Bells and Chains (Operation Reindeer Retrieval Book 7) (2 page)

“Precisely. The rules indicate that they can only play with others who want to indulge in the same fantasy. We have monitors who make sure that everyone in a scene is willing to participate.”

“You are speaking as if you are often called upon to defend this club.”

He chuckled. “Is it that obvious?”

“Only slightly. You are on private property, everyone here is consenting and you have panic buttons in all the rooms. What is not to understand?”

Bern paused and stared at her. “How did you know what those were?”

“It made sense to me. You just confirmed it.” Her grin caught him off guard.

He rubbed the back of his neck. “The safety of our members is our biggest concern.”

She held up a hand. “This is an alternative sex club. Please avoid the use of the term
members.
”

His snort was loud enough to make the horses in the nearby paddock lift their heads.

“Fair enough. Well, consultant, are you willing to check out our stables and consider something more suitable for the upcoming season?”

“Lead the way. I am here to do a job.”

He sighed. “Too bad. I would love to find out what lurks beneath that prim exterior.”

She laughed. “Few, if any, would call me prim. I prefer controlled.”

“Why?”

“Because sloppy emotions lead to bad decisions. If you keep everything controlled and planned, you can focus on what you want the outcome to be.”

Bern smiled. “How long do your relationships last?”

“Just as long as I want them to.” She wrinkled her nose. “So, longer than tinder, but I am not looking for anything long term.”

“Have you played games before?” He opened the door to the stable, and several long horseboxes were obviously set up for human use.

“Not really. I am not into games.” She looked around and made more notes, stroking the soft nose of one of the horses that was still inside. The tag on his stall door indicated that his name was Titan, and he was in for a sprain.

She looked into his soft brown eye, and her beast spoke to his. He lifted his head and rubbed his cheek against hers.

“That is amazing. Titan hates everyone.”

“He’s a sweetie. He is just cranky because the folks that are usually on his back are trying to show off for their sex partners.”

“Are you a horse whisperer as well as a decorator?”

She looked at Bern. “I prefer holiday designer, and no, I just listen.”

Titan reached out and accepted a petting from Bern. His dark gaze focused on her as he smiled. “You listen very well.”

“I have to. I have to know what a client wants, regardless of what they say. Sometimes the two things are in conflict, and I have to figure out what will make them happy, despite what they are asking me for.”

Bern chuckled. “So, we are in the same business.”

“In the abstract, yes.” She smirked. She stepped away from Titan and made a few notes. “Now, a specific question. Is there an arbour or a forest where I can have something a little special set up?”

He blinked. “I think we have something like that. It is off the cleared pathway.”

“I am good for a hike through the snow if you are.”

He grinned. “Let’s get one of the horses and go for a ride.”

She stood with Titan as Bern strode away. The horse nudged her, asking why she wouldn’t ride him.

“You are sore, Titan. If you get better, I promise to spend some time with you if I am allowed to.” Doni chuckled as he nudged her shoulder. “Don’t be jealous. I am just here to visit and do a job.”

She heard his thoughts and emotions. He was delighted to have one of her kind next to him. So much better than boring humans.

“The humans have their part in the world. We get to be extraordinary. It makes them a background against which we shine.”

She stroked Titan’s nose and neck, scratching his jaw with her fingers. Finally, Bern returned with a large chestnut female. He settled her in her stall and nodded to Doni. “Just a minute while I head to the tack room.”

She spent time with Titan while her new buddy chatted with the lady who had returned to the stable.

The chestnut looked over at them, and she snorted at the unlikelihood that the woman who was stroking Titan’s chin was a reindeer.

Doni grinned. Animals knew her the moment she touched them. When she was on the chestnut’s back, the horse would know what she was.

Bern passed her with armloads of leather. The saddle had a number of small holes in it, and she had the sneaking suspicion that those holes had a purpose she didn’t want to know about.

