The Golden Room

During the following day he met separately with two of his plant directors and his senior foreman.

He frankly told each of them the plan he had in mind for Alan. After doing this, he asked each one to give him advice on which brothel in Chicago they would recommend for the bridegroom's first serious experience.

To a man, each of his advisers had suggested the same brothel. To a man, each had told him, 'Take your boy to the Everleigh Club on Dearborn.'

Armbruster thought that the Everleigh Club rang a bell. It sounded familiar. Yet, he did not know about it. He assumed that this oversight was due to the fact that, like an ostrich that buried its head in the sand, he had always buried his eyes and his ears in his business. He'd paid no attention to anything on the outside.

He remembered having been told how to go about this initiation in the Everleigh Club. He must reserve a table for Alan and himself in the Club's expensive restaurant. He and Alan must spend lavishly on a good meal with fine champagne. After that, he must request entertainment upstairs for his son.

After supper at home, Armbruster told his son that he would like to speak privately with him in the library.

Once settled and at ease behind closed doors, Armbruster made his proposal to Alan. It was not really a proposal, but rather an order.

'Alan,' he began, 'in a few days you are going to be wedded to a lovely virgin from the South. That part is fine. But what is awkward, Alan, is that you too are a virgin. It is not becoming for you to be so totally inexperienced on your wedding night.'

'Why not?' Alan answered. 'After our wedding night I'll be experienced, and Cathleen will be too.'

'My son, listen to me, as I listened to my father before I was married. The wedding night can be a horrendous encounter, unless you know what you are doing. You can fumble about, do things wrong. A bad start can give you a bad marriage.'

'What are you trying to tell me?'

'That you need one sexual experience before you have the more meaningful one with Cathleen. You need another woman – a professional woman – beforehand.'

Alan protested. 'I don't need anyone and I don't want anyone before my wife. Dad, I'll have no problems with her, I promise you. I know about the female anatomy from my college courses in biology. I know something more important. Every time I set eyes on Cathleen, my penis grows stiff. I think that's all I need to know.'

'You need another woman first,' Armbruster persisted. 'We'll do it my way. I've learned the most luxurious brothel in Chicago is the Everleigh Club on Dearborn Street. Industrialists and celebrities go there regularly to enjoy its amenities. I've already made a reservation for supper there tomorrow evening. That's how it is done. We will have supper in the Everleigh Club, and a few drinks to loosen you up, and then I'll arrange for you to go upstairs and have your experience with one of their pretty young girls. I'll wait for you downstairs. By the time you come down, you'll be a man, my boy, a real man and grateful to me for your knowledge. Expect to accompany me to the Everleigh Club at eight o'clock tomorrow evening.'

At the Everleigh Club that night there was consternation.

Edmund had caught up with Minna and Aida and reported to them that Harold T. Armbruster had made a reservation for supper for the very next evening for his son and himself.

'I took the reservation,' said Edmund, 'but I know that Mr Armbruster is the last person you want to see here.'

Aida immediately fell into a panic. 'You've got to cancel him. Make up any reason you can. If he should see us here, and realize what we do, he'd call off the wedding. You've got to see that he's not admitted, because…'

'No,' Minna interrupted. 'That would be too suspicious.' She addressed Edmund. 'Are they coming here simply to dine?'

Edmund cleared his throat. 'Not exactly, Miss Minna. To dine, of course, but after that he said he would like some entertainment for his son upstairs. He explained that his son was getting married in a few days, and that the boy was a virgin, and he wanted him' to have at least one experience.'

'We can't allow that,' Aida said fearfully to Minna. 'The truth might get out.'

'It won't get out,' said Minna forcefully. 'It will remain between father and son, I assure you. I have no objection to letting Alan go upstairs and get some pleasure with one of the girls. If that's what his father wants, he should be allowed to do it. Cathleen and Bruce will never find out. Be sensible, Aida, several of the girls here have been taking trustworthy regulars upstairs to entertain them. There's no reason one of them can't have a roll with Alan Armbruster too.'

She weighed what was next on her mind.

'The important thing is to let this take place in the Ever-leigh Club, yet not let them know the so-called socialite aunts are running the house. Aida, you and I will just have to slip into the office and remain out of sight when the Armbrusters arrive, and stay hidden until they leave. We can do that with no trouble.'

'You mean stay locked up all tomorrow evening?'

'Not quite,' said Minna. 'We can go about our normal activity. But the minute that Edmund welcomes the Armbrusters in the entry hall, he can leave them a moment and rush in to Professor Vanderpool at the piano. You know all those music cues, those codes, we gave him to play when he wants to warn us of danger? Well, when the Armbrusters arrive, let him play "More Work for the Undertaker." That

will be the song that tells us the Armbrusters are here. Wherever you and I are, we'll hear it played and hurry into the study. When the coast is clear, Professor Vanderpool is to play it again. How does that sound?'

Aida was mollified. 'It sounds foolproof.'

'It is,' said Minna, 'so don't worry. Let the Armbrusters come and go. The reputation of Cathleen and Bruce Lester won't be damaged. I give you my word.'

At noon the following day, Bruce Lester had gone in search of Karen. He found her setting tables in the restaurant.

He went to her. 'Karen, have you got a moment?'

'Time on my hands,' she said. 'I have no real work until supper this evening.'

'Good. Can we have a word outside?'

Puzzled, Karen accompanied Bruce out of the restaurant. In the hallway she said, 'We can talk here.'

'It's nothing earth-shaking, just something to feed my curiosity.'

'About what?'

'My aunts' home here,' said Bruce. 'I've never had a real look at it. Whenever I ask Aunt Minna to show me around, she always says she's too busy, and so is Aida. Maybe a coincidence, maybe not. Anyway, I'd like to see the place. Since Minna and Aida are still asleep, I thought you could guide me through the mansion.'

Karen was immediately reluctant. 'It's not my house. I'm not certain I can do that.'

Bruce persisted. 'I'm sure there is nothing to hide. Unless you know of something.'

Torn between loyalty to Minna and Aida and the desire to please Bruce, Karen said hesitantly, 'Of course, I don't know their home as well as they do. But I've been all through it a number of times, and I could show you whatever I know.'

'That's all I want,' said Bruce. 'It's such a tremendous place for two small ladies, I'd like to see what they did with it. You don't mind?'

'Well, I suppose it's all right,' said Karen, taking Bruce by the hand. 'We can start with the library Minna is so proud of.'

She directed Bruce past the restaurant and into the library.

Bruce surveyed the library. 'All this intellect intimidates me,' he admitted.

'It is intimidating,' agreed Karen. 'Minna has over 3,000 books here. Look at that complete collection of Shelley. Over there, nineteen volumes of Chinese poems. Next to them, Guy de Maupassant. A complete collection of Edgar Allen Poe. Minna told me that Poe was a relative of hers on her mother's side.'