Page 25 of Feast

Yeah, he really did.

Music throbbed through The Cosmic Oxen and my eardrums ached. We walked a bit further and finally approached the thick velvet curtains that led onto the main floor. I stopped, looking back at Spider. He nodded and ushered me forward.

Don't worry, Indi. I’m right here.

I stepped into the strip club, shadowed by Spider. The two of us clung to the wall, acting casual as we scanned the main floor. The Cosmic Oxen was exactly how I remembered it, dripping with luxury and the ambience that made every man in here feel as if he’d actually had a chance of getting lucky. It reeked of rich desperation, a feeling I once knew all too well.

Where is she?

As I looked up, I noticed the large crystal chandelier hanging down from the center of the ceiling, glowing a dull red color. Branching out from it were long strips of fabric that draped from the center of the ceiling and out towards the walls, which were covered in a deep tufted velvet material and mirrors. The room was large and spacious, filled with countless round tables where practically every chair was filled with a drunken fucker. The bar on the opposite side of the joint was also packed, flowing with drinks. And front and center of the entire strip club was a decent sized stage. Behind it were large LED screens that strobed and flashed behind the dancers as they swung on the gold poles under spotlights, bathing in dollar bills. There were a few other poles perched throughout the room, surrounded by more tables, but the center stage was where the real action was.

I bet that’s where Indi will be. But where is Kief?

I gave the room another scan. Nearly every seat was filled with men; half of the fuckers were doped up and smoking, throwing cash at half-naked women as if it were nothing more than offering spare change to a vagrant. A handful of servers dressed in lingerie pranced around as some of the customers drunkenly tried to cop a feel, shoving tips in their tiny straps and slapping their asses as they pretended to be unbothered.

I shook my head.

This place is exactly how I fucking remembered it.

Just then, every light in The Cosmic Oxen shifted, rolling around the room as it faded from deep blood red color to a vibrant jade green. The music changed, and various hot pink lasers and spotlights strobed through the entire room as smoke began to seep from a trap door on the main stage.

Still just as over the top as ever.

And through the smoke rose a large pink cage with a woman inside.

Spider smacked my arm, pointing, but I already knew who was inside. But what I didn’t know was what she would be wearing…in front of all these people.

God damn it, Indi.

My jaw tightened as I struggled to keep calm. Seeing her in that pink cage, wearing a classic black playboy-like bodysuit which had silver links extending from her waist that connected to the cage, keeping her in place.

Good…now, keep your fucking clothes on.

Indi played with the little bow collar around her neck and wore a solid black bunny mask which kept most of her face hidden. Thank god she chose to wear the brown-colored eye contacts, or else she’d have already given herself away.

A voice shot through the room as it carried over the speakers with a hint of static. “Good evening, gentlemen! Tonight we have a very special guest to wet your whistles!” The room cheered, pissing me off some more. “So pull out those bills and direct your eyes to the main stage as we welcome…Venus!”

Fucking Venus.

Music blared from the speakers as the patrons of the strip club hooted and hollered, overly excited at the sight of her. She swung her long, natural black hair around and moved her hips, dancing in a way that had even me convinced she might be a stripper. I didn’t like the way everyone was looking at her, ogling over her body…but what bothered me most was the way she was beaming. That smile on her face and the look in her eyes told me she was having the time of her life. And I fucking hated it.

Maybe I should consider religion…’cause this might as well be fucking hell.

Spider leaned in, whispering loudly into my ear. “I know I’m not exactly up to date on things around here, but why a bunny mask?”

I groaned, trying to move away from him. “It’s one of Dream’s. We didn’t exactly have time to prepare, so we took what we could get.” I watched as Indi shot her legs out and gripped the bars of the cage, making a seductive face. “Plus, Indi didn’t want to have to wear another wig. So, to keep her face hidden and her natural hair free, they decided on a mask.”

“Oh.” I nodded. “Well, I just hope she keeps that little collar on and the back of her neck covered.”

I looked over at him, confused. “Why?”

He tilted his head. “Know anyone else with the name Haze inked across the back of their neck?”

I tried not to smile and adjusted my posture before changing the subject. “Any sign of Kief?” He shook his head. “It’s almost midnight. He⁠—”

I nearly choked on my words as I watched Indi grip a little zipper on the front of her bodysuit and slowly pull at it, unzipping the front. She moved around in the cage, revealing the smallest black set of lingerie which sparkled as she danced.

Oh…I’m going to kick Felix’s ass.