Dark Alley: The Complete First Season (Dark Alley Seasons Book 1) Read online

  It was a good look.

  She gave herself a brief nod and headed out. All her necessary belongings were stashed away in her jacket: purse, ID, phone with earplugs, and eventually her keys, after she had locked her flat. Alice didn’t have a car because she didn’t need one. The public transportation network covered the entire area that she needed to reach. She had been lucky enough to find a flat that she could afford so close to downtown, and trained enough to get a job that made such a flat affordable for her.

  She really didn’t need a partner for her life to be better – she could provide everything on her own. Tonight – if she was right about this Dark Alley thing – would bring her everything she needed.

  It was only a few blocks to walk to the subway and Alice quite enjoyed the cool night air. When she had put away her keys, she had pulled out her phone and earplugs. Not because she didn’t like the sound of the city, but rather to make her less approachable to strangers, and so she’d miss possible catcalls.

  Ever since she decided that she only needed herself to be happy, things around her had changed. She didn’t only notice that her own step was lighter and had a certain swing to it, but people seemed to notice her more. Last night had been the high point.

  That additional swing to her step almost made her dance on her way to the subway and Alice tried her best to hide her smile. Something inside her told her that even if this Dark Alley turned out to be a disappointment, it wouldn’t lower the quality of her life.

  Sitting in the subway felt as if time was stretching like old bubble gum, slowly and ropy. Never before had this ride felt so long – it was probably the excitement distorting her sense of time, or waiting for the right stop.

  Her eyes were glued to the display above the doors so that she wouldn’t miss it. Elm Street wasn’t absolutely downtown where she worked. Alice would have to get off four stations earlier than she was used to.

  The first thing she had done after getting out of the shower was to look up the exact location of Elm Street – just to be sure, and to avoid the embarrassment of openly navigating herself with her phone. She didn’t want to make a bad first expression, if getting this mysterious invitation wasn’t already the result of a good first impression. She didn’t want to disappoint, even though she had no idea whom she was worried about disappointing.

  She still walked with her earplugs in, but was too nervous to listen to any music as she walked from the subway station to Elm Street. When she arrived she looked at the other side of the road where she could see the number two. She quickly pocketed the earplugs and continued walking on the opposite side of the road. This way she would be able to look at the entrance without standing right in front of it. Despite the street lights, the road wasn’t entirely well lit, which should have unsettled her, but right now she felt like she could hide easily in the shadows in case she chickened out.

  Reaching the point between 8 and 10 Elm Street wasn’t really far, but when she stopped right there, on the other side of the road in front of the spot between two houses, there was nothing more than a trellised gate. While the main street was highly frequented, Elm was not, and because of that Alice could simply step down from the sidewalk and cross over, heading directly towards the gate.

  Doubt and frustration washed over her as the short distance felt a mile long. The thought that the card in her jacket was nothing but a prank, maybe even from the mommy club, was eating at her insides. It was the anger, her imagination creating a bunch mocking women, that made her just continue walking, reaching out for the gate and pushing it open.

  She would find out if in this small alley there was nothing, or exactly what she was hoping for.

  There was a dim light in the tight passage and her steps lost speed as insecurity took over. If the business card was authentic, this was the very place. Carefully, she tried to get a glimpse of a sign, any sign that she wasn’t setup.

  As she took each step, trying to catch a glimpse of light, she could feel an eerie touch creeping up her back, leaving a freezing trail of ice.

  Alice was about to turn around and leave, as she seemed to have triggered a light sensor, because suddenly the alley in front of her was flooded with a soft, almost golden light. It was far too weak to blind her, but enough for her to see the path that lay before her.

  “Can I help you, Miss?” A male, a friendly, yet reserved voice reached out for her and made her flinch.

  Out of the shadows in front of her stepped a mountain of a man. His arms and legs bigger than the branches of some trees Alice had seen, yet he seemed harmless to her. His head was bald. She couldn’t say if it was shaved or if it was naturally like this. The black tee he wore seemed to be a size too small. Muscles pressed through the fabric, which made his bare and tattooed arms appeared to be even bigger.

  It took Alice a few seconds until she realized that he was patiently waiting for her answer.

  Quickly she moved to pull the small card from her pocket.

  “I’ve been invited,” she explained and handed over the plain black card.

  The doorman accepted the piece of paper that looked so tiny in his hands, and conjured a small flashlight and switched it on. Much to Alice’s surprise the flare didn’t shine. It was black light and some letters appeared on the side where she only had read ‘Dark Alley’. The man switched off his flashlight, too quickly, as if she would have read the word or name on the card. But, more importantly, the big guy seemed satisfied and nodded briefly.

  “Welcome to the Dark Alley, Miss,” he stashed both card and flashlight away.

  At that very moment Alice remembered that she had promised Bianca a message when she entered the place and quickly produced her phone.

  “I’m so sorry; I have to message my friend that I am fine.” She smiled at the giant apologetically and he nodded, mirroring her expression, which made him look like a huge teddy bear.

  Alice quickly typed a message: “I’m at the Dark Alley, everything’s fine. No worries. Call you in two hours.”

  As she lowered her phone, she ignored the man’s outstretched hand down.

