Inside Out

"Thanks," Doug said to Keira as he beat back another skinhead. He moved to the actress's side and drew his revolver, prompting several thugs to step away from them. "Is this better than your movies?"

"I prefer my movies," Keira answered, breathing heavily. "At least there I know what's going to happen next."

Kurtz blew a whistle just then, and another company of his thugs came running from nearby alleys to join the battle. This group was mainly composed of football hooligans and youths in rap clothing. Doug cursed when he saw them and fired all three of his flares into the sky. Combatants on both sides jumped away from each other, rubbing their eyes at the sudden onslaught of light and sound.

As they stumbled, sixty or so London citizens dashed out of doorways around the square. Fat Neville and several of his patrons were among them, as well as other Londoners who were not Soho residents. They engaged the new wave of gang members with knives, clubs, and fists. Other Londoners appeared at windows and started flinging bricks, flowerpots, bottles and other missiles. Doug's side regrouped while Kurtz's men panicked, not knowing how many they faced. Twenty gang members went down in five seconds, thrown objects crashing into their heads.

Doug looked around and saw that many of his allies were wounded and staggering. He himself was uninjured, as was Keira, but both were unsteady on their feet. Their reinforcements were countering Kurtz's, and it was time to catch their breath before the enemy recovered. "Fall back!" he shouted at everyone. "Hold up inside the warehouse!"

Humans and gargoyles alike followed his suggestion. They moved through the open loading doors into the stacks of empty boxes and crates. Kurtz's thugs followed, shouting in anger. Doug and his allies took up defensive positions, striking out at anyone who got close. With coordinated attacks, they assisted one another. They had the upper hand now, with numbers and determination on their side.

It wasn't long before a few of Kurtz's gang started pulling out pistols and submachine guns. Clarke and his team reacted quickly, drawing their own guns and pointing them at the enemy.

"Freeze!"

"Drop it!"

"Show me your hands!"

The gang members complied, all slower on the draw than trained soldiers. Keira grinned in relief as they raised their arms in surrender and backed off. She, Doug, and the others followed them back out onto the street.

"Well, Kurtz?" Doug asked the crime boss, whom he noted was sporting a black eye and bloody nose. "Do you still want to continue this?"

"I suppose not," Kurtz replied, grimacing and supporting himself with his cane. "The battle is yours. However, you have won only a smoking ruin." He pulled a remote from his pocket and clicked a switch.

Nothing happened. Kurtz frowned and clicked the switch again.

"We already disarmed your bombs, Jim!" Clarke yelled. Kurtz snarled an oath and threw the remote on the ground. "We win, you lose!"

"The horror," Doug said with a giggle. "The horror." Keira and others who knew the origin of Kurtz's alias laughed all around.

Kurtz shot the crowd an upraised middle finger, then turned and stumbled off across the square. He gasped and stopped in his tracks, seeing that several vehicles with flashing red and blue lights had surrounded the area. A phalanx of London cops stood around them. Over half of the still conscious gang members were already arrested and inside paddy wagons and ambulances. Paramedics from the latter vehicles were treating wounded from both sides. A mustached detective in a deerstalker hat and a thin silver-haired man in a white suit who resembled Keira were leading the police.

"You did well, young viceroy," Will Knightley said, smiling at Doug. "You too, my child. I am glad to see you unharmed." He stepped close to Keira and hugged her, then shook hands with Doug, Clarke and Frank.

"Inspector Marlow," Kurtz greeted the detective. "How nice to see you again."

"It's good to see you too, nemesis," Marlow said with a smile. He clapped handcuffs on Kurtz's wrists.

"Thank you all for coming," Doug told everyone. He sighed in relief and put away his remaining baton, then stepped towards Marlow. "Inspector, I hope you will forgive me for bringing violence to your city."

"You're not the first American who has," Marlow answered, shaking hands with Doug. "I trust this won't happen too often if you remain here."

"Just wait," Doug replied. He waved at the long tenement building. "Soon this warehouse will be a café and dance club. The best in town. All of you will be able to work in it, patronize it, and live happily nearby without fear."

"I would like to see that place," Clarke said. His team, including those who had recovered from their injuries, nodded in agreement. "Will you have us beside you?"

