As the group began to break up, Cole remained with Sierra, keeping an eye on her as she began venturing through the club slowly. She didn’t try to keep up with Sam, and Cole noticed that Ashleigh had taken off in another direction with Alex, likely looking for some interesting fodder for one of her upcoming novels. If anyone would benefit from the visit, Cole had no doubt it would be her.
Cole noticed that Luke and Logan were giving a brief tour to Travis and Sawyer while several of the others went their own way. Trying not to hinder Sierra from getting what she came for – which he still had no idea what that was – he remained quietly by her side. He didn’t need to follow Luke because he knew the history better than most. Having been a member since Club Destiny’s inception, Cole even knew what the former club’s design was, which was in no way as upscale as this one.
The Destined Hearts Club had obviously needed some radical revamping as well as a financial boost by the time Luke came along and managed to save what was left of the failing establishment. Only Luke took it one step further and developed both a nightclub and the fetish club, though most people were oblivious to the latter.
Although Luke spent the better part of the last five years growing the club into something no one had probably ever anticipated, it seemed that it had begun to deteriorate in the last few months. Blackmail and deception had clouded much of the member’s judgment and once that rolled over into Luke’s and Logan’s lives, well, that’s when Luke put an end to it all.
It hadn’t been an easy road either. After some pictures of Samantha McCoy surfaced and were used to blackmail Luke and Logan, they’d made some decisions they swore they’d never make. In an attempt to salvage Samantha’s reputation, as well as that of the high profile company she was working for, they’d allowed the blackmailer admission, which had come back to bite them in the ass.
The members that Luke and Logan worked so hard to protect reacted exactly how everyone should have expected. They didn’t care that the reputation of many were going to be affected if the pictures got out, and they insisted that their anonymity be protected at all costs. According to them, it wasn’t because they were ashamed of their lifestyles, but it was in their best interest not to attract the attention of the media. Cole called bullshit.
So far, the McCoy’s had done a remarkable job at keeping things under wraps. Luke took care of the bullshit and the deception. He shut down the club and officially cancelled the membership agreements with about ninety five percent of the members. Based on what Cole saw tonight, it looked like most of the other five percent were in attendance, which wasn’t all that surprising.
Cole understood both sides of the argument, however, his loyalty was to Luke and Sierra only. Which was why he supported Luke’s decision, promising he’d help to rebuild in any way that Luke deemed necessary. At this point, Cole still wasn’t sure whether Luke was going to move forward.
Based on the conversation they’d engaged in recently, he got the impression that his lover might just be looking to take the club in another direction. He also knew the potential changes weren’t completely Luke’s idea. Trent Ramsey, another silent partner, played a prominent role in swaying him. Up to this point, final decisions hadn’t been made, so Cole continued to wait to see what Luke wanted to do.
Despite what people thought, the BDSM and fetish industry were growing leaps and bounds lately. The sheer volume of applications that Luke received bordered on ridiculous. Luke and Logan managed to keep their membership numbers relatively low due to the hefty price tag they placed on membership. He knew the Walkers wouldn’t have to worry about that since they were keeping theirs on an invitation only basis.
And it would appear that tonight was all about proving to the Walkers that Luke didn’t go into business as a nightclub owner. The few members that remained were some of the kinkier and the most discreet, and the selected few had been informed that the doors would be open for one night only.
As Cole continued to walk with Sierra around the perimeter of the room, he kept an eye on her as well as notated the few changes he noticed since the last time he was there. There weren’t many. Based on the scene taking place in the large glass room on the main floor, Mistress Serena was still in charge and putting on a rather entertaining show tonight.
Mistress Serena was officially the manager of the fetish club, as well as a Domme who loved to show the patrons exactly who was in charge. There probably wasn’t a night that went by in which her presence wasn’t requested in at least one or more scenes. Tonight wasn’t any different.
Sierra stopped in front of the glass enclosed room, watching intently as Mistress Serena directed some pretty intense interaction between two men and one woman. Based on the little bit that Cole had heard, one of the men was about to understand what it meant to submit to another man.