Celebration (13 page)

Rex stepped into the passageway and easily opened the first opposite door. The hinges were oiled to silence.

The room was a mirror of his own.

Except, of course, for the harness hanging from the ceiling and the array of leather paddles hanging from one wall. It was decorated in purple satin with stainless accents.

Rex bit back a smile, having a very good idea what Athena had planned for her future. He shut the door to his own room and set off to explore her preparations, no longer feeling tired at all.

Chapter Five

It was early evening when Rex went to look for his hostess. He tapped on the open door on the third floor.

Athena was seated at a desk, her hair wound up and her brow furrowed. She was wearing a silk kimono in a shade of sage green that was perfect for her coloring. The ornate writing desk faced the doorway and Rex could see her legs beneath it. She had her legs crossed and was bouncing one foot as she thought, the feather-endowed satin mule dangling off her toe. Her toenails were painted and she was perfectly shaved, her skin gleaming like ivory.

She glanced up, then smiled. “Rex!” She cast down her pen and came around the desk to give him a kiss, engulfing him in her perfume. Rex felt the old allure, but still wasn’t inclined to act on it.

For once, Athena didn’t seem to notice. She hurried back to her desk, gesturing him to the empty chair opposite. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“I do what I’m told.”

“Since when?” She didn’t even wait for an answer, just hurried on. “The thing is that there’s so much to do.”

“Before the party Saturday night?” Rex sat down as he surveyed the room. It was elegant in design but decorated in shades of gold and orange with black. The combination of fine furnishings with unexpectedly bold color suited Athena perfectly.

“Oh, that’s all arranged.” She smiled, looking like she had a big secret, but Rex knew at least part of it.

He pretended not to know, though. “Are you serious about having the party here?”

“Of course. Why?” Athena’s tone was innocent but her eyes were sparkling.

“It’s a great townhouse, but it’s not that big.”

“Isn’t it?”

“How is everyone going to fit in here?”

“Trust me, they will.”

“Unless, of course, the party’s in the gym.”

Athena smiled. “I knew you’d end up down there.”

“Do your neighbors all know you stole their basements?”

She scoffed. “It’s a theft, given the prices I paid, but I wasn’t the one doing the robbery.”

“You bought the whole block.”

Athena sighed and nodded, propping her chin on her hand to consider him. “There’s no fooling you, is there? You could have just had a nap today, but no, you had to dig out all of my secrets.”

“Not all of them.”

“Maybe not.”

“It was a mystery, and one I needed to solve.”

“What do you think?”

“That you didn’t do all of this just for one party.”

Athena laughed. “Well, I was looking forward to surprising you later, but it’s still wonderful. This will be part of the new club.”

Rex leaned forward, excited to have his suspicions confirmed. “What new club?”

“Well, we can’t just leave all these fantasies unsatisfied, can we? We have a responsibility to our members, and I would have thought that you would have been the first to think of it.” She plucked a folder from the array on her desk and handed it to him. “Here. I’ve been thinking on paper.”

“You want to reopen the Plume?”

“Not exactly. The same but different.”

Rex opened the folder, but didn’t want to read everything she’d written. “Tell me.”

“You lazy piece of business,” Athena said with affection, then smiled at him again. She leaned back in her hair, bouncing that foot even higher. “Okay. I was thinking that we attracted attention because we were too big to remain a secret, and too big to not have someone feel as if we were a threat.”

Rex could have argued the conclusion, but he wanted to hear her thoughts. Big was best, in his estimation, but there were always other ways to go. The problem had been that the Count was a vindictive asshole, as far as he was concerned, but they could agree to disagree. That man was never going to bother either of them again.

“So, what if we specialize?”

“I don’t understand.”

“Instead of having one location, like the Plume, where all fantasies can be fulfilled, we have a whole network of little ones. We can scatter them across the planet, and have different people responsible for each one. Instead of one big business, we become a kind of co-operative, with people we know and trust running the individual locations. We all share our membership data—you can figure out how best to do that—and members can move from one fantasy to another.”

“Or stay in the one they like best.” Rex nodded. He glanced around pointedly. “And this is Command Control?”

“I’m thinking so. But you’re a lot better with the technical issues than I am.” Athena considered him, her eyes narrowed. “Maybe the data center lives at your location.”

“Me?” Rex wasn’t really surprised and Athena knew it.

She laughed at his reaction. “Be serious, Rex. You’re never going to walk away from this life. Where would you get your eye candy fix? And if you did leave it behind, it would be a complete drag for all the rest of us. Nope, you have a responsibility to stay in the game.” She sifted through the folders on her desk, then chose one and presented it to him. “This one’s got your name all over it.”

Intrigued, Rex took the folder. It said
The Resort
on the tab. He opened it and began to read. “‘
The Resort
is a vacation destination with a secret life. On the surface, it’s a romantic place for couples to get away from it all, with top-of-the-line amenities, luxurious room finishes, upscale shops, bars and restaurants. But
The Resort
has a secret life, simmering just below the surface: an active BDSM retreat located either within its bounds or in close proximity. This shadow side of
The Resort
is available either as a complete option, for those members who wish to immerse themselves in the experience, or as an adventure for those guests (and members) who wish to move between the ‘real’ world and the fantasy realm.’” He looked up at her, his interest increasing from a spark to a flame. “Open to the public?”

“At a price.” Athena smiled. “A source of revenue, new members, innocent outrage if we’re ever accused of anything again—”

“It’s such a wonderful place. We went there for our honeymoon and go every anniversary,” Rex gushed, mimicking an oblivious client. “They have the most attractive staff, too.”

