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“Hi. You must be Rowan,” Cleo said, thanking the universe for this respite from the turmoil of her own thoughts as she turned her focus squarely on the new girl. “I’m Cleo, Brandon’s sister slave. When did you get here?”
“Oh,” Rowan exclaimed, smiling. “I love your accent!”
Cleo smiled. “Thanks.” So many Americans said that to her, she was used to it by now. Though, obviously, they were the ones with the accent. “So, you just got here this morning?”
Rowan nodded. “Yeah. Master John dropped me off early this morning.” Her big dark eyes filled suddenly with tears, which she blinked away.
Cleo moved at once to kneel beside her. “What is it, Rowan? Are you missing your Master already?”
“I don’t please him,” Rowan said softly, both misery and acceptance in her tone. “This is my trial period to shape up, or else.”
Cleo frowned, not liking the sound of that. If Rowan had obedience issues, it certainly wasn’t in evidence at the moment. As Mistress Dominique had observed, when a sub was tagged as difficult and disobedient, more often than not it was the fault of the Master. Either his expectations were unrealistic, or he was an ineffective communicator who sent mixed messages to his sub.
“Well,” Cleo said brightly, ignoring her misgivings for the moment. “You’re definitely in the right place. Eric Franklin has a great reputation as a trainer. He’ll get you whipped into shape in no time.” She giggled, adding, “Pun intended.”
Rowan smiled back. “Thanks, Cleo,” she said. “I’m glad you’ll be with me for my first session.”
“Me, too,” Cleo agreed, determined to put aside her own issues to help this girl succeed. She placed her hand lightly over Rowan’s, noticing as she did that Rowan’s fingernails were bit to the quick, the cuticles ragged. She looked up at the girl’s face, offering an encouraging smile. “You’re in good hands. Eric is the best.”
Chapter 12
The trainer looked down at his clipboard and then back up at Jack. Eric was a good-looking guy in his early thirties with light brown hair, green eyes and a beard. He was dressed in black jeans and a black T-shirt, Doc Martens on his feet. “First, thanks for agreeing to share your sub for an hour or two,” he said after they’d introduced themselves. “I know you only have her for a few days, so I appreciate it.”
“Sure, no problem,” Jack automatically replied, though Eric’s words were an unwelcome reminder of how little time he had before he was scheduled to return to London.
“Normally,” Eric continued, “I like to meet with the trainee’s Master before training of this kind.” He frowned.“Apparently, he had a plane to catch and couldn’t stick around. He left for the airport right after dropping her off early this morning, so I didn’t get a chance to connect directly.”
He glanced again at the clipboard. “He did fill out a questionnaire before he left about what he’s looking for, and particular issues he feels need addressing. I met with Rowan for about twenty minutes for an initial assessment before Brandon took her to get settled. She was very reserved, but I think it’s just shyness. Since one of her Master’s goals is Rowan’s acceptance of a sister slave, I thought it might be good to start out her training with a shared scene. Something fun, sexy and challenging to get a measure of how she performs in a new situation with a second sub girl. It’ll be a good starting point for me to assess any weaknesses.”
“Sounds good,” Jack agreed.
Jack tried to imagine a scenario where he’d want to add a second submissive partner into his life and home. He had no issue with, and indeed enjoyed, scening with others in a casual setting within prescribed limits. But taking a second sub home as a member of the family? One slave girl was more than enough to handle, in his estimation.
But it was more than that. He was, and had always been, a one-woman guy. When he gave his heart, he gave it all, every little bit, to the woman he loved.
Eric stood up and held out his hand. “Thanks again for lending Cleo. I imagine we’ll be done within the hour. You can wait here or if you’ve got stuff to do, I could text you or—”
“Whoa,” Jack interrupted, not taking his hand or moving from his chair. “I’m not leaving Cleo with you.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Eric looked confused. He sat back down, his attention fully on Jack.
“Like you said, my time with her is limited. If it’s all right with you”—or even if it isn’t—“I had planned to participate in the scene. Is that going to be a problem?” He smiled as he spoke, but his tone and body language made it clear this was nonnegotiable.
Eric didn’t miss a beat. He smiled back. “Not a problem at all. In fact, you’ll make my job a little easier, as what I have in mind will take some coordination.”
