Michaels, Skye - Kelly's Challenge [Le Club 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) (2 page)

“It’s good to have you here, Justin,” Steele said as he sipped the Courvoisier, allowing the aged brandy to breathe in the snifter. Jason Steele was a very successful corporate and business law attorney practicing in Ocala, Florida.

“Absolutely! Justin, I haven’t seen you since you guys were in law school,” Trent added. Jason and Trent had met in college and remained close friends while Trent completed medical school at Harvard and his surgical residency in Boston. He had also come home to central Florida to open a now-thriving medical practice in Gainesville. As one of the top heart surgeons in the entire Southeast, he was also teaching at the University of Florida.

Le Club Laurel Oak—Ocala, was a
very
private BDSM club catering to only ten members. The three friends were currently having a drink among the books in the three-story Victorian house that had recently been renovated. When the run-down Laurel Oak Estate had come on the market, Jason and Trent had put together a consortium of like-minded BDSM aficionados to purchase the estate and renovate the house and grounds. It had been a dream of theirs since they had been introduced to BDSM, also known as the “Lifestyle,” while seniors in college. Justin’s father was a founding member of Le Club Beaudelair—New Orleans, located in the French Quarter. The dark, mysteriously opulent club in New Orleans left a lasting impression on the college seniors. The Dominant/submissive sexual practices they witnessed and participated in on that memorable senior trip caused a sensory overload that stayed with them and influenced their sexual tastes into adulthood.

The Laurel Oak Estate was perfect for a club patterned after and loosely affiliated with the New Orleans facility as it was located just at the edge of the historic Ocala residential and business district. Each member had contributed a sizable initial investment and paid hefty annual membership fees which were calculated to cover the substantial operating expenses and generous salaries of the many employees. Some of the employees participated in the activities at the club, and some did not. All were extremely loyal and discreet due to the excellent working conditions and high salaries paid at the club, not to mention the confidentiality agreements signed by one and all.

“I’m glad to be here. It’s great to be able to camp out in the Ming Suite while the house at the new farm is all torn up. I really appreciate your wife’s help with the renovations,” Justin said. “I was surprised to receive the wedding announcement. You had not mentioned anything about a serious relationship with Calleigh in any of your e-mails.”

Jason laughed. “It happened rather quickly, and unexpectedly. Calleigh had a little misunderstanding about the seriousness of the confidentiality agreement she signed, and it gave me an opportunity to push our relationship forward, so to speak. But that’s a story for another day.”

Justin continued, “I’m looking forward to hearing it! Nonetheless, her help has been invaluable so far. Of course, my first concern was getting the barns in shape so I could bring the horses down from the Plantation, and getting the land cleared and leveled for the two new polo fields,” Justin said. “Max, my butler, is here with me. You remember Jamie, I’m sure, my pain-in-the-ass younger brother?” Justin chuckled. “Some things don’t change. He’s taken over my membership at Le Club Beaudelair. He has a townhouse in the French Quarter, so I haven’t decided what to do about the Plantation. I may just close it once I bring all the horses down.”

“So why exactly are you here?” Steele inquired. “I thought you were permanently rooted in Louisiana.”

“I’ve been having a hard time since Alexa died eight months ago. You know that she died in a car accident down in Wellington. She had been down in Palm Beach with her dressage horse for the Winter Equestrian Festival horse show. It runs from mid-January to the beginning of April every year. I was planning to go down and play some polo but hadn’t gotten it all together yet. I got a call that she had had an accident. It was late at night, and the road was wet. Her sports car rolled over and ended up in a canal. She drowned before anyone could help her.”

He continued with a frown, “What you don’t know is that we were having some serious problems before the accident. She had become extremely reckless in everything, except where Jester was concerned, including driving too fast, drinking too much, and having sex that was too extreme. You know if one of the sons of Phillip Devereau says it’s too extreme, it’s too extreme.” Justin thought sadly about Alexa and the serious baggage she carried from abuse suffered when she was a child, but that was intensely personal information he was reluctant to share with anyone else. He was also reluctant to share the depth of his personal grief for her. Some things were just too personal and deeply felt to share with anyone.

“You were her Dom?” Trent inquired.

“Yes, but I have to admit that I was not in complete control of the situation. She had become addicted to pain, a real pain whore. It had gotten to the point where she couldn’t orgasm unless extreme pain was involved. I was trying to back her down on that, but I wasn’t having any success. I was considering uncollaring her and breaking our engagement if she didn’t get professional help, but I was afraid she would end up with someone who would really hurt her. After the accident, I went down to Florida and took care of the arrangements for her parents and I brought Jester home with me.”

“Jester?” asked Steele.

“Alexa’s dressage horse, a black Friesian stallion. He was ten years old at the time. She was riding him
Prix St. George
level and doing very well with scores in the high sixties and low seventies. I think he was the real love of her life. Anyway, I don’t know if I would have gotten through it without Jester. We both really miss her. After I brought him home, he was depressed, off his feed, and losing weight. I figured he really needed a ‘job’ so I started riding him myself and training him to be my war horse. It’s worked out great. I have been doing sword and bow work on him and he really seems to like it.”

“War horse?” Steele said with a raised eyebrow. “Is this the twenty-first century?”

“You know, or maybe you don’t, that dressage originated as a training regimen for horses used in battle hundreds of years ago. They had to stay calm but be extremely maneuverable. All of that made Jester especially adaptable for use in
Yoseikan Bajutsu
, or ‘Japanese martial arts on horseback.’ Anyway, I shipped Jester down here after I bought the farm. The polo ponies are due to arrive next week.”

