Eclipsed Hearts

Locked Doors

[Bailey]

When I got out of the restroom, I headed back to the main room quickly. I knew these parties were normally about consent and being open, but there was a dark and creepy feeling about the whole thing. None of the swinger parties I’d been to before had that feeling.

The werewolf obviously corrupted it. He turned a weird little kink gathering into a nasty, perverted thing. When we finish here, I'd be glad to never return. Even if we heard he was here on another day, I wouldn’t be coming. I had boundaries, and I wouldn’t let this hunt force me to cross them.

As I was crossing the main gathering area, the tinkling of a bell rang out over the gentle drone of the crowd. I pushed to move a little faster. The crowd seemed to get denser as people stilled and turned to the entrance of the room.

The hosts came into the room and headed toward the stairs. I got a little further into the room before a wall of people stopped me. I couldn’t see Ian. Turning to the stairs in defeat, I figured I could move after whatever announcement they made was over.

As the hosts climbed the stairs, the crowd fell into a hushed silence. I strained to catch a glimpse of Ian among the sea of faces, but he was nowhere to be seen. Damn it.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for… coming… tonight. We appreciate the attendance. All exits have been locked and external windows are covered. If you have a phone, turn it off and store it with your clothing. I know you’re familiar with the rules, but we feel the need to reiterate them. Have fun, be safe, and listen for the bells,” the male host told everyone.

For the life of me, I couldn’t remember his name. I didn’t really care all that much. People started moving to the sides of the room. I started looking around for Ian more.

When I saw him, he jerked his head to the side of the room where the women were entering an open door. He turned and followed the men. I didn’t want to stay in this place, but I’d done this before. It was part of the job.

I navigated my way through the shifting crowd, my eyes never leaving Ian as he disappeared through the open door with the other men. The air in the room felt heavier now, thick with anticipation and something darker that I couldn’t quite place. Despite my unease, my training kicked in, and I moved with purpose toward the door with the other women.

As I stepped through the threshold, the atmosphere shifted once more. The room beyond was dimly lit, shadows dancing along the walls as if they were alive. A low murmur filled the space as women chattered while taking off their clothes and hanging them in the large walk-in closet. They turned off their phones and put them in drawers in the middle of the room.

Mrs. Peterson came over and guided me to the side of the room. She smiled warmly.

“Just make sure you put your phone in the drawer that corresponds to your hanger number.”

“I didn’t bring it. My purse only has a little makeup in it,” I replied.

“That’s fine. You can put your purse in the drawer. It’s small enough to fit. I’ll stay with you. Anthony told me to keep an eye out for you.”

I appreciated that, but I was still on my guard. Hunters don’t trust anyone but other hunters. I still smiled and dipped my head gratefully before taking my dress off and hanging it up.

As each woman disrobed and stored their belongings, the tension in the air grew thicker, suffocating almost. It wasn’t the type of tension I was used to. They were excited and some of them were starting the ‘activities’ early.

Once I finished putting my things away, I went to stand with the older woman. From across the room, I saw Marybeth and Colette eyeing me. It was a struggle not to cover myself.

Mrs. Peterson seemed to see them as well. She pulled me closer to her and tipped my head up with one finger. She leaned in very close, touching her nose to mine, then turning her head and dipping down next to my ear.

“I’m going to make sure they don’t get you. Those are two nasty bitches. We protected Anthony from them and their husbands when he started coming with us. He seems to really like you. I won’t let them touch you,” she whispered.

Her hand slid to the curve of my back and pressed my body against hers. With a slight hesitation, I put my hands on her shoulders. Mrs. Peterson and I stood there for a moment, her warmth and support unnerving but, at the same time, comforting.

When the other women moved toward the doors, she let me go. Her hand found mine, and she pulled me along with her. I let her lead me off.

She took me through a maze of dimly lit corridors, navigating the darkened rooms as if she were born to guide others through the labyrinth. We passed men who eyed us with a mixture of lust and envy, their gazes lingering longer than necessary. I kept my eyes forward, maintaining a sense of decorum.

Mrs. Peterson led me into a room and closed the door. I looked around the room. This wasn’t a bedroom or anything. There was a weird little bench in the center of the room. It seemed like someone had shoved the rest of the furniture out of the way and arranged it around the room.

