chance to fix what you damaged. Work on your character. Become the honorable, honest person I know you can be. Then you will have made things right with me and Natalia—and the club.”
Olivia stepped back and paused. Bloody hell. The girl was in no shape to leave right now.
“I got this,” Ghost murmured. Ignoring the submissive’s tears, he lifted her to her feet, then put a notebook and pen into her hand. He set her on a barstool at the end of the bar and Olivia heard him say in a low voice, “The journal is for you. For the next hour, set down your thoughts on what you’ve done, how it made you feel, and what actions you’re going to take to do better.”
Despite her tears, Chelsey gave him an appalled stare.
“No one will read what you write. But you will sit here and work on your task until the bartender says your hour is up. Then you may go home.”
He glanced up, and Josie gave him a mini salute.
“Am I clear?” he asked Chelsey.
“Yes, Sir,” Chelsey whispered. “I understand.” She took a better grip on the pen and opened the journal.
When Ghost returned to the group of Masters, Olivia nudged him. “You are such a bloody professor.”
He grinned. “It’ll give her time to settle down, so she’ll be safe on the road.”
“Good thinking.” Olivia sighed. “Thank you.”
“Part of the job.” His gaze was on Natalia, who looked a bit shaken. “A suggestion?”
Olivia eyed him.
“Saxon commandeered the orgy room for a pet corner again. Why don’t you turn your subbie into a kitten and let her play pounce until she feels better?”
“It’s, actually, a very good suggestion,” Olivia said slowly. She turned to Alastair and Marcus. “It would be even better if Natalia had a couple of buddies in there.”
“I do think that is a fine idea,” Marcus said in his slow Southern accent. “Gabrielle makes a most adorable puppy.”
Alastair grinned. “Uzuri had buyer’s meetings all day. Being a kitten would be particularly good—and she can release some of her irritation by bouncing off a clueless puppy.”
Marcus just laughed.
Olivia shook her head and gazed at the Dominants who’d come to support her. “When we all stopped coming to the Shadowlands, I hadn’t realized how much I missed you all. I’m glad we’re all back together.”
The smiles she received showed they felt the same.
Then her adorable submissive wrapped her arms around Olivia and batted her innocent brown eyes. “Mew, mew, mew?”
Of course, the submissives had been listening. Olivia burst out laughing.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Sleeping in, sex, then a nice workout were excellent ways to enjoy a Sunday. After finishing his push-ups, Ghost sat on the mat to watch Valerie working the big sandbag.
After two weeks of being naked, she’d grown comfortable with her body—at least around him. So now, she was wearing a tank and shorts.
Punch, punch, punch.
He frowned. She was barely denting the bag. Still.
“Put some effort into it, Dr. Winborne,” he called.
Lifting her shirt to swipe sweat off her forehead, she gave him a nice glimpse of her stomach. Nice. Since they’d started working out, she’d put on some muscle, but she still had a beautiful roundness to her belly. So damn bitable.
She turned back to the bag for more punches.
No. “The power comes from your toes, growing in strength all the way up. Turn your hip into it and let loose.”
She did try, but she still wasn’t committing to the all-out effort it would take to flatten an opponent. Sure, her punches would hurt. But in a real fight, she needed to do more than inflict some pain.
Ah, well, he’d keep working on her. Emotionally, she was a strong woman, but also had a gentle spirit. Hitting someone with all her strength went against her very nature.
“Go ahead and take the first shower,” he suggested. “I still have some sit-ups to do.”
She laughed and patted her damp shirt. “I definitely need a shower. And I’m blaming you for at least part of why I do.”
“Lass, it’s not my fault you’re too sexy to resist in the morning.”
“You’re male. You think wake-up boners mean anything is sexy in the morning.”
“Ahh.” There was some truth to what she said. However… “You’re confusing available with sexy. If I’m starving, I’ll eat whatever I can find—even porridge. But I’d far prefer a big meal of bacon and eggs, which is always amazing, even when I’m not particularly hungry.”
He flashed her a smile. “You, woman, are always sexy…any time of the day. I see