Chapter 10
Judd exhaled loudly, the responsibility weighing heavily on him. On the one hand, he was pleased Jessi had agreed to accept him as Dominant, unusual circumstance though it was. It had been a long time since he’d had what he would call a genuine submissive, and between his conversations with Graham and the time he’s spent with Jessi, he knew she fit the bill.
At the same time, taking on a submissive was a big commitment, in spite of the fact that there would be no sex involved. He wasn’t sure if that made it easier or harder. Caring for a submissive takes time and attention. But ultimately, he’d accepted the challenge the last day he’d spoken with Graham.
If something should happen to me, please take care of Jessi for me. She’ll be lost at first.
Unbidden, a picture popped into his mind...Jessi the first day he’d come to work on the hedges. She had been utterly lost, barely dressed, hair all askew.
She needs to be led. And I need to lead. Judd shook his head. It’s a fucking odd arrangement, but I’m in now.
Alone in the den, Jessi knelt on the Persian rug in front of the mocha leather chair. She tried to ignore the flutter in her stomach as she closed her eyes and forced her breathing to something resembling normal.
Relax, she told herself, blowing out a long slow breath. Her hands she placed on her thighs, palms up, as she’d been taught by her Master.
Is this crazy? Agreeing to submit to a man I hardly know, just because my dead husband thought it would be a good idea? Dammit, empty your mind!
Try as she would, Jessi found that she just couldn’t relax. When she heard the back door open and close, she felt her pulse quicken.
“Come here, Buddy,” she heard Judd say softly. Then she heard the door to the laundry room open and close. Finally, footfalls came closer, stopping at a distance from her.
She tried to relax and clear her mind, but she strained to hear. Why did he stop? What is he doing?
When Judd came into the house, his first order of business was putting Buddy in the laundry room. He left the light on and tossed the puppy a Milkbone before closing the door. Entering the den, his eyes fell on Jessi.
She really is lovely, he considered. He took in her submissive pose, on her knees with her head bowed, her eyes closed. She’d rested her hands on her thighs.
Judd frowned slightly. He hadn’t directed her to do anything in particular with her hands. Not that he’d had a preference. He’d been deliberately vague. Kneel beside the leather chair. It would be important to do things differently from the way Graham had done them. He knew it in his soul.
The first thing had been the honorific. Graham had been Master, Judd would be Sir. Graham had also referred to Jessi as Sparrow. For now, Judd would stick with little one.
He stayed where he was. “You’re doing a nice job, little one. But I want your hands clasped behind you.” Jessi startled at the sound of his voice and looked around at him, eyes wide.
“It’s okay, I didn’t tell you before. But I’m telling you now. Hands clasped behind you and eyes closed, please.”
“I’m sorry, Ma-, Sir,” she murmured as she complied, grasping her hands behind the small of her back and bowing her head forward once again.
Judd felt a satisfied smile creep across his lips. He also felt his cock harden. There was nothing in the world like a woman gifting him with her submission. It was a rush of power and a sense of invulnerability that made him feel like a man. And it had been too long since his last real D/s interaction.
He crossed over to Jessi and leaned close to her ear. “Nicely done, little one. You’re doing so well.” He stood beside her and pulled her head against the outside of his thigh, gently stroking her hair.
“Such a good girl,” he murmured. He felt her lean against him and heard her sigh.
“Oh, little one, it’s been hard, hasn’t it?” He continued to stroke her hair.
“Yes, Sir,” she whispered.
“You’ve had to handle everything on your own, make all the decisions, be gracious to people who babbled like idiots...” He thought of the stupid things people had said to her at the funeral. “And you’ve had no chance to rest your mind. Until now. I’m here, little one. Let it all go.”
Judd felt Jessi begin to tremble. “Tell you what, little one. I’m going to sit, and you will rest your head on my leg.” Judd steadied her to make sure she didn’t fall, and eased himself down into the chair. Then he placed a throw pillow on the floor by his feet. “You may put your knees on the pillow.”
Jessi looked up at him gratefully. “Thank you, Sir.”
