“Sorry?”
“You’re acting like this is some Tinder hookup. It’s our second date.”
“I’m aware. And I don’t think I’mtreatingyou like anything. I’m trying to tell you that it’s okay that you don’t want me to touch you, and you seem upset that I don’t want you to touch me, even though you just did.”
“I’m not upset.”
“Okay. Well, I think I’ll be taking a shower and getting some sleep now.”
“Fine,” her date replied and climbed off her. “I’m not sure we should go on a third date.”
“Okay,” she agreed. “I’ll walk you out, I suppose.”
“Don’t bother,” the woman stated before she put on her clothes quickly and left, slamming the door on her way out.
Helena had no idea what had just happened because it had been their second date indeed, and nothing in either of those two dates had made her feel like she’d be walked out on after sex, but she didn’t have the energy to put up with it. Her orgasm had been fine, but her body needed another one, so she got into the shower and took care of herself, hoping someone at this singles’ week would either offer better sex or finally be the damn love of her life because she’d been looking long enough and dates like the one she’d just been on had been happening ever since she started trying to find someone on her own, giving up on services and everything else.
When she got done in the bathroom, she opened her bag on the floor in the bedroom and tried to think about what to bring to an event where it was likely that she would have sex, along with whatever else she’d need for the daily activities planned. Having packed appropriately enough for the latter, she added several nicer bras and a few of her sexier pieces of underwear for the nighttime activities she hoped to partake in as well, zipped up the bag to finish packing in the morning, and finally lay down to get some sleep.
CHAPTER 10
Nia
Nia always arrived before everyone else to ensure that the space was set to her specifications. Each group of women had different things they might want. Sometimes, she had a group of women who preferred or were interested in exploring different kinds of kink, so she needed to plan ahead for that, making sure that the location had designated spaces and equipment. Other weekends, like this one, there weren’t any special rooms reserved for that, but she still needed to check that the food had arrived and that the caterers who would be responsible for breakfast and dinner were all there and ready to serve the first cocktail hour and dinner when the women arrived.
The caterers mostly kept to the kitchen unless the meals or drinks were being served, but she liked to take the time to remind them to stick to that when she arrived because once, she’d had a member of the catering staff get very interested in some activities that were going on in the backyard between three women, who still left together at the end of the week, thankfully, and she wasn’t looking for a repeat. She expected people’s privacy to be respected at her events and didn’t work with vendors who couldn’t provide that.
Nia always did a walk-around of the house, reviewing the rooms and thinking about who would be at that particular event, trying to find the right room for each woman. Yes, she had allthe photos online, but photos only told her so much. She needed to see all the rooms in person and make a list of who would sleep where because it was important to her that every woman here had her own private space to retreat to. They could always choose to invite someone else in, but if they wanted time alone, they had a room where they could go, and no one would be permitted inside without their consent.
This house had ten bedrooms, but finding properties like this to rent wasn’t always easy. Many houses this big had two twin or full beds in them, so it was either she’d have to hire people to remove those and replace them with what she needed or find a house with exactly what she was looking for. It wasn’t an easy job, so she’d started rotating between a few select rentals around the world and asking the women to join her there instead of hosting the events more regionally. She’d started having better results with her pairings that way as well because she was no longer limited by geography. After all, just because someone lived in Montana, it didn’t mean their soulmate did. Their match might live in Brazil or Australia, for example. This added more complications, of course, but at least she got better results and didn’t have to worry about finding new houses all the time.
The current location, however, was new to her as it had just popped up on the rental market this year, so the room check was necessary. Once she was done with all the prep, she walked back out to the great room, where the bartender was setting up, and when the doorbell rang, Nia walked into the foyer, sighed because it was about to begin all over again, and pulled open the door.
“Sharon, welcome,” she greeted her first arrival with a wide smile. “Come on in. I’ll have someone help you with your bags.”
It went like that, doorbell ring after doorbell ring, until she had eight nervous-looking women gathered in the great room. They all had drinks, and they were eyeing each other and sizingup the other women. This always happened on the first night when no one knew what to expect from the event. Finally, when it was time, Nia stood up with her champagne glass and dismissed the bartender to the kitchen so that they could all speak in private.
