Take Me Down The Rabbit Hole (BDSM | 18+)

I

Aspen smiled at Alan as his Highschool- best friend entered his office. "Good to see you," he said as he got up to shake Alan's hand.
"Likewise," Alan returned. "Thank you for meeting me."
"Oh, it's nothing, really," Aspen tried to shake him off. "What can I do for you?"
"Well." Alan took a seat. "As you've probably heard," he continued, humor lacing his words, "I am planning on opening a new nightclub soon, and I need someone for the legal work."
"I have heard," Aspen said, "but you seem to be very secretive about it. What kind of club is it? And don't try to pretend that it's a normal one, I know you better than that."
Alan chuckled. "You got me. It's a scene club. For adults."
Aspen gave a sigh as he put his elbow down on the table and rested his head in the palm of his hand. "Do I have to pull everything out of your nose? All clubs are for adults, Alan."
He tore his eyes from the papers scattered across his desk.
"Right, well, it's-" Alan broke off again. "Don't judge me," he then added, as if he had just noticed something wildly wrong about what he was going to say.
"Judgement free zone here," Aspen reminded him. "Spill the beans."
"it's going to be a BDSM scene club." Alan leaned back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair. "There, I said it."
"You want me to do the legal work for a dungeon?"
Aspen couldn't lie - he was one of the thousands of people who had seen Fifty Shades of Grey and had, as much as he thought it was embarrassing, read all of the articles about the rather controversial lifestyle that had followed the movie.
However, he did not think that he would ever be confronted with it this way.
"I never called it that."
"You called it a scene nightclub for adults. It's a dungeon."
Again, Alan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Fine. It's a dungeon. But I don't want to get caught up in anything illegal or anything about abuse. I need you."
"I know as much about that lifestyle as your grandma does, Alan. Besides, how did you even get the idea?"
"That's a lie, I know you're as invested in the mystery of Fifty Shades of Grey is as everyone else - I couldn't blame you for that - and also, I have been part of the community since College."
Aspen choked on thin air. "You what?" He took a deep breath to compose himself - and then it dawned on him. "Leopold."
Alan blushed.
"You fucker," Aspen exclaimed. "I can't believe this! Four years?!"
The blush on Alan's face only intensified, but he cleared his throat. "I just want to make sure that there is a safe space for people in the community here in New York, and something high-end too-"
"Hold up," Aspen interrupted him. "So you're trying to tell me- Spencer-"
"Spencer is my submissive, yes."
Aspen slumped in his chair. He could practically hear the gears rattling in his brain as they tried to process the information Alan had laid out before him.
"I want to make the dungeon part of the club accessible to VIP only - having a club like that comes with so many expenses, especially if I have to think about how much equipment I need to be able to supply to those who come from amateur BDSM in their bedroom into what I hope will be quite the professional environment."
They just sat there in silence for a while, before Alan continued. "A lot of people think that BDSM is abuse, and I just want to avoid accidentally being wrapped up in a lawsuit that could harm a respectable business. I don't do shady."
"And Leopold? Did he?"
"Leopold and I only did so much, but no, he didn't, and probably isn't, doing anything shady."
"You sound a little crazy, you know that? You come into my office and tell me you want to open a really controversial business and you're asking me out of all people, to do your legal work?"
"You need a break from A-List divorces, believe me."
"Divorces and scene clubs are two different ends of the spectrum," Aspen tried to reason with his friend. "Look, I don't think you shouldn't do it, but I am really wondering what makes you think that I, a very vanilla baby-bisexual would want to partake in that."
Alan snorted. "You see, that's exactly why. I don't think you're being entirely truthful to yourself, Aspen. Vanilla people don't call themselves vanilla, and your sexuality has nothing to do with that either. I think you're curious, and while you would never judge me for it, you're judging yourself."
Aspen sucked in a breath. "I meant what I said. I don't know enough to keep you away from lawsuits."
"Not yet."
"Alan."
"I'm just saying," Alan said softly, and he leaned forward in his chair, reached over the table, and grabbed Aspen's hand, "that I think you are more than qualified to keep me away from a lawsuit - or multiple. You're my friend, and I wouldn't be here if I didn't think that you'd be perfectly capable of things like this. And besides, you don't put your cards on the table now, so why would you do it if you decided to humor me? I don't have an interest in ruining your reputation."
Aspen looked down at his hand in Alan's and then his eyes met Alan's.
And yet, he wasn't sure.
"I don't know."
"I could teach you," Alan said, a grin forming on his face. "And you know I'll pay well."
Aspen laughed. "Are you trying to bribe me?"
A small grin broke out on Alan's face. "Just trying to coax you towards your greater good."
Then, he got up and smoothed down his jacket. "Think about it, you have my number. Thank you for your time, Dr. Arkwright."
And then, before Aspen could say anything in return, his best friend was out the door.