The Crib

As it turned out, 'the crib' did not refer to just any home. It was the name of a specific building at the south-west border of the city's party and red light district.

When the cab pulled up to the entrance, Larry hurried to Alex's side to continue his gentlemanly duties. The latter left the car, and confidently walked up to the entrance.

The house's walls were made of brick, leaving the classic terracotta colour bare to the eyes. The three visible floors above ground level had pristine white, wooden window frames and shutters. Some even had flower boxes hung from the sills.

The whole house had a modest English cottage air around it, with the exception of its much bigger size and the design of the main entrance. The latter was covered with a shade of matte black paint and had 'The Crib' written on it with gold letters - the door knob and peephole were missing.

Alex swiped a keycard on the seemingly empty doorframe, then stepped back to stand exactly at the centre of the door mat.

Just after two seconds, the entrance swung open, making a dimly lit room visible. Based on size and furniture, it resembled an everyday hotel reception hall.

The red, dark brown, black and gold colour palette with the occasional white gave a decadent and extravagant vibe - the perfect mix of a high-end hotel and an exclusive nightclub.

Besides the two who had just stepped inside, the place was vacant. Alex stopped halfway through the hall, in front of an elevator with Larry right beside her. Although she noticed the change in his relative position, she ignored it. 

"The reception desk is unmanned, just like the rest of the house. The only exception is a small control room with security personnel. Normally, you won't have anything to do with them. We have no communal bar or kitchen either. There are two underground floors with private dungeons and specialised rooms, which have a shared schedule between the club owners. The upper floors have normal hotel rooms with single beds, community areas, and a gym. There's a heated pool in the inner garden that can be sealed off during certain outdoor events. One of my pets will give you a tour later." 

While explaining all this, she stared at the elevator intently, not minding Larry's presence at all.

Just as she finished talking, as on que, the doors slid open, and a tall, lean, tanned man stepped out. His face hinted at Arabic roots. He had black, shoulder long curly hair, green eyes, and a goatee. His body hair was either waxed, or non-existent to begin with.

Donning only a pair of black satin lounge pants, he seemed to be in his early thirties. His posture, composure and energetic gait radiated perfect confidence and unshakable authority.

That is, until the point when he reached Alex. Then and there, he went on one knee in one fluid motion.

His authority transformed into sheer reverence the moment his right knee touched the floor at her feet. The confidence remained.

Larry observed in silence, still digesting the information he got about the establishment. Contrary to his expectations, for the first time since they met, he noticed a change in Alex's facial expression.

With a content smile on her face she reached for the kneeling man's jaw, and gently guided him back to his feet. Their eyes locked.

"He's not part of the pack yet. Contain yourself for now. You'll have the chance to put him in his place later." She told him in a mother's warm yet scolding tone, still holding his chin.

The last words brought Larry's attention to the man's hands - just to catch a glimpse of his fists before he relaxed them. 

"Take him to the playground. I'll fetch the rest and join you shortly." 

With the new instructions conveyed, she released the man's jaw who immediately stepped aside and bowed his head. Alex patted him, slightly ruffling his locks, then headed to the elevator. 

The appointed guide didn't budge, but that small gesture of hers reassured him one more time. His shoulders noticeably dropped by a couple inches.

When the elevator closed behind Alex, he finally took a look at Larry. He didn't hide his displeasure, but managed to keep his cool like a good boy.

"Follow me" He barked at the newcomer, and walked to a flight of stairs on the left side of the lobby. It led to the basement.

Larry was clueless about the reasons behind his animosity, but complied with the order regardless.

The march downstairs continued in utter silence. Larry did his best to memorise their route, but he soon had to give up on the idea.

The narrow hallways, completely uniform dark stone walls and floors, lack of decoration made him disoriented in space as well as time. He couldn't guess how long they walked inside that underground maze.

He also underestimated the size of the basement, thinking it covered the same area as the upper floors. In reality, it was a couple times larger.

Some of the hallways were accessible only with keycards, others led to dead ends. By the time Larry realised it was impossible for him to leave the basement on his own even with a keycard, his guide stopped in front of a leather padded door. 

'Lady X' was written on it. 

Both of them entered the vast, well-lit room. To nobody's surprise, tons of unique furniture and strange tools were everywhere.

Larry knew what could be found in places like this, but the playground exceeded his imagination. It would have taken hours just to simply examine everything one by one. Possibly, days.

There was even a throne at the other end of the room, in the centre. Made from ebony frame and red velvet cushions, the frame - especially the top of the backrest - was carved to imitate a wolf's body.

The throne was surrounded by several bean bag chairs, pillows, and short coffee tables. In the upper right corner from the entrance, there was a kitchenette with an espresso machine, a juicer, a sink and a small fridge.

Another corner looked like the love child of a barber's shop and a pet grooming station.

< So the upper floors are really just a front image. If this is only one private dungeon, the whole place must be enormous. > Thought Larry to himself as he slowly took in the sight.

"Stand there and don't move!" Commanded the guide with disdain on his face, pointing to a circle on the floor.

He then walked toward the kitchenette, and prepared two drinks. One of them was placed on the small, round crystal table next to the throne. The other one he kept to himself.

He elegantly settled on the bean bag closest to the throne, and kept sipping his drink with eyes closed. 

Silence fell on them again. Larry didn't understand why he was being ignored, or the reason he didn't get a drink. It should have been common courtesy to offer one to the guest.

With no better idea, he just stared at him silently, thinking about his resemblance to a panther or leopard. His peaceful daydreaming was cut short when Alex arrived with three other men right behind her.