by Frost, E J
The restaurant has set up three big tables, which will seat all of us, even though we might be a little elbow-to-elbow. The patio’s clearly not used for dining often and I can understand why: it has no view except of a huge dumpster on one side and a high fence on the others. They’ve made an effort, though, putting a screen covered with plastic ivy in front of the dumpster. I appreciate the effort and smile at the server as Daddy seats me and takes his place at my side.
We’re at long picnic tables, so there’s no “head” of the table, but of course Master Javier seats himself at the end of one and as soon as the server has taken our orders and brought us pitchers of water with ice and lemon, Javier stands and taps his spoon on his glass for attention. Sixteen pairs of eyes turn to him.
“Ladies, gentlemen, opponents.” Javier inclines his smooth, bald head at Niall, Warrin and Daddy’s friend Mac. “On the remote chance that I don’t have another opportunity to do this, I’d like to give my warmest congratulations to Logan and Emily. Logan, I’ve known you since you a baby Dom who barely knew how to use a flogger.”
Daddy snorts. He was already well-trained as a Dom before he joined Blunts, but Master Javier continues without more than a wry twist to his mouth.
“I’ve watched you grow to become a Dom I truly respect and admire and I barely say that about anyone. Ever.” There are guffaws from the club members. “I’ll admit that I was surprised when you turned your hand to being a daddy, but seeing you with Emily, I can’t think of anyone I’d trust more with the care of a little.” Javier salutes Daddy with his water glass and Daddy nods as everyone claps. “Emily, I’ve only known you for a few months, but you’ve become one of my favorite people in the world. When your daddy was injured, your bravery humbled me and reminded me that submissives are the strongest people I know. I told you then that if anything happened to your daddy, I would make sure you were taken care of. I’ll always honor that promise, but don’t think there’s a Dom or Domme at Blunts who wouldn’t now. You’re part of our family and we wouldn’t ever let you leave. That’s a threat as well as a promise.”
He grins, showing his strong, white teeth, despite his nicotine addiction, and everyone laughs, including me.
“So, raise your glass to Logan and Emily. Thank you for allowing us to crash what I know was intended to be a small, private ceremony.” Javier’s grin widens as Daddy shakes his head in chagrin. “It was never going to happen, my friend. Enjoy the love of your kinky family on this very special weekend. À votre santé.”
There’s a chorus of “congratulations,” “cheers,” and “sláinte” from our friends. Daddy leans in to press a kiss to my flaming cheek and I smile at him despite the icky, shrinking feeling I always get from being the center of so much attention.
After Javier sits down, Daddy’s friend Mac, who just got out of the Navy, stands. He’s sitting next to Niall and I’ve noticed they’ve had their heads together several times today. Are they plotting to gang up on Javier and Warrin in this silly contest? It would serve Master Javier right, but I’d hate for them to bully Warrin.
Mac sweeps the group with his intensely blue eyes. Although he’s probably fifteen years older than Daddy, he radiates energy. I’ve heard the Blunts subs giggling over another of the masters, Bull, who reputedly has an eleven-inch penis. I haven’t seen it myself, although I might get to this weekend since he’ll be here, but several of them claim to have sneakily measured it during scenes. Whatever his length, Master Bull definitely has big dick energy, and so does Master Mac.
“I won’t try to top that,” Master Mac says, tipping his head to Javier. “Although I’ve known Logan since before he was a baby Dom.” There are chuckles all around at Mac one-upping Javier and I can see this is how the whole weekend is going to go. I’m really glad Niall and Mac are taking Daddy out after the tea party tomorrow night so they can work out all the testosterone between themselves. “Seriously, son, I’ve seen you at every stage of this journey and I couldn’t be prouder of the man and Dom you’ve become. I don’t believe this is the end of your journey, just the start of a new chapter, with the best little companion I can think of.” Mac lifts his water glass to me and my cheeks heat again. “To Emily and Logan.”
Everyone toasts us again and I feel like my cheeks are going to explode. I had no idea that so many people coming to my collaring meant I’d be the focus of so much attention. I squirm and Daddy, sensing my discomfort the way he always does, puts his arm around me. When Mac sits down, Daddy taps his own water glass but doesn’t stand.
