by Avery Gale
Cressi was shocked by his candor and all she could manage was a quick nod. He smiled and she let out a breath she hadn’t even realized she was holding. She’d been reading about D/s relationships for a long time and the importance of open, honest communication was a recurring theme, and thinking back on that now, it seemed reasonable it should work both ways. But in Cressi’s experience, the more a group preached the importance of communication, the less likely they were to actually follow through.
Tristan’s voice broke through her musings, “Let’s return to the subject at hand, shall we? Now, pay close attention to both cards. You only need to show up at both appointments and tell the receptionists your name—everything else has been taken care of, including the fees.” When she started to speak she was sure she heard him growl. “The second appointment is at the medical clinic the club frequently sends prospective members to, the staff knows exactly what we’ll require of them and they will forward a copy the report to me.” Again she opened her mouth to speak and he simply raised a hand to silence her. “This is a non-negotiable rule at The Knight’s Club, Cressida. No one is accepted for membership without a clean bill of health, and members who are not in committed, exclusive relationships must submit to quarterly blood tests and have the results forwarded to the club—so you are not being singled out. Your Doms will also be getting tested and they will show you copies of those reports.”
Her head was spinning, this was far more complicated than she’d anticipated. It had obviously been very naïve of her to assume she’d simply get some sort of card she would present at the door. Cressi had envisioned herself wearing something skimpy but not too revealing and meandering around the club’s main room to check out the action. When she looked down at the cards and noted the times, she flinched, “I can’t go to these appointments—they’re during work hours. I—well, I can’t ask my bosses to let me off work for this, it wouldn’t be fair to them.” There wasn’t any way she would admit to this man that two of his best friends were the only Doms she was interested in working with. Just thinking about admitting her lack of sexual experience to Law or Brodie almost sent her running back to D.C. where she could spend years hiding from her desires and become the spinster her father had predicted she’d become.
Admit it, the only reason you agreed to this arrangement is because you want them to be impressed with what a wonderful sub you are and claim you for their own. Sure it was a grown up version of a childish dream tantamount to princes riding in on white steeds to rescue the fair maiden…but it was the truth nonetheless. Good Lord, even thinking about it sounded corny, she couldn’t even imagine how awful it would sound if she was forced to voice it to a man as cultured as Tristan Harris. Right now her focus needed to remain on exploring her own desires—there was no reason to dream about an outcome so remote it was almost laughable. But Cressi was holding out hope that she would finally know one way or another if the reality of a D/s relationship was as hot as her fantasies.
Chapter Five
Lawton stared utterly speechless at the email he’d just received. Tristan had forwarded a copy of Cressida’s medical report, and after all the usual statements verifying she was clean and protected from pregnancy, the physician who’d examined her had made a handwritten notation Law wouldn’t have believed if he didn’t know Dr. Phillips personally. The Domme knew the importance of the information she’d uncovered during her interview with Cressida so she’d made a cryptic note requesting Tristan pass it along. His friend had highlighted the note and written “If you two want out of this I can find someone else.” What the hell?
He’d no sooner picked up the phone to call Brodie when the door of his office burst open and the man he’d been ready to call stormed in. “Did you see this?” Brodie was waving a crumbled up piece of paper, his eyes wide with the same disbelief Law was feeling, but there was also something else in his friend’s expression. “I can’t fucking believe it. How does a woman as amazing as Cressida Walker manage to stay a virgin this long? This just proves what I’ve been telling you for years—Washington D.C. is full of idiots, although I will admit, even I have underestimated their capacity for stupidity. Hell, I thought there was a lot more sucking and fucking going on down there than this indicates, who knew? After all, we are the only country I know of who brought impeachment proceedings against their leader for a blowjob.” Law watched as Brodie continued pacing and waving the crinkled paper in his hand, “And what the fuck is Tristan thinking? I’m telling you—the man has a royal scepter up his ass sometimes. Pun intended. I’m starting to wonder if he isn’t losing all the American crass we’ve spent years pounding in to him.”
Law couldn’t hold back his laughter any longer, “Damn, I’m glad Cressida isn’t here—that tirade would have cost you a small fortune.” The woman they intended to have between them in the very near future had been horrified by what she’d termed their blatantly unprofessional language. She’d started levying fines for cursing not long after she’d come on board, they hadn’t been able to come up with a valid argument against her complaint, and since money wasn’t an issue they’d gone along with it. All of Templar’s employees had been subject to the ban on “inappropriate language”, but she’d certainly focused on the two men she worked for. Everyone who’d been caught made an increasingly significant contribution to what became known as the Chivalry Jar because Cressida had continually reminded them if they named their business after the elite group of knights, they were obligated to honor the group’s Code of Chivalry with its numerous references to manners and respect. Law had to admit, cleaning up his everyday language had indeed made it easier to remember to keep in clean in public but there had been times that first year all four partners had sworn she was making enough money on the side to fund a third world country. Later they’d learned she’d been donating the money to a nearby after-school program, so they’d added the small group to the list of charities Templar regularly supported.
