Matilda hid a smile behind her hand while Dan, flummoxed, tried to regain control of the situation.
“So,” Dan said, “You’re punishing Maisy because you wanted to...what? Play with me? You’ve never even approached me.”
Jenna huffed, “Of course I haven’t. Everyone knows that you don’t play with anyone properly. Not even the trainees.”
William, also looking lost, said, “How is that Maisy’s fault?”
“Why did he choose her if he’d suddenly changed his mind? There’s loads of more experienced subs here. Most of us pay our fees too,” Jenna glared at Maisy.
Maisy, unimpressed, rolled her eyes and held up three fingers at Matilda while mouthing “Still ‘her’.”
Daniel looked more pissed off than confused now, “So you think you’ve got some sort of prior claim on me because you’re a trainee?” Or because you were Alicia’s friend?”
“Or because I’m a real member, not some wannabe who wandered in off the night bus one night.” Jenna stood tall, one hand on her hip, clearly comfortable in her righteous indignation.
Matilda laughed out loud, all attempts to maintain composure flying out the window after Jenna’s explanation.
“You ridiculous woman,” She said, shaking her head and struggling to contain the laughter. “He is not an escort! You don’t pay your fees to get his booty, do you now? As for the rest of it - well- I would not dignify your nonsense with an answer, I’ll let these three decide what to do with you, I think I can hear the first course coming now.”
“Wait!” Maisy said, “I’m starving.” She stood and went after Matilda, not even bothering to look at Jenna.
Dan and William glanced at each other briefly, then followed the women, leaving Jenna standing alone with a bowl of melted ice and a bloodied lump of gauze for company.
Chapter 39
Cards
Maisy took Matilda’s hand and leaned in to whisper, “What will Claude do about Jenna?”
Matilda frowned, the laughter gone now she reconsidered the seriousness of Jenna’s actions. “I do not know. She is a daft and spiteful woman, but it is not in Claude’s nature to throw someone out, you know? Maybe she can be helped”
Maisy nodded. Although Jenna had tried her best to ruin the event and Maisy’s life, she couldn’t bring herself to hate her. Not in the shadow of Dan’s ex, Alicia, and how she’d lost everyone she knew because she’d been foolish in a crisis.
Maisy didn’t want Jenna to be outcast by the club because she’d done something cruel and thoughtless. Then again, if she did anything like that again she’d happily wave her out of the door. Mostly, her overwhelming feeling for the woman was pity.
Dan caught up with them and took Maisy’s arm. “Shall we walk in together?”
Matilda released Maisy’s hand and stepped aside, doing a very bad job of pretending she wasn’t interested in Maisy’s answer.
Maisy leaned into Dan’s arm, letting herself feel the safety and comfort he offered for a moment. A moment that neither of them could bring themselves to punctuate with words.
“I’ll go stop Claude waffling.” Matilda said, striding across the main room towards Claude without a backwards glance.
“Come on,” Dan said, following close on Matilda’s heels. Maisy saw an anxious member of the dinner service staff standing nearby. She wasn’t entirely sure how late things were running, but from the look on the waiter’s face the first course was going cold on the pass.
They reached Claude as a final round of applause rang around the main room. “Merci, mes amis.” Claude said, too overcome with emotion to even notice his complete lapse into French.
“One moment of everyone’s time, if you don’t mind, Claude?” Daniel shook Claude’s hand and stepped up to centre stage, one arm still around Maisy’s waist.
Claude stepped back, waving Dan forward through misty eyes.
Daniel stood in front of the waiting band, over a hundred pairs of eyes waiting eagerly for his speech because it was holding up their dinner apart from anything else.
“I won’t be long,” He said, flashing a smile at the increasingly anxious member of the service team who still stood nearby, waiting to give the kitchen the go ahead for the first course.
“I would like for us all to take a moment to thank our wonderful event planner, Miss Maisy Bennett.” Dan said, pulling Maisy closer to his side. The applause that followed was all the more enthusiastic because they’d witnessed the ghastly scene with Michael. Whatever mark the slap had left on her cheek, she was sure it was now obscured by her profuse blushing.
When the applause faded, Dan continued, “It was, misguidedly, originally my job to arrange this event. I’m sure we’re all grateful I was relieved of my duties before it was too late.”
The guests tittered politely, but many of them were fidgeting in their seats. They had been prepared to let Claude drone on, he was, after all, their host, but they were getting restless now.
“As you may have overheard, Miss Bennett is going to be flying solo from now on. Now, I won’t lie, the regular house crew have each got at least one event in mind, so you’ll have to be quick if you want to get booked in with her.”
