Club Manhattan: Parts One and Two

by Jennifer Louise

  I blink slowly. Slowly coming back into focus. The room. This man. This moment.

  “Hey, babe. Welcome back. How are you feeling?” I focus on his smiling face and I exhale a cleansing breath.

  “I’m great now. This was just what I needed. But I just want to stay in this room forever. Do you think Crystal and Grayson would mind?”

  He hums at me softly, as if contemplating my request. “I think they would notice eventually.” He looks thoughtfully at me as he rolls to my side and pulls me as close as possible. “You really like it here, at the club I mean.”

  “Of course. It has all our memories. The first time we met. The night we got engaged. Our friends own this amazing place. What’s not to like?”

  He clears his throat like he’s about to get serious. “Well, remember at our engagement party, Crystal suggested that we get married here?”

  I think about that for a moment. It feels like it’s been such a long time since the party, that I completely forgot about that conversation. “Yeah, I briefly remember her suggesting that, now that you mention it.”

  He gets a faraway look in his eyes, like he’s remembering everything that happened that night. “Quite a bit happened that night, so I can understand if you would forget that.”

  He absently plays with my hair as he talks. “Maybe since we haven’t talked to them about it recently, maybe we need to get together for dinner and firm up the plans.”

  I cut his ramblings off with a kiss. “I love that idea. I was thinking that same thing. It just goes to show you how in sync we are.”

  “I really love you. You know that, right?” I smile at him with a goofy grin.

  “Of course, I know. Now let’s get out of here. I’m starving!” I jump out of bed to scramble for our clothes as he swats me on the ass. I let out a yelp and a giggle. We have a wedding to plan.

  Chapter 16

  Aidan

  A month has passed since the hearing for John that convicted him of embezzlement. Because of his criminal charges and prison sentence, that thankfully Chloe didn’t have to insert herself personally into, Karen won an uncontested divorce, which nullified the prenuptial agreement. That was their goal in the beginning, but they never imagined the turn of events that would take place instead. If it wasn’t for my fierce kick-ass lawyer fiancé finding asking for and finding the offshore transactions, we may have never known what John was doing. And for that, my family is eternally grateful.

  Now that is all behind us, it’s time to focus on us. We fell in love with the idea of having the wedding at Club Manhattan and we couldn’t wait to run the idea by Crystal and Grayson. We are heading to our favorite sushi place on the Upper West Side of New York.

  Chloe sits beside me in the backseat of the chauffeured town car that we typically take when we go out. It’s so much easier than Uber, and we can make out in the backseat like horny teenagers. As much as we tried to contain ourselves, we had the time to kill and the backseat was crazy spacious. The ultimate hot factor of car sex is the thrill of knowing that someone is a few feet away, just on the other side of the black glass partition, potentially getting caught at any moment.

  Just as we were coming up for air and straitening our clothes, we feel the car slow to a stop in the underground parking of the restaurant where we are meeting Crystal and Grayson. Stepping out into the dipping temperature of nightfall, I pull Chloe in close to my side to share my body heat.

  When we get into the foyer of the restaurant, we see Crystal and Grayson already seated in the corner of the quaint building, looking very much as disheveled as we probably look.

  “Hey, guys. Been waiting long?” Grayson stands and holds out his hand to shake mine with a clap on the back.

  “Nah, not too long. We had a few minutes to kill in the car though. But we made good use of that time!” He waggled his eyebrow playfully and in a knowing way. Crystal smacks him lightheartedly on the arm at his response. “Hey, what was that for?”

  Crystal gives him the squinty eye look and a goofy smirk. “They do not need to hear our freaky business.” She turns to face us as we sit across from them at the table. “Sorry guys, I’m sure that isn’t dinner conversation.”

  “Actually,” Chloe speaks up with a blushing grin of her own, “we were getting our own freak on in the back of the hired car. So, yeah… no shame in our game.”

