“Think about it. The club in Colorado Springs is packed. There’s demand. We’ll do something more high-end. Make it exclusive with a good cover story. And private rooms so it’s not just a dungeon.”
“Cover story?” More like fantasy fiction.
“The Aspen airport is packed with jets no matter the season.”
“True.”
“Tourists fill up all these little towns, even if they aren’t jet-setters. They’re coming here to celebrate and have an experience. Spend their money lavishly, based on the price of baked goods.”
Stone has lost his marbles. I should turn around and drive back to the hospital so he can get his head examined. “What do baked goods have to do with a BDSM club?”
“If someone’s willing to spend three hundred or more on a birthday cake in this area, and that’s what private bakers are charging, what do you think they’d pay for a week or month or yearlong membership to a private club? Topside will be a restaurant, classic, talented chefs—you know.”
“Country club vibe.” I nod, an image of his plan starting to form. But it’s like an adult version of a theme park, all fantasy and not even close to reality. Reality involves mortgages, property taxes, and certificates of occupancy.
“Down below, a members-only area. A private dungeon with play rooms. If we find the right property, we could even have some condos to rent.”
“You want to open a BDSM resort in the mountains of Colorado.”
“If I can find the right property.”
“Why now and why here? Don’t we have enough to deal with?” Like a killer after my wife or our brother who might die. And Stone is playing let’s pretend?
“Had the idea as soon as we hit Pandora’s. And it solves a ton of problems.”
No, it creates a hundred more. “Name one.”
“We can all stay here and have jobs and an income. Alex can oversee the construction. Eliot’s team can design the network and security. I can bankroll the effort and manage the dungeon. Amy’s a wiz with vacation rentals and design. And you’re a details guy. The man with a plan, always. You can be the general manager and handle the day-to-day operations. Hell, you’ve probably thought of several things I’m ignoring already.”
The wet road is particularly twisty, allowing me to be quiet and consider what Stone’s saying. A private resort club actually has potential. “You already have this all figured out. Where’s the property?”
“Between Alabaster and Aspen. I haven’t put in an offer yet. I wasn’t sure we had all agreed to stay.”
“Did we agree?” I’m staying, but I’m only one person. I have no idea what Amy will think about this.
“Everyone has loved being out here. No one bellyached about going back. Blake is in for a long recovery. Months to years. That hospital is well-funded and well-staffed. Wasn’t a goddamn knife and gun club running through there.”
Stone raises a valid point. St. Louis has become more and more dangerous in the past few years. A lot of talented people are leaving.
“Eliot asked Pierce about security gigs in the area. With all the money floating around this place, contracts must open up all the time.”
Stone’s not wrong. I check the rearview. Alex is awake and staring straight ahead. “What about you, Alex?”
Alex lifts a shoulder. I focus back on the road.
“As long as I ain’t in the state of Texas, dude, it don’t matter where I am. It’s all good.”
I looked into Alex’s background, but the details of why he had to avoid his home state were elusive.
“Gabe mentioned needing help with some construction jobs,” Alex adds.
Stone clears his throat. “If we do this, you’ll be busy withourproject. Gabe too, most likely.”
How much money did Stone have stashed back? “How will the investment work?” I can sell my house in Kirkwood. “I’d want to buy in. Be a partner.”
“Of course you do.” Stone huffs. “I don’t have it all figured out, but that won’t be a problem.”
We keep hashing out details, tossing out ideas but rejecting most of them. Planning a future is a nice distraction from the shit reality we still have to deal with. When we pull up to the Ponderosa, I check my watch. Too early. I park next to Gabe’s truck in his pea gravel parking area. “I’m going to see if anyone’s up. Coming in?”
