“They do. And I love my job.” That’s what made the work worthwhile. She loved to cook for people who loved her food. Of course, it was also a job and she needed the money more than ever. She sometimes felt guilty for the prices she charged, but she had so many requests she had to choose her jobs somehow. Having all of her assets frozen by Cass had made her especially thankful for clients who could pay top dollar.
Admittedly, Katherine was one of her most difficult clients, and there were definitely times she didn’t love working for her. But she wasn’t about to tell Shay that.
“I’d love my own personal chef. So you live in San Francisco?”
“I used to. I moved in with a friend a few months ago, so I’m across the bay now. In Oakland.” Emily wondered how different her world was from Shay’s. Could they even fathom worrying about the monthly expense of bridge tolls?
She caught up with Shay as they started down a corridor. After passing a handful of closed doors, Shay stopped. “I think this one’s yours.” They looked across the hall at a different door and gave a decisive nod. “At least pretty sure.”
“I wonder what it’s like having a house with so many rooms. I’d probably forget which one I’m sleeping in.”
“I’m sure Katherine’s slept in all of the beds at one point or another. If you have a houseful of sexy guests, why not? Wonder who she picks first…”
Emily felt all her earlier uncertainties return. She was definitely not ready to sleep with Katherine. “We get some say in that, right?”
“Oh yeah. Nothing happens here if you don’t want it to. Guess it would be awkward with you and Katherine since she’s kind of your boss, right?”
“She’s more of a client. I’m an independent contractor.”
“Well, there’ll be plenty of other people, so don’t worry.”
Unfortunately, her mind was stuck on one stranger. Emily walked past Shay and into the room, thankful the curtains were drawn and the light was muted. She pulled back the shade and glanced out at the gathering darkness. She couldn’t help wondering what Alex was doing tonight.
She let go of the curtain and eyed the rest of the room. Whoever had furnished the place had travelers in mind. Along with a luggage rack there was a nondescript dresser, a writing desk and chair, and a king-size bed. A hotel room had about the same amount of personality, but maybe that was for the best. Maybe she could pretend to be someone else in a space where nothing was familiar or even notable. She’d forget the room, maybe even forget herself.
She glanced again at the bed and envisioned pushing the covers back to welcome a lover. The thought of making the mattress bounce promptly made her feel ridiculous. One thing was certain—if she had any sex at all this weekend, it was going to be awkward at first. Hopefully she’d get over the awkward part and have fun too.
Shay hefted Emily’s suitcase onto the luggage rack. “Did you get the email with the revised schedule?”
“I did. I’m still getting used to the idea of a schedule for a sex weekend.” Emily pictured a line of women conferring over their phones about their rendezvous points.
“You know Katherine. She’s a planner. The first fantasy weekend I went to was at her place in Nice. Everything was timed down to the hour. Everything.” Shay grinned. “But there’s only nine of us this time. We’ll have dinner together tomorrow and you’ll meet everyone. The hat thing’s after dessert. You know about the hat thing, right?”
Shay hesitated for about a second and then continued. “It’s my favorite part. You write your fantasy down and put it in the hat. Then Katherine picks which fantasies happen, and you get paired off. Unless you want a threesome, of course.”
“And the sex part happens right away?”
“Well, you have until Monday night, but most people don’t want to wait. If there’s planning involved or you want costumes, you might have to set up a different time.” Shay paused. “You look worried.”
“Maybe a little.” Or a lot.
“It’s your first time. That’s normal. But I promise you’ll have a blast. Everyone here is amazing. In bed and out.”
That was definitely part of the problem. Everyone was probably a pro where sex was concerned. At least Shay wasn’t intimidating. They looked like they were in their mid-twenties but even so likely had several years’ more experience than Emily where sex was concerned.
“Any rules I should know about? Since it’s my first time, I don’t want to step on any toes.”
“Not really. Well, the big rule is consent. Especially if you end up in Katherine’s room.”
“Why?”
“Think floggers and spreader bars. Spanking boxes. You know.”
