"The banquet hall. Theo told me you'd ask about the banquet hall."
Phil was standing there in the foyer of the lake house, just in his skimpy Speedo, when Ron drove up late the following Friday afternoon, after a week of agonizing and self-flagellation—and, because of the temptation, hours on the Internet watching the video that had been shot of his session with Theo in the dungeon.
"The banquet hall. What banquet hall? And where are the women and children?" Ron knew exactly what Phil was talking about; he was just playing for time—fighting the temptation still.
"The Temptation Castle Web site," Phil said. "The last gallery on Theo's page. The one requiring a subscription. And the women and children are camping. They'll be gone all weekend. We have the house to ourselves all weekend."
"You know about that? The Web site?" Ron knew it was a stupid question. He'd known as soon as Theo told him to ask Phil about further temptations that Phil was in this up to his neck.
"Of course. This was my plan to begin with. Temptation Castle was there, of course. And I'm a full partner. Who do you think runs the club part? It's just another one of my clubs. Mart runs the store and photography studio, Theo the gym—and I run the men's club that's fronted by the gym."
"The club part?"
"We'll come to that. This whole summer thing is because I want to fuck you, and I wanted you ready to want it too. The lake vacation, the house, all my idea. I made no secret of that. And if you were perceptive, you'd know I want you."
Ron was perceptive enough; he'd just been in denial about that.
"I've known every step you've taken into temptation, Ron. You know, you must have really wanted this, because you didn't struggle very hard. It helped for me to get Susan to have Sally pester you about that sexy photo shot. But you sank so fast into the temptation of the castle that Mart and Theo had a little trouble staying ahead of you."
Ron didn't answer. He just looked down at the floor. He couldn't dispute that. Temptation had been there, but he had done little to fight it. And he was ashamed to admit it—but he didn't regret having fallen to it. Even knowing what was happening now, he couldn't say that he didn't want it. He was relieved, in fact, now that it was in the open and now that Phil was taking the initiative. And suddenly all inhibitions of recognizing that Phil aroused him were cleared away.
"Come down to the lake. We're going for a swim."
"A swim? It's nearly dark."
"I don't care. A swim and then I'll tell you about the banquet hall. I'll show you the banquet hall."