I flinched on the inside. Teresa hated being called Terri. I’d seen her turn into a rage queen over the unwanted nickname before. To my surprise, she gave a watery smile.
“This is Paige, Brandi, and their coworker. I hadn’t been introduced to her yet.”
The man’s gaze locked on me and the skin on the back of my neck and forearms crawled. For the second time tonight, my stranger danger alarm went off. I offered a neutral smile, hoping they’d just go away.
“Paige... You’re the one my fiancée experimented with when she tried out chicks for a while, aren’t you? I guess cunt didn’t suit her taste like dick does.” He leveled a sneer at me and my stomach dropped.
“Fiancée? I didn’t know the thing these days was to get engaged after only a couple of months,” Brandi snapped. “But hey, she’d already experimented with the concept of commitment when she was engaged to my sister after dating a couple of years . I think you’ll find Teresa hasn’t quite grasped the concept yet.”
My ex stood there, her mouth hanging open, and I fought to stifle the laugh that wanted to burst forth. The man turned an interesting shade of red, and anger plainly tugged at his features.
“You bitch!” He hurled the words at her and took a menacing step forward.
Amy’s voice broke through the tension. She spoke so softly, I almost had to strain to hear her. “Lay a hand on anyone, and I’ll have you arrested so fast for aggravated assault and harassment your head will spin. Do you see that man over there in the plaid shirt at the bar? That’s my brother; an officer . All I have to do is scream, and big brother won’t ask questions. He’ll just take you down.”
The man glanced at the bar, then grabbed Teresa by the arm and began tugging her away. “C’mon. I don’t want you catching lesbian from these bitches again.”
We watched them leave and once the door closed behind them, I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Thank you so much, ladies. I didn’t mean to start drama. I’m so sorry.”
“You didn’t start shit,” Brandi said while Amy patted my hand. “Ain’t nobody gonna talk to my sis like that.”
Our food arrived and we broke up the love fest. I ate in silence while they gushed in excitement over the event coming up tomorrow, though I tried to smile at opportune times so they thought me invested in the conversation as well. Between the man at The Black Cuff, and the run in with Teresa and her dickhead of a fiancée, all I wanted to do was go home.
Then it hit me...I didn’t really have a home anymore. I had a converted garage behind my baby sister’s house that I was renting with money her husband paid me. After a degree and six years’ work experience, my life came down to bartending at a high end BDSM club.
That’s why Teresa cheated on you. You’re not worth investing in. She knew you were so worthless you were going to fall on your face and she made sure she had a backup plan. That man was right, you were probably just a fun experiment since being gay is the fashion fad right now.
I stood and put a twenty from one of my tips on the table to cover my part of the tab. “I’m going to head back to the house,” I said.
“Okay, let me pay and I’ll take you home.” Brandi started to stand too, and I gently pressed her shoulder to keep her sitting down.
“No, it’s okay. I’m going to walk. I need the air.” I gave her the best smile I could muster. “Stay here and hang with Amy. I’m fine.”
They both nodded, and I fought not to squirm at the lie I’d issued. Without another word, I give them a half wave and headed out the door. The brisk air played with my hair as soon as I went outside. Tears stung the backs of my eyes and I trudged toward Kyle and Brandi’s house. It was only a few blocks away in the opposite direction from the club.
As I made my way, I kept my head down and avoided eye contact with other people. I wasn’t sure if Teresa and her asshole actually left the area, or just went to a different place on the strip. My steps slowed, however, as I heard the thud, thud, thud of a dance bar. The scent of alcohol permeated my senses and my mouth began watering.
I stopped outside the door and stared at the neon lights flashing. Every time the door opened as patrons entered and exited, laughter and music filled my ears. I craved laughter. I needed music in my soul. My body ached and shook with the desire for a drink worse than I had in years. The last time I’d needed it this bad, I was going through detox from alcoholism.
But I’m not an alcoholic anymore. An alcoholic would have drank the day I found out I lost my job. One drink won’t hurt anything.