“Thank you, gentlemen,” Daddy says with a wry lift in his voice. I’m not sure what Master Mac is like as a top, but Master Javier is anything but gentle, so I totally get the joke. “I’m sure Niall and Warrin will want their two pence but let’s save it for dinner. How about those Yankees, huh?”
Everyone laughs and breaks into smaller conversations and I lean into Daddy. “Ta, Daddy,” I whisper.
“You’re welcome, my baby. I’ll put you in a light trance before dinner tonight if you’re finding this overwhelming.”
“Can I try to be okay with it and if I’m struggling, I’ll say trance? I don’t want to miss anything about this weekend and being in a trance makes everything misty and distant.”
“Of course, sweetheart. That’s my brave girl.”
“Ta, Daddy. ILY.”
“ILY, too—” Daddy breaks off as three servers start setting down trays in the middle of the table. We ordered six appetizers and six mains for each table to share as well as individual salads for anyone who wanted one, which I did after the hearty breakfast. “Want to try some poutine, little girl?”
Aware that it’s not the heathiest food, I nod but pinch the air with two fingers. Daddy makes a plate for me with a little pile of poutine, some of the octopus salad Piper said was one of the best dishes, and two slices of “dry rub” steak. I transfer a little of my salad to Daddy’s plate so he’s getting some greens and set in to enjoy everything. Daddy and I talked a lot about my diet before we left the City. I’m not calorie-counting this weekend. I’m not worried about his cholesterol. I’m just enjoying everything. And there’s a ton to enjoy. Everything’s tasty, from the Caesar salad to the poutine’s cheesy goodness to the meltingly tender steak. When I’m full, I lean against Daddy’s side while he finishes his meal and let the conversation wash over me. Niall, Harry, Warrin, and Dana are comparing under and overhand flogging techniques. Aggie’s admiring Vashi’s intricate henna. Javier and Maude are arguing over who is getting the check. Daisy’s regaling Mac, Jiro, Laurel, and Piper with a story about food poisoning on the set of the last movie she made and they’re all laughing.
I roll my head on Daddy’s shoulder so I can look up at him and find him smiling back at me. “Had enough to eat, baby doll?”
“Yes, Daddy. It was really good.”
“Martin didn’t steer us wrong. Did Niall tell you about the ghost this morning?”
I feel my eyes widen. “You saw Molly?”
“We saw something. We got separated while we were walking the maze. Mac and Harry went one way. Niall and I went the other. I turned a corner and all of a sudden, I was alone. I couldn’t see anyone. A cloud passed over the sun and it got very dark in the maze. I thought I saw something pale moving up ahead, so I followed it. A couple more turns and I reached the center of the maze where there’s a sundial. I sat down to wait for the others and I heard Niall shout. I followed his voice and found him in the opposite direction, so it couldn’t have been him I saw moving. Mac and Harry said they turned around and left the maze when they got stuck in a dead end, so it couldn’t have been them. Normally, I’d say it was Mac pulling my leg because he was the worst prankster in the unit, but Harry was with him, so I don’t think it was him. As we were walking back, Niall told me the same thing happened to him. I disappeared and he saw something moving so he followed it, thinking it was me. Then what he was following disappeared into a hedge, so he shouted, and I found him.”
“Molly’s ghost,” I breathe, enchanted at the idea of a subbie ghost leading Doms on a wild goose chase through the maze. “I’m totally putting that in my story.”
“I thought in your story Molly and Teddy get their happy ever after?”
“They do. But they could still walk the grounds of the inn they loved so much, together in eternity.”
Daddy smiles. “That’s a good ending.”
“Did you tell Martyn you saw Molly’s ghost?”
“I did. He has a book of Molly sightings and I wrote it down in there. So did Niall. Did Martyn show you the book?”
“No.” But now I know what I’m doing as soon as I get back to the inn. “That’s so cool, Daddy.”
He tips his head to avoid the brim of my hat and kisses the tip of my nose. “To me, what’s cool is listening to you create a story about it.”
“Ta, Daddy. Can I know the secret of the maze or do you want me wandering around?”
