by Ivy Nelson
Lance cleared his throat. “That’s the problem. It was emailed to the Solitaire information account from an anonymous sender. No message, no threats, just the video.”
Garrett’s mind went back to the phone call Isabelle got this morning. “You think it’s the precursor to a blackmail threat.” It wasn’t a question. The men and women in this room were all prime targets for various forms of extortion and blackmail, given the amount of money they had. But Garrett also wielded a considerable amount of power because of his political connections. He’d done his best to keep his name from being associated with Solitaire despite sitting on the board. If it became national news that he was a frequent attendee at a BDSM club, a lot of his political power would vanish, at least for a little while. In some ways, he wasn’t sure if that was such a terrible thing, but he also didn’t want to drag Isabelle’s name through the mud.
“I think it’s worth digging deeper into,” Lance said. “I’m doing my best to trace the sender of the email, but I keep getting stuck. It’s definitely corporate cyber security so I don’t think your average journalist sent it.”
Garrett nodded. “Isabelle got a phone call from a reporter this morning asking about her ties to me. She didn’t tell them anything, but in the same breath, the reporter also asked about the attack on her uncle outside my warehouse.”
Lance nodded as he typed something into his computer. “It might be fruitless, but I can see if I can trace the call later if you want.”
Patrick cleared his throat. “The point is, we need to alert Isabelle that there is a chance she could be outed. It’s the ethical thing to do. The question is, how will she react and how do we make her feel safe? I am distressed that this is the second time this has happened in a few months. Austin being outed we thought was just a lucky guess on the reporter’s part because Hunter and I have never tried to hide our connection to the club. But Garrett hides it well, so now I’m concerned for all of us.”
Samuel coughed, and everyone turned to the video screen. “Have we considered shutting down for a few months or at the very least restricting access so it’s founding members only?”
“We’ve run that idea past David and he’s not a huge fan but says he’ll ultimately leave it up to the board to decide,” Patrick said.
David Eastman was the club's founder and provided most of the initial capital needed to get it started. He’d undergone intensive treatment for cancer and didn’t sit on the board anymore. Instead, he put friends he trusted in place to run the club and generally let them do so with no interference. He’d been so focused on his treatment that he’d been to only a handful of parties in the last year and a half.
“I’m not sure that’s necessary,” Garrett said. “I understand that we need to be vigilant so I’m definitely up for increasing our security measures and doing more extensive vetting of potential members, but it seems a little drastic to jump straight to shutting down.”
Everyone murmured their agreement and Samuel held up his hands. “I was just asking the question.”
“It needed to be asked,” Dakota said.
Garrett ran a hand through his hair. “I promised Isabelle a phone call when I’m done here. How much should I tell her?”
“Since she’s at risk of being outed, you tell her as much as you see fit. You’re the one dating her, but my advice is to tell her everything,” Austin said.
He knew she was right.
“I’ll speak to her and we can also talk to her as a group tomorrow night.”
The group agreed to table the discussion for now and moved on with the rest of the short agenda. Another high protocol dinner—an event for D/s couples who enjoyed a certain level of ceremony and protocol in their dynamic—was planned for next month, but otherwise, there were no pressing matters and no new members to discuss. Garrett knew Isabelle would want to work the dinner as a staff member, but he planned to ask if she would go with him as an attendee and as his sub instead of working.
Before the meeting adjourned, Garrett told Lance and Russell about the empty bar glass on the porch and they agreed to give the door staff a refresher on being more observant. The group slowly migrated to the lobby and other parts of the club. Austin and Patrick went to their suite, Russell left to take care of business, and Matthew stayed in the conference room to make phone calls.
Lance hunkered down behind the reception desk with his laptop. The man was so engrossed in his electronics Garrett often wondered how he had time to date and play with women, but he always had at least one house sub wearing his bracelet and he was spotted at the biggest tech conventions in the country with gorgeous women on his arm.
Garrett was headed to the exit to meet his driver when Dakota stopped him.
“What are my chances of getting an agriculture bill in front of the president this year?” she asked.
At the club, Dakota Hylander was a silly, feisty, and sometimes bratty submissive. In Texas, the woman was heir to one of the biggest cattle ranches in the country and she had a sharp eye for business. She didn’t take any shit from the men who tried to tell her how to run her ranch either.
Garrett always took her seriously.
“I think we should let him get reelected first, but I think you’ve got an excellent shot. He’s asked me to be his chief economic advisor again, so I’ll be spending a lot of time in D.C. it sounds like.”
She grinned. “Good to know. How does Isabelle feel about that?”
He rubbed at the back of his neck. “I’m not sure Isabelle understands the scope of my role at the Whitehouse, but we haven’t had much of a chance to talk about it, so I don’t know.”
“She’s a good girl Garrett. Doesn’t come from our world at all but she damn sure deserves the best. Did you know she took her sister’s kids in?”
Garrett gave her a wry smile. “I knew that. The oldest thinks I’m hot, apparently.”
