Zoey's Place

by E M Bannock

  “What do we do now?” he asked.

  She shrugged and said, “I guess we just go on like we have been, except that we acknowledge the love between us. Nothing has changed. I don’t love you any more or any less now that it’s out in the open. How about you?”

  “To tell you the truth,” James said with twinkling eyes, “I think I love you more. Because now I can tell the world that I love you. This is a new thing for me, Zee. I didn’t think I could ever fall in love. I didn’t try. I tried to resist.” He looked down into his coffee cup.

  “Me, too,” she confessed.

  He looked up at her in surprise. “You did?”

  “Yeah,” she replied. “You know, you and your I-only-fuck-hookers and I-don’t-need-love attitude. I thought you didn’t believe in it. I didn’t want to fall for a guy who could never love me back, not after what I had with Mickey.”

  He kissed the top of her head. “Zee,” he said compassionately, “I don’t know how you kept going after losing him. Love is so powerful. I never knew.”

  “I’ll never stop loving him, but I know he would have wanted me to go on. I did feel cheated, though,” she said. “I thought we would have more time.”

  “You’ll never have to live without love again,” he stated. “I’ll be here for you always, no matter what. I promise. Hey, why don’t we move in together?”

  She thought for a moment. “I suppose we could. But the suite at Zoey’s Place is already crowded. We could knock down the wall between our suites and remodel the whole thing, I suppose.”

  “Great idea,” he agreed. “Now, what about us?”

  She looked at him queerly. “What do you mean?”

  “Do we need to get married or something?” he asked.

  “Whoa,” she said, holding out her arm. “We just admitted our love. Let’s let it grow and blossom. Don’t forget, I’ve been there. I don’t think I’m ready for that yet. Besides, I want to be courted.” She looked at him coyly. “You know, we can do everything married people do until we know for sure.”

  He got the innuendo. “I thought we already did.”

  “More than most,” she said, smiling, and licked her lips. “You’d better think about this. Now that you’re in love do you really want to be married to a whorehouse madam?”

  “As long as I’m the only one fucking her, I don’t mind at all,” he said with a straight face.

  She got serious and looked him dead in the eye. “What? Am I hearing you right? You don’t want me to fuck anyone else? What about the new recruits?”

  He blushed. “Especially new recruits,” he admitted. “That was one of the clues that led me to realize I was in love with you. It drives me mad when you audition the new man-whores.” He exaggerated the word ‘auditioned’ and put it in air quotes. “I thought I could handle it, but it gets worse and worse with every guy. I know it sounds selfish, but I don’t want to share you with anyone.”

  He knelt before her lifted up her t-shirt, exposing her nakedness, and buried his face in her honey pot, kissing it. He looked up at her. “I want you all to myself, especially this. I love your pussy. I want to spend my life worshiping it.” He put his face back between her legs and pulled her in closer.

  She moaned and gave in to the feeling. She pulled him up to his feet and led him across the room. He pushed her back on to the bed and opened her legs. She gave no resistance. He continued his expert adoration of her womanhood with his tongue and skilled fingers. She writhed in ecstasy as he brought her to a mind-blowing climax.

  With that the subject of marriage didn’t really matter, and was forgotten for the time being.

  Fen and Annette had accepted Zoey and James’ declaration of love as matter of fact when they were told that night. The partners and Michelle dined together after the guests had retired to the cabanas for the evening’s entertainment.

  “It’s about time you two quit dickin’ around it,” Annette had said. “Everyone but you two dummies could see it,” she added.

  Fen was of much the same opinion and congratulated the two on the obvious. She heroically volunteered to take on the task of single-handedly auditioning the new men.

  Life at Zoey’s Place fell into a smooth routine. As word spread among the rich elite, reservations were pouring in. Everyone was surprised at just how many horny rich women there were in the world. It would appear that $15,000 for two days of gourmet cooking, meditative massage, and expert fucking was a bargain. The price ensured that a certain class of women formed the client base.

