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Calvin has the house on lockdown with furnishing things now that the moving truck is emptied and things are in their places. I’m starting to feel like our house is on its way to becoming a home.

Picking up my garbage, I realize why the transition has been difficult. Our entire lives have been planned as far as meals and what works for our bodies due to our extra curricular activities. Now, if I want to eat a burger, I can.

The major pivot in schools led to the three of us losing our positions in the sports that we excelled at, but there are pick up games on campus we can play. It’s not the end of the world, despite the way our parents insisted it would be.

“What are you thinking about?” Jared asks, lifting his backpack up.

“The world didn’t end,” I grunt, almost in awe. “We left Portland, dropped all of our sports teams, and nothing happened.”

Elijah snorts in amusement at my train of thought, but nods as he picks up his trash as well.

“Pretty amazing, right?” he asks. “I do want to sign up for their rec team, but that’s more fun than competitive.”

“I want to as well,” I agree.

“I think I’m happy swimming in my pool,” Jared says with a chuckle. “There’s no one to judge me there when I push too hard.”

“Just don’t die, and we will let you have it,” I grunt as we toss our garbage away.

“You got it,” he says.

We all take our separate paths to class, and I can’t help the wide smile on my face. Fuck, we’re actually free. It’s a wild feeling.

Two Weeks Later

ELIJAH

Blowing out a breath, I walk toward the club to see how the construction crew is doing. The paperwork has been filled out, the contract signed, and the deposit paid. It doesn’t matter if they find out that I’m one of the owners, or think I’m his kid.

Life’s a stage, and I’m fully aware of that. Unlocking the front door, I open it and grin. The built-in shelving has been put in for the storefront, the register counter has been built and installed, and I close and lock the door behind me.

I can vaguely hear people working, and I walk toward where there’s a hole in the wall that’s where the sliding mirror will go.

Stepping through it, I continue to where the club is coming together.

New wallpaper and dark blue paint are being added to the walls of the speakeasy, while kinky things are being created downstairs.

Several bondage walls will be made, shelving for the different instruments, and the contractors are also building out the different rooms. The work is being done fairly quickly, and I begin to pull out my phone so I can show the guys.

Jared is home swimming, while Theo is currently on the phone going through interviews. Our voices don't tell our age as easily, which means that’s a part of the business we can do ourselves. Anyone he hires will go through an extensive background check as well.

“Excuse me, you’re not supposed to be here, are you?” a rough, no nonsense voice asks.

Turning, I give him a grim smile. “Sorry, I didn’t announce myself. I’m Elijah. My dad asked me to come down to see how the progress of the project is going,” I explain.

There’s not a single tell as I state that, because I don’t feel bad about the white lie if it may color the way that he’ll treat me.

“Didn’t know you were coming by,” Roger Grimwald grunts. “Let me just check on that.”

He texts a number that will go to Theo, and I wait for the green light. Theo knew this was a possibility, and I would rather Roger ask questions than just let anyone back here.

I drove tonight, my only destination to come here and then check out a pizza joint down the street the guys want to try. It’s Friday, and this is how we want to start the weekend.

Calvin didn’t even put up a fuss, agreeing that it’s been a long week.

“Yeah, your dad confirmed you’re you,” Roger says apologetically.

“No worries,” I say. “Want to walk me through what’s being done this week?”

“Yes,” he says with a nod. “This place has really good bones. The architecture is solid, too. It’s making it easy to get things done.”

Smiling neutrally, I walk with him as he explains what they’ve been doing. The actual door down to the basement is open, and I can see that they installed the vault door. There will be a bouncer here with a list of who is allowed down.

Everyone who wants to participate in the sex club has to be fully screened beforehand, with a health, psychological, and emotional examination included in that. They’ll also have to sign a non-disclosure agreement and review the rules of consent.

Just because we’ve skirted the line of consent before, doesn’t mean anyone else is allowed to. This club will all be above board, and drugs are not allowed within it either. There’s a lot that goes into this, and we are hiring a psychiatrist to do the screenings as well.

That’s one of the many interviews that Theo is conducting from home today.

The waitlist is already long, as I’ve been doing videos teasing what is coming.

By dropping content that excites people, we’ve been building our clientele.

It doesn’t matter that we’re still in the process of creating our business and the club, this place will be filled with the right people when we open our doors.

I project that’ll take at least three months before we’re ready, but that’s okay.

Roger shows me everything they’ve been able to get done, and his cheeks redden a little at the BDSM walls. It doesn’t bother me at all, obviously. It’ll hold a person’s body in place while the dom gets to work. The hooks on the shelving next to it will have whips, paddles, and more.

I’m very happy with the progress of it all.

“This was great, thanks,” I tell him as I get ready to leave. “Any idea on how long it’ll take for everything to be done?”

“I’m actually thinking it’ll be another two months,” he says honestly. “The basement conversion will take the longest amount of time.”

“No, that’s fine,” I say with a nod. “The private rooms are looking good, man. Your crew is making miracles happen.”

The fact that they’ve been at this for two weeks and already have most of this main area done is incredible.

“Your dad and his partners are eager," he says. “I don’t blame them one bit. I saw a video about this place online, and it looks exciting. This area will benefit from a place like this that is discreet.”

The fact that he saw one of my videos makes me break into a rare grin. I’m glad they’re getting traction.

“He’ll like to hear that. Take care,” I say, stepping out of the club and into the store that’ll hide it.

A part of me is tickled that people will come to shop here without ever knowing what’s on the other side of the wall. The contractors are ensuring that the insulation will make the walls soundproof.

Who said adulting would be completely boring? I suppose it helps that I have Theo and Jared for these wild adventures.

Letting myself out of the building, I look around as I lock up. There are other businesses that are opened around here that offer enough traffic without it being overwhelming. There’s also a decent amount of parking around the back of the building, and since we own it, it’s ours.

Feeling proud of the direction of things, I begin walking toward the pizza shop. Montecito is safe, and there’s still light in the sky since it’s only four in the afternoon. It also doesn’t appear as if the dinner rush has hit yet either.

My stomach rumbles to remind me that I’m hungry after my workout earlier today, and I roll my eyes at myself. There’s nothing worse than being slapped in the face with the delicious smells of pizza while being hungry.

Glancing back and forth as I get ready to cross, I begin walking across the street, only to find a car is speeding up. Gasping, I begin to run, twisting around to see who is driving as they pass me. She’s driving an SUV, and has long dark hair that’s partially covering her face.

Again, I feel as if someone stepped on my grave, and I shake my head.

“Fuck, this is getting weird,” I mutter. “Who are you?”

The car disappears around the corner, and I rub my chest uncomfortably.

“Are you okay?” someone asks. Glancing over, I see it’s an older man with what may be his daughter.

This is a family friendly neighborhood, which means we’ll ensure that everyone is well covered when they come into the club. It’s the perfect hidey hole for it.

“Yes, I think so,” I say. “She scared me.”

“Are you sure you didn’t piss her off somehow? It looked like she accelerated as she got closer.” The woman with the older man appears to be holding back a smile since I’m clearly fine, outside of having a silent panic attack.

The dead can’t drive and they can’t come back from the great beyond.

So who the fuck just tried to run me over?