She’d lost a bit of confidence since Julie left, making her self-conscious and nervous on the couple of occasions she’d gone to bars in the Gay Village in the last month. She’d left early both times, unable to see the evening through to the conclusion she’d wanted.

Time was she could walk into any bar or club and get off with someone, even for just a snog and grope. But now, all these months of looking after her mum had taken their toll. Julie leaving had been the final straw, somehow knocking her confidence back decades to when she was a gangly eighteen-year-old, fresh out of the closet and not a clue what to do about it.

She splashed a bit of CK One on her wrists, slipped on her watch, and ran her fingers through her dark, shoulder-length hair. Okay, ready as she’d ever be. She switched off her bedroom light, ran lightly down the stairs, and grabbed her long leather coat from the hallway cupboard. It was August, but she went nowhere without that coat. She stuck her head around the living room door to say a quick goodbye to Milo, the carer who was in tonight, and then headed out the door to the taxi waiting outside.

Her insides did a little flip. The promise of the night stretched before her.

* * *

Twenty-five minutes later, she climbed out of the cab just up the road from the club. The black door was hidden in the shadows, but she found it easy enough, having done a drive-by in daylight the week before.

Through her chat room research, she’d ended up on a site where fellow lesbians looking for that no-strings action could swap stories. There, she’d learned about this club, and Kath’s pulse had quickened at some of the stories. Hot femmes after a quick, hard fuck from a dominant butch. Straight, bi, gay, it didn’t matter—it was all about the essentials, the basics, the needs. Behind that black door lay three rooms offering her all sorts of possibilities to quench her thirst for physical contact with another woman, without the long-term complications getting in the way. She was genuinely excited about how this could fit into her world, her life.

She paid the cabbie and watched him drive off before she lit a fag. As she strode up to the door with her head held high, she smoked it quickly, sucking down the smoke in long pulls. She smiled to herself. She was ready for this.

She was admitted to the club at the first buzz on the bell and handed over her money.

“Welcome,” an older, rather striking woman greeted her. “I’m Mandy, the owner.”

“Hi,” Kath replied as she accepted the change. God, the woman had the most amazing blue eyes. Kath tried not to stare, but they were incredible.

“We have a locker for your coat, if you like?”