“I definitely don’t want you wandering around. The secret of the maze is it’s a left-hand maze instead of a right-hand maze. Most mazes can be solved if you put your right hand on a wall and follow it until you find the way out. This maze has only dead ends to the right.”
I peer at him. “I’m having trouble visualizing that.”
“If you have a pen, I’ll draw it for you.”
“Pens clash with my cool, Victorian fairy mojo.” I didn’t even bring a bag with me, just the teddy bear that’s currently on Piper’s lap.
Daddy chuckles. “I’ll show you back at the inn. Martyn has a sneaky map for dungeon monitors.”
“Okay, Daddy, but now I know I can get out just by following the left wall.”
“Mm-hmm. I don’t want you to ever feel lost or trapped, sweetie. Not even for a minute in a scene. I think there will be enough confusion tonight with people running around.”
Remembering the big scenes we’ve done, both on the cruise and at Blunts, all of which had some element of chaos, I nod. “Maybe everyone should know the secret of the maze?”
Daddy nods. “I think that might be safer. It’s easy to get confused and turned around even knowing the secret.”
I wrap my arm around his middle and hug him, not too hard because he just ate. “I love how you always think about everyone’s safety first, Daddy.”
“Isn’t that what daddies do?”
I smile up at him and nod. My forever-daddy does.
* * *
When we return to the inn, I pounce on Martyn, who is checking in the last arrivals: Brenna, Fleur, and Cappa. Brenna is even more chipmunk-faced in person and owl-eyed on painkillers to boot, but she goes crazy over my outfit and immediately tosses her luggage for her tablet and digital pencil so she can sketch me. Martin quickly finishes what he’s doing and takes us into the bar where he says the best light is at this time of day. I end up in a huge leather chair with the equally huge, leather-bound book of Molly sightings in my lap, facing Brenna so she can draw me, while I read to a crowd of subbies and Mistress Maude. There are over a hundred entries and this is just the sightings book for this year.
Daddy’s and Niall’s sightings are unusual in that they saw Molly. Most people just hear whispers and feel a cold but not frightening sensation. There are also lots of reports of white or greenish lights moving around near the maze or on the widow’s walk that rings the floor above our suite. A few people report objects moving around mysteriously, and one guest kept finding his bathroom door open, although he was sure he closed it. Even in this, though, Molly was helpful rather than harmful as Martyn’s noted that guest over-imbibed and needed the toilet on an emergency basis, which makes me giggle.
When my throat gets dry from reading, I pass the book to Laurel, who is sitting to my right. She reads a few entries before passing the book to Aggie, and it becomes a round robin. Vashi’s the first to read in an accent, mimicking Niall’s brogue so perfectly I’d swear he was doing the reading except her voice is an octave higher. Maude’s next, speaking in an Australian accent I had no idea she could do. Fleur, one of the nightclub subs and someone I’ve always been a little afraid of because of how beautiful and aloof she is, is the last to read and she does an amazing gangster accent, straight out of The Godfather and Untouchables. She even finishes with “capiche?” which makes everyone crack up.
When I hear deeper, masculine laughter echoing the subbies’, I glance over the wing of my chair and find Daddy, Niall, and Warrin standing near the door, watching us with big smiles. I hop up and patter over to Daddy.
“Wasn’t that good?”
“Excellent.” Daddy gives Fleur a big wink. “Luisa and her husband have checked in to their hotel and are wondering if they can come over before dinner. Would you like to meet them now or would you rather spend this afternoon with your friends?”
A little knot of butterflies gathers in my tummy. I twist my hands together. “What do you think, Daddy?”
“I think either is fine, sweetie. Luisa and Vic can find ways to amuse themselves this afternoon if you’d rather spend some time catching up with the people who are here already.”
While I’m debating, a warm weight slides across my shoulders and I tip my head to look into brown eyes framed by a fall of sapphire dreadlocks. “Doan make ‘em miss th’ fun,” Brenna mumbles around a wad of gauze. She gives me a big wink.
I haven’t mentioned to her that I’m a little nervous about meeting Daddy’s former sub. I mean, the last two I met didn’t turn out all that well. But Daddy says Luisa is as different from Miranda and Rachel as night and day. Also, I know Brenna’s met Luisa since Daddy brought Luisa to the club many times when they were dating. If Brenna’s not intimidated by Luisa, then I don’t need to be, either. And I don’t want to cut a fellow subbie out of the fun, either.
