Chapter 8

Jane

"Of all the places to have a business dinner…" Caitlyn stepped off the elevator with her jacket slung over one arm and her purse hanging from the other. Jane was right behind her with only a briefcase to carry. "It has to be in their home."

"Ah, but what a home it is. Look, Cait, we could get ourselves a penthouse like this."

"Jane." Caitlyn stopped in front of the first line of defense between the personal executive elevator and the Monroes' front door. "This money is so old you can smell the mold on it. They own the whole damn building, never mind this penthouse monstrosity."

Jane didn't see the problem. Back in Hong Kong – and Taipei, Singapore, or any Asian city she had played in while a youth – it wasn't uncommon for entire families to share buildings that they owned outright. A veritable mansion existing at the top of a high-rise wasn't out of the ordinary for someone like Jane, who preferred these abodes to stately manors in the countryside or expensive rowhouses by the marina. Just because Damon had inherited this place from his long line of successful patriarchs didn't mean it wasn't homey.

Dark, though. Very dark.

The butler showed them to a small dining room that was surely not where the family usually supped together, if at all. No, he wants us away from the brats. Jane made herself at home after accepting a glass of brandy from the butler. Caitlyn turned down alcohol. They're the ones eating in the actual dining room.

Damon and his wife Alice arrived together, although one was more frazzled than the other. If Jane had to hazard a guess, it wasn't Alice's current pregnancy that told the story behind those red eyes and thinning hair. Okay, maybe that's causing the hair. Jane had heard horror stories about pregnancy's effect on the body from her sister. Too many horror stories…

"Jane," Damon greeted. "Ah, Caitlyn. You're looking very well." He flashed Jane's wife his fake charismatic smile while Jane continued to watch Damon's wife set up the paperwork for the meeting. Technically, this was her deal, since the lounge would be under her hospitality label, but Jane couldn't help but feel like Alice was more of an assistant here. "Jane tells me you're going to be in a big pageant this November? Congratulations."

She blushed. "You really shouldn't be telling people, Lin."

"I am not telling people," Jane retorted. "I told Damon. Do you think he's people?"

His look denoted, Flattery, as usual. Jane ignored him while Alice finished setting up her things. "I hope you two are hungry," she said, "because we have salmon and macaroni and cheese for dinner."

Jane withheld a hoot of laughter. "Macaroni and cheese?"

"Homemade by our excellent chef, I assure you." Alice fixed up her place setting before tackling her husband's. "It's our daughter's favorite dish right now, and she's been having a rough go at school so far this year. Besides…" she cleared her throat. "It's the only thing quelling my stomach as well."

"I love homemade mac and cheese," Caitlyn said.

"That's right, you're on baby number three, aren't you?" Jane looked directly at Alice, who kept her eyes downcast on her tablet full of spreadsheets and charts. "Congratulations."

"Er, thanks."

Damon interjected before his wife lost her train of thought. "Isn't your niece also attending Winchester Academy?" The butler entered with the starting course of freshly tossed salad and homemade vinegarette. "What does she think of it so far?"

"Oh, she doesn't tell me much outside of what's due and when such an event is happening." Cecelia shared a bit more than that, but Jane didn't want to drag her niece into the conversation. Not when there's nothing juicy to share, anyway! The biggest thing her niece struggled with so far was her French homework, but that was nothing a tutor couldn't solve once Jane found a good one. "The administration is attempting to force her to pick a sport to play, though. I was under the impression that it wasn't mandatory there, but I suppose they think it looks too good on those college resumes. Wait, doesn't your girl go to the primary school there?"

"She does," Damon said. "Clarise is in second grade this year because time doesn't go by quickly enough."

"Second grade and already struggling with math," Alice muttered.

"Yes, well, that's why she has an appointment with the child development specialist."

"Oh, hope everything's all right," Caitlyn said as she began eating her salad.

Damon grunted in approval. "We're suspecting she might have a learning disability or even be neurodivergent. I'm confident we can get to the bottom of it, though. Better to find out now than later."

"And how is Damon Jr.?" Jane asked, ignoring her salad. "Teething yet?"

"Are you seriously pretending you care about child development, Jane?"

