Fulfilled (7 page)

Kennedy smiled and pushed to her feet. “Graham’ll be in any second to try and put a damper on our plans. Ask him to come see me, okay?”

Lois cleared the table and stacked the dishwasher. She had the stove and counters wiped down and was in the process of washing the floor when Nathan and his dad blew in.

“Wowis!” Nathan threw himself at her, and she fielded his advance with one hand and protected the pail with the other. She blew a kiss on the child’s soft neck and reveled in his giggles and squeals. Graham gave her an apologetic glance.

“Did you find the toast we left you?”

“It was past eating, Graham. But we had breakfast. Kennedy wants to see you.”

“Probably hopes to charm me into letting her walk that damn mall.” He headed in the direction of the master suite, muttering to himself.

Lois sent Nathan to fetch her a cloth and quickly finished the small area of the floor left to clean. Miniature Graham proudly presented the dishcloth, and she dried her hands with it before emptying the pail.

“C’mon, sweetie. Let’s get you washed up and ready for a day with Daddy.”

“Daddy,” Nathan agreed. “Pway wih Daddy.”

“Play with Daddy.”

Nathan nodded with another sunny smile and let her take him to the bathroom to wash his face and hands free of syrup and dirt. He didn’t relinquish his stained shirt as easily, scrunching up his face when she eased it over his head. She wanted a little boy so fiercely she ached. Nathan hugged her, burrowing his face into her upper thigh, wrapping his arms around her leg, and Lois soaked up the contact. She slipped a clean top on him before lifting and carrying him out to the living room. Kennedy was there, dressed and clearly victorious. Graham looked thunderous.

“We’ll take it easy, Graham, honest. I won’t let her get overtired.”

“You’re a natural, Lois. The voice of reason, and you take such good care of us all. Any Dom would be lucky to have you.” He took Nathan from her and held him for Kennedy to kiss good-bye.

“It’s you and me, little man. We’ll go out for lunch, and Mommy and Lois will be back in lots of time for dinner.”

She and Kennedy watched the pair head out the back door again, Nathan distracted enough by the idea of playing with his dad not to fuss, although he was clearly torn, realizing his two slaves were leaving without him. They smiled at one another, women united, and made their escape. Lois drove, because Graham would expect her to, and because Kennedy scared the crap out of her when she got behind the wheel.

The afternoon at the mall passed enjoyably. Lois made sure Kennedy had a place to sit when she wasn’t spending money on baby items, and they stopped for both lunch and a coffee break, with tea substituted. Herbal tea. Graham knew about the coffee in the mornings, just as he knew Lois substituted decaf for the real thing. Lois admired the balance in their relationship, particularly now she knew Graham was a Dom. She went all out and bought lingerie comprised of featherlight silk and satin with miniscule stitching and borders of lace in a variety of colors. Kennedy probably enjoyed that more than anything, choosing exotic and revealing items for Lois’s perusal with barely concealed glee.

The new outfits were less exciting, but the jeans fit well, and the tops suited her body type and coloring. Lois was astonished by the way the new bras made the most of even her slight shape. At Kennedy’s insistence she agreed to purchase a chocolate-brown party dress in a slinky material, although she privately thought it more closely resembled a nightgown. But the color complimented her coloring, closely matching her eyes, and she actually looked glamorous. The matching heels broke the budget, and she hoped the outfit wouldn’t languish in her closet for the duration.

Graham and Nathan were watching for them when they arrived home, safely, and well before Graham’s intimated curfew. He carried their parcels inside, with Nathan manfully shifting Lois’s smaller bags with the exception of the shoes. She made dinner with Nathan while Graham took Kennedy off “for a rest.”

The little guy stood on a chair to scrub potatoes in the sink, soaking himself and everything in the near vicinity while he chattered about all the things he and his dad did. Lunch appeared to have been “noguts” and “fwies.” Lois put a meat loaf together before rescuing the potatoes. She peeled them, putting them on to boil and found some cream corn, her memory flashing back to the first meal she’d shared with her employers and Nathan. They had truly moved on from those early times.

