Trading Places

by Anita Cox

  “Come on, let’s go have a drink. People will be showing up any time.”

  The caterers had a nice spread of finger foods on display. They had covered the tables in satin and spread rose petals around, adding an air of elegance and romance to the table.

  “Champagne?” The server looked cute in her hot pink top and black tray full of champagne flutes.

  We both took a glass.

  When the doorbell rang, my heart jumped.

  “Aren’t you going to get that?” Rachel asked as she elbowed me.

  “I hired a butler for the evening.” I grinned at Rachel and gave her a wink. “Welcome to the big leagues.”

  Hori and Charles were the first to arrive. I introduced them to Rachel, who looked like she might drop her champagne flute at any moment. It made me miss Olivia.

  “Everything looks wonderful.” Charles’ compliment was followed by a firm handshake.

  “You’ve done well, Ms. Kavana.” Hori bent at the waist.

  “If I have to call you Hori, you must call me Candy.” The doorbell rang again. “And here are our guests.”

  John came down shortly after the guests arrived. He was his usual charming self. After everyone had a few drinks, I moved them to the party room, which had been converted into a conference room for the party. John and his buddies had done a good job transforming the room for me.

  I gave a brief presentation, stressing the need to introduce some class into their product. I mentioned the focus group, omitting the part about them being my friends, and their wishes as far as the movies were concerned. A round of applause came after I showed them the short story boards.

  As soon as we were finished, I moved the group like cattle back to the bar while John and his friends, who were hanging out on the back patio, changed the room again. The DJ fired up the music, drawing the crowd back into the swing room, which now was darkened except for black lights.

  “Who the hell did that?” Rachel whispered in my ear.

  “John. Isn’t he great?” I winked.

  “Damn straight.” She snickered behind her glass. “You’re gonna owe him big time.”

  I looked sideways at her, trying to stifle a laugh of my own. “You’ve already seen how I take care of him.”

  Rachel choked on her champagne.

  Satisfied with my wit, I made my way to the DJ, who handed me a microphone and stopped the music. I pasted on the biggest smile I could muster.

  “I want to thank you all for coming. I am deeply honored that you’ve chosen me to represent you and your companies. Chuck, Hori and I all look forward to a very prosperous relationship.” I paused until the clapping subsided. “Now, I have a little something for viewing pleasure.”

  John opened the back door and the dancers filed in and the DJ turned up the music. I went back to Rachel’s side.

  “Exotic dancers?” she asked.

  “Nope. This is an actual dance crew. They’ve won several awards. They’re quite good. Watch.” I nodded in the dancers’ direction.

  The routine was phenomenal. They danced five routines before they were finally done, earning a round of applause.

  A firm grip was suddenly around my left upper arm. “I thought I said adult entertainment.” Hori’s face was stern.

  “I suggest you remove your hand from my girlfriend, sir.” John’s face was red. A vein was pulsing on his forehead. I’d never seen him angry before.

  Hori released me, standing tall and squaring off with John.

  My heart leapt into my throat.

  “Ms. Kavana!” I recognized the woman as one of my new clients. I had briefly met her at the new office. She was a tall, busty blonde. Her air was wound tightly into a French twist, tits barely contained in her silk shirt, unbuttoned past where a bra should have resided. As if she weren’t tall enough her heels made her taller than John.

  “Hello, Ms. Volk.” I held out my hand to shake hers, but she wrapped her arms around me instead.

  “That was fantastic. I can’t tell you how many people assume we want sex and strippers all of the time. You throw a really classy party. I’m so happy to see we made the right choice.” She kissed each side of my face. And,” she looked me up and down, “you’re easy on the eyes.”

  “I’m happy that you’re happy.” I raised my glass. “Cheers.”

  She tapped my glass and went to the dance floor.

  “Mister Takahaski,” I started, trying to take control away from John who looked like he might still punch my boss in the face. “I am more than capable of handling myself, as well as a party. Now I’m thankful for the position and the trust, but if you ever lay a hand on me, I assure you, you won’t have a hand left to do it again. I don’t know how things are in Japan, but here in the United States, that is completely unacceptable.”

  Charles must have spotted us and noticed the change in posture. He came walking up a swiftly as he could manage without flat out running.

  “What’s going on here?” he asked.

  John, still angry, couldn’t hold his tongue. “This asshole grabbed Candy.”

  “Whoa, there, let’s take a breath.” Charles glared at Hori. “I told you to lay off the coke.”

  “Coke? Are there drugs in my house?” Now my blood boiled.

