Watching the icons on the top of her cell phone screen, she held her breath until the email icon popped up and the automated system told her that her deposit had been accepted. The air came out of her in a huge sigh of relief. That was over seven thousand that she had deposited in two days. It wasn’t much when she didn’t have another job lined up, but if she could get a job in the next week, she would have a nice little chunk of money left to fall back on.
She leaned down to unbuckle her strappy heels, and only then did she remember the small paper with the note on it.
She picked it up and turned it over, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply when she read the words. How could she have forgotten?
The jewelry is yours to keep, the note said simply.
She stood and looked in the mirror, the diamonds shining in the dim light of her living room. She couldn’t accept these gifts, but she didn’t have much of a choice. He’d let her forget intentionally and obviously planned it from the start. She either kept the jewelry or she went to his office Monday and tried to give it back. There was no way she was doing that. Eric Furst was gorgeous, rich and available. She knew if she went to see him again so soon, she’d be playing with fire.
There was no way Shawna would risk getting burned.
***
Shawna walked into her apartment and let herself fall backward onto the sofa. It was Thursday already, and she was still without a job. She was starting to get worried, even though she had plenty of money saved up and her bills were all caught up. Getting set up in a higher paying job was always a long process, with multiple interviews, competency exams and waiting while the company ran several other candidates through the same hoops. It could take upwards of three weeks to get offered a job, and then another week or two to start if someone was leaving the position she would be taking. Adjusting to be on the safe side put her starting a job in six weeks. She needed gainful employment within the next eight weeks, or she was going to be dangerously close to running out of money.
“If you can’t get the first interview, there’s no way you’re going to get a job by eight weeks,” she said aloud, her voice filled with tension.
She was six days in and nothing. No one was hiring, and those that were turned cold when she answered their questions about her more recent employment. Lying was tempting, but Shawna knew that they would find out the truth eventually, and it was better to go in honestly. Still, it was making getting a job in her field almost impossible and she didn’t know what else to do.
She couldn’t go back to working in the food industry. Standing up, she began to pace the floor in her bare feet, trying to focus on slowing her breathing, but nothing was working. Nothing was going right and she was running out of viable options.
She paced until she found herself going down the hallway and she knew at once where her subconscious was taking her. She did have one more option, but it wouldn’t fix things for long.
The bedroom was dark when she stepped into the room and went straight to the jewelry box. She took out the necklace and matching bracelet, wondering how much they were worth. If she got in a bind, she could sell them and maybe make enough to make it another month.
Her hands were shaking and she was starting to feel anxious. She had worked so hard to get her job at Furst Industries and she had even waited a few months to make sure it was going to work out before she started spending money. But now that she was stuck in this lease, she couldn’t just walk away from her apartment and hope that the leasing company wouldn’t sue her.
Then there was her car.
“Stop it,” she said out loud. “Stop compounding the problem. Take it one thing at a time and don’t panic. Tomorrow is another day.”
But she knew that tomorrow wouldn’t change much, and she was trapped. She had to figure something out and quick. She stretched out on the bed, hugging her pillow and angrily swiping at the tears that surprised her. She wasn’t going to give up, no matter what. She just had to keep her head up and stay positive. Closing her eyes, she envisioned herself finally getting the call that would change her life, and every time her mind drifted toward the negative, she forced it back. She had to put out positive to bring in positive. That’s what she had learned in all this. She wasn’t about to give up the happy life she had worked so hard to build.
She didn’t realize she had fallen asleep until her phone began to ring and her eyes opened to a dark room. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, she tried to figure out what had pulled her out of sleep, and then she saw her phone on the bed beside her.
It took a moment for her eyes to focus, and when they did, she sucked in a quick breath.
It was Eric.
She answered the phone with a tentative “Hello?” and she could hear Eric’s smile through the phone.
“Did I wake you?”
“It’s alright, I was ready to wake up.”
“I’m glad you got a nap in today.”
Her stomach clenched at the suggestion in his voice, though she didn’t know specifically what he was implying with his tone.
“I am, too,” she said hesitantly.
“Look, I was wondering if you wanted to do another job with me again.”
She had a moment of panic, but she shook her head as she spoke, trying to make it clear even though he couldn’t see her.
“I can’t suffer through another boring fundraiser,” she said lightly.
“That’s good, because this is something completely different, and far from boring.”
Closing her eyes, she tried to gather up her willpower to tell him no, but she found herself intrigued.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Have you ever been to Vegas?”
***
The limo stopped and Shawna looked outside.
“Where are we?”
“The airport.”
“I see that, but why are we on the tarmac?”
Eric smiled and the door opened. He held out his hand and she took it, the electricity that shot through her hand with his touch even stronger than before.
“I guess it’s a surprise,” he said, helping her out and leading her down a carpet that stopped just under their door.