Maisy could feel her cheeks burning, “Okay, let’s get your meal started,” She said, fighting the urge to drag Daniel away from the microphone.
“Enjoy your evening,” Daniel said to the crowd.
They started towards the hovering waiter who was eager to get service started.
“Wait a moment!” The older man who’d stepped into the disagreement with Michael earlier waved for their attention. “How do we get in touch with you? Do you have a card?”
Maisy realised then that she didn’t. Her business cards had the company information on them.
“Yes! Yes, she does,” Claude stepped up, his emotions now in check. “I hope you’ll forgive the presumption, petite. I had some simple cards printed with your number, in case anyone here wished to hire you off the back of this. I did not think you’d be so...drastically in need of new clients, but I am especially glad I did this now.”
“Thank you,” Maisy said, overwhelmed by his thoughtfulness. “Um, I’ll get you a card after your meal, Sir,” she called to the man who had enquired.
Maisy could have been knocked over with a feather when several other voices called out “Me too!”
LATER, WHEN THE MEAL was over and the majority of the guests were dancing to the swing band, the house crew and Maisy sat at one of the abandoned tables, exhausted by the exertions of the day.
“I wasn’t just saying it for the bastard’s benefit, Maisy,” Matilda said, waving a glass of champagne for emphasis, “You’re going to be booked solid. Claude didn’t want us to tell you and overwhelm you before tonight, but we all have things we want to talk to you about. I’m turning...well, I have a birthday coming up that I should probably celebrate. Chloe and Xavier want a collaring ceremony slash wedding planning, think you can handle it?”
“Matilda!” Chloe hissed, “We haven’t told everyone yet, watch your gassing.”
“Sorry, sorry,” Matilda said, refilling her glass, “Still, it’s about time you made an honest boy out of him, nobody will be surprised.”
Chloe’s stern features softened, “Bah. You’re right, I suppose. I already have your card, Maisy.”
William gave Maisy a wink from across the table, “You’ll be alright, pet. We’ve got your back.”
“Thank you, everyone. Really. Thank you so much.” Maisy felt tears well up, not for the first time that night either. She’d only known these people for a couple of months, but they’d taken her under their wing and given her so much support. She could never have guessed that she’d make friends like this the first time she walked into this strange underground world, but she was so glad she’d had the courage to keep coming back.
A new business, good friends, and...Well, Daniel hadn’t let go of her hand since that speech.
“Sweetheart?” He didn’t n
eed to say anything else.
Maisy nodded then turned to the rest of the table, “Excuse us for a minute.”
Most of them focused on their own conversations. They were all undoubtedly curious about Dan and Maisy’s current status, but they were generally too polite to ask or even to notice their entwined hands. William and Matilda, however, stared openly at their retreating backs.
“Think they’re talking about us?” Dan asked as they navigated their way to a quieter tunnel, far away from the hub of the party.
“Definitely,” she replied, “We should probably be talking about us, shouldn’t we?”
“Definitely,” he said, squeezing her hand a little tighter.
They sat in a booth in an empty tunnel, sliding onto the long bench together rather than sitting opposite each other by unspoken agreement.
Maisy leaned into his shoulder, feeling the familiar sensations of warmth and safety that his presence used to inspire welling up, waiting to be allowed in.
“I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” Dan kissed the top of her head reverently, “I swear I will never, ever, do you wrong like that again.”
“You were a dumbass,” she said, simply.
“I was.”
“I forgive you.”
“I don’t deserve it.”
“Nope,” she said. After a moment she laughed, “You do. You’re forgiven and that’s the end of it.”
“You’re amazing, you know that?” Dan sat back so he could look her in the eye, “Today has been - no, these last few weeks have been turbulent beyond belief. You’re still sitting their smiling.”
“What else should I be doing?” She said. Maybe that was understating things, and she had been in a state a few days over the last month or so, but really things were alright.
Work changing was going to be an enormous upheaval, but she had Harry and her family and her friends here at Club Drift and, unless she was very much mistaken, she had Dan.
“Will you take me back,” he asked, his uncertainty clear in his expression, “No messing about this time. If I’m with you I’m with you. No hiding behind Claude or anything else. I want you in my life more than I’ve ever wanted anything. Will you let me make all this up to you? Will you take a chance on me?”
She reached out and touched his cheek gently. She’d never seen his dark eyes so conflicted. Daniel hadn’t mentioned what it was costing him to offer himself like this, but Maisy remembered what a significant thing he was doing. Dan had been torn open before and because of the scars Alicia had left he’d hurt Maisy, but now he was inviting her back in and putting his heart in her hands.
