Back Rooms Novels & Stories

I wasn’t here to lose, but I was out of chips and out of options. He leaned across the table, his voice low, dripping with intent. “Backroom. Now. We settle this my way.” My stomach twisted, a mix of dread and heat, but I nodded, following him through the crowd. The backroom was a dive, a step down from the casino’s glitz. A single poker table sat under a flickering bulb, the felt stained with spilled drinks. The air smelled of stale beer and sex. I stood by the table, my black dress clinging to my sweat-damp skin. Marcus shut the door, the lock clicking with a finality that made my thighs clench.

Robert exclaimed. I followed his gaze, finding her and Aaron dragging a suitcase behind them. They snuck around inconspicuously—like they were up to no good. I had no intention of meddling in their lives anymore, but Robert was incredibly curious, insisting on dragging me along for a closer look. When I saw them enter a designer resale store, I began to suspect something. "Isn't that the watch I gave you for your birthday two years ago?" asked Robert, pointing at the limited-edition designer watch inside.

I decided not to call Avery ahead of time about my coming- I wanted to know if they are working on it like they told my uncle. I slipped back into my jacket, told Lena I was going to check out the issue and then left my office. I took the elevator to the 4th floor where the IT department was located.

“So… I’m guessing that these back rooms are for – entertainment purposes?” “Yeah, you can say that. I mean, you saw that two of them are actually games rooms – you saw the pool tables, right? – but the others are literal crash rooms that people can rent to sleep over. Sometimes the boys stay overnight for some reason, like when their place is getting some work done or something like that. That’s why we have sofa beds and showers in the rooms. But yeah, if a room is free and the booze is flowing and the mood strikes, bar patrons can come down to an empty room and… well. You know.” “Fling their clothing off in all directions,” she finished for him. “Got it.”

The old penthouse at the edge of the docks was nothing like Jaxon’s usual haunts. It had no polished marble floors or expensive leather furnishings. It smelled faintly of rust and salt, the walls scarred from a time when it had served as a discreet safehouse for fleeing clients and dying secrets. But now, it would become something else, something colder. Strategic. A war room.

"You think you can just walk away from twenty-plus years of living it up with the Lloyds? You think you can ever make up for all that?" I just kept my eyes on the ground. I just did not get these people. They could not stand me, and I was not even a Lloyd anymore. So why weren't they happy I was gone? However, somehow, I was still there, stuck with the Lloyds for the time being. My old room, the one that was once mine, was then Walter's. Me? I was downgraded to the nanny's room, a place I never thought I would sleep in.

His wife’s broken moans. He didn’t move. Didn’t speak. He simply turned and went back to his room, closing the door with careful quiet. The suspicion that had been smoldering for days had finally caught flame. And it was burning everything in its path.

I struggled hard, trying to pull my hands free, but the restraints wouldn't budge no matter how hard I twisted. That was when the realization finally hit me. My mother ran an adult shop. And this had to be that new specialty bed she had recently ordered. It had built-in mechanisms. Once triggered, the restraints would lock automatically, and only someone outside could disable it. Earlier, I had been so exhausted that I grabbed the first bed I saw in the back room and passed out. I hadn't even noticed it was the brand-new display model. I must've hit one of the triggers in my sleep. Now the damn thing had my arms and legs locked in place.

"You want your sweet Krissy? You fuck your hot Megan, it's really simple." I let go of his hair and leaned back. "Now go tell that little red headed slut that I need to talk to you and that were going in the back room." I paused then added; "Now." Mark turned and went down to Cynthia. I saw her nod and Mark made his way back to me and lifted the gate at the end of the bar. I smiled at him and then followed as he went into the back. The back room was mostly for storage but Mitch had made a small office for himself next to the staircase that led to the deserted second floor. A couple of years ago a fire had destroyed the two apartments up there and Mitch had never fixed them.

Somewhere deeper inside, I thought I heard the faint drip of water. Room after room, I searched. I found a parlor with peeling wallpaper, and a storage closet that smelled of mold. Each one felt wrong, as though eyes watched me from the shadows. And then I reached the back room. At first, it looked like little more than a storage space. Crates stacked in one corner, old rags tossed into a bin. But the air here was heavier, the scent was stronger with that sweet and sour scent, threaded with something that made my wolf snarl.