Suzi rushed down the dimly lit corridor, nearly colliding with a Sailor Moon cosplayer after glancing at the text on her phone screen.

Brad: Let's meet in lounge 33. The experience will blow your mind. Promise.

After rolling her eyes, she continued down the darkened hall through the smooth, aromatic fruit-scented smoke and toward the lounge. Brad had insisted they meet at 7:00 pm to get the most out of their two-hour virtual reality experience.

She had heard a lot about the elite nightclub, and how realistic and immersive the VR sessions were. And although her trepidations caused her to think about engaging far longer than it should have, she was eager to see for herself.

As she passed the bar counters she eavesdropped on the patron's conversations and according to them, the rumors were true. Beyond the banter about the thousands of dollars they spent in a single night, the possibilities of remote hackers spying on their every move, and other conspiracy talk, an "enthralling and unique experience" seemed to come up often in the discussions.

Besides, Trystan, Amy and Taren had assured her she would have a blast on this date. And although her best friends knew her well, they had also gently encouraged her to date some strange and interesting characters over the month.

The number 33 shined above the door in vibrant blue neon at one end of the massive club, and as her eyes swept the vicinity, they met with many fanciful cosplayers dressed as characters from Pop culture, video games and movie franchises. Maybe she was a little underdress compare to most of the partygoers, but she wasn't one to feel self-conscious, only apprehensive about engaging in the unknown.

"You'll have fun, they said. Trust me, they said." She huffed and pulled the key card from her purse. She assumed they labeled it Lounge 33 in the sci-fi alphabet of a made-up language. A memory flashed in her mind at the many employees behind the initial counter who had checked her in, gave her the key, and informed her her date will join her shortly.

Finally, she stood under the shining blue neon and waved the keycard over the electronic lock until a click invited her inside.

She pushed the door, and it easily swung open to reveal a small sitting area with a contemporary love seat in a neutral gray color and two matching chairs at a round, glass cocktail table. She quickly scanned the room for a screen or game console, VR headsets or something similar, but only contacted a mysterious bright red door that seemed to lead to something significant. Another room, possibly?

Finding the moderately sized space lonely yet inviting, she made her way inside. The door easily closed behind her. She expected the lock to engage on its own, but when it didn't click, she locked it herself. Besides, Brad would have his own key card to gain access.

To her left was a small bar counter that hung over two metal bar stools. And they decorated the dark gray walls in a finish that resembled metallic. Were all the rooms like this one or did Lounge 33 have its own signature look—and what's behind the door?

Her purse barely fit on the small table near the chair. Still, she took a seat near it, keeping her eyes glued to the bright red door the entire time.

Temptation urged her to knock, but she fought it, not wanting to seem impatient. Maybe Brad was on the other side. What decent person would have their date wait to meet them, especially someone who had enough money and just as much cool to invite her to a private, elaborate virtually reality party?

Surely someone of that caliber would have great manners and be just as punctual. Right?

She shrugged and adjusted in her seat, smoothing her hands down her new pleated skirt while checking the vertical buttons that held her shirt together, all the while reminding herself patience was a virtue.

However, her time was valuable too, and if he didn't appear in the next five minutes, it was on to the next date.

Her hand hovered inches from her purse and the phone that rested inside when bright numbers shined above the red door, stopping her in her tracks. The LED display captured every bit of her curiosity as the three-digit number glowed.

"What's this? Brad?" she called to the door, hoping to hear his response from the other side. But when the silence in the room grew louder, she stood.

The numbers began to countdown from thirty. Her heartbeat quickly matched the rhythm as each number fell with every second: twenty-nine, twenty-eight, twenty-seven. "What the hell do I do?" she asked the door, not expecting an answer.

She took a step forward, hesitant but inquisitive. And as the timer counted down, her anticipation tripled. She placed her hand on the door handle at twenty-two seconds, tugged at twenty-one, and it opened at twenty.

A huge fifteen-foot curved screen expanded the walls of the large room and the numbers continued to count down on the center of the bright screen ahead of her. The now audible ticking urged her to decide quickly. Go in without Brad and check out the room or leave and never know what any of it meant?

She quickly stepped inside and as the number hit ten seconds, the screen turned red and the ticking tripled and grew louder.

The VR head strap rested on a white mannequin head without facial features, visually instructing her how to place it on her head. She quickly slipped it on, keeping her hair out of the way. As the countdown ended on the three, two, one, the screen collapsed out of existence and a night sky filled with the colors, lights and images of the Milky Way galaxy surrounded her.

"Oh, wow." Her eyes widened in awe as she twirled, taking in the sights. Amused that there were no cords or wires to trip over, she nodded. "Ok, I was not expecting this."

