by Ivy Nelson
After getting her sister settled, she curled up on the couch with her phone. Garrett was working, cleaning up the mess his brother had left behind. There were still a few things they didn’t know, and Jeff had killed him before they could get answers, but from what they could piece together, Maddox had been infiltrating the Colorado facility since he bought it.
They didn’t know who his benefactor was, but the men on the board of Solitaire seemed to agree that it was likely Grant Sterling or Nicholas Sutton. Isabelle wasn’t familiar with either of them since she’d only been a member of Solitaire for the last six months or so, but she felt confident they would keep her safe and keep her from being outed if they could. So far, no one else had asked her about Solitaire.
Her phone buzzed and Garrett’s name flashed across the top.
I’ll see you at Solitaire at seven. I love you.
She smiled and messaged back.
I love you too, Sir.
Her plan was to be there at six to get ready. She was planning to surprise him with the outfit Jasmine had given her, and Holly was going to help her with her hair and makeup.
At the club, she went straight upstairs to Holly and Elijah’s suite. They weren’t planning to attend the dinner as formal D/s protocols weren’t a huge part of their dynamic, but they were in town for the weekend parties. Tonight was a special Thursday event that was only open to the couples who’d purchased tickets.
“This piece is so gorgeous,” Holly murmured as she fingered the sheer fabric. “I’ll have to see about getting Jasmine to make me a few more things. She outfitted me for my honeymoon and let’s just say Elijah was quite pleased with her work.”
Isabelle giggled. “It is very exquisite. The price tags still blow me away sometimes, but I’m getting used to Garrett’s idea of shopping, I think.”
Holly grinned at her in the mirror as she pinned her hair back. “It is fun to shop at the expensive stores but believe me, it still boggles my mind a bit and my family had money.”
Ten minutes later she was declared perfect.
“I think the submissives are waiting in the parlor rooms off the bar,” Holly said, giving her a hug.
There was a very specific ceremony to the way couples were seated at a high protocol dinner, and it started with the subs entering the dining room first to kneel by their Doms’ or Masters’ chairs. Downstairs, she was directed to one of the parlor rooms, but there were no other submissives waiting. Normally, they all waited together. Maybe everyone was running late.
Fifteen minutes later, she was still the only one waiting. Finally, the door opened, and Simon poked his head in. “Wow, you look amazing, Isabelle.”
“Hi, Simon,” she said cheerfully. I was beginning to think I was in the wrong room.”
He grinned. “Nope. But we are ready for you.”
“We?”
“Come on,” he said, offering her his arm.
They stepped out and into the bar which had been converted to a formal dinner party setting for the evening.
A gasp left her throat as she looked around. The room was dotted with couples and groups already seated and Garrett waited for her at a table in the center.
“What’s going on?” she asked as Simon encouraged her to go to Garrett who held out his hand.
“A little something different,” he said. Then he bent and kissed her cheek before moving to a table at the right. Jasmine was there and she lovingly rubbed Simon’s shoulder.
“Isabelle, come here please,” Garrett said, his voice warm and soothing.
Her legs trembled as she walked the short distance to him.
“What’s happening, Sir?” she whispered.
He smiled. “If you’ll have me, I want to put my collar around your neck. You once said you wanted everyone to know you were mine, so I spoke to the attendees and they agreed to forgo the normal dinner in place of a celebration of exactly that.”
He picked up a box and opened it. The gorgeous necklace was set with shimmering diamonds, including a few pale-yellow ones.
“You look stunning, by the way. I’ll have to thank Jasmine later.”
She blushed. Was she ready to wear his collar? In a sense she’d been wearing it, just around her wrist. Somehow, this felt more substantial.
“What do I say?” she asked, her voice trembling.
He smiled and caressed her face. “You could try yes. But it’s up to you, Doll. If you want to be mine, you can kneel on this pillow and we’ll make some promises to each other. If you’re not ready, I’ll put my bracelet around your wrist again and we’ll continue to take things slow. I just want you to know I’m all in and I’m not going anywhere. You’re mine, Isabelle.”
All around her, the crowd waited silently.
To show her he meant it to be her choice, he also pulled the bracelet she’d given back to him from his pocket.
