Escaping Shadows, page 14
“Stop being nice!” Elsa demanded after the fifth time Georgie had been too nice to someone who had failed to deliver goods when promised. “Do you know what that item is that they’ve not delivered?”
“Looks like some kind of plastic.”
“That’s right. For a surgical implant that saves lives. Because they’ve failed to deliver, the manufacturing of life-saving equipment is behind by three weeks. Are you going to go to each of the patients’ families who died because they couldn’t get treatment soon enough?”
Georgie deflated. “Oh. That’s horrible.”
Elsa shook her head. “Get up. We’re going out for a bit.”
“But Ryker—”
“Ryker is in confidential meetings for the next two hours. During that time, you’re all mine and I need to teach you how to find your inner confidence and stand up for yourself.”
Georgie was scared. Elsa had graying hair, pulled back into a tight bun. She would have looked like a scary nun if it weren’t for the thigh-high leather boots under her long skirt.
“Get your coat. We’re taking a short walk.” Elsa grabbed hers and strode out, expecting Georgie to follow, which is exactly what she did.
“Where are we going?” Georgie asked as she hurried to keep up with the older woman. They left the downtown Charleston office and walked three blocks while Elsa talked about how women weren’t pushovers. That it’s not being a bitch to stand up for yourself and demand equal treatment. If she was going to be sitting at the table with arrogant assholes, she needed to learn how to handle them.
“I’m going to teach you how to become a dragon,” Elsa said, knocking on a door of a very beautiful historic house. “You need to get over the fear of taking control of your life. Only then can you take control and command the attention you will need to be successful.”
“You’re going to teach me how to be mean?” Georgie asked as they waited for the door to open.
“No. I’m going to teach you confidence and how not to be a doormat. You can do all that without saying a word.” Elsa nodded up at the video camera and the door unlocked. A sweet-looking grandmother type opened the door.
“Ellie, you brought a new member?”
“Not exactly. She needs a two-hour crash course. Is anyone available?” Elsa asked as they walked inside. The house was as beautiful on the inside as it was on the outside.
“Yes. There are several mistresses here. I’m sure they’ll love to help train your friend. I’ll put you in the green room and send them to you. Good luck, miss.”
“Thank you,” Georgie said automatically, even though she had no idea what she was thanking the woman for.
“Follow me.” Elsa opened a door and they headed downstairs into what she thought might be a basement, but it was actually a full underground area filled with a large sitting room, a bar, and a hallway with three doors off each side.
“What is this place?” Georgie asked, but then a door opened and a woman in a short leather mini skirt, spiked leather thigh-high boots, and a leather corset stepped out of a door. “Am I in a BDSM club?”
“Dominatrix club, dear. Follow me.” Elsa walked to the last door on the left and opened it. There were all kinds of sex toys, a bed covered in green silk, a table covered in the same kind of green silk, and more whips and crops hanging on a wall than she knew what to do with. “Which one speaks to you?”
Elsa gestured to the wall of leather. Georgie’s eyes went straight to a gold-handled leather riding crop. “Excellent choice. Take it.” Georgie picked it up. It had weight to it. “Now, slam it onto the bed.”
Georgie looked at Elsa, but Elsa was clearly not joking. Georgie walked over to the bed and slammed the crop down. Elsa rolled her eyes. “You wouldn’t kill a mosquito with that hit. Hit. The. Bed. You are in control. You wield the crop. Not the bed. You won’t hurt it. Now hit it.”
Georgie hit it harder this time. The leather gave a satisfying snap against the silk.
“Again, harder.”
Georgie flicked her wrist harder and the leather snapped again. Over and over, she hit the bed until it no longer scared her. When she stopped, she realized three dominatrices and three men had joined them.
“Thank you for your help. My protégé needs to find her voice.” The three dominatrices smiled at Georgie. With a snap of their fingers, the men instantly sat at the table as Elsa whispered to the women about Georgie’s problem.
