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They were still playing when Sara heard the doorbell. Then, almost immediately, she heard the door open and Charity´s voice called from the living room. “Sam? Sara? Can I come in?’
Sara looked wildly at Sam, who was smiling broadly up at her. Finally, she called back, “I guess so,’ and rolled off Sam´s body to lie beside him as Charity put her head around the door frame and smiled.
“What the hell is this?’ Sara asked, furious at the invasion of her privacy.
Charity´s expression changed to one of genuine chagrin. “Well, your plane leaves at four and it´s eleven now, and we need to talk. So I made an executive decision and invaded your privacy. If I make breakfast will you forgive me? And anyway, Sam´s the only member of the executive committee I hadn´t found, so everyone will be here when you´re ready to talk.’
“Executive committee, it is?’ Sara glared at Sam, who shrugged his shoulders. Then her good humor returned and she continued, “Well, it is late, but I wouldn´t have missed that last one for anything. And breakfast sounds like a wonderful idea. Come on, Sam, last one in the shower is a ... Hell, I don´t know,’ she finished, swinging her long legs off the bed and heading for the bathroom with Sam in close pursuit.
When they returned to the kitchen, washed, dry and still naked, Charity was ready with mugs of coffee and plates of eggs, bacon and home fries. “Sara, I really apologize for breaking in on you. I promise never to do it again. But, we really want to know what you think and what your decision is. Can I get the others?’
Sara hugged Charity to show she had been forgiven. “Just give me time to stoke the furnace, Charity. I realize we´d said we were going to talk business this morning, and I guess my mind was on other things.
“I´m going to hold you to that promise, though. I really don´t appreciate having anyone being able to invade my personal space. If it had been anyone else, I would have been out of here, then and there... Damn it, that´s one place I draw the line, that´s all.’
Sam intervened, “Charity´s been trying to find someone to take her job over for quite a while, and when she found you, Sara, she was happy as a little kid. I feel pretty much the way you do about privacy, and I know that Charity does, too. I think her impatience got the better of her judgment this time.’
“Thanks, a lot, Sam. But you´re right, of course,’ Charity said. “Will you take the job, Sara? Please? I've simply got to know.’
“I´ll be honest with you, Charity,’ Sara said through a mouthful of delicious potatoes. She stopped and swallowed. “No, let me put it differently. I like this place. I like the people, most of them, anyway. I know as sure as I´m sitting here that I can do a lot for you. But, I have some problems, and I have some requirements. You´d better get the rest of your gang together.’
The executive committee apparently consisted of the Hoyles, Sam Wolff and a woman Sara hadn´t seen before, Ida Fink. Ida was dark and beautiful, with a full figure rather on the riper side of Sara and Charity´s. Like Sam, Ida was probably in her fifties. They met in the sunny living room with coffee and soft drinks. Harry Hoyle took the lead.
“Sara, as you know, Charity has our authority to offer you the job of general manager of the club, and I am pleased that she has offered it to you. Sam has had a chance to get to know you, I understand (Sara chuckled and Sam just laughed out loud), but you don´t know Ida at all. We´ve been running the place for the last ten years or so, and if you take the job, we´ll continue to do so with you as our operating person. That is, you´ll have full operating and fiscal authority, reporting to us regularly, just as though we were a board of directors, which actually, we are.’
“Do I have a vote on this board?’ Sara asked.
“We haven´t talked about it, but I personally have no objection. We can come back to that. I gather from Charity that you´ve made a decision, but that you want to discuss some points. Why don´t you just go ahead?’
Ida Fink interrupted. “Sara, we haven´t met. I know that you and Sam and the Hoyles are close friends already.’ She smiled at Sara, indicating that she had no concern about the fact that Sara had made love with all of them. She sat in an armchair, her full-fleshed body spread comfortably in the softness, one knee pulled up. “I just want you to know that I´ve talked with all of them and I´m prepared to accept their evaluation of you, which is that, in addition to being a lovely woman and – they say – a great lay, you´re a very competent hospitality manager, which is what we need. I want to hear what you´ve got in mind, too, and I´d like to suggest that we not interrupt you until you´ve made your whole presentation.’
The others nodded and murmured agreement.
“Thank you. My concerns lie in several areas.’ Sara ticked them off on her fingers. “There is one serious legal problem we need to discuss. You have another major problem, both legal and community-relations oriented. In a less critical area, the facilities are seriously under-utilized and you can improve your cash flow substantially with minimum changes. If we can resolve these issues, I´m willing to discuss a limited working relationship with you.
“The legal issue will not come as a surprise. You are all aware that here in the club, adults very probably have intercourse with minors and that incest, despite your regulations against it, may also occur. Harry once assured me that everything here is legal, but it appears to me that was stretching it. You could have a real problem of what the law calls felony child abuse and, maybe, incest, which are two of the most emotionally loaded issues in the country today.
“As a result of this one issue, as far as I know, you all probably face closure of the club and prison terms if you are found out. After this weekend, so do I. This is a matter that deeply concerns me, because if I take the job of running the club, I will be an accessory to all this and just as liable as you are. I don´t intend to spend my next few years in jail.
