Page 3 of Daddy's Rule

The Tower had closed down last winter, leaving the majority of Philly's lifestyle scene without a safe place to go and explore their favorite private proclivities.

So not only was a BDSM club representative of all of us and our friendship, it was also a genius business decision.

As I beamed out at my friends, they slowly nodded their agreement. Lennon raised his glass, and we all followed suit.

"To The Penthouse!" we cried in unison, clinking our glasses together.

Chapter One

The Penthouse Office

May 2022

Bas

I shook my head, the memory of the day ten years ago when my friends and I had won the ninety-million-dollar jackpot fading. We’d all been so young then, so immature and inexperienced. To suddenly become multi-millionaires had rocked our entire lives, but we had managed responsibly, invested well, and became business owners straight out of college.

It had been a thrill for a while, making tons of money renting out office spaces, living together in the same apartment building, all while setting up our dream business—a place where, for us, work was play. The club was hopping. World-renowned, a popular local hangout. We had regulars as well as a steady stream of newcomers, we held special events and regular theme nights. I had made friends and contacts from all corners of the world and all walks of life, but lately it didn't feel like enough.

I sighed, leaned back in my leather office chair, and flipped a pencil between my fingers.

Theo, my best friend and business partner, looked up from the quarterly reports long enough to side-eye me. "You okay, man?"

"Do you ever feel like life has gone stale? Like the daily grind and ins and outs just aren't doing it for you? Like, don't get me wrong, I love what we've built. I love that I get to live and work with my best friends. It's like a college kid's dream. But—"

"—but we've been out of college for a long time." Theo swiveled his chair to face me, planting his feet firmly on the ground and his elbows on his knees as he scrutinized my face. "Do you have a solution in mind or are you just thinking out loud? It’s not really like you to say something like that without already having a plan to fix it. So do you?"

Sometimes I forgot how well Theo knew me, how well we knew each other. I shook my head and grinned. "Of course I have a plan, but… you’re gonna think it's crazy. And I don't know, maybe it is."

"Try me." He frowned and rolled his chair forward, now fully engaged, spreadsheets abandoned. "In my experience, your ideas are never as crazy as you think."

I nodded. So far, most of my ideas had worked out well for us. But they were usually more thought-out and strategic. They usually came from a financial standpoint, not a passionate one. I had reservations, but Theo was peering at me intently, waiting for me to fill him in, and I had brought it up. It was now or never.

"Well," I began, "we take a very active role in the club, but we don't really have to. We’ve gotten it to a point where we have good staff, and the place runs itself. Sure, we do all the financial and background stuff, but we don’t have to be on the floor."

Theo raised his eyebrows. "I work the club as an outlet to work off the stress of doing the behind-the-scenes stuff."

"I know, man. Me too, for sure. It’s a definite perk, but lately, I don't know, it’s not fulfilling me to take out my stress on random and willing submissives working out their own shit. I want to… help someone."

"You want to set up a charity? Got a cause in mind?" Theo looked thoroughly confused.

"No, not a charity, I mean we can do that too, but… I'm explaining this all wrong."

"So quit beating around the bush. Quit acting like you’re worried I'm going to judge you, for fuck’s sake, and just pitch it to me like you would any business proposal."

"Right. Okay." I took a deep breath and stood, pacing around the room with my hands on my head.

"Currently we have a lot of regulars, both submissive and dominant, who are interested in something more permanent, or something to get them through a difficult time, to help them tackle an issue they’re struggling with in life. And so they come here, they may open up about the issue to whatever dominant they’re playing with that night, and then they come back, play with someone new, and go through that all over again. There's no real accountability for the submissives because it’s only a night of play, not a longer-term dynamic. They have their night of role-play, then go home. Sometimes the subs need that sense of someone looking out for them, holding them accountable for their actions, because it’s such a huge part of the dynamic. And I think that's what a lot of people are looking for: more connection, more accountability. More of a sense that their actions have consequences. I think it could fill a need that’s largely unmet the way things are currently set up."

"Like dating. Like a full-time dynamic? Dude. That's why we have singles nights."

"No, that's not what I mean. We have submissives who aren’t looking for real relationships. Maybe they’re married to someone outside the lifestyle, or they just aren't looking for something sexual for whatever reason."

"Okay, got it. The problem has been identified. What's the solution? Where do we come in?"

"I want to provide a service, a separate business under the Penthouse umbrella, that pairs submissives and dominants for long-term disciplinarian relationships."

"Now we're matchmakers?" Theo shook his head. "Bas, I love you man, but I don’t think you've thought this through."

---