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Three Months later
Sutter watchedhis Little as she sat nestled among the cushions of their apartment’s window seat, looking out into the street. Dusk draped West 133rdStreet in purple and gold. A few leaves still clung to the line of trees across the street. Her eyes followed a leaf’s slow descent to the concrete sideway. Although he’d loved having her at his family’s house in Montana, having her live with him in New York was infinitely better. She was a city girl. She was completely at home here, exploring New York’s delights with him fearlessly.
She turned her head and smiled. Her narrow, elegant feet were propped in his lap. He’d been rubbing lotion into them until the sight of her enjoying New York’s autumn had captured his attention.
Her eyes dropped to the laptop propped on a pillow next to the window. He was sure she had emails that needed her attention, just as he did. He’d jumped right into the family business when they’d returned to New York after Saoirse’s release. He’d run his first official board meeting and delivered his vision of Whitley James and Winterwyne. He’d been met first with silence, and then with applause, and not a single question about the money he’d spent on getting Winterwyne’s new branding team leader out of jail.
Saoirse’s transition into her new role hadn’t been as smooth as Sutter’s. But she was a quick study and he supported her every step of the way. When he saw her struggling, he pulled in experts from within the company or his contacts in Beta Theta Pi to tutor her. Together, they’d found an online marketing course to fill in the gaps in her knowledge. With a nudge from Sutter, Suzanna stepped in as Saoirse’s unofficial mentor and they talked every day by video-call. The three of them made a great team. A team with big plans.
And it was paying off already. Profits from the Winterwyne clubs were up a third and the knock-on effect for sales of Whitley James’ wines and spirits through the clubs were beginning to ripple to the bottom line.
As for hisotherplans, Sutter was laying groundwork. He’d identified the company executives most loyal to his uncle and was slowly, subtly, shifting them out of the inner circle. Cordelia was already out. He’d struck a deal with his uncle for her to spend the rest of the year in L.A., ostensibly to be near the twins as they started college. In exchange, Sutter authorized his uncle’s use of the company plane for frequent trips to D.C. Sutter hadn’t asked what drew his uncle back to the nation’s capital again and again, but he hadn’t missed how quickly his uncle agreed to Cordelia’s extended absence. Sutter had joined his uncle’s social clubs and endured some unbearably boring evenings worming his way into his uncle’s circle of business associates and friends. After meeting with Andy Marks, who had provided him with two decades of records showing his uncle’s embezzlement from the company, Sutter took the attorney into his confidence. Together, they’d brought Sutter’s uncle into their Beta Theta Pi club as an honored guest, flattering his uncle who had always been excluded from the fraternity’s circles.
When his uncle fell from grace, the fraternity’s rejection would make the fall all the more humiliating.
And then there were hisother-otherplans, one of which had come to fruition today. Another of which was about to.
He flexed Saoirse’s foot, rubbing between her toes with his thumb. “You checking your emails, darlin’? I thought we were done for the night?”
She smiled sheepishly. “I just want to see if Suzanna sent across that floorplan.”
“Five more minutes,” Sutter allowed. “Then it’s time for dinner.”
Brightening, she tapped on her laptop. Sutter watched her eyes as she read the email he’d forwarded to her from [email protected]. The first line read:I am pleased to confirm the committee has accepted your application for membership.
She clapped her hands together, causing the fluff of gray and white fur curled into the space between Saoirse’s legs and the window, to raise her head. Sutter reached out and stroked the kitten’s head until she dropped it back between her paws, purring sleepily.
“You got in,” Saoirse said, clapping more quietly.
“Wegot in,” Sutter responded . “Tomorrow, we’ll go enjoyournew membership at New York’s most exclusive lifestyle club.
Saoirse grinned. “I think we should start with a long soak in the jacuzzi.”
“I think we should explore the Nursery first.”
Saoirse’s eyes widened until they were almost round. “Blunts has a Nursery?”
Sutter nodded. “There have been some changes while you’ve been gone. When Sean showed me around, he made a point of showing me the Nursery. It was being painted, when I saw it, so I’d think it would be ready by now, since that was two weeks ago.”
“Do you think that means the club’s started to be accepting of our kind of play?” she asked.
Sutter let his grin edge into something wicked and saw the answering flare in his Little’s eyes. “I think if it doesn’t, it soon will. You know how I like to shake things up.”
“I do,” she admitted.
Sutter had shaken her up. Turned her world upside-down. Asked her to be brave. And rewarded her bravery with all the possibilities and happiness of being his Little.
He cupped both of her feet in his palms. “But tonight, I think we should celebrate in our own way. Take-out from Tito’s. And then I think my Little Miss needs to write me a few lines to remind her of how much her Daddy loves her and needs her to—just sometimes—put herself first. Which she hasn’t been doing while she’s helped Daddy fix his business. And then I’m going to make very slow, very sweet, and very hard love to my baby.”
Saoirse wriggled on the cushions. He loved seeing how hot just his words got her. He loved seeing how she immediately dropped into her happy, Little space. Even more than feeding her spaghetti with meatballs from Tito’s off the adorable duckie plate and sippy cup set they’d found. Even more than the lines she’d be writing on the blackboard wall in their bedroom, probably with a hot, red bottom. The special “dirty-Daddy-talk” Sutter had worked hard to develop made her wild. Made her intensely happy.
As happy as she’d made him.
“Love you, Daddy.”
“I love you, too, darlin’.” He lifted her foot and popped a kiss on her big toe that had her giggling. “I woke up this morning loving you. I spent all day loving you. And I’ll go to sleep loving you. You’re my life, Saoirse.”
She scooted across the window seat, scattering cushions and a stuffie or two, and earning a yowl from the jostled kitten. Sutter immediately pulled her into his lap and rubbed his nose against hers. “Something else I think we need to do tomorrow, darlin’. Christmas is coming and I think we should do a little Christmas shopping.”