Brodie finally dropped into one of the chairs facing Law’s desk and shook his head, “I’m grateful for the information, but at the same time I almost wish we didn’t know.” His friend’s voice had a note of hesitance in it that Law hadn’t heard often. He agreed with Brodie, but he didn’t think they’d landed on the same page for the same reasons.
“Explain.”
“I’m not sure we’ll be able to set it aside and give her the experience she is looking for.”
“Considering what we’ve just learned, I don’t think we dare start out as we intend to go. I know that is a guiding principle in D/s relationships, but I think that would be a mistake for a couple of reasons. First, we’re going to have to be careful, she is a lot smaller than we are and I damned well don’t want to hurt her. Every woman deserves to remember the first time a man makes love to her as something special—it should be a treasured memory not one that strikes terror in her heart whenever she thinks back on it. Hell, if it’s awful—why would she want to continue exploring when the only frame of reference she’ll have is pain. She’d probably be packed and headed back to D.C. before dawn if we came at her full force. Fuck, you know as well as I do that we’ve been known to put experienced subs into an orgasmic coma and I don’t want to think about how overwhelming that kind of pleasure might be for her.” Most of all Law didn’t want to do anything that might endanger their chances to make her theirs. The chemistry between the three of them had gotten so intense, Law had known they weren’t going to be able to ignore it much longer—but he also hadn’t expected Cressi would be the one to make the first move.
“Fuck me. I really need to take another look at the limit list she sent back to Tristan. Did you see where she tried to deny us the privilege of providing her wardrobe? I understand and respect her objection—in principle, but she really has no idea how expensive thin strips of silk, leather, and lace can be. And we enjoy shredding whatever our sub is wearing—that expense is probably going to become a line item in our budget if we collar her.” Leave it to Brod
ie to focus on the legal and accounting details when all Law could think about was getting her naked and exploring every square inch of her sweet little body.
“She’s frightened and I understand that because she doesn’t know who is going to be training her.” The look on Brodie’s face was priceless—something between stunned disbelief and abject horror.
“Well, she sure as hell isn’t working with anyone else. She’s ours. She has always been ours.” Law wanted to laugh at his friend’s ferocity, if it had been up to Brodie, they’d have resolved this dilemma long ago. During several late night talks with Parker and Tristan, he and Brodie had talked endlessly to their business partners about their desire to claim Cressida Walker. Both men had repeatedly expressed their concern the entire situation was a sexual harassment lawsuit waiting to happen, and oddly enough it had been Lawton who had agreed while Brodie had shaken his head in denial. “She is incredibly insightful, but she is searching for something and if we don’t show her, someone else will. I see it when I look into her eyes, and Lawton you see it too, I know you do. There is a hunger there, a bone deep belief there is something more out there, she just doesn’t know what it is or where to look for it—but deep in her heart she knows it exists.”
In the end none of their philosophical observations mattered, because Cressida had taken the decision out of their hands when she’d called Tristan. There wasn’t a chance in hell they would let her work with anyone else at The Knight’s Club. And it wasn’t that there weren’t plenty of other Doms who were more than qualified and who would no doubt have been completely on board with a month-long training contract. Some of the world’s wealthiest and most influential people were members and the waiting list read like a who’s who among the up and coming as well. One of the reasons The Knight’s Club memberships were so coveted was because they couldn’t simply be bought. Memberships were incredibly expensive, but all the money in the world was useless if you didn’t make it through the screening process. Even guests were heavily screened, if they were cleared they were only allowed in the most public areas for special events, they were never allowed to play.
Lawton agreed they had no choice if they wanted to make her theirs, the question was could they take it slow enough to keep from scaring her out of their arms.
*****
Brodie watched Lawton closely waiting for him to return his attention to their conversation. He knew his friend would get lost in a mass of schematics, spreadsheets, and strategic plans if he let him brood too long. Damn, he’s going to plan himself into an early grave. But Brodie also knew better than to interrupt him too soon or Law would only hear bits and pieces of the discussion. The man was a brilliant systems designer with a unique gift for predicting market trends in everything from the stock market to real estate to technological advancements, but once he focused on a problem he was all but oblivious to the world around him. And clearly Lawton Hill was focused on making Cressida Walker theirs.
“This whole deal is teetering on the short side of an already tight timeline and we’ll be gone all day tomorrow. We have to finish up the negotiations on the Cell-Tech contract, we already have people in place and ready to go on this project but they need the specs in that contract.” Brodie wanted the deal wrapped up so they could focus on Cressida, he’d already begun putting things in order so they’d all three be able to spend a minimum amount of time in the office during the coming month.
