Though hardcore by night, every Friday the club hosts an 'afternoon tea' billed as Les Goûters du Divin Marquis: 'A Taste—or Smack—of the Divine Marquis.'
'At night, we play heavy, techno music, but for the teas, we play this to get people relaxed,' explains Philippe's partner, Oda, who's working behind the bar in some sort of corset contraption.
Given her vaguely Teutonic name and frankly Wagnerian proportions, Oda reminds me of an opera singer—the one they wheel out when the show's about to end.
Her cleavage is casting a shadow over a selection of fruit, biscuits and gummy chews on the bar, alongside a bag of body clips.
Thoughtfully, there's also a dispenser of hand sanitizer nearby—though if your average bowl of cocktail peanuts has a bazillion bacteria in it, imagine what's floating around this joint.
'The teas are for new people to the S&M scene,' Oda's explaining. 'They bring together the libertines and the S&M crowd, something no one's ever done before.'
Before I can ask if 'libertines' are the same as 'swingers,' Oda stumps me with a question of her own.
'Are you more dominant or submissive?'
And to think we're barely on fake-first-name terms.
After some preliminary spluttering, I confess that I've never really thought about it. 'If pushed, I guess I'd rather beat than be beaten,' I smile weakly, though it's akin to asking how I'd like to kill myself: frankly, I'd rather not die at all.
Oda informs me she used to be a dominatrix until she met Philippe, who's now her master.
'I like to dominate men psychologically,' she says, staring hard at me and tapping her temple. 'Especially travestis—that's my game.'
I flap my lips like a fish out of water. You've got to wonder how hard it is to mess with a man who can't even decide whether he's male or female.
More importantly, what kind of creature would get a kick out of confusing him further?
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