Safe and Sane

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.

Boulder seemed to have decided to skip fall, and go straight for winter. Snow had been falling since the previous night, and most of the day. Not serious snow, but 8 inches or so was enough to cause problems on the roads. Mostly because it was the first snow of the year, and that, combined with maximum temperatures below freezing, was enough to keep a lot of people indoors.

It all meant that the cafe was quieter than usual that Wednesday night. Hallowe'en banners were draped over the counter, and a small squash had been carved and placed on each table, candles flickering inside them, adding their tiny warmth to the heating that fought against the snow.

Okay, so it took some time to work out and find a copy, but I'm pretty sure this would be your kind of book.

Jake.

( Enclosed )

Jake showed up promptly on Saturday morning, having given Sam enough time to have said goodbye to Jo, and not being in too much danger of getting mixed up with the ex-husband. There was a small bag slung over his shoulder, and a bag of groceries in his arms - the promised lunch - and he juggled both to have one hand free to ring the doorbell.

Jo's with her dad this weekend. Want to come over?

The two of them jogged to the club, though after a pit stop at the groomer, Daisy was certainly much fresher than Gale, who needed a shower like oxygen and was looking forward to it with a great deal of anticipation.

It was good to be in the club again, as well, he thought as the door opened on the familiar lounge, comfortable, dark and cool, and Daisy was quickly settled by one of the couches with a look, The Look, with which Oscar and some of the members were more than familiar. Daisy woofed softly low in her throat, but subsided, exhausted from a much needed run, and laid her huge head down on huge crossed paws tipped in pink nail polish that never failed to cause Gale to grit his teeth.

"Stay, I mean it, and no jumping, licking or crotch nuzzling," he admonished sternly, eying the dog over his shoulder as he approached the bar to grab a bottle of water from the fridge, realizing only then that he had company. Breaking into a wide grin, he winked and slid the cold bottle down his bare chest to where shorts rode low in his hips, leaving a trail of condensation glistening on exercise heated, flushed skin. Leaning over the bar, he winked and added for the benefit of human ears, "That's my job."

Jake had arranged to meet Sam at the club. No details agreed, but he trusted her by now. A lot more than he'd usually trust someone so fast, but he couldn't and wouldn't pretend he didn't trust her. And like her. A lot.

He checked for a free room, left the number at the desk, got himself a bottle of water and went through, stripping off his t-shirt and getting rid of sneakers and socks so he could wait for her, on his knees, in only his jeans. Top button open.

Resting his hands on his thighs, he closed his eyes, let his head dip forwards, and focused in on his breathing, slowly relaxing. Nothing but waiting, ready whenever she arrived.

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.

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.

From: jacobalecclark @ yahoo . com
To: "Sam Harvelle (PC)"
Subject: Invitation

Hey there,

Hope you're continuing to settle in okay, both of you. Is Jo enjoying the books?

I was kind of wondering if you'd like to come out for dinner with me sometime soon, or I could show you and Jo the places we talked about out near Golden Canyon?

Jake.

Another Wednesday, and for once, the cafe was relatively quiet. The manager was taking advantage of this to train up some rather wide-eyed looking new staff, who weren't entirely certain how the coffee machine worked, or the till, or where anything quite was.

Sam was late. She didn't mean to be but she was late.

She pushed the door open, slightly flushed, looking around to locate Jake immediately and striding over to his side. "Oh lord, I'm so sorry I'm late," she said, smiling at him sheepishly. "Jo wouldn't let go. She wanted to know why she couldn't come and see you too." She let out a soft laugh. "You've got yourself a fan, and it was really very awkward."

The cafe was full, which was what he got for going in there straight after work, when everyone else did, Jake supposed. Still, he didn't have time to get home, which was why he was heading for a table with someone he kind of recognized even if he wasn't sure why, except the guy wasn't someone he'd seen in the library much. Tray balanced awkwardly, he stopped across the table, not behind the guy, in clear view, and tried for a grin. "Hey, look, um, I'm really sorry to ask this, but do you mind if I sit here? Only it's kinda busy and I won't be long and I won't disturb you again, promise."

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.

Looked like there were a lot of new faces around lately. Jake looked up with a wide grin at the woman standing in the common room, and unfolded himself from the sofa. "Hey, were you looking for someone?"

After he and Oscar had left the hospital, Oscar had asked, asked out loud, if he could go over to spend the night at Max's house, and the smile that Gale had worn since hadn't faded. Oscar dropped off, he'd called Eva to let her know that their house would be kid free in case she wanted to take a much needed break (from both of them) and had headed for the club.

Grabbing a beer at the bar, he collapsed into an easy sprawl in the corner of one of the large couches and simply enjoyed doing absolutely nothing.

Jake didn't work evenings on Mondays. It balanced out, late mornings Tuesdays meant he was in til close, but man, it was good to get out in time to see daylight on a Monday. Not just see it, either, but feel it, which explained why he wasn't in the common room at the club.

Instead, he'd grabbed a soda, stripped off his shirt, and was using it as a pillow, arms folded behind his head as he stretched out on the grass in the enclosed club garden, only glancing up when someone's shadow fell over his face. "Oh, hey, am I in your way?"

Memorial Day weekend meant that most people had three days off and intended to spend it either in sloth or trying to cross off as many things as they could from their "to do" list. The club was prepared for both cases.

They'd cleaned and restocked all the rooms, put up some new decorations and made sure everything was bright and shiny.

They'd also stocked up on burgers, dogs, and other picnic essentials and put grills and tables in the back parking lot. There was a threat of rain but if that happened, everything could be hauled indoors to one of the fire-safe play rooms. (Of course, that hadn't stopped some wit from putting an "in case of fire" sign on the inflatable kiddie pool.)

The main lounge had tables stocked with drinks and finger foods for those who didn't do meat or simply weren't the picnic type. Friday afternoon rolled around and everything was set.