by Opal Carew
I’ve got to meet you, Master. Because I want you.
Because I love you?
More information about Their Secret here
# # #
Luscious
A Twilight Teahouse Story
T.J. Michaels
MacKenzie Ivers is a strong personality who submits to one man--her husband, Landon. After ten years of marriage, a nasty divorce, followed by a sweet reconciliation, Mac wants nothing more than for her husband to stop punishing himself for his part in the former "crazy". It’s going to require some conniving and some rope...miles and miles of rope. Luckily, Twilight Teahouse has everything she needs to get this particular rigger back in the saddle.
Copyright 2015 T.J. Michaels
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
About The Author
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Chapter One
“Ms. Ivers, your ten-thirty appointment is here.”
“Thank you, Jolene. I see it on my calendar as a half-hour consultation, but I don’t have any details. Who is it again?”
“It’s a corporation based in Montana. I went ahead and booked it since you’re licensed to do business there.”
“That’s fine. Do we have a specific name of who to expect?”
“Nope. It just says Big Sky Builders.”
“Okay. Give me five minutes and then send them in. I’m headed to Seattle early, so if I haven’t wrapped it up in exactly thirty minutes, save me.”
With a familiar chuckle and a firm, “It’s a deal, ma’am,” from her assistant of ten years, Mac cleared her desk. She prided herself on keeping client’s details confidential and made sure that no easily-identifiable information from her previous appointment was visible to whoever was getting ready to walk through her door.
She shutdown her desktop, packed her briefcase and set it near the door next to the coat rack. With a quick look around to make sure she was ready to leave as soon as the appointment was done, Mac smiled to herself.
She loved this space. It was a simple as that. There weren’t many women in her field of expertise, and even fewer that did well enough in their own practice to have their own building, a staff of four architects, six engineers and surveyors.
Who cared that it wasn’t a ginormous place? It was prime real estate built to her specifications. There were floor to ceiling windows, balanced by wood burning fireplaces in the private offices and common areas to keep the chill of the Pacific Northwest at bay. Thanks to her good friend, Burton Khrys, contractor extraordinaire, top of the line electronics were built into the very walls and gave a whole new meaning to the words “surround sound”. Her smile grew exponentially as she thought on the Friday afternoons when high energy music pumped through the place and she sometimes caught her guys and gals dancing in the hallways.
Architectural engineering was a challenging career choice, but there was no rule that said it had to be a miserable one. The atmosphere was purposely upbeat and casual with a nice dose of “geek” thrown in, and it made Mac smile to know her team loved working here.
She switched on a quiet, classical tune with one of the small remotes on her desk. The smooth hum of string and quiet tinkling of piano filled the room without being overpowering. It wouldn’t do for her potential client to have to battle with the stereo to be heard, and she found that music often put people at ease; cutting through the crap and posturing that was so common when they walked in and discovered that Mac was indeed, a female.
Next, she hefted her supposed-to-be-light-but-was-actually-heavy-as-hell laptop and hauled it over to the comfy chairs arranged at the round table reserved for consultations. The thought of where she was going after this meeting had her practically skipping, and she’d just caught herself when a quiet knock sounded at her office door.
Get your head in the game, woman. Well, this game anyway. The other games are for later.
She almost giggled. Almost.
She smoothed down her skirt, sat and called out, “Come on in, please.”
Jolene opened the door, stepped inside and introduced her potential client.
After Mac was able to pick her jaw up off the floor, she hopped out of her chair, flew over to the person who’d just entered, and then wrapped him in a fierce hug.
“Oh my god, Jay!” she said in a rush of breath. “It’s so good to see you? How are you these days and what in the world brings you here?”
He hugged her back, and that tickle in her gut that she’d always experienced in his arms was as familiar to her as her favorite pair of kitten-heeled house shoes.
