Page 20 of Master Cordell

The next day, Tiffany checked in with the 3-11 managers before signing off for the rest of the afternoon. She would still be around if anyone needed her, but Sir had insisted they both had to trust the staff to do what needed to be done, so the two of them didn’t work overtime when it wasn’t necessary. That was one disadvantage of living at the resort—remembering to take time off and let everyone else handle their jobs.

Over the past few weeks, Tiffany had gotten to know the new managers during meetings and training. They were all efficient and had come highly recommended from their previous employers, so she was confident they could run things without her and tried to switch from on-duty mode to off while changing in the privacy of her office. She’d brought a small duffel bag filled with her black, two-piece, tankini bathing suit, a cute teal cover-up with pockets, and sandals, because she didn’t want to bother Sir if he was in the middle of something to escort her to their cottage. She’d promised him she wouldn’t go there alone and had no problem with that. Even though everything had been cleaned up and looked normal again, it still freaked her out someone had been in their home.

After a quick inspection of her outfit in the mirror behind her door, she left her work clothes and heels in the duffel bag and grabbed her keys and ID card, which were on a lanyard, and her cell phone. There was nothing else she needed to take with her to meet Tori and the other women at the pool. If she wanted a drink or food or anything from the boutique, she just had to sign for it, so she didn’t need any money or her wallet. It was late in the day, so sunscreen wasn’t necessary, and there were plenty of towels available by the pool. Okay, so there were advantages to living at a resort.

Her cousin spotted her immediately when Tiffany stepped out into the sunshine. “Tiff! Over here!” Tori waved her over to where she and the others had commandeered three tables by the bar next to the pool and put them together. Large umbrellas and several palm trees provided plenty of shade from the hot afternoon sun.

Despite being off duty, Tiffany couldn’t help but eye every guest, employee, and the surrounding area as she strode toward her friends. Nothing was out of place, the staff was attentive, and the guests appeared to be enjoying themselves. It looked like the resort was going to be a success, and she was proud of the fact she’d helped to make it so.

Taking an empty seat between Angie and Harper, she grinned at the group of women, all of whom had a cocktail either in their hand or sitting in front of them. “Everyone having a good time?”

Their faces lit up as they began to talk over each other. The first three she heard were Harper, Kat, and Kristen.

“Absolutely!”

“Yes!”

“It’s amazing!”

“Fantastic!” Shelby squealed. “It’s beautiful here.”

Fancy lifted a glass of what looked like one of the bar’s specialty drinks, Tied Up in Knots, which consisted of melon liqueur, orange vodka, coconut rum, and pink lemonade poured over crushed ice and served with cherries. “The resort is wonderful! You and Cordell have done an amazing job. And I so needed this vacation.”

“Kristen and I went paddle boarding earlier. It was so much fun!” Angie announced. “I’ve never done that before, and it took a little bit to learn how to keep my balance.”

“You did a lot better than I did. I was in the water more than I was on the damn board,” her sister-in-law retorted, picking up her own fruity-looking drink and taking a sip. “Oh-em-gee, this is so damn good.”

Spotting the lollipop being used as a stirrer, Tiffany asked, “Is that the Kinky Blow Job?”

“Yes,itis, and let me tell you, I’ve found my signature drink for the weekend.” Kristen licked her lips. “Although, I have a feeling it’ll give me a helluva hangover if I have too many of them.”

After asking what everyone else was having, Tiffany decided to go with Kat’s choice and ordered another of the resort’s special cocktails, the Cream Pie Martini, when one of the waiters stopped at their table. Her stomach growled, and she realized she hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast, and the dinner party in a section of the ballroom, that they’d planned for the Tampa crowd, wasn’t for another two hours. “Hector, would you mind bringing out an order of the queso, salsa, and chips, the buffalo chicken dip, and the antipasto platter? I’m starving, and I’m sure everyone else would like something to snack on before dinner later.”

