Safe and Sane

Lex went down to the club early that evening, mostly so that she could wander around and get a better idea of what it was like without the Halloween festivities. While she was there she decided she'd look over a couple of lists just to satisfy curiosity. She went up to the front to pick up some copies and then found a place in the lounge to settle down and read.

Veterans Day meant a holiday, but not for the cafe. It wasn't quite just an excuse for the cafe owner to find a new way to decorate, but there was a large flag pinned up behind the counter, and poppies were propped in small vases on each table.

The weather had taken a sudden turn for the better, almost spring-warm, and the last rays of afternoon sun were still finding the cafe windows as the first of the munch attendees began to arrive.

The club had been transformed. The main room was no longer recognizable as a lounge; it had been made over with mood lighting and subtle decorations. On one end there was a huge buffet, the bar was open and tended. There was even room for dancing on a small wooden floor that had been laid down on the opposite end of the room. Scattered about were bowls of candy of all kinds.

One of the smaller lounges hosted traditional party games -- bobbing for apples, donuts on a string, even a table set up for carving small gourds and pumpkins. A few of the private play rooms on the main level had also been opened, set up for groups or exhibitionism, but as in previous year that wasn't the focus of the night. And, in case anyone had forgotten a costume or hadn't been able to find one, the smallest public lounge was being used as sort of a large wardrobe.

A large poster in the hallway announced the categories for the costume contest: scariest, funniest, the most creative, best couple or group, and -- of course -- the sexiest.

At last. The final element of Beth's venture was ready to open, the gallery ready to her satisfaction and Jason's, and displaying (after a certain amount of discussion) a selection of pieces created by each of the artists who would later be holding their own show in the gallery.

The cafe was brightly lit against the dull weather outside, and the store was still open downstairs, but the focus for today was on the gallery, the seating area at one end, and the works on display (and sale) there.

Mona had just seen one of her subs off after a scene, and she walked back into the common room to get herself some more water. She would change later; right now she felt quite simply too good in the leather pants, stiletto boots and red and black corset.

She leaned her hands on the counter when she saw somebody bent down in front of the fridge. "Mind getting me a bottle of water?"

Dotty was sat at a table in Different Strokes, idly thumbing through a sex toys catalogue, and circling items with a purple sparkly pen. She was twirling her hair into curls distractedly with her free hand, occasionally stopping to slurp at her iced coffee through a straw. She was most definitely on a break. She looked up as she became aware of someone looking in her direction. 

"Heya," she said with a little wave and a wide smile.

The original opening of Strokes had been a relatively public affair, open to all. The expansion, opening the store downstairs, was more private. Considering the space available, it had to be - the store was considerably smaller than the cafe upstairs, and there were stricter age restrictions on access. An invitation had gone out to all members of the club, and Beth had also left the details with Danielle in case she was generous enough to invite any of her customers.

The cafe upstairs was still open, of course, and Beth had left Dotty in charge up there after a frenzy of baking to ensure that they'd have enough to feed everyone. Downstairs, Beth held sway.

Counters along the center of the room had glass tops to display various sex toys, and the shelves below held neatly stacked boxes of the same toys displayed above. Should anyone want a closer look - or feel - Beth had prudently kept two of each behind her counter for testing purposes, and a small curtained off area next to the counter for privacy while testing. On top of the counter was a display case holding jewellery and some of the more expensive collars and restraints.

Shelves against one wall held a small selection of books, cards, and novelties along with the more practical supplies - lubes, hygiene, condoms, dams, etc - and a small case on the opposite wall held the library selection, available for people to peruse at their leisure. Tacked on the door was a small poster politely detailing expected behaviour - D/s behavious was, of course, more than acceptable, but no public nudity and no actual sex was to be permitted, or she'd lose her license.

Candles lit the tables upstairs, low electrical lighting set the mood downstairs. Now all she needed was guests, and potential customers.

The weather seemed to be doing its best to make up for the week before, and in response, the doors to the cafe were firmly closed to keep the heat out, and the airconditioning in. At least, until the aircon broke down, at which point doors were propped open, fans distributed around the cafe, and extra ice stockpiled behind the counter.

One member of staff was detailed to stand by with a mop to wipe up any wet floors resulting from people throwing ice at each other.

Another Wednesday, nearly August, and thunderstorms outside. Power held - so far - but the cafe was taking no chances. Which meant that instead of lights on inside, each table was lit by a couple of tealights safely protected in the bottom of water glasses, giving the whole place an unusually intimate atmosphere.

Hot drinks would be on offer as long as the power held out, and the owner and staff appeared to be praying for that between each order.

Saturday night, and the club was open to all members. None of the rooms were reserved, for that one night. Light food and drinks were laid out in the common room, the demo rooms were set up with small stage areas free for anyone's use, and the lounges were set aside, dim lights and blankets available for anyone who needed an escape.

Two of the larger rooms had been opened together to form a dance floor, and the garden was open to make the most of the light remaining as the long summer evening faded to darkness.

Reminder e-mails had gone out earlier in the week and everything was ready. Peter had finally got there after getting stuck in traffic jams outside of Denver and Danielle and he were standing at the entrance of the warehouse, greeting the first guests.

The warehouse was divided into several sections which could be wandered in, each of them devoted to a different sort of BDSM toy, furniture, or even atmosphere. Here cuffs, there swings, here everything leather, and there everything metal. There was even a section of antique furniture at the back of the warehouse. On both sides, more or less private rooms could be used to test anything before buying it.

At the front of the warehouse, a table lined with hors d'oeuvres and different drinks, and a few waiters and waitresses to serve them. They'd gone all out, but the atmosphere was far from formal: warm, friendly, and accepting.

It was time. The cakes were laid out, the coffee machine was on, the tables were set out and clean. A few relatively discreet prints adorned the walls, and a small display cabinet in the corner showcased the sort of goods that would later be on sale downstairs.

Flyers described the plans for the store, the library and the gallery, and as a last minute remembrance that she wasn't in London and the weather would be terribly nice most of the time and some people would, after all, want to smoke, Beth had arranged a couple of tables in the tiny courtyard at the front of the store, with large, bright parasols shading the strength of the sun.

Now she simply had to cross her fingers and pray that people would turn up.

The cafe was already gearing up for Independence Day. Flags, bunting and patriotism were the order of the day. Besides the obligatory apple pie, the sweets on offer seemed to be themed around red, white and blue. Strawberries, cream, ice cream and blueberries featured heavily.

In honor of the heat, iced tea and coffee were available alongside the hot varieties.

Dotty was in a headstand. Her hair pooled around her on the floor, and she was resting up on her elbows, perfectly posed like it was the most natural thing to do in the lounge area.

Well, it was one way of trying to cure hiccups.

Juneteenth was still a couple days away, but the cafe had embraced the notion wholeheartedly. A barbecue was running among the tables out front, the closest thing they had to a garden, and pitchers of non-alcoholic fruit cocktails available at the counter as an alternative to coffee. Bowls of fruit salad sat alongside the sandwiches in the chiller cabinet.

Wednesday again, and another munch night. The cafe was increasingly quiet as layoffs took effect on household finances, and the board behind the counter was scattered with offers.

Quite why anyone would want to buy two coffees and get a third free, or whether it was a good idea for the majority of munch attendees, was anyone's guess.

Checklist done and behind the front desk, Dotty was taking the opportunity to take some time out in the common room . Not exactly blending into the background herself, dressed as she was in electric blue satin trousers and neon pink vest top, she was also none too subtly people-watching from behind her magazine.

"Hi there," she said to the next person to catch her eye, offering them a small wave and a grin.