Page 12 of New Tradition

"Tell her I'll call her and she can have me over whenever. You have a perfect son, Bradley. Congratulations."

10

Friday, December 21st

Samuel

Samuel sat in the bar at Solitaire and listened as Patrick toasted Lance’s upcoming wedding. A group of submissives were on the opposite side of the bar putting up Christmas decorations for tomorrow night’s party, but Erin wasn’t among them. She’d asked to stay in the room and work for a little while. Something had happened that made her not want to leave town, but he wasn’t sure what. He’d been about to relent and tell her they could stay in D.C. when something in her demeanor changed and she’d kissed him and said to take her to the airport before she changed her mind.

She didn’t have to tell him twice. Now that he had her here, he’d given her two hours to work before she was going to put it away until Sunday.

“Are you going to have a second wedding in Chicago or just do a reception?” Hunter asked Lance.

“We’re talking about a second wedding. We’ll keep this one quiet if we can.”

Samuel was about to tell him good luck with that since society pages and gossip rags have people dedicated to monitoring if specific people file for a marriage license or a divorce when Erin came storming into the bar holding her phone.

“I told you it was a bad idea to leave town this close to the swearing in,” she said, her voice agitated.

He lifted an eyebrow and set his drink on the bar. “Excuse me, gentlemen,” he murmured as he stepped toward her.

“What is it, baby girl?” he asked.

“Hirschman is hosting an impromptu cocktail party and my staff and I are invited. This is the kind of thing I didn’t want to miss out on. And no, my deputy can’t go because he’s got plans too. It’s a big deal and I’m just stuck here.”

He put a hand on each shoulder as he waited for her to quit ranting. His touch seemed to calm her so he pulled her closer to him.

“Two questions. First, is Trinity still on your payroll as part of your transition team?”

She cocked her head to one side, confusion evident in her eyes. “Yes. Why?”

“Send her in your place. You know how she is at parties. She’ll be your eyes and ears.”

She bit her lip. “That’s actually a really good idea. Can I text her now?”

“I’ll wait,” he said with a nod.

When she had confirmed that Trinity was available and she’d given her friend the basic details, Samuel stepped back and slipped both hands in his pockets. “Can I ask my second question now?”

“Why do I suddenly feel like I’m in trouble?” she asked, looking at him wide eyed.

He gave her a half smile and cupped her cheek. “How do you think it makes me feel when you say things like you’re just stuck here?”

She tried to drop her head, but he shifted his hand and captured her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye.

“I’m sorry, Samuel. I didn’t mean to make it sound like that. How do I fix it?”

“You can start by doing exactly what we agreed on and put work away for a while. You’ve got friends over there who would love your company and I would like to finish my drink before I drag you to bed.”

Her shoulders sagged, and he dropped her chin to pick up her hand “Come on. I’ll take you over there and just to be sure you focus on your friends and not work, I’ll take your phone.”

“Samuel, no. What if something happens?”

He squeezed her hand and tugged her toward the group of women decorating.

“I’ll come get you. Now come on.”

She sighed and fell into step beside him. When they reached Marissa, Austin, and the others, he held out his hand. She huffed but obediently slapped her phone into his palm. Marissa was watching him, so he winked at her as he slipped it into his pants pocket.

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