Page 5 of Heist

Chapter Two

“In national news, Nicholas Sutton’s long-awaited federal trial began, and ended today, with a bombshell plea deal that had his estranged son, Patrick, storming out of the courtroom.”

Austin Yates sat in her office at Thorley and Associates listening to the small TV she kept in the corner. The mention of Patrick Sutton had her raising her head. A plea deal wasn’t that surprising. She brokered them almost daily. Why would Patrick be so upset? She would have to talk to him the next time she saw him at Solitaire, or on one of her trips to California for work. Since she held law licenses in New York and California, she often flew back and forth between the two states.

Turning her wrist, she noted the time on her smart watch. Her boss had called her into a meeting with some of the other attorneys, and she hoped it was to tell her she was getting promoted to partner. What was it they said? Third time’s a charm. She could only hope.

There was still half an hour until her meeting. Waiting sucked.

Her personal cellphone rang. It was Elijah Barrett. How odd. She wasn’t aware of any legal work he needed. Maybe it was about his upcoming wedding.

“Hello,” she answered.

“Austin, it’s Eli. How would you like to do your favorite Solitaire director a huge favor?”

Austin furrowed her brow. What was he talking about? Solitaire was the elite BDSM club they were both members of, and he was the director of the board that ran it. Unfortunately, she’d been chasing this promotion and hadn’t made time to fly to Colorado for a weekend in several months.

“What do you need? Is the club in some kind of legal trouble?”

Elijah—or Eli as he liked to be called at the club—laughed. “No, no, nothing like that. I’m wondering if you would consider being a house submissive for a few months.”

“Me? I thought that was a scholarship program for people who can’t afford dues.”

“It is, but anyone can apply if they want to experience submission in a safe environment.”

Austin stood and turned to look out the window of her small office. “OK. So why me?”

He sighed. “We’re short a few. People move on, it’ happens, but there’s a big masked gala coming up where we want to have a full staff. You’re a founding member of the club. I trust you and I know you’re familiar enough with the program to catch on to the protocols quickly.”

Austin pressed her forehead against the glass. It was warm from the sunshine.

“Can I think about it? Maybe you could send me the application and what would be expected of me.”

“Already done. I sent the e-mail right before I called you.”

Austin laughed. “You were that convinced I would say yes?”

“I was that hopeful,” he teased.

“I have a meeting to get into, but I’ll think about it. Work has been crazy lately and I’m hoping for a promotion, so I don’t know how much time I’ll have.”

“I understand. Just think about it.”

“One question. Who would train me?”

Elijah chuckled. “That depends on your application. I’m not training house subs anymore since I’m with Holly, but I do oversee the whole house submissive program. Speaking of Holly, she wants to know if you can be part of the bridal shoot Vogue is doing.”

Austin grimaced. That sounded terrible, but Holly was her friend and she was one of her bridesmaids, so of course she would say yes. “Tell her I’ll call her.”

“Thanks, and just for the record, my vote would be to match you up with Patrick from what I know of you two.”

Austin’s pulse picked up. She’d just been thinking about him. Clearing her throat, she said, “I better get ready for my meeting. I’ll let you know later today.”

Ending the call, she opened the e-mail Elijah had sent her. There was a link to the application for the house submissive program and more information on the masked gala. There was going to be a tasting tour where club members could try out a variety of kinks and types of play. Each house sub and their trainer were being asked to provide something for members to try. What would she want to offer? A glance at her watch told her there was just under ten minutes to go, so she closed out of the e-mail and stood.

After checking her makeup and smoothing her jacket, she stepped out and locked her office door. When she arrived in the conference room two minutes later, her associates were already gathered. They offered polite nods as she took her place at the table and waited for the boss to make his appearance. Once again, Austin was the only woman in the room.

When Chadwick Thorley walked in five minutes later, everyone sat up a little straighter.

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