Chapter 4
Ivy
Even in December, with the air off the Atlantic coming in biting gusts rather than comfortable breezes, they all preferred Silver’s deck as their meeting place.
Add in a bit of unseasonable warmth, and everyone was all too happy to curl up in one of the comfortable outdoor chairs with a blanket and glass of wine.
Everyone except Lottie, anyway. The bride-to-be was currently pacing the wooden deck, brows drawn together in concentration, her forgotten wine clutched in one hand while the other tapped away at her phone screen.
“All right, that’s enough.” Plucking the phone from Lottie’s hand, Frankie tossed it over to Silver, who grinned and hid it behind her back as Lottie shouted in protest.
“Give that back! I’m talking to the wedding planner!”
Frankie, who had been Lottie’s best friend since before they could walk, gripped the bride by the shoulders and gave her a gentle shake.
“And Madison has already told us she has everything well in hand. The favors are ready, the space is decorated, the out-of-town guests have all arrived and checked in to the hotel. There is literally nothing for you to do tonight except drink this lovely wine Beckett picked out for us and relax.”
“But what about—”
“Handled. Whatever it is you’re worried about, I promise it’s either been handled, is being handled, or will be handled tomorrow. Just breathe, Lottie-baby.”
“Fine.” Rolling her eyes, Lottie dragged in a deep breath. “Happy?”
“Very.” Cupping Lottie’s face in her hands, Frankie grinned.
“You are going to be the most beautiful bride at the most beautiful wedding Charleston has ever seen. But none of that matters because the important thing is that tomorrow you’re walking down the aisle and marrying the man of your dreams.”
“Right.” One hand pressed to her stomach, Lottie let out a shaky laugh. “I’m getting married tomorrow. Holy shit, I’m getting married tomorrow.”
Along with the rest of their crew, Ivy let out a whoop of excitement, raising her glass in the air before taking a deep pull of her wine. It was already going to her head a bit, leaving her with that happy, floaty feeling.
“Don’t forget, only two glasses tonight, blossom,” Cordelia murmured in her ear, pulling Ivy closer on her lap to nuzzle at her neck. “I have plans for you when we get home.”
“Mmm, yes Daddy.”
“Good girl.”
With Lottie seeming a good bit more relaxed than she had been, they all settled into their seats on the deck.
Looking like the goddess of the night Ice often referred to her as, Silver arched one elegant brow and sipped her wine, turning her attention to Cordelia and Ivy.
“Since wedding talk is off the table… How’s the move going? ”
Beneath Ivy, Cordelia stiffened slightly. Placing one hand on her woman’s arm, Ivy gave her a reassuring squeeze.
A couple weeks ago, their friends had surprised them with an impossibly generous gift: enough money for them to purchase Ivy’s dream house outright, without even dipping into the money they’d set aside for a down payment.
Cordelia, proud, stubborn woman that she was, still struggled with the idea of accepting their ‘charity’ no matter how many times Ivy tried to convince her a gift wasn’t charity.
“It’s going well. We went furniture shopping a couple days ago since we have a lot more space to fill now,” Ivy said with a laugh. “But I’m having a blast filling it. And watching Jacob pick out stuff for his own room was just the cutest fucking thing ever.”
They’d all agreed that while they’d share the same bed, they also needed their own space.
And with six bedrooms, they had more than enough room to spread out.
So they had their shared room, as well as a bedroom for Jacob, office space for Cordelia, and an extra room for Ivy to do whatever she wanted with.
If she could ever decide what to do with it. Really, she didn’t care about having her own space. Her happiness was in her service, not just to Cordelia, but now in taking care of their boy as well. But Cordelia had insisted on her taking one of the rooms for herself, so she’d agreed.
“Oh, I bet that was so cute.” Lottie sighed dreamily. “He’s just the sweetest thing. I’m so glad he has you. How are his sisters doing?”
“Good.” It was Cordelia who answered now, clearly much more comfortable with that topic than talking about their house. “Hannah’s taking the GED classes with Jacob. She’s talking about law school.”
“Law school? Really?” Frankie sat up straighter, leaning in a bit. “Has she decided where she wants to go for pre-law? Lottie and I have plenty of contacts if you need us to talk to someone for her.”
“She definitely wants to stay close for her sisters. I’m a little worried about her trying to take all that on while also taking care of Sarabeth, but she seems pretty determined.”
“And she has you.” Leaning over from her chair, Ruby patted Cordelia’s arm. “If that’s what she wants, you’ll find a way to make it work. You wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Are you calling me stubborn, Ruby?”
The hint of playful sternness in Cordelia’s voice had Ruby grinning in response. “Yup. Stubborn as a fucking bull. But it’s part of your charm.”
Laughter rippled through the group as Cordelia muttered under her breath about Ruby being a brat.
