Three of Diamonds (Hamden Series) (3 page)

Patent leather Priestess called for everyone’s attention. “Remember ladies, we are here to work and not fraternize. If anyone has a problem remembering, I can introduce you to any one of the security team. I have no remorse for last month with Daphne. Who would have thought it would take Jax, Mac and Pierre to carry her thrashing hoochie-ass out?”

With a hum of female laughter at her remark, Lola watched as each woman walked to the Priestess and took something from a box at her feet. Lola remained behind, not knowing what to do. When the last of her fellow employees had disappeared around the corner, the Priestess looked at Lola, lazily taking in her appearance, before a smile spread across her face. Putting shame to any practiced runway model, she strutted smoothly toward Lola “You must be Lola.”

Lola didn’t respond, assuming it was said not for confirmation but more for reaction. When no response came, Priestess arched a dark eyebrow at her and could not help but chuckle.

“Gitta was right, you are feisty. I like that. I’m Tawne. Come, let’s get you fitted with your mask.” Lola watched as Tawne walked back to the box and pulled out a small white satin mask just covered the eyes. When she turned, she was surprised to see Lola hadn’t moved from her spot.

“It’s the last piece to your uniform.” Tawne explained.

“Why a mask?” Lola asked as she walked toward Tawne’s outstretched hand and took the piece of concealment.

“Christ Gitta, did you explain anything?” Tawne said exasperatedly, as she looked toward the ceiling. She smiled toward her new charge, and explained, “Here at Olympus, everyone, employees and members, wear masks. These masks hide both identities, as well as show whom or what a member is game for. Walk with me and I’ll explain as we go.” Lola walked next to the statuesque woman and tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. As they walked into the club portion, Lola couldn’t believe the change that had occurred from when she was here with Gitta. Gone was the cold industrialized steel and starkness. Every wall, seat, and surface was draped with magnificent yardage of white silk. The white surfaces reflected the different hues of light from high above. Greens and blues shimmered over reds, pinks and purples. Lola looked around as women and men in various states of undress were running here and there, making sure everything was where it needed to be prior to opening. She turned to the bar, where two men, who were dressed in white vests with nothing but bare skin underneath, stocked shelves and made sure the glasses, were at the ready. They worked side by side in fluid silence. Never invading each other’s space but ensuring the task was done in its entirety.

Tawne watched as Lola took everything in, and gave the other woman a moment to become comfortable in the space. Tawne thought back to her first time here at Olympus, and could remember, vividly, the feelings of doubt and unease. Bringing Lola’s attention back around, Tawne began explaining further, “No member is known or addressed by their real names here. The Gods are adamant about privacy and rule abiding. Each member, or potential member, has to go through a severe amount of interviews, questioning, and even a fucking written essay portion. I mean, Christ girl, it’s like the SATs for sex addicts.” Tawne laughed more out of irony than for any other reason. She continued, “Anyway, members have to comply with a strict code of conduct. Kinda like us working folk, who had to sign the NDA.” Tawne took a breath to gauge Lola’s reaction. It was Tawne’s experience, most newbies got anxious when they learned the degree of secrecy that went on here, and by Lola’s expression, she was no different.

“You are going to work the lower floor; the area from the bar to the staircase. You’ll be working with Mac and Caleb at the bar. As I said before, there is no interacting with members other than to do your job. As a Diakonos, your purpose is to serve beverages only, not indulge in their other appetites. Diakonos’ are to keep eye contact to a minimum, as well as make themselves scarce when not serving. Our members know the rules, though occasionally one spoils the flow. For that reason, Jax, our security chief, and his team float around. Any questions?”

Yeah, how about a thousand to start?
What is with these people getting their rocks off in such a way? Couldn’t they just go and use cheesy pickup lines at a regular bar, like everyone else? Lola couldn’t contain her tongue any longer. “Yeah, I got a question. What the fuck is a Diakonos?”

Tawne smiled, Lola was feisty and sassy, but likable. She was not vexed by the bite in Lola’s voice, as she should have been. Nor was she surprised. If she had been, she would think nothing of flagging Jax over to escort Lola’s ample ass out, but as it was, Lola wasn’t like the others. If Tawne had to take a guess, this was the last place the voluptuous Lola wanted to be. And for that reason, Tawne’s respect for Lola grew a notch.

