4. Steps
Cassius
I was relieved the grounds were empty as I hurried back to the mansion to meet the Madam. Thoughts of Faith consumed me; I wouldn’t have been able to converse with anyone if I tried.
Them: Good morning, Cassius. How are you?
Me: Good morning, my virgin is pregnant.AndI have no FUCKING IDEA WHAT I’M DOING.
Faith was pregnant. The news shocked me—I’d never expected those words to come from her mouth. I knew that she’d taken a contraceptive shot, which was highly effective. On top of that, we’d only begun our sexual relationship a few days ago. How on earth was she already pregnant?
More importantly, what was I going to do?
I’d planned to buy out her contract and send her away. But when she told me about the test result, I couldn’t go through with it. How could I banish her when she might be pregnant with my child? I hadn’t wanted to say goodbye, anyway. Perhaps I’d just been looking for an excuse not to end things. In any event, I’d found one.
I mulled the situation as I entered the mansion, speaking to no one as I navigated through the halls to the administrative wing. It was blissfully quiet. The girls were still fast asleep after the weekend’s endless, orgasmic partying. The patrons had left, returning to their “real” lives. I was grateful for the break. Club 444 was an unbridled success, but everyone needed some downtime.
I sat down in Gina’s office. The Madam, though lovely as ever, looked concerned. A tiny crease lined her brow as she neatly stacked some papers on her desk. “Good morning, Mr. Blackwood.”
“Good morning, Gina.”
We regarded each other for a moment. She knew better than to ask too many questions, so she waited for me to begin.
“How many platinum memberships do we have left?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer.
“None. We completely sold out. Elana has been actively recruiting, so I have good news.” She smiled at me. “We’ll have a fresh batch of virgins arriving next month. Elana said she can supply us with ten additional young women if you’re interested.”
I smiled back. “That’s incredible, Gina. Excellent work. I’m going to start giving both you and your sister bonuses for each virgin you recruit.”
Her eyes sparkled. I was making Gina a very wealthy woman. “That’s very generous of you, Mr. Blackwood.”
“You’ve earned it. The platinum-level membership has been an enormous success for us. There’s a high demand amongst our patrons—everybody loves the exclusivity of it,” I said.
“I agree. I think it’s brilliant, and I love that the girls profit from this.” She took a deep breath. “Speaking of which, we have a bit of a situation.”
“I’m listening,” I said.
“Elias Cartwright asked to buy out Macy’s contract this morning,” the Madam said. “But after speaking with Macy, I must tell him no.”
I sat back, surprised. Macy would earn significant money from having her contract bought out. “Why’s that?”
“She doesn’t want what he wants,” Gina said. “Elias asked her to move in with him. He was planning to propose. But Macy said she’s too young and isn’t ready to commit like that.”
My stomach somersaulted. “I see.”
“The problem is, how do we manage this?” Gina asked. “Because now we have an unhappy member who will be forced to watch the girl of his dreams be with other clients.”
“But that’s life,” I said, even though I knew that if I were in Elias Cartwright’s shoes, I would absolutely lose my shit. “If he’d met Macy on a dating app, and she’d ultimately rejected him, he’d still be forced to deal with her seeing other men.”
“He wouldn’t see her having sex with other men,” Gina corrected me. “It’s not the same.”
I sighed. “Offer him a full refund for his platinum purchase, and if he wants to leave the club, reimburse him the full fee. I’m not firing Macy for this—it’s her life and her choice. I don’t want the other girls thinking that they’ll be punished if they deviate from what the members want.”
“I agree with that, Mr. Blackwood. I think that’s the right choice.” Gina nodded. “I’ll speak with Mr. Cartwright and Macy this morning and have him sign another nondisclosure before I refund him his money.”
“What else has been happening with the employees? I need to know everything,” I said.
“For the most part, it’s been relatively smooth sailing,” the Madam responded. “I had to change some room assignments because of squabbling, but it wasn’t a big deal. There was some initial jealousy within the ranks about the platinum girls, but it’s resolved since everybody’s been bought out. It might happen again when the new hires arrive, but I’ll be prepared this time.
