by Ivy Nelson
“Where do we start?” Holly asked, as he settled next to her.
“Where would you like to start?”
“A question, I think. What did you mean when you said we needed to work on my communication skills?”
“Good place to start,’ he said as he kicked his feet onto the coffee table. “Today, there was clearly something wrong. Your meeting with Grant went badly, and it upset you enough to leave early. Those things happen. But you then admitted that you didn’t want me to know he upset you, so you made up not feeling well.
“First of all, that’s dishonest. Second, I need to know what’s going on in your head if we’re going to make any kind of relationship work. But that’s especially important if we’re going to explore kink and D/s together.”
He paused for a moment and picked up her hand, kissing the back of it. “Even if you don’t want to tell me all the details about breakfast, be honest with me. I can accept you not wanting to talk about something. I may not like it, but I can accept it.
“When you say you don’t feel well, it makes me worry and want to take care of you. You clamming up also makes me worry, but if you at least say you don’t want to talk about it, I can work with that. You just need to learn to open up a little more and tell me what you want or need.” His finger traced lines on the back of her hand as he continued.
“This afternoon for example, you told me you wanted to go home but you didn’t. You worried me by sneaking off to the cemetery when you have a perfectly good driver who will take you anywhere you want to go. If we had reached an agreement about kink, you would have been over my knee the second you walked in the door.”
Holly leaned against his chest. He was right, she held back a lot. Asking for what she needed had always been hard for her.
“I just don’t always know what to ask for or what to tell you,” she said. “Earlier, I could tell you weren’t a fan of me having breakfast with Grant. I was worried about how you would react if you thought he upset me.”
Elijah’s hand gripped hers. “I wasn’t thrilled with the idea. He still seems romantically interested in you. But you’re a grown woman who can fight her own battles. I expressed my misgivings but still made sure you knew I wasn’t trying to stop you from going. At least that’s what I tried to do. I am bothered that he upset you, and I would have been pissed had he tried to serve you with the lawsuit. But you’re still a grown woman. I’m not going to go charging in and beat him up behind the school cafeteria because he upset my girl.”
Holly gave him a shy smile. “Am I? Your girl, I mean.”
Elijah tugged at her hand until she crawled into his lap. “I want you to be. We have a lot to talk about as far as kink goes, but I want you, baby. You make me feel more alive than I’ve ever felt.”
“I feel the same way about you. I’m still unsure about everything to do with my father. This lawsuit doesn’t help things.”
Elijah gripped her hand. “I want you to promise you’ll stay away from Grant Sterling and your dad. I know you technically live at home, but I need you to stay with me for a while, OK?”
Holly nodded and leaned in to kiss him tenderly. “I can do that. I’m sorry I worry you.”
Elijah deepened their kiss and soon they were lost in each other and all thoughts of Nicholas Sutton and the lawsuit faded into the background.
Chapter Twenty-One
Elijah couldn’t wait to take Holly to Solitaire tomorrow night. They had spent the last week talking about kink and D/s and the things that interested her. After the party, he was going to walk her through how to become a member if she wanted, and they were going to play together in one of the alcoves.
On Tuesday, they had both been served with lawsuit papers, but Elijah had done his best to put them out of her mind while their attorney—Jeremy had agreed to represent both of them—handled the preliminaries and hopefully got it thrown out.
For now, though, he had to get through a board meeting with the rest of the Solitaire board who were filing in.
“Can we speed this meeting up today? I know we all like to ramble, but I have to get back on the road as soon as we’re done. I’ll be here for next weekend’s parties though,” Samuel promised.
Samuel was often the busiest of the group, so he wasn’t around much but he did make all the board meetings and the required one party a month. Many of the others attended all or most of the parties.
Elijah gave him a thumbs up. “I don’t think we have any pressing new business. We just need to formalize plans for our one-year anniversary party and talk about holiday plans.”
Elijah looked down at the agenda Russell had passed around. “Looks like we have a new member to vote on as well.”
The entire table snickered, and Elijah looked around. “Is there a joke in there somewhere?”
Lance just shook his head. “We’ll talk about it when we get to new members. Stay on task, dude, Samuel has places to go,” he said with a smirk.
Elijah shot him a glare. “I’m not the one snickering. Nevertheless, I’ll entertain a motion to table holiday plans until next board meeting.”
“I’ll make that motion,” Dakota said as her hand shot into the air.”
“Second,” Samuel quickly added.
“So moved,” Elijah said. “On to our one-year anniversary. Emily was going to try and make it today to talk about David’s vision, but he had a rough week in treatment, and she didn’t want to leave him. She’ll be sending an e-mail and some of us will try to schedule a video conference with them later this month.”
“I think most of these meetings could be e-mails and video calls,” Patrick muttered.
He probably wasn’t wrong, but it was good for the group to get together once a month to touch base and clear the air between them if needed. All of them had big personalities and could butt heads from time to time.
“OK. On to new members then.”
“Member, singular,” Lance said with a smirk. “A Miss Holly Sutton to be exact.”
Patrick shoved back from the table. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, Elijah, I thought you were going to warn me.”