“You’re welcome, little one. But you must ask permission to speak.”
Her eyes widened. “I’m sorry, Sir, I didn’t mean to mess up.”
He smiled kindly. “You’re forgiven because you’re still learning. But you did it again.” Jessi pressed her lips together. “Eyes closed. Now rest your head with your face towards my feet.”
She leaned forward placing her head on his left thigh, her face looking away from him. Judd felt her relax as she sighed heavily. “That’s it. Let it all go. Let me carry your worries. I’ve got it under control.” As he murmured to her, he lightly stroked her hair and her back. Her head became heavier, and he wondered if she might have found sub space.
After about fifteen minutes, he quietly called to her. “Are you with me, little one?” She roused groggily and turned to face him. Her eyes were slightly dilated, and she blinked slowly.
He felt an irresistible urge to envelope her, to shield her. “Come to me,” he said.
Judd took her hands and helped her to her feet. “I’m going to hold you for a while.” He pulled her onto his lap, resting her head on his left shoulder and wrapping his right arm around her knees. Jessi sighed deeply and burrowed her face into the crook of his neck.
She was shockingly small. How hadn’t he noticed how small she was? He felt like a valiant protector, and again his cock registered pleasure at the situation. He worried for a moment that Jessi would feel his erection, be alarmed at his body’s response. But she seemed to have retreated once again to a less than completely conscious state.
He held her that way for a long time, gently rocking her, murmuring tender words of comfort. It was nearly midnight when he decided it was time to call it a night.
“Little one, I’m going to put you into bed. Can you wake up enough to tell me which way to go?”
Jessi sniffed. “Upstairs,” she whispered.
Judd smiled and lightly kissed her temple. With surprisingly little effort he stood up with her in his arms and made his way to the stairs. At the top landing, he guessed, turning right and found the master bedroom, the bed messy and unmade.
He shook his head. One of the things we’ll get a handle on.
Gently, he placed Jessi on the bed and pulled up the covers. He sat on the edge of the bed. “Talk to me, little one. I need to know that you’re alright before I leave.”
Her eyes fluttered open. Judd smiled at her kindly. “How was that? Are you okay?”
Jessi smiled sleepily. “It was good. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. We’ll get you trained.” He winked at her. “Now, I’ll be back next Saturday. Your assignment this week is to take better care of yourself. You will get a pedicure before then. And you will make sure that you’re eating properly. I noticed that you didn’t actually eat tonight, by the way.” He arched an eyebrow at her.
She blushed slightly. “Yes, Sir.”
“Okay, Jessi,” he said, leaning over to kiss her forehead, “I’ll lock the door on my way out. And I’ll let Buddy out of the laundry room.”
When he was in the doorway, she quietly called to him. “Judd?” He turned to look at her. “Thank you.”
Chapter 11
Jessi scanned the banquet hall with a practiced eye. She’d spent the better part of the morning getting the table linens and place settings exactly right. The DJ was just beginning to set up in the corner of the room, an
d the giant cake was due to be delivered any time.
Sarah’s son Jason had volunteered to do the flower run, taking his mother’s large SUV to pick up the pink peonies and other things Jessi had ordered from her go-to florist, Antonio. Antonio sold flowers out of a silver panel truck in Palm Beach Gardens, and had the freshest, most beautiful blooms of anyone around. And he always gave Jessi a good deal. She’d do the table arrangements herself, using vases she and Sarah had picked up at an estate sale a couple of years before.
Satisfied that things were under control, she took a bottled water from a cooler on the bar and sank onto a chair to take a short break. Her mind drifted to the previous night. It almost seemed like a strange dream, Judd falling into the pool, burgers across from the lighthouse, Graham’s letter...kneeling at Judd’s feet. She sipped her water and sighed.
It was nice. It really was.
Judd had called that morning before she’d left for the venue. “I just wanted to see how you’re doing,” he’d said. “How do you feel about last night?”
At the time, Jessi had felt her face flush. “I’m good. Last night was fine,” she’d answered shyly. “And...”