I pushed into the dance bar and took a deep breath, letting the ambience of the place sink in. This was what I needed to get through everything. After a few moments, I headed to the bar and ordered a shot.
This is for losing my job!
The bartender placed it before me and I threw back the liquor. It burned my tongue, slid down my throat in an acidic waterfall, and settled in my stomach like lava. My nose and eyes stung from the drink, and the tension in my shoulders released just a little.
“Another,” I ordered.
This is for that bastard at the club.
Drink, burn, repeat.
This is for Teresa.
This is for being called an experiment.
This is for losing my dog.
This is for life fucking sucking.
The room began to spin a little and I set the empty shot glass down with finality. The tension in my shoulders was long gone. The world didn’t hurt so much anymore. And the floor suddenly seemed really, really unstable.
“Tab, please,” I said, and congratulated myself on the lack of slur in my words.
Paying seemed a blur, but I managed to do so without making it obvious I’d noticed the dance club was actually a tilt awhirl. If no one else was going to comment about it, I wasn’t going to point it out to them.
I gracefully made my way to the door, and even tactfully refrained from biting the heads off the people who kept stumbling into or elbowing me. When I walked outside, the cold air caressed my face once more and my stomach revolted.
Fucking traitor. Don’t you make me throw up here. Don’t you dare!
I swung into the alley beside the bar and wretched while still trying to convince my stomach not to betray me now. A laugh thundered through my head as a couple walked by and I clutched my temples. The footsteps stopped for a moment, then clicking attacked my senses until a presence invaded my personal space.
“Paige, is that you?” Delilah’s voice washed over me and I managed to make the world stop spinning long enough to look up.
“Oh hey. It’s me. What are you doing here? Me, I’m just having a conversation with this alley. I like this alley,” I babbled.
A slight frown marred her perfect features and I wanted to smooth my finger over her lips to bring the sexy smile back. She turned to address the man awkwardly standing just outside of the alley. “You’ll have to forgive me, but I think perhaps I should see her safely to her home. I’ll call you in the morning to finalize arrangements for your table, Heath.”
“Of course. Do you need any help?” he asked.
No. Go away. We don’t need penis in this conversation.
“Thank you, but no. If I remember correctly, she lives not far from here. I appreciate your understanding,” Delilah said. Once he disappeared she turned back to me, and her frown seemed deeper. “Look at you. You’re a mess. What were you thinking, darling?”
“Thinking? Thoughts are bad. I hate thoughts. When I think, it makes me sad.” I gave a knowing nod and lurched forward. “They need to fix this block. It keeps moving.”
She sighed, wrapped a beautiful arm around my waist, and began guiding me out of the alley. Well, I was sure it was beautiful if I could see it. She still wore the tux from earlier, and my mind came to a complete halt...and so did my feet.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Delilah asked.
“You aren’t naked.”
One perfect eyebrow rose as she regarded me. “No
. I don’t make it a habit of walking around nude in public.”
I let her nudge me into walking again. “You should. I would like it. You’re so pretty. I want to see all of you. All one of you, not all of you, but naked.”
She shook her head but didn’t say anything more. Meanwhile, I amused myself with the fact that Michael Jackson was a liar and sidewalks didn’t light up no matter how hard you stomped on them. Even if you hummed the song while doing so.
Before I had time to finish my third rendition, we were at the house. Disappointment caused me to burst into tears as Delilah walked me up to my door.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, stopping to smooth my hair away from my face.
“I... I...” A hiccup gulp interrupted my words, making my despair worse. “I was having fun singing and now I can’t test the sidewalks anymore.”
A chuckle erupted from her and I stopped to stare at her, aghast by her reaction. She was supposed to be sympathizing with me, not finding humor in my despair. “You’re a mean, sexy woman.”
“Oh, little tigress, I’d love to show you just how mean I can be if you’d only play my games.” She pulled my key from my hand and unlocked the door.