"And the rest of us as customers?" Edwin asked. Several humans and gargoyles chorused enthusiasm.

"Of course," Doug told them. He took Keira's hand and smiled at her, then looked at everyone else. "You're all welcome at my club anytime, for whatever peaceful purpose. Just like London, my club will be no place for the street fighting man."

The crowd responded with a unanimous cheer.

***

Five Days Later.

"We've been installing furniture all week," Doug explained to Keira, showing her around the main floor of his developing club. Over a hundred workmen were nearby accomplishing various construction tasks. "The upstairs areas are almost half done and we put the bar in this morning."

Keira nodded and ran a finger across the bar's marble top. "Is there any reason you've covered over half the main floor with asphalt?"

Doug smiled. The former warehouse was clear of boxes now, and a stage and deejay booths were halfway built at the far end. "It's the club's theme. I'm having the outside walls painted white and affixed with awnings. There will be couches and tables set up for people to sit down while they're waiting to get in. Inside we're going to have it made up to look like a street, with cars people can dance around and a faux outdoor café."

"So the outside is the inside." Keira blinked. "While the inside is the outside."

"Hence the name 'Inside Out'."

"Did you get this idea from a 'Saturday Night Live' skit?"

"Yeah. I was inspired. Nobody I know of has ever tried it. I'll send SNL some royalty checks if it works."

"Well, I think it's great." Keira laughed. "You'll have the game room over there?"

"Right. Pool, pinball, air hockey, and both classic and modern arcade games. We're licensing with 'Jillian's', a similar business back in the States."

"I hear you're staying open round the clock."

"Except on holidays and we cut off selling alcohol when it's illegal. I used some extra funds I had to purchase a few surrounding blocks and give this building's former tenants new condos in other buildings. Once they heard what I planned for this building, they all decided to move out."

"Did Clarke's team get the training area they wanted?"

"That's being installed in the building next door. It will have a laser tag and paintball arena, a well-equipped gym with an indoor track, a swimming pool, and a shooting range. They shouldn't lack for anything to keep their skills up. Clarke will also earn some money for himself by opening the facilities to the public. I refused to let him cut me in."

"You know, our contacts at the United Nations may need him again. The war on terror shows no sign of slowing down."

Doug nodded. "I'm concerned about that war." He sighed. "I know Clarke and the rest of our troops are the best possible people to handle it, though. I just hope they all come home safe."

Keira smiled and nodded in agreement. She walked around the club and took in the vision. "So what else will be here? I heard some people wanted a movie theater."

"There's not enough room for that, unfortunately. Maybe somewhere nearby if I can find the space. I'll host live plays and concerts on the stage over there, though. The second floor is all staff offices and dressing rooms, including my own office. Laundry and storage will be in the basement, private meeting rooms and personal quarters on the third floor and above."

"Can I see those?"

Doug chuckled at Keira's suggestive expression. She had been visiting frequently the past few days, checking on his progress and spending time with him. On the third visit, he had stopped asking her if she had a new movie to shoot. He had told her little about his planned business until now, wanting things to take shape so they could be more easily visualized. Keira had pledged to keep her curiosity in check. Doug had denied her access to the meeting room areas before, but in the present, he decided it was time.

"Sure, you can see them," he said, taking her arm and motioning toward the stairs nearby. "Be careful, though. It's still going to be some time before the area is finished."

"Isn't there an elevator?"

"There will be. It's not working yet. I think I'll want most people to take the stairs, though, even when the elevator is online, for exercise and security concerns."

"When is your target opening night again?"

"September 11. The two-year anniversary of the event that started our current war. I want to show the world on that day that nobody will ever stop the spirit of freedom."

"A noble quest," Keira told him with a grin.

They talked more as they headed upstairs, discussing their plans and futures. Keira told Doug that Disney had signed her up for two sequels to 'Pirates of the Caribbean' and that she had also been offered several other films.

"Most are period pieces. A few are biographies as well."

"That should increase your acting chops."

"I hope so. I don't want to get typecast. Mostly, though, I just want to have fun."

"I hear you have a comedy coming out at Christmas."