Dinner was devoured, and Lois insisted on cleaning up while Kennedy and Graham played with Nathan. In turn, they got him ready for bed later, and she was left to her own devices. She tried on all her purchases and figured she looked okay for somebody pushing forty and possessing little breasts. She’d seen a brochure for yoga classes at the mall and stowed one in her purse. If she passed the medical at the club, and even if she didn’t, she thought she’d work harder at strengthening her body and becoming more supple. Then she went to bed and thought about the Saracen and the good-looking Master Trevor with the kind eyes. She didn’t know if they were always kind, but he was such a contrast to Master Jonathon she thought they might be.

“She hasn’t interviewed yet, Jon.” Patrick leaned back in his desk chair and laced his hands behind his head. His desk was littered with the paperwork he often tended to on a Sunday. Jon knew Patrick was remarkably well organized, but the work piled up regardless. Kennedy planned to come back part-time, and to Jon’s discerning eye it wouldn’t be too soon.

“When?”

“Tomorrow afternoon, and you can’t be there.”

“I accept that. I’m offering to train her. I’ll just wait outside.”

“Get in line, my friend. She’ll probably be accepted but you’re Dom number three.”

Jon wondered if Patrick would make a satisfying thump when he hit the floor, right after he kicked the chair out from under the other man. He might not get his hands apart in time to break his fall.

“Who the fuck else is interested?” He gritted the question out and didn’t attack his boss. He needed information first.

“It’s like Christmas around here, and every loose Dom is looking for a toy.” Patrick sounded annoyed, although he remained in his relaxed stance. Abruptly he straightened and smacked his palms on the desktop. “You gave me the hardest time over the meet and greets, Spence. You were gracious only because I convinced you it was good for business. And now you’re sniffing around after a sweet new submissive, something that wouldn’t have happened without our tourist nights!”

“Probably?” Jon chose to ignore some of that comment and noted Patrick hadn’t clarified who else was interested in the little sub. Patrick needed to get over himself. Was there any doubt Graham’s nanny wouldn’t be allowed to join? And what the hell was her name anyhow?

“Her name is Lois Wright. And yes, probably. She has to pass the medical and the interview just like everyone else.”

“I’ll train her.”

Patrick muttered something sounding like
dog with a bone
. “I have no idea what she wants or needs, Jon.”

“That’s for her Dom to sort out.”

“That depends. She’s already figured one thing out. She wants fidelity.”

Jon fought against the squeezing sensation in his chest. Graham said that, too, but he’d work around it. “You don’t get fidelity in training. Well, you can have sexual fidelity I suppose.” He did suppose. He couldn’t imagine getting into anyone else until he figured this thing out with Lois Wright.

“This may be one time when your status as house Dom will go against you, Jon. I may need to place her with a single Dom. Or with two.”

Jon ignored that last statement. Lois Wright, the nanny, was his. “I’ll take a leave of absence.”

Silence. Jon waited it out. He’d replaced Graham because Jordan Sterling, the other house Dom, had been overburdened with work when Graham defected. Jon knew Jordan was very busy training new subs while Jon worked primarily with couples or single subs who didn’t connect with a Dom. They both took turns monitoring the scenes. Patrick probably didn’t want to stand in for him. Well, Jon had that figured out, too. He had two guys in mind, up for the idea of moving somewhere warm, settling down, and probably better versed in some of the newer BDSM toys than he was.

“You’ve thought this through.”

“I have. Although damned if I know how this happened.”

Patrick laughed. It wasn’t a particularly happy sound, and Jon looked at him. His boss shrugged. “I could give you a list of other Doms who said pretty much the same thing to me. You’re all making me gray before my time.”

“But
you’re
in a committed relationship. You
married
your sub!”

“And she hasn’t given me a moment of difficulty, Jon. I suspect it won’t be the same in your case like it wasn’t in Graham’s or Jamison’s or Cameron’s. Although, truth to be told, most of it was on the Doms.”

Jon shook his head. Little Lois wouldn’t give him any problems. He’d train her and stay away from other subs until such time as she was secure enough to relax her expectations. The way he felt just from laying eyes on her was enough to make him suspect he wouldn’t want sex with anyone else, at least not right away. But this was his chosen profession, and she’d have to accept it. He knew soldiering and BDSM. He couldn’t see himself doing anything else, and soldiering would take him away from her. The club it was.

