Page 67 of Bling

The group agreed to table the discussion for now and moved on with the rest of the short agenda. Another high protocol dinner—an event for D/s couples who enjoyed a certain level of ceremony and protocol in their dynamic—was planned for next month, but otherwise, there were no pressing matters and no new members to discuss. Garrett knew Isabelle would want to work the dinner as a staff member, but he planned to ask if she would go with him as an attendee and as his sub instead of working.

Before the meeting adjourned, Garrett told Lance and Russell about the empty bar glass on the porch and they agreed to give the door staff a refresher on being more observant.The group slowly migrated to the lobby and other parts of the club. Austin and Patrick went to their suite, Russell left to take care of business, and Matthew stayed in the conference room to make phone calls.

Lance hunkered down behind the reception desk with his laptop. The man was so engrossed in his electronics Garrett often wondered how he had time to date and play with women, but he always had at least one house sub wearing his bracelet and he was spotted at the biggest tech conventions in the country with gorgeous women on his arm.

Garrett was headed to the exit to meet his driver when Dakota stopped him.

“What are my chances of getting an agriculture bill in front of the president this year?” she asked.

At the club, Dakota Hylander was a silly, feisty, and sometimes bratty submissive. In Texas, the woman was heir to one of the biggest cattle ranches in the country and she had a sharp eye for business. She didn’t take any shit from the men who tried to tell her how to run her ranch either.

Garrett always took her seriously.

“I think we should let him get reelected first, but I think you’ve got an excellent shot. He’s asked me to be his chief economic advisor again, so I’ll be spending a lot of time in D.C. it sounds like.”

She grinned. “Good to know. How does Isabelle feel about that?”

He rubbed at the back of his neck. “I’m not sure Isabelle understands the scope of my role at the Whitehouse, but we haven’t had much of a chance to talk about it, so I don’t know.”

“She’s a good girl Garrett. Doesn’t come from our world at all but she damn sure deserves the best. Did you know she took her sister’s kids in?”

Garrett gave her a wry smile. “I knew that. The oldest thinks I’m hot, apparently.”

Dakota giggled. “Oh, that’s just precious. You’ll make a wonderful daddy some day, and I don’t mean the kinky kind.”

“Gross, Dakota. Mind your business. I am not ready to think about fatherhood anytime soon.”

Dakota laughed again and slung an arm around him. “I’m glad you’re connecting with her. I think you two fit well together.”

“Thank you, Dakota.”

He kissed her on the cheek and stepped onto the front porch.

Jeff, his driver, was waiting patiently, as always.

“Where to, Mr. Oliver?” he asked when he slid into the backseat.

“I’ll go to my hotel.”

When they pulled away from the club, Garrett lifted his phone to his ear.

“How was your meeting, Sir?” she asked in a sleepy voice.

“Sounds like you had a good nap, Doll. Do you think you can get to the Glenview early? We need to talk.”

• • •

Isabelle walked into the Glenview and headed for the elevator instead of going to the front desk to clock in. She was nearly two hours early because Garrett had asked her to meet him there.

When she stepped off the elevator onto the top floor, Garrett was waiting for her. He’d changed into dark jeans and a tight white t-shirt, and his hair was damp as if he’d just had a shower.

“You look delicious,” she said before she could stop herself.

He quirked one eyebrow upward as he extended his hand in her direction.

“Are you just saying that because you’re hungry or horny?” he asked teasing.

She giggled as they walked down the hallway to his suite at the end.

---