“Now, don´t misunderstand me. I see this as a purely legal matter. Incest is not a genetic risk in a society with readily available birth control. It´s a risk only if children result from it, and not a great one, at that. That leaves the moral and legal issues, and that´s what´s important.
“Nevertheless, I am not interested in going to jail any more than you are, so I will want to know how you are going to improve your handling of this problem.
“This brings me to my second issue, and it is tied in with it. I haven´t the slightest doubt that many people in the community outside these walls know pretty much what is going on here. And by that I mean that every school kid in town, and probably a lot of the adults, know that what we have here is a fuck-palace, to put it crudely. And they also know that they and their children aren´t invited. The kids who do belong to the club are fucking these people´s sons and daughters; so far that hasn´t resulted in a problem, but I´m afraid it will.’
Sara got up from the sofa, and paced back and forth in front of the fireplace.
“The security system we have here is incredible. But don´t kid yourself that it´s secure. Anyone can use it any way they want. I got a good reminder of that this morning. On the other hand, it offers many advantages for controlling access, for tracking activities, and for collecting billing information for membership fees and charges.
“But you guys see it as something that keeps the world out, and that´s horse shit. The community already knows what´s going on here and the locks and computer codes can´t change that. When the cops come to the door, the computer won´t keep them out. Locks are for honest people, and if you fool yourself that this system is any kind of protection, you´ve got another think coming.
“Now, what does the community know about the club, and how does it know it? And, what can you do about it? That´s the second issue, and how you solve it will be another of the things on which I will base my decision whether or not to work here.
“As I see, it, the community knows about us because kids talk to one another. I don´t think the outsiders know details, but the people in this community know that the boys and girls who belong here are having sex with their sons and daughters or brothers and sisters and friends. And they probably assume that the rest of the members are not up here playing solitaire.
“As an extension of that, local adults – perhaps some of them even work here and can see the layout even if they don´t experience what goes on – some local adults know, they don´t just assume, that the adults who come here regularly and in substantial numbers must be doing the same thing they know the kids are doing. Otherwise there would be no need for so much secrecy.
“We can´t kid ourselves that they think this is a secret society or some sort of a religious group. People are smart. First of all, religions are always looking for converts, and secret societies always try not to look secret. So when a lot of sex-oriented kids and their parents hide behind locked doors and high walls, they´re not praying or plotting, they´re fucking.
“I´m sure there are adult members who live here in town who are screwing non-members, and that just makes the matter more urgent. I´ll even bet that some of our kids have been sexually involved with non-member adults in town for a good long time, and you can bet that the men and women they´ve been screwing know they aren´t amateurs. Well, where else did they get their training if they didn´t get it here? All you have to do is ask one of the kids. They´ll tell you that everything I´ve said is true. The question is, what do we do about it?
“My third issue is under-utilization of the facilities and inadequate revenue control. I haven´t discussed this with any of you, and some of my ideas, or my assumptions and guesses may be wrong, but I think you will understand my point of view. I am more than willing to be convinced by the truth I don´t know yet or to be swayed by a reality I haven´t considered, but I have some proposals.
“It´s dumb for us to be closed mornings. We have the finest facilities available in miles for sports and physical fitness, as well as plenty of unused space for some kind of community activities. In addition, we have an incomparable, so-called security system for access control and activity tracking. I think we should make our facility available to the community for a wide range of activities during weekday mornings or other times the club may decide on. Our pool alone would be a wonderful advantage for the school sports program. After all, when the noon whistle blows, you can just take off your clothes and go on with normal club activities. And, it might give us some leverage with the opinion makers in town when the delicate issue of what else goes on here comes up.’
“We have a good kitchen downstairs and no food. We have a wine cellar and there isn´t a drop of booze in the place. I suspect that´s because you don´t want to apply for the permits and licenses that using these facilities implies. But I can think of a dozen ways we could turn the dining room into a profit center without having staff there or needing Health Department permits. And our famous security system could be extended to the wine cellar to provide bottle lockers for members. Just make sure everyone knows that any bottles found un-locked-up in the morning will be destroyed, no matter what´s in ‘em.
“That´s my list of issues, and an idea of my basic position on each of them. If you can satisfy my concerns, I´m prepared to take the job with a couple of provisions, and here they are.
“First, I will agree to be general manager for, let´s say six months, or until I can put an agreed-on program of changes into action. The reason for this is that I´m a professional hospitality person, and I don´t feel that the club is a long-term career opportunity for me. I will work with you to recruit my successor and to put the club on a more secure and profitable basis, but I´m going to have to look at a long-term solution for my career outside the club.
“I like the club, and whatever happens today, I would like to be considered for membership. That was my other provision, by the way.
“It´s just that I´m a more ambitious lady than you guys can satisfy – I mean that professionally, of course. I don´t think I´ve ever been more physically and emotionally satisfied than I have this weekend. But I need to have professional experience and recognition in the real world that running this place won´t give me.
