Page 2 of At Her Will

Vera was a veteran at navigating family services paperwork and bureaucracy to make that kind of thing happen. But she gave credit to those inside the system, the overworked social workers who wanted these kids to land in a good place. Laurel Grove, the domestic shelter started by Vera’s bosses at Thomas Rose Associates, was the right kind of sanctuary. The adult caretakers there would watch out for Janis until his mom cleaned herself up. Or find him a good foster home if she didn’t.

“Good.” Mavis sighed. “I’m talking to him at the end of this period. Will Serena be the one picking him up?”

“Yes.”

“Excellent. She’s good with the boys.” Mavis glanced at Vera. “So why’d you drop off the paperwork yourself?”

“I had a meet with a nearby client. I also wanted to go over Career Day with your admin, so my team will know where we are on the speaker schedule, and how big our booth will be.”

“Big as you need it. I love how the girls respond to five accomplished women.” Mavis winked. “You all being smoking hot means the boys pay attention, too.”

“Breasts are well known for being able to open a boy’s ears to his opportunities,” Vera chuckled. “And once he’s halfway listening, Ros’s laser gaze will get his mind out of his pants. At least for a few moments.”

Mavis’s attention swept over her. Vera wore a black fitted skirt with a satin ribbon stripe on the sides to define her hips, plus seamed stockings and black high heels to accentuate her legs. A purple beaded flower sewn on the shoes complemented the amethyst earrings and sleeveless silk blouse she wore. Her silver pentacle was suspended on a short chain just above her Maat and Isis pendant.

With her chestnut-colored smooth skin and thick black hair, a fluffy, gleaming mane that drew attention to her silver-gray eyes, sharp cheekbones and full lips, Vera knew she could hold a man’s attention—or a boy’s. It was an advantage she didn’t oversell, though. The heart and mind behind it, her intentions, mattered more. She touched the pentacle, her personal reminder of that.

“Security could have driven you here in the golf cart to save those heels,” Mavis noted.

Vera shook her head. “Cyn brought her way-too-tempting cinnamon rolls this morning. I wanted the walk.”

“Has having a man softened that crazy bitch at all?”

“Not physically.” Vera laughed at the description of TRA’s account manager. “She can eat two of those rolls and not gain an ounce on her skinny, toned ass. But emotionally…yes. She’s in a better place. Still Type A and volatile, but that connectionto Mick, the commitment to one another, has made the edges a little less sharp.”

She squelched the pang of envy and yearning. She was the member of their five-woman group who’d most wanted commitment and a family. Yet here she was, the only one who’d yet to find the right male with whom to share that desire. In pathetic moments, the past crept in and whispered her mistakes were to blame for it.

But things happened as they were meant to happen. At the lowest point of Vera’s divorce, Rosalinda Thomas and Abigail Rose had asked her to move to New Orleans and handle the legal and HR demands of their growing marketing company. Vera had walked away from her job as a corporate lawyer, and she’d never regretted it. She, Cyn and Skye helped Ros and Abby run the company, which was fulfilling on its own merits, but the four women had become Vera’s chosen family. Being all Dommes only increased the bond between them.

Mavis’s phone buzzed. The principal sighed. “I told Cherry to give me ten minutes to meet with you before the next crisis. She was able to hold off the wolves for nine minutes and thirty seconds, a personal best.”

“Give that woman a raise, too.”

Mavis offered Vera a firm and fond handshake. “Watch the kids as long as you like. I don’t get to do it myself too often, but it puts me in a better mood. No matter how the adult world tries to fuck them up, the little assholes are so damn resilient, God bless and protect them.”

Vera grinned. “I’ll pick you up for our usual lunch at the end of the month.”

“Just make sure you’re taking me somewhere I can’t afford, and you pick up the check.”

“Don’t I always? And I don’t even ask you to put out.”

“That’s because you’re 100% lady, Veracity Morgan.” Mavis’s amused gaze coursed over her again. “I’m loving those shoes, girlfriend. Give my thanks to Ros and the whole team. I have to deal with so much bullshit, and you cut through it and help my kids. It means a lot.”

“With what you do for them, it’s the least we can do. When do you sleep?”

“When you all do. Never.”

With a parting salute, Mavis turned and strode back toward the main building. A far easier accomplishment with rubber soles, Vera admitted, but as she glanced down at her purple and black heels, she was okay with appreciating Mavis’s practicality but sticking with her own style.

Mavis deserved indulgences, though. Vera already knew which foundation and blush would work best with the principal’s skin tone. A prettily packaged box of that makeup she’d teased Vera about would be part of this year’s Christmas gift for her from TRA.

The bench was worn smooth, and clean, so Vera sat down to watch the kids play. Janis had slipped down to a seated position against the tree. Arms still wrapped over himself, eyes closed. Probably taking a needed nap, thinking at the end of the day he’d be back at that ratty apartment, cleaning up after his mom and watching over her. Trying to get her to eat the free school meal he himself needed.

Today was a good turning point for Janis, but he wouldn’t see it that way. He’d believe he was abandoning her. Relief that someone else was taking the load was something he’d reject, punishing himself with guilt when it managed to penetrate anyway. But the counselors at Laurel Grove were top notch. They’d help him.

That kind of boy grew into a good man. A service-oriented one. Perhaps among the giggling girls was one who wouldnotice that. She’d grow into her desire for it, wanting to draw that propensity for service toward her, to honor and cherish it, nurture it into a loving submission.

Vera knew firsthand the power of a Dominant and submissive relationship, the spiritual and erotic depths it could reach. A fantasyandreality that never grew old.

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