Attraction (10 page)

and I in their so-called teaching of values. Do you know how embarrassing it was for me that I
had to earn my privileges, when all my others peers just had to ask their parents and, whala, they
got it. Did you know we had to not only get good grades but use our allowances to pay for our
own gas, phone bills, and entertainment. Dad forced each of us to maintain a budget. And it
didn’t stop there. My parents insisted that we all go to college. In college, all of us had to work
part time for extra spending money. Imagine, my parents sitting on millions of dollars, and they
wouldn’t pay our bills. God, I was so embarrassed back then. My friends would look at me as if I
was talking in alien language when I would mention my bills or that I had to go to work. So,
while all my friends were able to jet set around the world, party with all the big stars and
European royals, or tour the Riviera on their parents’ yacht, I had to go back east and be Jane
college student.”
“Yes, it was all such a hardship that we put you through,” Alana commented with
obvious satisfaction.
After they had their deserts, they all went back into the parlor room for the after-dinner
drinks. It was a time for relaxing, the members of the two family to get further reacquainted, and
for the body systems to settle after so rich a meal.
To get some fresh air, Riley strolled out to the balcony that provided a breathtaking view
of the city lights. Tanner was already out there, sipping his brandy, staring at the night sky that
was for once not screened with fog. She thought that the set of his shoulders held a certain
sadness. He turned at the sound of her footsteps.
“Is it okay if I join you?” she asked.
Tanner smiled. “Sure. Why shouldn’t it be?”
“I don’t know. For a second, I thought you might want to be alone.”
Riley looked at the vast expanse of the city that the view afforded. To the left was the
Golden Gate Bridge, still full of cars zooming too and from even at this late hour. “Wow! So this
is what money buys.” Then she winced. “That was pretty crass of me, wasn’t it?”
Tanner didn’t look offended in the least. He shrugged. “No, because you’re right. Where
you are standing is a prime example of money.” He went back to viewing the scenery. “Don’t let
Beth Anne fool you with all of her indignation over being taught responsibility and the value of
money. We always knew just how much butter was slathered on our bread and that it covered
both sides.”
“But your parents have reasons to be very proud of all their kids. You all turned out to be
productive and responsible adults, instead of going half-cocked around the world like typical
trust fund babies.”
“Are you kidding. If any of us had tried that, our mother would have hunted us down,
taken us by the ear, and yanked us back to the real world. That’s why my parents so much
approves of your sister. And, I think, you yourself will do this family good, too.”
“What do you mean?”
Tanner gave a mischievous grin. “I heard about you said to Heron during the lunch he
forced on you.”
“You heard about that? How?”
“From Heron. When he came back to the office that day, he was so shocked and angry
over what you told me that he could barely speak.” Tanner laughed. “He actually could not speak
for an hour or so. I’ve never seen Heron in all my life get so upset that he was lost for words. It
was the funniest sight. I would have loved to have been there to see you tell him off. The last
thing he ever imagined was being told that he was not good enough for a woman. That was
completely incomprehensible to him..”
When he started to laugh again, Riley looked at the open French doors. “Shhhh. Let’s not
joke about it, at least in front of the others. It really upset Robbie when she heard about what I
said to Heron. So, let’s just keep the joke between the two of us.”
“Alright, future sister-in-law. But I’ll say it served him right. You were finally able to do
what no one else has ever been able to do, and that is knock Heron off his high and mighty
horse.”
“You don’t resent him, do you?”
“No, not at all. It’s just everything about Heron is bigger than life, how he looks, what he
does, what he says. Everything he ever tackles he does with brilliance. He’s like that insurance
commercial some years ago. When Heron talks, everyone listens. But that doesn’t mean he
couldn’t stand being brought down a peg or two. He needs to be humanized, be brought down to
earth.”
“So, what, no one has ever told you brother that he’s a jerk when he’s being one?”
Tanner shrugged. “There’s really been no one in his life who would tell him that.
Everyone is so much in awe of him, by everything he does. Even my parents. Even me. And,
anyway, he’s really never been an ass to his family. He’s pretty decent to me and Beth Anne.