  Eventually, Fen and Annette took over most of the day to day operations. Zoey and James stayed involved with administrative decisions and Zoey frequently did the guest arrival greeting. James still did most of the pick-up and the drop-offs, managed the men, and did the training, but their prostitutes were loyal and trustworthy and turnover was practically nonexistent. Medical exams were done routinely and rules followed to the letter. This left Zoey and James more time to get away to the Incline Village home and enjoy their openly proclaimed love.

  Zoey couldn’t believe that her life had once more become filled with happiness, love, and lust. James’ sexual appetite was as insatiable as hers, and he threw himself into the love he had thought he never needed. The two seemed to feed off each other’s adoration. Their non-stop fuck fests rivaled those that Zoey had with Mickey. They didn’t role-play like she had with Mickey. Sex with James was different. It had to be. James wasn’t Mickey, nor did he ever try to be. He had a different technique, his body was different, his cock was different, but it was all good. Great, in fact.

  By October the Aspen trees had turned golden and the air was crisp and chilly. Zoey and James decided to take a few days off and head for Incline Village. They had just decided to return to the real world after a two-day sex marathon when the phone rang.

  Zoey answered. It was Fen. “What? Are you kidding me? Fen, how could this happen?”

  James watched the color drain from her face. “It’s okay, Fen. James and I will be back by dinner. We’ll deal with it. It will be okay. It’s not your fault.” She hung up the phone.

  “What it is, Zee?” he asked immediately.

  She looked like she was in a different dimension. Her face was flushed and her eyes were staring into space. The sound of James’ voice brought her back. “We’ve been closed down. The health inspector caught one of the landscape employees having sex with one of the guests in a cabana. He shut us down.”

  James went white. “They can’t do that,” he said. “The landscape employees aren’t our whores.”

  “Technically, yes, he is. He’s a contract employee just like the prostitutes. The incident happened on our property,” she responded.

  “Who the fuck is this guy anyway?” He was visibly getting upset now.

  “I don’t know,” she said. Her mind was racing. “Fen said it was some guy named Jacob. Apparently, he convinced a customer that he was one of our prostitutes. The client is threatening to sue. That’s pretty much all I know. Fen is a mess. We gotta get back there.”

  “I’ll start packing the car,” he said as he grabbed the keys from the counter.

  Chapter 26

  When they arrived, Zoey’s Place felt more like a funeral home than a brothel. Fen and Annette were at the sheriff’s office but returned shortly after. Luckily the arrest was made without incident and the other two guests in residence had no idea was going on. It could have been worse. Just that morning four other guests had checked out. The two in residence were told there was a problem with the plumbing and the establishment would have to be closed. They were sent home with full refunds and a coupon for half-off when the brothel reopened. This seemed to satisfy them.

  Mrs. Bertha Boone was going to take a little more than a coupon. She was the client who was having sex when the health inspector walked in. She was a wealthy widow from Pennsylvania. After the bust, she was whisked off to a hotel in town by the deputy sheriff. Arrangements were made for her to fly home the followin
g day after the detective on the case asked her few more questions.

  Staff was told what happened. They were also told that the partners were optimistic they would come up with a plan and timeline to get the brothel back in operation. Employees from town had been sent home. Housed staffers had been given two weeks off. They’d have a better picture of the situation in a week. A staff meeting was scheduled to get everyone up to speed at that time. But people were moving around on tiptoes. Despite the positive attitudes of the partners, there was a feeling of defeat in the air.

  The partners gathered that night for a Domino’s pizza dinner in the empty dining room. Everyone seemed to be in their own world as they passed paper plates around and grabbed at the pizzas in front of them. Once everyone was plated and seated, Zoey spoke.

  “Okay, what happened and what do we know?”

