Dark Intentions - Charlotte Byrd Page 0,9

college, you know, swapping partners. When we met up for lunch, I just sort of asked her about it again and she told me. She was very frank."

“What about their friends from the barbecue?"

"I saw them again at Redemption,” she said, her eyes twinkling. “Then I slept with the husband. Actually, both husbands."

"What about Dean and Melanie?"

"Um, I was a little bit apprehensive about that, given our friendship, so I told her straight up that I just wanted to feel the room out when I got there, but not to get their feelings hurt if I didn’t want to hook up. It is my first time and all and I've never even kissed a girl."

The following morning, I called Allison again who was very hungover and sorry about oversharing. I guess, in the light of day with a sober mind, she was no longer that sure that it was such a good idea to tell a friend of hers about her private life.

When I brought it up again, she brushed me off and I figured the conversation was over.

Still, I was interested.

I was in between relationships, dating, meeting people, not really looking for anyone in particular, but still looking to meet someone. I went on these dates, I was bored by most in the first ten minutes, but there was no escaping.

I mean, I did manage to leave early a few times when the conversation became very unbearable. Sometimes, I would just go home and wonder about the stupidity of it all, because what I was really doing was going out there wanting to hook-up with someone, but I was pretending that it was something else.

I was pretending that this guy was going to be someone significant or someone whose name I would even remember. Neither of those things turned out to be true.

Still, I didn't dare ask her about the club again until she came over for the third time to try to get me out of my depression after Michael was killed.

"Come on," she said. "Come with me. We'll go to Lemons, meet some guys, have some drinks, have some laughs."

I finally caved. The guys were nice enough, mildly interesting, but my head wasn't in it, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that I wanted to get laid.

"Tell me about Redemption again," I asked, as we sat in the back of the bar right before last call.

Her eyes lit up. She wasn’t inebriated but not sober either, and I figured this might be a good time to inquire.

"What if I wanted to go?” I asked. "How would I do that?"

"Well, I can reach out to Dean and Melanie, or you can come with me."

“Okay, don't take this the wrong way," I said, "but what if I just want to go by myself? You know, I want it to feel like a regular bar, picking up someone, having a good time, then leaving.”

She nodded her head. "Yeah, I get it."

"So what would I do? How would it happen?" I asked.

"Well, after I make the introduction, I suggest that you go tell them that you'd like to go as a single woman. They'll send you this application, you fill it out, make the video, and wait for a gold envelope to arrive."

"A gold envelope?"

"Yeah, it's all gold. Nothing on the front and somebody is going to hand deliver it, just to you."

"Like a courier?" I asked.

She nodded. "You'll have the date and time of the next party or event, and I guess you just go there."

"So this is just parties, or is it like a club or a bar that’s open whenever?"

"When they bring in new people, they have special parties just for that. But after, if everything goes well and you'd like to come back and they want you there, then you tell them. They'll tell you the hours that they're open.”

"Okay.” I nodded. "That sounds good."

Suddenly my hands got clammy and my heart started to beat out of my chest. This is the first sign of life that I've experienced in two months and I want the feeling to stay with me.

"Can I ask you something?" Allison reached over and put her hand on mine. Her hands were cold, and I jerked away because they reminded me of the way that she’d held my hand at Michael's funeral. "I think you're only doing this because he's gone."

I nodded. "So what?"

"Well, I just wonder if maybe you should see a therapist, or go to meditation, or do