Her husband was standing in the shadows, but I didn’t see Ian in the room. The lock on the door clicked, and I knew what was happening. Mrs. Peterson came up behind me as her husband approached.

“Sorry, I had to trick you a little. My husband likes you and he let me have Anthony when I liked him. It would be unfair not to let him have what he wants. That’s what we’re here for,” she said as her arms wrapped around me and her hands caressed my breasts. “It’s what you’re here for. This is what these parties are about.”

I nodded. Once I finished with them, I could go back to the party to find out more about the werewolf. Maybe I could get them to reveal more about where we could find him. If he hooked up with the hosts, like Ian said he did, then maybe the werewolf hooked up with others and revealed the place he lived.

Reaching out for Mr. Peterson, I welcomed the man to me. He sped up and started kissing me as soon as he reached me. His wife’s hand slipped off of one of my breasts and down to my panties.

Mr. Peterson’s touch was rough and urgent, his hands exploring my body with a hunger that made my skin crawl. I forced myself to feign enthusiasm, knowing that any hint of resistance would only make things worse. Mrs. Peterson's fingers slipped inside me, forcing a whimper to escape from my lips.

Her husband groaned into my mouth. His hand gripped my arms tightly, and he held me close as he kissed more. His hips moved, pushing the heel of his wife’s hand against me.

“You’re liking this a lot,” Mrs. Peterson purred into my ear.

Mr. Peterson stopped kissing my mouth and nibbled his way to my other ear. Their hands roamed my body, their breath hot in my ears as they whispered lewd suggestions. I could feel their excitement building, the anticipation of what was to come.

Suddenly, the door slammed open. I looked toward the door and saw Ian. The look on his face was half feral.

The Petersons froze. Ian stormed over and grabbed my arm, yanking me out of the grasp of the older couple. He held me tightly against him.

Ian was just as unclothed as Mr. Peterson, wearing only emerald green boxer briefs that were tight enough that I could see outlines of things. He didn’t even look at me.

“She’s mine,” he growled.

“This place is about sharing. You said you were up for sharing her, Anthony,” Mrs. Peterson said and reached a hand out to Ian. “Let’s go find a room with a bed and the four of us can enjoy our time together. We used to have a good time together.”

“No,” Ian replied before backing up a bit and throwing me up on his shoulder.

He didn’t even give me a moment to adjust before he turned and walked out of the room. I could see the older couple looking offended. Letting my head fall, I tried not to laugh.

“You didn’t want that,” he mumbled.

“It’s part of the job. Not the first time I’ve had to do things with people for the hunt. Why did you stop it? I told you I can take care of myself,” I replied.

“He changed up his plan. Someone said he was telling them that he has to change things up because someone is stalking him. We’re leaving. You better start looking sick as hell or something. They only let people out for medical reasons.”

“My dress and purse….”

“I’ll make sure you get repaid for them. I’m leaving my clothes, too. You can’t stay here.”

“Take me to get my clothes and go get yours. Trust me, okay?” I asked.

He huffed, but changed his direction. Ian entered the changing room for women and put me on my feet so I could get my things. I told him to get his stuff. This wasn’t that hard.

I tied the dress around my waist and picked up my shoes. After grabbing my bag, I headed to the room where Ian was getting his things. He was wearing his pants and shoes. His shirt and jacket were on, but open, and his tie was sticking out of his pocket.

Going up to him, I took his hand and started pulling him out of the room. I led him to a door that was locked. Before I went to the restroom earlier, I pulled out one of the eyeliner pencils out of my purse. It had a gold tip at the flat end. That way I wouldn’t confuse it with real eyeliner. I took the lid off and dug around for the other part of my lock-picking kit.

Without another word, I went to work on the lock. It was an office when I went in there earlier with an external door. When I felt the lock give, I turned the knob quietly and rushed Ian in. I closed the door behind us and relocked it.

“How did you know about this place?” Ian asked.

“I found it earlier. Why?”

“I’m fairly certain this is the werewolf’s office. Let’s look through some stuff before we go,” he whispered.

With a nod, I gestured to the desk and started peeking through the papers in the single filing cabinet in the room. Ian went to the desk. It worked out better than expected.