Hidden Desire (Silk Grove part one)

Hidden Desire (Silk Grove
part one)

by Aurora Dupree

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2013 Aurora Dupree

***

This is a work of fiction. Names,
places, businesses, characters and incidents are either

the product of the author's imagination
or are used in a fictitious manner.

Any resemblance to actual persons
living or dead, actual events or locations is purely
coincidental.

“I'm still not sure how I feel about
this.”

Naomi examined herself in the mirror, the
sleek black dress clinging to her body. It looked expensive, sure,
but she felt like it was accentuating all the wrong areas. Her butt
stuck out at an awkward angle, and a little bit more of her
cleavage was exposed than she was comfortable with.

“Nonsense. You look fantastic.”

Cherish, her buxom, buoyant best friend,
obviously had no such qualms about dressing up. She was adorned in
a skintight red cocktail outfit, and Naomi couldn't help but feel
jealous. Not to mention her fiery red hair was hanging down her
back just perfectly so, while Naomi's own brunette frizzes had
taken many hours to straighten and untangle. She sighed, with the
sinking feeling that this was as good as she was going to get.

“What's the deal with this place again? Some
club?”

“It's not just any club,” Cherish said,
applying a final touch of lipstick to her mouth. “It's the Silk
Grove. The most exclusive place in the city. We never would have
gotten in if my friend who works for the magazine didn't drop our
names.”

“The Silk Grove, huh? I've never heard of
it.”

“That's because it's exclusive.”

“Can a place be
so
exclusive that no one knows about it?”

Cherish smirked.

“
Don't be a buzzkill. We're
going to go, and we're going to have a great time. Who knows, you
might even meet a rich, handsome guy there. Someone to get your
mind off of Clarence.”

Naomi had broken up with Clarence, her
ex-boyfriend, just a few weeks ago. He was a good-for-nothing:
lazy, slovenly, with no job and fewer prospects. But
still—sometimes even a shitty boyfriend was better than none at
all.

“
I doubt it. I bet all the
guys there will be douchey frat boy types.”

“
Naomi my love, you still
don't understand. This place is the crème de la crème. They
don't
let
douchey frat boy types in
here. They wouldn't even be able to get past the door.”

“
Still. I'm not
optimistic.”

“
That's an attribute you
should change if you want to have a good time.”

Much as she hated to admit it, Cherish was
right. There was truth in the whole bit about self-fulfilling
prophecy and all that. She was going to brace herself and try to
enjoy the evening, no matter how she felt about things.

They hailed a cab and soon they were whizzing
across the city. Cherish stuck her head out the window like an
overeager dog and hooted.

“
Silk Grove,
bitches!”

“
Jesus Christ, are you
trying to get yourself killed?”

She ducked back into the cab, grinning like a
Cheshire cat.

“
Lighten up. We're going to
have some fun tonight. I won't have any sort of pessimistic
attitude.”

Soon they arrived at the busy avenue. Up
ahead Naomi could see the front of the club. The name “Silk Grove”
adorned the building in tasteful script, with two swaying palm
trees on both sides. A long line of fashionable people were waiting
around the block, hemmed in by a velvet rope. The cab let them out,
and Cherish whisked them both to the front of the line, clutching
Naomi's arm.

“
Come on,” she said, her
voice ringed with anticipation. “We don't need to act like plebes
today. We've got a front row ticket.”

They approached the bouncers, two bald, burly
men who looked used to dealing with privileged, entitled
people.

“
Back of the line, ladies,”
one of the bouncers said. “Don't be clogging up the
flow.”

“
We're VIPs,” Cherish said.
“So you should let us inside.”

“
Are you on the
list?”

“
We'd better be!”

The bouncer scanned the clipboard in his
hand.

“
Names?”

“
Cherish Riley and Naomi
Spencer.”

“
All right, sorry about that
ladies. Come on in.”

Cherish turned to Naomi, smiling, and Naomi
nodded, impressed. The place did indeed look fancy. She couldn't
believe how quickly they were going to get in. The bouncer undid
the velvet rope and ushered them inside, much to the dismay of the
others waiting in line. They entered into the main vestibule, and
their eyes widened.

“
Wow, would you look at
that!”

There was an enormous fountain in the main
hallway, a pair of naked cherubs spraying water from their mouths.
The whole fountain was backlit with low mood lighting, and some
tinkling music played from speakers in the walls. The walls and
floor were constructed from a shiny marble, and the whole place had
the sheen of elegance. A host in a suit was there to greet them
immediately.

“
Welcome to the Silk Grove,”
he said, betraying just a hint of a French accent. “The bar is
straight ahead. The dance floor is to your right. Parlor and
relaxation rooms to your left. If you need anything, please let me
or another host know. My name is Elan, and it will be our pleasure
to serve you.”

“
Thank you,” Naomi said,
unable to suppress a giggle. “This is insane,” she whispered to
Cherish. “This must be where all the sports stars and celebrities
hang out.”

“
Come on, let's hit up the
bar,” Cherish said. “I could do with a nice
screwdriver.”

They went forward. The bar was massive,
taking up yards of the back wall. Beside the long rows of booze was
an enormous aquarium, full of bright tropical fish. The bar was
crowded, but not overly so. Naomi was wrong—these definitely
weren't the douchey fratboy types. She saw very elegant men and
women, the men dressed in tuxedos and cummerbunds, and the women in
some of the most fabulous, expensive dresses she had ever seen. For
a moment she felt like her own outfit was inadequate, but it seemed
like simply being inside the Silk Grove afforded them an aura of
privilege. No one was questioning their worth. They slid into seats
at the bar, where a handsome bartender quickly came and took their
orders.