"Yes. 'Love, Actually'. I think its themes of friendship and happiness are things the world needs to see. They would also fit well with your club."

"Maybe I can rig up a movie night somehow." Doug scratched his neck. They had reached the top of the stairs, and were now in a red-carpeted corridor with several doors on either side. Seeing Keira looking around, Doug resumed his tour. "This is one of the main hallways. I'm putting in suites for every taste. Boardrooms, bedrooms, rumpus rooms, and spas. Even a few dungeon rooms, though security will be increased in that area. As far as the police and public are concerned, this is a consensual activity hotel and social gathering place. We will forbid anything that violates the spirit of that."

"No alcohol allowed up here then?"

"Right. You don't even want to know what we'll do to drug users. Security cameras will only be in the public hallways, although every room will have an emergency beacon and a phone. Condoms and other birth control devices will be available at the bar downstairs, and Tess has a small clinic set up on the tenth floor for any serious health issues. The manager on duty will be in charge of the guest register. Everyone who comes upstairs has to register, no exceptions. Staff members can partake, but not when they're on duty. I don't want anybody getting the idea we're running a brothel here."

"Will you welcome all relationships?"

"As long as they're between consenting adults. We'll deal with jealous spouses and other problems on a case by case basis. All in all, I think things should go well."

Keira looked around and nodded. "So are there any workmen on this floor right now?"

"No, this floor's about complete. The architects and contractors your father provided are very good."

"Can I see a room then? I would love to christen it with you."

Doug smiled. Keira had made sexual overtures to him several times during the past week, but he had always been too busy to take her up on them. He was drawn to Keira, but business concerns had to come first. He had cleared his schedule for today, though, after becoming worried she would eventually lose interest. After all, no heterosexual man in his right mind should let an attractive woman like Keira Knightley slip away.

"I think this one's ready," he said, opening a door with his keycard. Inside was a Victorian themed bedroom decorated in blue and white with lace curtains and a canopy bed. "This room is just one of the types we'll feature. I also have some Roman, medieval, Arabian, Wild West, Asian, and other themed rooms planned."

"It sounds great." Her heels clicking on the tile floor, Keira walked to the bed and took off her black felt coat. Doug took it from her and hung it on a rack nearby.

"Not all meetings that take place in these rooms will be of a sexual nature," he said as he hung his own coat beside Keira's. "Sometimes people just want a private place to talk, and I will provide such places. If people want to sleep or rehearse plays in these rooms, they can do that too. I'm even putting a recording studio on the same floor as the clinic. Tess has a thing for rock musicians."

Keira took off her shoes and smiled. "I know. She's been bugging me to get her tickets for upcoming concerts at Wembley Stadium ever since we met. Could we not talk about your club for a while please?"

"As you wish," Doug replied. Ignoring Keira's rolled eyes, he moved to the bed and sat down beside her. They embraced and kissed with only the slightest hesitation. It was the first time they had done either, as Doug had been keeping his distance from the frustrated Keira. His reasons were not just his developing business. Keira was beautiful and friendly towards him, but she was also a celebrity. It had been hard for him to believe that she wanted to be in his life.

She did, though. Her enthusiastic kisses told him so. Doug returned the kisses and they fell back onto the bed, their hands stroking each other's backs.

A lot has happened between us this week, Doug thought, looking at Keira. Before, we were just fan and celebrity. Now we've become friends with each other, we've fought evil together, and she's helped me open this club. How appropriate that we should be the first couple to make love inside its walls.

"You have passed all my tests but this one," Keira whispered, clasping Doug's hands as he began to pull up her blouse. "Let's see how well you do at it."

I won't disappoint you, Doug told her with his eyes. He finished removing Keira's blouse and then stroked her soft brown hair as she cuddled against him. They exchanged kisses again and then unbuckled each other's belts. They pulled off each other's pants and flung them away. Doug's shirt followed. Keira ran her fingers over the muscles of his chest.

"One second," he said, pulling away from her. Keira watched and smiled as he took off his glasses and put them down, then pulled back the bed covers and adjusted the pillows. He also handed Keira a gold circle condom he took out of a bedside table drawer.

"We won't need this immediately," Keira said, putting the condom on the table next to his glasses. She tapped a finger on her lips. "I want your first shot here."