Athena laughed. “And a place for training slaves and staff. It has it all—especially if we locate off-shore.” She winked. “And the secrecy of it will work for you.”

She was right. Rex tried to read some more, but his thoughts were spinning again. “Caribbean?” he asked.

“On the beach is one possibility. A ski resort is another that’s equally enticing.”

Rex reached over and grabbed a pen from Athena’s desk, sparing her a glance. She nodded approval and he began to make notes on the inside of the folder. “We should have both,” he said, even as he compiled his lists of requirements. “Sell them as timeshares even, so people can alternate.”

Athena laughed. “No matter how big I dream, you can always dream bigger, Rex.”

“It’s a gift,” he murmured. “Switzerland?”

“You need reliable snow for a ski resort.”

“I’ll have to look into that. France might be better.”

“You’re close enough to take a research trip.”

“The old chalet look would be perfect. Chamonix in the 60’s.”

“I like it. You want that one?”

But Rex was already working on his list, knowing he’d be able to derive a budget from his preliminary notes. He realized that Athena was watching him with a smile. “I like this idea a lot,” he said to her. “Thanks.”

“I knew it would be perfect for you, even if you will have to learn to ski.”

He leaned over her desk, trying to read the tabs. “What else is there?
The Urban Townhouse.
What’s that?”

“You’re sitting in it.” She handed him another folder.

“
The Stables
,” he read.

“I think Colorado, up in the hills. I was thinking of asking Tess and Tex if they wanted that one. She could probably change to fly out of Denver if she wanted to keep her stewardess job.”

“Tex would love it. He always wanted to add real horses, as well as having an outside pony track. “ Rex grabbed that folder and scribbled in it, too. “Buying all the trap will put him over the moon. I wonder if Hoss, Little Jim and Slim would want to relocate?”

“Count on it,” Athena said. “There’s a definite call for more.”

Rex grinned. “All right. What else?”

“
The Dungeon
,
The Factory
,
The Remote Cabin
—actually, that should be a subsidiary one, a spin-off from
The Resort
.”

Rex could easily imagine that fantasy.

“
The Country House
.”

“With
The Servant’s Quarters
as a subsidiary.”

“Maybe a smaller
Stable
too.”

“Hunting with hounds instead of rounding up those doggies,” Rex joked and she laughed.

“And a village, preferably not of idiots.”

“A forest for
The Hunt
.”

Athena reached for a group of yellow folders. “Which brings us to these roving fantasies, the ones that don’t require specific locations.”

“I don’t understand.”

“
The Kidnapping. The Home Invasion
.” Athena flicked through the folders, reading the titles. “
The Demanding Guest. The Night Watchman
.
The Maid Service.
”

“So, we put those all together and set up a team to deliver on them when a member makes a request. I like it.” Rex got up and went to his bedroom, returning with his laptop. He booted up and started to create files to echo Athena’s own. “We need to get Julius working on the details.”

“He is already,” Athena said so mildly that her tone caught Rex’s ear. He glanced up but she just smiled serenely at him, proof positive that she wasn’t going to confide in him.

“It’s going to be a ton of work,” he said, hearing the excitement in his voice.

“Not so much after it’s set up. We design and delegate. I think it’s brilliant, if I do say so myself.”

“It is brilliant,” Rex agreed. “We just need a name.”

Athena laughed. “The Phoenix, of course.”

Rex grinned. “Rising from the ashes.”

“Exactly.”

It was only then that he realized that all the file folders she had on her desk were in shades of orange, red and yellow. It was brilliant. They needed a logo, a website, computer systems and locations, contracts and agreements....

“There’s so much to do,” he muttered under his breath, his thoughts flying as he made mental lists. He glanced up. “Did Julius tell you about Joanna’s proposal?”

Athena’s eyes narrowed. “He said you were going to tell me about another opportunity.” Her tone wasn’t encouraging and Rex remembered that Athena had never liked Joanna.

He handed her the folder that Julius had given him. “A commemorative book, documenting the Plume and its appeal.”

Athena blinked as she glanced through it. “Wow. This is a good idea.” She glanced up, her eyes dancing. “We could sell copies in all the Phoenix locations.”

“Great idea.” Rex added that to his notes, unable to suppress his rising excitement. Everything was coming together, in an unexpected and wonderful way. “I can’t believe how well this is all working out,” he murmured. “There’s a ton of work to do, but it’s really exciting.”

“I know, but in a way, we made our mistakes last time. We can learn, revise, and start over with a better idea of how to accomplish what we want. We’ve got a team, each other and the support staff we need.” Athena smiled at him. “I’m jazzed, Rex. I haven’t been this excited in years.”

Rex would have agreed, but he remembered something she’d said. He gave her a stern look. “What did you mean about my being a party favor?”

Athena laughed. “I will be, too. But that’s all I’m telling you. I don’t want to spoil all o f the fun.” The way her eyes were dancing filled Rex with anticipation.

And a little trepidation. He didn’t like unpredictability as much as Athena did.

“That’ll be my reward, then,” he said mildly.

Athena laughed. “For working like crazy for the next three days. Be a good boy, get your work done, and I’ll give you the full tour.”

“You’re on. We’re going to need a presentation, too. PowerPoint.” Rex added that to his growing list. “A display screen in a space big enough to hold everyone.”

“Not until next week. They can come back for that. I want to surprise them all on Saturday night first.”

“You really won’t tell me what you have planned?”