When I set her down on her feet, she wanders the space, a wry grin on her stunning features. “This place is going to be beautiful. We can have the bar over there. The tables should be similar to the ones at Dulip. They were so sophisticated.”
“We can do that. Best of all, do you want to see what will become our kitchen?”
“Yes!” She’s giddy, bouncing up and down as I guide her to the back, where she squeals in delight. “This is twice the size of the kitchen at Venom. Holy shit!”
“The dining room has a higher capacity than the old place, so we’re going to need the extra space for kitchen staff.”
“Are we really going to do this? You and me? This place?”
I consider her carefully, looking for any hint that this isn’t what she wants. “If that’s truly what you want. You’ve had a vision for what you wanted all these years. I won’t be offended if you still want to do it that way. I get it. So, don’t say yes because you feel you have to.”
“Ry, stop talking and kiss me. That’s an order from your future business partner.” I don’t need to be told twice.
I pull her into my arms, my lips crashing down on hers. We lose ourselves in this simple embrace, everything around us fading into the background. There’s only us in this moment, standing on the precipice of our future, and it’s all I can do not to lay her out on the floor and feast on her for hours.
“Does anyone else know?”
“No. You’re the only person who matters.” She scrunches her nose, and it’s so stinking cute.
“What about Flex and the others? You’re in business with them for Rooftop. You didn’t want to do this with them?”
“I love Rooftop, mainly because it’s where I’ve watched you progress in your journey, but I want this to be just you andme. We both made it out of Dulip that day, well aware that we could have lost each other. What better way to celebrate than building back bigger and stronger together? I believe we can have something really special here, and it will mean so much more with you, Aspen.”
“What did I do to deserve you?”
“Something really good,” I quip.
“That’s one of the things I love about you, Ryder Stevens. Your humility.”
“Are you looking to be hogtied tonight?” Just the thought of it has me hard.
“Private room or voyeur?” God, I love this woman.
“Your choice, baby girl.”
“I’m going to go with option number two.”
“That’s my good girl, but before we get to that, I want to show you the rest of this place.”
“Lead the way, Sir.”
We spend the next hour walking around the premises, talking through ideas for the décor and the menu, and it has me more excited than I was the day I signed the papers on Dulip. The possibilities are endless, and I’m confident that it’s going to be amazing.
By the time we head for the club, I’m ready to get Aspen naked, hogtied, and on display for everyone to see as she falls apart beneath my tongue. My girl is so animated on the ride over to Venom, and as soon as we hit the bar, her friends descend en masse.
Since Aspen and I put on a show up at Rooftop, she’s been more open with our friends. Nadia, Freya, and Helena have been awesome, letting her pick their brains about anything and everything to do with the lifestyle. Everyone loves her, so I can’t be mad when the girls commandeer her before I get the chanceto take her up to the voyeur floor. Instead, I order a drink and join my friends.
Flex has a shit-eating grin on his face as I take a seat. “So, what’s with the cloak and dagger today?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Roger called.” Flex put me in touch with the realtor. I should have known he’d find out.
“We found a location for Dulip.”
“We?” Dalton asks. I can’t hide the smile on my face.
“Aspen and I will be joint owners of the new restaurant.”
