Page 36 of Back Room Host

He smiled and took a sip of his beer. “How’s your project going? With the back rooms?”

I let out a frustrated sigh and combed my fingers through my hair. Although I had written a lot since Tuesday, I was still far from having a usable concept.

“Honestly? I’m starting to think I’m trapped in a back room. Maybe I’ve watched too much ofThe Matrix, but it feels like I’mpart of some absurd game. If you have any idea how I could get out of this, please. I’m open to anything.”

“Maybe you’re making it unnecessarily difficult for yourself.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, your back rooms are so abstract that I’m still not sure what exactly you mean by them. So, I just imagine these other back rooms.”

“What other back rooms? Do you mean … back rooms like in a club?”

I had to admit that since Juri mentioned it on Tuesday and Hector was the second person to bring it up, I had done some research. “Places where shady deals are made or … I also read that people go to such places to have sex.”

Juri shrugged nonchalantly, and suddenly, a flurry of thoughts filled my mind.

“Maybe you’re right, and it’s actually too abstract. If I were to focus on these club back rooms, then … But I don’t even know how I could gain access to such a back room.”

“That’s the least of your problems,” Juri said dryly.

“Are you saying you know … oh, I forgot you live in a brothel.”

“Nonsense! Back rooms are everywhere! That’s the whole point of it.”

“What do you mean everywhere? You can show me one if you know of any.”

“There’s one here.”

“What here? Here at the Exil?”

“Yeah, I had something with a bouncer from here. We … you know.”

“Seriously?” I could hardly believe it and stood up. “Then show me!”

But Juri remained seated and continued drinking his beer.

“What’s up? Or did you just bullshit me?”

13

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Luca

I railed behind Juri as we descended the steep stairs where the light was dim. The concert was still in full swing, so there were hardly any people down here. The bass reverberated from above in the hallway, but below the sound was more subtle. We passed the ladies’ and the men’s restroom. Juri headed toward a door labeledPRIVATE, which I had assumed was a utility room. It was only my second day working here at Exil, and I used the staff toilets. Before reaching the door, Juri glanced back at me. His serious expression unsettled me.

“Is this even legal?” I asked.

“Of course,” he said, putting his index finger to his lips.

While he was telling me to be quiet, it was precisely this gesture that made him so thrilling. “Do you realize that every time I meet you, my interest in you grows? You’re a really intriguing guy. Why do you resist being my muse?”

He ignored my question and instead, walked over to the door and knocked on it. Shortly after, the door creaked open, and a man peered out at us. I strained to catch snippets of Juri’s conversation with him but couldn’t make out any words. When the man’s gaze fell on me, I managed a hesitant smile. I wasn’t a guest here, and I just wanted to see the premises. A wave of relief washed over me when the guy nodded and let us in.

“Welcome to the cave,” he said as I followed Juri inside.

The cave?

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