She found herself answering the question, and then adding on to give Lola as much information as she could. “Diakonos is Greek for waiter or attendant. The simple white mask you have is a symbol of who a Diakonos is. The Oikatase, or domestic slaves, are members showcasing by their mask what they are into or looking for. For instance, unlike your mask, the member’s masks are white but they are ornamented with feathers. Each color feather indicates their personal preference. You know, looking for male attention, looking for female play or if they are already obtained. The only masks that deviate from this are the Gods. They wear masks of gold. If a God shows interest in a member, their selection trumps other member’s rights.”

“Gods?” Lola said, not caring that she interrupted Tawne.

Feisty indeed.
“The Gods, are the founding members of Olympus. They sit up there in the VIP area, known as the Mountain. Just like the ancient Greek Gods, looking down from Mt. Olympus.” Tawne explained matter-of-factly.

Gods, slaves, feathers, trumping rights; the more Lola learned about this club, the more she wished she didn’t know. She was not a prude or anything; one person’s love is another person’s kink, but to have rules and Gods, just seemed to be a little too neurotic for her.

Adjusting her top coverage, Lola decided to stop with the questions and just focus on getting this shift over.

Tawne went over with Lola where she was to stand and introduced her to Mac and Caleb, the two bartenders she noticed earlier. After strutting off to check on the others, Lola strolled to the end of the bar and braced her hands on the edge. Dropping her head and rolling her neck back and forth, she hoped to alleviate some of the stress she was feeling.

“Ready to rock and roll, Lola?” Mac asked, as he came over to where she was preparing herself for her virgin christening by fire. Leaning on his crossed arms on the bar top, the position brought him eye level to her. From here, he could see just how beautiful her gray eyes were.

“If you have any questions, just come and ask me. Once it is in full swing in here, we tend to uh, not be needed too much.” Mac said, winking, hoping to put her at ease.

“Thanks. Just not my scene. But money is money.” Lola said trying to rein in her unease.

Just then, the gong sounded. The vibrating echo bounced from surface to surface. Mac was embarrassed that he didn’t think to mention to her that it was coming. The way she almost jumped out of her skin made him give her an apologetic grin.

Lola watched as the tall heavy doors swung open. Men and women in all types of skimpy and barely there white cloth paraded in. Even though Tawne had explained about the masks and feathers, nothing could prepare Lola for the sight the members made. Knowing she wasn’t supposed to be staring, she just couldn’t look away. Most cases, there was more material on the members facemasks than there was on their entire body. Then Lola noticed some wore collars; some bland and white, while others looked as if they were made of diamonds. Some were even attached to leashes.
Really!?! Leashes
…swearing to herself, if she sees any livestock she was out of here, regardless of the money!

One after another entered the vast space; some took seats, while others entered the tunnels and disappeared. Not that there was a lot of chatter going on amongst the hundreds of people that now were in the club, but complete silence fell as another gong sounded. Then, from a door to the left, men and women entered wearing scantily covering drapes of shimmering gold. A few of the women wore no more than gold bra and panties while some others wore satin gowns of different lengths; negligée like. The men wore a variety of bling colored boxers or very tight thongs. However, the last man to enter wore a pair of gold satin drawstring pants. It would not be considered as sexual an outfit as the others, but there was something that spoke to Lola, making her think, he was the most alluring of all. Between the flowing gold over what only could be long lean legs, then just a simple eye covering of gold. His short blonde hair almost matched perfectly to the color of the mask, giving the impression you didn’t know where the mask ended and his hair began. Lola watched as each climbed the stairs to their perch on “the mountain”. She could easily tell that most of the Gods thought they really were magnificent and magical people. Nevertheless, even though Lola already had distaste for these people, it didn’t stop her inability to turn away, as the true God like form in satin pants of gold, ascended the stairs last. The swish of his hips only added to the allure of his muscular back and shoulders. Muscle after muscle rippled with strength speaking loudly of his belief that his body was a temple. He held his head high, confident in his footing. Unlike the others that turned to look down on the members when they reached the top, he continued to move gracefully to the back of the platform without turning or looking down on the other members. Lola regained her feeling of indifference when she could no longer see the captivating God.