“How many horses are you bringing down?” Steele asked.

“Jester plus, let’s see.” He quickly calculated. “Twenty-four for now. All totaled, if you count the babies, the foals, yearlings, and the young ponies in training, as well as the ponies that are almost ready for play, plus the seasoned mounts, I guess I have about sixty. We have a first-class string of ponies and good ponies are at least seventy-five percent of the game…if not more.”

Jason looked shocked, so Justin continued, “Don’t forget I train and sell polo ponies, and I will be keeping the string for the entire team.”

“The expense must be staggering!” Jason exclaimed.

“It is. That’s why I have the company sponsor the team. The tax write-offs alone are worth it. In addition, I have the ranch hands, grooms, and other staff. Of course, we buy everything wholesale. I have an eighteen-wheeler load of hay delivered from Canada every two weeks. It’s very different from keeping one horse on full board at a commercial stable,” Justin explained.

“Still, I can’t imagine what it must cost!” Jason said.

“Polo is an expensive sport. I want to field an amateur polo team in Ocala. There’s some great backyard polo here. Many good amateur players can’t afford a full string of ponies of their own. Maybe in a few years, I can develop an international-level team fit to compete in Wellington. In the meantime, it will be a lot of fun putting a team together,” Justin replied. “Do either of you want to play?”

“Maybe a little practice and drill work, but I really don’t have the time to commit to a team membership,” Steele said. “With my practice, our new farm, and Calleigh having just gotten pregnant, I’m a little pressed.”

“Me either,” Trent replied. “I’d be willing to hit some balls, but my practice in Gainesville and teaching at UF take up most of my time, not to mention training my new sub, Paula.”

“Well I have some excellent local amateur players lined up to start, so we will be having some matches at the farm as soon as the polo fields are ready for use,” Justin said. “I’m anxious to get started.”

“Well I can guarantee that you will have four very dedicated tailgaters out to watch on Sunday afternoons,” Steele said with a grin. “Calleigh and Paula would just love that!”

“Are you kidding? Tailgating, drinking champagne, dressing up, wearing hats, stomping divots, the girls will love it!” Trent added.

There was a knock, and the door to the library opened. A tall, slender girl with black hair and stunning green eyes entered the library carrying a manila folder. Justin’s breath caught in his throat as she walked to the desk where Jason sat. She was exquisite, and he was mesmerized.

“I have the current list of employees you requested, Mr. Steele,” she said with an open smile. Her voice was soft but not diffident. She had a self-assured and confident air about her that was at the same time somewhat vulnerable. It touched something in Justin that he had not felt in a long time.

“Thanks Kelly,” Jason said with a smile as she put down the folder and turned to leave. “Efficient as always.”

Chapter Two

Kelly Anderson, assistant to Anne Sutton, the club’s manager, was walking to work on a glorious Monday morning. It was cool under the dappled shade of the ancient live oak trees lining Fort King Street, and she wore a battered bomber jacket, confiscated from one of her several older brothers, over her casual work attire. Kelly usually walked or sometimes rode her bike to work since she lived in a small apartment on the top floor of one of the many converted Victorian homes in the Historic District not far from Le Club. After graduating from the University of Florida with a business degree, she had moved into her own apartment although she remained extremely close to her large family.

Kelly was tall and slender with large green eyes fringed with thick black lashes. She was twenty-six years old and had shoulder-length, straight, black hair cut in a swing style. Although employed at the very private and exclusive sex club for over a year, she had a conservative outlook and modest demeanor. While she was willing to “live and let live” and appreciated the really great, well-paying job at the club, she did not
get
this BDSM business
at all
. It was far too kinky for her taste. She would never consider anyone her “Master.” She would call the members “sir” or “mister,” but she wasn’t going to call them “Master.” And she wasn’t the least bit curious about this BDSM stuff. Having been raised in a traditional, middle-class home in the small central Florida town, her values and sexual orientation were more traditional, although sometimes she just had to chuckle at the outrageous attire of some of the members. The atmosphere of Le Club, however, was elegant and laid back. The club culture was not particularly extreme and non-participating employees were not made to feel uncomfortable. Kelly arrived at the tall, wooden, electronic gates of the walled, heavily wooded Laurel Oak Estate and entered her security code. The ten-foot stone wall which completely surrounded the property was topped with surveillance cameras and she always had the feeling that an Orwellian “Big Brother” was watching. As she entered the estate she gazed past the formal English gardens down the long, sloping expanse of lawn to her favorite view. She watched the black swans gliding on the tranquil pond.

The new member, Justin Devereau, was performing his morning ritual beside the pond. Kelly watched, spellbound, as she had every morning since Justin had arrived at Le Club. He was extremely graceful and elegant in a totally lethal way, and he moved like a dancer. He was tall and his body was sleek and well-muscled but without the bulkiness produced by weight training.

Kelly caught her breath. He was just gorgeous, but she was not comfortable with the butterflies he caused in her belly.

* * * *

Justin was aware of Kelly standing at the top of the hill as he completed the Japanese
katas
, combat drills or forms. He performed these every morning in conjunction with the stylized sword training using the gleaming
katana
sword. The kata ritual helped Justin center himself and order his day. The ritual had a calming Zen-like effect on him and somehow helped to ease the grief and guilt he had been living with for eight months. He looked up the lawn and saw Kelly watching him.
Now that is a beautiful woman.
He bowed to her formally as he finished and sheathed his sword.