He put on the saddle blanket and moved around the horse with competence. The lady he was putting the saddle on remained steady and held her head high. She glanced over at Titan.

Doni caught what passed between them, and her knees buckled. Apparently, the chestnut was going to be carrying the elf lord and his woman. She was very proud of herself. Normally, Titan did that particular job.

Doni leaned against Titan and breathed magic into him. His pain receded, and he pranced in his stall.

“Easy, lad. You will have to get your clean bill of health from the vet. I just want you to have a pain-free day.” She spoke softly and pressed her forehead to his.

He gently pressed back, and she smiled as she stroked his neck one last time.

“Good, Titan. Behave.”

Bern looked toward her. “Are you ready to leave your lover?”

She winked at the horse and swayed toward Bern. “Yes, but you had better make the parting worth the while.”

Her mind was startled at her sudden playful tone, but it was the exposure to beasts. They brought her impulses closer to the surface.

Bern led the horse out of the stable, and the moment they were outside, he paused the horse and offered her a hand up into the saddle.

She looked at his hand, and she bent her knee. He lifted her up with one hand, and she settled on the saddle.

“What is this lady’s name?”

“Artemis. She and Titan are slated to bring a new foal into the world the next time she goes into heat. I believe they will be an excellent match.”

He swung up behind her and settled against her, wrapping his arm around her waist.

She could feel the hard muscle of his thighs bracketing hers as he flexed and Artemis stepped forward.

Doni reached out and touched the horse’s neck. She felt the jerk in response. She silently confirmed that Titan had not just been trying to impress her; Artemis did have a reindeer on her back.

“What did you do?” Bern’s arm was around her waist as Artemis walked through the snow and headed into a forested area.

“I simply touched her neck. Perhaps my hands were cold.”

“You have ridden before?”

She held in her snicker. “Once or twice. It really is like riding a bike that moves on its own and eats shrubs.”

He chuckled, and Artemis moved with more speed.

Elf lord.
What the hell was an elf doing running a sex club in the middle of nowhere? Doni kept her back ramrod straight as they trotted through a natural archway and into exactly what she had in mind.

The trees bent and arched together into a separate world that could very well hold elves as well as any number of magical creatures.

“How long have you been running this establishment?”

“It has been in my family in one way or another for generations.”

She tried not to grin. For an elf, that could be one lifetime or even less.

They continued until they were in what Doni could only think of as a snow globe. The trees were heavy with snow and everything gleamed and glittered.

“I can definitely work with this.” She chuckled, and the thick blanket of snow absorbed the sound.

“Well, I had a feeling that this would be your element.” He tightened the arm he had wrapped around her waist and pulled her tightly against his torso.

Doni smiled. “Are you calling me an ice queen?”

“No, I just think that you have been around your share of snow.” His breath was warm against her ear. “You have a plan for this location?”

“I think it can make a rather fun destination for your club participants. I have a plan.”

“Excellent. Why don’t we discuss what is plausible and what is not over some tea?”

“It sounds nice.”

“Good.” He turned the horse and Artemis took the hint from her rider and thundered back toward the stable at a slow gallop.

Bern held her, but as she couldn’t brace herself in the stirrups, she was ground and slammed against him with every thudding step. Her butt had intimate knowledge of the dimensions of his groin and thighs by the time they stopped in the yard outside the stable.

He dismounted gracefully and held his arms up to her. She gave in to her impulse, and after she lifted her leg up and over Artemis’s neck, she slid into his embrace. He set her on her feet and appeared to be in no hurry to release her.

Doni looked up at him and finally cleared her throat. “I think you need to take care of Artemis and then you did promise me tea?”

His grin was unmistakable as one of a male who had been slightly diverted, but would remember where he had left off.

Doni smirked and stepped away the moment he let her go.

Artemis tried to butt her with her head, but Doni merely gave her a light stroke on her neck and told her to be nice to Titan. The bit of magic that Doni had offered him would make something impressive in his offspring. Artemis wanted to be his next mate.

