Haven's Promise (Divine Designs Book 3) Read online

  "And if you don't?" Barbara challenged, the entire conversation reminding her of scenes from their childhood where the siblings were constantly daring and betting one other over ridiculous things.

  "I'll never ask again," Ariel declared, and when the other three shook their heads in obvious disbelief, she repeated her statement. "If I'm right, then you have to show me. If I'm wrong, then I'll just have to die of curiosity. Deal, or are you too chicken to see that your sister is a very mature, highly professional fashion photographer?"

  Barbara hesitated, then shrugged. Craig had bought her several additional sets of lingerie that she hadn't described to her fellow HOPEFULs. "Okay, but, even if you are wrong, you have to show me yours. Deal?"

  Ariel seemed to hesitate for a heartbeat, then nodded. "Deal, but know that I wasn't lying when I said Garrett spanked me last night. You… you might not like seeing your poor baby sister with a bruised bottom."

  "Geeze, you can't even make up your mind on what you are. My grown up professional sister or my poor baby sister." Barbara's statement had them all laughing. "Doesn't matter, because why would either bother me? I've seen you with a red ass hundreds of times. Now, make your guess, and remember, you only get one."

  Ariel nodded, tilting her head to the side as if seriously considering what possibilities lay beneath the overalls.

  Nancy and Elizabeth stood whispering behind her, making their own guesses loud enough for their mumblings to be heard.

  "Shhh," Ariel chastised them, "This is serious, you know."

  "Oh, yeah, as serious as seeking the solution for world peace," Nancy quipped. "Hurry up and guess, Ariel, or Haven will be completed before we even get to see it."

  Unperturbed, Ariel made a show of walking around her sister in a circle, nodding as if affirming her original assessment was correct. Once again standing in front of Barbara, she smiled. "Pink panties, with cupcakes decorated with different colored icing. Oh, and most likely glittering sprinkles as well." She was delighted when Barbara's mouth dropped open in disbelief.

  "How in the hell did you know?" she asked, actually looking behind her to see if perhaps her denim coveralls had a rip in the seat or, God forbid, a drop-seat as did her one pair of footed pajamas.

  "Not telling," Ariel said, and then giggled. "Okay, let's see them."

  When Barbara hesitated, Elizabeth took pity on her. "We are a club, remember—if Bunny has to show hers, we all do."

  "Okay, on the count of three," Nancy instructed, as the women moved to stand in a circle, coffee long forgotten as more risqué games were played. The four had their heads turned towards the inner circle, looking over their shoulders as Nancy slowly counted down, waiting for Barbara to unbuckle the straps of her overalls. Once the count of three was reached, hands shoved shorts down until four bottoms were revealed. Ariel giggled, seeing the proof of her correct guess, the childish panties exactly as she had described. Barbara barely managed to conceal her gasp when she saw that her baby sister's underwear did nothing to conceal the fact that her bottom was indeed bruised. Very obvious wheals were set off by the stark white of her thong.

  "Oh, honey," Barbara said softly.

  "I warned you," Ariel said with a giggle. "At least this way you understand that I am like Liz, I-I actually get off on a bit of pain."

  Nancy shuddered, then giggled. "God, if Bunny is a beautiful little girl, and both Liz and Ariel are pain sluts, I guess that means that I'm the only normal girl here."

  "Not on your life, Miss Exhibitionist," Liz said, reaching out to give her friend a swat on her ass, which was covered in a rather demure pair of white briefs. "From the chaste underwear you're wearing, I'm guessing that you were late because Jason had to stop at McDonalds?" Everyone was giggling, not aware that their men were standing just inside the doorway.

  Entering the room in search of the girls, the men had been stopped instantly at the sight before them. Seeing four grown, beautiful women standing in a circle, clothing at their knees, each woman obviously inspecting the backside of her friends, had rendered them momentarily speechless. Seeing Elizabeth pop Nancy on her ass, Logan found his voice.

  "It seems like our girls didn't hear Ben's request that we get going, wouldn't you agree, Craig?" Logan asked with a broad smile.