“Crazy, right?” Mac whispered to her with a sly smile. Soon, Lola was filling orders, delivering drinks and trying to ignore the leering of some or the distaste of others. Back and forth between the tables and bar, Lola’s feet were starting to ache.

Mac spoke with her every time she returned to the bar. Whether it was an inquisition of how she was doing or a mock joke of the audacity of such a place. On her final trip, Lola noticed Tawne leaning toward Mac, whispering something into his ear then looking to Lola. Lola could tell whatever it was she said to him, was a reprimand of some kind. Tawne then walked to Lola, and waited for her to fulfill the last order.

“You are needed upstairs. The Gods dismissed their assigned Diakonos. You can handle both here and there well enough, I think.” Tawne instructed in a purr.

Oh no fucking way!
Between Lola’s throbbing feet and her lack of confidence in this ridiculous uniform, the thought of going up there was enough to make her want to forget about the $800 bucks.
Surely, there was someone else who could do this?

“Your confidence in me Tawne is over exaggerated. Since this is my first night, shouldn’t you entrust someone else?” Lola tried to keep the pleading from her voice.

“No, I think you are just right. Now, I will go up with you and announce you. I’ll call you by an assigned name, which is part of the role. I’ll come and collect you in five minutes.” Tawne said, in a dismissive tone.

Lola wanted to slam her tray down against the smooth bar. Could anything else make this one of the most humiliating experiences of her life? Trying to roll her neck again, she didn’t see Mac approach.

“So, did I overhear correctly. She is sending you up?” Mac asked.

“I’d rather walk into a lion’s cage strapped to a raw piece of meat.” Lola said, hating how she so easily spoke her fear. She looked up into Mac’s kind eyes and hated that she saw pity there. Knowing if she showed any sort of weakness or unease now would just make this worse. She took a deep breath and turned to face Tawne, as she approached.

“Okay, let’s go.” Tawne said, as she led the way to the stairs. “Walk behind me, and I’ll introduce you.”

Lola followed Tawne and focused on the distinctive clicks of each of their shoes as they climbed the metal stairs. Lola prayed her footing would not give out on her. Like the lower floor, there were multiple white circular sofas but these were adorned with gold satin pillows. People were standing, sitting and some were currently indulging themselves.

“Oh Supreme ones, this is your Diakonos, Banilia,” and with a quick bow of her head, the click of her heels announced her exit.

Lola suddenly felt like she was indeed in a cage with a lion. Most glared at her like she was intruding on their private domain while others ignored her all together. Including him.

She filled order after order, ascending and descending the stairs, repeatedly. Her arches were on fire and her thighs ached from the workout they were receiving. Lola had just given one of the Gods his Crowne Royal and was returning to her spot in the corner, when she heard a voice call to her. She turned toward the horrid sound.

“So, Diakonos, any thoughts of applying for membership? What I wouldn’t give to train you.” His dark eyes leered towards her from behind their gold covering. For the minimal amount of coverage her uniform allowed, Lola felt it wasn’t enough. His eyes roamed over her leaving a feeling of filth behind in their wake. “Or, do you not need any training? With a body like that, I’m sure you are quite effective in pleasing a master.”

“Lycus, leave her alone. Just because you can’t find someone to your taste, doesn’t mean you can forget the rules,” the elegant redhead sitting next to the one called Lycus said. Her extremely short red hair stood up in heavily gelled spikes. Her barely there baby-doll was made of shimmering gold mesh, offering complete exposure of her bling pierced nipples. Her deep ruby painted lips caressed the champagne flute containing her Ménage a Trios, which Lola had delivered minutes earlier.

“I’m just having some fun, Themis. But you know as well as I do, it wouldn’t be the first time we’ve made an exception to the usual application process.” Lycus said unabashed, as he tipped his rock glass back draining it.

Lola watched through her lashes toward the compact husky man, who had, not only undressed her completely with his eyes, but who was now, trying to strip away the small amount of control she was maintaining on her indifferent attitude.
Come on, one more hour, and we will be $800 richer.