"As you wish." Doug kissed her as she embraced him again.

They continued to move against each other, now naked except for their underwear. Doug had on black boxers. Keira's bra and panties were gray. Both lovers stroked each other's intimate areas, each teasing their partner to full arousal. Doug reveled in the feel of Keira's hot hard nipples through her bra while she smiled at the width and length of his cock. The organ grew as her hand stroked it through his underwear, getting warmer as it became erect. Doug put his fingers on Keira's groin and felt a similar heat between her legs.

Keira moved back from him, reached behind her, and unsnapped her bra. Doug watched her remove the garment, revealing small dark-nippled breasts and more of her body's firm curves. Keira slid her panties off next and showed him the thin vee of brown hair between her legs. Her engorged labia lips and clitoris stood out beneath it. A diamond stud in her belly button also drew his gaze. He had been too occupied kissing her and looking over the rest of her body to notice the jewel before.

"Well?" she asked, settling into a seductive pose and beaming at him. "What do you have for me?"

Doug took a breath and then pushed down his boxers. Keira looked at his organ and smiled.

"Very nice. Bring that here."

The moment was too hot for words now. Doug nodded and moved on his knees towards her. She rose to meet him halfway, kissed and embraced him. Running her fingertips over his muscles, Keira pushed her new lover down on the bed. Their legs rubbed against each other and Doug returned Keira's caresses. Both were hyperventilating and licking at one another's tongues.

"Settle down," Keira whispered. She gripped his member with her right hand and stroked it. Her left hand continued tracing circles on his chest. "Calm down now."

As he fondled her curves in reply, Doug wondered if his heart would ever stop beating as hard as it currently was. Keira's beauty and energy were flowing into him, overloading his senses. He stroked her hair and kissed her neck, telling his body to calm as she asked.

Keira kissed his lips hard and then started moving down on him. She traced a path with her left hand and followed it with her mouth, stroking his groin with her right hand all the while. Trying to relax, Doug watched her and entangled his fingers in her long dark brown curls. She kissed his nipples, his pectoral muscles, and his stomach. Then she moved to his waist and took his organ between her lips. Keira let out a throaty chuckle at Doug's gasp.

He gasped again as she deep-throated him, her right hand rubbing his balls in counterpoint. She held his thighs against her face with her left hand, and sunlight from the room's windows shone in her hair. Damn it, Doug thought, watching Keira's eyes close and her movements grow in intensity. I need a distraction.

"Turn around," he whispered to her. "Give me your pussy."

"As you wish," Keira said after removing her lips from his cock. She chuckled again and moved her body back over Doug's. He stroked her curves as she rotated herself, his fingers finally coming to rest on her hips. Keira pressed her snatch down towards his face and then returned her attention to his manhood.

Pushing his thumbs against Keira's inner folds, Doug opened her cunt's petals. Her juice was flowing strong and heat was rising from her flesh. He moved his tongue against that heat, exploring it and lingering on sensitive places. Keira's clit was a sharp pressure on his lower lip.

She sucked at the head of his cock, running two fingers along the underside. Low moans and gasps came from her lips, forming a chorus with his own deep breaths. They stroked and ate each other with increasing fervor, flashing waves of desire with their eyes.

"Fuck!" Doug cursed. Keira's warm wet slit was sweet in taste and feel, but it was not enough to make him ignore what she was doing to him. Just give in, he decided. Let things happen. He began to hunch his hips up and down, thrusting against her mouth. Keira grabbed his thighs and held them still.

His body shaking, Doug lapped at her core and the folds of skin surrounding it. His fingers were on Keira's rear now, squeezing her ass and stroking her waist. Keira's legs kicked hard at the bed's headboard, knocking it into the wall. Doug blinked, noting the dents left by her force. I may have to get these rooms renovated now and then, he thought, if stuff like that happens a lot.

Keira's energy was still flowing into him, her soft hair rubbing against his legs. She squeezed his organ in her lips and stroked it, gasping as she lapped up his first spurts of seed. Doug's body settled for an instant and he took a breath. Then he resumed thrusting his organ into Keira's face while he licked and fondled her pussy.