Doni followed Bern and the horse into the barn, and she paid court to Titan as he watched the master of the property take care of Artemis.

“I am guessing that the subs come by and brush them down?”

“And feed them. There are six household volunteers at any time. The stable is a rather choice assignment.” He pulled the saddle and all the strapping from Artemis.

When he left the stall, Doni took his place and brushed the horse down, thanking her for her service with every stroke.

Artemis was gleaming when she finished and Bern was watching.

“I am thinking that you have been around horses more than just once or twice.”

She shrugged and set the brush and curry comb back on their shelf. “You would probably be right.”

She dusted her hands off and smiled, picking up her notepad again. “Back to the house?”

“Yes. We will go over some of the ideas that you have, and I will try to answer any questions that might have come up.”

She nodded, checked her wrap and took his arm again. “Lead on.”

Bern walked her back through the stable, she waved at Titan as she passed and, as she glanced back, Artemis was staring at her with wide eyes.

“What did you say to Artemis while you were grooming her?” Bern asked it quietly.

“Oh, we just had a girl-to-girl chat.” She smiled.

“With a horse?”

“Oh, yes. Horses are exceptionally chatty. She is very proud of being your backup mount when Titan is off duty.”

They were halfway to the manor when she said, “Artemis enjoys carrying the elf lord of the manor around.”

Bern stumbled and then righted himself. “You are joking.”

“No. I am very serious. Titan agreed. You are their elf lord, and they are proud to carry you.”

He turned to look at her. “Do you believe in elves?”

She grinned. “I do. I also believe in magic and Santa and the joy of the season.”

Bern raised his hand, as if to touch her face, and then, he seemed to recall that they were working together. “Right. Well, if you trust what comes from a horse’s mouth, you have more faith in whispers and rumours than I do.”

He turned, and they resumed their walk to the manor. The subs engaged in the same routine, taking their outerwear and cleaning their footwear.

“We will have tea in the morning room.” Bern spoke absently, as if completely used to the human furniture that was bustling around them.

Bern led the way once again, and soon, she was being offered a chair and a view of the grounds through a huge bay window.

The horses were playing tag in a distant field, and the light was relentlessly making its way across the snow.

“This is quite the establishment.” She smiled and looked out over the grounds. “You don’t fence in the horses?”

“They are enclosed by the same wall that keeps out the curious.”

“About that, is that a legal wall?”

He grinned. “The wall has been around a lot longer than the zoning. This club is necessary to many, and it is protected by those who value it.”

“That makes sense. Well, I have a few questions for you.”

He inclined his head. “Proceed.”

The subs came in; one carried a bowl, a water pitcher and had folded linen over her arm. The male carried a wide tray and a plate tower covered with treats.

He moved with precision and set out the tea on the table, while the young woman put the bowl on the counter, tucked Doni’s hands into the bowl and poured the warm water over her palms. Doni scrubbed the flecks of hay and bits of grime off her palms and out from under her nails. Another surge of water and she was clean. The sub blotted her hands and smiled shyly. “All done, Mistress.”

The sub moved to Bern, and his hands were treated to the same ablutions.

When they were both clean and dry, the tea was set and the cups had been poured.

The subs retreated; the young woman removed the basin and pitcher and the young man knelt next to the door.

Doni lifted her tea and sipped. She smiled, and the young man’s shoulders relaxed.

“So, he guessed correctly. Excellent. Alec has a skill for gauging the way a client would enjoy their tea.”

“He guessed very well. I don’t normally take milk in my tea, but it suits this blend.” Doni took another small sip before eyeing the tower of sandwiches.

“So, Bern, am I allowed to bring in assistants to help me set up?”

He smiled and shook his head. “No, but I have access to up to eight subs that will do exactly what you want, when you want and how you want it. They can be here with an hour’s notice for as long as you need.”

“Will meals be arranged for them?”

“Of course, and for you as well.”

“If I give you an equipment list, can you have it here?”