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Z ack walked into Club Risqué and looked around for Dani as he made his way towards the bar.

He always arranged to meet her here. Anything to avoid their hook-ups from seeming too much like a date.

It wasn’t that he objected to their relationship heading into deeper territory.

He would have preferred it if he were honest with himself.

He was ready to settle down and start a family, but that was out of the question right now, from a moral point of view, if not a physical one.

And he didn’t want to lead her on by offering something he wasn’t able to fully commit to. It wasn’t fair on her.

Pushing the bitterness out of his mind, he resolved to enjoy their evening and the time they could spend together.

They were well matched when it came to kink. He’d met her here at this very club, twelve months ago, and in that time, things had evolved so they were now exclusive.

He’d resisted it at first. Didn’t want to give her the wrong impression, but as time had marched on, he found himself less and less interested in entertaining other play partners.

He simply couldn’t bear the thought of having sex with anyone but Dani.

Like he was being unfaithful or something, even though they didn’t have any kind of genuine relationship that extended beyond hooking up for a kink scene.

And wasn’t that the ultimate irony.

Zack found her talking to a couple of other submissives, and her face lit up when she saw him. She was like a balm to his battered soul.

He walked over and kissed her forehead when she jumped up to greet him. She felt like his safe place. With Dani, everything seemed simple. Oh, he knew it wasn’t, but he liked the illusion. It allowed him those precious moments of peace.

She picked up two bottles of water and handed him one, then took his hand and started dragging him off towards the lounge area. Neither of them ever drank alcohol before they scened. He liked that she had the same attitude about that as he did. It was just another small way they fit.

“I wanted to talk to you about a business investment before we started,” she told him, her face animated, and he could tell it was something she was enthusiastic about.

While he was ultimately a venture capitalist, he also dabbled as an investment broker, and that part of his job normally consisted of matching the right people to the right kind of investment for them. Once that pairing was successful, he took a commission, and that was the end of his involvement.

Still, he knew his stuff and he could certainly advise Dani on whatever kind of enterprise had her so excited.

It might even be something he was interested in, since their business interests were almost as compatible as their kinks.

While he generally sank his own considerable wealth into cutting edge technologies, he was always on the search for new initiatives.

And he had a knack for recognizing those which showed promise and separating the wheat from the chaff.

It was a talent that had made him a very rich man.

“So, what’s this investment you’re interested in?” he asked as they sat down, and she snuggled into the crook of his arm.

It was a habit they’d developed, which was more than just Dom and sub, but they were both comfortable with it.

“My cousin, Luca, wants to buy a private island and set it up as a resort,” she told him.

Zack frowned; he was familiar with her family business. Their resort chain was second to none. “You’ll have to tell me a bit more, pet,” he encouraged. “Because right now I’m just wondering why he’s not just running it through the company.”

“Well, the company belongs to Zio Lorenzo, and Luca wants this to be his baby,” she replied.

Still not making sense. Yes, the company might belong to his father, but Luca Moreno was set to take over and, since he was the only heir, it wasn’t like there was any doubt there.

“But mostly it’s because he wants to set it up as a kink island, so it won’t fit with the family resorts in Lorenzo’s portfolio. Not even the adults only ones.”

Okay, now it made sense. It was an intriguing idea and one that tantalized him on a personal basis.

“Okay, this island… where is it, what’s the size, the cost and the condition?” He slipped into business mode without even noticing.

Just like Dani slipped into her sales patter.

“The island is approximately five miles by three miles in size, and it’s in the Caribbean, approximately eighty miles east of Miami.

Luca’s negotiating the cost, but he’s hoping to bring it in under ten million dollars.

The island is uninhabited, completely empty, but that’s what he wants.

He’s keen to set up the infrastructure from scratch so it works for the vision he’s got for this place. ”

Zack knew Luca Moreno had both the knowledge and the contacts to pull the scheme off. There was no doubt in his mind about that.

However, building a resort from the ground up was going to take a huge influx of cash, way more than the initial seed money for the purchase of the island itself. It was going to need some very deep pockets, but Zack could see the definite advantages of setting up a kink resort that way.

“I think the big question is whether it would cover the investment with kink alone,” he told Dani after some consideration.

“Plus, you need to ask him if all those involved are going to be in the lifestyle. That’s certainly the best way to do it.

It circumvents any chance of misunderstanding between investors about the intricacies of the BDSM lifestyle.

Certainly, a project on this scale doesn’t need someone pulling out because they don’t understand the differences between consensual kink and abuse, and we all know that’s a very real concern. ”

He scratched at the stubble he hadn’t shaved, simply because Dani liked the feel of it against her skin, and continued. “If it was me, that’s a condition I’d insist on to minimize the risk. It means finding the capital will take longer… but it would be worth it for that kind of peace of mind.”

Dani pursed her lips. “You’re right, and he might even have already made that decision, but it’s definitely something I need to find out. But what did you mean when you talked about whether the investment could be covered by kink alone?”

“I mean the outlay is going to be massive and the kink community - especially those who are going to be able to afford what I’m guessing is going to be a high-class resort - are going to be a fraction of the number of general holiday makers you and Luca are used to dealing with in your uncle’s company.

That makes it a catch twenty-two situation.

The fewer visitors, the more you’ll need to charge.

The more you charge, the less people can afford it. ”

Dani plucked at her bottom lip, and a crease in the middle of her eyebrows marred her smooth complexion. “I understand what you mean, but I’m not sure what the answer is,” she revealed, a hint of worry creeping into her voice.

Zack hated to burst her bubble, but there were still options. “The island is big enough that you have the option to build two hotels that could be amply distanced from each other. One could be Luca’s kink dream, the other could be a regular adults-only venue which would bring in more cash.”

“That’s a great idea,” Dani exclaimed, her excitement catching fire again.

“It also presents a number of options to create the kind of paradise even those in the lifestyle crave for more than just a kinky weekend, meaning they’d extend their breaks if there were additional facilities.”

She flung her arms around him and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. “You really should talk to Luca about this. You have so much insight,” she whispered as she nibbled on his earlobe. “The two of you would make a great team.”

The intoxicating smell of her perfume brought Zack back to the present and the fact that there was a private playroom upstairs with his name on the reservation.

He didn’t think she was necessarily trying to recruit him as an investor, but he had to admit, he was kind of tempted.

But right now, there were much more interesting things to explore. Surging to his feet, he pulled her up with him and headed for the stairs. It was time to give his little entrepreneur a reward for all her hard work.