She could hold out her wrist or she could kneel for him. Either choice would be the right one. Knowing that, she dropped to her knees and held her head high.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Garrett held Isabelle against his chest as they stood in the Solitaire conference room with the rest of the Solitaire board. It had been four weeks since he’d collared Isabelle and they were blossoming as a couple.
Now, though, they stood in an impromptu board meeting with the others at Solitaire to discuss the fact that Isabelle had nearly been outed. Maddox was killed before they could figure out how he knew about Solitaire enough to leak it to a gossip reporter, and they were still no closer to finding out.
Many were convinced they had been hacked somehow and an argument had broken out about what to do about the leak. Lance was still unsure how anyone had penetrated his system and gotten access to private member data, but it had happened and now it needed to be cleaned up.
He traced the thin diamond necklace he’d put around her neck as he listened to the bickering, happy that she’d knelt for his collar.
“I just don’t see how bringing a stranger in is going to help anything,” Lance said. “We have more information than we did and now I know to start looking into Grant Sterling. I can keep us secure. We don’t need anyone else.
Austin put an arm on his shoulder. “Calm down, Lance. Nobody is saying you’re incapable of keeping us safe. We all trust you. We’re just suggesting that a fresh pair of eyes isn’t a dreadful thing in this situation. Legally, we’re running out of time to track this down before we need to consider shutting down the club to avoid lawsuits.”
Garrett could see that Lance was troubled. He took great pride in the cyber security system he’d constructed to keep Solitaire’s private member information safe. It was his baby and right now, it felt like someone was telling him his baby was ugly.
Eli, never one to mince words, rapped his fist on the table. “I think it’s time for us to move on folks. We’ve voted, and even if we hadn’t, I would use my executive privilege as director of the board to make this decision. We’re bringing someone in to help us solve this problem. If there’s nothing else we need to discuss, I have to be on a plane to London in a few hours and I would like to spend some time with my wife before I go.”
Everyone murmured their agreement and the impromptu board meeting split up.
Garrett gripped Isabelle’s hand as he tugged her to the car.
“Are you sure we have to leave today? I’m worried my sister isn’t ready for me to leave her alone.”
“Isabelle,” Garrett warned. “Your sister is a grown woman with plenty of help around her, and her children are capable young women who can take care of themselves. We’re going to Vegas, end of story. Hunter is ready to talk about where you’re going to spend the next two years and you deserve to take this step. You also deserve a break. And yes, I know how much you hate that word.”
“Yes, Sir. But don’t think you’re going to talk me into eloping. My dad may have accepted you into our family, but he will never forgive me if I don’t have a proper catholic wedding.”
Isabelle rolled her eyes, but he could see the glint in her eyes. She was excited to marry him someday. For now, he was going to be content to have his collar around her neck.
“No ring. Not yet,” Isabelle said as she fingered the delicate diamond necklace around her neck. I’m pretty sure this is enough bling to last me for a while.”
“Funny you should say that,” he said, tucking her to his side. “I was thinking the same thing about you.”
She giggled and shoved away from him to look up at him. “I better be the only bling you have, Mister,”
• • •
Thank you so much for reading Bling! If you enjoyed it, I would love a review. If you’re dying to know Lance’s story, you can preorder Pressure, book four in the Diamond Doms series, here.
About the Author
Ivy Nelson is an emerging contemporary romance author, hopeful romantic, and passionate advocate, who is versed in all things steamy, sultry, and sensual. It all started back when she read her first steamy romance novel at the age of fourteen. From that point forward, it became her favorite genre—one she wanted to write in herself someday. Sylvia Day’s writing style cemented that passion and gave her just the inspiration she needed to be an author herself. In December of 2018, Ivy published her debut novel, Power Desired at the age of thirty-two.
Most recently, Ivy completed the “D.C. Power Games” series and the prequel to her forthcoming “Diamond Doms series” titled “Hard”. In a not-so-distant past, she was a student-affairs professional at a university and earned her political science degree, which explains her politically driven romance debut.
When she isn’t penning steamy scenes or attending writing/kink/BDSM conferences, you can find this contest-winning karaoke singer and bookworm passionately supporting human rights or growing her Sims 4 empire. She is also a wine aficionado and certified whiskey taster (no, really, she has the certificate to prove it). All that aside, Ivy loves spending quality time with her amazing son and husband of three years at their home in Houston, TX.
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