The scent of tea and sake filled the air as you stepped through the doors, a merry greeting from the bartenders letting all in the club know a new patron had arrived. You heard the hum of voices, felt the weight of eyes, and you gripped the strap of your bag tighter.
You smoothed your dress, bit your lip, and hesitated for a minute as you glanced around; a flicker of low light from candles on tables combined with dimmed wall sconces was all you had to warm the shadows of the room. The colors of black, mahogany, and dark green were splashed across the room, and though it was soothing you still felt out of your element, unsure of what to do next.
This was your first time to a host club. Honestly, it wasn’t because you felt anything against them, it was more because the one worth wasting your time on was very, very expensive. Enough to make your heart race when you saw the starting price for hourly renting rates.
But your friends had gotten you a coupon, a metallic blue colored paper that you assumed had a prepaid amount on it. They had said something along the lines of, ‘you deserve to be spoiled’, ‘see how you should be treated’, and various other uplifting things. You had tried to give the slip of paper back, they had insisted, saying it was non-refundable and they had split the cost between the five of them.
You shook your head, pulling yourself from your thoughts as someone dressed in a charcoal grey suit, a light blue shirt, and silver tie approached you. He was tall, his eyes a swirling hazel blue and his hair buzzed at the base of his skull. The short strands left from the undercut were dyed a cobalt blue to match the highlights running though the longer locks of white on his crown.
His ivory skin practically shimmered in the low lights of club, his plump lips curved into a welcoming smile, and when he tilted his head curiously the piercings in his ear and along the curve of his neck glimmered enticingly.
“’Lo little one,” he said calmly. “Wha’ brings ya here? Lookin’ for someone, maybe somethin’, special?”
He leaned against the wall next to you and grinned.
“My friends bought me this,” you said, hesitating for a moment, before handing him your coupon. “Know where to cash it?”
The man’s eyebrow rose, and he whistled lowly, “Some nice friends ya got there. This is for a platinum membership.”
He waved to someone across the room. There was the sound of a shout and whoever it was made their way through the tables and various clients.
“While I wai’ for my boss, lemme introduce myself, darlin’,” he said and dipped into a short bow with a playful flourish. “Name’s Maddox, though prefer Dox for short.”
You smiled, offering your hand to shake while you introduced yourself, “Nice to meet you.”
He pressed a ghost of a kiss to the back of your hand, his eyes catching yours, “The pleasure is mine ’m sure.”
You flushed with his words and the heat of his breath against your skin. The sound of steps alerted you to the arrival of another and you looked over your shoulder. The man who joined the two of you was shorter than the mass of muscle that was just releasing your hand. However, dressed in a dark gray suit, a satiny red shirt, and a white tie, he stood out. He carried himself with not only confidence, but obvious authority and his heterochromatic eyes raked over your form in curiosity.
“What do you need?”
The man’s black hair was shaved short and then gradually grew longer the farther it went up his head, until it was long enough it touched his chin, it swept off to one side. The only length on the bottom was a single braid just off center near the base of his skull. You dropped your gaze, the unearthly power he seemed to hold in his blue and hazel green eyes made you skittish. He smiled widely, gently but you were staring at the ground and didn’t see the way his entire face changed with the warmth in his smile.
“There ya are, Azzie,” Maddox said. “This lil one has a membership coupon.”
You tilted your head and looked up at the newcomer, “Azzie?”
You could not believe this strong man was named something so soft.
“Azrael, miss. Pleased to meet you. You have a membership coupon?” he asked, taking the paper from Dox with a raised brow. “Not something we get often.”
“My friends-,” you trailed off into a squeak.
Azrael smiled, “Some generous friends you have.”
Maddox watched the exchange with a critical eye, watching every expression with a mind that forgot nothing. If he were your date for the night, he would remember what you responded to best, he’d make sure of it.
Azrael pursed his lips, eyes trailing over the coupon and then moved over to the bar, “Well we need to get your card made. Why don’t you follow me?”
You nodded, Dox shot you a smile and a quick wink before he sauntered off to a table. Following behind Azrael you felt so exposed, you swore several pairs of eyes were on you. He stopped at the bar, a woman with tufted ears and an opalescent cat tail was wiping down a glass while another woman with large ringlets of cherry wine hair leaned against the bar, her plum dress sparkling in the low light.
It was interesting, the two were so different, the one with cat-like features was tiny and almost androgenous except for the softness to her face and hips, her long dark brown hair weaved into a graceful plait. The other woman whose chocolate brown eyes watched you and Azrael approached with a glimmer of interest, was likely taller than average when she stood and curvy, everything about her screamed elegance.
“Meet Genesis and Scarlette. Genesis is our bartender and Scarlette is a hostess,” the man next to you pointed to each woman in turn. “Genesis would be the one to help with making you a membership card.”
“Wait… when you say ‘make’ my card, what do you mean? It’s not just with that slip of paper?” you asked, tilting your head.