I perked up at her words. “I can play lots of games. I like games. What do you want to play?” I stumbled through the door after her and flopped on the couch while making a mental note to let Brandi know the floor needed to be nailed down better so it would quit tilting.
“Not the kind I play. You’ve already made it clear that’s off limits.” Delilah glanced around the sparse room. “And especially not tonight.”
“Why not tonight? What’s wrong with tonight?” I pressed, curious.
She stopped and met my gaze dead on. “There’s no place for lack of control in BDSM. If you aren’t fully alert and aware, you can’t properly judge your limits. I won’t risk hurting a sub who can’t communicate effectively or who has skewed perceptions of their limits.”
“There were a lot of big words in that. I bet you can spell them all right. You seem smart. I used to be an editor. Smart people are good. Stupid people are annoying.” I gave an authoritative nod and inwardly cheered that my stomach behaved this time.
“And drunk people need to go to bed,” Delilah responded.
I managed to stand up without falling on my face and stalked toward her. When she was close enough, I grabbed the lapels of her tuxedo and pulled her against me. “Come with me and I’ll show you pleasure like you’ve never experienced before.” With that, I leaned in to kiss her.
She placed a hand against my chest and stepped back. “No, Paige. You’re drunk, and I already said I don’t do vanilla.”
“I’m only slightly buzzed, and this won’t be vanilla. I’ll knock your socks off until you’re screaming my name.” Somehow, the words didn’t sound as sexy when they came out of my mouth. “Kiss me,” I commanded.
Her sexy lips pressed into a firm line and she narrowed her eyes at me. “I said no.”
“That’s not how it works. I order, you obey. Master, submissive, remember?” I planted a hand on my hip.
Her features darkened until I faltered in my confidence. “That is not how it works,” she said, her words low and deadly. “It is respect and limits and understanding. It is safe and consensual.”
“It didn’t seem very respectful or consensual to me earlier,” I retorted.
“The subs who participate in the Abduction Auction are always there of their own free will. It’s completely consensual and they are treated with the utmost respect.” Delilah’s glare seemed to challenge me to my very core.
I crossed my arms and shook my head, finding my anger provided me a backbone along with the adrenaline spike. “I’m not talking about the auction. I’m talking about the man who cornered me when I was cleaning.”
“What man?”
“He was taller than me, with dark hair and dark eyes. Well dressed and completely cocky. A real asshole. He talked about breaking me, and told me ladies don’t have dirty mouths.” My skin crawled just thinking about him.
Delilah pursed her lips for a moment. “I see. I’m pretty sure I know exactly who you are talking about.”
“So get your sexy ass over here and kiss me,” I insisted, pointing at the floor in front of me.
She strode over to me so fast I didn’t have time to even blink. “Let’s get one thing straight, Paige; I’m not your service sub. I’m not your anything. No one, let me repeat, no one ever commands someone that doesn’t belong to them by mutual agreement from both parties. That means no Master can ever command a sub that isn’t theirs without express permission given by both the sub’s Master, and the sub. That goes for touching too. So next time, if someone touches you without your permission, knock his ass loose. Otherwise, keep your hands to yourself.”
With that, she pivoted and exited the apartment, slamming the door behind her.
“Well, fuck it all...” I walked to the bathroom and promptly threw up.
Chapter four
The crowds nearly overwhelmed me, reminding me exactly why I’d taken a desk job when I’d made my career decision. I tended the bar with a fake smile on my face and tried to radiate genuine warmth and hospitality, despite my jittery nerves. Brandi kept shooting me looks through the afternoon, but instead of the condescending glares I expected, they seemed almost conspiratorial.
She must not know I got shitfaced drunk last night. I really thought Delilah would tattle on me.
“Hey.” Amy tugged on my sleeve. “Go check everything out before my shift ends. Once I do the demo with Master, I won’t be in any condition to work. So take advantage of me while I’m here.” She gave me a playful wink. When she interacted with customers, she was still a tad uncertain, but she’d warmed up to me a great deal since last night.