  Barbara's head jerked up to see Logan's eyebrow lifted. She felt her face flush as she realized that her brother could obviously tell that Craig enjoyed dressing her in childish lingerie. She pulled up her shorts, the other members of the HOPEFULs following her lead.

  "Yes, definitely," Craig answered, his head shaking at the sight of his love as she struggled to pull up the bib of her coveralls. Striding across the room to help her untangle the straps, he chuckled. "Ladies, if you feel the need to compare punished bottoms, please make sure you inform us beforehand. I'm sure it would make for a very exciting competition for your Doms." He loved the sound of their giggles as he buckled Bunny back into her clothing.

  "Yes, remember, Hunks Offer Painful Experiences For Unlucky Bot…umm, Ladies," Logan said, reaching out to swat Elizabeth before he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

  "Lame, someone obviously needs a spelling lesson," she giggled when she was released, only to earn another swat as she scurried out of the door ahead of him, one hand covering her backside.

  "Hurry up, Cupcake," Logan teased, knowing his little sister needed reassurance that the dynamic she had chosen was not offensive to him in any way.

  "Yes, Sir, thank you," Barbara said, the tension leaving her stomach at his smile.

  Garrett shook his head as he took Ariel's hand. "Why do I have this notion that you started this whole thing?"

  Ariel shrugged her shoulders, as though she had no clue why he'd think that. She turned back to her sister and Craig. "By the way, Bunny said 'hell'. You should probably spank her."

  "Tattletale!" Barbara protested, only to hear Ariel yelp as Garrett's hand connected to the back of her shorts.

  "Sorry, sis," Ariel apologized, spoiling her attempt at contrition with a giggle as they left, followed by Jason and Nancy.

  Barbara had to smile when she heard Jason tell Nancy that perhaps the Happy Meal breakfast she had received needed to be followed by a more filling meal that evening.

  "You okay?" Craig asked, when it was only he and Barbara left in the room. He had wondered how she would react to being dressed in her rather juvenile clothing when her friends and family were dressed in jeans and shorts. It was one thing for them to have assured her that no one would judge her for her choices—it was another thing to test those assurances. The sight of the women had alleviated some of his concern, Logan's words some more, but he wanted to make sure she wasn't attempting to conceal her true feelings.

  "I'm perfect, Daddy," Barbara assured him, going up onto her tiptoes to plant a kiss on his cheek.

  Satisfied with the short but obvious sincerity of her answer, he captured her face in his palms and gave her a far more adult kiss, only releasing her when she began to moan. Swatting her bottom, causing her to squeal, he nodded. "Good to know. However, if I hear of you cussing again, little girl, I'll take those cupcake panties down and remind you how a real spanking feels."

  Knowing all too well exactly how a real spanking felt, Barbara giggled, and the two walked hand in hand outside, where everyone was climbing into cars for the drive to Haven.

  Chapter 3

  Amazement was the look du jour, as the group piled from cars to gather in front of what had been a rather dilapidated house the last time they had seen it. Though it still needed a great deal of work to turn it into the hotel that it was to become, it was obvious that progress was being made at a remarkable pace. The yard alone was proof that landscape designers had already begun the daunting process of taming the overgrown tangle of what was to become a stunning vista. What must have been a hundred wheelbarrow loads of weeds, brambles, dead bushes and overworked earth, had been cleared away. Arborists had worked their magic on the huge ancient oak trees and tal
l, majestic pines, cutting away dead branches until the sunlight was able to penetrate the canopy to dapple the ground with spots of light, while still leaving plenty of shade where guests could sit if they needed a break from the intense Texas heat. Old flower beds had been cleared and new ones staked out, small flags on wooden sticks poking up out of the ground in dozens of locations, waiting for the actual plants, bushes, and flowers that would be placed into the earth to grow and multiply.

  "Why haven't they planted anything new?" Ariel asked, bending down to examine a stake that had a flag with the word 'Agapanthus' written on it.

  Elizabeth didn't appear to even hear the question. She was wandering from bed to bed, the look on her face telling everyone that she could easily see what beauty the currently barren beds would offer by the time her first guests arrived.

