Chapter Four
Cami
The next few days that followed felt both endless and far too short.
I threw myself into work, styling three different clients for major events, updating my blog with new content, and generally trying not to obsess over what was coming. Shelly called me every other day to check in, each conversation a blend of excitement and gentle interrogation about how I was feeling.
“Nervous,” I’d tell her. “But the good kind of nervous.”
“That’s the right kind,” she’d assure me.
I’d started a list of questions, things I wanted to ask Majesty and Lex when I got to the Ranch. It grew longer every day, a mix of practical concerns and deeper curiosities about how multi-partner dynamics actually worked. About boundaries and jealousy and communication. About whether I was really capable of what I was curious about.
Ten days before I was supposed to leave, my phone buzzed from the group text.
Lex:
Quick question. Any chance you could come to the Ranch a few days early?
Majesty:
We want to go over protocol with you before the students arrive. Give you time to get comfortable with the space and what we’ll be asking you to do.
My heart rate picked up. They wanted me there earlier.
Me:
How early are we talking?
Lex:
This weekend. We’d cover your flight change, obviously.
Majesty:
No pressure if you can’t swing it with work. Just thought it might help ease some of the nerves.
I stared at my phone. This weekend was four days away. Four days instead of ten.
Me:
Let me check with my clients and get back to you in an hour?
Lex:
Take your time.
It took me thirty minutes to rearrange my schedule, push one appointment, and confirm another client could meet me a day earlier. When I texted them back with a yes, the response was immediate.
Majesty:
Perfect. Sending new flight info now.
Lex:
Looking forward to having you here, Cami.
The flight to Montana was smooth, the landscape below shifting from urban sprawl to vast stretches of mountains and forests. I’d packed according to the list they’d sent, casual clothes, a few nicer outfits for evening sessions, comfortable shoes. And tucked in the bottom of my suitcase, wrapped carefully in tissue paper, was a black silk robe Shelly had insisted I bring.
