Chapter 1: Nicole

Lady Helen, Slaves Brooke and Elise, and I continue to work frantically to restore some semblance of order to the administration of the island resort owned by La Chatte Heureuse. Our exclusive lesbian resort is about to re-open after being closed for two months because undisclosed legal problems following a change in ownership. The staff were placed on furlough, initially for a couple of weeks, but eventually two months. Most of us returned to the island when recalled, but some did not. I spent my time on a camping trip with Olivia touring the west coast. Our relationship blossomed, although we’ve been hesitant to go too far while Olivia remains married. Her drug-dealing husband is languishing in an overseas prison, but his local gang associates remain a threat. Olivia still needs to be careful that her location remains unknown to the gang, and she doesn’t want to expose me to any risk.

Ever since the new owners of La Chatte Heureuse announced a date for the re-opening, I’ve been busy rescheduling accommodation for club members affected by the closure. It’s been a major challenge for me over the last few days. Because some of the staff found new jobs during the closure, we are only re-opening the eastern part of the complex until replacement staff can be hired. The main house and the other buildings will remain closed to guests for the immediate future. Summer is approaching, and we are ill-prepared. The usual high summer demand is exacerbated by all the rescheduled bookings. With less than half of our accommodation reopening, we are likely to be running at full capacity all through summer.

“Nicole, I need a word with you in the office,” says April, the new Chief Executive of La Chatte Heureuse.

April is about forty years of age, and she has a no-nonsense attitude. She’s obviously a career businesswoman. She’s made it clear that she’s heterosexual, presumably as a warning to anybody who might try to curry favour by trying to seduce her. That makes April a strange choice as Chief Executive of a lesbian resort. However, I’m impressed how quickly she has come to grips with the way the club operates. Her honorary Mistress rank within the club is merely for show. April says that she has no intention of actively participating in the club’s activities. For the moment the club will be operating as it did before, although that’s not to say that April won’t want to make changes over time.

I never met any of the original owners of La Chatte Heureuse, although I believed them to be a consortium of wealthy lawyers and the like. Whoever they were, they only influenced the resort’s operation through their appointed manager, Monique. Now Monique has gone, along with her lover, Ruth, our staff cook. Stephanie also departed after a difference of opinion with April. That leaves us very short of staff, particularly experienced staff mistresses. So far I’ve accepted April’s assurances that replacement staff will be hired before the first guests arrive in eight days time. I hope my trust is justified. Managing all the duties expected of the staff mistresses will be near impossible with Rebecca and me as the only staff members of the Mistress caste.

The new owners of La Chatte Heureuse clearly intend to take a more hands-on approach to managing their investment. I don’t know the size April’s financial stake in La Chatte Heureuse, but she seems to carry a lot of influence. April has commandeered a suite in the recently refurbished Mistress accommodation in the north block. Since the north block will remain closed to visitors, April will have exclusive use of a building intended to house two dozen visiting mistresses. To my mind it’s a wasteful use of the club’s resources, but unlike Stephanie, I’m careful to keep my opinion to myself.