“And what, little one,” he’d asked gently.
“Last night was the first good night’s sleep I’ve had since...” she’d been unable to finish the thought.
She’d been able to hear the smile in his voice. “Good. I’m so glad. Now little one, I want to make sure you remember your homework.”
“Yes, Sir. I’m to try to eat better and to get my toes done.”
“No, you will eat better and you will get your toes done.”
Now, in the calm before the storm inside the banquet hall, a slight smile played on Jessi’s lips. Suppose I don’t get my tasks done. Will there be punishment? Surely he doesn’t intend to...
Sarah plopped down in the seat beside Jessi. “Okay, kiddo, the room looks fabulous. The wait staff should be here in the next fifteen minutes. Do you want to be in charge of them or do you want me to do it?”
She smiled at her friend. “I’ve got this, no worries.”
Twenty minutes later, Jessi gathered the ten servers they’d hired for the event, and greeted them. “To those of you who’ve worked with us before, welcome back. For the newbies, I’m Jessi. My partner Sarah and I are Sea Star Celebrations. Thanks for coming today. We like to work with people we’ve worked with before, so assuming tonight goes well, you’ll be invited to come back for future events.” Then she went over the schedule, menu, and table assignments.
“Tonight’s birthday girl has chosen a Cuban menu. There will be appetizers circulating on trays starting at 6:00. The guest of honor is supposed to arrive in a limo around 6:30. Dinner will be served at 7:00. We have roasted chicken and pork, along with two different kinds of plantains and beans and rice. The parents have opted to offer wine and to have a full bar. However,” she looked around the circle meaningfully, “this is a quinceanera so there will be a lot of underage guests. If someone at your table orders liquor and you’re not sure they’re legal, card them. If at that point, they give you a hard time, you come get me and I will deal with them. We’re not having the liability of underage drinking at a party on my watch. Any other questions, see me or Sarah.”
She smiled at the group. “Alright, let’s have a party.”
Following the meeting, Jessi changed into her party ‘uniform’. She checked herself over in the bathroom mirror. Before she left the house that morning, her first impulse had been to grab a nondescript black dress, but recalling Graham’s words, she’d stopped herself, instead choosing a formfitting sheath of eggplant lace. In the ladies’ room, she sighed, shrugging. It was serviceable.
Guests began streaming in around 6:00. On schedule about half an hour later, the birthday girl and her friends arrived in style wearing their long formal gowns. Appetizers and dinner service went smoothly. The DJ played popular music but as Sarah had instructed, he kept the volume low enough to allow for conversation at the tables. Everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time.
Following the dinner service, the music came up and teens crowded the dancefloor. Jessi went to the kitchen to compliment the smooth service and give everyone a short break. The birthday girl wasn’t scheduled to cut the cake for another half hour.
Sarah was organizing the cake area, making sure that plates and flatware were ready. Jessi gave her a nod, and headed out the front door to catch a breath of fresh air.
The night was warm but there was a gentle breeze stirring. A few guests were chatting together on the front sidewalk, and Jessi wandered a few yards further away. She gazed up and wondered at the mostly full moon and the handful of stars overhead. Happy that the night was going well, she sighed contentedly.
Maybe we’ll get a couple of referrals before the night is over.
Jessi watched as a couple returned to the party, holding the door open for a pair of older ladies who appeared to be leaving. She had just decided it was time for her to go back inside when everything suddenly shifted into slow motion. One of the ladies missed the step off the curb and went down hard on the asphalt, her head striking the driveway with a thud.
Without hesitating, Jessi ran toward the fallen woman, leaning over her. “Ma’am, are you alright?”
The woman moaned weakly as her friend stood wringing her hands and whimpering softly. Jessi turned to a man who’d just come out the door. “Call 911! Hurry!” She knelt beside the woman and bent down to look at her face. The woman had definitely hit her head, Jessi had seen it happen. Now a large knot was forming on the woman’s forehead.
