Page 66 of At the Heart of It
“Probably not.”
Kate’s gaze landed on two topless women groping each other in the corner while their male partners watched. Startled, she looked back at Jonah.
“Maybe we should keep our eyes on each other for now,” she said. “Some of this can’t be unseen.”
He laughed. “Good idea.”
“Let me buy you a drink. It’s the least I can do since you came down here to rescue me.”
“I’d definitely feel better if I had something to do with my hands.” He winced. “Besides the obvious.”
Kate gave a nervous laugh and caught the bartender’s eye. He gave her a just-a-minute signal, so she turned back to Jonah. “What can I get you?”
She watched as he leaned across the bar, squinting in the dim light of the club. “Looks like they’ve got Boneyard on draft.”
“Is that the name of a cocktail, or was that slang for a sex act?”
“It’s a beer. Made by Boneyard Brewery. They make the best IPA known to man.” The bartender approached, and Jonah looked up at him. “Pint of RPM, please.”
“Can you put it on my tab?” Kate added.
“Sure thing.”
Kate watched the guy pour the beer and wondered if she should spend some time Googling the brewing industry. She had no idea what RPM or IPA stood for, but she was curious. The beer she’d sampled at Jonah’s had been a pleasant surprise, and she wanted to try more.
She spun her glass of vodka soda on the counter and looked around again. Two women and a man linked hands and disappeared through a doorway Kate knew led to one of the playrooms. Her mind filled with images of what might happen next. Touching, and kissing and undressing. Writhing bodies, skin slick with sweat as breath came faster. The sound of gasps and moans and?—
“How would you even film in a place like this?”
She looked back at Jonah to see he had his beer already. He was watching her over the rim as he took a long sip.
She swallowed and hoped like hell he couldn’t read minds. “We’d have to do some tricky things with lights, but?—”
“No, I meant legally. Surely they’re not going to let you run around with a camera crew in a swingers lounge.”
“Oh, that. I’ve already talked with the owner. If we go ahead with it, she’d open the club during off-hours and invite members to show up if they want to be on camera. They’d all sign waivers, of course.”
“You think enough people would do it?”
“It’s like you said about the voyeur thing,” Kate said. “If enough people like being watched, we’d have no trouble.”
“Anything for five minutes of fame.” Jonah took another sip of his beer, then set it down on the bar. “Damn, that’s good. Seriously the best IPA on the planet.”
She bit her lip. “May I try a sip?”
“Be my guest.”
He nudged the glass in front of her, and Kate picked it up. She sniffed it first, trying to remember what Jonah had told her about olfactory senses and beer tasting. “It smells like pine sap,” she said. “And citrus. Lemons, maybe. Or tangerines.”
“I know they use Citra hops in there, so that makes sense.”
She took a cautious sip. “Wow.” She tried a bigger swallow. “That’s really good. It’s—I can’t think of the right word.”
“Hoppy,” he said. “IPAs are known for having a high hop content, and this is one of the hoppiest. I’m actually a little surprised you like it. IPA isn’t usually a good starter beer for people who aren’t used to it.”
“I love it. Actually, I might like to have my own.” She caught the server’s eye and signaled her for another, nudging her vodka soda aside.
She took the frosty pint from the bartender and folded her hands around it. “Thank you,” she said. “This is good enough to actually drink.”