“That´s what I have to say. Now, let´s talk it over… No, wait. There is one other thing that really bothers me. This place doesn´t seem to have a name. It needs one. What do you have in the telephone book, for heaven´s sake?’
Sara sat down on the raised fireplace hearth. The cool stone felt good on her bare buttocks.
Harry spoke up in response. “You´ve put your finger on the precise things that are bothering us, Sara, which simply confirms my belief that you are the person for the job. Since I am the legal counsel for the club, let me respond to the legal things you raised. Oh, and by the way, the phone book simply lists ‘The Club´. We are incorporated as Hoyle and Wolff Enterprises.
“Our biggest benefit is that we are located in Southern California, and the law here is unusually tolerant of organizations like ours. I can name several similar clubs in this part of the state. I´ve talked with the authorities and with the counsel of other clubs, and none of us here at the club is doing anything that does not go on at the other clubs, also. I´m referring to sex between adults and minors and to the presumption of incest.
“The position of the authorities is, that without a complaint, they can´t do anything. And in a closely held club like ours, everyone is a member and a complaint from a member generally would fail because they are members and thereby consent to what goes on here. A complaint from an outsider would have to have some proof or reasonable suspicion of wrong-doing to back it up. In addition, we make it clear to the membership that, as a club, we forbid incest and any form of coercion. That´s just an attempt to avoid blame for the organization and its officers in case something happens, and it probably wouldn´t carry much weight in court and none at all in public opinion. That´s why we have to keep outsiders from getting proof of what we do here, which is our justification for the emphasis on security.’
Sara spoke up. “What if some self-righteous joker just gets up and makes some lurid charges? Do you really think you can do anything about that?’
“No,’ Harry replied, “I don´t. It´s our biggest worry. The only thing that helps very much is that this is a relatively small town and we are, surprisingly, a major economic force. We are the only large employer, and we do all our purchasing here in town. The added cost of supplies is offset, we think, by the fact that the people here are somewhat dependant on us and might think twice before starting a campaign against us.’
“How many people who live here in town are members?’ Sara asked.
“There are about 20 families,’ Charity answered. “Some of our members moved here when they joined, to be close to the facility.’
“I think you should have a special category of membership,’ Sara suggested, “aimed at bringing more of the community into the club. Associate Members, perhaps. The more of the community that are members, the better, and the more of the community that has an interest in the continuing operation of the club, the better.’
“How would we recruit them?’ Sam asked.
“The same way you recruited members in the early days,’ Sara responded. “Charity told me that the original members ‘interviewed´ prospective members in such a way they didn´t know they were being checked out.’ Sara turned to Charity, “I assume those guys you got to screw became members, right?’
Charity smiled, and answered, “Well most of them did. That´s how we got Sam, anyway. I suppose we could do that again, but who´s the target group? Who are we trying to recruit?’
“Anyone who lives in town,’ Sara said. “The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker. Do you have a problem with that?’
Ida joined the discussion. “I don´t, but perhaps some of the other members might. The town does have a substantial proportion of Hispanics, and there are several Asian families. I don´t know what the effect of bringing them in might be. Assuming they are interested. And I presume that you´re suggesting they should not have to invest in the rather large bond the rest of us do. The fact they have money in the club tends, I think, to keep members from talking about us in a way that would jeopardize their investment. But I´m also concerned that if we bring in a lot of new people who don´t have a financial interest, we might bring in a spy that way.’
“That´s right, Ida,’ Sam responded. “But maybe there´s some way we can insure members´ loyalty other than money. Money isn´t really why they´re loyal. They´re loyal because they like to come here and fuck their heads off. And, anyway, if one of the regular members wanted to blow the whistle, you know he or she could do it just as easily as someone who doesn´t have money in the club.’
Sara spoke up again. “As far as ethnicity is concerned, that´s an issue you´ll have to solve within your own group. I have no problem with Hispanics, Asians or Blacks in the group. It might seem a little weird to you to have the same people who do the maintenance screwing your kids or yourselves. But I think each of you still has a choice who you screw and who you don´t. I met some people last night I didn´t want to play with, and I´m sure each of you has people in the membership you don´t particularly care for. What´s the difference? Only a feeling of superiority or exclusiveness.’
Ida responded, “Well, of course, one of the basic reasons for joining any club is the feeling that you´ve got something no one else has, that you´re special. But I think that if we present this to the membership properly we might be able to sell it. And, as Sara says, the more we involve our neighbors in our crimes, the less likely they are to turn us in.’
“I didn´t say that,’ Sara protested, grinning broadly.
“But that´s what you meant, wasn´t it?’ Ida countered with her own smile. Sara thought briefly, and nodded.
They talked and debated for a time, finally agreeing that the club should be open mornings during the week for community use. The membership committee would put together recruiting teams from local members to begin recruiting anyone, but especially ‘opinion leaders´ in all ethnic groups who might want to join. The changes to the dining room and cellar would wait until Sara could take charge of them personally. And surprisingly, it was agreed to propose building an addition to the club – across the road and outside the walls – that would be developed for some kind of community-oriented facility.