I pondered Denisha's suggestion for a couple of days, then decided 'What the hell!' I sent an email to Club Aphrodite, asking if it were possible to organise a threesome with Denisha and Fatima. I got a response the same day. They said yes, promising to get back to me with a date and time after contacting the ladies. I went about my usual life feeling excited about this. After one week with no news, my excitement had waned. Was Fatima angry with me? Or was Denisha offended that I'd waited two days before emailing? But if either girl objected to the idea, wouldn't the club just tell me?
On Monday, ten days after their initial response, the club sent me an email. They confirmed the threesome and suggested an appointment that coming Friday. I was given a price for the hour and asked to make a deposit. 'Fair enough,' I thought and transferred the money via my banking app. Then, two days later, they sent another email, asking apologetically if I would mind changing the appointment to the following week, on a Thursday afternoon. 'For God's sake!' I thought. 'Get your bloody act together!' But as a self-employed person I could make my own hours, so I made the change and got back to work.
My irritation was short-lived. When I awoke on that fateful Thursday morning, I was as excited as I'd been on my wedding day. I had a very productive morning and an hour before the appointed time, I showered, brushed my teeth, and dressed in clean clothes. Later, as I pressed the doorbell of Club Aphrodite, I felt like I should have brought flowers.
The door opened and I was greeted by the hostess. This time, I was not shown into the private reception room. With a knowing smile, she took me straight upstairs and showed me into the tackiest room I've ever seen. The main wall was decorated with a mural of what I supposed was meant to be an ancient Greek landscape, with white temple pillars, blue skies and rolling hills dotted with cypress trees. It was painfully amateur, as though an art student had copied bits and pieces from Disney's
Hercules
. In the far corner set into the wall stood a three-foot tall statue of Aphrodite on a plinth. She was naked, of course, and she looked down onto a giant black bed littered with pink and blue cushions. On the ceiling above the giant bed was an equally huge oval mirror. In the other corner, a kidney-shaped jacuzzi tub was set into a kind of 'artistic' installation, with two fake Greek pillars, a couple of winged Cupids, and garlands of fake ivy.
'We thought we'd give you something special this time,' said the hostess, gesturing to the room with obvious pride.
'It's ... very special,' I said.
I paid the balance for the hour with two girls. The hostess wished me a good time, then she left me to wait alone. I stood and looked at the statues. They were all plaster, of course, and I thought it was typical that the club would put Roman Cupids into a Greek temple. But there was something about the Aphrodite I liked. She had the classic Renaissance figure, with small breasts and smooth torso, and her expression looked serene and amused. I was wondering why I found her so intriguing when I heard the door open behind me.
Denisha came in first, dressed in a silver bikini and silver heels, entering like a woman in a beauty contest. Her white-blond curls fell over her shoulders just so and her pink lipstick matched her finger and toenails. She strode towards me on spectacular legs, her blue eyes sparkling and her wide mouth grinning from ear to ear. She opened her arms like a diva and with a theatrical 'Darling!' gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
Fatima, by contrast, simply came in and quietly closed the door behind her. She was smaller in presence as well as size, padding into the room barefoot, wearing her usual black lace underwear. Her long, dark hair, though well-cared for, looked natural and unassuming next to the other girl's peroxide locks. If Denisha's home was this temple, then Fatima's home was a simple hut on the beach. Yet my heart raced when I saw her, and I realised that I was hugely relieved when she seemed happy to see me. Our hug was awkward, partly due to our height difference, but I could feel the warmth of her greeting and see the warmth in her eyes.
'So, Englishman, what do you think of our Aphrodite Room?' said Denisha, her hands gesturing like a game show hostess. I was tempted to say something humorously mocking, but some instinct warned me not to.
'It's fun,' I said.
Both girls reacted positively, albeit in different ways. Denisha gave me a nod of approval, as though pleased I was entering into the spirit of things. Fatima, on the other hand, looked around as though making a reappraisal. My guess was she shared my opinion on the tackiness of the room, yet she nodded thoughtfully at what she saw.
'Yes, it is kind of fun,' she said, in her low, ironic voice. 'Although I think they should replace those Cupids with a proper Eros.'
'You can't replace the gods of Love!' said Denisha.
'Eros
is
the god of Love,' said Fatima. 'But he's the Greek god, while those Cupids are Roman, so he would fit better with the Aphrodite over there.'
'Pah! Like any of our clients notice the difference!'
Fatima and I exchanged a glance. Her eyes seemed to say, 'I bet you notice the difference.' We both smiled when we realised we were thinking the same thing. Denisha coughed to get our attention. She gave Fatima a meaningful look.
'Yes, right,' said Fatima, suddenly awkward. She looked at me. 'Um ... Denisha wants to talk to you in private first. So...' She looked over at Denisha. 'So, I'll go wait in the lounge and you send me a text when you're ready?'
'Yes,' said Denisha. 'And remember...'
'Yes, I know.'
Fatima gave me a quick smile and left, closing the door quietly behind her. I turned to Denisha with a quizzical look. Denisha smiled and pointed a thumb towards the jacuzzi.
'We can talk while you shower,' she said.
'I took a shower at home.'
'I know, I could smell it. But I like watching a naked man wash himself.'
She winked and went over to the bedside table to check that all the safe sex paraphernalia was present and correct. Not wanting to argue with a hot blonde in a silver bikini, I took off my clothes and piled them on an imitation Roman chair which looked like something off the set of
Gladiator.
I got into the jacuzzi tub and started washing myself with the shower attachment.
'Actually, I need that chair,' said Denisha. 'Can I move your clothes onto the couch?'
'Of course,' I said.
I watched as Denisha gathered up my clothing and took it over to the black velvet couch. Then, with some difficulty, she moved the hefty
Gladiator
chair so that it faced the bed. She saw me watching and smiled.