Page 13 of New Tradition

“Find something to keep this one busy, won’t you ladies?”

Dakota set down a box of ornaments and reached for Erin’s hand. “I got you, honey. Turn your work brain off for an hour and help me with this tree.”

Samuel kissed her cheek and turned to go back to the bar.

Samuel set Erin’s phone on the bar so he could keep an eye on it for her. “Was taking her phone a dick move?”

Hunter was huddled over his phone with Patrick and they were both looking grim. But Patrick looked up and shook his head. “Nope. I take Austin’s phone when she gets too wrapped up and needs a break. I just keep an eye on it and give it to her if a call comes in but not having it means she can’t manufacture work.”

Samuel nodded as Patrick turned back to Hunter.

“It looks like the weather is going to take a turn for the worst. We should come up with some contingency plans in case we get stuck here or need to get people out fast.”

“Lance, you might want to head to Phoenix now,” Elijah said.

“Let me go talk to Marissa,” he said, his eyes on his girl across the room.

Then he turned to Samuel. “Ten bucks she’s about to offer Erin her phone.”

Samuel chuckled. “Wouldn’t surprise me. I think getting her fellow submissives in trouble is how Marissa makes friends.”

Lance laughed. “You’re not wrong. I’ll be back.”

Samuel watched with amusement as sure enough, Marissa pulled her phone out and started to hand it to Erin as Lance approached. As the couple left the bar, he winked at Erin who had looked up at him with a pout.

“It seems like the two of you are doing well together,” Elijah said.

Samuel grinned. “I’m crazy about her. She’s crazy about me. We’re figuring out the rest as we go. Lifestyle is still new for her, but I’ve never been happier and I feel like I’m learning a lot myself. It’s like we’re teaching each other.”

When Lance and Marissa came back into the bar a few minutes later, he said they would be staying for now.

Elijah stood. “Let’s head to the conference room and start making plans.”

“Should we get Austin and Dakota?” Lance asked.

Patrick shook his head. “Leave them. They’re having a good time. Not to mention I don’t want to know what the hell Dakota is doing to that poor Christmas tree.”

11

Friday, December 21st

Erin

As the men filed out, Erin’s gaze lingered on Samuel. She felt bad for worrying so much about what was happening back home, but all she wanted to do was check in with Trinity and make sure she had the details for the night. She wasn’t angry with Samuel for taking her phone, but she was struggling to find balance between her desire to please him and relax and her desire to stay on top of the things going on in D.C.

Now she half listened as Austin and Marissa pondered whether the Doms were scheming against their subs, but again her mind was pulled back to D.C. All she needed to do was spend ten minutes on the phone with Trinity and she would feel better about everything. Since the guys were dealing with plans for a potential snow storm, she wondered if she could get away with borrowing a phone. She thought back to her conversation with Darci and Bradley about the times a sub might sometimes need to break the rules. She had a feeling this wasn’t actually one of those situations, but desperately wanted to.

Dakota clapped her hands together. “I say we declare this place decorated and take over the bar since the fellas abandoned it.”

Erin shrugged and gave in to her urge. “Fine by me. And for the love of God, can I please borrow a phone?”

Marissa looked at her and bit her lip. “I want to, but I don’t want to get you in trouble.”

Erin bared her teeth and growled at the mixed-up feelings raging in her head. “I love him to death, but he’s taking his mission to make me take a vacation a little too far. But I guess I shouldn’t be trying to get you in trouble either.”

Marissa laughed as they reached the bar and Austin stepped behind it to play bartender. She asked for some whiskey, neat and leaned on the bar watching the women. Marissa pulled her phone out and tapped at the screen for a few seconds before she laid it on the bar and turned her attention to Dakota.

Erin waited for a minute and picked up the phone as Dakota chided Marissa. “You’re going to feel bad when Samuel gives her the hairbrush or something.”

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