They nodded and turned to their men. “Your mission is to be the normal men you are in the office. Don’t give in unless this woman makes you. Got it?”
“This is so strange,” Georgie whispered.
“No, hon. What’s strange is the fact powerful men can respect each other, but very few will respect a woman. They think she slept or married her way into power. So, which one are you?” the mistress with dark auburn hair asked her.
“Inherited,” Georgie admitted with a sigh. “I see your point.”
“Hell, most of them inherited it too and they’re proud of it. You just have to prove you have the right to sit at that table too,” the blonde told her. “Now, we need to fix your posture. Teddy, what does her posture say right now?”
“That she’s unsure of herself, mistress,” the first man answered.
“Back straight. Head level. Look them in the eyes,” the mistress with black hair ordered. She punctuated it with a tap to Georgie’s shoulders with a crop. “Good.”
“Keep that posture when you walk around the room,” Elsa instructed.
The instructions on posture, eye contact, and confidence lasted over an hour. Even the men began to help and give pointers and point out weak spots they saw in her. It was strange to be torn down and then built back up without a single harsh word. She’d simply never seen herself like this before. The next hour was spent finding the control in her own voice and looks. The men said things to her that had been said a million times. However, this time the mistresses were there to bolster her confidence and help her find her own voice. When the two hours passed and she walked out of the room, she felt different.
“Much better,” Elsa said with a smile. “How do you feel?”
“I never saw myself the way you saw me. You saw what I could become. I was learning to stand up for myself, but you showed me I was already powerful. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. You can come back to the house anytime you need to. Now, let’s see how you handle the rest of the phone calls today,” Elsa unbent enough to smile at Georgie before heading out the door.
* * *
“Something’s different about you,” Stone said as he opened the door to his car for her.
Georgie grinned to herself as Stone closed the door and walked around to the driver’s side. “I learned a lot today.” And she had. Not only with her dominatrix lesson, but Ryker brought her in on two negotiations and a board of directors meeting. After hearing what Elsa and the mistresses said to her, she could see the same characteristics in Ryker. The quiet confidence that spoke of power. The glares that said more than words. His calm demeanor as he ran meetings as if he knew with absolute certainty that he was right, even when he was seeking input. It was really amazing and she wouldn’t have seen those qualities without Elsa and her friends showing Georgie how to carry herself the same way.
“Knowledge is power, right?” Stone said with a wink. “Now, want to hear about this puck bunny waiting for me in the parking lot?”
Georgie laughed and relaxed into the leather seat. “Tell me all about it.”
Stone Townsend might act the big-shot sports star, but he was actually a down-to-earth man with plans both on and off the rink. The puck bunny talk lasted only so long and then they began discussing sports, contracts, retirement, and what was expected versus the reality of being a pro athlete. It was all very fascinating.
“Puck bunnies will only fill your bed, not your heart,” Georgie said as they approached Shadows Landing.
“True, but right now that’s all I have time for. When I finally settle down, I want to be able to give that woman everything. How many women would understand my insane schedule? Not only that but the trust that’s required on both sides. There are a lot of away games and a lot of puck bunnies. Those wives and girlfriends are home alone for all that time. And sometimes they’re not alone.”
“You won’t even think about a relationship until you’re retired because you already don’t trust your hypothetical girlfriend?”
Stone nodded. “Basically. Do you trust Kord that way?”
“Yes,” Georgie said instantly.
“Hmph. You answered that fast. How do you know?”
Georgie thought about that. How did she know? “I guess you can’t have solid evidence. It’s just knowing on faith. He loves me so much that I know he won’t cheat. He’s shown more than loving me. He also respects me. There’s a solid friendship, then love, and then respect. All that equals trust.”
“Hopefully I’ll find that someday,” Stone told her as he came to a stop in front of Harper’s Bar. “Until then . . . puck bunnies.”
“Some girl is going to knock you on your ass and laugh when you fall hard for her. I can’t wait to see it,” Georgie said, getting out of the car.