“We can be back by the time she leaves if—”
“No. This is a billion dollar contract. We cannot rush through it.” None of them would ever have to work again once they wrapped this one up. Brodie wasn’t going to bumble through a project that had the potential to benefit so many people in third world countries, not to mention all the designers, techs, and engineers who would be employed for years to come as a result of T.E.G.’s latest brainchild. Law’s gaze drifted over Brodie’s shoulder as if he expected Cressida to come through the door, so Brodie knew it was time to speak up.
“Let’s go by her place this evening and let her know who she is going to be dealing with and make arrangements to take her shopping Saturday morning.” Brodie wasn’t about to waste any more time, the clock was already ticking on their month and he could hardly wait to begin.
The cab ride to the apartment Cressida shared with Carli wasn’t a long one, but Brodie noticed Lawton seemed distracted. Brodie knew before he even spoke what his friend was thinking, and as if to prove the point, Law finally asked, “What if she doesn’t want to work with us? We’re taking a big chance here, we could push her right out of our lives if we aren’t careful.”
“For a man who regularly makes million dollar deals based on hunches, you’re awfully uncertain about taking a chance this time. What if we are exactly who she hoped for? You can’t deny the way she looks at us—and the sexual tension has been growing between us until it practically vibrates when we’re all together.” Brodie wasn’t completely surprised by Lawton’s hesitance, hell, he was worried as well, but he wasn’t about to walk away from this opportunity. After leaving the club they’d hacked her Amazon account, and after looking at the books she’d been reading for the past eighteen months there was little doubt she had more than a passing interest in D/s relationships. Obviously she’d also had at least a basic understanding of the lifestyle and that would help them tremendously. Cressida might not have much sexual experience, but she certainly had a rudimentary understanding what was going to be expected of her, and she’d regularly chosen books about ménage as well.
“There is a big difference between casual interest and the level of trust required to put yourself fully into the hands of another person. And while I’m sure she trusts us on many levels, I doubt jumping in the deep end of the pool with her is a wise decision. If she has any sexual experience at all it’s limited at best, and I’m willing to bet it’s actually far closer to nonexistent.”
“Agreed, but she has obviously grown tired of simply reading about Dominance and submission—do you really want her hooking up with some abusive poser in another club?” Christ, just the thought made Brodie’s blood boil.
“No, but have you ever taken a woman’s virginity? Personally, I’ve always avoided it simply because it implies a level of intimacy—a special bond I had never been comfortable with. But now—with Cressida, the idea gives me pause only because I’m terrified of hurting her. I can’t imagine causing her anything but the sweetest tinges of pain that dance on the edge of mind-melting pleasure.” Brodie was glad they’d arrived at their destination, he was tired of talking the whole thing to death—it was time to act.
Within minutes they were standing at Cressida’s door and suddenly Brodie’s usual bravado and his ability to distance himself emotionally from a problem before him seemed too far out of reach. Nothing had ever challenged his ability to “close a deal” and he wasn’t foolish enough to believe this was anything less than the deal of a lifetime. Nothing had ever pushed his confidence to the very edge until this moment…with this woman.
Chapter Six
Cressida reclined on the sofa staring blankly at the television wondering why she couldn’t seem to focus enough to even follow a simple sitcom. And why is it so blasted hot in here? The skimpy cotton camisole and well-worn boxers she’d put on after her shower were the coolest things she’d been able to find and she still felt like the room had become a stifling sauna. Her dark hair was down, the damp strands beginning to wave as they dried naturally. She’d forgone using a blow dryer to avoid any extra heat, and the thought of standing any longer than necessary made her want to curl up on the bathroom floor to take a nap.
She’d finally eaten a few pieces of fruit and cheese, because she hadn’t been motivated enough to make anything more substantial. It wasn’t that she couldn’t cook, it was more she had never cared enough about it to bother learning. And even though she hadn’t really felt like eating anything at all, she’d known she needed to since she’d missed both breakfast and lunch due to the
appointments Tristan had made for her. The manager of the spa had offered Cressi a tray, but the idea of snacking while having every last hair on the lower half of her body yanked out by its roots hadn’t seemed very appealing but it had been distracting. At least now she could be content knowing her bald-bottomed self had managed to eat something with more nutritional factors than her usual take-out fare.
Her day had been filled with intrusive questions and pain. The doctor she’d seen had seemed competent, and a familiar air of authority surrounded the woman that Cressi hadn’t been able to identify. The young physician had asked more questions in an hour than Cressi’s own doctor had asked—ever. Some of them had been so intrusive, Cressi had hesitated to answer, but in the end she’d quietly confessed the fact she was still a virgin. The woman had simply stared at her for several seconds as if she wasn’t entirely sure she believed her, then she’d simply smiled and said, “I’m sure the Doms Tristan has chosen for you will remedy that in short order. And since I’ve been told you have a spa appointment in less than an hour, I doubt that you’ll feel up to anything that rigorous tonight.” Tonight? Does she really think I’ll find out that quickly who drew the short straw and has to train the newbie? “I don’t know what that thought was, but I’d suggest you banish it quickly before your Masters make an appearance.”