“It’s okay, ma’am, it’s going to be alright.” The woman tried to sit up but Jessi stopped her. “Just be still, help is on the way. We don’t want you to hurt yourself further.”
Jessi held the older woman’s hand as the mother of the birthday girl came outside.
“What’s going on? Tia, what happened?”
“Ai, mija, your tia fell off the curb,” the other older woman said.
Jessi smiled reassuringly. “I think she’ll be okay. Help is on the way. Maybe you can both go back inside and relax. I’ll come and let you know what’s happening.”
“Si, tia, you look pale. Come and sit down. I’ll come back out and stay with her,” the mother said. She escorted her aunt inside, and quickly returned. A small crowd started to gather on the front sidewalk.
“Maybe we could get a bag of ice,” Jessi suggested, and a guest raced into the building, soon returning to hand Jessi a small plastic bag of ice. She leaned over and as she gently pressed the ice to the growing knot, the woman moaned again. “It’s alright, hon, help is on the way.”
Even as she said the words, she saw the flashing lights of a bright red fire/rescue truck pulling into the parking lot. “Oh, thank God,” she murmured.
The truck pulled to a stop, and Jessi heard feet scrambling on the pavement and vehicle doors being opened and shut. She kept her eyes on the older lady who seemed to fade in and out of consciousness. “They’re here, it’s going to be okay.”
“What happened here?”
Jessi’s head jerked up at the familiar voice. Judd stood beside the truck dressed in his uniform navy pants and a grey fire/rescue polo that gloved his muscular shoulders. Before she could formulate her thoughts, he spoke.
“Jessi?”
“Hi, Judd,” she said shyly. “I saw the whole thing. She missed the step off the curb and fell pretty hard. I saw her head hit the pavement. I kept her still and we’ve put ice on the lump.”
Judd nodded. “Okay, thanks, we’ll see what we can do. Hello, dear, I’m Judd. It looks like you took quite a spill. Let me just take a look at your head.” Another man came around the truck with a box of equipment.
Jessi backed away from them as they went to work checking the woman’s vitals and speaking into their radios. Sarah came out and stood by Jessi. “I heard we had an accident. How is it going?”
“I don’t know,” Jessi shrugged. �
��It was pretty scary to watch, I’ll tell you. We’ll wait and see what they say.”
“Tell you what, I’m going to get the cake going and hopefully most of these people will go back inside. You don’t need an audience out here,” Sarah said. She turned to the crowd.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the guest of honor will be cutting the cake in just a minute. Come on inside so we can sing to her.” Thankfully, most of the onlookers followed Sarah inside.
One woman, a relative of the injured woman, stayed. “Tia, let them do their job,” she said as the older woman insisted on sitting up.
“Ai, dios mio,” she exclaimed. “I’m just a silly old woman who didn’t watch where she was going. I’m fine. I want to go back to the party.”
Judd, noticing the worried look on Jessi’s face, gave her a quick wink. “I’d feel more comfortable if you’d let us take you to the hospital and have the doctors take a look at you, dear. That was quite a fall.”
“No,” she said defiantly, “I want to go inside.”
Judd looked at his partner and shook his head. The other paramedic spoke softly to the woman in Spanish, but she remained determined to stay at the party.
“We can’t make you go,” Judd sighed. “If you’re staying here, someone needs to keep an eye on you. If you have a concussion, there could be problems later on.”
“Si, I’ll watch her,” said the woman who’d stayed outside with Jessi. “Come on, tia, let’s get you back to your seat.”
Jessi watched as the younger woman helped her aunt back inside the building. Then she turned to Judd. “I’m so sorry you came out here for nothing.”
He smiled his patently kind Judd smile. “It wasn’t for nothing, that lady really hurt herself. I wish she’d let us take her in, but older folks can be stubborn sometimes.” He looked to the other man. “Jessi, this is my partner Alex Gomez. Gomez, this is Jessi Crenshaw.”
Alex flashed a bright white smile. “Nice to meet you, Jessi.” He was dressed in the same uniform as Judd, but he was a bit shorter, with wavy black hair and sparkling brown eyes.
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