🍸Hypnotic
The knife’s edge pressed against my throat. Even if it wasn’t real steel, my stepmother’s threats promised to draw blood; they already had.
I am done letting assholes control me.
Hypnotic Nightclub’s purple neon blazed above the entrance. It was fucking blinding. An eyesore. I despised that sign, despised everything about this club, especially its owners. The tacky cursive script bled its violet light across the endless line of desperate wannabes wrapped around three city blocks. They’d freeze their asses off for hours just to taste what money could buy, while trust fund brats breezed past them like they didn’t exist.
I was one of those brats. But instead of waltzing inside, I was skulking through shadows, hoping none of the bouncers at the doors spotted me.
The autumn wind cut straight through my lace bodysuit, raising goosebumps along my exposed skin. But even as wisps of breath curled from my lips and danced away into the night air, anticipation heated my blood.
Tonight, I’d corner David Hollinger and make him pay for conspiring with my stepfamily to steal my inheritance.
But first, I had to get into this stupid club.
I kept my chin tucked low as I strode across the wet pavement and made my way toward the corner of the building. The side entrance was my best bet—slip in, confront David, and slip out before anyone noticed I was here. Before they noticed.
Three more steps. Two. One.
I rounded the corner and froze.
Half a dozen bouncers snapped to attention like bloodhounds picking up a scent. Cigarettes tumbled from lips, bodies kicked off walls, conversations died mid-sentence as they devoured me with their eyes.
“Well, well.” A bald mountain of a man approached, sliding his tongue across his lips. “If it isn’t the former queen of the city sneaking around back alleys. You look good enough to eat.” He snapped at me like a dog.
The only thing my outfit hid was my pussy. My nipples were on full display, pressed against the sheer fabric, and the single strap holding the leotard closed hardly covered my ass. I’d come prepared to use every weapon in my arsenal to get into this club, and lucky for me, it seemed to be working.
I forced my lips into something I hoped resembled a smile. “My name alone is enough to get me into this club.”
“Yet here you are in the alley with us.” He towered over me, reeking of cheap cologne he’d obviously bathed in. “I’m sure the bosses would love to know about this little visit. Especially since they’re the ones who banned you.”
“I’m sure that’s a misunderstanding.”
“I doubt that.” He smirked. “I bet they have something very special in mind if you defy them.”
I swallowed the curse rising in my throat. “What do you want in exchange for letting me in and not telling them I’m here?”
“I think you know.” His grimy finger traced my cheek, and I forced myself not to bite it off.
A few bouncers walked away, but one came over, a curly-haired man whose eyes darted nervously between us.
“Dude, she’s Seth’s girl. Kicking us out of his city will be mercy compared to what he’ll do if we touch her.”
“I’m not Seth’s anything!” I snapped.
“That’s right. He dumped you,” The bald one said. His attention dropped to my chest, and he shook his head. “Seth must be blind because one look at you and I’m ready to explode in my jeans.”
Curly’s fingers dug into Baldy’s arm. “Seth makes people disappear. But the owners? They’ll make you beg for Seth’s cruelty as if it were a gift. Trust me, you don’t want to fuck with any of them.”
Liam and James De Almonte. The club’s owners and two more names on my shit list.
I had no clue why those brothers resented me, and I gave less of a damn. Still, we’d maintained an unspoken truce—they stayed out of my way, I stayed out of theirs. Until tonight.
“I just need an hour.” I addressed them both. “I need to talk to someone inside. Then I’ll leave and never come back.” I looked back up at the bald guy still looming over me. “Tell me what you want.”
He grabbed onto my jaw and pressed his thumb against my bottom lip. “I want sex.” He pressed harder, and salt from his unwashed skin coated my tongue.
I smacked his hand away and spat. “Your disgusting dick isn’t getting anywhere near my pussy.”
He shoved me against the rough brick wall. “Perfect. I want to stick it in your ass, anyway.”
He fumbled with his pants, scrambling to unhook his belt.
“You’re a fucking dead man. Let her go.” The other bouncer forced the bald one back, then turned to me, his expression apologetic. “You’re not allowed inside, miss.”
