Page 54 of Winter’s Fire

The sound of someone tapping a microphone interrupted the buzz of general conversation, and like everyone else in the audience, Lucy turned her attention to the tall, statuesque redhead waiting to address them.

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Mistress Petra, and I’m the guest relations executive for our submissive visitors. It’s my enormous pleasure and privilege to welcome you to Nenufar on behalf of Dr. Jaeger von Brandt, our director. You’ll all get to meet Dr. J at this evening’s cocktail party.”

Relaxed and self-assured, she addressed the gathering with an almost tangible confidence. Much of what she was saying, Lucy recalled from scouring the website, so she switched her attention to the welcome pack. It was stuffed with a glossy brochure, various flyers, including one showing a selection of the mind-blowing range of equipment available at the adult toy shop. The final item was a credit-card sized piece of thin plastic printed with what appeared to be a computer login and password.

She skimmed her way through the literature, which included more than its fair share of pictures of naked, fun-loving extroverts. The spa treatments sounded wonderful—Lucy reminded herself she was there to work, and the pampering was part of her cover.

Now there was a thought. In the privacy of the treatment rooms, if she took a picture of Diana Carstairs with her, she could ask the therapists if they remembered her. At least Logan wouldn’t be there to reprimand her for her initiative.

Lucy switched back to the present as Mistress Petra introduced some of the senior members of staff, all ridiculously attractive. The women were slim and toned, while the men were tall and muscular. The lot of them were guaranteed to give any mere mortal a complex.

“And finally, before I let you all go find your Dominants, I’d like to draw your attention to the final item in your packs. You each have a personal login for the guest area of our website. You can use that to select treatments and make appointments at the spa, make restaurant reservations, and of course, browse the private gallery. You can even upload your own images, should you wish to share them with your fellow guests. The only limit is your own imagination—that area of the website is one hundred percent secure, and inaccessible to outside visitors.

“Does anyone have any questions?”

After a couple of queries, most of the guests dispersed on a wave of happy chatter. Sasha and Jed remained seated.

“So, what do you think, Lisa? Will you and your Master enjoy your vacation?”

Hearing someone else refer to Logan as her Master gave Lucy a strange, but by no means unpleasant feeling in the pit of her stomach. “I think so. He needs to relax, and I hope he can do that here.”

“If you need any ideas, make sure you check out the private area of the website,” Jed advised. “I’ve learned a lot from there—especially that no matter how pervy you think you are, there’s always a bigger pervert out there!”

Sasha elbowed him in the ribs. “We’d better get a move on. Master told us to meet him by the fountain by ten past, and it’s nearly that now. Remember what he did the last time you were late?”

Judging by the almost comical grimace that flashed across Jed’s face, Lucy was fairly certain she didn’t want to hear the details. “I’ll see you guys around later. Have fun!”

It didn’t take Lucy long to find Logan. He too had a pack of information, considerably thicker than hers—and, she was willing to bet, a hell of a lot more interesting.

“Hi, babe.” He gathered her in his arms and greeted her with a hard kiss. “How did it go? Did you miss me?”

“Of course I did, Sir.” Slipping into character in public was coming a lot more easily now. “How did your induction go?”

“Good. Gave me some great ideas I’d like us to try out later.”

The sexy undercurrent to the words was echoed in his suddenly gravelly tone. It was all for the benefit of anyone passing close enough to hear their exchange, of course. No way did he mean it.

“You okay?”

He must have picked up on her delicate shudder. “I’m fine, thank you. Really.”

He didn’t look convinced. “If you’re not being honest with me…”

He’d introduce her to that paddle. He didn’t need to spell it out to make the threat clear. And in spite of her earlier reaction, was it wrong to be intrigued by the thought so much?

~~*~~

“Ladies and gentlemen, if I might have your attention, please.”

“Who is that?”

As they turned in the direction of the voice, Lucy sampled her Sex On The Beach. Logan’s expression had been a picture when she’d ordered it. “Mistress Petra. She’s the guest relations executive for subs. She conducted the orientation session this morning.”

“Oppo for Master Hugo, then,” Logan murmured, lifting his chin in the direction of the urbane middle-aged man who stood to her left. He tried his vodka martini and pulled a face. “Christ, what I wouldn’t give for a Guinness.”

Lucy masked her grin with another sip. “I’m surprised they don’t have it here.”

“They do.” Logan was grim. “The prick I’m playing wouldn’t drink it, though.”