She stuck her tongue out at one of her oldest friends. "Don't know if you have heard, Mr. Monroe, but I am sort of a parent myself now. Yes, popped out fully formed from my sister's head. We will all greatly miss Lilian and her ability to talk at sixty kilometers per second."

Alice nudged the charts in her husband's direction. "Right," he said. "Suppose we should go ahead and get started so we're not here all night. I'm sure you two want to get home at a reasonable hour."

Jane was already aware of most of the details. This dinner was mostly for Caitlyn, who had been so busy with house hunting and the pageant affair that she didn't have time to look over the fact sheet her assistant had compiled over the past two weeks. Here we are, September. While the locals still lamented how hot it was in New England, Jane was already in her turtlenecks and wool socks. She thought she could face New England weather after spending so much of her youth in Old England, but at the end of the day, she was forged in the sweaty fires of Hong Kong. Something for her to chew on while Damon and Alice pitched the investment opportunity to Jane's wife.

She had already determined her opinion on the endeavor. Jane merely waited to hear Caitlyn's thoughts.

"We don't usually invest in real estate or hospitality," she said after Alice sat back from giving her spiel. "I will admit, though, that it's quite the ambitious project you have here. Are you sure you don't want to open something like this in your building here? I'd think it would save quite a bit of costs."

"The base fact is that any floor that could accommodate such an undertaking is already occupied by other tenants. Or our restaurant," Damon said. "Which we have no intention of closing since it's as successful as always. No, what we have marked down in the proposal is the best location we've scouted. We intend to buy the penthouse outright and remodel it to the proposed specifications, which is a large chunk of the change."

Alice took over. "There are a lot of licenses and permits involved, though, since we intend for this to be a private business instead of a residence. But that penthouse has been on the market for over a year and the building's owner needs to sell it. They're willing to work with us if we can get adequate funding before the end of the year."

Caitlyn flipped through the info that she had downloaded to her phone. "A members' only club could be dicey with this kind of money upfront. Do you have the interest necessary to make a splash upon opening?"

"We can't give out exact names, no," Damon answered, "but I believe on page thirteen you'll see the structure for recruiting new members and the preliminary fee structure."

Jane was starting to check out. This was her least favorite part of her job, even if she was with friends talking about something that piqued her interest. Numbers. Debates. What-ifs and going at loggerheads. Jane wasn't knowledgeable about American permits and business licenses, anyway. That was Caitlyn's purview, so this was her time to shine.

"Is there really enough room in this town for another sexy playground for the rich?" she asked the Monroes as their salad dishes were taken away. "Between The Dark Hour and Le Salon, I feel like there's only so much more to be done here."

"Fact is, this is still a prime business destination in New England," Damon explained. "It's the second largest after Boston, and either the third or fourth in the entire northeast depending on which metric you follow. We may not pull in pure tourists, but we have a consistent convention population that has only bounced back in full force since the pandemic. Hotels remain largely booked up and the rental market remains hot. And an uncomfortable fact that Alice and I must admit is that The Dark Hour has been around for over a decade now. While we're not unhappy with its numbers, it's not the shiny new thing it once was. When Monica Warren opened Le Salon a couple of years ago, she slapped us in the face with its success."

"To be fair, it's a great place," Jane said. "Ladies' night is something else if you get the right parties going in there."

"Jane," Caitlyn hissed.

"What? He knows we're members!"

Damon cut back in. "What will set our new venture, name to be determined, apart from The Dark Hour and Le Salon is its exclusivity. You cannot come into town and simply arrive if you have enough money and made a reservation. You must be invited, either by one of the primary investors – i.e., us – or a current member in excellent standing. Membership numbers will be tightly regulated to ensure that any member, at any time, can reserve a party or event on any weekend. With the current layout of the penthouse, we can have up to two or three groups segregated at a time, each enjoying their own experience, depending on the size of the parties. We're talking exclusive memberships with exclusive entertainment and exclusive refreshments that can include a three-course dinner or tapas for your drinks. The idea, if you look at page eight, is to allow a member to reserve a space at a moment's notice and either provide their own needs for us to meet that very day or select from an assortment of pre-packaged experiences. Part of the ongoing fun will be that these experiences change seasonally, depending on who – and what – is available." He grinned. "There is a glut of talent in this town, and I want them entertaining our members. Or even being members themselves."

"I'm confused," Caitlyn said. "Is this another kink club?"

