Page 9 of Bling

Chapter Four

Isabelle’s arms trembled as she held them up with her hands clasped behind her head the way they had taught her in her early days as a house submissive. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she replayed her conversation with Garrett. Things had been going so well between them. They weren’t dating exactly, but they’d been growing closer. She was regretting saying hi to her uncle before she left. Had she not done that, she would never have known that Garrett owned the company she worked for.

He’d seemed genuinely contrite when they talked, but it was hard for her to set aside her temper and hurt feelings. Things would probably never be the same between them.

The door opened, but she knew better than to turn around. It was probably Hunter. He’d been in once what felt like hours ago to let her know he would send for her when he was ready.

“Isabelle, honey, Master Hunter wants you to meet him in the bar.” It was Austin who spoke.

She slowly dropped her arms and moved them around to get the blood flowing again.

Turning, she gave Austin a sheepish look. “Sorry for my outburst out there.”

Austin gave her a hug. “It’s OK. It sounds like you have a lot on your plate right now.”

Austin stepped out and Isabelle picked up her bag.

In the lobby, she could feel eyes on her. Lance was at the reception desk and she knew he was filling in for her.

She paused, fidgeting with the strap on her bag. “Sorry, Master Lance,” she mumbled.

He looked up from his computer and lifted one eyebrow. “It’s going to be OK. Get moving sub, Hunter is waiting.”

She nodded and scurried through the double doors into the bar. Hunter was waiting, leaned against the long bar. His smile was kind when she approached.

“Let’s go into one of the parlor rooms and talk, shall we?”

Hunter reached for her bag and slung it over his shoulder, offering her his hand. She appreciated the comforting gesture.

“I would imagine this is weird for you,” Hunter said when they stepped into one of the small parlor style rooms off the side of the bar. It had a homey feel to it, with plush chairs and a fireplace. There was even a bookshelf filled with erotica and kinky reference books. If she didn’t know she was about to get a spanking from Master Hunter, she would have found the room comforting.

“It’s a little strange,” she admitted as Hunter sat in one of the chairs. She waited for him to give her an order.

“Kneel, Isabelle,” he said, nodding to the rug in front of his chair.

She complied with haste, not wanting to give him any reason to add to whatever punishment he had planned.

“I have to punish you, and I’m sorry about that. Maybe if you’d waited until you were in private to have your outburst that wouldn’t be the case. But first, I want to give you a chance to talk. I heard a lot of what happened, but a friendly ear might help prevent another outburst like that.”

Isabelle swallowed. He wanted her to talk about her feelings. A lot of Doms seemed to insist on that, but it wasn’t her strong suit.

“I just got really overwhelmed when I saw him. I didn’t find out he owned the fulfillment center until right before I left to come her tonight. I processed the information on the drive over and by the time I got here I was furious,” she whispered.

Hunter nodded. “Understandable. He owns a lot of places all over the country.”

Isabelle shrugged. “I had no idea. I had a vague idea of who he was from the news, but we didn’t talk about his business here.”

Hunter smiled. “You would have no reason to. I’m not going to tell you what to do regarding your feelings for him. I will say I’ve been in his shoes and it’s not easy. I can promise you that the decisions he made were not made lightly. I own dozens of restaurants and nightclubs all over the country, on top of my Vegas casinos. I’ve had to let people go to keep businesses afloat. It’s painful. You’re right, some men do it out of greed or to protect their own bonuses, but I think you and I both know Master Garrett isn’t like that.”

Isabelle wanted to believe him, but she wasn’t sure how. She didn’t really know Garrett outside of Solitaire. It was going to be hard to look past this right now.

Bouncing on her heels, she twisted her hands in her lap. “Can we just get this over with, Sir?”

Hunter leaned forward and fisted a hand into her hair, lifting her head so she was forced to meet his gaze. “You’re lucky you threw a Sir in there. Do you get a say in how I do this?” Other than the limits you’ve already set, of course.”

Isabelle shook her head as much as his grip on her hair would allow. “No, Master Hunter. I’m sorry.”

He released her hair. “Now, you have a spanking coming, I think you knew that already, but I also understand how you feel about spanking, so that part of your punishment will be quick.”

---