He grinned, “A platinum membership gives you access to come in and out during our open hours at any time without waiting in line. It also allows you three hours after our doors close to the public, which is time only allowed to gold members and above. It gets you free drinks, but not free food, and gets you a single host or hostess for the night. Also, you have a discounted rate to the back rooms. It has to be a plastic card because it lasts for six months.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
You bit your lip and looked at the coupon he held, how much had your friends spent?
“And I can’t return it?” you asked, worried about them going bankrupt.
Scarlette leaned back, “All sales are final, love.”
Her movements were sultry, lazy, meant to draw the eye to her cleavage and the way the hem of dress slipped up to expose a milky thigh. You couldn’t help but let your gaze cling to the way her skin seemed to almost glow with the enticing promise of a good night. When looked back up at her face she had the smuggest smirk stretching her lips.
“You’re staring, little sparrow,” she purred.
You felt twists form in your stomach, and you glanced down at your shoes. You heard Scarlette chuckle slightly as Azrael leaned over the bar, handing Genesis the coupon, she smiled and when you looked up you caught the glint of sharp fangs.
The long cat-like ears on the sides of her head flicked as she read the coupon, “You must be loaded to be able to afford a platinum.”
Her words were blunt and crass, unlike her petite soft face, and the vertical pupils of her ice blue eyes observed you with criticism. As if you were someone trying to garner her attention and she was the farthest thing from impressed.
“It was a gift from some friends,” you mumbled, suddenly feeling small, feeling so miniscule and useless with just the glance she sent your way.
“Hm, alright,” she said. “Why don’t you sit down at that table over there. Azrael can you stay a moment, I need your key?”
You slipped off as they went to work fashioning your card, finding yourself at an empty table. Well, it was empty until you set your bag down, you felt the prickle unease again and you turned to be greeted with a pair of violent purple eyes. This man was pale, his skin so white it was almost translucent, and his hair was a stark contrast of pitch black. It was styled in soft spikes, and his grin was sly as his eyes slipped down your torso and up again. His suit was a deep enough black to match his hair with a silk grey shirt underneath, and a purple tie whose knot was practically around his pecs.
He didn’t even try to hide his interest. Your lip curled in derision, even as desire burst to life in your veins. He held out his hand silently, the intensity in his eyes making you shiver and yet you slipped your hand into his.
He shook it once, his fingers brushing along the soft skin of your inner wrist. His heavy gaze not once leave yours even as he dragged his fingers from your grasp, slipping the roughened pads all the way down your palm. Your hand twitched in response and his smile grew.
“I’m Darren, nice to meet you,” his voice was smokey and dark, making another shiver roll through your spine.
You gave him your name in exchange, “Nice to meet you too.”
Your tongue was so dry and thick. There was the sound of shuffling and Darren glanced over his shoulder, rolling his eyes with a scoff.
“Damn, well looks like Azrael sent someone to make sure you weren’t poached, give the others a fighting chance and all,” he shrugged his shoulders and walked away with his thumbs in his pockets. “See ya later, sweet thing.”
You pursed your lips, looking to the door to see who had saved you. The man who walked out of the shadows had to be the tallest yet, he was probably barely able to make it through doorways without ducking. His body was huge and muscular and unlike the other men he didn’t wear an eye-catching suit. Instead, a plain black shirt that barely hid his build and a pair of worn jeans clung to his body.
His hair was a silvery gray and his ears long and pointed, with a fringe of gray fur around the outer edge of the shell. A length of hair fell into his face, hiding some of the most striking copper eyes you’d ever seen.
He sported a series of numbers in a tattoo, and you could see the edges curving around his neck. There was some sort of darker tint to his skin in a swirling pattern up passed the collar of his shirt, and scars, so many scars nicked his face and his ears.
You were staring you knew that, but he was silent, not greeting you, not breaking your train of thought and you wondered if everyone here was just drop dead gorgeous.
He grunted, “Hey, you just gonna stare?”
You blinked, “Oh god sorry! What’s your name?”
You offered yours and he squinted, tilting his chin, “’M Kern.”
And that was all, he didn’t flirt, he didn’t try to embellish, and you blinked in surprise. What kind of host was this man? He must not have been a very good one. Before you could ask or just generally make a fool of yourself, Azrael appeared again, coming to your rescue. Behind him trailed the various hosts, hostesses, and the bartender you’d met earlier.
“Alright, you’re all set up,” he said with a smile that melted your worries away. “Next is choosing your first companion for your first date. It can be either tonight or whenever you next come in. They’ll cater to you appropriately since you are new to this kind of stuff. If you do it at another time just make sure to set a reservation with the specific person you choose tonight.”
Do you choose-
1.Kern- the stoic bouncer, Click Here
2.Darren- the arrogant and flirtatious host, Click Here
3.Maddox- the calculating and courteous number one host, Click Here
4.Scarlette- the seductive hostess, Click Here
5.Genesis- the brash and judgmental bartender, Click Here
6.You’re not sure you want to go through with this- Azrael’s route, Click Here