Woo hoo! Can’t wait to see you and fill you in on what you’ve missed! Us girls plan to gather at my old apartment above the tea shop beforehand to disguise ourselves, hopefully good enough to make the Doms work at guessing who’s who. Feel free to join us – 7:00.
Before Leslie could come up with an excuse, she sent a quick reply telling her she would be there. She’d never ventured into Willow Springs, but Nan’s directions to her tea shop were easy enough, and she figured meeting up with them first would keep her from bolting at the last minute like she’d done a few weeks ago. Shopping for a costume would be fun and would occupy her mind and time, hopefully enough to keep her from second-guessing her decision.
“What the hell was that thing you unloaded from the horse trailer?”
Kurt’s pleasure at seeing his father out on the porch for a change instead of at his bedroom window took a nosedive as soon as Leland opened his mouth. Taking off his hat, he slapped it against his thigh, annoyed with his derogatory tone and question. “I know Roy gave you my message when I called to have him clear one of the smaller corrals for the wild mustang I purchased, and you knew I was going to auction today.”
Leland nodded with a scowl. “But not to buy that nag. For God’s sake, Kurt, that animal is skin and bones, and nasty to boot. What are you going to do with him?”
“I could say the same about you,” he shot back. The past month had yielded little changes in Leland’s health and attitude, but not enough as far as Kurt was concerned. It had taken three weeks before his father admitted defeat in getting him to relent on resuming the private therapy sessions. Just this past week, he’d allowed Cory to drive him into the clinic and had returned tired but with a healthy flush covering his face that Kurt was pleased to see. The bad news was he’d only exercised enough in the weeks before that to keep from losing ground, doing nothing to improve his strength and mobility. “As you know, the stallion was headed to the dog food factory and I couldn’t let that happen. He’s young, mean as a snake and malnourished, but I can see his will to live in his eyes, along with his intelligence. He’ll be worth the effort to nurse him back to health, maybe even tame him.”
Leland snorted in disbelief. “I thought you knew horseflesh better than that. That’s what you get for wasting your time behind a desk in Houston for so long.”
“Well I’m not in Houston anymore and I still know a good horse when I see one.” Yanking open the door, he looked over his shoulder and caught Leland glancing around at him, an undefinable gleam in his eyes. “What?” he asked, wondering at the softening around his mouth.
“Nothing. Go on. You don’t want to be late gettin’ to that club of yours. I have plenty of time to tell you I told you so.”
Shaking his head, Kurt headed to his bathroom thinking he wasn’t he only one who could use the relief from a long, vigorous fucking. He’d never hidden his sexual proclivities from Leland, but also had never discussed them openly. He was Kurt’s father, and some things didn’t change no matter how old either of them got. Noting the time was later than he’d thought, he rushed through a shower and dinner before driving out to The Barn looking forward to masquerade night. With any luck, he would finally hook up with someone who could make him forget one night over five weeks ago and one woman whose memory refused to stay in the back of his mind, where he’d delegated all the others who had come before her.
After making two trips into Billings and taking the time to stop by Leslie’s apartment only to find her not at home, he’d given up. He knew what her breathy moans sounded like when she was aroused, how soft her skin felt, how tightly her hot, slick pussy gripped his fingers and cock and could still vividly recall the despondency that had clouded her pretty blue eyes. Other than that, he knew nothing about the woman who left such a lasting impact on him. Vowing to put an end to his concern for her tonight, he entered the club in time to catch the last half of the monthly business meeting with the Masters before the doors opened to the rest of the members.
All six of his closest friends, owners of the club and Masters were congregated around the bar, laughing as Kurt entered the playroom. Looking forward to an evening of socializing and tormenting a willing submissive, he strode toward the group vowing not to let thoughts of his father or a desperate stranger intrude on his fun.
Chapter 5
“No one is going to recognize you in that outfit,” Nan said as she took in Leslie’s ankle-length white sheath dress cinched around the waist with a wide, gold belt. “When you put it all together with the fancy head piece, matching arm bands and black wig, it’s easy to guess you’re Cleopatra, but with the mask and heavily made-up eyes, even I can barely recognize your face.”
