Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

Driving back to the main Rawhide Ranch building in the golf cart was lovely. The weather was idyllic—sunny, but not too hot, with a breeze that made the whole experience really very pleasant. When they pulled up, Bex leaned over and kissed Faith. "So my plan involves some playtime, if you're up for that?"

Faith's eyebrows rose. "Oh yes?"

"Oh yes." Bex leaned forward until their noses kissed. "I can't wait to get you naked and play with you some more." She felt Faith shiver at her words and smiled wolfishly. "I need an hour to set it up. Meet me back in the lobby then?"

Her girl nodded in agreement.

"Oh, I was planning on using one of the private playrooms. You okay with that?"

"As long as it's just us, yeah."

"Just us," promised Bex, and stole another kiss, before leaving Faith on the porch and driving the golf cart back down the drive.

Her plan involved finding the perfect branch.

Spotting a familiar figure, Bex slowed the cart and pulled to a stop beside Luna who'd been walking across the drive. Once she explained a bit of her plan, Luna smiled and nodded.

"Continue driving down that way and you'll come across one of our gardens. I'll have our head landscaper meet you there."

"Thank you," Bex said. It didn't take long before she rounded a bend in the drive and knew she'd found the garden. Lush blooms and verdant greenery spread out before her. She stopped the golf cart a few feet away from a man who'd stepped out to greet her.

"Bex?" With her nod, he continued, "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Lucas Morrow. Luna said you'd like some help?"

"It's a bit of an odd request," Bex said, flushing for the first time in a long time. How to explain her idea? "I need a branch. Nothing that's going to sting too much, but has some flex and give in it. I'd rather not break one off a tree though, so if you know of a place that might have branches scattered across the ground…?"

The tanned man ran his hand over his head and looked thoughtful. "For a branch like that, I think we're looking at the aspens. It's summer, so finding one on the ground might be a bit tricky, but come on, let's see what there is."

Joining her in the cart, he gave her directions which led her across a green field toward a thicket of trees.

Bex didn't know all that much about trees. She knew a little about elms, considering Brighton back home was the custodian of the National Elm Collection. One of her friends had made trees their special interest and Bex was able to recall that there were over 125 different types of elms in Brighton alone—more than anywhere else in the world.

But trees in general? Not her specialty.

These trees though? Even Bex could tell that they were special.

They had spindly silver trunks, with the bark bursting out in dark lines—just like the marks from a cane on a submissive's skin. Taller than almost any tree she'd seen before, they towered above her, green leaves dancing on the wind.

"These are quaking aspens," said Lucas. "They've got the flex you want; now we just need to find a branch."

Bex stared up at the leaves bobbing on the breeze. One floated down, and she caught it in her hand. "It's shaped like a heart!" she said, delightedly.

"Yes, that is rather lovely," said Lucas. "Oh, over here!"

The perfect branch was nestled at the foot of a few trees. It was long, but felt right in Bex's hand, and made a very satisfying swish when she brought it down through the air.

"That'll work well enough?"

"It's perfect," she said. "Thank you, Lucas."

Carting said branch through the lobby got some raised eyebrows, and when she'd explained to Luna exactly why she needed it, Luna had grinned. As Bex approached the desk, Luna picked up the phone and called the Dungeon security guard from the previous day up to the check-in desk.

"Drake, could you take this branch and this bag down to private playroom six please? And it needs to be set up like this." She outlined Bex's plan and Drake looked impressed.

"Wow, is this for you and your lady from last night?"

"Yeah, it is," said Bex, grinning widely. "She's going to absolutely love it. I said that I'd have it all set up in an hour, which is in about half an hour—is that doable?"

"Absolutely," said Drake. "Leave it with me."

As they were talking, a tall man came out of the office by the check-in desk.

"Hi, Master Derek," said Luna.

"Mr. Hawkins," said Bex, offering him her hand. "So nice to meet you."

"Most people call me Master Derek," smiled Derek, and chuckled at the expression on her face. As if knowing the Domme had no intention of referring to anyone as Master, but also had no intention of being rude either, he assured her, "Mr. Hawkins is just fine though. How're you finding your stay? You said it's your first time at a play space here in the US?"

"That's right," she said. "My best friend—who was my reference, I believe—owns a club back home, and I'd been missing some playtime. Your staff are incredibly accommodating. Rawhide is one of the best run places I've ever seen, and the amenities are genuinely excellent. I'll definitely be coming back for longer than a weekend visit."

"We'd be delighted to have you," he said. "I believe you've been spending quite a bit of time with Ms. Faith."

She met his gaze head-on. "Yes, that's right."

He didn't say very much, just looked at her, and Bex had the uncanny feeling he was seeing right to the center of her feelings for Faith. "That sounds like it could be a really beneficial experience for the two of you."

And despite the fact she knew he was checking her over and making sure her intentions were good, she couldn't help beaming at him. "She's amazing."

Derek Hawkins smiled back. "I'm glad. Sometimes we find that person who just completes us, and those beneficial experiences can transform us."

"Transformation seems to be the word of the day." She just shook her head when he looked at her questioningly. "Luna and Drake have been amazing in setting up quite a complicated scene for us, so I'm very grateful."

Luna merely waved away her thanks. "Just doing my job," she said.

"And you're very good at it," her boss said. "Can you send Sadie in to see me when she comes down from the Littles' Wing?"

"Absolutely, Master Derek."

"I'm going to grab a drink from the café," said Bex. "And wait for Faith. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," he said.

As it was after the lunch rush, the café was pretty quiet, and Bex grabbed a coffee and sat down at a table. She was looking forward to the scene, definitely, but she just needed a minute to prepare herself. Creating a scene like this, which was so personal to the person subbing, wasn't something she'd done in this way before, and Bex found that she was nervous.

She wanted Faith to more than like it. She wanted Faith to love it, and if she didn't, then Bex would feel like she'd misread everything completely.

She thought back to the conversation they'd had by the lake about her dad and home. And she thought back to that feeling, that knowledge she'd had, that Faith was her home.

How did you tell someone that?

How did you go up to someone you'd known less than forty-eight hours and tell them that, hey, this was it for you? That you'd found your person, and that person was them.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she looked down to see a text from Riley.

Hope you're having fun with your cowgirl. And it's okay. You can visit.

Even her best friend seemed to sense it, to sense the fact something was fundamentally different.

Bex didn't know how to respond, because she knew this was Riley's way of letting her know that if Bex stayed in America, it was fine because she'd know it was because her best friend had finally found true happiness. Too moved to answer, Bex just slid the phone back into her pocket with a smile.

She looked out of the doors of the café and saw Faith waiting for her in the lobby. She was wearing a jumpsuit, and when Bex saw the ribbon that held it up, her heart skipped a beat. Untie that and the material would fall in a puddle at Faith's feet.

Gods she was crazy about this woman.