Emily definitely did not know, but she nodded anyway.
“Course not everyone’s into that sort of stuff, but if you like kink, definitely check it out. There’s also a room down in the basement that has all that and more—everyone calls it the private room but anyone can use it. By the way, Katherine’s meticulous about cleaning the toys. She’s got a whole system, so make sure you put everything back in the right place when you’re done.” At Emily’s questioning look, Shay quickly added, “The system’s easy to figure out. You’ll see the signs. And, I should also say, if you get into a situation and need a way out, don’t be shy about speaking up. Like I said, consent is huge around here.”
About a hundred thoughts popped into Emily’s mind all at once. She didn’t want to seem like a total novice, but her experience with BDSM was limited to books. As much as it turned her on to think of trying some of things she’d read about, real life was different.
“What sort of fantasies do people usually put into the hat?”
“I wouldn’t say there’s anything usual. That’s what makes it fun. There’s always a little kink but plenty of other stuff too. I’m into role-play. Give me costumes and props any day.”
“What sort of role-play?”
“Last time I went for pirates. Swashbuckling, you know?” Shay made a slash with a pretend sword and grinned. “I wanted costumes to make it more real, so I met with Nicola—she’s the one who volunteered to do it with me—and we talked about that part beforehand. We sorted out what we were going to wear and the scene that morning over coffee.”
“That sounds fun.” Even if Emily couldn’t see herself having sex in a costume, it sounded less intimidating than a spreader bar.
“Right? Nicola totally got into the role. The sex was hot, but you can’t take yourself too seriously when you’re shouting ‘Arrr!’ all the time.” Shay laughed. Their phone buzzed and they quickly glanced at the screen. “And look who’s here.”
Shay held up their phone with the image of Katherine’s front porch. An attractive black woman with big sunglasses and a puffy pink parka raised her hand to knock on the door. “Meet Nicola. Not only is she hot as hell, she’s got an amazing British accent.”
Shay pressed a button and spoke into their phone. “Hey, Nicola. I’m on my way.” They looked up at Emily. “Since dinner tonight’s canceled, I’m thinking of having pizza and salad delivered for the four of us who made it. Sound good to you?”
Emily nodded. Perfect, in fact. A pizza party with three strangers—two of whom liked to dress up as pirates and have silly sex games—sounded way less daunting than what sprang to mind at the mention of floggers and spanking boxes. Maybe she wasn’t completely out of her league.
Chapter Seven
Twelve hours after promising to lie down for only a minute, Alex woke to her phone buzzing on the nightstand. She pushed back the covers, fumbling for the phone as a blast of cold air assaulted her chest.
After unsuccessfully trying to turn off the alarm, she realized the buzzing was from a text. A series of texts, in fact. All from Katherine. She squinted at the words and then gave up, deciding she needed water first. Her mouth felt like she’d been chewing on cotton balls all night.
Once she’d downed a glass of water and brushed her teeth, her belly grumbled, reminding her t
hat last night’s dinner had only been a cookie. Considering that she’d had pie and fries for lunch, yesterday’s whole food day was a bit of a loss. She rubbed her eyes, grimaced at her reflection, and then went back to bed to read Katherine’s texts.
Most of the texts had actually been sent the night before but she’d slept through all of those. This morning’s text was simple: Skiing today?
Alex ran her hand through her hair and settled back on the pillows. Among the texts from last night was an invitation for Alex to join a foursome in progress in Katherine’s room, then a rundown of who was there and what was happening. She yawned, wondering if something was wrong with her that she didn’t regret missing the foursome, then went back to the last text and typed a reply. Skiing she’d always say yes to, and after yesterday she needed some exercise.
Hopefully the sunshine would kick the fog of jetlag, and even if moving anywhere fast sounded like a bad idea now, she knew she’d thank herself later. She added that she’d meet Katherine at the ski lodge, and then ran through all of her missed texts one last time.
