She stomped off toward her bedroom, and he heard the words, “…be such a prick!” which made him chuckle. Having flippers for feet might not be so bad for a few days if he had Faye to train into submission.
CHAPTER 3
JILLIAN
Wide-eyed and more than a little embarrassed, Jillian watched the dining room activity. Even though she liked what she saw, it was so different than her life in the village, and her reaction confused her. She shouldn’t like this as much as she did. The tables were filled with confident, beautiful men and women, enjoying their meals and the entertainment. A band played quietly on the stage, while some people gyrated on the floor between the tables. But the activities that gained the most interest were the wait staff’s fun and lively performances. The male and female servers were dressed differently from each other. Some were scantily clad, baring their assets to the approval of the diners. Some wore collars and wrist cuffs. Every time a server passed a table, he or she would press her bottom out for a smack or two from the Dominant patrons. One woman was over the knee of a diner who did not like the temperature of his steak. Though she squealed and kicked as he spanked and scolded, she still wore a smile, and the excitement could be seen in her eyes. Jillian re-crossed her legs andshifted in her seat for what must have been the fiftieth time in the last hour.
“How are you doing with all of this, Jillian?” Bertram eyed her thoughtfully.
She swallowed hard. “I—I think I like it. But it’s a lot to take in. We have technology in my village. The mayor and the lords outside my village have cell phones, and a few even have cars. But the rest of us stick with the older customs—not by my choice.” She frowned. “But I have never seen women act so open with their bodies,” she said, licking her lips and fidgeted uncomfortably. “Don’t get me wrong, I—I like it. But this is so different from my home town.”
He laughed. “I’m sure it is.”
She loved the way his eyes lit up when he smiled. Tiny flecks of amber danced around, changing the dark hue, and the lines around his eyes softened his gaze.
“This place is pretty busy,” she said as she watched the patrons laugh and joke, wishing she could let go of some of the heaviness that weighed on her heart. “I’m not sure I fit in here.”
“Everyone comes for a different reason.” Bertram took her hand and squeezed it. “Some use their fantasies to escape real life, and some use their real life to ignore their fantasies.” He shrugged. “And some just want to enjoy the freedom. Which one are you, Jillian?”
She felt a tingle rush down her spine when he met her eyes. “Thanks again for saving us, Bertram.”
“It was my pleasure. All of it.” He winked, and she felt her face heat from the memory. The spanking he had given her—her first ever—would always be in her mind as the event that opened her eyes to the outside world, and she hadn’t disliked it as much as she should have. In fact, the heat that filled her while thinking of the way his warm hand had scalded her bare bottom was shameful and wrong. Or was it?
She turned to Bertram with a sudden thought. “I don’t get it.”
“What don’t you get?” He cocked his head to the side. “The half-dressed servers? The spankings? The collars? The paddles?”
“No.” She shook her head. “The name. Spa NK.” She pronounced each syllable separately. “This is a lodge that caters to people that like, um…” She felt her cheeks heat. “Spankings. That I get. But why the name? It’s a great play on words, but I don’t see a spa.”
“It’s on the other side of the lodge,” he laughed and leaned into her personal space. “Want to hear the big bad secret behind all,” he gestured around him, “of this?”
“Yes. Please.”
He leaned back in his chair and beckoned her closer with his finger. “Remember the ex- fiancée I mentioned earlier?”
Jillian nodded, feeling the anticipation build in her.
“Shana really loved the fancier side of things—manicures, pedicures, massages, and especially having her hair done. She talked me into building a spa in the back of my new lodge. She even hired her best friend as a massage therapist and stylist. Now that woman, Petra, had some killer hair—long, really long. One day while she was getting her hair done, Shana was giving me some lip and acting like a brat. So, I tied her wrists together with Petra’s hair and spanked her bottom with her own hairbrush.”
She laughed and pressed her mouth closed as she stifled an embarrassed choke.
“Turns out, she liked it. A lot. And Petra enjoyed it so much, she brought in a few of her “like minded” friends to “play” after she had finished their spa sessions. And that’s how the spank was brought into the spa. We added on a few additions, like a dungeon on the other side of the lodge. Theoriginal hairbrush is still down there if you want to try it out.” He waggled his eyes at her small squeak.
“I—I’ll think about it. Um, thanks.” She turned all her attention to drinking the half full glass of ice cold water in front of her. Or was it half empty? She didn’t care. She needed to cool off quickly.
Every eye turned to the stage when the singing started, and the sweetest voice she had ever heard filled the room. A pretty woman dressed in a simple short dress, her white-blonde hair pulled back into a chignon, sang a beautiful song about love and desire and princes and nightingales. When she finished her song, she took a shy bow and exited the stage.
“Cindy, come here please.” Bertram beckoned the pretty blonde to them. “Jillian, I’d like you to meet the lodge’s favorite submissive and entertainer, Cindy E.”
She reached her hand out to the sweet woman with the tender blue eyes and big smile.
“Ooh, it’s so nice to meet you!” Cindy engulfed her in a big hug and squealed. “Are you a new submissive in training? Do you like singing? Do you like shopping? I love shopping. Especially for shoes! I misplace mine a lot,” she giggled.
Jillian was surprised to realize that she adored this woman already. She was so sweet and engaging.
“Do you want to play later? I get off at midnight,” Cindy explained hopefully.
“I—I don’t know what I’m…”
