Chapter 1: For the Hell of It
Sarah should have been asleep. It was after 2 a.m., and the city beyond her window had finally gone quiet—a rare treat. But she lay sprawled in her cramped flat, illuminated only by the glow of her laptop screen and the twinkle of fairy lights pinned haphazardly above her bed. She scrolled through job listings like she was playing a slot machine, hoping for something that would break the monotony. She wasn’t desperate, just bored—bored with the city, bored with her job, bored with all the predictable swipes on dating apps. If she saw one more ad for teeth whitening or “work from home, six-figure income guaranteed,” she’d scream.
That’s when it appeared.
EXOTIC ESCORTS NEEDED: THE GALACTIC BROTHEL
Tired of Earth?
Hungry for new experiences?
No experience required—just an open mind.
All expenses paid. All species welcome.
Sarah snorted into her tea. “All species? That’s a new one. Watch out, tentacle porn, I’m coming for you.”
She clicked, half expecting her antivirus software to start wailing.
But the page was slick, strangely legit. Clean design, an animated logo of a spinning galaxy, and a form that asked only for the basics: name, age, photo, and a few “get to know you” questions.
Describe yourself in three words.
Sarah typed: Curious, shameless, flexible.
Why do you want to join The Galactic Brothel?
She hesitated, then grinned, typing: Because I’ve run out of ways to shock myself on Earth. If you’ve got something that’ll make me blush, sign me up.
She snapped a selfie—messy hair, half-lidded eyes, cheeky grin—and hit send.
Her phone buzzed with the confirmation, and she laughed to herself. “Well, if that ends up on some weird mailing list, at least I’ll have a story.”
She shut her laptop, feeling lighter, and drifted into a sleep filled with strange, shapeless dreams.
Three days later, as she was trying (and failing) to coax her hair into a presentable bun, her phone chimed.
Congratulations. You have been shortlisted for The Galactic Brothel experience. Report to the Grand Regency Hotel, London, 11:00 a.m. sharp. Come alone. Discretion required.
Sarah stared at the screen, one eyebrow raised. Was this for real? A prank? Maybe one of her friends was screwing with her. She considered ignoring it, then shrugged. “Why not? What’s the worst that could happen? Alien anal probes?”
She messaged her group chat:
Sarah: If I disappear this weekend, I’m either dead or banging an alien. Either way, don’t look for me.
Samantha: Girl, you are WILD. Bring back a space STD for science.
Rosie: Take pics. Preferably of you and the tentacles.
Amanda: I’d pay to see that. Just make sure your intergalactic health insurance covers space chlamydia.
Sarah: I’ll try to find one with at least three.
London the next day felt both familiar and weirdly cinematic. She wore her favorite ripped jeans, a battered leather jacket, and just enough makeup to look “casual but prepared for intergalactic sex work.” The Grand Regency was absurdly posh—think marbled floors, golden sconces, and more security cameras than a Bond villain’s lair.
She tried to play it cool as she announced herself at the front desk, half-expecting the receptionist to laugh. Instead, the woman slid her a black envelope and whispered, “Good luck, Ms. Turner.”
The elevator whooshed her up, higher than she’d ever been in a London building. Floor thirty-seven. Room 3742.
She knocked, palms sweaty, heart thumping with that delicious blend of fear and anticipation she usually only got before first dates or really good sex.
The door opened. Inside, three people waited—impeccably dressed, hair shining, faces so symmetrical they seemed computer-generated. Sarah tried not to stare, but their eyes—huge, dark, strangely unfathomable—made her skin prickle.
“Sarah Turner?”
The voice was female, smooth and almost melodic.
“That’s me,” Sarah said, injecting as much sass into her tone as nerves would allow.
“Please, sit.”
She flopped into the chair, legs crossed, forcing herself to look relaxed.
The interview was… strange. The questions started off normal—work experience, comfort with new environments, travel restrictions. Then things got weirder.
“Have you ever worked in hospitality or entertainment before?”
“Does getting free drinks off bouncers count?” Sarah quipped.
The panel did not laugh, but made notes.
“Are you allergic to latex, chlorophyll, or exoskeletal proteins?”
“I’ll try anything once,” Sarah said, deadpan, earning her first smile—a fleeting, sly twist of the woman’s lips.
“How do you feel about intimate contact with non-human clients?”
Sarah grinned. “I’m an equal opportunity slut. If it’s got a pulse—or whatever the alien equivalent is—I’ll give it a shot.”
One of the interviewers coughed, covering what might have been a laugh.
“Would you describe yourself as adaptable? Resilient?”
Sarah thought of every awful bar shift she’d survived, every walk of shame, every wild night that turned into an even wilder morning. “Very.”
There were more questions—about comfort with “advanced anatomy,” willingness to try new things, language learning, discretion, and travel flexibility.
The final question:
“Why do you want to join The Galactic Brothel?”
Sarah considered giving a fake, serious answer, but her mouth got ahead of her brain. “For the hell of it. Life’s too short to say no to good stories.”
The three exchanged glances. The woman nodded. “Thank you, Sarah. We’ll be in touch.”
Sarah stood, offered her best cheeky grin, and left—heart pounding, half sure she’d just signed up for a human trafficking ring, half hoping she actually got the job.
She met her friends at their usual bar that night, regaling them with the story over pitchers of cheap sangria and questionable nachos.
“So let me get this straight,” Amanda said, wide-eyed behind her glasses. “You applied to be an intergalactic hooker and now you’ve been interviewed by a bunch of weirdly hot androids?”
Sarah grinned. “That’s about the size of it. If I end up with a third boob or tentacles, you’ll know it worked.”
Rosie, the loudest and least filtered of the bunch, leaned across the table. “Honestly, I’d pay to see that. Just make sure your intergalactic health insurance covers space chlamydia.”
Samantha, always a bit more cautious, wrinkled her nose. “What if it’s actually a front for organ harvesting? Or sex slavery? Or you come back as a Stepford Wife with an antenna?”
Sarah raised her glass. “Then at least I’ll have a story for the grandkids. Assuming I survive and haven’t been replaced by a shapeshifter.”
They burst into laughter. Rosie tossed a nacho at Sarah. “Promise me if you meet any aliens with more than one—uh—appendage, you’ll take notes. For science.”
“Detailed notes,” Amanda added, cheeks pink.
Samantha, shaking her head but smiling, said, “Just text us before you get beamed up. And don’t sign anything in blood.”
They cackled, clinked glasses, and spent the rest of the night making up increasingly ridiculous alien sex scenarios for Sarah. She played along, describing her “future clientele”—one with six tongues, another that glowed when aroused, one that could shape-shift into your wildest fantasy.
Later, buzzed and happy, Sarah walked home alone under the orange city lights. She didn’t really expect to hear back from the so-called Galactic Brothel. But she let herself imagine, just for a moment, what it would be like to leave Earth behind—not for a better job, or more money, but just for the sheer, unfiltered thrill of it.
“For the hell of it,” she whispered, smiling up at the stars.
She didn’t know it yet, but her life was about to get a whole lot less ordinary.