“Back off.” The bald guy shoved him.
“Look, how about I give you cash, and you can stick your dick in your buddy’s ass?” I nodded at the guy he pushed, then pulled out what I had stashed between my breasts. “But first, is David Hollinger inside? And how can I avoid your bosses?”
He tracked the money as the hundreds caught the light before dropping his gaze to my mouth.
“David’s been here every night since opening. Real kinky bastard.” He stepped closer, his bulk pushing me harder against the wall. “As for the bosses, they’re busy with their own... entertainment. Should be occupied for more than an hour.”
“Perfect. Now, let me inside.” I moved toward the door, and he slammed his hand against the wall, trapping me.
“Nice try, princess. That was just for the information.” He snatched the cash and brought it to his nose, rolling his eyes back with a deep inhale. “Fuck. You smell delicious.” He forced me back against the wall, harder this time. “Let me grab those perfect tits.”
More bouncers melted away, shaking their heads and muttering about death wishes.
“Deal.” I forced my shoulders back and lifted my chin. “Get it over with.”
His rough hand closed over my breast through the lace, squeezing hard enough to force a gasp from me. He pinched, massaged, squeezed, pulled, and mashed like he’d never touched breasts before.
“Damn, baby,” he murmured, releasing me with a low whistle. “I’d fuck those tits any day.”
“I’m out,” the bouncer from earlier said, his eyes wide as he backed out of the alley.
The rest scattered.
Whatever the De Almonte brothers were doing to inspire this level of fear, it couldn’t be legal. But I’d rather face their wrath than spend another day under my stepfamily’s control.
“You guys are cowards!” He shouted after them.
I pushed past him toward the door, skin still burning from his touch. A PIN pad stopped me cold.
“The code,” I demanded.
“You sure you can handle what you’ll find in there?” He strolled over like we had all the time in the world.
“Open it.”
He smirked and typed in the code.
The heavy door groaned open, releasing a wave of humid air thick with mist. The frigid night vanished, replaced by choking fog that turned the bodies inside into dancing shadows.
I stepped across the threshold, and his hand shot out to grip my wrist.
“One hour,” he breathed against my ear while squeezing my ass. “Don’t make me come looking for you.”
I ripped free and scrubbed at my skin where he’d groped me. “Dick.”
He slammed the door behind me, sealing me in.
Hardest part over, right?
Wrong.
Strobe lights carved through smoke so thick I couldn’t see my own hands. Bass notes punched my ribcage with each beat. The citrus-scented mist burned down my throat in a chemical tang that made my eyes water.
People were everywhere, naked, glistening, fucking right on the dance floor.
This wasn’t a club—it was an orgy.
Coughs tore from my chest as I pushed deeper into the chaos, scanning faces for David’s. But the pulsing lights made it impossible to focus on anyone for more than a second. Bodies slammed into me from all sides, their hands grabbing, tongues gliding across my neck, fingers slipping beneath my lace.
I pulled away but somehow ended up within a stranger’s embrace. I couldn’t remember if he’d pulled me in or I had pulled him in. But I was dancing, letting him hold me, letting him touch me. I pressed a hand to my throbbing head and pushed him away. The lights flashed. And another body took his place.
“Dance with me!” A woman with smeared makeup grabbed my arm; her pupils were so dilated that I couldn’t tell their color.
I broke free and stumbled toward a staircase, slipping over the beer-soaked floor. I hadn’t had a sip of alcohol, but everything spun like I’d polished off six shots. Each breath made me more dizzy, but I managed to reach the end of the stairs without falling.
The casino lights blazed to my left, all flashing slots and roulette wheels. Too bright, too exposed. If the De Almonte brothers were prowling around, they’d spot me instantly. Plus, that bastard David didn’t have a dime to gamble with.
I turned right toward navy curtains marked with a simple sign: “Lounge.”
The stench hit me before I’d fully pushed through—old cum, fresh sweat, and something sour that made my stomach lurch. I forced myself forward and immediately regretted it.
The lounge was dimly lit and crowded with bodies entangled everywhere. They were on couches, on the floor, against the walls. Moans and screams echoed through the space, pleasure and pain blended into a constant hum.