The people at the company and at his firm wouldn’t tell him because he’s the one in power.
Women certainly wouldn’t tell him to his face when he’s being less than stellar in his beside
manner, because they take one look at him, and they’re instantly entranced.” He leaned over his
forearms which were rested on the balcony, and looked out at the dark city. “Oh, yes, I look
forward to this marriage, because it might bring about some needed changes in our man of the
hour.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Once every few months or so, Riley would conduct an open house of her bar that allowed
the public to join with the rest of the members of the exclusive sex club and socialize. If an
entrant was daring enough, he or she could arrive sporting a highly provocative attire. Many
guests arrived wearing a BDSM thematic outfit.
Riley considered these open houses more as a festive event, and offered a variety of
entertainment, besides the usual dancing and drinks. Shows were put on, such as professional
dancers moving to fast gyrating music, their pulsating muscled buttocks and thighs exposed by
g-strings and their breasts barely covered or only had nipples covered with glittering stick-ons.
For the women, Chip & Dale dancers flexed their muscles and strutted their buttocks. On a
second stage, a burlesque type of musical extravaganza was exhibited, with bawdy songs and
skits and dances, much in the spirit of the Beach Blanket Babylon. The finale was a Can-Can
routine where the girls kicked high their legs, revealing that they wore no undergarments.
Riley used the upstairs as a demonstration forum, having invited hostesses who
conducted pleasure parties and makers of sex paraphernalia. As well, lecturers, from sex
therapists, social research professors, to philosophers, were brought in for the more intellectual
approach to sex, illuminating the mind to the nature and philosophy of sex and its incredibly
complex and integral role in human society.
To join in the event, she herself dressed more provocatively than her usual professional
clothes of pantsuits or a sedate black evening sheaths, taking advantage of her most sexual
attributes. Tonight, she wore a barmaid-style corset in black satin, the boning pushed up her large
round breasts, making them pop out of the wide square neckline, creating a blatant décolletage
because the bodice barely topped over her nipples. All around the neckline was a narrow white
lace ruffle that gave the daring outfit somewhat an impudent charm. The corset ended at her hips.
There, all around it, edging the corset were long white fringes that created a silky, shimmery
skirt that reached her calves. Underneath the white fringe skirt, she only wore a white g-string.
This left her buttocks bare beneath the fringes. When she walked, her thighs and round bare
globes flashed tantalizingly between the swaying fringes. On her feet, she wore the black paten
leather sandals that had the wide silver buckles on the ankle straps. She let her long curly hair
fall free down her back, pulling it back from her face with a wide black velvet ribbon that was
tied, rather incongruously at her temple in a wide bow. All over the curls, she brushed glitter,
giving her ethereal quality to her overall sexy appearance. On her face, her makeup was heavier
than usual, with eyes rimmed heavily with black eyeliner and black and silver eye shadows,
heightening the pale gray hazel of her pupils and bringing out the yellow specks in them. Her lips
were painted deep, deep red, the color of blood, making the pedals look soft, full, lush. With her
heavy eye makeup and her red lips, there was a lazy expression to her face, her eyes often
hooded, her lips curved slightly into a mocking, secretive smile.
By ten o’clock, the entire establishment was crowded, practically drinking the liquor off
the shelves. Anticipating such a rush, Riley had set up a second bar down at the dance floor and
hired two temporary help to man it. Standing at the main bar, she watched her bar manager, Joe,
and the two other bartenders rushing back and forth making drinks while customers crowded in
several layers over the bar, holding out cash or credit cards. When Joe saw Riley, he waved a
bar boy to take over the drinks he had been mixing.
Joe took a white towel and wiped his face that had a fine film of sweat. “They’re thirsty
tonight, boss.”
“Are we going to hold with the drinks?”
“I don’t think we’re going to run out tonight. But I’m going to be putting a lot of double
orders on Monday. You might want to go over to the east corner end of the dance area. There’s a
group of five or six from the city. And they’re not ordering the house drinks, either. Their tabs
already over a thousand bucks. One of the bloke asked for you.”