  We all burst out laughing and gave pause to the waitress approaching our table. After our wine and sushi roll orders were put in, I cleared my throat to ask the all-important question of the night.

  “So, remember how you suggested that since the club was the place we met, and the place I proposed, that it would only make sense if we got married there? Are you still ok with that idea?”

  Chloe and I each held our proverbial breaths as the two playfully huddled their heads together and pretended to have a serious discussion.

  Crystal was the first to break the ruse and rushed to speak. “Of course! I wouldn’t have mentioned it if we weren’t ok with it. And quite frankly, we wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  I reached across the table to shake Grayson’s hand. “Thanks, man. We really appreciate it. And not to worry about the guest list. We plan on having an intimate ceremony and party after, and on a night that you typically aren’t open. Just so we don’t impede your business.”

  Grayson shook his head and dismissed my comment with a wave of his hand. “Dude, have I ever cared about that? It’s not every day that our good friends get married and want us to share in the event, much less host the whole damn thing. An intimate is our thing, so we got you covered on that too.”

  We all shared a quick laugh on that comment. Chloe and I looked at each other and knew without saying the words, that this wedding was slowly coming together, and we were lucky to have such amazing friends.

  Dinner went by like a blur, but that was more than likely the company and the wine. It is nice to have friends that have the same interests, ones that we can talk openly about anything and everything.

  Crystal and Chloe made plans to go dress shopping the following weekend, and Grayson and I talked briefly about a guy’s night out. Upon hearing this though, and not to be outdone, the girls too quickly firmed up plans of their own. If I get my way, Grayson and I will have to crash that party. No strippers at her party, unless it’s me. I may have to practice a routine on her tonight.

  The feeling of everything coming together and falling into place is surreal. I never thought I would be planning a wedding, much less marrying the woman of my dreams. I sound like a girl, but I don’t care. Love does this shit to you!

  Chapter 17

  Chloe

  Going dress shopping with Crystal was surreal. It really puts everything into perspective and made it real. Real scary. Real exciting.

  It made me miss the family I never really knew or had. Sure, I had my grandmother to raise me, and she did the best that she could. I had no other real parental figure in my life, and that made me retrospective in thought. Sad is really the better word. Sad that I wouldn’t get to have my father walk me down the aisle. A father I never knew. One that my own mother, if you can call her that, didn’t even know.

  Parents. It’s a title that is earned and not automatic. Giving birth to a child doesn’t make you a parent. I have spent the better part of my adult life, vowing to make the best life possible for the child that I eventually have. To make them feel as loved as I do now. To make every hope and dream come true for them. To just be there.

  Crystal caught me looking forlorn and unhappy as I stood in front of the mirror, in dress number twenty-three of the day. She stands behind me and giving me a knowing smile. “Ok, so you don’t like this one either. It’s ok, we can go to another dress shop later this week.”

  “No, that’s not it. I mean, yeah… I don’t like this one either. But that’s not what has me mugging this face.”

  “Ok… so what is it? You’re not having second thoughts, are you? Because it’s ok if you
feel rushed.” I gave her a warm smile in the mirror as I unconsciously played with the lace of the dress I was wearing.

  “No, it’s not that. I was just thinking about who would walk me down the aisle. I mean, I don’t have a father, and the closest thing to another man in my life is Grayson, but he’s already Aidan’s Best Man.”

  Crystal walks up behind me and puts her hands on my shoulders. “What about Aidan’s father? I’m sure he would be honored at the thought and gesture.”

  The smile that lit up my face almost hurt. “Crystal! That is an amazing idea! I can’t believe I didn’t think about that sooner. I mean, I haven’t had that many family interactions to call him dad, but I know it would mean a lot to Aidan that his father was a part of it. Maybe I can even have both of his parents walk me down the aisle. It’s not all that uncommon. And… well… we are getting married in a BDSM club, so we’re hitting all of the unconventional points anyway!”

  “That’s the spirit! I love that I could turn your outlook back to the positive. It’s going to be a perfect wedding on a perfect day. This is happening!”