“You’re already taken, so I doubt it’ll happen.” Stone opened the door to the bar. “And I like whatever it is that changed about you today. You seem surer of yourself. It’s sexy as hell.” Stone winked at her before glancing around the bar and finding his brothers. “You good?”
“I am.” Maggie was already walking toward her. “Thanks for today. I really appreciate it.”
Stone gave her his trademark smile and sauntered over to the table filled with his brothers.
“You look different,” Maggie said with a cock of her head. “Did you get a haircut in Charleston?”
“Nope. Just had a girls’ afternoon with some new friends.”
Georgie ducked under the bar to help Harper serve drinks as Maggie took a seat next to Skeeter at the bar. “Well, it looks good on you. Whatever it is.”
“You know what would look good on you?” Hunter Townsend asked Maggie with a serious face.
“Any guy but you?” Maggie replied.
Hunter’s lip turned up into a smirk. “Trust me, sweetheart. You couldn’t handle a man like me.”
“One who misses the bullseye?” Maggie batted her eyes innocently at him as if she didn’t mean the double entendre it was.
“I never miss a shot I take. Ever.” Hunter turned to Georgie. “How are you holding up?”
“Feeling better after today. I’m excited about the future so long as my parents behave themselves,” Georgie told him as she pulled out mugs and began to fill them with beer for the Townsends. “How are you doing?”
“Shipping out tomorrow for a bit.”
Maggie turned to Hunter with a frown on her face. “You have an assignment? Where?”
“I’d have to kill you if I told you,” Hunter said with a wink.
“As if you could hit me, even with your best shot.” Maggie rolled her eyes. “I’ll, um, miss our battles. So be safe doing whatever it is you do.”
Hunter put his hands over his heart. “It’s almost as if you care about me!”
Maggie rolled her eyes. “No, I just like everyone else too much to insult them. You on the other hand . . .”
“Am the man of your fantasies. I know.” Hunter grabbed the drinks and left, leaving Maggie’s mouth hanging open.
“Ugh! I despise that man!”
Georgie kept her mouth shut because she didn’t believe that for one second.
The door opened and Kord and Granger came in with Tristan. Tristan found his wife, Edie, and instantly gave her a kiss as Kord and Granger came up to the bar.
Kord leaned over and placed a kiss on her lips. “How was your first day?” Kord asked as he took a seat next to Maggie.
“Really good. Elsa took me under her wing.” Granger spit out the beer he’d just taken a sip of.
“Elsa? Did she teach you how to use a whip?” Granger asked with a chuckle.
“Actually, it was a riding crop, and I already knew how to use one of those, but with her advanced teaching, I’m now a mistress of it.” This time it was Kord who choked on his drink.
“What did she teach you?” Kord asked.
“So, much!” Georgie eagerly told him about her day, what she learned, and then what she saw during the negotiations and meetings. “I think I can do this. I have a lot to learn, but I know I can do it.”
“I’m proud of you, G.”
The sound of a chair leg scraping drew Georgie’s attention. A man in a hat stood up from a table where he’d been sitting alone. His back was to her as she tried to figure out who it was.
“I’m proud of you too, Georgina,” the man said as he turned around. “Or should I call you Georgie?”
Georgie’s mouth dropped open in surprise. “Grandpa!”
19
Kord spun in his seat ready to protect Georgie from another family member when he watched as her grandfather came to his feet. He looked every inch the cold businessman who cared more about money than family. His skin was wan from a New England autumn. Kord gazed from the charcoal gray sweater with a blue dress shirt underneath to the razor-sharp crease in his pants down to the tassels on his loafers.
“You came.” Georgie’s voice was soft, as if she couldn’t believe he was standing in front of her.
“But are you going to behave?” Kord asked, not caring that he was being rude. The Greysons had never given him a reason to respect them.
“This must be the young man you’ve told me about.” Georgie’s grandfather stepped forward and held out his hand. “Wendell Greyson. Call me Dell.”
