“But Rich,” Jude says mockingly, “when would I get to talk to you if not for work?”
I groan and press the start engine button. Jude is the owner of another sex club,Euphoria Hot Springs, and everyone is biting at the bit for stock with October and the busy season looming closer. This is by far my busiest time of the year, and at this rate I’ll have to set limits. “What do you want, Jude?”
“I’m glad you asked,” he tells me, and I can imagine him spinning around in that office chair he loves so much. “Picture it -Primal Weekend. Fear Your Sleep.”
I blink, hesitating before I put the car in drive. “Fear your sleep?”
“Yeah, man. We’re going to have a somnophilia block. Haven’t done that with the primal weekends before.”
I shift in my seat, picturing the idea he’s coming up with. Somnophilia is one of those things that’s a guilty pleasure, but it’s hard to find people who like that kind of thing. And youreallyhave to have a lot of trust built up between people to just take it, if that’s their thing.
God, I sound like Jo and Vinny now.
“Fear because of Halloween,” Jude goes on. “We’re doing a haunted house theme, but it’s just a bunch of people running around a creepy layout at the hot springs. Jump scares. It’ll be fun.”
“Fear is a kink,” I say, shifting to pull out of the lot. “Sounds like a lot of waivers.”
“Oh, you bet!” Jude says, and I can’t believe how excited he sounds. “So I know you always turn me down-”
I tense, cutting him off. “Jude-”
“-and it’s really a sexy weekend-”
“-I’m not interested-”
“But we wanted to extend an offer for a spot to you,” he finishes in a rush. “Just think it over. I don’t need an answer right now or anything. And even if you change your mind, we typically get a cancellation here and there and I’ll happily fit you in. Just picture it: you and your hot date, hanging out, getting scared shitless by a built-in haunted house, maybe we’ll throw in a masquerade. Or, I don’t know, maybe that’s a bit much.”
“That’s a lot of ideas,” I say carefully, gripping the steering wheel too tight.
“Andyoucan express all those kinks you try and suppress,” Jude goes on, and I’m seriously regretting ever confiding in this man. “Come on, it’s all private cabins and hot springs. Some fun forest chasing? We could probably have an area mapped out for hunting.”
“Somany ideas,” I tell him.
“Well, like I said, think it over,” Jude says knowingly. “No rush on an answer. In fact, you can let me know when my next order gets delivered. I guess I could be nice and text you that.”
I groan and hang up at the sound of his laughter, turning when there’s a break in traffic. I like Jude, but he’s a major pain in the ass when he sets his mind on something.
I roll his idea over in my mind.Destination BDSM. Fear your sleep.How does he come up with this stuff?”