Elijah felt his face heat. How had the little minx snuck this past him? “I’m just as surprised as you are. The little brat turned in her application without telling me. I was going to surprise her tomorrow night and pay the fee for her.”
Lance cleared his throat. “That’s the thing. There’s a reason I ignored your e-mail earlier this week about fast tracking her. She didn’t apply to be a regular member. She wants to be a house submissive.”
“She wanted to surprise you, so she called me on Monday,” Dakota said.
Elijah swiveled to look at her. “And you talked her into being a house submissive?”
Dakota shook her head. “That was all her idea. I would have talked her out of it, but you haven’t trained anyone since the first batch of members almost a year ago. I figured it would be a perfect way to help you two figure each other out faster.”
Elijah glared. “We’re figuring each other out just fine without your meddling, Dakota.”
As he turned back to the rest of the table, an idea formed, and he leaned back in his chair with a grin.
“What’s going on in there, Elijah. You’re grinning like a cat who ate the canary,” Garrett Oliver said.
Elijah turned to Patrick, “You might want to step out if this makes you uncomfortable.”
Patrick let out a bark of a laugh. “What could possibly make me uncomfortable about any of this?”
Everyone laughed and Patrick just shook his head. “I’ll stay,” he said when the laughter died down.
“Holly and I have been having a lot of conversations about communication lately. It appears that some of what we’ve been discussing hasn’t sunk in yet. I’m wondering if one of you wants to help me drive my point home.”
Dakota leaned forward into his field of vision. “Don’t you fuck with that girl’s head, Elijah Barrett.”
“You’ve done enough d
amage, Dakota. This is between Holly and I”
“What did you have in mind?” asked Hunter.
When Elijah laid out his plan, Russell agreed to be the one to help him. Now he just had to keep quiet until they put the plan in motion.
• • •
Holly paced the floor of her hotel room while she waited for Elijah to return. She’d expected to hear something from him as soon as he found out she applied, but so far nothing. Had she made the wrong decision? Was he upset with her?
Her phone rang and she ran to the nightstand to answer it. “Hey there. How was the meeting?” she asked, trying not to sound too curious.
“Short and sweet, but we can talk about that later. I’ve had a potential business partner call me about getting together for dinner in Denver. I’ll need to stay overnight, but I’ll be back in time for the party tomorrow OK?
Holly stared at the phone. Was he seriously not going to say anything? And what was this about a meeting in Denver?
“I’m sorry I have to rush off, baby. I can’t wait until tomorrow night.”
The call ended and Holly put the phone down, feeling disappointed. She wanted to text Dakota, but she wasn’t sure what to say. With a heavy sigh, she sat down at her laptop to get some work done.
When her machine was powered up and connected to the internet, a notification popped up for her personal e-mail. It was from Club Solitaire. Her pulse racing, Holly clicked open.
Holly
Congratulations! You’ve been accepted to Club Solitaire on a scholarship as a house submissive. Given the board’s familiarity with you, we voted to forgo the interview process. You’ll still be required to go through twelve weeks of training with a board member or one of our House Dominants. As your application was fast tracked, you’ll find out who you’ll be training with when you arrive for our weekly party on Friday. Please arrive early so you can go through the initial negotiation session to make sure you get the most out of the training process. As a house submissive you’re required to wear an all-black ensemble, preferably a dress or skirt. Your training Dom may request other attire at future parties.
We are excited to add you to our membership roster and hope you enjoy your time at Solitaire.
Garrett Oliver & Lance Moss
Solitaire Membership Coordinators
Holly stared at the e-mail. Holy shit. Was there a chance Elijah wouldn’t be her trainer? It seemed like it was going to be a no-brainer. Dakota made it sound like there would be no other option.
Holly felt knots form in her stomach. She didn’t want anyone else to train her. This was turning out all wrong. That night, Holly tossed and turned until the sun began peeking through the window. Eventually, she drifted off for a few hours and woke up in time for a late breakfast, but she still didn’t feel much like eating anything.
She didn’t hear from Elijah all day long despite sending several text messages. Finally, he called her.
“Hey baby. I’m sorry I’ve been quiet. Dinner went late and I didn’t want to wake you last night. This morning I went right into a breakfast meeting. I’m on my way back though. I should arrive in time for the party, but I think it would be best if you met me there.”
“Is there anything else we should talk about?”
Elijah didn’t respond right away. “Like what, baby?”
Holly wanted to huff. Why was he being this way? “Nothing. I’ll see you at the club.”
Later that evening, she walked to the car taking her to Solitaire on shaking legs. As they got closer to the club, she drew in deep breaths and did her best to stay calm. It wasn’t working.
When she stepped out of the car, her legs were jelly. At the reception desk, she couldn’t find words, so she just slid her ID across the counter.
“Welcome back Holly. Congrats on becoming a member! If you’ll just follow me, Master Russell is already waiting for you.”
Russell? God, surely, he wasn’t going to be her trainer. Holly followed the young woman through the bar area, but instead of turning into the main dungeon, they went to one of the other doors along the side wall.