“I’m great, Mac. How are you?” he said, his voice a timbre that reminded her of that male actor who played Thorin Oakenshield on the Hobbit movies—deep and sexy as hell. Add a tastefully cut mop of thick, silky-looking, jet black waves on his head that set off jewel green eyes, and a physique to die for. He was the perfect bedtime companion with one exception—he wasn’t her husband, Landon Ivers.
She stepped back and quickly said, “Jolene, this is Jay Frenz. We’re old friends.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Frenz,” Jolene said, her smile bright, but her eyes not missing a damn thing.
“Please call me Jay. It’s nice to meet you as well. Mac used to talk about you all the time.” Oh that smile was as deadly.
“Interesting. She never mentioned you at all.”
Ouch.
“Excuse me, Mac. I’ll let you two get to work.” And with a glance down her nose, Jolene quietly left the room.
Mac and Jay’s acquaintance had been of a personal nature, and she never, ever told her personal business at work. Especially if the Twilight Teahouse was involved in the story. So, yes, Jolene was correct—she’d never mentioned Jay at work. However, it wasn’t like the other woman to say as much. They would be having a little talk about office etiquette later, for sure.
Mac motioned toward the waiting chairs. “So are you back in Seattle? How is it we didn’t know you were back in town? Oh my god, it’s so good to see you.”
And she meant it.
“I wasn’t sure you would think so,” Jay said, easing himself down into the overstuffed chair. Legs crossed, the first thing Mac noticed was the exquisite cut of his trousers, silk socks and a pair of shoes that almost made her jealous. She was a bona fide shoe whore, and happy to admit it. Nothing rang her bell like a man in a nice pair of dress shoes. And Jay knew that about her.
“We parted on good terms, Jay. Why wouldn’t I be glad to see you?”
“Well, you never know how things can change inside a person after a break up.”
“Is that why you didn’t give your name as the person needing a consultation?” she asked, not afraid to get right to the point.
“Actually, it is. But it’s a legitimate business opportunity, Mac. I know you take your work seriously and I wouldn’t try to play you that way.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear it. Otherwise, I’d have to kick your ass.”
His grin said he’d welcome such a thing, and lit up the room as his gaze took her in from head to toe. “I expected nothing less.”
Mac’s head tilted to the side as a bundle of thoughts rolled through her mind. She was genuinely happy to see Jay. Same charm, same gorgeous body, same handsome face. And same million dollar smile and wardrobe to match. But her heart didn’t turn over at the sight of him anymore. Sure, he made her mind play dirty fantasies, but what healthy woman with a strong appreciation for men didn’t get a little tingly in the lady bits when she ogled a gorgeous specimen of a man? It didn’t mean she wanted to fall into bed with him. In the jump-bones department, this was a sexy man, but she had no desire to literally hump Jay Frenz. Not anymore.
“Before we get down to business, are you available
for dinner this evening, Ms. Ivers?”
“I’m sorry, Jay, but I’m not. I, uh, well, Landon and I are back together. Fully.”
“Fully?” he queried. “As in, married again?”
She nodded and knew her happiness shone through. Just a thought of her husband lit up a sun within her soul. It was a glorious thing, precious and whole.
In short, she was one lucky bitch.
“Well, I didn’t see that coming. I’m happy that all worked out, Mac. It was a very trying time, for sure,” Jay said. His countenance was a little less bright than a few moments ago, but he appeared to be sincere.
And he was right. It had been a trying time.
Mac and Landon Ivers had been through, as in finished, done and over with. She had the divorce papers to prove it. At that time, Mac had thrown herself into work to try and pretend she wasn’t falling apart inside. When that didn’t work, she’d sought refuge in counseling with a master life coach instead.
A crap ton of sessions, as well as some time off for self-reflection, had put Mac on the right road. She was healthy in mind, body and spirit. And planned to stay that way.
Landon had noticed the change in her, saw that she’d bounced back from the devastation he’d wrought in both their lives. In his misery, she’d been a beacon. In fact, he’d noticed so keenly, he’d conned her into having dinner with him so he could ask point blank just what in the hell she’d done to get through their divorce with herself intact.
Landon had taken her words to heart, contacted the counselor and jumped in with both feet. The man had put himself through the paces, completed every session and all of the associated tasks, and got his shit together—which included getting rid of the submissive he’d had an affair with and wrought all the hell between them in the first place. In fact, he’d cut loose the mega-bitch and then removed himself completely from the BDSM scene for almost a year.
Then Landon Ivers, alpha maximus, had begged his wife to take him back.
And she had. Full out, no holds barred, no condemnation, and no bringing up his past foolishness.
And...no more Jay.
It had been almost two years since all that crazy had gone down. And Mac had no urge to revisit it. At all.
“Well, let’s get down to business, shall we?” Mac asked. “We have exactly twenty four minutes left as I have another appointment directly after this.”
“No problem, Mac. Here are the details on what we’re trying to accomplish with this building project. If you think this is something you can design for us—”
“But why this firm? Surely there are architects in Montana, Jay.”
“There are. It’s a sustainability project and you’re the best at designing these particular type of community buildings. Period.”
He popped open his briefcase, slipped a few sheets of paper onto the table and they got to work. At the top of the hour, they planned to meet again in a few days after she’d had a chance to go over the proposal and requirements with a couple of her staff.
A quiet knock on the door pulled them out of their conversation and Mac escorted Jay to the threshold of her private office.
With another quick hug and a promise to have Jolene call him to set up a follow up meeting, Mac closed the door and ran to her private restroom.
She was sure she’d never changed so quickly in her life. And just as she pulled on her boots, Jolene waltzed in. Without knocking.
Not bothering to look up, Mac grumbled, “Look woman, you’ve been with me for ten years. What in the hell was that all about?”
“I’m not sure, Mac. I just don’t like him.”
“Jo, I’ve known him forever.”
“Yeah, but he’s been out of the picture for two years.”
Mac snapped her gaze up to meet Jolene’s. The other woman simply grinned. That show of teeth was sharp enough to make the hairs on Mac’s neck stand on end. Not in a frightful way, but in a way that spoke to her gut and said, “Jolene will skewer that man if he causes trouble.”
“You didn’t tell me all about him, that’s true, Mac. But I know you were seeing a guy while you and Landon were apart. And from the description, that particular guy just walked out the door. And something just doesn’t feel right, Mac. Why show up now? And that bullshit about you being the best. Period? Really?”
“Hey,” Mac snapped. “I am the best, dearie. And don’t you forget it.”
With that, they both laughed.
“Just watch your back,” Jolene insisted. “And don’t forget your flogger.”
“You are a bad old woman, Jo. You know that?”
“And?” With that, Jolene sauntered out the bathroom door and into Mac’s office. She called over her shoulder. “Oh, and I cleared your calendar for the rest of the day. See you tomorrow.”
“Cleared my calendar? Why? I’m just driving into Seattle for lunch, Jo.” Mac heard the office door snap quietly closed. She shook her head with a chuckle and grumbled under hear breath about nosey assistants who had black belts in meddling.
* * *
MacKenzie Ivers dropped off a crockpot of homemade steak chili to her workaholic best friend, Solie Shaw, and drove at breakneck speed to the Twilight Teahouse. Well, it would have been breakneck, but with the typical lunch time traffic heading into and out of Seattle, it was more like turtle speed.
Didn’t change the fact that her heart was racing, even if the cars in front of her weren’t.
It was rare to get away from the office in the middle of the day. But today was special—she was headed to lunch with the most wonderful man in the world, her husband, Landon. And the wondering why he’d asked her to meet him was killing her.
The man was as stubborn as herself and was head of the “I’m not telling you and you’re going to like it because I said so” department.
