"So, get on your knees..."

It wasn't like she'd never thought of anything like that before. That specific vision had never been anything more than a fantasy, like imagining getting with your doctor, or those jerkish fairy princes in books. But yes, she'd thought about it. Izzy glanced over her shoulder at Mina. Her friend's eyes were shining like diamonds. The lights hanging from the ceiling made her look just perfect. Though, she didn't need much help on that front. Unlike her, Mina seemed totally assured of Izzy's ability to... perform. Lend a hand. Or maybe it was that she expected it. She'd brought her up to the rich-by-rich standards lodge, had her friends give her some very expensive **** for free. Turning to look at Paul, her suspicion was confirmed. His hand rested on the buckle of his belt. He was only waiting for the word 'go,' but internally, he knew how this was going to end. It all pressed down on top of Izzy's head. What the fuck was she doing here? Why would she think these people wanted to spend time with her for no reason? What did she have to offer them?

That.

She wet her lips with her tongue, then pressed them together again. "Okay," she croaked.

The fingers on Mina's left hand tapped against her stomach in a short rhythm. "Okay, what?" she said.

"Um," said Izzy. She, mourning, pried herself out of Mina's grip and got up from the floor. "If you guys want, I could..." God, why couldn't she just say it? This was pathetic. It was just like when those people 'forgot' to tip. They wanted top service for nothing in return. The idea of doing 'that' for those two men, strange men, wasn't exactly within Izzy's typical habits--she liked to bake for people who did her a good term--but she hated the idea of looking ungrateful. Especially with Mina watching.

She felt Mina sitting up behind her, like a snake out of a basket. There was no heat coming off her skin. It was almost inhuman. "You'll suck their cocks?" she said, enunciating every last syllable.

Izzy shivered. "Yeah," she said. "If you want, I could suck your cocks." Mina giggled.

Paul laughed, took a step out of the conversation pit to stand on the wood floor of the lodge. "Sounds like a deal to me, baby," he said.

Izzy expected Ward to beg off. If he wasn't a cocaine guy, why would he be a... 'blowjobs in front of your associates' guy? But he walked back from the bar and closer to the pit, until he stood next to his friend at an angle. There was a small gap between them. And that's where you're supposed to go, thought Izzy. She could imagine an X in black tape between them, a mark for an actor in a play. 'Sex is always a performance,' she remembered reading somewhere, but couldn't place it. She got up and sidled around the table, then climbed out of the pit to join them. Standing, they were still much taller than her. Both were staring down at her. Their eyes were dark. She could barely tell the difference between pupil and eye. The opposite of Mina's eyes. But she could feel that her friend was watching, too, and that somehow seemed more pressing. "So," she said quietly.

"So, get on your knees," Paul said. He undid his belt with one hand, letting the buckle hang from his belt loop. Then he touched Izzy's face. "You got a pretty mouth."

She shivered again.