldn't seem to get enough of it and he leaned close against her neck and took a deep breath, leaving a feathery kiss on her skin as he closed his eyes. It was the same scent he had caught on his way in the den earlier. He couldn’t place it then, but he knew now it was this woman. She shuddered against him and put her hands over his, intertwining their fingers as she leaned back into him. She closed her eyes and moved to the music.

The song changed as the DJ announced a break and put on a slow beat. Hope opened her eyes and turned in the stranger's arms, looking up at his face as she smiled.

"You smell nice," she said softly, then blushed furiously when she realized the words had left her mouth.

He grinned widely, "I could say the same of you."

"You think I smell nice?" she asked in surprise. Finn nodded and leaned closer, closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath as he let a smile grace his face.

"I'm Finn," he said in greeting as he opened his eyes and smiled at her.

"Hope," she smiled back at him.

"I'm glad you came tonight, Hope," he said with a grin.

"Me too, now," she said with a small smile.

"Where are you from?" he asked curiously.

She looked at him oddly, "I'm a north-ender, like most of the people here. Aren't you?"

He realized his mistake and tried to cover quickly, "Yeah, I am, I was just wondering what part of the north side you're from." He smiled and watched her cheeks blush again. He knew she wouldn't remember his mistake when he smiled like that at her.

She smiled back at him, "Oh, sorry, I'm from Beech Street, by the river?"

He nodded as if he knew where that was. "Did you notice the snow coming in?"

She nodded, "If it wasn't so cold, it would be my favorite time of year." She smiled at him, her face illuminating under the attention.

"Do you come to the den often?" he asked, then kicked himself for the idiotic question.

"No, this is my first time here," she smiled prettily. "What about you? Are you here often?"

"No, this is my first time, too," he smiled back at her, and she laughed. Her laughter was infectious, and he chuckled along with her.

"Could I take you out sometime?" he found himself saying boldly. He wasn't sure how he would make it work, but he hoped he'd be able to figure something out. He wasn't about to let her go at the end of the night.

She nodded shyly.

He could get lost in those eyes, the chocolate rings peering into the depths of his soul.

Suddenly a loud alarm started ringing throughout the warehouse. Finn looked up in surprise, he didn't know what it meant, but it didn't seem to be the type of alarm that was part of the event. He looked down suddenly and watched as the brunette grabbed Hope's arm and jerked her hastily toward the exit.

"We have to get out of here, Hope!" she said frantically. "The police are coming!"