Afire Love

NIVEA PERSPECTIVE

"I found myself in an unconventional position, one unlike any 'job' I had taken on before. Then again, desperation for money had a way of making me overlook the need for specific details. The opportunity presented itself as a last-minute gig offered by Valerie—slinging champagne and canapés at a masked costume party. Little did I know that my roommate was secretly involved in organising these eccentric masquerade events for the wealthiest, and perhaps the kinkiest, individuals in Manhattan, New York.

As I pondered this revelation, a distinguished gentleman with snowy hair made a grand entrance down the spacious hallway. His elaborate peacock mask added an air of mystery, and he was flanked by a pair of buxom young ladies, each clinging to one of his saggy arms. The atmosphere was charged with anticipation as the trio wordlessly paused, allowing the ladies to lean in and share a passionate kiss. Their masks, intricately crafted from sparkly black Chantilly lace, added a touch of glamour to the scene.

In the flickering glow of the low candlelight, the girls' flawless curves seemed to dance, accentuated by the sultry ambiance.

Valerie used her keycard to discreetly open an employee door, allowing us to slip inside before we attracted any attention. Despite being masked, we were instructed to remain inconspicuous, avoiding the gaze of party guests unless actively serving them or engaged in conversation. Adherence to these guidelines was just one of the numerous rules that the 'service staff' had to comply with to ensure compensation for our services. Signing an extensive nondisclosure agreement, resembling a chapter book, was another prerequisite for a single night of temporary employment. Nonetheless, the allure of earning twelve hundred dollars for the evening made me throw caution and care to the wind.

Abiding by the rules of unusual party regulations meant that I could now afford more than just a diet of ramen and oranges for the entire month. The employee corridor, the most unembellished section of the luxurious mansion, served as a welcome retreat. This escape was particularly necessary, considering the extravagance that unfolded within the Castlerock estate.

Notwithstanding the mansion's live music and the captivating performance of a nude ribbon-wrapped stripper dancing above the pool, the hallway for the workers looked very different. The fancy clothes of the guests and the unique masks they wore, made from all sorts of materials and colours, added to the beauty of the faraway estate. From the special guests to the luxurious inside, everything in Castlerock seemed magnificent.

It was a temple of luxe debauchery for the ungodly privileged.

Another waiter scuttled past us with a tray full of heavenly-smelling appetisers to make my stomach growl. Thankfully, the gurgle in my belly was overpowered by a woman's cry of ecstasy.

"Omigosh!" I gasped at the sexual sounds reverberating through the concrete wall. "Did you hear that?"

"Shhh, quiet, you prude! You're going to get us fired!" Valerie hissed, tossing me a cheeky wink. "We're not supposed to talk about what we see or hear on the clock, remember?"

"But—!" I sputtered.

Another husky moan penetrated the wall as a spirited thumping started up from the other side.

"C'mon, Nivea!" Valerie urged as her steps quickened. "It's just a job; ignore it. Got it?"

Muted grunts and muffled wails filled the cramped hall as we tried our best to ignore the erogenous sounds of other people's pleasure. Even more shocking was the occasional rattle of chains or the distant crack of (what I think was) a whip!

"How did you find this job again?" I whispered as loud as I dared.

The titillating sounds were winding their way into my ears and arousing more than my curiosities. Heat flushed my whole body, working its way to my cheeks and warming the inside of my mask.

"Mike," she shrugged her petite shoulders, grazing the tip of her blunt blonde ponytail. "He used to work with the hosts or something like that. Just be grateful you're not serving upstairs."

"Why? What's-?" I muttered into the empty circular tray I had clasped to my chest to hide the pinch of my nipples. "Never mind."

The narrow hallway ended abruptly at a door with no handle. Valerie waved her thin grey keycard over a cubed screen to make it retract into the wall, revealing a bustling kitchen inside.

"So, what if it's a little Eyes Wide Shut? You can't argue with the paycheck!" She shouted over the clatter and clang of activity. "Am I right?"

She had no idea how right she was. I needed the unorthodox paycheck as much as I needed to stop thinking about other people having sex.

Carefully, we steered through stations of cooks prepping the delicacies on our trays. Blades glinted and flames flared as servers poured in and out of the whirlwind.

I peeled off from Valerie and made a beeline for the bronze armbands.

Your armband denoted the floor you served. Since she'd been working these sexy soirees longer, Valerie got to prowl the second floor, where gold armbands and the most elite of the upper crust were allowed.

Bronze stuck to the ground floor only (another of the rules clearly stated in our contract).

With a fresh platter of crab-stuffed mushrooms balanced on my arm, I found my best friend in the bedlam.

"Want to go out after this and get a drink of our own?" She asked as soon as we were safely inside another hall full of horny sounds.

"You're not going to Mike's anymore?" I broached the subject as lightly as possible. They were on and off so much that you'd think she was dating a light switch. "I can't; I've got work tomorrow."

"That was Mike's excuse too," Valerie said, rolling her bright blue eyes inside her mask. "I swear, Nivea, it's like you're allergic to fun."

I didn't retort. All evidence to the contrary, I liked fun. I just didn't have the time (or the disposable budget) for it.

"I'm sorry, Valerie," I murmured. "I know you were looking forward to seeing him tonight."

"Oh, please! It's fine," she scoffed like it was no biggie when really, we both knew better. This was typical of Mike, and it drove her batshit crazy. "At least he's willing to go out on his days off. Unlike some people, I live with."

I kept my attention on her tray while she threw me the stink eye.

"Look!" I sighed. We were inches from the door that would take us back to the party, and yet, so far from the escape I desperately needed,. "After tonight, I could probably afford to go out next week. One time though, OK?"

"Wha-at?" Valerie blurted, stopping altogether.

So, of course, I slammed into my bestie's backend.

"Watch out!" I squeaked, wobbling to hold onto my tray. "Geez! You were almost wearing these mushroom caps."

"And you almost gave me a coronary!" Valerie howled as she activated the door to step into the modern, gallery-like decor of the west-wing hallway. "Girl, I don't think you've done anything resembling fun in years!"

"Yeah, well, I didn't think I'd be divorced before I turned twenty-one," I muttered (not to mention drowning in someone else's mistakes). "That doesn't mean I want my terrible life choices announced out loud."

Echoing laughter danced with a seductive remix of classical music as we stepped into the opulent hallway.

"Oh, goodness!" To my dismay, Valerie wasn't finished. "Nivea, we need to schedule a shopping trip for that bush waxing! And girl, do you realise the last time we went out, you had a fake ID?"

Attempting to hush Valerie, our conversation was abruptly halted by a more pressing issue than the chaos of my personal life.

"Shhhh!" The sharp reprimand caught us both off guard, causing us to pivot in our sensible shoes. "Could you keep it down?"

The woman overseeing us, a striking blonde named Karen, lowered her handheld butterfly mask to shoot us a disapproving scowl. While that alone could have left me melting to the floor, a peculiar sensation interrupted.