“I guess you will.” Kai’s tone was soft. “I’ll walk you out.”
— TWENTY —
Kai rolled up to Dom District at a quarter to nine. By the look of the packed parking garage, situated directly across from the establishment, the place was already nearing max capacity. Not a surprise. It was Friday night, after all.
Pulling into a spot designated for District staff, he cut off his ride’s rumbling engine. Time to go do a repeat of this afternoon. Well, not exactly a repeat. Binding Remi up tonight would be nothing like tying up Breck. Two completely different situational energies. Two completely different vibes. Because where Breck had caused Kai’s heart rate to stay elevated the entire time, Remi wouldn’t affect his pulse even one percent. He knew this. Wasn’t just speculating. He’d worked with Remi several times in the past. As beautiful as he was, he just didn’t do it for him. Few did, as of late, with the exception of Breck.
Shaking his head, he grabbed his black duffle bag, climbed from his car and locked things up. He didn’t need to be thinking about Breck again so soon. It’d only been a couple of hours since he’d seen him last.
Heading for the garage’s pedestrian exit, he absently regarded those milling about. A constant flow of leather-clad men ambling in and out.
He reached the opening and waited for a break in traffic, then crossed the city street with a few other walkers. Antique black light posts lined the way in every direction, setting aglow the otherwise black night in soft yellow hues.
Peering up, he took in his destination, the District’s entry just a few yards away. Faced entirely in reddish-black brick, the gargantuan revamped warehouse towered well over fifty feet high, so mammoth in size that it took up an entire city block. And man, did it look imposing. Portentous. Promising big happenings inside. Medieval light fixtures, high-reaching fire escapes, large elevated windows secured with bars. Not to mention that big iron gate shielding the entrance’s double doors.
Scaling the broad concrete steps, his brain shifted gears as he neared the door. To be within this place’s environment required an entirely different mindset. The energy inside was always intense. Thick. Potent. Powerful. Able to penetrate a guy right down to his bones. Which Kai didn’t necessarily want. He was very particular about what he absorbed. After all, what mixed with his energy, affected his energy. Hence, the need to recalibrate his barriers. A measure, incidentally, that he exercised every time he came to this place, its purpose kind of like that of those bouncers manning the door. To pick and choose very carefully what he let inside.
He smiled as they parted the wrought iron gate. “Evening, gentlemen.”
They smiled in return, then shoved open the big, steel, double doors. “Evening, Kai. Tying someone up again tonight?”
“You volunteering?”
The two men stilled.
Kai laughed. “I’m kidding. And, yes, I’ll be tying up Remi.”
Their gazes flickered with interest. No surprise. Remi had endeared many a leather daddy in this establishment—which both of these bouncers just so happened to be. He just had that way about him that older guys found irresistible. His big, brown, puppy-dog eyes certainly didn’t hurt his cause.
Walking past the bouncers, he entered the building and peered around. Sure enough, the place was hopping, industrial jazz background music pumping steadily through the massive building’s sound system. As he headed for the escalator, it occurred to him, not for the first time, how Dom District’s structural design emulated that of an indoor mall. Two stories, but with an open center, where those on the second floor could peer down to the first and spectate exhibits. The District held a lot of exhibitions; two every month. Each a couple of weeks long, all interactive.
Last month was a puppy training event—which of course, didn’t involve actual dogs—as well as a vendor-sponsored expo demonstrating tons of new BDSM products.
Kai stepped onto the escalator and headed upward, regarding the current exposition well underway. Almost immediately he recognized the event by the huge portable structures. Soundproof and constructed entirely of two-way mirrors, the tinted glass allowed for passersby to see inside, while at the same time providing those within the illusion of privacy.
He smiled. This exhibition was one of his favorites for no other reason than its uniquely creative concept. Fantasy Isle. Or as most coined it, The Grandiose Gutter. Where men went to play out their most erotic desires, each structure’s interior designed like a studio set. Meaning, they can mimic virtually any environment, so long as it fit within the dimensions of the soundproof enclosures. From bedrooms to jungle settings, underground lairs to prison cells.
Every fall, patrons could submit requests via Dom District’s website regarding what scenarios they’d like featured at the next event. Scenarios would be selected and, when the time came, professional actors would arrive on set, ready to bring said scenarios to erotic life. Patrons choose which character they want to play, and the actors assume the opposite role.