"If that's what the member wants," Alice replied. "We can also provide a completely vanilla opportunity to entertain your friends with dinner and a tasteful show. Bring your family, if you want. As long as they're over twenty-one, because we serve alcohol."

"You know what this sounds like?" Jane mused. "One of those rental halls my mother used to contract back in Hong Kong. They provide the space and the staff, and after you reserve your time, you can have whatever you want. They will kit you out for a wedding, birthday dinner, business venture, you name it. Obviously, what you two propose is a much smaller scale, but it sounds like there's no true theme other than small social groups and the opportunity to get dirty if that's what you want."

Both Damon and Alice grinned in acknowledgment. "You're on the right track," Damon said. "We'll have staff on call that can provide whatever experience you want."

"You know what I think this sounds like?" Caitlyn tapped her finger on the table. "The New York club. If you've got the money, they'll let you rent out a VIP room and look the other way as long as nobody dies or gets caught with drugs."

"In that order, too," Jane quipped. "Except New York requires you to go through the rest of the club and still has that fetishy atmosphere. I love it, but what if you're entertaining your wealthy aunt and uncle from out of town? The ones who leave half of their estate to some pastor you have never heard of until the reading of the will? You can't take them to a place like that! So, what if you had a quaint penthouse that you could rent and have decorated and catered to your stipulations? Instead of French maid outfits with the nipples cut out, your hostess is in a sleek cocktail dress or a damn cheongsam if that is what it takes to get in the will."

"Have you thought this through, Lin?" Caitlyn asked with a slight tilt of the head. "Sounds like you have."

"I am starting to see the vision, is all."

"Would these staff people who can dress in pasty-based stripper wear one night and a Mennonite's wedding dress the next happen to be professional sex workers? Because that's how it works in New York."

"Yeah, well, that's New York," Alice muttered. "They've got the people and the access to do whatever they want with their successful business."

There were still more details to go over while the main course was brought into the room. Jane was bemused – and amused – by the cheese selection for the macaroni if only because she was pretty sure Pule Gruyere was not a standard ingredient in the American casserole. I'm not complaining, but… This was what their daughter ate for dinner too? The most expensive cheese Jane could think of in an entire sauce?

They really, really want our money. Why was that? It was the only thing bothering Jane since Damon approached her about the opportunity. While it wasn't unusual for experienced hospitality professionals like the Monroes to seek outside investments for new ventures, something like this should have been easy enough to cover from Culver Hospitality, alone. Never mind The Monroe Group… Had they approached anyone else? Or was Jane somehow at the center of this decision?

She wouldn't normally dwell on this, except this was Damon she was talking about. The only man besides Jane's doctor who knew what she looked like naked.

This wasn't the time to ask. Jane didn't have the opportunity, anyway, since the face poking through the doorway was not certified to carry hot food to and from the kitchen.

"Honey!" Alice shot out of her chair before Damon turned around and saw who was in the private dining room. "What are you doing here? Grandma is supposed to be watching you."

Jane nudged her wife beside her. "You ever meet the old mum?" she whispered while the others fussed over the seven-year-old shoving herself into the room. "Quite the firecracker. Ah, wrong choice of words…"

Caitlyn switched to Cantonese for her wife's benefit. "Yes, I've heard the story but have never personally met the woman."

Jane had. She thanked her mother's incessant training to always be polite and approachable to other ladies because Julia had burn scars all over her body. There was a reason she seldom went out in public, and it wasn't only because she was Damon's live-in nanny while he and Alice chased their big family dreams.

"I don't want to go to school tomorrow," was all Jane heard from the child commanding her parents' attention.

Alice ushered Clarise out of the room while Damon apologized for his daughter's interruption. "She's been unhappy at school so far this year," he explained. "As I said earlier, we're working on getting her either diagnosed with whatever's going on or exploring other avenues."

"Winchester, right?"

"Yes, as I also mentioned earlier, she goes to the elementary school on their grounds."

"Which means it's a separate school with a completely different faculty from the high school," Caitlyn said. "So don't panic about Cecelia."

"Panic? Cece knows how to talk. She'd tell me if she was having a problem." Right? "What kind of problem is Clarise having, huh?"