Riley frowned. “He’s not one of those who thinks he’s going to get a …”
“No. He seems okay. Pretty nice chap. He looks like that good-looking guy who brought
your sister down from the city that night.”
Her face brightened. “Oh, that’s Tanner, my sister’s fiancée’s brother. I’ll go over there
right now.”
“Oh, one more thing, boss. I thought I saw Thomas Whooten walking around here.”
“I wonder what’s he doing here? Did he order drinks?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Thanks for the heads up, Joe.” Riley was about to walk away when she noticed a woman
at the end of the bar, sipping wine, wearing a black Elvira outfit. “Isn’t that your wife, Heather?
What’s she doing here?”
“Keeping an eye on me.”
Riley knew that Joe Monterey was the last man who’d ever cheat on his wife. They had
been married for ten years and just had a baby. He was man of a steady character who was
devoted to his family. But, nevertheless, he was human, and he was a man. She looked at the
women around the bar, mostly scantily dressed, many of the bosoms in display, a few
completely. She smiled at the bar manager. “Your wife’s no fool.”
Joes wriggled his eyebrows. “Plus she’s getting some ideas about things she could do to
me.” Then his eyes went flat as a blank expression came over his face. He muttered, “There he
is, by the water fountain.”
Riley turned and spotted the gray head of Thomas Whooten. She watched him for a
moment, her eyes coldly assessing, wondering if she should get the bouncers to kick him out.
She knew that behind his bright blue eyes, the man was calculating his moves.
Not all of the community of Northern Bay Area were accepting of Riley’s informal sex
club. And not surprisingly, the most vocal of those who decry the private group were some
churches and religious organizations. The most virulent of these was Thomas Whooten, a fiery
minister from a small Baptist church that was just on the outskirts of town. He was originally
from Tennessee, and was raised by a minister who hauled his family in a small caravan from one
town to another, setting up a makeshift parish where the town people could gather to witness the
miracle healing that he performed.
Thomas, when he grew to be an adult, followed his father’s footsteps in spreading the
word of God. However, he was driven more by ambition than any inspiration from God, and
entered a seminary and graduated with a masters in theology. But the need to cry out to the world
the wrath of God had deep roots within him, and he reverted to the fiery preaching of his father.
But Thomas was also driven by the need to fight for redemption for his people, feeling that he
was appointed by God to battle what he saw were sins that kept the people away from God. This
fueled his social and political ambition, aligning himself with politicians and law enforcement
agencies who were of like mind with Thomas in their desire to wipe from the community
decadence and corruption.
For a few years, he had tried to get the authorities to shut down Riley’s establishment, but
always the district attorney would drop the charges, saying there was nothing he could do,
because they could not find anything that Riley was doing illegally. At few times, Whooten had
organized a crowd that had picketed in front of the club. He often stood in front of the crowd
with a bull horn and proclaim that such acts of blasphemy were being allowed inside the
building, spreading corruption in their fair town. Riley or Joe or one of the bouncers would call
the police, who would come down and manage to disperse the protest.
Riley saw Thomas stop one of the cocktail waitresses and order a drink, more than likely
a glass of water. The waitress gave him a cold look and indicated with a tilt of her head to the
water fountain just a few feet away and walked away. Riley smiled a little. This had not been the
first time the minister had visited the bar. His stingy habit of not tipping despite his numerous
orders for water was quite known to her staff.
Thomas turned and saw Riley. Looking quite at ease, he made his way to the bar. “Good
evening, Ms. Calderon.” He cast his eyes over her attire. “This is especially a busy night.”
Riley studied him for a moment. The minister was of average height but quite
overweight, almost obese, with a large protruding stomach. He liked to sport expensive threepiece suits, which was adorned, rather dandily, with a gold pocket watch in his vest pocket, a fob
dangling from one pocket, and a gold chain draped across his round stomach. His face was round
and quite cherubic with pink cheeks, framed by thick white-gray hair that curled all around his
head in a cupid-like manner. His eyes were round and blue and twinkled often. He presented a
jovial mien to the public, a man who was good-humored, sure of his destiny.