Reservations

“Mmm. It’s an interesting concept. And I agree it’s very much needed. I’m not sure if I’ve ever heard of anything quite like this before,” Tristan said, and a noise on Tristan’s end caused Thane to focus more closely on the monitor. Dylan Reeves, Tristan’s husband, had come inside the room and taken a seat beside Tristan.

“I’m sorry I’m late. Keep going. I’ll catch up,” he said, encouraging them to continue. Thane glanced at Arik who looked deep in thought. Dylan’s presence made Thane a little unsure. The few times Thane had ventured into short-lived relationships, the guys had become super possessive; yet here Dylan and Tristan were, working on this together. A project inspired by Tristan’s past lover.

“I’d probably have enjoyed a place like this before I met Kellus,” Arik said and pushed up in his seat to reach for a calculator, still seemingly lost in thought.

“I’ve got the restaurant portion down. We’ll be a fine-dining establishment with a nightclub attached. One that offers entertainment and dancing, things along those lines. Where Arik comes in are the rooms. If I have someplace nearby that always has rooms available, with a security guard stationed on the floor and the needed amenities waiting, it’ll just heighten the safety factor.”

“I agree. Do you have any idea how many rooms we’d have to block out?” Arik asked, picking up a pen, starting to jot down notes.

“No idea, but to make this work properly, the members will need access to a room. For purchase of course.”

Arik nodded and continued writing on a stray pad of paper.

“My struggle’s going to come during peak season and on the weekends, but I’ll deal with that,” Arik added, absently.

“How do you keep undercover police out?” Tristan asked.

“I don’t. Entry requires membership, and that’s a lengthy process, but if they set up an undercover operation, and we don’t catch it, that’s on members. I can’t stress this enough. We’re not selling sex. I sell booze and food. Arik sells rooms. I truly believe these safety measures would have helped Julian. I’m not suggesting every man that steps inside our club will pay to have sex. Many won’t, but if we’re ever again subjected to something as horrific as what happened to Julian, we’ll be able to find the man and make him pay. That’s where Tristan comes in,” Thane explained.

“Our contribution’ll be setting systems in place for background reports and the surveillance security in both the club and the hotel. They’ll ideally work together to provide a complete security trail,” Tristan added.

“Yes,” Thane confirmed, “Exactly.”

“Who do you have in mind to run such an operation?” Arik asked.

“I’ll take care of that. It won’t be much different than any restaurant site I have, but once everything’s in place, I thought Julian might be a good fit. He’s got the companion connections down. I’ll get him some training, and he can handle personnel. It’ll be a tough transition for him, but if he adapts well, I’ll move him up. He needs legitimate employment. He’s not progressing in his care as much as we might have hoped. He’s got some disfigurement, not anything noticeable unless you knew him before. He’s also on a cane; he’s got a limp that’s frustrating him, but the main obstacle seems to be in his head. He’s started counseling recently.” Thane tapped his temple with his forefinger as he spoke those last couple of lines.

“Mmm, I’m sorry to hear that,” Tristan said.

“Me too,” Arik murmured.

Silence ensued while they all stared at one another. That wasn’t unusual, negotiations always needed a minute to sit and, what he liked to call, marinate.

“Do you have a name for the club?” Arik asked, still sounding somewhat distracted.

“My initial market research shows favorability toward the name Reservations.”

Dylan nodded. “That’s clear and to the point. Makes it obvious a person can’t just walk in,” Dylan added. “I like it.”

“All right. Well, is Wilder in?” Arik asked, focusing on the monitor.

“We’ve got the software ready. It’s relatively easy on our end, and we’ve agreed to the financial commitment,” Dylan answered instead of Tristan.

Arik nodded and turned back to Thane, looking at him for several long moments, not saying a word. Thane turned his uncertainty toward Tristan who just shrugged. “I thought maybe the screen had frozen,” Tristan responded cheekily. Thane snorted, but Arik didn’t acknowledge the joke.

“It’s very important to me that we’re clear from the beginning: we don’t operate in the sex business, no more so than any other legitimate club where people meet and possibly leave together. It’s just our people have been vetted. I like the idea of being somewhat remote from major urban areas so men have a place to come and relax. My initial thought is that I’d like to see this restaurant slash club open in my exclusive adult’s only section of this property. It’s a quick walk from the restaurant to a room from that location of the resort. We have remote check-in; rooms can be booked through a mobile application. So that’s all discreet and efficient,” Arik said, making notes as he spoke.