  Annette looked at Fen then spoke, “It’s still a little sketchy. I know we don’t have all the facts, but apparently one of Diego’s Desert Landscape employees decided to make a few extra bucks on the side by convincing one of our guests that he was a prostitute. And while he was servicing her in one of the cabanas, Jack, the health inspector, walked in on them. He called the sheriff’s office.”

  “Were we scheduled for an inspection today? Did you know Jack was coming out?” Zoey asked.

  “Yes,” Annette said. “It was his monthly inspection day. He came to my office and we spoke for a while after I gave him our monthly report. He knows his way around. I don’t usually shadow him.”

  “Wait a minute.” Zoey was confused. “Did Mrs. Boone order a landscaper experience?”

  “No,” Fen answered. “No, she didn’t. Here’s the thing, he told her that he was part of a new program put in place by management, spontaneous sex option he called it. An unscheduled, on-the-spot fuck for the bargain price of $100. It was meant to add a touch of spontaneous adventure to the weekend, he told her. The jerk had the $100 bill in his pants when he was arrested. I saw the guy. He’s not bad looking. A bit skinny for my taste, but he does look like he could work here. You can’t blame the customer for being taken.”

  “I guess not,” Zoey said, contemplating her next move. Then an awful thought came to her. “Do you think this was the first time he did this? What if he’s done this before, and when our customers see this in the paper they come forward and say it happened to them, too? Oh, my God.” She looked around the room, terror in her eyes.

  “We’re pretty sure this is the first time,” Annette assured her. “Diego said he was just hired a month ago, and the police did say that the guy claimed it was his first.”

  “I hope the prick is telling the truth,” James interjected. “So, what happens now?”

  Annette spoke. “I’ve been looking at the paperwork we got with our violation.” She made air quotes around the last word. “Our license is a revocable privilege, which means they can fuck with us if they want to. We have to pay a fine, to be determined by the court. We’ll be shut down for a period of time, to be determined by the court. We’ll have to appeal the shut-down on the grounds that the guy didn’t even work for us. We’ll have to kiss ass, jump through hoops, pay huge fines, and hope they let us open again.”

  “How long will this all take?” Zoey asked, a hint of defeat in her tone.

  “There will be a hearing in three days.” Annette shook her head. “Don’t really know; if things go our way then maybe just a month. If not, it could drag on for a long time, or—” She hesitated. “—maybe forever.”

  “Don’t say that, Annette,” Fen broke in. “This wasn’t our fault. We shouldn’t be penalized for what another company’s employee did on our property.”

  “It’s a touchy situation,” Annette said, shrugging her shoulders.

  Zoey had been silently listening and observing, all the while thinking of ways to get out of this mess. Suddenly she stood up.

  “Annette,” she said strongly, taking control, “we need to get back into law mode. I want to look up any related cases in the Nevada law library. Fen and James, you can help. We’ve got to find a loop hole, and for God’s sake get Diego out here. We need to talk to him.”

  After three days the hearing was held. It proved to be more formality than anything. It appeared that Mrs. Boone had filed a formal written complaint against the brothel, and had hired an attorney to represent her. She wanted to close the brothel permanently.

  The road ahead was going to be long and expensive. The partners broke the bad news to the employees at the staff meeting the following Friday. They were all laid off indefinitely. Employees housed on-site were given two weeks to vacate.

  Chef Marguerite was optimistic that things would get straightened out and decided that she and Alexander would take a three-month Mediterranean cruise. They would check in when they got back.

  Michelle took a job in town and vowed to stick it out with Annette. It warmed Zoey’s heart to know that Michelle wasn’t going to abandon Annette. She might have found a good one this time.

  After the staff meeting, the partners got down to the business of trying to find some way out of their mess. They were told that they were in violation of Section 5.16.180, which gives the board the power to revoke and/or temporarily suspend the brothel license for cause after a hearing.