She followed the carpet with her eyes, and her mouth dropped open when she saw the black and silver Pilatus PC-24.
“What is that?” she asked.
“It’s an airplane,” he said. “More specifically, it’s my airplane. This is the first flight in this new one, so this should be fun.”
“Why did you get a new one?” she asked, then almost kicked herself for the stupid question.
He shrugged.
“This one came out and I liked it. So, I bought it.”
She shook her head, and laughed softly.
“It must be nice,” she said, still laughing but feeling a little bitter about her lot in life.
Following him onto the plane, she was amazed by the interior, but she kept it to herself. She was feeling nervous and starting to wonder if this was a good idea.
The limo driver went straight to the back of the plane, taking a seat and settling in while Eric sat down in one of the large, reclining chairs in the front and patted the seat beside him.
She sat down, still in the clothes she’d been wearing on her job search, wishing she had taken the time to change. A pencil skirt and a blouse weren’t exactly comfortable travel attire, and she was already feeling uncomfortable.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, his hand covering hers and giving her a reassuring squeeze.
“I’ve never flown before.”
He looked surprised.
“I was actually wondering about your comment, but I’m surprised that you’ve never flown.”
“Some people have no reason to fly anywhere.”
He looked at her, his hand still on hers, but he didn’t say anything more on the subject.
“What about the other comment. What did you mean by ‘it must be nice’?”
She turned away to hide the colo
r that rose in her cheeks at the embarrassing slip of the tongue.
“I shouldn’t have said that. It was rude and I know that you work hard for what you have.”
She felt his hand on her chin and he gently turned her head so she faced him again.
“You must really feel that way if you said it so passionately. Don’t be afraid to be honest with me. I value honesty more than I value having my ass kissed.”
Shawna laughed despite her embarrassment.
“I did mean it, and I’m sorry. It’s not so much about you as it is about being bitter about the straw I drew in life. I bust my ass and I’m still struggling. It’s just hard to see someone else do so well that they can just buy planes like I buy underwear and not feel a twinge of jealousy.”
“You only buy one pair of underwear every two years?” he asked, arching an eyebrow in mock surprise.
Shawna laughed.
“You’re right. It was silly of me to assume that just because it was a new purchase that you do that a lot. But still, what I wouldn’t give to be able to just buy an airplane.”
“You could, if you wanted to,” he said.
The plane began to taxi down the runway and Shawna felt herself getting more and more nervous. Eric’s hand was still holding hers and she found herself threading her fingers through his so she could hold on tighter.
“How?” she asked, trying to keep her mind occupied.
“I can teach you how to invest your money.”
“I don’t have enough to invest.”
“Sure, you do. After this weekend, you’ll be fifteen thousand dollars richer.”
She turned to look at him.
“Fifteen? Why so much?”
“Don’t worry, I’m not paying for sex,” he quipped. “But this party is a little different, and I’m going to need you to dress a little differently than the last party.”
The nose of the airplane lifted and Shawna’s body was pressed against the back of the chair. Her heart was racing and her stomach dropped when the wheels left the tarmac and the plane bounced lightly on an air pocket as it rose.
“Different how?”
“I’m opening a new venue on the outskirts of Vegas; really risqué. I’m going to need you to wear something a little more form-fitting and decidedly naughty.”
“What kind of place is it?”
“It’s a hotel of sorts, but it’s geared toward the kinky amongst us.”
“Kinky how?” she asked. “Wait, I don’t know if I want you to answer that.”
“It’s nothing terribly kinky, just a safe space for couples that practice BDSM as a twenty-four seven lifestyle to vacation and enjoy each other freely.”
“BDSM?”
He smiled at her, kissing her cheek tenderly.
“I should have known that you wouldn’t even know what that is. You are delightfully innocent and sweet.”
“I’ve heard of it, I just don’t know if I’m that type of girl.”
“Powerful, sexy, smart, in control? You are all those things and more, but I’m not asking you to be that kind of girl. I just need you to dress the part and stick by my side while I mingle with my financial backers in the BDSM community.”
She swallowed hard.
“There’s a community,” she asked nervously. “They’re going to know I’m a fraud.”
“Relax, Shawna. They are going to know nothing about you except that you’re the beautiful blonde on the arm of the man making their kinky hotel dreams come true.”
“What if I can’t?”
“You can, but if you choose not to, then I’ll put you up in one of the tamer hotels for the weekend and you can fly back with me Sunday morning.”
“That’s in three days.”
“It is.”
She took a deep breath, looking out the open window, then back at her fingers, white knuckled and holding his hand tightly still.
“Fifteen thousand isn’t enough.”
“I understand,” he said.
She looked at him, searching his eyes and wondering if she’d made him mad. But he was smiling at her, and his expression emboldened her.
“Thirty, and I’ll dress the part and I’ll even put on a good show.”