  “This is your first time at the Dark Alley,” he explained with patience in his voice. “So let me explain the rules. No electric devices, no cameras.”

  Alice bit down on her lip because she expected him to say that the first rule of Dark Alley was that no one spoke about the Dark Alley. She handed over her phone and he took it carefully.

  “No real names, no kissing on the mouth, unless explicitly asked for,” he continued drone like, speaking as if he had told these rules a thousand times, “men are obliged to use protection. If they don’t, you have to report it immediately. The safe word is ‘red’; the word to alert attention is ‘yellow’. Before you enter the Dark Alley, you order your encounter, which cannot be changed after you enter. By entering the Dark Alley you agree to never bring up legal charges, you enter neutral ground. Every accusation, every complaint has to be brought up to me, and the leading members will decide over the case. Please leave all identification, and articles of value with me. I will hand everything back to you, when you leave.”

  Alice wasn’t even aware of of handing over her ID, keys, and purse, until she saw all of these items disappear into a black, unlabeled box.

  “Thank you, Miss,” Big Guy commented, still friendly, with a glance that was bare of lust or anything sexual.

  She wasn’t entirely sure what she was getting herself into. Still, she gave the man a smile and nodded once, telling him that she was ready, though she didn’t feel like it. Alice couldn’t stop, but wondered how all of this was going to go the way she wanted it, or if she was placing herself at some stranger’s mercy.

  If so, she didn’t really feel like she would be enjoying herself, and wasn’t that what it should be about?

  “You should see this as a trial run, Miss,” Big Guy was explaining, as if he knew how she was feeling. Alice asked herself, how many times he had said this before. “Please, let me know what you are
interested in today and I’ll have you set up with the right candidate.”

  Saying this, he conjured a tablet from a hidden place, probably just the same as where the flashlight had originated from. Now, however, he patiently waited for Alice to ‘place her order’ and she started to feel exactly like she had hoped, deliciously naughty.

  “You could start with your hard limits,” Big Guy suggested.

  “Oh, okay,” Alice nodded, feeling giddy, nervous and excited all the same. “I know pretty well what I’d like to have.” She heard herself being straight forward and nodded again, but this time to strengthen her confidence. “Something simple; I’d like to be seduced into sex against the wall, from behind, as if he had waited for an eternity to catch me.”

  Big Guy made his notes, his hands were moving surprisingly fast across the display, and then looked up at her, asking: “One male?”

  Alice could feel her face flush with heat and she swallowed down a giggle.

  Somehow, maybe because of the way he asked, she felt like this was a now-or-never-chance. Yet, she wasn’t as courageous as she had hoped to be. Plus, how could she know if she really wanted this? Daydreaming was one thing, reality another.

  “One,” she repeated Big Guy’s words and nodded assertively, for him and herself.

  Alice’s heart felt like it wanted to jump right out of her chest, as she realized that this could have been something totally different then she had assumed. For all she knew, it could have been a fancy restaurant with a blind date. The doorman’s answer proved her hope and anticipation right, but that didn’t lessen her nervousness.

  “You remember the safe words?” Big Guy inquired, and even though his expression had been just as neutral as it had been almost through their conversation, Alice felt as if there was a subtle tone of worry in his voice.

  Maybe, it was only wishful thinking. Still, there was this tiny seed of doubt, whether all of this was a setup or not, waiting to grow and bloom.

  “Yes,” Alice nodded and looked at him straight. “Alert is yellow, stop is red, like the traffic lights.”

  A friendly smile appeared and he made an inviting gesture, encouraging her to step out of the dim light and into what really looked like nothing but a dark alley. “Your date will join you shortly. Your alley is the second on the right, watch your step and enjoy your stay!”

  Three

  As soon as Alice walked away from the doorman, the light went out and she was swallowed by darkness. It took her eyes some time to get used to the dark while she carefully took a few steps forward.

  Tiny lights were scattered all around the alley, and weakly illuminated the path which was hidden between the houses at 8 and 10 Elm Street, and possibly further down the entire block. The tiny lights rather felt like distant stars than street lights.

  The second on the right, the Big Guy had said, and Alice instinctively brought up her right hand, brushing it along the brick-stone wall, still walking cautiously further into the Alley, listening as best she could.

  As a soft moan reached her ears from somewhere on the left - it struck her like a lightning bolt. Alice stopped dead still and took a deep breath. But what remained after the initial shock wasn’t embarrassment, or the instinct to turn on her heels, it was excitement. She could feel a strange warmth heating up inside herself, making her moist in just the right place. It had been too long, and now, she had ordered exactly what her body and mind were longing for.

  It felt crazy. It seemed wrong.

  But who had the right to tell her what was wrong? It wasn’t set in stone anywhere that a woman wasn’t allowed to tend to all of her needs.

  Determination gave her step new strength as she walked past the first entrance to the right. Her eyes had adjusted now and what she passed by looked just like another dark alley. She wondered how many such paths were there exactly. There couldn’t be much, unless someone had bought up the rearward parts of the houses. But that wasn’t really important right now.