Dakota giggled. “Oh, that’s just precious. You’ll make a wonderful daddy some day, and I don’t mean the kinky kind.”
“Gross, Dakota. Mind your business. I am not ready to think about fatherhood anytime soon.”
Dakota laughed again and slung an arm around him. “I’m glad you’re connecting with her. I think you two fit well together.”
“Thank you, Dakota.”
He kissed her on the cheek and stepped onto the front porch.
Jeff, his driver, was waiting patiently, as always.
“Where to, Mr. Oliver?” he asked when he slid into the backseat.
“I’ll go to my hotel.”
When they pulled away from the club, Garrett lifted his phone to his ear.
“How was your meeting, Sir?” she asked in a sleepy voice.
“Sounds like you had a good nap, Doll. Do you think you can get to the Glenview early? We need to talk.”
• • •
Isabelle walked into the Glenview and headed for the elevator instead of going to the front desk to clock in. She was nearly two hours early because Garrett had asked her to meet him there.
When she stepped off the elevator onto the top floor, Garrett was waiting for her. He’d changed into dark jeans and a tight white t-shirt, and his hair was damp as if he’d just had a shower.
“You look delicious,” she said before she could stop herself.
He quirked one eyebrow upward as he extended his hand in her direction.
“Are you just saying that because you’re hungry or horny?” he asked teasing.
She giggled as they walked down the hallway to his suite at the end.
In the living area of his suite, he pulled her into his arms for a tender kiss.
“Hi,” she whispered when he pulled away.
“Hi. I wish we could just go to bed but unfortunately, we need to talk about something that came up in the board meeting today.”
Isabelle leaned away to look up at him. “Is everything OK?”
He took her hand and led them to the couch.
“I think so, but you need to
be aware of something that happened.”
Garrett opened his tablet and hit play on a video. She cringed as she saw herself walking down the red carpet in that yellow dress. Then she heard the reporter shouting a question about Solitaire and slowly turned to face him.
“Where did this video come from? I haven’t seen anything on the news. Not the way I’ve seen the kiss.”
Garrett shook his head. “Lance got it in an anonymous email. We haven’t been able to trace who it came from yet. That combined with the phone call you got from the reporter has us worried that we’re both about to be outed.”
“Oh Garrett, what are we supposed to do?”
He shook his head. “Right now, there isn’t a lot we can do, but the board wants to know if there is anything you need to be able to feel safer in this situation.”
“I’m more worried about you, Sir. You have a global reputation to worry about. I just have my family. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want them to find out, but there’s not much they can do to me if they do.”
He smiled and trailed a finger down her cheek. “That’s just like you to worry about other people before yourself. I’ll manage just fine. I’ve got crisis management firms on retainer for things like this, and my people are already crafting responses.”
“Where do I fit into their responses?”
He dragged a hand through his hair. “That’s more complicated. They’ll want to scrutinize you, see if you can damage my reputation, but I’m not going to let them, OK?”
She shook her head. “It’s really OK. If we need to stop being seen in public together, that’s OK too.”
His stern glare was instant. “That’s enough of that talk. Actually, one of my PR people suggested we get engaged and claim the reporter was asking about a diamond.”
She felt herself go pale.
“Relax, Doll. I’m not saying we should follow that suggestion. I’m just letting you know that not being seen in public together is not up for discussion unless your safety is in jeopardy.”
“So, what do we do for now?”
He held her hand. “For now, we go about life as normal. You’ll continue to let me or my driver take you places, I’ll continue working from Colorado unless I absolutely have to go home, and we’ll continue spending weekends together at the club where I plan to do my best to make sure we both forget about this mess for a while.”
She nodded and leaned into him, letting his now familiar scent wash over her.
“How long until you need to clock in?” he asked, kissing the crown of her head.
“Hour and a half,” she muttered into his t-shirt.
“You’re working from home tomorrow and by work, I mean you’re sleeping. I want you well rested for the party tomorrow night.”
She felt too exhausted to argue with him. He propped his legs up on the ottoman in front of the couch and encouraged her to stretch out with her head in his lap. They talked quietly until she dozed off.
When he woke her an hour later, someone was knocking on the door.
A hotel employee wheeled a cart of food in and Isabelle ate a sandwich under the watchful eye of her Dom. He kissed her roughly before she went downstairs.
At the desk, her boss pulled up a chair and sat with her. They discussed what kind of class schedule she might want and how much she actually had left to finish her degree. She signed paperwork allowing them to request copies of her transcripts and her boss promised that on Monday they would be ready to enroll her in a program. For the first time since she moved back home, she felt hopeful for a future that included following her dreams.
Working through the night was different knowing Garrett was sleeping just a few floors above her. At four in the morning, two hours before she was supposed to get off, the desk phone rang.
“Do you know how difficult it is to sleep up here knowing you’re down there?” Garrett asked when she answered.
She tried to stifle a giggle as her heart swelled. She wasn’t the only one affected.
“I was thinking it’s hard to work knowing you’re up there sleeping.”
“Hunter’s here for the weekend, wake his ass up and make him work,” Garrett said with a growl.
