by Grant, Livia
“What does that even mean? Do you hear yourself?”
“It means our members will have the most fun, and our participants will spin the edgiest kinks.”
“Oh, and just how do you propose we measure this?” Elijah countered, sure the idea was stupid.
“We get the members to vote, that’s how.”
“Say what?”
“You heard me. We add a voting component to the event. The spectators each get a ballot and get to vote for their favorite couples and kinks. They can rate us on other things for the event as well. We tally votes at the end of the night to declare a winner.”
“You’re insane. First of all, we hold an auction for our celebrities so it isn’t even apples to apples. I’m not giving up on making money for charities just because you’re so insecure you need to pick a fight.”
Jaxson surprised Elijah by piping in again. “You know, we’ve talked about changing things up out here this year. I’m worried we’ll have trouble finding enough celebrities to sign up.”
Elijah shot his boss a look that could kill a lesser man. Whose side was he on anyway?
“See! Even Jaxson agrees you guys can’t pull this off.”
Jaxson turned on Spencer. “Don’t you dare try to pull me into this pissing contest. We’re all one family, so you two need to drop the antagonistic shit right away. This is a party, goddamnit. We’re here to have fun.”
Spencer dared spar back. “I thought you said there was no cussing in front of the kids?”
Jaxson pointed at him. “Really? That’s how you want to handle this?”
“It is if you aren’t going to have the balls to tell Keaton he’s wrong.”
Jaxson growled in frustration. “You can be a real pain in my ass, you know that? You don’t have a clue what the hell you’re talking about Spencer. The event out here was every bit as epic as the Roulette events on the East Coast. One isn’t better than the other.”
“Oh yeah, well I’d like a chance to prove you all wrong.”
Behind him, he could hear his guys talking about who was going to throw the first punch to put Cook in his place. Things were about to escalate. He glanced around at the wide eyes of the other employees gathered around for the spectacle. This was not how they should be celebrating Christmas.
Chase had come forward along with Madison and Avery. Everyone was talking at once. The room was devolving into chaos. He needed to get things back under control, and there was only one way to do that.
“Fine. I accept your challenge. One night. Valentine’s Day. A Roulette event on each coast. Each of us get three hours, fifteen couples and two roulette wheels. We’ll let the spectators vote on their favorite scenes and couples, but…”
Elijah hesitated and the room seemed to hold their breath waiting for him to finish his thought.
“But, we need impartial judges to choose the final winning club. East versus West. Winner takes all.”
Spencer looked surprised that Elijah had agreed to his challenge. “And what exactly is it that we are taking if we win?”
Elijah scrambled to think of what he wanted. “For the winning club, the employees each get an extra three days of paid vacation for the year.”
He loved the ‘hell yes’ and the ‘we’re gonna kick their ass’ he heard behind him from his dungeon monitors.
Elijah then added, “And you and me, we go not only for bragging rights, but we’ll put our own personal money on the line. I’ll wager…” he paused before finishing with, “ten grand. Winner collects ten grand from the loser.”
Spencer’s eyes grew wide. It was Klara that spoke up.
“No fucking way. You are not gambling away my new kitchen renovation money for some stupid bet because you can’t keep your mouth shut.” When she realized what she’d said, she looked up at Emma and apologized. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have cussed in front of the twins.”
Emma smiled. “It’s okay. I think I might have said worse in your shoes.”
When Spencer stood looking conflicted, Elijah took pity on the newlywed. “Fine. The last thing I want to do is hurt Klara. After all, she has to put up with your sorry crap every day. I’m not going to deny her a new kitchen too.”
“Pretty confident you’re gonna win, aren’t you? When I win, I’ll be able to take her on a second honeymoon with your ten grand.”
Jaxson held his arms out to separate the men again. “That’s enough. No money will change hands. You want to bet, that’s fine. But it’ll be for bragging rights only. I’ll pitch in a Roulette trophy that we’ll award to the winning club. They’ll keep it on display until the next event. And I’ll go along with the extra vacation time for the winning employees, but one day, not three. We’re not running a damn charity here.”
Chase surprised Elijah by stepping into the fray next to his husband. “The competition is fine, but I’m not willing to give up on making money for charity again this year. It felt good to give so much last year and anyway, after the whole Ainsworth debacle last year, we’ve already been talking to a sexual abuse victim group to receive our donation this year.”
After what their friend and coworker Nalani had gone through just weeks after last year’s roulette, Elijah couldn’t agree more.
“Fine. I’ll give up the celebrity auction part, but we keep the silent auction. And the East Coast has to add that to their event starting this year. At least then even when they lose, something good will come out of it. I’ll even let them choose their own charity for the auction proceeds. The club that gets the highest donations for the night will get bonus points toward the overall competition.”
Spencer looked like he’d swallowed something sour. “This is bullshit.”
“Take it or leave it,” Elijah dared.
“Oh I’ll take it. And I’m gonna win. I just have one more question. Just who the hell is going to be the impartial judge considering we are on opposite sides of the country?”
Chase jumped in again with a solution. “Jaxson and I will be the judges. One of us will go to the East Coast. The other the West. We’ll tally spectator votes and auction totals and then confer together to name the final winner.”