  Alice’s heart made a painful jump as she reached the big black gap that was the entrance to the second alley on the right. She stopped. This was hers. If she waited here, someone soon would join her and make happen what she requested. Anxiety and excitement held a wrestling match in her body, making her blood rush, her heart race and her breath turn shallow.

  This was it. Now, it was either chicken out, turn on her heel, or woman up and take that step.

  The very moment Alice felt a thought coming up in her head, she moved forward. She’d never had a one night stand in her life, and this wasn’t one either. This was an agreement, without the exchange of money, but the safety of a contract. There were rules and there was Big Guy at the entrance. She would be safer than with any stranger she’d met in a club.

  Alice couldn’t prevent herself from chuckling briefly, because having sex with a stranger was exactly what she was about to do. Whoever person had given her this card, might be the one whom she was about to meet, although she wouldn’t see his face. Further down the alley it became more and more dark. This was definitely different from a one night stand. It was completely anonymous.

  The excitement in Alice prevailed.

  What could possibly go wrong? If the sex was bad, their paths would go separate ways without ever knowing who they were, and that was it.

  But what if it was good?

  What if she wanted more?

  Alice shook her head. This wasn’t the right time to go there. She knew it was her mind trying to handle her nervousness, but it wasn’t helpful at all. However, keeping her thoughts in check was quite difficult, standing alone in a narrow and dark alley all by herself. This was the sort of thing her mother had told her to stay away from and now she had gone there voluntarily. What was she thinking?

  Whoever came here, who would he be?

  What would his appearance look like?

  Would he be attractive?

  What if she was disgusted by his body, his actions?

  Maybe that was what the Dark Alley was all about - to not think about such details, to not be held back by obstacles of your own making, to just enjoy yourself.

  It was a noise of something brushing the raw surface of the ground beneath her that made the flood of thoughts come to a dead stop. It made Alice stand still as she listened in the darkness, her body painfully tense, as if it was electrified. For whatever reason, she didn’t dare to turn around and try to see if someone had joined her.

  As Alice held her breath, the steps were clearly audible. Maybe he — whoever he was — intentionally created some noise so that she wouldn’t jump and accidentally shriek. That would have been an embarrassment.

  Still, hearing those steps slowly close in, left her body completely confused. Her heart was hammering wildly, her breathing shallow. Her feelings were a crazy mixture of fear and excitement. Never before had those two extremes come so close. The footsteps stopped, and Alice could feel him standing directly behind her. His breath rolled down her neck. He was taller than she was. Alice stood still, waiting, anticipating. His first touch wasn’t a real one; he brushed her ponytail aside and over her shoulder, as if baring her neck to him.

  Alice forced herself to breathe evenly and closed her eyes, concentrating on her other senses. She could smell his cologne. It was familiar, but still she wasn’t able to evoke the associated face in her mind.

  Warm fingers touched the side of her neck, making her investigating thoughts disappear like shattering glass. Being stripped of sight, she could feel the touch of those four fingers jolting though her nervous system, and feel it all over her body. She couldn’t stop herself from shuddering.

  He didn’t say anything, not a word, as he moved his slightly rough fingertips across her neck, and moved the collar of her jacket aside.

  Alice stayed perfectly still, with her eyes closed, not knowing what to do, or what would or could happen next. A pair of unexpectedly soft lips pressed gently onto the base of her neck, right above the collarbone.

  Sho
rtly after those lips parted and brushed upwards, stopping right below her jaw, at the very spot where she now could feel her pulse hammering against his mouth. This touch sent another heat wave of arousal through her body, and she instinctively tilted her head away, presenting her neck to him.

  Somewhere in the back of her head, a tiny voice was still struggling with the idea of what Alice was doing right now. It was something everyone would disapprove of; it was wrong, it was not the normal thing to do - it was forbidden. That was the reason she wanted it even more, then locking that tiny voice away - for good. Alice wanted to enjoy herself, on her terms.

  A pair of hands slowly took the collar of her jacket and pulled it off over her shoulders, while the lips continued caressing her skin. Alice moved her arms so that the stranger could pull the jacket from her body. She heard it hit the ground with a dull thud.

  The hands instantly returned to her body, snaking around her waist, briefly pausing on her stomach, warming her skin through the fabric of her dress with spread fingers, almost as if they were claiming her.

  Alice did her best to breathe evenly, despite her inner core heating up, and her longing increasing in a way she had never felt before. Maybe it was because she hadn't had any sexual encounters since her break-up – besides from her own hand. She leaned her head back, wanting to muffle all her thoughts, because all she truly wanted was to stop thinking, stop pondering, stop ruining this fantasy that was coming to life.

  And as if her dark alley stranger knew what she was wishing for, his hands slid upwards, cupping both her breasts, tenderly, reverently massaging them – an eternal moment – before his index fingers and thumbs caught her nipples and gently pinched them.

  This kind of attention made her arch her back, leaning her head against the stranger’s shoulder, grazing his five o’clock shadow with her cheek.

  Alice felt how her reaction encouraged him to continue his current treatment of her breasts, even intensifying it by increasing the pressure. She couldn’t help but gasp, moaning quietly, and involuntarily rubbing her thighs together, as all of her body awakened to the pleasure.