“Welcome,” she addressed the group that was sitting around on two sofas and two chairs that all aimed toward the gas fireplace that Nia was currently standing in front of. “I am sure you’re all a little anxious right now and maybe even wondering why you decided to come here, but that is all very normal for this stage. Tonight, the plan is fairly simple: we’ll enjoy our drinks and share some small talk until dinner. Just your average cocktail party, so nothing to be nervous about there. Dinner will be served in the dining room and is not a requirement, but it’s highly recommended that you attend. The goal of this week is for you to spend time together after all. Once dinner is finished, the catering staff will be dismissed for the night, but there is a fully stocked kitchen you can avail yourself of at any time and a fully stocked bar, although you will be pouring your own drinks once the staff goes home.” Nia chuckled. “After dinner, I’ll pair you up with your first potential match, and you’ll have a set of get-to-know-each-other note cards that I have made specifically for this event. Each night, you’re required to spend at least thirty minutes using those note cards to guide your conversation. They are designed to get you to open up to your partner for the evening and discover more about the other person. After those thirty minutes are up, you can choose to keep talking, using the cards, or do something else entirely.” She paused to let everyone digest the initial information and looked around the room, seeing Becky and Helena staring at each other and both of them shaking their heads. Nia smiled to herself a bit and continued, “Breakfast is served from nine to eleven, and attendance is also not required. If you’re hungry before that, you may go to thekitchen at any time, and if you choose to remain in bed to sleep in or engage in other activities, that’s entirely up to you. Our daily activities will commence at noon or later, and dinner is served nightly at seven. Drinks are on offer all day, but cocktail hour is nightly at six when the bartender will be here. Now, let’s talk about some of the nightly activities that will have some rules designed to protect all of you. First, this property is private. There are security cameras outside, but those have been turned off for the duration of our stay. The pool and hot tub are available at all times, and you may use them at your own risk. You can engage in any consensual sexual activities throughout the house and outside, but please keep in mind that if you’re in a public space, someone could walk in on you, or someone might not want to see that. If that’s the case, I’d ask you to respect that and move into a more private space. Any questions on anything I just went over?”
A few women didn’t move at all, but the rest shook their heads to acknowledge her question. Nia looked around at each of them, trying to see who might be a little more nervous than the others, since there were usually a few women who struggled in the beginning. Tonight, though, theyalllooked equally nervous, which was interesting.
“All activities are designed specifically to give you time with each person at this event or to allow you to spend more time with someone of your choosing and get to know them more. You’ll remember the list of daily activities I provided in your welcome packet. I know they were vague, but I mainly needed you all to review if anything was too strenuous so that I could alter that activity or tell you if I required anything from you. It looks like none of you opted out of any of the activities, so I would appreciate participation, but I do understand that things change over the course of the event, so if you need to remove yourself from something or need me to alter it for any reason, please letme know in advance whenever possible. I also understand that sometimes, we make a connection with someone, which is the point of our little event here, so if at any time you do not wish to continue in the rotation and instead, you’d prefer to spend time with someone you’ve already been paired up with, please tell me first. I will ask that person if they would like that as well, to get their consent. Consent is the most important thing at this event. Anyone not respecting someone’s wishes will be sent packing, and I mean that literally. There are no exceptions. You all signed an agreement indicating that you understood that, among other things like confidentiality and privacy. Lastly, no one is permitted to use anything they brought themselves in regard to sex toys, implements, or equipmentwithoronanyone else at the event. This is for safety and health reasons. If you have your own items, I’ll request that you keep them put away. I have purchased, cleaned, and sanitized various products for this week. They will be available to anyone who would like to use them, and they’ll be cleaned and sanitized after each use. Over in that room,” Nia pointed to the den. “You’ll find that there are enough things for everyone to have their own, for the most part, and I based the selection on the forms you all completed. Please wash the used items yourself first and then deposit them in the provided bins in the den. After the additional cleaning and sanitization, all used items will be placed on a certain shelf, so if you’re uncomfortable using anything another person or pair has used, you’ll be able to avoid those items. If you’d like to be the only one to use something for the duration of the event, that is understandable, and you can let me know. I’ll make a note of it, and after cleaning, it’ll be deposited into your room for only you to use. Questions?”
There were none, which wasn’t at all surprising. Women rarely asked questions at this stage because their documents, which they’d all been required to review and sign in advance,had this information in them. Nia just chose to always repeat everything upfront to be extra cautious.
“I know this is the boring part, but please stay with me. This is important, and we’re almost done.” She smiled at the group. “Lastly, everyone here has their own room, including me, as I will be here twenty-four hours a day. Each night or day, you’re welcome to invite whomever you would like into your own space, but no one should enter your room without your permission. That privacy is to be respected at all times. Anyone found in violation of this rule will be told to leave immediately. Is that understood?”
“Yes,” Gage said first, which was interesting to Nia.
“Yeah,” Sharon echoed.
“Of course,” Debra added.
The rest all nodded.
“Very well. Let’s all enjoy our drinks and get to know each other.” Nia held up her champagne glass. “Cheers to an amazing event, everyone.”
CHAPTER 11