“It won’t matter if I can get the attention of one of the new Doms you told me about since I’ll still be a stranger to them.” The thought of hooking up with someone new tonight appealed to Leslie. With luck, she could put one stranger out of her mind for good with another. The new members, a doctor who had relocated to Willow Springs from Denver and a wealthy cattleman who had just returned home after living in Texas for several years, sounded interesting. Although, given the jolt she experienced upon hearing Master Wilcox’s first name was Kurt, the same as her one-night-stand stranger, she might avoid him just to keep from making unwanted comparisons.
“Tell me some more about Masters Greg and Devin’s new sub,” she prodded, taking a seat on the couch while she and Nan waited for Sydney, Avery and Tamara to emerge from the bedroom. She was still struggling to wrap her head around Nan’s engagement, trying to picture the independent, confirmed bachelorette giving up her cozy apartment above her quaint tea shop to move out to Dan’s small ranch, and now she’d learned the hot Doms who loved ménage scenes recently joined the ranks of committed members. So far, Leslie had managed to stifle the pang of regret she had experienced when each of the others had pledged fidelity to one person, but that might not last when she saw the two Masters with their new submissive.
Nan arranged the deep red satin folds of her saloon girl costume around her legs as she sat in the armchair facing the couch. “She’s really nice. It’s fun to watch them together. Kelsey is only an inch or two over five foot, small boned with big blue eyes and almost white hair. Her fey appearance doesn’t keep her from giving as good as she gets when either Greg or Devin pushes her buttons.”
“You must be talking about Kelsey.” Sydney padded into the room wearing a peasant dress, the see-through, lacy white bodice revealing her unfettered breasts and dusky nipples. “She’s my kind of girl.”
“That’s because she’s so much like you,” Avery chimed in from behind her, her abundant curves spilling out of the tight, skimpy, bright green bra that matched the sheer, billowing, hip-hugging pants of her harem outfit.
Sydney smirked. “I knew there was a reason I liked her so much.”
“Oh my God,” Nan breathed, coming to her feet as Tamara joined them decked out in a body-molding, bright fuchsia, latex cat suit. With the front zipper lowered to her waist, the plump fullness of her breasts drew the eye as much as the noticeable peeks of bare flesh under the mesh. “I have to know where you got that.”
Flushing, Tamara tossed her long black hair with a wide smile. “Think Connor will know it’s me?” She held her mask up to her eyes by the long handle.
“Yes. In that outfit, there’s no hiding your baby bump,” Sydney drawled, resting a hand on her own stomach.
Baby? Leslie’s gaze swung from admiring Tamara’s three-inch heels to her waist and then over to Sydney’s less obvious little bulge behind her loose skirt. Living with a target on her back prevented her from even thinking about having children some day and there was no stopping or ignoring the painful twist of exclusion cramping her abdomen. Forcing a smile of congratulations, she hurried over to give each of them a hug.
“I’m so happy for you both. This is what I get for staying away for so long. It’ll take me all night to get caught up with everyone.”
“Just b
e sure to save time to play.” Nan opened the door and waved everyone out. “No offense, Leslie, but you look like you could use a long session with an attentive Dom.”
“You know, I think that’s exactly what I need.” They traipsed downstairs and Leslie waved as she opened her car door. “See you there.” Settling behind the wheel, she waited until they pulled out before following them.
The charm of Willow Springs’ business square had struck Leslie when she’d driven past the century-old buildings that still housed the city offices and library on her way in. Quaint gift shops, a local diner and a center fountain squared off by towering pines made her wish she’d taken the time to visit sooner. With her new resolution to move forward and put herself out more, she made a silent promise to return soon, take Nan up on her offer of tea in her shop and check out the arts and crafts in the display windows along the covered sidewalks.
Turning off the highway onto the narrow lane leading to the club, Leslie sucked in a deep breath, vowing to get back into the groove of enjoying herself in the only way she’d found that eased the stress of keeping her true identity a secret. Just in case she wanted to bail early though, she opted for a parking space at the rear of the already crowded gravel lot. Checking her wig in the mirror, she slipped on her mask, a flutter of excitement winging through her with the thought of submitting in disguise to a new Dom. Given her previous response to a stranger, she was all for a repeat with another man she didn’t know any better than he knew her.