There was a part of Maisy that wanted to hold back, to stay in the safe, if slightly icy, realm of friendship with Dan, but tonight wasn’t a night for safe choices. Tonight was a night for taking a leap of faith.
Maisy wanted so badly to feel the highs and lows of submission with Daniel again. More than that though, she wanted to find out what else might happen if they reignited the intimacy between them. Her heart told her it was worth the risk.
“Yes,” she said.
“And will you wear this?” Dan’s words bled together as if he was afraid of pausing, “I wouldn’t dream of asking you to accept a collar after the way I’ve behaved, and I don’t expect you to say yes to this, but I thought maybe, while I earn your trust back...Well, would you?”
He pulled a slim box from his inside pocket and opened it for her to see. Inside was a stunning bracelet in the Art Deco style; white metal and stones that had to be diamonds.
Maisy was glad he hadn’t offered her a collar, she wouldn’t have known how to take it. This, however, was ideal. A discreet promise that could sit on her wrist during the day to remind her where her handcuffs would be when she was next with him.
That the bracelet looked as if it could have grown naturally in Club Drift, where Maisy and Dan had shared so much, only made it more perfect.
“Yes,” she said, “Yes, I will.”
Then she kissed him.
Epilogue
If she hadn’t been looking for her client’s wedding announcement in the paper, Maisy might have missed it entirely.
The picture of Michael beaming incongruously took up more space than the article. ‘Local Business Collapses’, the headline read. A few short lines followed detailing the embarrassing timing of the collapse, just over a year after Michael Snr.’s death and Michael Jnr. taking over.
Maisy fiddled with her bracelet nervously. She still felt a pang of guilt when she thought about her kindly mentor, but it was just a quiet pang now. She’d put everything she could into the company. Michael Snr. would never have expected her to hold herself back.
Her work phone rang from the kitchen where she’d left it plugged in. The Delia book she’d been browsing still lay open beside it on the counter. Daniel sometimes lamented the lived-in clutter Maisy always left lying around his home when she visited, but she was sure that he was secretly pleased to get rid of the cold catalogue sheen that had prevailed before.
“Hello, Bennett Events,” she answered the phone with the customary greeting, “Oh, hi Claude. I don’t know, isn’t he with you? Okay, I think we’ll be at Drift tonight, but if anything changes I’ll drop you a line. Okay. Bye.”
The front door slammed behind Dan as she hung up on Claude.
“You still here, sweetheart?” Dan called out.
“In the kitchen,” she replied, “Sorry about the mess. I did make cake for us though.”
“Well, that’s okay then,” he said, raising his eyebrows at the flour that dusted every surface in the kitchen. “Come here.”
She stepped into his arms, frowning suspiciously, “What’s up? You look sneaky?”
He laughed and squeezed her tight, “I’m a Dom, I’m always sneaky.”
“True,” she kissed him slowly, savouring the cold that lingered on his lips from outside.
“Hold your hand out,” he said, pushing her back gently. “Close your eyes.”
She did as she was told and smiled when Dan ran a finger over the bracelet he’d given her that night at Club Drift, still their own precious version of a collar.
“Have you been to that shop again? You’re running out of storage in the play room. Oh!”
The small object he placed in her hand was very cold. Metallic?
“Open your eyes,” he said, his excitement audible in his voice.
In the palm of her hand was a highly polished key.
“What-” She began.
“For this place,” He interrupted, unable to wait. “If you want it. I mean, you’ve been here more than not and it’s been great and I thought you might-”
She silenced him with a kiss.
“Of course I want it, dummy.”
His shoulders visibly relaxed, but now he was more certain of himself he noticed her disrespectful form of address, “Who now? Dummy was it?”
She laughed and pulled away from his playful grip, knowing that she’d get a spanking for being so rude and horribly excited to find out what he’s spank her with. “Sir! I said, Sir. Didn’t you hear me?”
“Mm. Sure you did, sweetheart.” He pulled her into a tight embrace, surrounding her with strong, immovable arms.
She gave up her playful resistance and relaxed there in the simplest form of bondage. Who knew a hug could give her such warm, deep, submissive feelings?
“Thank you, Sir,” she said, the key growing warm in the palm of her hand.
The End
Next time: William’s Story
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About the Author
Saffron Hayes is the British author of ‘Romance and Ropes’ novels set in Club Drift. She lives near London with two dogs and many, many books.
Her work features inquisitive subs, communicative Doms, SSC realistic BDSM kinky stuff, and a side helping of laughter - just like all the best sex, right?
Look for Saffron
at www.saffronhayes.co.uk, on Twitter, and Facebook.
Maisy's Keeper: Club Drift, Book One (The Club Drift Series 1) Page 24