Damon shrugged. "Alice is more involved in the schooling aspect of our children, but from what I understand, she's acting out a bit in class. At first, we thought there might be a bullying situation, but her teachers assure us that she hasn't been negatively interacting with anyone."

"Of course they say that! Why wouldn't they say otherwise?" Jane scoffed. "Bullying was rampant in every school I grew up in, but did the parents ever get involved? Hardly."

"Every school?" Damon asked. "Even Cambridge."

"You know what I mean." Hong Kong private school, English boarding school, Cambridge… the primary school in Hong Kong had been the worst. By the time Jane was shipped off to Britain, she had learned how to charm everyone around her. She still had a few issues in boarding school, that was more to do with her flirting with the wrong girls, not so much being from her family.

Despite the Monroes' best pitches, Jane and Caitlyn remained noncommittal on whether they would invest in the thus far nameless venture. Damon pressed that time was of the essence with the property they wanted to buy, but Jane was her usual affable self as she reassured them they would decide soon.

As they helped themselves into the elevator, dinner digesting, Jane said, "That was quite the expensive cheese for such a thing, wasn't it? Pule! Can you believe it? That costs up to about six hundred dollars a pound these days… they should put that money toward their investments."

Caitlyn rearranged her purse while she and Jane descended in the penthouse elevator. "That's all you have to say about that? Commenting on the audacious macaroni and cheese?"

"Their kid is big. Is that what you want to hear? That she looks like the female version of Damon?" Not a shred of her mother's blond hair on that child.

"No, I want to hear your opinion about this lounge they want to open." Caitlyn clasped her purse shut and leaned against the wall. "Assuming we can talk freely in here." She gestured to the camera in the corner. "Think they have a mic on in here?"

"No, I really do not," Jane said. "And my opinion is that it sounds quite fun and interesting, but it's not our wheelhouse, as you might say. Although it could expand our portfolio, and that is what the tax people you hired say we should do." God, Jane was tired of hearing everything those tax people said. She also had tax people back in Hong Kong always on her damn ass!

Caitlyn was the first one out of the elevator when it reached the ground floor. At that time of night, the only people milling about were the concierge – all of whom were on Damon's payroll – and the office stragglers finishing up calls on their laptops before dragging their arses home. Not enough people live in this building, otherwise. Jane knew there were some high-luxury apartments on the upper floors, but she didn't know any of the people who rented them.

"There's also the matter of her." Caitlyn remained mum about who she meant until she and Jane were in the parking garage, where they climbed into Jane's Lamborghini. This was the only vehicle Caitlyn never drove, partly due to her distaste for driving sports cars, but also because Jane's short stature required having everything just so in the driver's seat. Regardless of what her stomach now thought of gruyere in her noodle casserole, she was stuck driving her and Caitlyn home. "Monica."

"After hearing the whole plan, I highly doubt that she will consider us a threat." Jane turned the ignition but remained idle in the parking space. Caitlyn made herself comfortable in the passenger seat and checked her makeup in her pocket mirror. "Monica and Damon have been dancing around each other for years, ever since that Chateau opened and she started poaching his staff from The Dark Hour."

"Is that what he told you?"

"And her. Let us not forget we know the Warrens as well."

"Because of Eva."

"Who is Monica's beloved sister-in-law. Keep up, Cait, everything is incest!"

Caitlyn snapped her mirror shut. "We've never been up there. Which is weird, if you think about it." The mirror dropped into her purse, which she perched snugly between her thighs before crossing her arms on her seatbelt. Jane didn't shift her car into reverse. Not yet. "A house full of BDSM-trained women who can't wait to take our money in exchange for whatever we want, within reason? Why didn't we go before we met Becca?"

"We had just moved into town back then. Besides, what would we do all the way up there? Even if we took Becca, we would be taking in shows. Which we can do anywhere we travel. Unless you are procuring their services, it does not make any sense."

"Suppose you're right."

"Why? Feeling like you have been missing out, love?"

"No, but when trying to understand decisions like these, it would be helpful to know exactly what our competition is like."

Jane grinned. "I can think of somewhere much closer we could scope out."

She didn't give Caitlyn time to answer. It was already close to nine, and the place in question was only open until midnight on Thursday. Hope they take drop-ins! Jane had a feeling that almost anyone in town would be more than happy to have Jane and Caitlyn in on a "date night."

Well, almost anyone.