  The cause being violation of Item D. They were accused of permitting the existence of a health hazard on the premises and employing a prostitute when the person did not have a valid health certificate. This also meant they were in violation of Item G; the brothel was accused of being deleterious to the health, welfare, and safety of the general public.

  Because of Mrs. Boone’s written complaint, they and the county had to go by the book every step of the way. Mrs. Boone became pivotal. The partners were advised not to approach her, as it could be construed as attempted bribery or tampering with a witness.

  Since Zoey wasn’t licensed to practice in Nevada, they were compelled to hire an attorney. She remembered that Mickey had often mentioned a Las Vegas attorney named Dirk Findley, a relocated New York attorney he had used on occasion when any of his customers got themselves into a legal predicament. He was discreet, quick, and always successful. She remembered him saying that Dirk could take care of anything.

  He took her call immediately. “Mrs. DeLucca, how nice to hear from you.” He still maintained his thick New York accent. “I was very sorry to hear about Mickey’s death. Please accept my sympathies. Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of your call?”

  He sounded sincere and genuine. She explained the situation with Mrs. Boone and the brothel.

  “First of all,” he said with authority, “congratulations on your success, Mrs. DeLucca. Very ingenious and intuitive of you to see and fill a societal need.”

  “Thank you,” she replied shyly.

  “These kinds of things can get tricky. I think I need to meet with you and your partners as soon as possible.”

  A meeting was set up for the next day. The partners flew to Vegas on the first flight of the day. In his office, Dirk explained that a simple violation could be easily handled with the county commissioners by paying a fine. But Mrs. Boone’s written complaint complicated matters. He said he would contact Mrs. Boone’s attorney and offer an out of court settlement. He inquired as to how high a settlement he could offer. After consideration they agreed to offer $500,000, but would go as high as $1,000,000. After all, no physical harm was really done. She was going to have sex there anyway, and the arrest documentation did state that a condom was in use. Dirk was confident that his connections with the local newspapers could keep it off of the front page. After all, it was only a violation not a homicide. Mrs. Boone really had no grounds to claim damages.

  He took statements from each of the partners, assured them that he would do his best, and told them not to stress about it. The case didn’t appear to be a difficult one, provided Mrs. Boone could be reasoned with, and he sent them on their way.

  That chance for an easy resolution fell apar
t the next day. Dirk informed the partners in a conference call that he’d contacted Mrs. Boone’s attorney, who informed him that Mrs. Boone was so emotionally damaged by the experience that she was under a doctor’s care and seeing a therapist. She wanted the brothel closed, and no amount of money could convince her otherwise.

  The call ended with Dirk telling the partners not to give up hope. This was just the beginning. He did tell them that they should be prepared for it to drag out. The brothel would have to stay closed until they went to court, which was December 5th. He said they had until that time to make their case. He assured them that it was sufficient. If not, they could appeal. Of course, it would be more costly and the brothel would still have to stay closed.

  As he spoke, Zoey listened but didn’t hear. She tried to feel positive about things but was failing miserably. She saw her dreams falling to pieces. Everything she had worked for since Mickey’s death; all the time, the money, all the people who depended on her to keep the business going. Was it all for nothing?

  That night she barely ate any dinner. Around seven she told James she was worn out and wanted to go to bed. It pained him to see her in such a state. He knew he needed to be with her. James feigned a confession that the last few days had taken its toll on him, too, and that he would retire early as well. He told her he would close up for the night and join her in bed as soon as he could.

  By the time he did she was lying on her side with her back to him. Quietly he undressed and got under the covers with her. He snuggled in close. He breathed in her fragrance, light and sweet. It stirred him. Gently he reached out to her and began to rub the back of her neck. Her skin was smooth and soft but he could feel the knots of tension underneath.

  After a moment she turned onto her back and stared at the ceiling. “Did you ever wonder what it’s all for? The pain and pleasure? Why does it happen? How come we can’t just get to a good place and stay there? Why does there have to be anxiety and disaster?”