The room she stepped into was a comfortable room with nice decor, but all of that paled into the background as her eyes fell on the man sitting in the middle of the room. His back was to her and he sat facing a fireplace, reading a folder.
“Master Russell, I have Holly for you.”
Russell stood and turned, offering her a striking smile. “Ah. Hello there, little one. Come join me.” He motioned for her to sit in the chair opposite him, so she did.
“You look a little nervous,” he said as she fidgeted in the chair.
“I’m nervous. A little confused too.”
“I’m sure we’ll clear up the confusion and answer all your questions. Nerves are normal.” His tone was kind, but he was all business.
“First, we’ll go over the Solitaire house submissive agreements and then we’ll go over your limits checklist.”
“Limits checklist?” Holly asked, rubbing the back of her neck as she looked everywhere but at Russell.
“Yes. What you are and are not willing to do sexually or otherwise.”
“W… with you?” Holly squeaked.
Russell chuckled. “I am the one training you, little one. Yes, with me, or any of the other house Doms. But first, a few simple rules. House subs must wear what they are instructed to wear by their trainers. Excellent job following instructions tonight. I prefer skirts and dresses as it allows me quicker access to blister your butt when you break a rule. I believe in quick correction to help you learn faster.”
Holly squirmed in her seat and tugged at the hem of her black dress. “I…”
Russell ignored her and continued. “Next, you’ll refer to all house Doms and dominant identifying board members as Master or Mistress and their preferred name. I’ll give you a list to memorize. I’m big on respect and enforce this one strictly. You forget and I hear it, I spank your ass right then and there.”
Holly’s hands twisted in her lap. "I don’t understand,” she whispered.
Russell laughed. “We’re going to have a rough time if you don’t understand the most basic of rules. Perhaps we should jump to the part where I give you your first spanking. It might help you focus on our conversation.” To Holly’s horror, Russell bent down and picked up a wooden hairbrush from under his chair.
“This is what I usually use to get a subs attention. Generally does the trick. But if you really need help focusing, I can always take off my belt. Let’s get you across my lap so I can get started on your bottom, little one.”
“Oh God. No. This is all wrong,” Holly blurted.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand. Did you, or did you not want to be a house submissive here?”
“I did. I do. Just.”
“Just what?”
Holly didn’t answer.
“Spit it out sub, or I’ll strip you naked and paddle you until you talk.”
“I just expected Elijah to be the one to train me,” Holly whispered, terrified of the hairbrush Russell was tapping against his knee.
“So perhaps you should have talked to me about that.” The voice came from behind her, and Holly whirled around to see Elijah standing in a doorway she hadn’t noticed. He wore his dark jeans and a tight black t-shirt. His gaze was harsh. Elijah was not happy with her.
“I’ll take it from here, Russell. Thanks for your help,” he said, never taking his eyes off her.
Holly sagged back in her chair. They were trying to teach her some kind of lesson.
Russell stood and laid the hairbrush in the chair, winking at her before he turned and left.
“I did something wrong, didn’t I?” Holly asked.
Elijah gave a solemn nod as he pushed himself off the door frame and stalked toward her. Holly felt like a gazelle about to be devoured by the lion that was Elijah Barrett.
“First of all, I’m elated that you want to be a member, and I appreciate the gesture you were tryi
ng to make by surprising me. However, when I saw your application, I realized that our conversations about communication hadn’t quite made the impression I wanted them to. I saw an opportunity to show you why it’s so important. Especially in this lifestyle.”
Holly closed her eyes. Of course, Elijah might have a preference for how she became a member. Not to mention, she probably threw poor Patrick for a loop.
“How much of that did you see?” she asked, feeling embarrassed.
“I’ve been standing in the doorway for most of the conversation. I admit, it was fun to watch you squirm.”
Holly dropped her head and Elijah knelt in front of her chair, tilting her chin to meet his eyes. “Do you really want to be a house submissive, or do you want to be my submissive?”
Holly blushed. “If I want to be a submissive at all, I want to be yours.”
He tapped her nose. “Now we’re getting somewhere. You want to explore, and I can help you do that. I’ve paid your membership fees. You will not be a house submissive and certainly not Russell’s because he’s a delightful sadist who should only play with masochists. If you want to find out if you’re a masochist though, I can call him back in here.”
Holly quickly shook her head as her shoulders sagged in relief.
“So, no training?” she asked.
“If you want me to train you, I can. But I think we should just explore first. If you decide you’re ready for something more formal, we can talk about that, but for now, we’re just going to try a bunch of things and see what works for you, what works for us.”
“Are you going to spank me?” Holly asked, eyeing the hairbrush that lay in the chair behind Elijah.
“For what?” he asked, trailing a finger down her cheek.
Holly shrugged and felt embarrassment warm her face. “I just feel like I did something wrong and thought you would want to spank me.”
Elijah’s gaze heated with lust. “I would very much like to spank you but only if you want it to happen. I understand that you’re not sold on the idea of punishment yet. Not to mention, you didn’t do anything to warrant a serious one.”