The conversation shifted after that, to Silver and Ice’s attempt to relaunch their music careers, Ruby’s struggle with juggling her college courses and her work and the resulting fallout with Beckett who was convinced she was doing too much, and Frankie’s decision to pursue therapy as a career rather than returning to med school.
Right in the middle of Ruby telling them all about the punishment she’d gotten for agreeing to take an extra shift at the coffee shop after she’d stayed up late studying, Ivy felt a familiar tug at her dress beneath the blanket she and Cordelia shared.
Sucking in a sharp breath, she forced herself to pretend nothing was happening, to laugh when everyone else laughed, chime in when everyone assured Ruby her Daddy had overreacted while Cordelia pulled the silky material of her dress higher and higher.
“That’s my good girl,” Cordelia murmured in her ear as she slipped two fingers between Ivy’s soaked lips.
“You’re going to sit right here and let Daddy play with this pretty pussy while our friends chat.
If anyone figures out what’s going on, I will take you inside and spank your bottom red.
And I will make sure everyone hears you being punished like the naughty little girl you are. Understood?”
Goddammit. Her woman knew exactly what kind of effect a threat like that would have on her.
While Ivy did everything in her power to avoid real punishments, she’d come to love the more playful kind that fed Cordelia’s strict nature.
And the thought of being taken into the house and spanked where their friends could hear everything…
A delicious shudder wracked Ivy’s body, earning her a concerned frown from Silver. “Are you okay, Ivy? If it’s too cold, we can go inside.”
Cold? How could she be cold when the heat of embarrassment was burning her alive? “Nope, I’m good.”
“Okay, well, let me know if that changes. That goes for all of you.”
Behind Ivy, Cordelia’s chest rumbled with laughter. “I always said you’d make a damn good Domme. I stand by that.”
Silver grinned. “Maybe in another lifetime. Ice would shut that down so fucking fast, and I don’t really have the urge to play with anyone else.”
“Speaking of…” Lottie tilted her head to the side, suddenly watching Ivy and Cordelia with far more interest than was safe considering Ivy was getting finger-fucked to oblivion right in front of them.
“Are you guys going to let Jacob play with anyone else? Are you going to keep playing with others?”
Cordelia’s fingers went still and Ivy had to bite back a groan of frustration.
“We’ve talked about it a little bit. He doesn’t seem interested in playing with anyone else, but he agreed to keep an open mind about Ivy and I playing with other people.
I want to get him more comfortable with the club in general before we even think about that, though. ”
“And what if he realizes he’s not okay with it?” Silver frowned. “You guys love playing with others. You especially love watching Ivy bottom for other people.”
Another laugh, this one low and wicked, vibrated in Cordelia’s chest and even though all eyes were on them, she slowly stroked her fingers through Ivy’s slit.
“I really, really do. But this has all been a huge adjustment for our boy, and I don’t want to push him into anything he’s not comfortable with.
I can’t say I wouldn’t miss it, but it is a sacrifice I’m willing to make if that’s what he needs from us. I’m sure Ivy feels the same way.”
“I do.” Were her words as strangled-sounding to everyone else as they were to her? Would that be what gave her away? “It helps that he’s been really mature about it when we have discussed the possibility. He’s grown so much these past few months. I’m really proud of him.”
“Hmm. I’m really proud of both of you, blossom. You’ve both handled an impossible situation with more grace and bravery than anyone I know.”
Love welled in Ivy’s chest and she pressed herself even closer to her woman. “Thank you, Daddy.”
“God, you two are so sickeningly cute.” Frankie drained her wine and rose to her feet. “I’m going to grab another drink. Anyone want one?”
“I’ll come with you. I need to use the ladies’ room, anyway.”
It was a lie, but she was desperate to get away from Cordelia’s roaming hands for a few minutes.
“Don’t keep Daddy waiting,” Cordelia murmured in her ear as she tugged Ivy’s dress back into place.
Cheeks burning with a mixture of arousal and the lingering embarrassment of what they’d done beneath the covers, Ivy slipped off Cordelia’s lap and followed Frankie inside. While Frankie made a beeline for the kitchen, Ivy detoured off toward the bathroom.
Leaning back against the closed door, she dragged in her first easy breath in what felt like hours. The ache between her thighs remained, but at least now it had ebbed to something a bit more bearable.
When her system had settled, she reached into the pocket of her dress—just one more reason this was one of her favorite dresses—and pulled out her phone to see if Jacob had texted them.
He hadn’t, which she tried to remind herself meant he was enjoying his time with his own friends.
But god, she missed him when they split off like this.
She’d already been in the bathroom more than long enough, but she wasn’t quite ready to return to the group.
Especially knowing that Cordelia was likely to start tormenting her the second she crawled back under that blanket.
It really was too bad she didn’t have a way to get back at Cordelia for teasing her.
But as soon as that thought popped into her head, another came on its heels. Maybe there was a way to not only get back at her Daddy for being so mean, but also keep their baby boy’s mind on her while he was with his friends…