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Hands in pockets, Jane turned around, pushing her back up against the window. “I have access because I am on the shortlist of potential buyers. I am trusted enough to have keycode access. The camera by the front door makes it evident who has helped themselves in at any time, so if we make a right mess of this place, it is my arse on the line.”
“And mine.”
“At first, I let them add my name because it was registered as residential and yes, I was thinking about a place to move. Then I saw who the neighbors were. Cait, this whole floor is empty. Has been since the pandemic. There are a couple of rentals, but the real estate company wants to sell. When I saw this one bumped up against Le Salon, it was obvious what Monica must have been thinking. The only reason she hasn’t grabbed it and expanded the cramped business is because of money. Something tells me that Le Salon is making money but isn’t technically in the black yet after only two years of being in proper business. Monica is smart. Her husband is even smarter. He has to sign off on all of her financial ventures now.”
“She has other investors who are happy to see her thrive if that’s what she’s looking for.”
“Sure, and I’m sure Thomas-Cole are first in line whenever Monica has something up her sleeve. But think about us for a moment. Why limit ourselves to what the Monroes have cooking in their cauldron when the Warrens are in the perfect positionto help properly turn this city into a prime playground for the…” she hesitated. “Depraved.”
“Couldn’t think of a good word that started with P, huh?”
Caitlyn couldn’t really tell, but she was fairly certain that her wife grinned in the darkness. “The region is in flux because of recent events. While other metros like LA, London, and even Taipei continue to thrive on the adult playground front, New York and New England are in a power battle. You’ve got the name recognition and ease of transport of New York, but this area is as prominently positioned if you’re willing to drive an hour away from Newark. Add in private planes and First Class ticket holders and… well, they are willing to pay for the cozy convenience if they know they have somethingexcitingawaiting them in the end.”
“Go on…”
“Have your attention, do I? Imagine that you and I are still living in Hong Kong. We’ve been to New York. We’ve been to Le Chateau, The Dark Hour, and even the bloody salon. They were fun the first few times when we were here for business, but how does one capture our interest enough to convince us to make a whole holiday of it? Why, you offer a package deal with guaranteed fun.”
“Apackage?”
“Between Culver Hospitality and Monica Warren. Combine their forces. Rising tides lift all boats, Cait.”
“You mean a merger?”
“No! They would never go for it, anyway.” Jane pulled her hands out of her pockets, a lingering touch stealing Caitlyn’s attention. “You create a separate entity that deals with both separately. Focus on what both do best. A mid-week romp up in the mountains at Le Chateau, followed by a Friday night bash at The Dark Hour, then a sizzling Saturday conversation with a talented lady at Le Salon, and oh, look at that, a create-your-own-fantasy at whatever the hell Damon’s naming his new place. On Sunday, I mean.”
“I can’t help but notice that some of those days are during the slower days of the week for those places.”
“Now you’re thinking like a marketer, Cait.”
She shook her head. “This is overwhelming. Even if you could convince them to go for it, you’d have to create the third-party entertainment company…”
“That’s where the merger comes in. We would get in on that, too, because everyone’s going to get richer. And! Business in the general area goes up because now foreigners like me know that this is a destination to mix businessandpleasure. Not some incidental bollocks you do because you are already here wasting away in meetings and being sucked of your money. Let other people figure out how to bring in the middle-class convention goers while experts like us pump money into the economy via… let’s call it sensiblefun.”
“Lin, there’s nothing sensible about this. I think that’s part of the point for you.”
“You know what else isn’t sensible?” Jane nudged her wife as she shuffled by, her shoes creating much less noise on the floor than Caitlyn’s had a hope of quashing. “This room back here. Come take a week peek.”
“Lin…”
Jane’s chin appeared over her shoulder as she walked down the hallway toward the empty bedrooms. “Oh, you will beamused,my dear. Just you wait.”
Caitlyn already had a feeling she knew what she was about to find, yet she followed, searching for any blinking red lights from security cameras in the hallway. She didn’t see any. Jane had mentioned there was the one at the front door, but Caitlyn was still wary that they treaded somewhere they shouldn’t be.
“Oh, come on.”
She didn’t need a lot of light to see that the second bedroom was once the owner’s personal BDSM dungeon. Most of the kinky built-ins were still there, including the giant sex swing hanging from the ceiling. Jane fell into a fit of laughter as Caitlyn wandered into the room, mentally spraying air freshener after God knewhowmany encounters she did not want to know about. On a sex swing, no less!
“I told you this place had a lot of potential,” Jane said through her laughter.
“It’s… something.” Caitlyn sidestepped a bench that was screwed into the floor. “You can’t keep this stuff. Monica would have to completely replace it all.”
“You see the bones are there, huh?” Jane opened the closet and revealed that all of the rods for clothes had been replaced with shelving for impact implements. “Tell me that Monica Warren shouldn’t be expanding her salon here. I know more than a few professional dominatrixes who wouldloveto be subcontracted for parties.”
So did Caitlyn, but that didn’t mean this jived with what Le Salon offered, which was conversation, drinks, and atmosphere. While she was aware that a lot of the hostesses were also escorts and lifestylers in the BDSM scene,manyof them were also partnered and only worked there with the understanding that they indulged in the lifestyle without being touched by their patrons. A room like this encouraged touching!
“Doesn’t it remind you of something, love?” Jane’s voice softened as she approached Caitlyn, the closet door left open but its lack of contents hidden by Jane’s grand presence.Why does she have this instant effect on me?Caitlyn was terrible at hiding it, too. It was what kept them in a relationship after so many years – including a divorce! Caitlyn didn’t like thinking of those darker days, though.When I slept with women I didn’t care about because all I could think about was my ex-wife,whom I still desperately loved.And while Jane also attempted to discover herself, they both concluded that they could get back together if they brought in a third woman to balance out their different needs in the bedroom.
But that didn’t stopthemfrom being the same needy couple once in a while.
