Branded (The Club)

“Good morning, Mr. Tanner.” Stella busied herself cooking at the stove top. Eggs fried and bacon crisped in the pan filling the room with smells that made my mouth water. Hot coffee waited on the counter for my mug.

“Good morning, Stella.” I poured the coffee waiting for the inquisition.

“I see the new girl is here. No waiting on this one, eh?” She flipped the fried egg and caught the toast popping out of the toaster and placed it on my plate.

“Her name in Langley and she’s a nice girl, Stella.” My housekeeper could be a little protective, and after the last one, I couldn’t blame her.

She waved her spatula at me disapprovingly. “You said that about the last one. I’ll wait and see.”

I grunted. She would make up her mind on her own without my help. Langley’s shy and unassuming personality would win her over quickly.

Instead of directly addressing her concerns, I said, “I’m taking Blackjack out for a ride. I plan to be back by lunchtime to eat with Langley.”

“Is this a skins or shirts kind of lunch?” I nearly choked on Stella’s words. She continued cooking as if asking if I planned to keep Langley naked inside the house was a normal question. She was half right, but I didn’t give her the satisfaction of answering. Those games would be played another time.

“She has clothes in the closet I left for her. If she chooses to wear them it’s her decision.” It wasn’t my fault an overly extroverted sub from last year took to nudism during her month here. Langley would be plenty naked later. No sense in starting out that way and scaring my staff who would be reminded of their banishment from the house after today unless I required them. Stella had another kitchen she could cook in at the bunk house.

“I’ll leave the princess her breakfast on the warmer when she decides to get up.” Stella made her a full plate, and I relished not being here for their first meeting. Langley could handle her on her own. She seemed less skittish when I wasn’t in her space. Stella was gruff, but I bet she would warm up, taking Langley’s side before the week was out.

“I left her boots in the hall. If she wishes to find me, I’ll be in the barn with the horses,” I said, planting my Stetson on my head and taking my travel mug of coffee with me outside.

Reaching the barn, I found Jose Cologne, my barn manager, pacing back and forth.

“Jose, what’s going on?”

“It’s that damn horse again,” he said in his lilting Spanish accent that reminded me of my mother—God rest her soul.

“What’s happened?”

“Blackjack kicked out another set of boards from his stall. We have him set away from the mares and the other horses but he’s got a mean streak a mile wide.”

“Was anyone injured?”

“Just Pete. I had Conner drive him to the clinic next town over to get checked out. Nothing broken but damn animal yanked the lead so hard we left him in the stall for now.”

“Thanks, I’ll take him out.” I walked up to Blackjack’s stall, and the horse was pacing inside. He was ready to breed but it wasn’t time. He was overly eager as expected and with little patience. I could understand his plight.

“Easy boy,” I crooned to my horse. “Let’s get you outside before you cause a shit storm in here and scare my staff off.” I got the lead around him, stroking his silky coat. His skin visibly vibrated under my palm. He pranced and fought the lead right up to the pasture gate. I opened it wide and set him free inside. He bucked and gamboled back and forth over the grass. I watched him, thinking about a certain filly back at the house that was equally as feisty as my stallion.

10

Langley

My bare feet padded over the radiant, heated flooring inside the house, toes curled against the Spanish adobe tiles that matched the southwest theme despite the modern finishes throughout. The soft cotton of my lacy, blue calico sundress skirted the edges of my upper thighs, leaving me dangerously bare should Sloan come looking for me. Each step made the bareness between my legs sensitive. I couldn’t find underwear anywhere inside the dressers or the closet of the bedroom. I had to shake my head at Sloan’s deception. Apparently when he’d said he would provide for me, he neglected underthings.

Smells in the kitchen pulled me out of the bedroom. I expected to see him this morning when I woke but he was gone, the only indication of his presence the indentation of the pillow next to mine and his scent in the linens.

“Good morning, Miss Langley.” A woman stood in the kitchen, her back to me as she continued cooking and cleaning.

“Uh, hello?” I said, suddenly feeling barer in my dress than before. Sitting on the stool at the bar counter was difficult given how short my dress was, and I cursed Sloan for that.

“I made you

some breakfast.” She placed a plate of eggs and toast in front of me with a freshly poured cup of coffee. She continued cleaning, and I took a bite of the food which was delicious. “I’m Stella. I’m the housekeeper and cook but you won’t see me unless you need me after today. Mr. Tanner is pretty specific about that with his ladies in the house.”

I paused in my next bite, thinking over how she said “ladies” as in plural. Sloan was completely upfront with me, telling me that he’d done this before. I guess I hadn’t really thought about what that meant precisely or how many others had come before me.

“Have you been here long?” I asked.