Emma spoke up. “Wait a minute. I object. Does this mean I’ll have to spend Valentine’s Day without one of you? You gonna make me and the kids choose who to be with?”
Jaxson reassured her. “Don’t worry, baby. We’ll figure something out. There’s no way in hell any one of us will be spending Valentine’s Day without the other two.”
Pint-sized Madison had been standing on the sidelines, taking the challenge in, but she’d clearly had enough, stepping into the middle of the group and declaring, “Okay, now that’s enough talk about Valentine’s Day. It’s not even Christmas yet. We’re all here to have fun with each other, so no more arguing. It’s time to really get this party started.”
Elijah watched as the group dispersed. His mind was already racing, realizing he had just declared war.
Well, hell.
The War is On
Spencer
Black Light East
February 14th, 3:00pm
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Spencer growled, turning around in front of the bar to observe the chaos still unfolding around him. A pair of dungeon monitors were securing a spanking bench to one of the raised platforms, which should have been done an hour ago, and that meant someone was about to get their ass handed to them.
“Don’t even think about it,” Klara’s voice drawled from behind him, and he spun around to point at her.
“I will absolutely spank your ass when—”
“When we get home,” she finished, nodding, her red lips turning up into a smirk that showed just how little that threat meant to his little masochist. “But right now, you need to not jump down the guys’ throats. They’re working on it, and we’ve got a while to go before anyone shows up.”
“I told them to get this shit done hours ago.”
“Yes, and they’re doing it,�
�� Klara answered, sighing as she gestured out toward the floor. “That to do list you and Maxine came up with isn’t exactly a short one.”
“Where the hell is Maxine anyway? Isn’t she the one that pestered the fuck out of me to be involved in this shitshow?” Turning, Spencer scanned the floor of Black Light again, trying to ignore the flurry of activity that confirmed just how not ready they were.
No Maxine.
Dammit.
“If it wasn’t Roulette night, I’d pour you a glass of whiskey… but I know you won’t drink it.” Klara laughed under her breath, and when he looked back at her again those honey brown eyes were lit with mischief. Just how he liked her, when he could bend her over his knee — but now was definitely not one of those times.
“It’s tempting,” he conceded, crossing his arms as he leaned back on the bar. Klara kept moving as he brooded, cutting limes without pause, and it was one of the things he loved most about her. She had his work ethic, and was always cool when his blood boiled, which made her the perfect partner in all things. Hell, it was why he’d broken his promise to himself to never get married. Walking away from a woman like Klara Eriksson would have been incredibly stupid, so he’d put a ring on her finger.
“Here.” The glass smacked down on the bar top with a distinct clack, but Klara kept her fingers around it until Spencer met her gaze. “It’s one drink, four hours before the party even starts. You’ll be fine, and trust me you need it.”
“Not happening, Klara,” he replied sharply, but he couldn’t help eyeballing the shallow pour of amber liquid lurking in the glass.
“Sure,” she said on a laugh. “When are you going to finally admit that I’m always right?”
Spencer laughed, a short sound as he leaned across to get close enough to smell her shampoo. “That is never going to happen.”
“Happy wife, happy life,” Klara answered, winking at him before she picked up the knife to continue cutting limes. “Don’t be a little bitch about it and take the drink.”
“I swear, Klara. I’m going to turn your ass bright red tonight.”
“I look forward to it.” She glanced up at him and tilted her head toward the glass. “Until then, do everyone a favor and drink it. You’re going to get everyone so freaked out that you’re going to lose, and then you’ll be sleeping on the couch because I am not putting up with you when you’re whiny.”
Gritting his teeth, Spencer reached across the bar to catch her by the back of the neck, reveling in the way her breath caught for just a moment as her eyes widened. “That mouth of yours… I’m definitely going to put it to work in other ways after I win this shit.”
“Okay,” she whispered, and he had to fight the urge to kiss her. Getting coated in red lipstick was not going to do his image any favors, and she’d be pissed about having to fix it, so he just squeezed her neck once more before letting go to snatch the glass and take a swallow. It burned sweet and warm down the back of his throat, landing in his stomach with a soothing heat.
“Wow, drinking on the job, Cook?” Maxine asked a little too loudly as she approached from the side, and Spencer didn’t miss the flash of an amused grin on Klara’s face before she turned away to pull more glasses.
“Taste-testing,” he answered her through clenched teeth. “But at least I’ve been here, at my job, where I’m supposed to be. Where exactly have you been?”
Maxine waggled the tablet in her hand before tucking it against her side again to tap away at it. “I’ve been working, asshole. I thought you wanted to win this whole Roulette War thing?”
“Obviously, but I told you I needed you down here. At two. It’s three o’clock, Maxine, so how the fuck is—”
“First of all, do you know how many guests we’re going to have tonight? Two-hundred and forty-eight tickets have sold. That’s almost fire code capacity for Black Light”—Maxine waved her hand—“And I know you don’t give a shit about that, but it’s the most successful night this club has had. It’s not just going to be busy, it’s going to be packed and since I’m the only one here with any idea how to manage a club that busy, then I thought I should do some planning for crowd control, backfilling food and beverage, and handling parking. Plus I’ve got Runway all squared away so I can babysit you. So, yeah, I’ve been working Spencer, what have you been doing?”
