And there it was. Another mediocre, five month relationship was over for Ramona.
She had hoped that maybe this year, she would have someone to take home to her family for the holidays, but being dumped mid-November kind of prevents that.
Her boyfriend had broken up over text. What a shitty thing to do. She didn't even want to cry. He didn't get to make her cry anymore. Jackson. You're never supposed to trust guys with named that start with J. She should have known better. Instead, she shoved all his shit that he left at her apartment into a cardboard box and left it by the front entrance. If she was lucky, she would never see him again after he sent that text.
It hadn't even been "we need to talk." It was just "We're through." After five months. How ridiculous.
She sprayed air freshener all over her place, getting the stink of his cheap body spray out of the furniture. God, it stunk. The artificial scent of clean linen wasn't much better, but at least it wasn't a lingering memory.
All she had to think about was his worst qualities, and she would be over him in no time. He didn't shower often enough, and would layer that cologne on until she absolutely couldn't take it anymore. He always left the milk out on the counter. He was a bad kisser when he was drunk.
But at least she had had someone to kiss, she thought to herself.
Going to bed that night by herself was hard, despite her determination to not let the breakup bother her. She contemplated re-downloading her online dating apps, but it just felt too soon for any of that. Instead, she booked herself a day at a boutique in town, called the Ravishing Rose.
It would be a nice day, she thought to herself as sleep took her. Getting her hair done, a massage, waxing her legs, the full experience. After getting treated is such a mediocre fashion by Jackson, she deserved to be pampered.
By the time she fell asleep, she had nearly convinced herself that it was a blessing they were no longer dating, and that in fact, she should have broken up with him sooner.
The next morning, Ramona slept in. She took a shower, a really long one, with plenty of hot water, and she walked around her apartment with wet hair, and a hideous t-shit four sizes too big for her.
She pulled out her laptop to check the confirmation email she had received from the boutique. Her appointment was at one PM. Payment would cover hairstyling, waxing services, and a massage, just as she had picked out last night. It was pretty expensive, but honestly, she had been putting away money for a rainy day, and she wanted to splurge to make herself feel better.
Moving away to a different city had seemed so appealing, but what Ramona hadn't anticipated was how lonely she would be. That's how she ended up dancing from partner to partner, settling for mediocrity just to have someone to talk to. That was all going to change, though. She was going to get this makeover ad turn a new leaf, maybe start trying to befriend some of her neighbors in her apartment. Her work, or lack thereof, didn't lend itself to lots of coworkers. She mostly just did art out of her apartment and scraped by, eating lots of beans and rice off of whatever she made off her online store.
Breakfast was buttered toast. She spent her morning working on her latest drawing, a commission of a fairy wearing a dress made of rose petals. Someone had ordered it for their daughter's new bedroom. Applying layer after layer of pastel glitter, Ramona waited for the hours to pass. After she wrapped up the last layer of paint for the morning, she put on clean clothes and made herself a quick lunch before heading out the door.
The map on her phone lead her to the building, which was only a block or two from her apartment. She really didn't know this city as well as she would have liked to. Moving here had been going way out on a limb, and she was far too stubborn to ever move back home.
The Ravishing Rose. Step one in the plan to turn around her life for the better.
The boutique sat on the main floor of an old brick building with all sorts of wrought iron detailing. The windows were frosted, but funky-shaped lights behind them caused a pink glow to pour out onto the street. It was daylight, but the cloudy sky lent just enough darkness that they really glowed compared to her otherwise drab surroundings.
A pleasant bell rang as she pushed open the door. Inside, smooth R&B music played, and the lobby seemed to ooze elegance.
There were a few neon signs contributing to the pink glow. In fact, the whole boutique was dripping in rose motifs in a similar shade. A few racks of clothes and accessories lined the walls, the only spot of color other than pink in the lobby. She sat herself on a blush velvet chair and waited for the chubby woman at the front desk to have a free moment. She was a bit early for her appointment, after all.
Behind the desk sat three chairs with big marquee mirrors for hair and makeup, but only one was occupied. Behind that were several doors, no doubt for things like massages and waxing. It smelled faintly of perfume, light and floral, but not overwhelming.
