Rose & Thorn: Liv/Rhea

Chapter 2

Rhea was trying her best not to laugh, but Liv's fascination with her new Rose & Thorn membership card was adorable. She kept tilting it in the light. "Any time I saw someone with a silver card backstage," Liv said, "I always just figured it was a platinum credit card. What if it was one of these?"

"Could have been," Rhea agreed. She nodded at the clerk, quietly thanking him for his patience. The Rose & Thorn staff were renowned for their professionalism, but she knew he must have been amused by Liv's enthusiasm. He had stowed their wallets and cell phones along with Liv's copy of her contract, leaving them with just their membership cards to take in with them. Rhea tucked hers into her pocket and glanced over at Liv. "So where do you want to start? The tour?"

Liv narrowed her eyes as she looked up at her. "You didn't answer all my questions," she accused with a playful grin. "I asked you if you'd been to this location before and how many there are, and you didn't tell me."

It took Rhea a moment to think. Rose & Thorn had been a fixture of her wrestling life for so long that she almost took it for granted. She had come with people she was dating and on her own, sometimes with something in mind and other times looking to be surprised. "I'm pretty sure I've been to this one before," she said at last, "but maybe not for a while. And I don't know many locations there are, honestly. Lots." She reached over and tapped Liv's card. "You can check on the site. I know some people who scout out the locations as soon as we get our touring schedules."

"Have you ever... stayed at one? Like a hotel?" Liv giggled a bit when Rhea held the door open for her.

"A few times, yeah. I try not to do it too much when we're on tour, because it means the road crew can't get in touch with me." Rhea pointed back to the front desk just as the door shut behind them. "And you know what the McMahons are like when they call you and you don't answer."

Liv started to grimace, but then her eyes went wide, taking in the splendour before her. Any resemblance to an abandoned warehouse ended out in the lobby. On this side of the smoky glass doors, everything was sleek and swooping, looking like something out of a science-fiction utopia. The colour scheme was a little bright for Rhea's liking, but she hardly came for the decor. Once Liv peeled her gaze away from the decorations, she started noticing people and her eyes went even wider. A woman wearing only thigh-high boots was leading a man across the large room by a leash. "People bring leashes?" Liv asked, voice squeaking.

Rhea just smiled and nudged her towards a large display board made of frosted glass. "You can, but they also have gear that you can rent. See?" She pointed to a few green zones on the club map. "Those are little stores where you can rent gear. Stuff like lube is obviously single-use only, but things like whips and strap-ons can be cleaned and reused, so clients don't have to worry about having it with them, you know?"

"Rent how?" Liv glanced back at the entryway. "I didn't bring my wallet."

"You can load your card, remember?" Rhea knew Liv had read over the contract fairly well, but Rose & Thorn could be daunting the first time around. "Just like a coffee card or whatever. When you run out of money on your card, you have to go back to the front desk and reload." Then she shrugged. "I mean, you could bring in a credit card. Basically they don't want anyone bringing in recording devices. You would probably need special permission for certain foods and alcohol too." Then she grinned and held out her arm. "Want to continue the tour," she asked, "or would you like to go shopping?"

Liv was quiet for a moment as she scanned the map, eyes going back and forth from the marked zones to the legend on the side. "Voyeurism, BDSM, poly, infidelity—wait." Her eyebrows dipped when she looked up at Rhea. "I thought you had to get a spouse's permission before you signed up...."