  “No, it’s in the limo.” Charles patted my back. “I apologize for my partner’s behavior. You’re okay?”

  “Fine. Why don’t you show Mr. Takahashi out? If John does it, he might not make it to the limo.”

  “I can show myself out!” Hori turned and stomped toward the door.

  “Candy, I’m really very sorry. Your arm is red.” Charles’s brow was furrowed. “I understand if you’re having second thoughts.”

  “It really wasn’t a very good introduction for my new assistant. Charles, this is Rachel.”

  They shook hands. I wasn’t sure how to change the mood. John was still fuming and Charles looked like he’d eaten bad shellfish. Rachel was fidgeting.

  I started to panic. My new clients were now noticing the tension. What was I going to do? The dancers had already left.

  “Ms. Kavana, is everything okay?” It was Mindy. I recognized her from the housewarming party. She worked for the catering company. We walked a few steps away from John, Rachel and Charles.

  “I’m dying here. The mood just shifted due to some inappropriate conduct by one of the owners. I’m freaking the hell out and I don’t even know why I’m telling you this!” I took a deep breath.

  She smiled. “As it happens, I can help.” She winked at me before hurrying off.

  Help? How could she help? Glancing at Rachel and John I noticed that they were both staring at me, confused.

  “Hello, hello, hello,” the DJ said over the speakers, “I have something special for you tonight, yes, very special. Please put your hands together for our girl Mindy.”

  Everyone clapped as the music started. Mindy had done a quick costume change and was now wearing a black sequined gown with large slits up the sides. She had a microphone in her hands. She sang a very sultry song while paying each guest a little attention, grazing their faces with the back of her hand, or their shoulders with the tips of her fingers. It was very sexy.

  When the song finished everyone erupted, cheering her on. Relief was mine, thanks to a very talented bartender. When she finished, she announced last call, much to my relief. My clients thanked me for the party as they left.

  “Rachel, thank you so much for sticking around. I promise, nothing like this has ever happened before, with, you know, the arm grab.”

  She smiled at me and tilted her head to the side. “Honey, I’ve been bartending for a few years. If you think that scared me, you’re sorely mistaken. Now, where should I be on Monday?”

  Chapter 29

  Two months following the introductory party for my clients, I’d launched three new marketing campaigns and my club was nearing completion. The weather was starting to turn cool, bringing about the fall change. After averaging four hou
rs of sleep each night, my energy had started to wane a bit.

  John hired a nutritionist and personal trainer to keep me healthy during the busy time and thanks the trainer, I started to lose what belly fat had been stuck on me for the last few years.

  We had just finished our morning workout routine and I was in the pool, cooling off. “Remember to drink your protein shake this evening.” Mark, my personal trainer, was packing his bag, barking one last order for the day.

  “Always do.” I said before dipping beneath the surface. The cool water felt good on my burning muscles. I wiped my eyes as I came back above the surface.

  “I mean it,” he said. “You need all the nutrients you can get. Some extra sleep wouldn’t hurt either. Sunday should be rest. Do you understand?”

  Rest? I had a business to open and a company that couldn’t understand how not to make a trashy book cover. “Sure thing.”

  He shook his head as he left.

  Olivia had spent some time training Rachel for me. The woman was coming along nicely. She was in my private office answering emails. I knew it was time to get out of the pool and get cleaned up. I couldn’t help but pout a little as I climbed out of the cool water.

  A quick shower later I joined Rachel in my office. Being my own boss, in a way, offered me two days a week that I could work at home in the morning and take the afternoon off to work on the club. Our grand opening was scheduled in just a few days and there were a lot of finishing touches that still needed my attention.

  “I have to go to the printers to pick up your order. Your coffee is ready and waiting.” Rachel slung her purse over her shoulder. “I’ll be back in an hour.”

  I waved her on as I clicked through emails. Things were coming along nicely. I still struggled to get my clients to understand the difference between high class adult entertainment and smut, but we were making progress. I had to make a call I didn’t want to make, as I knew an argument would ensue. Deciding more coffee should be ingested first, I called John to chat with him while I gulped down another cup.

  “Guess what?” he said.

  “What?”

  “All of the furniture was delivered this morning. I’m meeting with the vendor for our glassware in a few minutes. I’ll be handling deliveries all day. Know what that means?” He sounded almost giddy.

  I giggled. “That you’re too busy to talk?”

  “Never. But it does mean that we’re about to open and on time.”

  “I know, it’s great.” I took my cup into the kitchen for a refill.

  “Great? Great? Can I get a ‘hell yeah’?”