“Absolutely, boss,” he responded with a huge smile, complete with dimples. In his late twenties, the dark-haired man had the looks, physique, and personality that would bring in great tips from the female and gay male guests. “Anything else, ladies?”

After a few women asked for refills, he jotted everything down on his little notepad and then hurried off to put the drink and food orders in. Tiffany chuckled when Tori and all the others checked out the man’s ass as he walked away. She had to admit, it was a very fine one, but there were HR rules against mentioning that, so she kept her mouth shut and didn’t let her gaze linger. Besides, it didn’t come close to Sir’s incredible backside.

“So, Tiffany,” Harper said when the ladies were no longer distracted, “forgive me for being blunt and nosy, but how are things going with you and Cordell? I can’t get over the difference in you from the first time we met at Tori’s collaring ceremony. You were so incredibly shy then, and now? Girl, you are rockin’ the assistant manager title. You’ve come a long way, and we’re all proud of you. And I can tell you’re so into Cordell, and I don’t blame you. As Shelby would say, he’s a dreamboat.”

“Oh, I absolutelywouldsay andwillsay that. A total dreamboat,” Shelby added with a snicker, and that set off the rest of them. There were more giggles, some snorts, a few high fives, and two wolf-whistles from Tori and Angie. It appeared the group of women had gotten an earlier start on the happy hour than Tiffany had realized. “Not as dreamy as my Parker, but Master Cordell is definitely high on my list.”

“Well, he’s the highest on my list,” Tiffany admitted, but then she sighed. “Ihavecome a long way since I met Sir. I still can’t thank Mitch enough for taking the time to find a Dom to help me get over Bruce, and for having that Dom be Sir. I couldn’t have asked for a better man. He’s so sweet and caring—the complete opposite of Bruce, the butthead.”

“You’re in love with him, aren’t you?” Shelby pointed an accusing finger at Tiffany whose jaw dropped in surprise. “Cordell, I mean. Not the butthead.”

“What?I ... no ... I mean ... oh, hell.” She glanced around to make sure no employees were in earshot, then leaned closer to the table, so she could keep her voice down. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she tried to blink them away. “I am. I’m totally in love with him. But he’s not in love with me. I mean, our contract says that when I’m ready to move on, he’ll find me another Dom, but I don’t want another Dom. I wanthim. From the very beginning, he told me that this was temporary. That eventually he’d let me go and then he’d find a new project.”

Kristen frowned. “Project?”

“That’s what the Doms and subs at Club Domain called the women that Sir helps get over abusive D/s relationships—projects. I’m just his current one, and after me, there’ll be another and another.”

“Well, shit.” Kristen’s sympathetic and slightly angry expression was duplicated on all the other women’s faces. She also kept her voice low so no one not sitting at their table could hear her. “You’re a human being ... one who was physically and emotionally abused. That doesn’t make you anyone’s damnproject.”

“She’s right,” Angie said, placing a comforting hand on Tiffany’s arm. “And Cordell’s intent to just help you get over that asshole may be the way things were in the beginning, sweetie. I think it was still like that when we met you in Tampa for Tori’s collaring too. But, honestly, I’ve seen the way that man’s been looking at you over the last few months, and I’m convinced his feelings for you have changed. They’ve gotten stronger. I don’t think he sees you as aprojectanymore, but that’s just my opinion. You need to talk to him.”

Tori smacked her hand on the table hard enough to make everyone’s glasses rattle. “I totally agree with Angie. Tiff, honey, you know I would never steer you wrong. You may have started out as a new project—God I hate that word too. Anyway, it may have started out like that for Cordell, but the way he looks at you now, especially when you’re not aware of it, it’s like how Ty and Mitch look at me and each other. That man wants to give you the world, but he might think you don’t want it—at least not from him.”

Her mind instantly went back to the morning Sir had offered her the assistant manager position, when she’d been so excited and blurted out that she loved him, then backpedaled like she’d dropped a bomb between them. Groaning, she tilted her head back against the chair. “Oh, no.”

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