She hoped that somewhere between all the notes from Katherine she’d find a text from Emily, but in her gut she knew Emily wouldn’t be reaching out to her. Still, she’d hold out hope for the rest of the day. Emily had said she was only in town for a few days, so if by the evening she hadn’t sent any note, Alex would take that as her answer. Chances were good she was already enjoying the company of whoever she’d come to Aspen to meet. As much as Alex wanted to send a text anyway, she didn’t want to be pushy and she definitely didn’t want to mess anything up for Emily.
* * *
Emily roused herself awake. Light filtered in through the blinds, and from the sound of voices in the hall, she knew others were awake. As much as she wanted to spend another hour in bed, she pushed herself to get up. Being sociable was the least she could do.
After dinner last night, she’d opted out of dessert and drinks and gone to bed early. It wasn’t because she didn’t like the company. Nicola, Lara, and Shay were all perfectly sociable and welcoming, but the day had caught up with her and she wanted some time alone to decide whether or not she’d try texting Alex. The what-ifs that might follow said text consumed more of her thoughts than worries about the sex party.
Once she’d showered and dressed, she stepped out of her room. Across the hall from her, one of the bedroom doors was open. She noticed an overturned suitcase and clothes spread out across the room, but the bed itself was still carefully made. She guessed that whoever’s room it was had slept somewhere else, then wondered how much she’d missed going to bed early.
She headed downstairs, thinking of coffee. Shay had mentioned a well-stocked kitchen but she hadn’t actually seen it last night. In fact, she hadn’t seen much of the house aside from her room and the dining area where she’d been with the others.
From the foyer, the house split in two directions. On one side was a living room, a bar, and a rec room with a pool table. On the other side was the den, the formal dining area, and, she’d been told, the kitchen. She started down that direction and then paused at the entrance to the den. French doors led out to a courtyard. Someone had shoveled a path through the snow to a hot tub sheltered by a handful of snowy evergreens.
“The hot tub’s clothing optional,” Nicola said, coming up behind Emily. “I tested the temperature first thing this morning. Quite nice.” She smiled. “But I recommend sandals for the path. It’s nippy out there. And, good morning.”
“Morning.” Emily smiled back.
Nicola was slender and tall like a model. And entirely stunning. Her accent made her seem like royalty, but she’d said last night that she was a CFO or CEO—Emily couldn’t recall which—of some corporation in London. How Emily had landed at the same party as someone like her was a mystery.
“Want to join me for breakfast? We’re the only two home at the moment. Shay went to pick up Ava from the airport and the others are all skiing.”
“I’d love to.”
They passed through the dining room and Nicola continued. “Ava’s also a virgin. A sex party virgin,” she quickly corrected. “Katherine makes sure there’s at least two of you.”
Emily was relieved to know that she wouldn’t be the only one who was new, even if the others were going to refer to them as virgins. Shay had dropped the word last night, and Emily had cringed but tried not to show it.
As soon as they reached the kitchen, Emily stopped in her tracks. With the skylights overhead and the bank of windows, the space managed to feel both warm and inviting but also airy and light. It was the view, however, that took the cake. A circle of snow, probably covering a lawn area, was surrounded with bare-branched aspen, and beyond this the yard sloped down toward the river. Snow-covered mountains towered in the near distance.
“Wow.”
Nicola looked back at her. “Lovely, isn’t it?”
“I think I’ll move in. I’m sure it’s in my price range,” Emily joked. She was used to nice kitchens. Despite the fact that none of her clients liked to cook, they all had gorgeous kitchens. But this view was over the top.
A brown shape moved between the aspen trees, and a moment later she realized it was an elk. Nicola noticed it too, and they both watched as the huge animal ambled its way down to the river. When it lowered its head for a drink, two little brown birds jetted out of a nearby brush. The elk didn’t pay the birds any attention, calmly taking its fill from the icy brink. The elk looked back at the house as if it knew it had an audience, then flicked its short tail.
“I had my doubts, but I have to admit Aspen is beautiful.” Especially if you’re rich and can afford a place like this, Emily added silently. She turned back to survey the rest of the kitchen. “I could spend all day right here.”