  Our renewed enthusiasm at the end of that long shopping day carried us through into the next day as I found the perfect dress, for my perfect wedding, that would be a perfect day. Just like Crystal said.

  I found a wedding dress that made me feel demure and sophisticated, with a touch of sexy. The beaded lace top of the sheath dress came up into a halter around my neck, but the back was completely bare. The sheer organza train of the dress hooked under the halter at the nape of my neck and billowed out around me like flowy, gossamer wings.

  I purchased strappy, but sensible heels for the night. Ones that gave me the height to peer eye to eye with Aidan, but not too high that I wouldn’t run the risk of breaking an ankle while wearing them. I’m still a klutz. That much hasn’t changed.

  Aidan gave me carte blanche and an unlimited budget to pick out any dress I wanted, designer or otherwise. But, because I’m a no-nonsense kind of girl, I bought it off the rack and it fit perfect. When I brought it home, though, I had to hide it in the back of the hall closet so that Aidan wouldn’t find it and see it. I don’t care too much about those kinds of traditions, but I still wanted it to be a surprise.

  When I told Aidan my idea about asking his mom and dad to walk me down the aisle, he was taken aback. “You want to what?”

  I thought at first that he was going to be upset, but quite the opposite. He was awestruck and elated at my idea. One he couldn’t wait to talk to his parents about.

  “Babe, that’s a fucking amazing idea. I’m so happy that you want to include my parents in our day. I love that you feel comfortable enough to do this.”

  “Yeah, well, I haven’t asked them yet, and I don’t know if they would say yes… but Crystal was the one who suggested it… and I love the idea too!”

  “Chloe, they will be honored. Let’s call them right now. Better yet, let’s invite them to dinner and ask them.” His excitement was so adorable and contagious. My apprehension at talking to them about this all faded away when I saw how much this meant to Aidan. His smile lit up the room, and I knew it was right.

  We made plans to meet his parents for dinner the following night. To say they were thrilled with the idea and emotional over the idea, was an understatement. Plans coming together so smoothly that it will not seem real until the actual day, which is very soon.

  The invitations were sent weeks ago, responses have been flowing in, and all we had left was to plan our honeymoon. And I had a special surprise for my soon to be husband, that I couldn’t wait to tell him about.

  Chapter 18

  Chloe

  The night before the wedding, and in lieu of having separate bachelor and bachelorette parties, we decided to have one big combined party at the club. Club Manhattan truly is intertwined to the beginning, middle, but certainly not the end of our love story. This place holds memories, good and bad.

  Best of all, our friends get to see what the club is all about. Most were stunned to learn what kind of club it is, but the others took it in stride. It was a brief introduction into our world, and it will help ease the shock for tomorrow. Except, we didn’t invite Aidan’s parents to this party. That was a conversation Aidan would rather not have, and they will have no idea that will be in a BDSM club at the wedding tomorrow. The designers we worked with, are that good.

  Tonight, it’s just a place for us to celebrate our relationship up to this point. A closing of this chapter in our story, and with tomorrow, we start a new one. I could tell that Aidan had something up his sleeve for tonight because he was acting suspiciously. He and Grayson were noticeably whispering to each other and conspiring like madmen.

  Given the mixed company, we knew that the usual entertainment that the club typically provides would be too overwhelming. We wanted our friends to feel comfortable because the lifestyle isn’t for everyone. But just when I thought that the night was going great, the house lights went down, and a spotlight shined bright on the stage. I looked frantically around for Aidan or Grayson, hoping they could shut it down before something weird happened. To my surprise and amusement, the two “players” on stage tonight, were none other than Aidan and Grayson.

  Crystal was by my side in an instant looking at me for a clue. “Did you know about this?”

  “I have no idea what these boys are up to, but I can’t wait to see what happens next!” We were both smiling ear to ear at the “scene” unfolding before us. Aidan and Grayson were acting out a scene dripped in satire and mockery, but in a hysterical way. When Aidan turned around to straddle a bench, his ass was hanging out of ass-less chaps, to which Grayson quickly smacked with a flogger.