“
Expensive,” Cherish said.
“But I guess that's the price you pay for luxury.”

“
It's worth it,” Naomi
agreed. “I don't think I've ever been in a place this nice in my
life.”

They'd been sitting there for little more
than five minutes before two men came strolling over, introducing
themselves as investment bankers. Naomi and Cherish talked to them
for a while, enjoying the conversation, and although they were
nice, they weren't really Naomi's type. Too concerned with money
and their careers. Cherish, however, seemed to be in seventh heaven
flirting with them. Naomi let them talk at each other for a while,
then excused herself.

“
I'm going to check out the
rest of the place,” she said, with Cherish barely acknowledging
her. “I'll catch up with you guys later.”

Finishing the rest of her vodka, Naomi walked
through the rest of the bar, deciding to see what the dance floor
was all about. There were a few finely attired people shaking a
move on the lacquered floor, but most people were milling around,
talking. Although Naomi liked to dance, she wasn't about to go
parading around out there by herself. At least, not before she had
a few more drinks. Instead, she made a slow traverse of the dance
floor, finally setting herself down at a table near the edge and
people watching.

It was hard to discern the demographics of
the crowd. Most of them looked either rich or connected into some
scene, be it music, movies, or the like. She felt out of place and
a little shy. She felt as if she should talk to someone, but it
wasn't like her to go and start making random conversation. If only
she were as bold as Cherish, then maybe things wouldn't be so hard
for her. She ordered another drink, her head in the clouds, lost in
her own thoughts, when a man sat down across from her at the
table.

“
Having a good
night?”

She turned. Unlike most of the club's
patron's, the man was dressed relatively casually, in a designer
shirt and slacks. He was exceptionally tall, close to six and a
half feet, and he had short dark hair combed to the side. He had a
look on his face that suggested he wasn't entirely enamored with
the silk Grove, either.

“
It's fine,” Naomi said,
blushing a bit. “It's my first time here. Not really sure what to
make of it.”

“
Everyone's a little nervous
their first time,” the man said, sitting down across from her
without so much as asking. He extended a hand. “My name is Ricardo
Blackwell.”

“
Naomi Spencer.”

“
Pleased to meet you. Naomi.
I've always liked that name.” He gave her a steely gaze.

“
The bar and dancefloor are
boring,” Ricardo said, continuing his line of thought from earlier.
“The relaxation rooms are really where the fun's at.”

“
Oh yeah? What goes on in
the relaxation rooms?”

“
Well there's only one way
to find out, isn't there?”

“
Right,” she said, rolling
her eyes. “And I bet you're going to ask me to come with you there.
Well, you seem very nice, Ricardo, but I don't think
so.”

Actually, she didn't think he seemed nice. He
was handsome, sure, but he was also pretty damn forward, and she
wasn't used to such brazenness.

“
Now who's presuming?” he
said. “I was just telling you how it is. Most people in the Silk
Grove have something to prove. Not me. And neither do you. You seem
different from all the others.”

“
Different? Different
how?”

He waved an arm.

“
Doesn't matter. I'll be
around, Naomi. Come find me.”

She looked up, and he was gone. Naomi rubbed
her eyes, like he had been an apparition or a phantom. Did everyone
in the Silk Grove talk in such riddles?

She decided to go back and look for Cherish,
make sure she hadn't done anything she would regret. Naomi walked
past the dance floor and the pretty, manicured people, past the
long aquarium and the bar. She sighed. All of these people would
continue to live their fancy, fulfilling lives, while she would go
back to her job as a desk clerk tomorrow. She felt like Cinderella,
after the clock had struck midnight. This was just a fairytale for
her, and soon the dream was going to be extinguished.

Back at the table, Cherish had her arm
wrapped around a male admirer, and they were talking and laughing
together. Naomi stared at her, feeling a little twinge of
jealousy.

“
Hey there, partner,”
Cherish said. “Me and Frank here were going to go check out the
relaxation rooms. You want to come along?”

“
I don't know,” Naomi said.
“I don't really want to be the third wheel.”

“
Nonsense,” said Frank, who
cut a striking figure despite his strong cologne. “There are no
third wheels at the Silk Grove.”

“
Jesus,” Naomi said. “Silk
Grove this, Silk Grove that. I'm already here, and people won't
shut up about the place. Fine, I'll go check out these damn
relaxation rooms, see what all the fuss is about. But don't expect
me to be impressed.”

“
Lighten up,” Cherish said,
slinging her arm over Frank's shoulder. “No need for a
freakout.”

“
I'm not,” Naomi said,
crossing her arms. They headed away from the bar and south toward
the relaxation rooms. To her left a piano tinkled a soft jazz
number. Naomi could hear laughter and carousing up
ahead.

Another host clad in a dark suit waited to
meet them at the entrance.

“
Right this way,” he said,
waving them along with a smile. “The Peacock room is vacant, for
your pleasure.”

“
The rooms have names?”
Cherish whispered to her. But they didn't argue. The three of them
stepped inside the Peacock room.

“
Wow,” Naomi said. “This
place is incredible.”