Free Taking Courage by S.J. Maylee

brought
up that no good scoundrel of an ex. She’d keep her promise to her mom. If he
called back, she’d continue to make their conversations short.
    She
walked with slumped shoulders to the bathroom. Sometimes a splash of water
helped to unrattle her. Her hand landed on the door,
and she heard voices from inside.
    “How
are things working out for Janna?”
    Not
one to eavesdrop, she pushed her way into the bathroom and walked to the sink.
    “Hi, Janna. We were just
wondering how you're doing,” Anne said. Her brow wrinkled with what looked like
concern.
    “Hi, Anne. I'm doing all right.”
She turned to the woman next to Anne. “I met you yesterday at the technical
writers meeting. Lydia, right?”
    “Yes,
that's me.”
    Lydia's
brows drew together, too. Maybe she'd call them the worry twins.
    “Should
I be worried about something?”
    “I
didn't know Simon when Kelly hurt—”
    “Lydia,
be careful. Maybe he hasn't shared his history yet.”
    “Shit,
I'm still new at this, sorry.” Lydia tucked her dark hair behind her ear.
    “That's
okay, Lydia. I know just that someone lied to him and hurt him badly. I'm
hoping he'll tell me the rest when he's ready.” Janna had several secrets she
needed to share, too.
    “He
will. You're smart not to rush him though.” Lydia took a step closer. “Just
know that you can come to either of us if you have any questions. We’re both
members of the club.”
    “Really?” She looked
between the two women. “Wait, so Keller, Simon, and now the two of you, too.
Wow.”
    “Keller
likes to hire people he trusts, but not everyone who works here is a member of
Club Voyage, and the majority of club members work somewhere else.”
    “Like
Charlie?”
    “Yes.
Her B&B is amazing. We should go there for brunch and talk her ear off.”
    “I’d
love that.” Janna remembered the few conversations she’d had with Charlie. The
Dominatrix had given her some of the best advice.
    “Her
blueberry scones are to die for. Everything she makes is good.” Anne pulled out
her phone. “I’ll text Charlie right now.”
    Lydia
put her arm around Janna. “You're not alone here.”
    “Thanks,
I don't know what I don't know, and I hate that feeling.”
    “Are
we talking about Simon or the project?”
    “Both.”
They all said in unison releasing what was left of the tension in the room.
    “Charlie
says to come this Sunday. She’ll have scones and coffee waiting for us.”
    “Thank
you.” A weight lifted from Janna’s shoulders. “Now I need to find a way to worry
about Simon and my training later.” She took a cleansing breath. “First, I need
to get this scope approved tonight.” Setting priorities usually helped her to
keep her head clear. “Who do I need to be concerned about?”
    Anne
spoke up first. “Keller, the rest of the board will follow his lead. He's a
hard one to interpret.” She shook her head. “He takes strange paths sometimes,
and it's not always easy to see why. My advice, play along with him. Don't get
dragged into his neuroses.”
    “Okay,
good. What else?”
    “Have
you talked to Marcus yet? He tends to find a weak link,” Lydia offered.
    “Yes,
we talked yesterday, and I have a follow-up with him later this morning.” The
comfort of newfound friends took the edge of the day away.
    “Excellent.
And remember after today, we are one step closer to Friday night.” Lydia rubbed
her hands together. “We both can lean on Anne here. I'm only a couple months
into my journey, so don't follow my lead.”
    “Oh,
great, now there's a dangerous proposal. Me, the unattached
submissive, giving advice. Bad idea.”
    “Don't
be ridiculous, Anne.” Lydia wrapped her arm around her friend's shoulders.
“She's already helped me a ton.”
    “I
wouldn't agree, not with the spanking you got last Friday.” Anne bumped Lydia's
hip.
    “I
did push Jake too far last week. But in your defense, you did warn me.”
    “I
still can't believe you got a tattoo without talking