  Mustering up as much enthusiasm as I could manage, I shouted over the phone. “Hell yeah!”

  He laughed. “That’s better. I gotta go.” With that, the phone went dead.

  With a fresh steaming cup of java I sat back at my desk and picked up my office phone, dialing the dreaded number. The conversation went as expected.

  “Ms. Kavana, I am the editor-in-chief. The responsibility ultimately rests firmly in my hands. I think I know what sort of cover we need on our books.”

  “And your owner hired me to change the face of your publishing company. She doesn’t want the smutty, trashy covers anymore. Have you even looked at the samples I sent?” Why was I wasting my time?

  “Why bother? You don’t know a damned thing about the adult book industry.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Thank you for your time.” Slamming the receiver down, I cursed her. I couldn’t get this nitwit to change her mind or cooperate in any manner. It was time to pull out my ace.

  “Ms. Kavana, how nice to hear from you.” Tia Volk gushed on the phone. I remembered her from the party, all legs and boobs.

  “The pleasure is mine, Ms. Volk. I regret the cause for the call, however. I’ve been on the phone with your editor-in-chief countless times. I’ve spent nearly a thousand dollars on new sample covers that she refuses to review. She wants to keep the same, tired old covers. I’m trying desperately to give your company the facelift you want, but I really do need cooperation.” I closed my eyes and bit my lip, waiting for her response.

  The silence on the other end of the line told me nothing. I couldn’t see her reaction, which is why I loathed telephone calls.

  “I’ll have it resolved for you by lunch. Thank you for your call.”

  She wasn’t kidding. By lunch I had an email from her that she was interviewing for the position. I didn’t know if I was trading Loki for Satan, but it was a gamble I had to take.

  After grabbing a quick sandwich and sending Rachel home for the day, I drove out to the club. Standing in the driveway, I looked around. The property was damned near unrecognizable from the first time I’d seen it. The lawn was now plush with green grass and flower beds instead of weeds. The barn had been completely resided and looked beautiful. John had restocked the pond with a variety and multitude of waterfowl. The pool had been finished off nicely with cobblestone to look like the base of a waterfall.

  Inside, the warm look of the hardwood floors gave the place a nice cozy feel. The furniture had been delivered and put in place. John’s master carpentry skills had come in handy. The new bar looked like it sprouted from the beams in the floor, blending seamlessly. The dance floor lit up when people walked or danced on it.

  “There she is!” Stacy came running toward me. “I just finished my room. Come see!” She grabbed my hand, dragging me up the stairs. The third door down was her room. When I walked inside, my jaw hit the floor. Stacy had a large wooden wheel on the far right.

  “What the hell is that?”

  “John built it for me. You tie people to it. Like this,” she said as she posed in front of it. “Then you can torture them with sex toys.” She giggled.

  My eyes wandered around the room. Her walls were painted blood red. Black leather drapes hung everywhere, dividing the room into three parts. The wall next to the large wheel was covered in sexual aides, riding crops, hand cuffs, whips and feathers.

  “Stacy? Why is there a harness hanging from the ceiling?”

  “It’s BDSM stuff. Just come to my sessions and see. It’s quite exciting really.” I looked behind her. The table next to the bed was covered in alligator clips, cock rings, vibrators and other devices I didn’t recognize.

  I laughed. “Suddenly, you’re scary.” I teased her.

  I inspected the rest of the building and then the grounds, tidying up a bit. Rachel showed up to get the bar set for the opening, rearranging the liquor bottles and glasses. She muttered about a working triangle as she moved a box full of glassware.

  Everything had come along nicely. The building was ready, Stacy was ready and Rachel was getting there. The only question was whether or not I could make it successful. I had doubts, I had worry, but mostly I was excited. I had traded an office downtown with a lot of prestige to a small office, out of the way, that very few people would ever know about. I traded my free time to make this place of pleasure. I traded my apartment for a home with John. I had done a lot of trading places, and now, I just had to live my life.

  The End

  Publisher’s Note

  Please help this author’s career by posting an honest review wherever you purchased this book.

  About Anita Cox

  Anita Cox has an affinity with leather and high-heeled boots. The same vivacious attitude can be found in her erotic adventure and erotic romance. With her rock star husband, she plays in the lifestyle in which she writes, adding authenticity to her voice.

  Anita likes to add strong female characters, even if they are a bit quirky. Her men are hot with just enough flaws to make them loveable.

  You can follow Miss Cox’s blog at http://authoranitacox.wordpress.com/ or on her Facebook fan page https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAnitaCox

 

 

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