I grinned at her in return and shook my head. “No thanks. I’m fine here.”
An exasperated sounding sigh emitted from her and she rolled her eyes at me. “Don’t be such a ninny. No one out there is going to bite, unless you invite them too. There’s some neat things on display at the sale tables. You might find something you like or are interested in. Go on.”
With a push far more forceful than I thought her capable of, she shoved me out from behind the bar. I turned, seeking to come back, but she blocked me. “Uh uh. Go.” She pointed, reminding me of a mother scolding a child.
If I could, I would have tucked my tail like a kicked dog. Unwilling to watch any of the demos, I veered away from the stage and approached the first table tentatively, glancing at the displays. Various beautifully crafted corsets lay across the table instead of the array of strap ons and dildos I expected. I eyed them, taking in the lace, leather, faux fur, silk, and gorgeous materials I didn’t have a name for. A brilliant blue one caught my attention and I traced the embroidery etched on it, thinking how it would look stunning on Delilah. The shade of blue matched her eyes almost perfectly.
I moved on to the next table where I recognized the man who had been with her last night. Heath sat at his display table, his head bowed as he applied a wood burning tool to a plaque. Several wood pieces lay on the table and the artistry nearly took my breath away. Though some merely had words like Sex Kitten or a strange almost triple yin-yang symbol etched on them in flourishing detail, others had images on them. One labeled display only clearly depicted my sister and her husband. They were posed so that he sat on a throne while she lay seductively at his feet. Even though it unsettled me to see my sister in such a position, I couldn’t help but feel admiration for Heath’s talent.
The next display area had a few mannequins behind it, but no person. A sign contained in a picture frame stood in the middle of the table. I ignored it for the moment to look at the items. Beautiful scraps of fabric sat on the table, and I didn’t know what they were, so I turned my attention to the clothing on the mannequins.
One mannequin wore a leather harness that adhered to the feminine curves and covered every part artfully, includin
g a strap down the center of the crotch. I wondered if it moved freely to allow access. It was too risqué for me, but I appreciated the artistry and talent that went into creating every piece. The buckles were set in silver, and petite Austrian crystals accented here and there.
The second one, a classic maid uniform, sported snaps that allowed the top to expose the breasts. The black satin over white ruffles appealed to me in a strange way, and I wanted to run my fingers over the creation. Is it as soft as it looks? What would it feel like, rubbing against my body? The skirt came to the knees, which gave the wearer the ability to bend over without baring everything to the world. The whole thing was tasteful and classy, yet sexy as all hell.
The last mannequin wore an outfit that appeared to be leather, though I needed to touch it to be sure. It was a man’s tuxedo, and the broad shoulders indicated it was, indeed, tailored to fit a man. The whole thing, including gloves, were a stark black trimmed with silver zippers and silver cufflinks at the sleeves. The cufflinks were the same triple yin yang looking image from earlier. A red handkerchief tucked into the breast pocket contained the word Master embroidered in black calligraphy.
Intrigued by the display, I turned my attention to the scraps of fabric on the table. Were they garter belts? Many of them had lacey edges, and some had small chains that dangled. I lifted one and realized these were exactly like the fashionable fancy collars I’d seen at the auction last night. Some of them had metal plates on the front at the throat that declared the wearer a slave , or His Toy .
Whoever did this is extremely talented. These are not only eye-catching, but they’re well made, too. I bet they’re durable, as well as pretty.
I turned my attention to the picture frame and read the sheet encased inside.
Thank you for taking the time to look at my work. The items on the table are for display only, but if you are interested in any, you can reference them when placing an order. All of my outfits and collars are custom made, with measurements taken directly from the person who will be wearing it. This means that each piece I make is one of a kind, just like you. I take pride in my pieces, and I hope it shows. If you have any questions, or would like to place an order, please feel free to take down my contact information, or to approach me in person.
The Abduction Agreement (Mistress May I Book 1) Page 3