  Nancy smiled and answered the question. "I'm guessing they are waiting until any additional tear down is done. No reason to put plants in the ground only to see them trampled by workmen or crushed by debris. It would be a shame to see fresh flowers and other plantings splattered in white or black when the outside is scraped and painted." Her explanation made sense, and after a few more flags were examined to see what plants had been chosen, the group's attention was captured by a voice hailing them.

  "Good morning," their contractor called, as he walked towards them.

  "Hi, Ryan," Nancy called, giving him a wave, and laughed as Elizabeth ran and almost knocked him over as she threw her arms around him.

  "Ryan, this is amazing. I can't believe how different this looks. I barely even recognize the place." His face showed his pleasure, but as she grabbed his hand and tried to drag him towards the house, he easily kept her in place by digging his heels into the ground.

  "Not so fast, young lady," he said, as he motioned to an area where tables and a few folding chairs sat beneath a collapsible awning. "You'll all need a hardhat to go inside. My bosses insist on safety first."

  As one of those bosses, she rolled her eyes, but flushed at the memory of that same phrase being chalked by her onto the board in the Woodshed. When she saw Logan grinning at her, his eyebrow lifted, as if asking whether she needed a return visit to remember that phrase, she swallowed hard. "Thanks for reminding me, Ryan." Ryan grinned and led her towards the staging area, offering his boss the silly pink hardhat that had been made especially for her. Plopping it on her head, she giggled seeing that Nancy had made sure Logan was wearing his equally ridiculous black one with the glittery script across the front.

  "Okay, Haven Master," Liz said, reading the flowing letters, "Now that I'm properly dressed, let's go!" The slow smile he gave her had her blushing again and quickly amending her statement. "I mean, now that we are all wearing protection, may we please go inside, Sir?"

  Logan grinned and relented, though everyone there knew he would not mind touring the Woodshed first. Giggles drifted across the yard as they all followed Ryan to climb the newly built steps that led to what promised to be an incredible veranda.

  "You'll still need to be extremely careful out here," Ryan cautioned, as his hand swept to indicate the old boards of the porch. "They sent the wrong composite flooring, so redoing all of the verandas has been delayed. The railings are being replaced in sections, which takes a bit longer, but I know you wanted to keep as many as we could and fabricate matching replacements. The original builders had some pretty intricate millwork, but our guy is doing a great job replicating the design."

  Logan could see what he meant as he compared a sturdy section of the original railing to a brand new one a few feet down. Once it had been sanded and painted, no one would be able to tell the difference. He was proud of Liz's environmental awareness, and grinned, thinking that while she might like her ass to be red, she did like to be green as well; with her desire to repurpose or reuse whatever they could.

  Helen and Benjamin were looking down the length of the porch. "Didn't you say something about swings?" Helen asked.

  "Yes, there will be porch swings on every veranda. They won't go up until the new roofing goes in," Ryan explained, and chuckled. "If Liz's guests are anywhere near as huge as Craig, we'll need to make sure the chains are very securely bolted to the roofing beams, so that there's no danger of the swing collapsing once this mountain of a man is joined by his lady." Not noticing that Barbara's face had lost a bit of enthusiasm at the comment, he continued. "There will be ceiling fans spaced along the length of the porches as well. This is Texas, after all, and we all know that no matter how hard the A/C works inside to cool things down, outside can be oppressive without something to at least stir the air."

  Seeing Elizabeth almost bouncing on the balls of her feet, Ryan grinned as he moved towards the new front doors. "Ready to see inside?" Where a broken screen door had once stood, a set of wide, double doors with beveled glass now welcomed them. In the center of each door, an oval was etched to highlight the initial 'H'.

  "Look, even the doors know that the Haven HOPEFULs have arrived," Ariel said with a smile, one finger tracing the raised letter, after snapping the requisite photo. She squealed as the door suddenly opened. Elizabeth's squeal rivaled Ariel's as she rushed past her future sister-in-law to hug the woman holding the door open.

  "Julie! God, y'all have done a great job," Elizabeth said, as Ryan's partner pulled her into the foyer. "This is just so incredible."

