Dr. Louis van Haugh rode alone in the backseat of his personal limousine. It was nightfall, and he stared out of the window to watch the lights of the big city whiz by.

Louis had seen and done quite a bit in his day; he was a bit over 50 years of age. He had always been a hard worker, and through his ingenious business strategy, he had managed to become a millionaire at age 27. He had reached billionaire status while still in his forties. He technically never had to worry about money ever again, despite his strong appetites for large purchases that served to perpetuate a lavish lifestyle.

Under the vast wealth and glamour of Louis’s life, however, there was always a plethora of sexual activity. Louis had always been interested in sex, and his money always attracted the most young, beautiful, and perfectly figured women imaginable. His past encounters had been many, and although he had been in many relationships, Louis had never thought it necessary or desirable to marry one of these little vixens. After all, why should he sign a legal contract guaranteeing forfeiture of half of his behemoth empire upon divorce? Besides, women, he noticed, tended to get fatter and older-looking at around age 30 on average anyway. Why would he want to be committed to a woman, after she became unattractive, if he didn’t have to be?

The lights of the city were becoming much fewer now as Louis’s chauffeur drove out into the countryside. Louis was on one of his little sexual excursions. He frequented brothels, but needed a guarantee of discreteness. On this evening, however, Louis’s destination was blanketed in mystery. He had never been to this place before, but it came highly recommended from a few of his close associates. Louis stared down at the little strip of paper which had the address scribbled on it by Michael Santiago, his closest friend.

“You’ll never forget this place,” Mike had said. “It’s unlike anything else you have ever experienced.”

“We’ll see, Mike,” Louis asserted to the figment from his past. Just how great could one place be, anyway? Louis put the paper back in his coat pocket and sat back.

“I guess I’ll see soon enough,” he conceded.

There were no lights now, only dense tree growth as the limousine continued into the countryside. Only the headlights of the automobile interrupted the pure darkness of the night.

About 65 miles outside of town, the chauffeur found the turn from the main road that he had been instructed to take. The pathway was a dirt road, of all things, and very rocky, making the ride was bumpy and offensive. The dirt path continued for miles, surrounded without cessation by trees on both sides.

“Where IS this place?” Louis asked to no one in particular after the car had deviated about 15 miles from the main road.

“I am not certain, sir,” the chauffeur responded anyway.

As if responding to Louis’s question, an enormous gate emerged in front of them. The gate appeared to be made of heavy metal and was very thick. It was at least 2 feet thick, Louis would have guessed, and 50 feet tall. Each door of the gate was connected to a tower even thicker than the gate door, and each tower was, in turn, connected to a security wall which appeared to surround dozens of acres of land.

“They aren’t kidding,” Louis said to himself.

Two guards, dressed in black fatigues and machine guns, occupied a small security booth in front of the huge gate. The limousine pulled up to the booth. One of the officers stepped up to the automobile asked them about their business. Louis’s chauffeur responded as he had been instructed to by Louis, according to Mike’s instructions. The first guard nodded at the other, who was still in the booth, and then there was a low “boom” as the gates started to open slowly.

Once fully open, the chauffeur drove through the gates, with some apprehension. Louis looked back at the gate, which was shutting once again, and noticed that, atop both gate towers, there were two snipers at high alert, aiming their rifles right down his neck.

Louis turned to face front once again. “What have I gotten myself into this time?” he commented.

Shortly after, the limousine drove up to the most exquisite mansion Louis had ever seen. It was quite a large house, even by Louis’s standards. They were greeted by a valet, and Louis stepped outside. He instructed the chauffeur to return for him in the morning, and the limousine pulled away. Louis walked up to the large Victorian front door, and knocked.

—–

“Good evening, Dr. van Haugh. Make I take your coat, please?” his greeter asked.

“Certainly, that would be excellent. I trust you’re feeling well, .. er..”

“..Rosco,” the host completed. “I am both your guide and servant tonight, and I am here to make your stay very comfortable and enjoyable. If your stay at The Voltaire is not a completely astounding experience, then I have not done my job.”

“I’m glad to hear that, Rosco,” Louis replied. “This place has received extremely high reviews from a few of my friends and colleagues.”

“No doubt of that, sir. I assure you that you will find no better quality or opportunity anywhere else in the country; perhaps the world.”

“Opportunity?” Louis remarked.

“Indeed, Mr. van Haugh. But we will get to business soon enough. First, enjoy our rare liquors at the tavern, or perhaps something a bit stronger in the back room..? A jacuzzi is available down the hall, and delicacies are always being served in the cocktail room located in the East Wing. Is there anything that you desire right at this moment, sir?”

“No, nothing at the moment, thank you very much.”

“Then I will take my leave of you for now. You are free to roam on the bottom floor of our little cottage, but not upstairs. I will locate you again in a couple of hours. Have a pleasant evening, Mr. van Haugh,” said Rosco. He then walked toward a door labeled “Coat Check-in” and was gone.

—–

Louis wandered the house from room to room in the next half hour, grabbing some rich cheeses or some gourmet desserts as he could find them. He also found the bar and partook in several glasses of wine while talking to the other guests. At a pause in their conversation, the bartender interrupted.

“This is your first time here, I take it, sir?”

“Yes, it is. You wouldn’t believe the pomp and circumstance my friends allowed when describing this place. I’ve never heard them so emphatic. However, they were a bit scant on the details.”

The bartender couldn’t help a sly smile and added, “Well, let’s just say that you’ll leave tomorrow morning with an empty wallet, but you’ll have bought yourself a kingdom in many different ways.”

Confused, Louis was about to inquire just what the bartender meant by that statement, but instead he figured that he would know shortly. He smiled, winked at the bartender, and pointed down at his glass to indicate a desire for a refill. The bartender quickly obliged his request.

—–

After a few games of pool and a couple more truffles, Rosco caught up with Louis in the lounge.

“Ah, Mr. van Haugh. Have you been enjoying yourself so far tonight?” Rosco queried.

“Yes I have, and I appreciate the hospitality.”

“Are you now ready to discuss more interesting topics?”

“Absolutely,” Louis said.

“Then, please follow me. I will brief you on everything you need to know.”

Rosco and Louis began walking slowly down various hallways of the highly decorated mansion. There must have been dozens of hallways, each adorned in countless pieces of fine art, both old and new, arranged to perfection. One wall of a particular hallway was transparent revealing a huge indoor swimming pool on the other side, brimming with young, vivacious girls of assorted colors and appearances. A few older men were also in the pool, playing and splashing about with the carefree females.

At that point, Rosco began, “As you have probably heard, Mr.