The irritation that always accompanied Maxine’s rants was even worse tonight, and it was the last thing Spencer needed — even with a half a shot of whiskey in his stomach. Taking a slow breath, he crossed his arms and stared down the short little pitbull of a woman. “Well?”
“Well, what?” she snapped.
“Did you get all of that situated, because I’ve got more important things we need to handle down here.”
“You’re an asshole, Spencer.”
He couldn’t help but grin as her cheeks turned ruddy with the same irritation that was burrowing deep under his skin just by sharing the same air as Maxine Torres. “Absolutely. Now, are you ready to go through the checklist?”
“Fine,” Maxine grumbled, bringing her tablet back to life with a swipe of her finger. “I see your employees are setting up the equipment list, but we need to grab one of them to setup the ballot box and bring the roulette wheels out of the office.”
“They can do that after all of the equipment is installed—”
“Did you want to get this done now, or do you want to be a jerk and lose tonight?” With a flick of her eyebrow, Maxine drove the issue home once more and Spencer sneered at her.
“We’re not going to lose this war, because there is no way in hell I’m going to congratulate Elijah Keaton tomorrow.” Turning away from the annoying GM of Runway, Spencer whistled across the floor. “Muscles! Get over here.”
Terry was carrying a wooden pony on one shoulder across the floor, but he stopped instantly and set it down beside a platform to jog over. The man was built like a brickhouse and the black dungeon monitor shirt he wore seemed close to snapping across his chest, which was exactly what the man wanted.
At least the subs enjoy the view.
“What’s up, boss?” Terry asked, nodding at Maxine before his eyes swiveled back to Spencer.
“Need you to help us out with a few things. Follow me,” Spencer said, immediately turning to walk past Maxine toward the stage. “There’s a big black box on a stand in storage, I need you to bring it out and put it here.”
“Actually, we need it to the right of the center stairs,” Maxine interrupted, moving to point at a spot a mere four feet to the right. “We can’t have people impeding traffic up to the stage when participants want to roll again.”
“Fine. Put it there.” Spencer could feel his jaw creak as he swallowed the shit he wanted to say to the woman. “Then we need you to bring the roulette wheels from the office and set them up on that black table we always use. Center stage.”
“I can do that. May need to grab someone to get the table up there.” Terry twisted to look out over the other dungeon monitors at work and then he shrugged. “Don’t worry, sir, I’ll get it done. Anything else?”
Waving his arm at Maxine, he stared at her, waiting for her to mouth off again, but she was tapping away at the damn tablet in her hand. Grumbling under his breath, he shook his head. “I think that’s it for now, Muscles. Just get on it. We’ve got a lot of shit to do.”
“You’re not kidding. All that violet wand shit is breakable as hell, and Chad is trying to secure it over by the massage tables.” Every word out of the man’s mouth was making Spencer tense even further, and — although he’d never admit it to Klara — he wished he’d finished the damn shot she’d poured him.
“Fine. Just don’t fuck anything up. This is our name on the line.”
Terry laughed and spread his arms wide. “No one is going to take this win from us, or that extra vacation day. We’re the fucking best, and they’re all a bunch of West Coast pansies. Jaxson will see that for sure.”
Jaxson. Fuck.
“T
hat’s a great attitude, Terry. Thank you for your help,” Maxine finally chimed in, smiling at the dungeon monitor as he walked away to start moving shit into place. When her eyes swung back to Spencer, the smile disappeared. “So, where did you end up putting the silent auction?”
He didn’t even bother answering, just turned away from her to march back across the club toward the costume rental and naughty gift shop. The long tables had been set up earlier in the day, with Klara’s guidance, on the very edge of the bar area. The two tables were separated enough to allow people to walk between them and still enter the shop if they wanted, but the location at least meant that non-participants would have the chance to check out the auction items while grabbing a drink.
“This looks good,” Maxine said, and Spencer was just about to acknowledge the compliment when she continued with, “Klara really knows her stuff.”
Biting back a retort, Spencer managed a smile that was probably closer to a grimace. “Yep.”
“Don’t forget Jaxson is going to be looking at the silent auction proceeds just as hard as he is the actual play that will go on tonight. It would be a good idea to have the bar staff and the servers pushing people toward the tables as much as possible, and—”
“People will bid on whatever the fuck they want to bid on, Maxine. They’re coming here for Roulette, to enjoy the scenes, not to pick up another strap, or a secluded cabin getaway, and shoving them toward this thing isn’t going to make them spend more.”
“Still butthurt that this little addition came from Elijah’s club, are you?” Maxine didn’t even try to hide her smile, and Spencer had to bite his tongue before he pissed off Klara’s buddy. Again. For the ten-millionth time.
“Look, I’m fine with supporting the people in the community who make this stuff. Hell, I’m fine with all this charity donation bullshit! But I’m not fine with taking up more space for this on a night like tonight when we’re already, as you said, going to be fucking packed.”