  Crystal was doubled over in laughter and I was choking on my drink. The rest of the partygoers saw our reaction and fell in line with the laughter and catcalls. It was a sight to behold, those two. But it was all in fun and a way to break the mood. It added light to the taboo subject and it was perfect.

  At the end of their performance, they each took a bow with Aidan once again flashing his ass for our crowd of friends. “If you can’t laugh at yourself… and however else that saying goes…,” Aidan’s voice booms loudly into the mic on stage.

  When Aidan struts up to me looking so very proud of himself and high-fiving his friends on the way, he stops just short of me to give me a slow twirl and pose.

  “Um, yeah…. Those are so coming home with us. But for now, go change. I don’t want everyone staring at my man’s ass all night.

  “What’s the matter? Hmm…” I back away as he tries to pull me in for a hug, with his shirtless, sweaty body.

  “Normally, seeing you all hot and sweaty with your ass hanging out would turn me on. But our guests do not need to see…. all of this…” I draw a circle in the air in front of his chest. “And we definitely have to play out this fantasy later.”

  “That, I like the sound of. But you know that all this is just for you.” He waves his hand down the length of his torso until it stops like an arrow pointing to his crotch.

  I slowly follow the path down his sweaty chest, passed the v-shape of his waist and licking my lips at what I know lies beyond his happy trail of hair. “Do you think anyone would miss us if we ran upstairs to our VIP room?”

  Yes, it had officially become “our” room considering the amount of time we spent there. Grayson and Aidan worked out a deal so that no one else could use it. And I loved that it was one more piece of us here at the club.

  Aidan thought about my idea for a second, but then we both agreed that it would be rude to leave our own party. Although, after that performance, I’m sure they would have all understood. Satire or not, it was hot!

  “We have the rest of our lives to play in our room. I’ll go change. Don’t go anywhere.” He kissed me chastely on the lips before he ran off to more whistles and slaps on the ass from his friends. I have a feeling that his work buddies will not let him live this moment down, anytime soon.

&nbs
p; On the eve of our wedding, we opted to follow the tradition of sleeping in separate locations so that we couldn’t see each other until I walked down the aisle. Aidan rented me the penthouse suite at the Four Seasons for the night and so that Crystal and I could have a place to get ready the next day. He opted to stay at our apartment, and I missed him terribly. Only a few more hours and we would officially start the next phase in our lives.

  Waking up the next morning was surreal. I had a wide range of emotions raging through me. Fear. Panic. Nervousness. But not because I didn’t love Aidan wholeheartedly, but because I still have trouble believing that the other shoe hasn’t dropped.

  Fear that I might wake up and I’m back in Georgia in my grandmothers run down trailer, or worse yet, still living with Mark.

  Panic that I will trip and fall and make a total ass of myself during the wedding or during the reception. I have a backup pair of shoes, just in case.

  Nervousness… well because I’m a woman, and who wouldn’t be nervous on her wedding day. But most of all I’m excited. The excitement of knowing that the best is yet to come.

  Chapter 19

  Aidan

  Today is the day I marry the love of my life and I couldn’t be surer of the direction my life is going. This time last year, I was resolved to live the playboy life, not caring who or what I was doing. I didn’t see settling down as an option for me. I worked crazy as fuck hours, for years, building my business into the success that it is today. But how do you really measure that success if you have no one to share it with.

  Grayson and I made a makeshift groom's room in one of the VIP rooms of the club. “Hey Aidan, you should totally wear those ass-less pants again. They were a big hit last night!”

  “Um, yeah… not. Chloe would kick my ass for that one!” He gave me the whipping motion with his hand and made the sound of a cracking whip.

  “Right… you make jokes, but you know Crystal wouldn’t let you get away with that shit either.” He looked a bit sheepish and giving me an all-knowing nod.