Kord looked at his outstretched hand. Well, this was certainly going better than meeting Georgie’s parents. He reached out and shook it. “Kordell King. Call me Kord. Sorry for being impolite, but considering I had to lie to get into a party, put your unconscious granddaughter in a makeshift sling, and lower her out of a window, I’m not too sure if I should trust you.”
“You were unconscious? You didn’t tell me that! What did they do to you?” Dell asked, shocked and full of anger. Okay, that earned some points in Kord’s book.
“They drugged her with GHB, the date rape drug,” Kenzie answered from where she looked up from her phone. “I just got the results in.”
Dell seemed to deflate in front of him. Kord rushed forward and grabbed him by the upper arm as he helped him sit back down in his chair. “I’ve failed this family. I made it a lot of money, but I never made it a family.”
Georgie hopped over the bar and knelt in front of her grandfather. “It’s not too late. Well, it is for my parents, but it’s not too late for us. We can be a family.”
“I don’t deserve it, but I’ll take it.” Dell took her hand and squeezed before looking up at Kord. “You’re a good man, looking out for her when I should have been. You don’t have to do it alone anymore. I’ll help now too.”
“I was never alone,” Kord said as he looked around the bar. “Why don’t you let Georgie introduce you to her friends.”
Maggie was the first one to step forward. “Hi. I’m Maggie Bell. I’m Georgie’s best friend.”
“Lovely to meet you, young lady.”
As one, Gator, Turtle, and Skeeter stood up. They look conflicted. They were born and raised with manners that dictated they respect Georgie’s grandfather, but they were also worse than the overprotective Townsend brothers.
“And these are the brothers I wish I had had but am lucky enough to call friends.” Georgie smiled at them all. “Grandpa, I’d like you to meet Gator, Turtle, and Skeeter.”
Kord watched Dell as he was introduced to them. He thought Dell might show some hesitation, but instead he held out his hand. “Very nice to meet you all. Interesting nicknames. I was called Bull in college for the amount of bullshit I could spew when trying to get out of trouble. How did you get yours?” Kord loved the surprised face on Georgie. She looked so happy to have her grandfather here talking to the friends her parents had shunned.
Gator hooked his thumbs on his overalls. “I wrestle alligators.”
“No shit,” Dell burst out.
“Darn tootin’,” Gator replied.
“And I’m named Turtle because of my pecker looking like a turtle hiding in its shell. But then an actual snapping turtle bit my pecker and Doc had to do this little surgery and now my pecker is bigger. Wanna see the pictures?”
Turtle didn’t wait for Dell’s answer. Instead, he turned his phone around and Dell turned slightly pale but managed to keep his composure. “Well, that is quite a story.”
“I’m Skeeter. I talk to ghosts. I’m called Skeeter because when I was young, I wasn’t any bigger than a skeeter. Sorry, mos-quit-o for you fellas up north.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, gentlemen. Call me Dell or Bull. It would be fun to be called that again.”
Gator slapped the back of Dell’s shoulder and ushered him up to the bar. “Well come sit a spell, Bull, and tell us about what kind of trouble you got yourself into during college.”
Dell took a seat with Georgie on one side and Gator on the other. Harper leaned over and held out her hand from behind the bar. When Dell took it, she pulled him forward. “I’m Harper Reigns and I own this bar. I will hurt you so badly you’ll wish you had a snapper on your pecker if you hurt Georgie like the rest of your family did. You see, she has family already. All of us. And we protect our own. Got it?”
“I’m beginning to. I’m glad you all were here for her when I wasn’t.” Dell looked miserable and then Kord watched him run a hand through his mostly gray hair, though there were more than a few strands the same light brown as Georgie’s mixed in, and smiled again. “I want to hear all about Shadows Landing and your time here.”
“This seems to be going better than the last family visit,” Granger whispered to Kord.
Kord nodded and gave Georgie the space she needed to introduce Dell to the entire town. “He’s working hard to put aside his prejudices. You can tell by how he keeps taking a deep breath, trying to relax his shoulders.”