“Trevor and Maurice are going to be disappointed if she agrees.”

What. The. Fuck. “You tell Maurice to keep his distance. He puts a hand on her, I’ll rip it off and make him eat it.”

“You might be surprised, Jon, but there isn’t going to be any violence in Club Pleasure, at least not of that nature. I note you aren’t concerned about Trevor.”

He was. He didn’t know what to do about Trevor. Trevor was ready to commit. Jon paid attention to what went on in the club. He knew Trevor was ready, if the other man was aware of it or not. And Lois just had to come along. Bad timing. Trevor was the type of Dom who’d probably appeal to Lois. Stable, secure, good job, well trained. Jon faltered for a moment in his resolve. He was a big, black Dom. Sure, she’d looked at him like he was lunch, but lots of women just wanted the novelty of a black stud.

“She’s not like that, Jon. If you didn’t see it—man up or back off. You question yourself and you’ll lose the opportunity.” Patrick was enormously talented at reading people.

Okay. Patrick was right. “You ask her then. If she’ll be formally trained by me. Exclusive.”

“I will, but you’ll have to accept her decision.”

“I’ll reserve the right to plead my case.” Plead? Doms didn’t plead. “I reserve the right to convince her otherwise.”

Patrick laughed again, this time with real mirth. “Be available after two then. In the afternoon, Jon. She’s a nanny and probably has to be in bed by midnight. It’ll give you time to talk with her. Talk. Until the medical comes back. For now, tell me your plan for covering your shifts. I’m sure you have one.”

They spent some time looking at possibilities, and Patrick agreed to meet with Owyn and Rees, the Lamont brothers, just as soon as they could get here. It was a good thing Jordan still carried a torch for Olivia. He’d be unlikely to leave Patrick in the lurch. He had a regular sub, a messed-up girl who required more work than Jon would want to put in, but the arrangement seemed to suit Jordan. He was in charge in that particular D/s relationship. Jon wondered if his own brain was on tilt or something. Maybe when he actually connected with Lois on his terms the attraction wouldn’t be there. His cock leapt to attention and saluted, calling him a dirty liar, and Jon willed it into submission. When the prick stands up brains apparently do get buried in the ground. Fuck. He decided to spend the remainder of the day cleaning his equipment. And maybe choosing a few special things for Lois. Jon was an ass man, but he liked to decorate sweet little breasts, too.

He strode toward the stairs, relaxed and looking forward to the following day. Footsteps sounded behind him, and he turned to see Alain. He got along well with the other man, the Lois situation being a temporary aberration. Jon respected any Dom who knew what they were doing and didn’t deviate from meeting their sub’s needs.

“You in talking to Patrick about Lois?” Maybe not so temporary an aberration.

“I was. I’ll train her.”

“Don’t know if that’s a foregone conclusion.”

Jon shrugged. “It’ll be her decision, but I’m up.”

“Rumor has it she’s looking for a committed relationship.” Maurice lounged against the wall, and Jon could feel the tamped-down aggression emanating from the other man. The man’s Cajun accent was thick enough to cut.

“So I’ve heard. I’ll commit if need be.”

Maurice stared at him for a ten count. “You fuck up and you won’t get a second chance. That one’s something special. I’d kill for something like that. She’s natural born submissive and more. Could be a twenty-four-seven. On her knees all the time.”

Jon wrestled with his burgeoning rage, spawned by possessiveness and an integral concern. Maurice would break Lois and absorb her. She might need that, but he doubted it. He couldn’t accept it. He’d seen the spirit in her. She’d been amazed at her own temerity when she’d checked him out, but did it anyway. There was no way Maurice was going to have her.

“Not fucking likely. You need to stand down.”

Maurice smiled. The dark predator vanished, and the guardian of the door replaced him. The smooth transition was fucking scary. Then he spoke quietly, his accent still pronounced. “You think my way is wrong. A sub in my care would serve me because it would meet her needs to make me happy. And I’d reward her handsomely for it. Sometimes having no choice is the best life of all. It eases a person.”

Jon heard him, really listened. Maurice was alone, and lonely. He’d been searching, too, all these years. One sub, three needy Doms. It was a recipe for disaster. He walked away from the other man. He’d do whatever was in Lois’s best interest.