The musk was so thick I could taste them on my tongue. My throat worked against rising nausea as I scanned the room. No Liam or James. Good. But there were so many familiar faces.
Jackson, from my family’s board of directors, was buried between some girl’s legs while a man worked his ass with brutal strokes. Clarissa, the self-righteous philanthropist, was bent over a leather chair, taking two men in her cunt while the bartender crouched over her face, pouring a bottle of rum over his back. She drank shots straight out of his ass while her husband knelt in front of the bartender, his lips stretched around his cock, choking on it while a woman gagged on his dick beneath him.
These were ‘respected members of society,’ and despite how revolting it was, heat pooled between my legs.
Why am I feeling like this? What the hell is wrong with me?
A flash of pink neon caught my eye through the maze of bodies: ‘Pleasure Rooms.’
David had to be behind one of those doors. I sidestepped around a woman riding a man’s face when a hand clamped around my wrist and yanked me backward. I stumbled, and my palm slapped against a bare chest slick with sweat and cum. Fucking gross. Dark eyes met mine, hungry and glazed with lust.
Before I could speak, his mouth crashed against mine. Rum and salt flooded my taste buds as our teeth clacked together, and he forced his tongue past my lips. I wanted to fight, but my body wouldn’t listen. At this rate, if I didn’t find David soon, I’d be too far gone to think clearly. Too far gone to save myself from my stepfamily’s control.
His hands roamed all over my body and squeezed my ass so hard I gasped into his mouth. The lace was so thin I could feel every ridge of his erection, every vein throbbing against me.
Finally, my body listened, and my palm cracked against his face.
Blood trickled from his lip, but instead of backing off, he licked the blood away with a grin. “So fucking sexy when they fight. I bet you’re a squirter.”
“You’re new here.” Another man pulled me toward him. “We can break you in. How many dicks can you take at once?”
“Let go.” I snatched my arm away and stumbled, barely keeping my footing.
“Isn’t she perfect?” The first man gripped the lace between my thighs, his fingers hot against my slit. “So fucking—”
I cocked my fist back and threw a right hook that would’ve made my brother proud.
“Stupid bitch,” He shouted, wiping the blood streaming from his nose.
I pushed past him and staggered toward the entryway, ignoring his curses.
The Pleasure Room corridor stretched endlessly, and each door gleamed like spilled blood in the dim lighting. Liam or James could be behind any of them, but I had to take the risk.
My fingers trembled as I grabbed the first handle and turned.
A woman was splayed across black velvet sheets, back arched as a man worked a massive purple dildo into her. They stared at me with flushed faces as he forced that monstrosity into her inch by splitting inch, her hole nearly ripping around it.
“Want to join?” the woman panted.
I slammed the door so hard I nearly fainted from the dizzy spell that followed.
I pressed my fingertips against my temples, trying to ease the relentless throbbing. The pressure helped a little, but after barging into several more rooms, I couldn’t fight the pain anymore.
Door after door revealed CEOs in leather harnesses, their cocks caged and weeping. Judges begging to be degraded, their faces flushed as they fought against restraints. Business tycoons with ball gags strapped between their teeth, their bodies marked with welts and bruises.
Each mirrored room was identical—crimson walls, four-poster beds with chains hanging from each post, displays of sex toys, paddles, and whips mounted like art, and devices that looked like medieval torture instruments.
I was soaking, my clit throbbing with each heartbeat, no matter how much I told myself I wasn’t turned on.
How many doors had I opened? Twenty? Thirty? Each disappointment blurred into the next, but David had to be here somewhere. After everything I’d endured, I wouldn’t leave empty-handed.
Security, James, Liam—they could all go to hell.
I tripped and crashed against the next threshold, groaned, and latched onto the handle. I used it to steady myself before twisting it open.
Dozens of candles flickered inside, casting dancing shadows across the walls. A blonde dominatrix stood before a man on his hands and knees at her feet.
David.
A collar was tight around his throat, and he kept his head bowed in submission even as her riding crop sliced patterns across his back and red welts bloomed on his skin.
A slow smile spread across my lips. This was even better than I’d hoped.
