Asylum

Chapter 6-1

Chapter 6

July 2018

Over the past several weeks I had been bouncing around from acquaintance to acquaintance, finding couches to sleep on, and park benches in a pinch. As it was summertime, it wasn’t too bad. Occasionally, I would pop over to Mike’s apartment and he’d let me stay on his couch. But the last time I’d stopped by, he’d been entertaining someone, so I didn’t think I’d be coming by late at night anymore. I didn’t want to see that look of guilty regret on his face again.

I had been plagued by the memories of my coitus interruptus with Devon. It had started out so great. I ached to try another scene to play out that fantasy. However, until today I hadn’t worked up the courage to ask Mike to help me get back into the club. It was still early, so as I knocked on his apartment door, I crossed my fingers that he was alone.

He was fully clothed as he opened the door. That was promising.

“Hey, pup! Come on in.” He turned and walked back over to his couch where he was putting on his shoes. “What’s up?”

“You going somewhere?”

“Work.”

“That’s cool.” I inwardly cringed at my inability to make good conversation. “Umm…I was wondering if I could ask you for another favor?”

“Depends. What is it?” He looked entertained at my discomfort.

“I was thinking of maybe checking out the club again, clean this time…if you wouldn’t mind helping me get in again.”

“Hey, it only took you three weeks to ask!” He laughed.

“It’s only been two,” I defended myself.

“Oh, my bad.” He failed at eliminating the smile from his face.

“Please?” I batted my eyelashes, making him laugh again.

“Tell you what, pup. If you help me in the booth for a couple hours, then you can have the run of the club for the rest of the night.”

“Sure! Err…what’s ‘the booth’?”

“It’s where I run the lighting, music, and sometimes videos and projections for the club. Sometimes, especially during stage shows, it feels like I need twelve hands, and tonight we have several stage events planned.”

“Yeah, definitely. Whatever you need, man.”

* * * *

“This one?” I pointed to a black button-type thing that looked like it could slide up or down.

“Yup. After the MC is done introducing the players, slide it all the way up,” Mike said from his position behind a big spotlight that looked like a cannon.

My hand shook a little with what I assumed was some sort of behind-the-stage stage fright. Mike turned on the spotlight, illuminating a tall blond man in a red leather harness, and followed him as he strutted back and forth across the stage, charismatically working the crowd up into a frenzy and then introducing the two men that would be showing us the wonders of the tawse. Once he finished his introductions, I pushed the slider up and watched as the lights shifted to highlight the gorgeous couple onstage.

Mike was suddenly beside me once again, raising briefly and then lowering the introductory music. Then he turned up the stage mics so that the audience could better hear the interplay between the Dom and his sub.

“I had no idea so much went on behind the scenes,” I said when he seemed to come to a pause in the action.

“Most people don’t, as long as I do my job right.” He winked and lowered another lever that dimmed the lights offstage even further.

From our view above the sea of men, I looked around at the crowded floor below. With the lights down so low, it was hard to see the faces in the audience. Not that I was looking for Devon, but if he was there, I couldn’t see him. I had already told myself to move on and find someone new and fresh to play with tonight. I wasn’t necessarily holding a grudge. Much. But, I definitely didn’t want to run across his ghost again. I considered myself lucky that he hadn’t followed me out of the club to relentlessly pester me until I helped him. Ghosts had been known to do that to me in the past, so I didn’t want to tempt fate again. Of course, Vern was as ubiquitous as ever, but I continued to ignore him. Thankfully, he hadn’t followed me inside the club tonight.

After several hours of helping Mike, he told me to take a hike and enjoy the rest of the night. I may have left a vacuum in my wake as I ran out the door. Hopefully Mike wouldn’t hold it against me.