Words faded into the three-dimensional space in front of her, authentic enough to touch if she had reached out.

You are now entering a virtual reality experience. You can calibrate your senses to your specific preference. Would you like to calibrate your sensory settings now?

"Uh." She nodded, unsure how to communicate her wishes. "Yes, please?"

The senses appeared before her in text. And whichever word she looked at became highlighted. Her eyes glossed over the words: scent, audio, visual, and sensation.

"Hmm, sensation. Now that's interesting." She approved the sensation sense, leaving the others at their default settings.

Under sensation were dials for pain and pleasure. After dropping the pain meter to zero, she wondered what increasing the pleasure would do. Just as she was about to turn up the dial, a computerized female voice alerted her that, "Player 333 has entered the game."

From thin air, a tall, handsome guy with dusty blond hair and pale skin entered before her. If it wasn't for him walking through an enchanted veil, she would have thought he was really standing before her in the room.

"Wow." She eyed him up and down, taking in the sights. "You must be Brad." The smile on her face made her cheeks hurt, but she refused to get rid of it.

"Nice meeting you." The bass in his voice made her instantly fidget with the buttons on her shirt to make sure she wasn't sending the wrong signals too soon. She had to be modest. He cleared his throat. "You're absolutely gorgeous."

She quickly bit her lip to maintain her composure. "Thank you." She didn't hide her blushing and knew she wouldn't have the strength to anyway, especially when delivering the details to her friends later as she planned to do. "How did you do that? The appearing-out-of-thin-air thingy?"

"Oh." He chuckled bashfully, showcasing the deep dimples that formed on his cheeks. "Cameras. Even though I'm stationed in another room, the cameras take a three-sixty view of us to transplant us into the game." He nodded confidently. "And I was thinking we can familiarize ourselves with the new Haunted Manor experience. What do you say?"

"Haunted?" She adjusted her stance to prevent the awkward disappointment from showing through her body language. "I don't really do scary."

"I wouldn't call it scary. I like to refer to it as ... thrilling." He came close enough for the starlight to reflect from the green flecks in his hazel eyes. "Wouldn't you like a thrill?"

Well, when you say it like that. "Sure, I'm willing to give it a shot. Haunted Manor it is."

"That's my girl." He smiled, giving her an all-knowing look. "Trust me. You'll love it."

"Yes, you've been promising that in your text. Trystan, Amy and Taren promised that too."

"I mean it."

"Alright, alright." She challenged him with a bit of honesty. "Do you want to know what a real pleasant experience would be? Combine virtual reality with a light saber." They chuckled in unison. "Now that's fun, but since you haven't spoken to me in Pig Latin yet, I can let you show off a little."

"Pig Latin?" He chuckled, and his nose crinkled in confusion.

She dismissed her comment with a flick of the wrist. "It's a long story."

"If you say so." Masterfully, he changed the visuals of the Milky Way into a grand hall inside of a huge gothic manor. A massive yet beautiful crystal chandelier dangled feet above them, and the floor beneath their feet reflected their likeness on their polished tiles.

She stared at the high-quality detail. "This place is outstanding. You sure it's haunted?"

"Oh, it's haunted," he assured, nodding. "But not scary."

"It's the thrilling haunted, right?" She gave him the side-eye, not sure what that meant but going along with it. "What's our aim?"

"To thwart the ghosts and survive the night." He pointed to the thermostat on the wall in the room. "Quick tutorial, the cold attracts the ghosts and heat repels them. So, keep your body temperature up to keep them away."

She frowned. "For an entire night?"

"Yes, but don't worry. The night is only ten minutes. Ready?"

The chandelier danced around eerily before she could answer, the chiming of the crystal growing more eerie by the second. The lights from the wall sconces flickered and suddenly the surrounding air grew icy cold.

"You feel that?" She gasped, bringing her hand to her throat. "What do we do?"

"Get your temperature up." Brad pointed to the thermometer again with a slender finger. "That's your temperature on the left. Do what you can to raise it."

She looked to the meter just as the lights went off, leaving them in utter darkness. "Oh, no. What do I do? Dance?"

"That's a good idea." The sound of his shoes hitting the tiles as he jumped in place echoed around her. The light flickered and she quickly glance to the thermostat. It was still at ninety-eight degrees until she danced to the sound of windows shattering and lighting striking. Through the darkness, a ghastly figure screeched from the shadows to her left. She screamed at the skeletal remains and fear quickly raised her temperature just as it raised her heart rate.

Brad laughed out loud as the lights came on and the shaking stopped.