"Hi there, are you Ramona?" The woman behind the desk asked her.
"Yeah, I am. I'm here for my one o'clock appointment," she explained.
"All right then. It looks like the first thing for you today is a wax, does that sound right?"
Ramona nodded her head.
"Okay then, I'll just take you back to the waxing room and our esthetician will get you taken care of."
The woman wore a name tag that had Becca written on it in pink cursive. She was polite as ever as she lead her to one of the closed doors that she had seen from the lobby and into the waxing studio.
It certainly wasn't the most pleasant part of her afternoon. No one really enjoyed getting a wax, but the feeing of bare legs was so worth it. Normally, she wouldn't bother dealing with her body hair, it was just a lot of upkeep she didn't want to deal with, but having it taken care of by a professional every few weeks was more feasible.
Her body stung from the procedure, despite the cooling ointment the woman had applied to her legs. Next up was her massage, though, we she assumed would be a much more enjoyable experience.
Becca greeted her as she left the waxing room, guiding her to the next door over, where a massage table sat. Ramona was given the whole "undress to your comfort level" spiel and then was left to wait for her masseuse.
She ended up nearly fully naked on the table, wearing only her underwear. What the hell, right? It wasn't like she knew any of these people.
Finally, the masseuse, a strong woman with a fair complexion and pin-straight black hair, entered the room and introduced herself (Her name was Leah), and before long, applied a sweet-scented rose oil to Ramona's body. As the woman kneaded her muscles like pizza dough, she imagined every bit of frustration and sadness over her breakup being beat out of her, smothered into nothingness.
"So, any special occasion for your visit to the Ravishing Rose today?" The woman asked as she pressed the heels of her hands into a knot at the base of her neck.
"Oh, not really. I just wanted a special day."
"That's always good to have for yourself, you know."
"Yeah. It is." After a moment of contemplation, she decided to give the whole story. Why not, right? Best case scenario, she would maybe get something for free out of pity. "You know, my boyfriend just broke up with me, so it felt like a fresh start."
"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry."
"That's the funny thing." Ramona cracked a smile. "I'm kind of glad we broke up. He was kind of an ass. I just wish I would have been the one to do it." It wasn't entirely true, but she figured she ought to try to convince herself that it was.
The two chatted a bit until the massage was through. Ramona felt amazing afterward, like she was in a daze, all her muscles turned to jelly under the skilled hands of her masseuse, who called for the receptionist, Becca, to take her to the final part of her spa day. She was given a soft cotton robe before she left the massage room, to wear while she got her hair done
"Alright, I'm here to round out your afternoon here at the Ravishing Rose, is that right? My name's Ally." Her hairstylist swept out an arm to welcome Ramona into the chair in front of her.
"Yeah, it is. I'm Ramona, by the way."
"Well, nice to meet you, Ramona. How ca we do your hair today?" She thought about it for a moment. What did she want? Maybe just something different. It was pretty cliche, but eventually she gave Ally her decision.
"Could you cut some bangs for me? Thin ones, if you can."
She always regretted getting bangs. Maybe this time would be different.
Ally seemed to take no time at all to section off some face-framing pieces of hair and trim them into shaggy bangs. They settled on leaving her hair loose and just re-styling it to blend in her new fringe.
"You have gorgeous hair," Ally complimented her as she adjusted her style with her thin brown fingers.
"Thanks." Ramona smiled at her reflection in the big, lit-up mirror that hung on the wall. "What are those?" She caught a glimpse of a clothing rack behind her in the mirror. It was a bunch of super skimpy outfits in every color imaginable, bralettes and unitards drenched in crystals and velvet trim.
"Ah, those are for some... more private services we offer. Why do you ask?"
"May I ask what those services are?" Ramona figured it was worth asking, even though she knew it would probably be more money than she could afford.
"Becca can give you some information when we get to the front desk," she said.
"It feels like today was way too short," Ramona noted as Ally motioned for her to stand up.
"Well, you're always welcome at the Ravishing Rose!" Ramona appreciated the comment, but she really couldn't afford to do this very often. It really was a shame that the day had flown by so quickly.
Together, the two of them walked to the front desk, where Becca sat, typing on a computer. The hairstylist leaned over and whispered something in her ear, which Ramona couldn't quite understand. From a drawer in the desk, she pulled a piece of white cardstock folded in half, embossed with the boutique's logo.
"So, Ally told me you were curious about some of our other services?" She asked sweetly as she typed information into the computer.
"Yeah, I saw that rack of clothes. I probably can't afford it, though," Ramona admitted.
"Oh, you would be surprised. Our phone number is on that card, so if you have any questions, feel free to give us a ring. Now, let's get you checked out."
It wasn't as expensive as she had originally thought. Still, she winced when Becca swiped her card.
The walk home was chilly, causing Ramona to shove her gloved hands so far into her coat pockets that she couldn't possibly open up the card until she was safely inside, where there was heating. Sitting in her apartment, smooth and smelling like roses, she flipped open the card.
Oh god.
That was a full, naked pair of boobs printed in full color. Not appalling, but a little surprising.
What was this place? She was starting to think that this wasn't your average beauty salon. In magenta calligraphy, the card read "The Ravishing Rose invites you to join... the bedroom suite." What the hell did that mean? There, under the picture of tits, was a phone number and a message saying, "become a cam girl today!"
Cam girl? Like porn?
The only thing more embarrassing than her accidentally going to a porno boutique was the stirring in her stomach as she read the note. I mean, she was recently single, and it was certainly a way to meet new people. Cam girls make money, right? That also wouldn't hurt Ramona.
She decided to sit of the decision for a few days. Breakups made you do crazy things. She should have sat on her decision to get bangs, because she was already regretting that one.
Each day that passed made her more and more curious about that card she had seen. It sat on her nightstand, and every night she debated giving them a call.
Finally, nearly a week later, she gave in.
"Ravishing Rose Boutique, this is Becca. How may I help you?" The familiar voice of the receptionist crackled through the phone.
"Hi Becca. My name is Ramona, and I was in about a week ago. You gave me this, um, card, and I was calling to say I was interested in your, uh, program."
"Oh that's wonderful news! What date was your appointment?"
"November 10th," she recalled.
"Alright, I've got your information right here, Ramona. We can have you come in and get introduced to everyone tonight, if you would like."
Tonight? Not that she had anything going on, but it still felt like such short notice, and she was a little confused about the whole thing. Fuck it. You only live once, right?
"Uh, yeah. I can come in tonight. Could I ask a few questions, though?"
"Of course! Ask away."
"Right, so what exactly is this program? I mean i got the basic idea from the card, but i'm a little confused."
"Great question. Just remember before I tell you this that you can opt out at any time you like."
"Got it," she said, growing a little nervous.
"The bedroom suite is a back room of our boutique where women can explore themselves, sexually or otherwise, or perform online. Obviously, you can say no at any time, but it's really a place for women to feel free to expand their view of their sexuality while also making a bit of money."
Now that, Ramona understood. Look hot and get paid? I mean, she already did half of that on a daily basis.
"Yeah, I'm in. What time should I show up? Oh, and do I need to bring anything special?"
"Nope. We'll take care of everything here. Be at the boutique at 7:30. The door will be locked, but just ring the doorbell and we'll get you. Sound good?"
"Yep. Thanks for your help, Becca. I'll see you tonight."
And just like that, she had done something crazy.
~
The rest of her afternoon had been agonizingly slow as she waited for 7:30 to approach. She left her apartment at 7:10, walked the ten minutes, and hoped that they would let her in a bit early. Snow had begun to fall, which felt a little premature, given that it was only November, but Ramona didn't protest at the sight of all the trees that lined the sidewalks covered in a fine misting of snow that almost looked like frosting.
Despite the sights, she was still thankful when she knocked on the boutique's door and Becca let her inside, giving her a chance to warm up from her walk. In the dark, the pink neon lights inside the windows stood out even more than they had earlier in the afternoon, and she admired the magenta glow as she wrung her hands together to warm them up.
"If you just want to set your coat and stuff down, I can take you back to meet the girls," said Becca with a sweet smile. Could she sense Ramona's nerves? Probably. She probably wasn't the first new girl they had brought in.
Despite her worries, she did as she was told, hanging up her coat on the rack and setting her purse down. Beneath her anxiety was a feeling of excitement swelling within her chest. Whatever was about to happen, it would make for a hell of a good story.
"You ready?"
Ramona nodded.
Becca took her past all the rooms she had been in earlier today, the massage room, the waxing room, the line of all those hairdressing chairs, and a set of changing rooms, which she hadn't noticed earlier. Finally, they got to the very back, and Becca gently knocked on the door before tuning the handle and entering.
If the lobby of the Ravishing Rose had been luxurious, well, Ramona didn't quite have the words to describe this room. The whole place looked expensive, and so pink. Dark carpet, white walls, curtains is every shade from bubblegum to magenta hanging up. There weren't any windows, but instead tracks on the ceiling where they would no doubt create private spaces within the spacious room. There were two beds with about a million pillows on them each, as well as what Ramona could only imagine were various pieces of furniture to have sex on; silky hammocks and odd-shaped cushiony contraptions. It smelled sweetly of rose, and there were tubs labelled with names, at least six of them, with their owners sitting around the room in matching satin robes, smiling at Ramona.
She recognized a few of them. Ally, her hair stylist, sat on the far right. And her masseuse, whose name was Leah, if she remembered right, was on the opposite as her. The remaining four were complete and total mysteries to her, though.
"Hey girls! This is Ramona, who I told you would be joining us tonight. I think she met a few of you earlier today, but the rest of you, could you introduce yourselves?"
They did as Becca told them.
Next to Ally was a woman named Jean, who had a pixie cut and seemed to work out quite a bit, with brown, muscular arms. The next to introduce herself was Isabella, a curvy woman with deep, wavy hair and skin just a shade darker. Then was Rachel, who looked like your typical white sorority girl, and Elaine, who had on some intense eyeliner that Ramona couldn't help but admire.
"So, Ramona, I'm sure you have a ton of questions." Ally said, opening the floor to her. "If you have anything you need clarification on, ask away."
"Right. Thanks. It's so nice to meet you all," she spluttered through nerves. "But what like, uh, specifically, do you do here?
"To put it simply, we cam. We have sex on camera, and horny people pay us. If that's something you're not comfortable with, you are absolutely free to leave. If that's something you're interested in, we would be happy to have you." Ramona resisted the urge to squirm as wetness grew between her thighs. She was definitely interested.
"That sounds very... appealing."
"That's what we like to hear," said Jean with a smirk. Ramona was starting to get more than a little eager to get things started. It had been so long since she'd had sex with another woman, and she missed how good it was. Obviously she loved her boyfriends, but there was just something about getting head from someone who actually knows what they're doing that is a whole different experience.
"Do you have any other questions? We'll definitely explain more things later, but it can be a lot to take it, so to speak, all at once."
"When can we start?" Ramona asked, letting out a nervous chuckle.
"First, Isabella will put you in a new outfit, on the house. Then, we can walk you through a night in our lives."
"Sounds good!"
Isabella took her arm and lead her out the door, to the hairdressing station, where Ramona had spotted the clothing rack earlier in the day.
"Hey, Ramona. How are you doing?" The tall woman asked her.
"I'm good, actually. A little nervous, a little excited."
"That's usually how it goes on your first night. Now, what's your favorite color, hon?"
"Good question. Purple."
"Purple it is, then." She pulled a matching set of violet lingerie, if you can even call it that. the whole thing was basically mesh, with a bit of satiny trim forming the waistband of the panties and the cups of the bra. "Think this will fit? It looks like your size."
"Are you sure? It looks a little small."
"It's stretchy. Put it on in that changing room right there. If it don't fit or look right, let me know, and if you want to cover up more at first, there's a robe in there for ya." Isabella was super nice as she led Ramona to the changing room.
Once inside, she stripped off her regular clothes and put on the set. Even in the dim lighting, you could really see everything through the barely-there sheer fabric. Damn. She looked good. Still, there were a lot of strangers in the other room, so she grabbed the silky robe that Isabella had mentioned. It matched the one the rest of the girls were wearing.
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