She knew by the way he smiled that she had him.
***
Shawna looked at her reflection in the mirror, twirling once to watch the skirt on the black skater dress catch air and flutter about her legs. The bodice dipped low, revealing more of her cleavage than she ever had before, but she felt more sexy than self-conscious.
“You look gorgeous,” Eric said from behind her.
She caught his gaze in the mirror and smiled.
“The thigh high stockings were a nice touch,” she said, admiring the nearly one-inch gap between the top of the black stockings and the bottom of the dress.
“I have one more thing,” he said.
He moved her two French braids to the side and placed a wide suede choker around her neck. On a silver ring in the middle of the choker was an emerald heart the size of a quarter, sparkling in the dim light of the hotel suite.
“It’s so heavy,” she said, reaching up to touch it with her finger.
“That’s why I chose it. It matches your eyes.”
“You say that a lot,” she teased.
“You have the most soulful eyes I’ve ever seen. When I look at you, I feel like I’m seeing the depths of who you are without the façade that people throw up, and the images that people construct to make themselves feel good. You’re exactly who you appear to be, and there’s nothing more beautiful than that.”
“As I stand here, wearing fetish wear and having no idea why women even wear chokers. I feel like the biggest poser right now.”
She looked up from the reflection of the choker and their eyes met in the mirror. His face was almost next to hers, his lips only inches from her neck so that his breath was hot on her bare skin. She thought he might kiss her neck, and the thought sent shivers up and down her spine. She shuddered involuntarily.
“Are you cold?”
“No, just anxious. I don’t know what to expect and I’m just nervous.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll be by my side the entire time. I’m not going to hand you off to someone else to play.”
“That’s good to know,” she said, laughing nervously.
He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back so she rested against him. The gesture was more familiar than she expected from him, but it felt good to lean on him and know that he had her back. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, the scent of him so sexy as it wrapped around her.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“Not really, but let’s not let that stop us from having a good time,” she said, giving him her bravest smile.
“That’s my girl,” he said, and he kissed her cheek before she realized what he was about to do, then turned and grabbed his sport coat.
He put it on, the steel gray matched perfectly with the rest of the tailored suit. Shawna looked him over, then caught herself checking him out and blushed.
“I don’t mind,” he said with a wink. “I like it when you look at me like I might make a good meal.”
Her face felt hot and she stammered, attempting to apologize. He put a finger to her lips and shook his head.
“Never apologize for being who you are. I love how bold you are just since changing your clothes.”
“But I thought I was playing the part of the submissive. Doesn’t that mean that I should be coy and not daring?”
He shook his head.
“It means no such thing. In this world, the submissive has all the power. You’ll see that as you mingle. The sub controls everything, including when play stops. Part of the appeal of this place is that it’s a safe space to play but it’s also a safe space to walk away. If you get overwhelmed, we’ll come back up here and you can rest or watch a movie.”
“I don’t want to look like a fool.”
“You won�
��t.”
“Won’t they notice if I tell you that I’m overwhelmed?”
“You don’t tell me in a way they will understand. We’ll use a safe word.”
“Safe word?”
“It’s like a code word. If at any time you want to stop and leave to go to the hotel room, just say the word and within the space of a minute or two, I will find a way to gracefully remove us from the situation.”
“What word?”
“Something easy. How about alligator?”
“Alligator?”
“Yep. It needs to be something that you won’t randomly say in conversation, and alligator seems like a good choice.”
“If I use this ‘safe word’, won’t they know then, too?”
“Nope. They have no way of knowing whether it’s that you want to stop, or that you want to go up to the room for some privacy. Even if they did know, no one will judge you.”
He waited, not saying a word while she wrestled with her thoughts. A big part of her wanted to try something new, but she didn’t know what to expect, and she didn’t want to get in over her head. But with a safe word—
“What if I want to try some of the things that are going on down there?”
“What do you mean?”
“What if I see someone ‘playing’ as you call it and I find it exciting?”
He shrugged.
“Why not? If you’re interested.”
“I don’t know if I am,” she said honestly. “But I am intrigued by this thought that the submissive has power, and I envy the confidence they must have.”
Eric chuckled warmly.
“Let’s play it by ear and see where the night takes us,” he said. “Now, let’s get downstairs and enjoy the party. I’m starving.”
He looked her over when he said it, and as Shawna took his arm and walked out into the hallway with him, she had a sneaking suspicion that he wasn’t talking about food.
***
The sounds of laughter filled the air even before the elevator doors finally opened and let them out into one of many common areas available to the patrons of the hotel. The main lobby itself looked like any other hotel, and the staff was trained to turn away guests who didn’t realize what they were getting themselves into. Eric had already shared that the patrons had nicknamed it the “vanilla floor”, and Eric was considering calling it exactly that.
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