Chapter 5
Chamber~
It was three in the morning, and the club was finally empty, save for me and Hayes Rainier, and I had to say that I was rather surprised that his head wasn’t cradled in his arms, fast asleep on the bar.
Late hours weren’t for the weak, especially once you hit your forties.
Of course, it also wasn’t every day that you experienced one of our shows, so I could see how Hayes might still be wired a bit.
“So, I want the real story,” he said as he sat next to me at the bar, the club empty and quiet.
“There are plenty of articles-”
“No,” he said, interrupting me. “I’m not talking about the rehearsed speech that you gave the online news outlets or what’s posted on your social media sites. I want to know the details behind why you would work so hard to create such a unique space for women.”
I cocked my head a bit. “And how do I know that you’re not some undercover reporter who’s trying to write some sleazy exposé on my club?”
Hayes shot me a look. “Because I know that you did your own little research on me before our meeting tonight,” he replied easily, and he wasn’t wrong.
“Fair enough,” I grinned.
“Okay, so...tell me where the passion for this place came from,” he said.
“Now, when I say this, I want you to know that I’m not bashing my ex-husband,” I said, though I was sure that Hayes wouldn’t see it that way. Men were sensitive about their sexual prowess, and I knew that he was more apt to sympathize with Ben than to see my point of view.
“Duly noted.”
“I’m not sure when it happened, or how much of it was my fault versus how much blame Ben deserves, but somewhere along the line, sex had become a chore for the both of us,” I finally admitted.
“Ben’s career had begun to take off, and once he began his own business.
..well, he had channeled all his passion into Rowland Investments, and instead of demanding equal measure, I had chosen to be an understanding wife and take what’d been left over, which hadn’t been much. ”
“So, all of this stems from sexual frustration?” he asked hesitantly, and I appreciated how he was doing his best not to offend me.
“No,” I chuckled. “Silence is the seed that created all this. Instead of communicating honestly with my ex-husband, I had chosen to suffer in silence, and that’s hardly Ben’s fault.”
“That’s rather generous of you,” he remarked graciously.
“It’s not generous when it’s true,” I corrected.
“While I do feel that Ben’s to blame for most of how our marriage ended, I own my fair share of the failure.
Instead of...of demanding more, I allowed myself to fall into this depressing existence, and I played the victim rather well, if I do say so myself. ”
Hayes winced. “Ouch.”
That got a grin out of me. “You’d be surprised at how easy it is to choose victimization over bravery to do something about your situation.
At the time, I’d chosen the easy way out, and that’d been to stay married and keep my mouth shut until my children had become adults.
It was then that I had asked for a divorce, and Ben hadn’t argued against it at all. ”
“So, why a sex club?”
“Like most people, I’d done a full autopsy on my marriage when filing for divorce, and one of the things that had upset me the most was how I’d wasted all my good years on a man who had stopped appreciating me years ago,” I answered honestly.
“Now that I’m in my forties, sex all night long doesn’t sound as sexy as it did when I’d been in my twenties. ”
Hayes laughed, making his dimples pop out again, and it sounded easy and genuine. “I’m glad someone said it.”
“Well, that’s where the inspiration for The Fantasy Factory came from,” I went on.
“I wanted to show women that they didn’t have to settle, and that they didn’t have to feel ashamed for not wanting to settle.
I wanted to give women a place where their voices would be heard, and they’d be heard safely. ”
“So, the club was formed out of some sort of personal regret,” he surmised. “You can’t go back and change the past, so you’re giving women a chance to escape that same kind of regret.”
I nodded. “I’m trying to.”
“What about the men?” he asked. “I mean, you have a great vetting system here, but there’s no guarantee that an estranged husband or boyfriend won’t storm in here and cause problems.”
“That’s what I have security for,” I pointed out.
“And what about the sex play?” he asked. “What happens if someone with ill intentions slips through.”
“Well, luckily, that hasn’t happened,” I said. “However, in the event that it does, my security is the best, and even if they arrive on the scene too late, I have everything in place to make sure that they don’t escape justice.”
After a few seconds of silence, he said, “So, since this place has never been about the money, I’m guessing that you’d never sell, no matter the offer?”
“I’m on book two of my life’s series, and I’ve given everything to make sure that this book is written in my own terms, Hayes,” I told him.
“There’s no amount of money that would ever make me sell this place, and I have no interest in franchising.
Since I can’t guarantee that a franchise owner would give their club the same dedication that I give this one, I’m not willing to risk my good name on something as common as money. ”
He mulled on that for a bit before asking, “And what about you?”
“What about me?”
“Is there dating in the chapters of this second book?”
“Not yet,” I admitted. “While I have nothing against it, with my sons grown, this place had become my first priority, and I hadn’t had time for much else.”
“Still?” he asked. “I mean, the place is already an established success, so I’d think that now would be the time to sit back and enjoy all your hard work.”
“Businesses only stay successful if you don’t let up, Hayes,” I informed him. “And I have no intention of ever letting my club become a distant memory in this town’s past.”
“I can see that,” he remarked quietly.
“Welcome to The Fantasy Factory,” I sing-songed.
*****
Hayes~
After Chamber had shown me the front door Friday night.
..or rather, Saturday morning, I’d gone home, had slept until noon, then had done some more research on her, her family, and the club.
Hours later, I hadn’t learned much more than what she’d already told me.
Oh, I’d learned a lot about her ex-husband and Rowland Investments, but that was because I’d wanted to see whose shoes I wanted to fill, and by all accounts, from what I could gather online, they were some pretty impressive shoes.
