Page 23 of James

“Kate, what can I do for you? I hope you didn’t call to harass me about the next munch?” James rumbled in the phone, keeping an eye on the young man who was grouting the tile on the bathroom wall.

Kate’s melodic laugh tinkled in his ear. “No, no, don’t worry. I don’t expect you to host. But you should try it sometime. You know how important the munches are to keeping Club Indigo going. There’s something else I want to ask you. Do you know about the fundraising for Christ the King Church that was damaged by the tornado?”

“Of course. Chris and I offered to do the repairs for cost of materials. It is a beautiful building we need to preserve. It turns out they didn’t have nearly enough insurance.”

“Right.” Kate agreed. “So Wilma McGruder came up with this great plan. She convinced the Holiday Treasures Craft Festival to organize a benefit silent auction with some family-friendly attractions to go along with the Festival. All the vendors will be donating somethingfor the auction and there will be other contributions as well.”

“Wow, that’s incredibly generous of them. But what does it have to do with you and, more importantly, why do you need me?” James nodded at his apprentice who had finished the stretch of tile he was working on. “Hold on a moment, Kate.” He held the phone away from his mouth and called out to the young man, “Hey, Tom, good work. Go and find Chris. He’ll have another project for you to work on. I need to finish this call.”

Tom nodded and went looking for Chris.

James returned the phone to his ear. “Sorry, Kate. Go on please.”

“I was going to ask if you and Chris would help with the repairs, but you’ve already done that. In return, the organization wants to offer BlackSmith Construction a spot at the Festival. Maybe you can show some pictures of your work, give out flyers, promote your apprenticeship program. It would be great publicity.”

“I think we could do that. I’m not sure about the display, we’ve got all the work we can handle right now, especially if we take on the church project. I’ll talk to Chris about it.”

“Great.” Kate fell silent, but didn’t attempt to end the call.

“All right, Kate, spit it out already!” James ordered, using a door post to scratch an itch between his shoulder blades. “I can tell there’s something on your mind.”

“Actually, there is.” Kate sighed loud enough to be heard over the phone. “Look, I know you’re disappointed about recent scenes. But there was a new submissive at the munch and I think you would really like her.”

He went still as a statue, reminding himself of theirlong friendship before he trusted himself to speak, and even then, his voice was cold enough that he was surprised his phone didn’t frost over. “Kate, you know how I feel about your matchmaking efforts.”

“James, hear me out!” Kate pleaded. “This isn’t your average young subbie. She’s at least in her late thirties, not a lot of experience, but she asks intelligent questions. She’s joined Fetlife and seemed to have fun at the munch, but she wasn’t there just to hook up. She’s interested, and there were plenty of people interested in her, but she’s looking for a connection, not just a playmate. She. Come on, she would be great for you.”

James closed his eyes and thought about that one perfect submissive he hadn’t been able find. “I’ll think about it,” he said gruffly.

The big open space near the river, often reserved for special events, hosted the Festival. Rows of stalls and tents with white awnings filled the area. The air was crisp, complemented by abundant sunshine. Local products, ranging from small shops like Wilma's to the creations of local artists and craftspeople, were on display and available for sale. Food options abounded, while the largest tent housed the silent auction. Volunteers, primarily from the church, staffed various booths dedicated to children's interests, offering activities like face painting, temporary tattoos, and classic carnival games. A clown skillfully crafted balloon animals, and local musicians entertained the crowds from strategic points throughout the Festival. All proceeds from the children’s area were allocated to the benefit.

To Laura’s disappointment, she hadn’t been able to convince her dad to come with them, although he’d been evasive on just why he wasn’t available, but she was having a great time with Suzie and the kids. They had both volunteered time on Saturday, Laura with face painting and Suzie helping out with temporary tattoos, working different shifts, so one of them was always available to chaperone the kids. Tim and Abby even put in a short shift of their own at the refreshment table, fetching drinks and collecting trash

Today, they were there to have fun. The tent with the silent auction was a big draw. Not only had the various artisans donated their works, but other people had volunteered their time. Several chefs from local restaurants were offering cooking classes. One restaurant had offered a wine tasting party. Wilma had also convinced a local travel agency to donate tickets for a Caribbean cruise and both the Kansas City Royals and Chiefs had provided ticket packages.

Laura and Suzie split up after they had made a couple of bids on small items. The children were eager for some play and Laura wanted to visit a couple of stalls.

She lingered at Lakecandles. The company had started off as a hobby with the owners making candles in their basement; Laura loved their beautiful creations. She bought one for the living room and met up with Suzie and the kids again at the Smokehouse Grill booth. After they ate their fill, the women decided to split up again. Suzie took the kids down to carnival row, while Laura went in search of the Christopher Elbow Chocolates booth. She could ignore all kinds of sweets, but she did occasionally indulge her chocolate craving.

“Laura!” called out a voice.

She turned and spotted her new friend, Kate.

“Hey Kate.” She smiled at the redhead. “I noticed yesterday you were offering massages. Have you been busy?”

“The traffic comes and goes. Would you like a massage? I’m donating everything I make this weekend to the church benefit.” Kate gestured to the half-open curtain where Laura could distinguish a chair of some kind.

“It’s not a spanking bench, is it?” Laura half-joked in a low tone.

Kate laughed. “No, dear, just a plain vanilla massage chair. Besides I know which side of the street you walk on.”

Laura laughed as well and followed the Domme behind the curtain.

Twenty minutes later Laura felt totally relaxed and she thanked Kate after she dropped some bills in the discrete collection box at the front of the booth.

“See you next Wednesday,” Kate called over her shoulder as she led the next customer to the chair.

Laura had walked a little way farther when a banner with BlackSmith Construction on it caught her eye. She halted in her tracks so abruptly that someone bumped into her from behind. Distracted, she apologized and stepped out of the walking path. What was a construction company doing here anyway? Curious and a bit apprehensive she walked over to the stall.

---