“Please invite them here whenever they’re ready, Daddy.”
He gives me a big, approving smile that says he would have supported whatever I decided, but he’s proud of me for making the braver choice.
As Brenna leads me back to my chair, Martyn appears, wheeling an antique-looking rattan cart. Both tiers of the cart are covered with pots of tea, blue-patterned teacups, and plates of little cakes. Martyn waves off my objections that he’s going to too much trouble and arranges tables so that everyone has tea and cakes to hand. Even Mistress Maude looks impressed. Poor Piper is utterly starry-eyed when Martyn whisks off to collect a tiny tea set with a teddy bears on the cups that he places in front of her with a flourish and a smile, after he sees her with Professor Teddington in her lap.
I nearly burst into tears when Daddy brings me Peter Aloha Bunny and Piper passes me a teddy teacup for Peter Aloha Bunny.
That is, of course, how Luisa finds us when she walks through the door a few minutes later. I don’t have any expectations—except that she’ll be gorgeous because all of Daddy’s exes are—and I haven’t seen any pictures of her because Daddy hasn’t been one for taking pictures of his subbies until he met me.
I do not expect a 1940s pin-up girl to walk into the bar on the arm of man wearing a full Lindy Hop suit, from flat cap to orange and brown Derbys. The Eartha Kitt lookalike walks straight to Daddy, who gives her a warm hug. She steps back without even mussing her Victory rolls and her Dom steps forward to shake Daddy’s hand. Daddy leads them over to where I’m sitting with my more-than-gently-loved bunny in my lap, trying to swallow a strawberry tartlet that’s turned to ash in my mouth.
“Luisa, Vic, this is my fiancée, Emily,” Daddy says.
I start to rise but Luisa waves me back into my chair, bends over at a perfect right angle, and hugs me in a cloud of Dior. “It’s great to meet you,” she says. “Thank you so much for letting us crash your collaring.”
“Thank you for coming,” I manage to choke around the tartlet.
“Here, Luisa,” Laurel says, sliding out of her chair and onto the floor near my feet. “Have my chair. Emily was just going to braid my hair.”
I was?
�
�Oh, thank you,” Luisa says, settling into the vacated chair and smoothing the skirts of her polka-dotted, halter dress around her. Her Dom touches her shoulder and when she turns her face up to him, kisses her cheek, before he disappears with Daddy, Niall, and Warrin.
Laurel holds up a palm with a little collection of clear hair ties like we really were planning on braiding her hair—maybe she actually was?—which I take and put on the nearest table while Laurel gets comfortable between my knees. I finger-comb her brilliant crest, separate out three strands, and start a French braid.
“Your hair is stunning,” Luisa says to Laurel.
“Thank you,” Laurel says as quiet conversation starts around us. “So is yours. How many hours do those rolls take you?”
Luisa pats at a sweep of gleaming, jet-black hair. “Oh, no, once you get the hang of rolling them up, it doesn’t take long at all. Vic takes longer gelling all of his into submission. He has corkscrew curls when it’s not slicked down within an inch of its life.”
We exchange a laugh that’s only a little awkward.
“Luisa, would you like a drink? There’s plenty of tea.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Mistress Maude, who was talking to Fleur, does the honors and Luisa blows into the gently steaming cup before taking a sip. Thinking of how Daddy always tests the temperature of my tea before letting me drink it makes me smile at the top of Laurel’s head as I start on the next braid. Thinking of how many times Daddy had sex with the woman sitting to my right dims my smile a little. Then I remember that Luisa’s Dom must feel the same way and he was still a big enough person to bring his wife to celebrate with her ex. If he can be that generous, corkscrew curls and all, so can I.
“Luisa, Daddy said you moved to California, but I don’t remember where?”
“Bay area,” she responds. “I wasn’t sure if I could get used to San Francisco after living in New York for so long, but I actually love it. I’m so glad I was the one who ended up relocating. Vic would have been miserable in New York. He’d have weathered one winter and fled back west.”