“I don’t blame you and I don’t even cook. Katherine mentioned you’re a chef.”
“I am, though I’m happy to have a break from cooking this weekend. But with a kitchen like this I might have trouble completely holding back.”
“No one will mind if you break down and bake something. Especially if there’s chocolate involved.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Maybe if she didn’t meet anyone she wanted to have sex with, she’d drown her sorrows here. In a pan of brownies. It didn’t sound awful.
“How do you feel about a spa date?” Nicola asked. “I thought all of us who aren’t skiing might go for massages and pedicures. Shay’s talking to Ava about it too.”
“Shay’s getting a pedicure?”
“I can be persuasive.”
Emily didn’t doubt Nicola’s persuasive abilities one bit. “That sounds really nice.” But probably way too expensive. She hesitated, then decided she couldn’t hold back from everything. She had saved up some money for the trip, and other than yesterday’s lunch with Alex, she hadn’t spent anything yet. “I’d love to. Maybe afterward I’ll whip up some brownies.”
“Careful. Katherine might convince you to move in,” Nicola teased.
“With this kitchen, I might say yes.”
“I’m sure she’d happily let you stay in exchange for cooking. Among other things.” Nicola raised her eyebrows, a smile dancing on her lips. “Katherine doesn’t offer anything without conditions, as I’m sure you know.”
Nicola’s tone continued the joke, but Emily couldn’t ignore her subtle warning. Shay’s comment about Katherine sleeping in everyone’s bed was still on her mind as well. By accepting the invitation to Aspen, had she unintentionally agreed to an unspoken quid pro quo? Emily dismissed the question as soon as it occurred to her. Worrying about an expectation that she’d have sex with Katherine was ridiculous. Considering the number of women she’d seen come through Katherine’s house, there was no shortage of volunteers eager to satisfy her. She didn’t need to manipulate anyone, or any situation, to get laid.
“This house is beautiful, and so is Aspen. But I like being an independent contractor.”
“I don’t like to be tie
d down either. Literally or figuratively.” Nicola seemed to consider her words and then added, “Although depending on who’s holding the rope…”
Emily laughed. She liked Nicola’s directness and considered admitting to her that she’d never been tied up herself. Then again, there was a lot she hadn’t done.
“It’s been a while since I’ve had sex.” Emily regretted speaking up almost as soon as the words were out of her mouth but forced herself to push on. “I’m not sure if I’ll be any good at regular sex, let alone…” Her voice trailed off as she searched for what to say that wouldn’t make her seem even more naïve.
“Let alone kink?” Nicola guessed.
“That. Yes.” Emily paused, gathering courage. She wished she didn’t feel nervous talking about sex. “I want to try new things but I’m not sure what I’ll like, and it’s probably silly but I’m worried I’m not good enough at the basics to be here at all.”
“Definitely silly. But I understand.” Nicola opened a cupboard and got out two coffee mugs. “You want to find someone you feel comfortable with. Then only do what feels right. Don’t push yourself too far the first time.”
First time. As if sex parties were going to be a regular thing. “Thanks for the advice. I might have more questions later.”
“Give me a minute to get our tea, and you can ask away.”
Chapter Eight
Alex slid off the lift then angled around a clump of snowboarders. Madison and Katherine hadn’t waited for her, but she thought she might be able to catch up to them anyway. If she didn’t, they’d already planned to meet at the lodge after the last run of the day and she’d see them there. She’d considered asking them for advice on whether or not she should call Emily.
Over breakfast at the lodge that morning, she’d mentioned that she’d met someone the day before. Despite Madison’s eager questions and even Katherine’s “Do tell,” she’d only shared an abbreviated version, promising a full rundown later. They’d wanted to get an early start on the mountain and the line for the gondola had been long. But aside from the twenty minutes they’d shared that morning, she’d been alone with her thoughts. And throughout all the day’s runs, one question had stubbornly bounced back and forth in her mind: Was everything with Emily only a chance meeting that she should let go of? Or was the universe trying to tell her something?
One Weekend in Aspen Page 6