Chapter 9
Lacy sighed as she looked at the two-page-long list she’d finalized after talking with Drake’s photographer friend.
Finding models, taking pictures, and selling them were only the tip of the iceberg in a photography business.
Websites, business licenses, sales and use contracts, designing a logo, and setting up finances were all required before she could begin finding models, taking pictures, and selling her work.
She’d been home from the book convention for three days and had picked the brains of friends who had their own businesses, without telling them she was thinking of starting one of her own.
Just that afternoon she’d finally called Drake’s friend and had a long conversation with him, which grew her list even longer.
All this while trying to overcome a flu-like illness that left her feeling like shit and barely able to function.
Rebecca called it Con-Drop, comparing it to the emotional and physical drop submissives sometimes felt after an intense BDSM scene.
Lacy had to admit the weekend had been an amazing experience, but she’d never thought she’d get sick.
Grabbing her phone, she called the one person who knew what she was planning. She could not wait four hours until their eight o’clock phone date. She needed to talk to him now.
The phone rang twice before Drake answered. “Hey, Lacy-girl. Are you okay?”
“I don’t think I can do this,” Lacy cried as tears filled her eyes. She felt so overwhelmed she was ready to give up on her dream.
“Can’t do what, Lacy?” Drake’s smooth voice went low and serious.
“Start my own business. It’s just too hard.
There’s too much that has to be done before I even start looking for models, which will be a challenge all by itself.
I know what I like on the covers of books.
I know how to take half-decent pictures.
I don’t know anything about contracts or business licenses or editing, and all that other practical administrative shit. ”
She was amazed that Drake didn’t call her on the swearing, but he remained silent for several long moments. As she waited, Lacy used the back of her hand to wipe at the tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Done?”
“I guess so,” she said with a sniff.
“Put your phone on speaker and put it down,” he said gently.
She did as he asked. “Okay.”
“I want you to close your eyes and give yourself a hug. A long, strong, tight hug like I would give you if I was there.”
Though she wanted to argue, Lacy did as he told her. Then she took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before releasing it. A second breath and the crushing anxiety and overwhelmed feelings seemed to lessen their hold on her.
“Better?” Drake asked, his voice gently grounding her back into the world.
“I think so,” she answered softly.
“Good girl. Now, read me your list and let’s see if we can’t make it a little easier on my Lacy-girl.” Drake sounded like he’d put his businessman’s hat on, which made sense because he was at work. “Hang on a second, Lacy-girl.”
All at once Lacy realized she’d interrupted his day. A grimy feeling of guilt washed through her, making her tummy feel slightly queasy. It had only been a few days, and already she was demanding more than he probably wanted to give her.
“I’m back,” he said a few minutes later.
“This can wait if you need to go and deal with your job. I didn’t mean to be so needy.”
“Stop,” he ordered sharply.
She sucked in a breath and rolled her teeth over her lips to keep from continuing to give him an out.
“You are not bothering me. I don’t need to go and deal with anything. My girl needs me and I’m here for her. Now, read me your list and let’s find one thing you can do this afternoon to help get your business off the ground.”
“Okay, if you’re sure,” Lacy whispered.
“Read me the list, Lacy-girl,” Drake’s voice began, the one that told her she’d be earning a consequence if she kept on arguing with him.
They’d had a conversation weeks earlier about naughtiness and consequences and how they would deal with it.
If it was a small infraction of the rules they’d agreed upon then they would do a facetime call and he would watch while she was in timeout, or writing lines.
If it was a bigger infraction then he would keep track of it until they were together again.
Then, at some point during their time together, there would be a spanking to clear all the punishments she’d earned.
It wasn’t a perfect system, but so far it had worked.
She’d learned from experience she did not like long-distance consequences.
Taking a deep breath, she started reading. Drake did not speak until she finished.
“You’ve put together a very thorough list. And while it might seem overwhelming in total, you don’t need to do everything all at once.
And there are some things that you should probably hand off to a professional.
Like setting up the business with the state and getting business licenses.
A business attorney can do all that, which takes the stress off of you. ”
Lacy looked at the list and realized he was right. “And paying someone else to do it can be deducted as a business expense.”
“Yes, it can. What you’re going to do this afternoon is make a list of everything an attorney could take off your plate. Then you’re going to find a business attorney and make an appointment to meet with them and discuss what all needs to be done to set up your business.”
Lacy found herself nodding in agreement with her man even though he couldn’t see her. “Probably need to come up with a business name before I meet with the attorney, too.”
“That would be a good idea. Make a list of names and search them to make sure no one locally has those business names,” Drake said. “Feel better?”
Lacy took a deep breath and sighed as the last of her nerves settled and her shoulders relaxed. “I feel a lot better. Thank you, Daddy.”
“You are very welcome, Lacy-girl. Now, get to work and I’ll talk to you at eight.”
“Yes, Daddy.”
Drake slipped his cellphone into the pocket of his sweats with a smile and a sigh. Talking to Lacy always left him smiling and feeling good. Being able to Daddy her through this mini crisis left him feeling like they really were meant to be together, even if they were so far apart.
“New girlfriend?” Rose, his seventy-five-year-old client, who had been with him since his second week as a trainer, asked as he gave her a hand to help her sit up from doing her bench presses.
“More than a girlfriend, I hope. Just have to work through a few challenges,” Drake said, knowing his smile had turned into a cheesy grin.
“Is she married, engaged, or otherwise entangled? Or is she a he?”
Drake shook his head and chuckled at the old woman’s nosiness. “She’s single. I’m single. The challenge is we live four hundred miles apart. Her family might also get in the way.”
Rose patted his chest as she said, “Fuck her family. As long as you’re both adults, their opinions shouldn’t matter. Life is a long, sad time if you allow others to dictate how you live.”
“You ready to go, love?” A much younger man joined them, pulling his arm around Rose before bending her back and giving her a kiss that had Drake looking away.
“In a minute,” Rose said before turning back to Drake. “If I had let my family dictate my life, I would have never said yes to a blind date with this hot stud who is twenty years younger than I am. Don’t let anyone or anything but your heart tell you who to love and how to live.”
Drake had to clear the lump from his throat before he was able to speak. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll do that.”
“Good man. I’ll see you Friday for leg day.”
With that, Rose took her man’s hand and walked with him out of the gym, leaving Drake to wonder again at the sass the woman had, as well as the wonderful advice she’d given him.
Heading to the front of the gym, he found his water bottle and a protein bar under the front counter.
One more client and he would be done for the day.
Then he could go home and make plans for the next phase of helping Lacy get her business up and running.
They also needed to discuss the upcoming convention they were both going to and what costumes he would need to put together for their next shoot.
He was excited about the con, as he always was, but he was even more excited to get to see his Lacy-girl.