Risqué Business (Club Risqué #8)

Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

“ Y ou really think it’s something that can be pulled off?” Charlotte asked Trinity. Today they were ‘ladies who lunch.’ It was a rare occurrence now each of them had at least one child.

And in her case, three. Jake hadn’t been kidding in those long-ago conversations when he said he was ready to settle down. He wanted to fill their home with children, and being an only child, with the abnormal upbringing she’d had, Charlotte was totally up for that, but boy, did she crave some ‘adult’ time occasionally even if it was just a conversation. Preferably one that didn’t revolve around Lego, Disney movies, or weaning… which wasn’t always possible, given her friend group all had young children, too.

“There’s no legal reason why not,” Grace told them. “Especially with this new proposal of Trinity’s.”

“Explain it to us, Trinity,” Laurel asked. “All I get from Connor is grunts. Honestly, you’d think he’d be used to a lack of sleep. He never had a problem burning the midnight oil before, but one small baby and you’d think he was never used to getting less than eight hours a night.”

A smattering of laughter echoed around Desi’s dining table, where the seven of them were sitting, watching as their various offspring played together in one corner of the massive room. Desi had a dedicated playroom, but all of them preferred to have the children in sight.

“Well, I wasn’t able to find a suitable building close to the club, but there’s a piece of scrub land for sale bordering the woods at the back of the club. The guys were already planning to buy it, so we don’t end up losing our privacy with close neighbours. They were contemplating using it for extra parking, which we don’t really need, so I’ve suggested they consider getting planning consent for a purpose built creche. Plus, it would be much easier to build it from scratch rather than trying to adapt something else.”

“Wow, that would be so convenient, too,” Luanna marvelled, helping herself to another cup of coffee. “Literally on the other side of the car park.”

Desi nodded as she finished feeding baby Kieran, the youngest of all the children, at only eight weeks, then passed him to Charlotte while she uncovered several plates of dessert. For a moment everyone was distracted while they considered the options of lemon tart or chocolate torte. Hell, who were they kidding? They were all going to have both.

“Joel thinks it’s a good idea,” she revealed as she served up the delicious treats and reminded them all there was jelly and ice cream available for the kids… well, those old enough to eat it, anyway. “He also thinks it could actually be profitable rather than just being a tax incentive.”

“Of course it will,” Grace said, waving her spoon in the air. “You can’t tell me none of you wouldn’t use this facility.”

A chorus of agreement echoed around the table as each of them nodded, eyes sparkling with the thought of this revolutionary idea. "Oh, absolutely," Trinity said. "Especially if it's as well-regulated and safe as the clubs. And we all know it will be.”

"I'd love it," Charlotte chimed in eagerly. "I've been dying to get back to my ah… workouts.” She glanced at her son, the oldest of all the children, playing with his cousin, Daisy, Joel and Desi’s daughter, who was just eight months his junior, knowing she had to be careful what she said since he was at that age where he repeated everything. “But it’s impossible with three little ones, even now we have a nanny. Especially since I don’t really want Rachel to see the state of me when I get home from a good… session, because I’m such a mess. This would be heaven."

"Me too," Laurel laughed. "It would be more than worth it just for the opportunity to…” She picked up on Charlotte’s visual cues. “…sleep in once a week!"

"Yep. Nap times are holy now," Grace quipped, her eyes dancing with mirth at the coded conversation, while her four-month-old twins, Isabella and Rafael, burbled and kicked in a double bouncy chair by her side.

"And not just us," Trinity agreed, her dark eyes bright with enthusiasm. "Think about all the other couples at the club who have children.”

Charlotte could see the spark of excitement mirrored in the faces of her friends. What had started out as a day to grab lunch and have some 'adult time' was quickly morphing into something far more significant.

"And imagine," Luanna added with a wry smile, "the kids would have their own club, just like their daddies."

This comment lightened the mood and brought another round of laughter from the group as they continued to discuss ideas for their venture – what facilities they could offer, how it would benefit both their lives and those of others in the lifestyle.

“So, how long do you think it will take?” Melody asked. She was generally the quietest of them all and the one who had the most difficulty adapting, but since she’d given birth to her daughter, Willow, just six months ago, it had brought about a very positive change in her outlook. She was determined to be more outgoing for the sake of her child. It was wonderful to see after everything she’d been through.

“Well, Joel is happy to throw as much money at it as it takes, so I doubt it will be long,” Desi revealed as she stood to grab a large wooden car that Daisy was about to whack her cousin over the head with. “If there’s one thing I’ve come to realise, it’s that if you have enough money, things get done fast.”

There was a rumble of agreement as they all finished up their lunch and started collecting their children. But the excitement was palpable.

“When it’s done, we should have a special opening night. Just for us,” Charlotte suggested as she rounded up her three terrors.

It was a hugely popular idea.