“Nope. Can’t do that. He brought a woman in with him about two hours ago. I didn’t recognize her.”
“Figures. I guess I’ll just have to settle for dropping you off at home when you get off.”
“I really don’t mind coming in to work later. I need to help you finish digging through files so you can get things back to normal and catch Darren.”
“No. I want you to sleep. I have plans for you tonight and you need to be well rested. We can tackle it again on Monday.”
She sighed. “OK. I won’t argue.”
“Good girl. I’m going to the gym, I’ll meet you at the main entrance when you get off.”
Well great, now she had to think about him all hot and sweaty working out.
Chapter Sixteen
Garrett dropped Isabelle off at six Friday morning on his way to the office. At one, she called begging to come in, but he’d given her remote access to the company computer system and asked her to work on an organization project. There had been some pouting and threats of spanking, but she’d stayed home.
Now, he was on his way to pick her up, and she would be his for the weekend. As busy as they both were through the week, he had a feeling he was going to cherish the weekends at Solitaire with her.
As he pulled into her driveway, he sent her a text.
I’m coming to the door.
As he stepped out of the car, she came running down the driveway holding her phone in her hand with her overnight bag slung over her shoulder.
“I told you I was coming to the door,” he said sternly when she reached him.
“I know. I just thought I would save you the trip.”
“Or you could just be honest and say you didn’t want me coming to the door.”
Her head dropped and he immediately tucked his hand beneath her chin and lifted it again.
“Sorry,” she whispered. “My dad and uncle were both in the living room. I didn’t want them asking nosy questions or giving me dirty looks. You’re still not their favorite person.”
He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “I told you they have to get used to me sometime, Doll.”
“I promise I’m not ashamed of you,” she said, her eyes bright with unshed tears.
“Hey, let’s not start the weekend out like this. I don’t think you’re ashamed of me. Now let’s get in the car before they come out here and interrogate us,” he said with a wink.
He let her slide in first, then settled beside her. The driver already knew to take them straight to Solitaire.
“How was work?” she asked.
“Nope. We’re done talking about work until Monday.”
She frowned. “OK. I guess that’s alright. Just one thing, I’ve got us on the visitor list to see my sister on Monday.”
“Very good. No more work talk.”
“Is there anything important happening at Solitaire this weekend I need to help with? I know Simon is starting sign-ups for staff to work the next high protocol dinner.”
He chuckled. The girl just didn’t know how to relax. Hopefully, he would fix that by the time the weekend was done.
“I was actually going to see if you wanted to go to the dinner together.”
Her eyes went wide. “I would hate to abandon them. I helped set up the last two.”
“I know. But I thought you might enjoy just focusing on me, on us, for a change.”
She leaned against his shoulder. “OK. If you really want to go. I would love to.”
He kissed her cheek. “I’ll get our tickets tonight.”
When they arrived at Solitaire, he stopped her from getting out of the car. “I just want to make sure you’re clear on the rules, Isabelle. You’re not working the way you normally do. You can do your shift at the bar or reception each night, but that’
s it. I’ve instructed the other Doms to call you out if they catch you doing more than you’re supposed to. If you have to be reminded more than twice, you’ll be punished. I won’t spank you, but that’s not the only punishment I have in my arsenal.”
She frowned but nodded and said, “Yes, Sir. I’ll do my best to please you.”
He grinned and leaned in for a kiss. “You always please me, Doll.”
Inside, Holly, Cassie, and Dakota were giggling at the reception desk. When they turned and spotted Isabelle, they tugged her into their group.
“Master Garrett,” Holly said, “Can we steal Isabelle for a little while? We’re trying to organize an impromptu girly hour at the bar.”
Isabelle looked up at him and he could tell she was about to say it was OK if he didn’t want her to, but he stopped her with a chaste kiss. “I think that’s a lovely idea. Go have fun, Isabelle. I have a few things I need to take care of to get ready for tonight anyway. No more than one drink for now, though. I have plans for you later.”
Her face turned red, but she turned to Holly and said, “OK. I would love to join. Master Garrett says I’m supposed to be taking it easy this weekend anyway.”
“Good for him. You work harder than most of the paid staff members do,” Dakota said, slinging her arm around her. “If you can only have one drink, we better make it a good one. Let’s see what Mitch can whip up for us.”
“Dakota,” Garrett growled. “Do not get my girl drunk. I would hate to have to get payback.”
She stuck her tongue out at him and Garrett just shook his head. Dakota could be a brat, but he knew Isabelle was safe with this group.
Hunter came in the door a few minutes later looking a bit disheveled, but he wore a lopsided grin.
“No date tonight?” Garrett asked.
Hunter shook his head. “She had to be in Denver for a performance. Not to mention, we haven’t exactly discussed my… proclivities. I’ll just find a cute unattached sub to play with if I get lonely over the weekend.”
“I hear Mark is recently unattached,” Lance said from his perch behind the desk. Mark was a gay sub who had recently parted ways with his Dom.