  "Wait until you see the inside," Julie said and grinned, moving aside to allow the rest of the group to enter.

  As they all gathered, mouths dropped open and eyes widened. Whereas everyone except Nancy and Logan had been positive that Elizabeth had bitten off more than she could chew, they were now instantly able to picture what she had envisioned. Instead of an interior that had been filthy, dark and actually a little frightening, the changes already made were astounding.

  Many walls had been demolished and new ones framed to open up the floor plan. Studs that were awaiting sheetrock had been installed; brand new electrical wiring encased in the proper sheathing running between them. The old, musty smell of a house that had been closed up for years had been replaced with the pleasant, raw scent of freshly sawn wood. Deliciously cool air wafted over them instead of the sticky, humid heat they had experienced when they'd last toured the house. The comfortable environment let them know that the new ductwork had not only been completed, the additional A/C units would be able to banish the hot and humid Texas heat to the outdoors.

  "Well? What do you think?" Ryan asked, pleased at the stunned but obviously amazed look on their faces.

  "Oh, Ryan, it's brilliant," Elizabeth said moving to envelop him in a hug. "I can't believe how different it looks. It hasn't even really been that long since you started."

  Squeezing her hard, he grinned and shook his head. "You should believe it, Liz, after all, Julie and I are only following your vision." He chuckled and continued, "Of course, your promise of a bonus if we can beat my proposed deadline is a very good incentive. Believe me, I might be the boss, but Julie's promise of a share in that bonus can't keep our tradesmen away."

  "Then I'm even more grateful that you persuaded her to leave Greg and Spectacular Spaces to join you in your new company. Regardless, you both are geniuses," Elizabeth insisted, moving to give Julie another hug. "God, girl, you and Ryan are doing an incredible job. Show me everything." The group grinned as Ryan linked both girls' arms with his and turned to lead them further into the house.

  "Sorry, Logan," Nancy giggled, as she and Jason moved to follow Elizabeth.

  Logan shook his head, grinning. "Well, Jason did warn me that once Elizabeth gets drawn into a project, she'd forget I even existed. But, I guess he'll be keeping me company once you join her in the actual decorating. God, I wonder how many other men are thrown over for a house?"

  "Hotel," Elizabeth reminded him, as she gave him a smile that filled his heart. He chuckled and nodded, shrugging his shoulders when she again turned away to speak to Julie. Despite their exchange, everyone in the group knew Loga
n was thrilled for her. They also had no doubt that he was more than capable of making sure that Elizabeth did not in any way ignore her Dom. He would allow her to do whatever she needed to take care of business, but he'd also make sure she took care of him as well.

  The next hour was spent walking through the house, everyone making constant exclamations of approval as each new room was examined. When they reached the back of the hotel, and Nancy saw where her boutique was to go, she too became lost, and Logan nudged Jason with his elbow. Jason simply shrugged good-naturedly, already accustomed to how deeply the two women immersed themselves in any new project. He leaned against a stud, listening as his wife stood in the middle of the room, the area now clear of all debris, new walls defining the interior of the boutique as she discussed with Ryan and Julie exactly where her counters and cabinets were to be built.

  "Don't forget, I need at least one changing room," Nancy said, as she pointed to one corner. "Over there, I think. That way, none of the new windows will be blocked. Do you think you can maybe put in some sort of window seats, or even change these old windows for bay windows? They would be a great place to display lingerie, leaving more floor space for all my other items."

  Ryan walked to the windows and looked outside to where the back veranda ran. "It is probably doable, seeing as how the other side of the house will be the kitchen area. I guess it depends on whether Liz wants all the windows to match."

  Elizabeth turned to Logan, drawing him into what was also his project. "Do you think we could add bay windows to the front so that Nancy's don't stick out as the new addition?"

  "Well, I'm not an engineer, so even though I'd say sure, perhaps you'd better ask Garrett," Logan said, turning to his best friend.

  The next few minutes were spent discussing the proposed change, and Nancy was thrilled when it was decided that adding bay windows along the front façade would allow them to be decorated for holidays and special events, adding to the initial allure of the front of the hotel.