Chapter 62: Faye: Arrival

The launch bumps against the jetty, and there’s the usual premature scramble to disembark. Despite my eight month absence, I know to wait until the boat is fully secured to the jetty. I’ve done this journey a dozen times before, and I’ve no desire to start my stay with an unscheduled swim in the lake. The beautiful lake and mountain surroundings are familiar although the island itself still shows residual signs of the two month long abandonment.

I wait at the end of the jetty for my luggage to be transferred to the waiting trailer for transportation to Reception at the other end of the gravel driveway. I study the surrounding gardens while I wait. I suppose the critical eye of the fashion designer inside me never sleeps.

The island resort reopened six weeks ago after a two month unscheduled closure following the change of ownership. Apparently the new owner died of a heart attack a few days after acquiring the resort, and the resort had to be closed until the resulting chaos could be sorted out. The staff on the island have made an effort to catch up on overdue maintenance, but there’s clearly more to do. The gardens are not displaying the same high standard I normally see. Some of the shrubs are overgrown and the lawn edges aren’t trimmed neatly. Several flower beds are in need of weeding. However, in the circumstances, I can tolerate that for now.

A small tractor towing the general purpose trailer idles nearby, and three members of the Slave caste ... ah! I’m supposed to call them White cats now ... hop off to collect the luggage of the seventeen arriving members. Two of the White cats are wearing the new outfits I designed for the club. I wasn’t a supporter of the caste name change, but I understand the woke reason for doing it. Maybe I’ll eventually make an effort to use the politically correct terms. I don’t know any of those working with the trailer, and from their demeanour, I suspect they are relatively new members of La Chatte Heureuse. It takes those of the Slave caste quite a while to become comfortable living with their tits publicly exposed at all times. Still, they seem efficient enough, although there are normally more of them assigned to handle the luggage of arriving members when the launch is nearly full. I can see the strain they are under in the way they move.

Once I’m satisfied that my luggage is properly stowed on the trailer, I start walking up the path towards the resort’s Reception desk in the administration building, E1. The building’s exterior paintwork is starting to fade and peel, giving it a weathered look that wouldn’t have been tolerated when Monique was in charge.

The island looks presentable from a distance, but the details betray the true state of affairs. The new management will need to get their act together better than this if they expect the club to thrive. Standards matter. I’ve kept up to date with the change of regime through the club newsletters, and I’m eager to put faces to names. April, the new Chief Executive, and Chloe, the new resort manager, in particular. Two people hired to carry out the work Monique managed alone. It’s unfortunate that Stephanie left. She was an experienced leader who understood the privileges expected by those of us in the Mistress caste.

Fortunately there are a few of the former staff still here. Nicole and Rebecca between them should be able to keep the resort on an even keel while the newcomers find their feet. I don’t always see eye to eye with either of them, but I respect their abilities.

With seventeen arriving members, Reception is busier than usual during check-in. A trio of new arrivals I saw on the boat stand near the counter. While we don’t officially adopt our caste designation until after check-in, the group at reception are chatting in that effortless, superior way that labels them as members of the Mistress caste ... oops! I mean Black cats. A White cat worker hovers nearby with a porter’s trolleys, waiting to retrieve a Black cat arrival’s luggage from the trailer, and transport it to the owner’s assigned suite. Sat on the benches in the waiting area are some of the other new arrivals who travelled with me. Since members of the Black cats receive priority at check in, these others must be members of the Blue or White cats. Once we check in, we put on our necklaces with our names displayed in coloured letters matching our caste.