There was also the fact that I was the complete opposite of Benjamin Rowland, and it really would suck if I wasn’t Chamber’s type.
Not only was her ex-husband Black, successful, and fucking wealthy, but every article that I could find on him reported him to be incredibly intelligent, and while I wasn’t stupid, I also didn’t own my own investment firm.
Nonetheless, that wasn’t going to stop me from asking Chamber out. I was very interested in the woman, and it had nothing to do with my current assignment, which I was hoping would come to an end once I explained that Chamber McLaurin was never going to give up her baby.
“So, that’s it? That’s all you learned about her?” Lyle asked. “That she’s not willing to sell or consider a franchise situation?”
“You sent me there to feel her out,” I reminded him. “And from what I was able to gather, there’s no way in hell that Chamber McLaurin is going to sell or franchise. She’s too personally connected to the club to turn it into a Subway or Pizza Hut.”
A quick anger flashed in his eyes. “That is not the intention here, Hayes. The designs would be identical to the original club’s concept.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I told him. “She has a strict and definitive hand on the club’s operations, and she’s not about to trust a corporation to inject that same kind of personal approach.”
“Well, what can we do to change that?” he asked, refusing to give Chamber credit for knowing her own mind.
Unfortunately, I knew the answer to that question.
While Chamber might not want to relinquish control of her club, she was very passionate about giving women a safe place to explore what makes them happy, and it was possible to pitch her the idea of offering that kind of safe place for women everywhere.
She might be open to listening if she felt that her mission was the objective and not the underlying greed of making lots of money.
Nevertheless, I wasn’t about to tell Lyle that.
“Honestly, I don’t know,” I lied. “Money doesn’t motivate her, so what’s left?”
“Money is always a motivator,” he huffed. “It’s just a matter of how much money.”
“Admittedly, I don’t know the woman all that well, but I can tell you that she is not going to sell for any amount of money, Lyle,” I told him. “Though rare, money’s not her god, and I can’t see her accepting any kind of buyout.”
Lyle shot me a condescending look. “Money is everyone’s god.”
“Maybe meeting with her yourself will show you what I mean,” I suggested, wanting to still do my job but not sell Chamber out.
Lyle didn’t say anything right away, but when he finally did, it was to ask me about the club itself. “What’s your opinion about the club? I mean, you did visit it during one of its busiest nights.”
“It’s definitely a moneymaker, if that’s what you’re asking me,” I answered honestly. “It really has this...niche of being able to cater to everyone. You can go for just a beer after work, or you can go to have all of your wildest fantasies come true, and then everything else in between.”
Lyle cocked his head a bit as he asked, “Did you participate in any of the rooms?”
“No,” I lied, and I lied with a straight face. “I wasn’t there to have a good time.”
“I’m surprised,” he murmured. “You’re usually very thorough when researching an acquisition.”
“You instructed me to get a feel for Ms. McLaurin,” I reminded him. “You didn’t say anything about casing the club for more information.”
Lyle didn’t comment on that, choosing to focus on the meat and not the potatoes.
“Now, while I’d never ask you to cross a line that you’re uncomfortable with, most of the men here are married, and though true, I doubt that any of their wives would believe that visiting the club is a work assignment. ”
I straightened in my seat because it sounded a lot like he was assigning me as the sacrificial lamb.
“And what do you feel can be learned from visiting the rooms?” I asked.
“I mean, it’s all pretty self-explanatory, and whatever you’re not familiar with, the internet is an endless pit of knowledge. ”
Again, Lyle didn’t comment, and I was beginning to believe that there was a lot more going on here than what he was telling me.
Now, that wasn’t to say that I expected him to share every little detail with me, because I didn’t.
He was my boss, and I was very aware how the pecking order worked, and if I knew everything that he did, then he wouldn’t be my boss.
Still...
“Honestly, I don’t see how visiting the rooms will make a difference,” I remarked. “Chamber McLaurin is not going to compromise what she’s built, Lyle.”
“We’ll see,” he replied like a comic book villain. “Once the check is written, I think that she’ll be more open to discussing a partnership with us.”
He was wrong.
“I don’t think so, but the success of the club is certainly worth the try,” I said.
Then he went and said something that I really didn’t appreciate. “Tell me, is Ms. McLaurin as beautiful in real life as she is in her pictures?”
It took everything in me not to growl at him like a rabid dog. “Yes, she is.”
A sly grin appeared on his face, and I did not like it. “That’s good to know.”
My chin went up a little, but it couldn’t be helped. “I think you’re underestimating her, Lyle.”
“While your opinion is greatly appreciated in these circumstances, I think I’ve got it handled, Hayes,” he replied coolly. “I’ve also gone up against bigger fish than Ms. McLaurin, so she hardly poses a challenge.”
It was stupid when you considered that I didn’t really know the woman, but his dismissive attitude felt like he was insulting my girl, and I didn’t like it. Nevertheless, what was I supposed to say? Watch how you talk about my future wife?
Yeah, right.
“Very well,” I said, feeling like he had my balls in a vise.
“Just...do me a favor and think about going back to visit one of the rooms, or all of them,” he said. “The more information we have, the better prepared we’ll be when the time comes.”
“I will,” I lied before standing from the chair. “I’ll let you know what I decide.”
He threw me that sly grin again. “You never know, Hayes. You just might enjoy yourself.”
Ignoring that, I walked out of his office, and while it was easy to dismiss Lyle as a bit of a douchebag, I couldn’t dismiss the ick that I was feeling as easily.