“The dungeon’s been a massive success, and I have to credit Tate for a large part of that. She’s played her role well and captured the attention of our more mainstream members,” she continued. “I’d like to give her a bonus if you’d agree.”
“Absolutely,” I said. “Make it equivalent to a double-platinum number. She’s earned it—I’ve heard rave reviews from our members. She’s an important part of our team and should be rewarded.”
Gina beamed at me. “Tate will be thrilled. Thank you, Mr. Blackwood.”
“My pleasure.”
Gina rifled through her papers. “We began our mandatory testing this morning, as I’m sure you’re aware.”
I steeled myself. “Yes, I’m aware.”
“All of the girls have maintained perfect health. There’s no evidence of any infection, and all of the pregnancy tests came back negative.” Gina raised her gaze to meet mine. “Except for one.”
“Except for one.” I squared my shoulders. “I’ve decided to buy out Faith’s contract. I’ve already discussed it with my brothers.”
Gina nodded. “Of course, Mr. Blackwood. I can have the paperwork drawn up immediately.”
“Thank you.” I paused for a beat. “We need to make two announcements—one to the girls, one to the patrons.”
The Madam started tapping on her computer, taking notes.
“First of all, please speak to Macy and Tate privately. Those are Faith’s closest friends. I want them to hear the news first. Please tell them that I’ve bought Faith’s contract out and she’s agreed to stay with me at my home on the premises. Tell them they may visit her this week,” I said.
Faith needed to be able to speak directly with her friends. I had concerns about Macy’s response to Elias Cartwright’s offer, but there was little I could do. Faith shouldn’t be isolated. I wouldn’t keep her from the other girls.
“I’ll let them know, Mr. Blackwood,” Gina said. “What should I tell the other girls?”
“The truth,” I said. “Tell them that Faith and I wanted more interactions above and beyond our allotted three, so I bought out her contract. She’ll be staying with me for the time being.”
Gina nodded, fingers flying over her keyboard. “What about the members? What would you like to say to them?”
“I’ll send out a private video message to our members. And I’ll also tell them the truth—I wanted to pursue things with Faith past what was allowed by the club rules. Therefore, I bought out her contract.”
“Are you also going to address the altercation last night?” Gina asked in a neutral tone.
So much had happened that I’d all but forgotten that I’d brawled in the dungeon last night. One of the patrons had put his hands on Faith, and I’d come unhinged. “Was he okay—the other guy?” I hadn’t bothered to follow up.
“He’s fine,” Gina said. She didn’t look at me as she continued to type. “He said he loves the club, so he’s not filing a lawsuit and won’t press charges. His nose is broken, though.”
“Fuck,” I said, even though the bastard deserved it. “Please offer to pay his medical bills and tell him that when the new virgins arrive, we’ll reserve one for him. He can enjoy a platinum membership free of charge.”
“Yes, Mr. Blackwood,” Gina said.
She finished typing, and the office got quiet. When I didn’t speak, she said, “Concerning Faith’s test…”
“Yes? What about it?”
“It may contain a false positive,” the Madam said. “To be certain it’s accurate, we need to test her again next week.”
I nodded. “How accurate are these early results?”
“Very,” Gina said, not missing a beat. “But like I said, a false positive is always possible.”
“I don’t want to share the results with anyone yet,” I said. “I haven’t told my brothers. I haven’t had time to process the news. If the employees find out too soon, they might be unnecessarily worried that the contraceptive shot was faulty.”
Gina nodded. “Does Faith agree about keeping it private?”
I took a deep breath. “We haven’t discussed it yet. But if she wants to tell her friends, that’s her business.”
Gina looked surprised but quickly smoothed her expression into a mask of professionalism. “I respect that, Mr. Blackwood.”
“Good,” I said and rose to leave. “Because I’ve broken every rule in the club book, it’s important to have your respect still. I’ll see you later, Gina.”
She smiled at me. “See you, Mr. Blackwood.”
When I finished my meetings for the day, I ran—not walked—back to my house.
I had an important guest, one I couldn’t wait to be alone with.