She laughed too, trying to maintain her sense of humor. "That was terrifying. And fun," she added, not sure if she was convincing with her delivery. "But I don't think dancing for ten minutes straight will do it for me."

He sighed, understanding. "Maybe dancing alone might suck, but you haven't tried dancing with me."

"Ah, now I get it." She nodded, putting two-and-two together. "Because we're in a ballroom, so—"

"Exactly." The dimples in his cheeks stole her attention.

As the thunder crashed and glass vases shattered behind them, Brad put his hand out and Suzi took it. Her eyes widened again as the sensation of every digit of his fingers on hers tingled her skin, causing a radiating heat to surge between their bodies. "It's amazing how it feels like you're actually in the room with me. I felt nothing like this before. If you were actually here, I don't think this would feel the same."

"That's the point." He flashed a bright smile and winked. "Welcome to Exclusive."

They danced to the beat of their hearts, becoming in sync with the rhythm perfectly. She conjured her courage and brought his body closer. With just that one movement, the heat between them increased. It had tempted her to check the thermometer, but the green of his eyes kept hers fixed on them.

"Thank you for inviting me." She continued to stare, absorbing his chiseled jaw line and full lips. "What an experience."

"No need to thank me." His eyes glossed over her face, taking in the details too. "We both need the thrill. Correct?"

He inched closer and Suzi welcomed it, sliding her palms up over his bulky shoulders as his hands fell to her hips. They continued to rock to the music in their heads.

She imagined what his mouth felt like on hers and contemplated making the move. "The ghosts are gonna attack us."

"We still have five minutes to go." His tongue slid across his top lip.

"I bet it would be an even better strategy to turn up the pleasure dial." She lifted an eyebrow, not worried about being too forward. In fact, she was sure he was going to suggest it if she hadn't.

The corner of his lips twitched. "You read my mind."

As the pleasure dial hit maximum, they pressed their bodies together and the heat they produced filled the surrounding space.

"I knew you were after a thrill," he whispered in her ear, and the sensation of his warm breath on her earlobe nearly made her eyes roll to the back of her head.

"Who said blind dates couldn't be thrilling," she whispered back. Even as the chandelier rattled above them, it wasn't difficult to ignore and focus on the vibrating along the surface of her skin. The stubble on his neck grazed her chin, and she nearly moaned aloud. "I now understand how people blow their savings on places like this. It can become addictive."

They slowly ground their bodies together, sending waves of pleasurable shudders deep into every fiber of her body.

"It's not just the pleasure that can be so addictive." His breath hit her base of her neck. "It's also the mystery."

"Yes," she hissed. "The mystery."

"And the thrill—"

"Oh, yes. The thrill."

"—of seduction." His lips grazed the skin near her mouth. "On someone else's expense."

"Yes, expense—" She paused and opened her eyes. "Wait, huh?"

The door opened behind her, causing the hunk of man to disappear from her arms. The computerized female voice announced: New player has entered the game. Suzi turned just as a stranger dressed in a furry, brown Wookiee costume from the neck down entered. He held two glowing light sabers, one in each hand.

"What are you doing?" She hurried her hands over her skirt and blouse to maintain her decency. "You just interrupted my session."

"Suzi?" the man adjusted his round glasses on his face and pushed aside the long curly hair that briefly obscured his vision. "You started without me?"

"Who—?"

"I'm Brad." He thumped the light saber against his chest. "You're blind date. Sorry I'm late. I tried texting you, but you didn't respond. I even called the front desk and asked them to inform the client in Lounge 33 her date would be late."

"My phone's in there and no one—Wait, so you're Brad?" Her stomach dropped. At least this guy only wore the furry body costume and didn't have the damn Wookiee head on.

"Yep, Bradley in the flesh." He made a heroic stance with the light sabers crossed before him. "Your buddies said you're a huge Star Wars fan, so I thought—" He paused, concern written on his face. "You ok?"

"Sorry, I have to go." She quickly removed the headgear, retrieved her purse from the small round table, and checked her phone to see several messages from Brad stating he would be a little late and asking her to please wait for him.

"But..." He snorted. "You're leaving so soon?"

"Sorry, uh, Brad." She shrugged. "I will have to get a rain check on this one. But let's keep in touch, yeah?"

Without further hesitation, she quickly left the lounge.

***

Author's Note: This one-shot is part of the 31 Blind Dates anthology from more than two dozen Wattpad writers including members of the Stars program, published authors, Ambassadors and Wattys winners. If you want to start at the beginning, go to the profile of rskovach. You will find the next story in the collection on the profile of KatrinHollister. Just look for this sticker: