by Ivy Nelson
“Yes. I also saw my spunky fiancé give it to the reporters yelling at you on your way down the courthouse steps. If Dale hadn’t ratted you out, the evening news would have.”
“I think we should all go to Colorado early,” Patrick said, as they entered Elijah’s corner office. “You’re likely to get hounded by the paparazzi after today, and I know I will since I caused a scene in the courtroom.”
Elijah nodded. “I was thinking the same thing. I don’t have anything pressing here. We can talk about finding some new house submissives on the plane. I was thinking of reaching out to people like Austin and a few other unattached subs to see if they’re interested.”
Patrick smirked at the thought of Austin Yates, a feisty New York attorney, taking on the role of house submissive.
“What? Austin’s submissive, and we need people like her in the program. She might even be a good match for you to train,” Elijah said.
Patrick held up a hand. “Whoa now. What is with you and Holly trying to play matchmaker today? Austin does some work for Eastman Enterprises, I can’t see my becoming her Dom being exactly ethical.”
Elijah laughed. “It was just a suggestion. It’s an eight-week training program. Not a damn engagement.”
Chapter Two
“In national news, Nicholas Sutton’s long-awaited federal trial began, and ended today, with a bombshell plea deal that had his estranged son, Patrick, storming out of the courtroom.”
Austin Yates sat in her office at Thorley and Associates listening to the small TV she kept in the corner. The mention of Patrick Sutton had her raising her head. A plea deal wasn’t that surprising. She brokered them almost daily. Why would Patrick be so upset? She would have to talk to him the next time she saw him at Solitaire, or on one of her trips to California for work. Since she held law licenses in New York and California, she often flew back and forth between the two states.
Turning her wrist, she noted the time on her smart watch. Her boss had called her into a meeting with some of the other attorneys, and she hoped it was to tell her she was getting promoted to partner. What was it they said? Third time’s a charm. She could only hope.
There was still half an hour until her meeting. Waiting sucked.
Her personal cell phone rang. It was Elijah Barrett. How odd. She wasn’t aware of any legal work he needed. Maybe it was about his upcoming wedding.
“Hello,” she answered.
“Austin, it’s Eli. How would you like to do your favorite Solitaire director a huge favor?”
Austin furrowed her brow. What was he talking about? Solitaire was the elite BDSM club they were both members of, and he was the director of the board that ran it. Unfortunately, she’d been chasing this promotion and hadn’t made time to fly to Colorado for a weekend in several months.
“What do you need? Is the club in some kind of legal trouble?”
Elijah—or Eli as he liked to be called at the club—laughed. “No, no, nothing like that. I’m wondering if you would consider being a house submissive for a few months.”
“Me? I thought that was a scholarship program for people who can’t afford dues.”
“It is, but anyone can apply if they want to experience submission in a safe environment.”
Austin stood and turned to look out the window of her small office. “OK. So why me?”
He sighed. “We’re short a few. People move on, it happens, but there’s a big masked gala coming up where we want to have a full staff. You’re a founding member of the club. I trust you and I know you’re familiar enough with the program to catch on to the protocols quickly.”
Austin pressed her forehead against the glass. It was warm from the sunshine.
“Can I think about it? Maybe you could send me the application and what would be expected of me.”
“Already done. I sent the email right before I called you.”
Austin laughed. “You were that convinced I would say yes?”
“I was that hopeful,” he teased.
“I have a meeting to get into, but I’ll think about it. Work has been crazy lately and I’m hoping for a promotion, so I don’t know how much time I’ll have.”
“I understand. Just think about it.”
“One question. Who would train me?”
Elijah chuckled. “That depends on your application. I’m not training house subs anymore since I’m with Holly, but I do oversee the whole house submissive program. Speaking of Holly, she wants to know if you can be part of the bridal shoot Vogue is doing.”
Austin grimaced. That sounded terrible, but Holly was her friend and she was one of her bridesmaids, so of course she would say yes. “Tell her I’ll call her.”
“Thanks, and just for the record, my vote would be to match you up with Patrick from what I know of you two.”
Austin’s pulse picked up. She’d just been thinking about him. Clearing her throat, she said, “I better get ready for my meeting. I’ll let you know later today.”
Ending the call, she opened the email Elijah had sent her. There was a link to the application for the house submissive program and more information on the masked gala. There was going to be a tasting tour where club members could try out a variety of kinks and types of play. Each house sub and their trainer were being asked to provide something for members to try. What would she want to offer? A glance at her watch told her there was just under ten minutes to go, so she closed out of the email and stood.
After checking her makeup and smoothing her jacket, she stepped out and locked her office door. When she arrived in the conference room two minutes later, her associates were already gathered. They offered polite nods as she took her place at the table and waited for the boss to make his appearance. Once again, Austin was the only woman in the room.
When Chadwick Thorley walked in five minutes later, everyone sat up a little straighter.
“Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to meet with me. As you all know, we’re bringing in a new partner and those of you in this room have been under consideration for the position. Before I make my announcement, I just wanted to say I appreciate all of your hard work.”
He paused and lifted a hand in Austin’s direction. “Miss Yates, you billed the most hours this month, not the first time.” His hand moved to another attorney in the room. “Jack, you really stepped up and brought in a lot of new clients this quarter.”
Austin tried her best not to clench her teeth or fists. It bothered her that Chadwick always referred to her as Miss Yates but referred to her male counterparts by their first name or sometimes even a nickname. His sexism knew no bounds.
“In the end though, we’ve decided to promote Mike Boland. Congratulations.”
Austin’s heart sank. She should have known he would go with Mike. The two went to lunch at least three times a week. Sucking up to the boss had never been her strong suit. Now, it took every ounce of will power to clap and smile as Mike stood and shook the big man’s hand.
“Thank you, Sir. I’ll make the most of this opportunity,” Mike said.
The meeting droned on for another twenty minutes as Chadwick spelled out his vision for the next few months with a new partner on board. It would be at least another year before Austin got another shot at the promotion to partner.
Part of her wanted to walk out today and launch her own firm. That was the ultimate dream, but she knew she wasn’t ready for that. She had money saved, but there was no way Thorley would let her take the client list with her, so she would be starting from scratch.
As she stood to leave when the meeting wrapped up, Chadwick stopped her.
“Miss Yates, I know you’re disappointed. Don’t give up though, you’ll get there. When you’re less upset, come talk to me. There’s a client I want you to consider taking.”
Austin gave him a tight smile. At least he had the decency to acknowledge that his decision upset her. “I’ll come talk to you this afternoon or in the morning, M
r. Thorley.”
He gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder, and Austin stepped into the hall. As she walked back to her office, she kept reminding herself that at least she wasn’t at the public defender’s office—or worse, the DA’s office. Thoughts of her time at the District Attorney’s office had her cringing, as those thoughts always did. Would she ever live down her guilt?”
Back at her desk, she pulled up the email Elijah had sent. Could she be a house sub? She had some pretty extreme submissive fantasies. Maybe it would be fun to live some of them out. The possibility that Patrick might be the one to train her was intriguing. They were friends. Could she submit to him? Would it be sexual? She had so many questions.
She pulled up her schedule for the next few days. There were no pending trials or court dates until the end of next week. Clicking over to a travel website, she pulled up flights for Friday. When she found one that left just after lunch, she booked it. It had been more than two months since she’d had a weekend free to go to Solitaire. Maybe committing to the house submissive program for eight weeks would push her to make more time to spend there. Especially since she wasn’t getting the promotion she wanted.
Her thoughts drifted to Patrick. He’d never shown interest in her as a submissive, but she suspected that was because of the legal work she did for Eastman Enterprises, the company he ran. She’d never gotten up the courage to ask.
With a flight booked, she decided to see what kind of client her boss wanted to give her. Riding the elevator up to the ninth floor, she tried to push Patrick and the house submissive application out of her head. She could focus on that later.
After tapping on Chadwick Thorley’s door, she rocked on her heels while she waited for him to answer. The door jerked open and she stumbled, grabbing the doorframe to catch her balance. Jack Desmond stormed out. He was apparently more upset about getting passed over than she was.
“Miss Yates come on in,” her boss said, as if nothing was wrong. For him, there probably wasn’t. She got the suspicion that he enjoyed pitting his attorneys against each other. Things had been tense between Mike and Jack while they were vying for the promotion. Austin just stayed to herself and worked on her cases. Which was probably why she got passed over—she didn’t play her bosses little games.
“Thank you, Mr. Thorley,” she said, stepping inside. “I have a busy morning tomorrow so I thought I would come and talk to you now.”
Her boss chuckled. “When don’t you have a busy morning?”
Austin forced a smile. “What can I say? I love my job.”
“Then you’ll appreciate this case,” he said as he reached into his desk and pulled out a folder.
Austin flipped it open and read the top sheet. “Seriously?” she asked when she finished reading.
A madam with a ring of high-end escorts was facing human trafficking charges, and he wanted Austin to defend her.
“I think you’ll find that none of the girls in her employ feel they’ve been trafficked and are working for her of their own free will. If you ask me, the police botched their investigation and most of their evidence shouldn’t be allowed at trial. I’ve already filed some motions to that effect, but I’ll let you sort through all of that. This is a case we can win, and I think having a woman leading her defense team will be a really strong look if it goes to a jury.”
Of course, there was a sexist reason behind giving her this case.
“I’ll do my best with it. It will be good to work on a case here at home for a change.”
Mr. Thorley smiled. “I thought you might like that. She’ll be coming into the office on Monday and she’s already paid a ten-grand retainer. You may want to spend the weekend brushing up on the details of the case.”
Austin’s fingers tightened on the edges of the folder. So much for a weekend of kinky fun.
“I’ll do that,” she said, closing the folder. “Anything else?”
When he shook his head, Austin stood and extended her hand. “Thank you for trusting me with this.” She kept the fake smile plastered on her face until she had retreated into the hallway.
Back in her own office, she waffled about whether or not to keep her flight to Colorado. There wasn’t anything pressing on her plate for tomorrow, despite telling her boss she had a busy morning. It wouldn’t be hard to spend the day researching the case, and there was always the flight on Friday to spend studying. Her phone buzzed as she stared at her flight confirmation.
See you at Solitaire this weekend? We miss you!
Austin smiled. It was Elijah’s fiancé, Holly Sutton. Between Elijah’s request that she join the house submissive program and Holly’s text, she made up her mind. She deserved some fun.
Just booked my flight. I land at four on Friday. Tell Eli I’m filling out the application he sent me.
Holly’s response was just a string of heart eyes emojis. Austin grinned and pulled up the house submissive application. The madame and her prostitutes could wait.
Chapter Three
Austin swung her legs out of the black town car, thanking the driver as she stood. Her flight had landed in Colorado some three hours ago, and she’d had just enough time to freshen up in her hotel room and pick out a sexy outfit before it was time to call a car to take her to the club.
Now, she walked up the steps to the converted ski lodge and felt a little tingle in the pit of her stomach. It never got old, the thrill of coming here. This was a place where she could live out nearly any fantasy, any desire, with consenting, like-minded people who weren’t going to look at her funny because of the things that turned her on. Though sometimes her fantasies embarrassed even her, and she kept those to herself, she felt the most liberated here. The members were her family. The ten grand a year she spent on dues was worth it.
But tonight felt different, because she was meeting with some of the board members to discuss her application to be a house submissive. She had no idea what to expect.
“Austin!” the girl behind the reception desk exclaimed. “It’s been forever.”
Austin leaned over the desk to accept the hug Cassie offered. “I know. Work has just been crazy.”
As she signed in, Austin noticed Cassie’s bare wrist. It had sported a silver bracelet with green gems the last time she was here. “No more Master Lance?” she questioned.
Cassie laughed. “Girl, you have been gone too long. I finished my training with him almost two months ago. I met someone after that and I’m really into him, so I stepped down from the house sub position. Now I just work reception so I can get a discount on my membership fees.”
Austin grinned. “Aww that’s awesome. I’m happy for you, sweetie.” Cassie must have been one of the ones Eli was referring to when he told her they had lost a few house subs recently.
When Cassie confirmed her check-in on the computer system, she made her way past the front desk and into the bar. Holly immediately scooped her into a hug.
“It’s about time you showed your face here.”
Austin squeezed the girl and stepped back. “I know, I know. Work keeps me busy though.”
“Did you get the promotion you were after?”
Austin shook her head and Holly’s face fell. “I’m so sorry. I know you were really hoping for it.”
Austin tried to shrug it off. “It’s all going to be OK. I have a free weekend now. Maybe I’ll be back more often since I’m not chasing that silly promotion.”
“Silver linings,” a deep voice said from behind her. Austin turned and smiled at Elijah Barrett.
“Hey, Eli. Good to see you.”
He reached out and squeezed her shoulder. “Good to see you too. Thanks for filling out the house sub application. We’re going to keep your interview pretty informal since we already know you. We’ll meet for drinks at the bar in about an hour if that works for you.”
Austin nodded. “Sounds great.”
“I’m super nervous about this,” she whispered to Holly as they linked arms and walked across the
bar and into the dungeon.
“You’ll be great, Austin. Don’t stress too much,” Holly said.
Austin never grew tired of walking into the play space with its rich wooden and leather furniture made for pleasures of the flesh. The party was just getting started, so people were still milling about talking and laughing with each other, but soon, the place would be filled with whimpers, moans, and sights one might never expect to see.
A familiar voice crackled over the dungeon PA system.
“Evening y’all.” It was Dakota Hylander.
“Evening,” several club members shouted back at her.
“I wanted to remind y’all that tickets go on sale tonight for the masked gala. It will be here in just eight weeks and boy do we have some fun stuff planned for you.”
The audience cheered and Austin felt her stomach tighten into knots. She would be doing something—she wasn’t sure what yet—at the masked gala.
“That’s my cue to go help Cassie in reception,” Holly said, giving Austin another quick hug. “People are going to want their tickets for the gala. Don’t be too nervous about the interview. You know these people. You’ll do fine.”
Austin waved to her and wandered through the crowd in search of someone to talk to. Her heart leapt into her throat when her eyes landed on Patrick talking to a man she didn’t recognize. They were friends and often engaged in witty banter when they were in the same room, but watching him now, knowing she was about to sit down and talk to him about some of her deepest fantasies was making her shake with nerves. Not to mention he suddenly looked ten times hotter than he’d ever looked.
“You up for some fun tonight?” a voice from behind asked, shaking her out of her trance.
Austin turned to find Derek smiling at her. He was a top she had played with a few times.
“Hey, Derek. Good to see you again. What kind of fun do you have in mind?”