To sum it up, Mac Ivers, architect to the rich and famous, was nervous and giddy as hell. And there were just enough butterflies dive-bombing her stomach to almost irritate her. The only thing that kept her from getting completely pissed off at the surprise—Landon knew she hated surprises, damn it—was that he always made it worth her while.
Always.
Her face heated with a blush and she couldn’t help but smile at herself.
She rolled down her window, swiped her access card and pulled into the underground parking at the most exclusive kink club in the area—The Twilight Teahouse. Once out of the car, she grabbed her play bag out of the trunk, unzipped it, and took a quick inventory of the contents—six different floggers, with suede, leather and rubber strips, several crops and canes in various thicknesses, length and flexibility, a few bundles of vivid blue and striking red bamboo rope, among other things. Mac even had several bars of dark chocolate and a couple of bottles of water, you know, just in case part of Landon’s surprise included a bit of play.
While waiting in front of the mirrored doors of the elevator, she checked her outfit for the fifth time since she’d put the damn thing on. It was one of her favorites, and while Landon had seen it before, he never failed to express his appreciation for it. She sported black knee high boots with buckles up the side on classy five inch heels. A sleek black cat suit under a burgundy leather corset peeked out from beneath a matching leather bolero jacket. Over that was a custom tailored black leather trench coat. Solie called it her “Selene’s-Underworld-Deathdealer-moonlighting-as-a-sexy-flogger-toting-Hollywood-starlet” outfit.
“Yep”, she thought to herself, “I’ll take that compliment.”
Mac stepped inside the steel and glass lift and dropped her bag on the pristine carpeted floor with a soft thunk. Another swipe of her access card and push of a button and she was on her way to the first floor to check in.
For a moment her mind drifted back to her friend, Solie, and then hung out there for a while. Solie was going through a really rough time right now. A nasty breakup of epic proportions had her wrapped up in misery, though she would surely be on the mend soon. Mac would see to it. Move heav
en and earth if need be.
Mac, Landon and their good friend, Burton Khrys, were going to show Solie what she was totally not missing out on by leaving behind that douche-canoe she’d been tied up with. Moving on was the best thing the woman could have done for both her sanity and her heart.
Besides, if there was anything the Ivers’s and Burt did well, it was take care of their friends in their time of need. Hell, it was their damn specialty, and they had a doozy of a post-breakup party planned for Solie.
A quiet ding announced her arrival at her destination. Stepping carefully out of the lift, she headed to the reception area. A quick glance toward the entrance to the dining room’s waiting area confirmed something she already knew—this place was packed. In fact, no matter what time of day or night, if it was during business hours, Twilight Teahouse was never empty.
A perfect blend of a three Michelin star restaurant and a first-class, multi-storied kink-themed play space meant someone was always around.
Today, Mac expected a bit of both—good food and some equally good naughtiness.
“MacKenzie, dear!”
Mac turned and found herself enfolded in a friendly embrace by Madison Lee, the owner of this fine establish.
“Maddie, how are you, sweetie? I haven’t seen you in a couple of weeks,” Mac said with a genuine smile followed by a kiss on Madison’s cheek.
“Kuri and I were away at a Leatherman thing in Chicago.”
“Oooh, that sounds fantastic. Was it the yearly event? ”
“International Mr. Leather? Nah. If that were the case, I would have spread the word to some of our patrons, to you and your crew to say the least. This was a small event, personal invitation. And to be honest, I’ve been so wrapped up in running this place, I took Kuri just to get her to stop talking about her to-do list in her sleep.”
Kuri, a beautiful, caramel-skinned young lady, had come to stand next to her Mistress and blushed. She was dressed in full traditional Japanese garb—a brilliant purple and pink silk kimono covered with sakura blossoms. Her torso was wrapped with a cream and purple complimenting obiage and obi. She was a picture of perfection, from her coifed hair down to a sparkling white pair of tabi socks, minus the geta, or shoes, as no shoes were allowed past the reception areas of The Twilight Teahouse.