Tethered Trust: Book 2 (Limits of Love Series 3)

by Jade Royal

  Renee: Hey.

  Renee: Heeeeello.

  Renee: Are you purposely ignoring me?

  Renee: Friends don’t leave friends hanging.

  Renee: Vanessaaaaaaa.

  Renee: I really need your help with something so please call me when you can

  I sighed again for good measure.

  Me: This better be good!

  Renee: I said call!

  Me: I’m at my internship.

  Renee: I need help.

  Me: You said that.

  Renee: Bitch!

  Me: Tramp!

  Renee: Do I really need to do this via text.

  Me: Times a ticking!

  Renee: One of the girls in our group isn’t going to make it to the Masquerade and I need another person. Please! Can you do it? ☹

  Me: Do what?

  Renee: Be a part of the group.

  Me: What group?

  Renee: The dance troop.

  Me: Ha!!

  Renee: Vanessa please? I can’t make it work without you. It’ll mess up the formation

  Me: Ha ha ha!!!

  My phone rang, and it was Renee. I answered the phone laughing.

  “Holá.”

  “Stop laughing. Vanessa, I’m in deep shit if I can’t find another dancer.”

  “What made you think of me? Come on, when have you seen me dance?”

  “You’re my friend and friends help friends.”

  “I get that but there’s no way. My schedule is already full.”

  “Listen, when you leave your internship can you stop by? Come give it a looksee.”

  “Why’d the other girl quit?”

  “She was kind of the leader and she broke up with her Dom. It kind of leaves her out if she did it.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s a public claiming. So, all of the submissives involved are to be claimed by their Masters and Mistresses. It’s part of the dance of seduction. I promise to answer all of your questions when I see you later. Please can you drive by?”

  “What time?”

  “Five P.M. Please don’t be late.”

  “At the club?”

  “Yes.”

  “I can’t. I’m still not collared.”

  “The club will be closed. Master Howard lets us practice for an hour.”

  “Fine. I’ll see you then.”

  “Don’t be late.” Renee hung up before I could respond.

  Renee was always getting me into something, and I always allowed it to happen. I looked at the stack of papers that needed grading and got a move on it. If I was going to show up to this dance thingy on time, I needed to hurry.

  I WALKED INTO THE CLUB and followed the sound of voices to the main room of the club. Renee squealed and ran toward me with her arms outstretched. She engulfed me in a hug and kissed my right cheek a bunch of times.

  “Were those kisses bribery?” I asked.

  “Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaybe.” She said as she tried to look angelic.

  Vanessa pulled me to a chair and I sat down. It was smack dab in the front of where they were dancing so that I had an excellent view.

  “Okay, everybody! Places!” Renee shouted.

  I watched as all six girls lined up in the shape of a ‘v’. They stood facing away from me and Renee was up front. She aimed a remote and music began playing. The music had a nice rhythm and felt seductive. The girls started moving and I watched their performance. I opened my eyes in shock at some of the dance moves. It was wild and looked more like a workout plan than seduction. I squinted as some of the girls missed steps and looked like they were fighting for air. I scratched my head and waited for the horrible debacle to be over. When they ended, I blew out a sigh of relief.

  Renee ran over to me and smiled. “What do you think?”

  I hesitated, wondering what exactly to say about the ‘show’.

  “What’s the name of the song?” I asked as I pulled my phone out.

  “The song is by Madonna and it’s called S.E.X. Why?”

  I pulled the song up and looked for choreographed videos. It didn’t take long to find what I was looking for. I took a deep breath and hoped that Renee was as open as I thought.

  “You guys don’t look sexy. You look tired. A lot of the girls look uncomfortable, especially the larger girls. Has anybody else seen this?”

  “We asked Master Howard his opinion and he said that if we kept practicing that it should be fine.”

  “He was being nice!” I shouted. Renee flinched. “Listen, we’re friends; you can trust me. Have you watched it from the outside looking in?”

  “Well, no, of course not. I’m trying to make sure that I get it, too.”

  “Have them run through it again and stand next to me and watch.”

  “Vanessa, I understand that you don’t want to do it but you’re being ridiculous.”

  “No, please, Renee. I’m just asking you to watch.”

  “Fine. Ladies, back in place.” Once they were lined up Renee started the music. They began dancing and I kept quiet the entire time. I watched her facial expression, and it was obvious after a while that she was seeing what I was saying. When it was over, she looked at me.

  “Okay, so what do you suggest?”

  “I’m suggesting that you change it. Here watch this.” We both watched the video on my phone as this guy performed a choreographed set to the song. He looked flawless and seductive, but he never looked like I was watching a workout video. When it was over she looked at me and nodded.

  “I see what you mean.”

  “It doesn’t have to be the same, but it needs to be more realistic.” I stood up and took off my coat. I stood in front of everybody and looked around. I didn’t know anybody, but I was prepared to help if they wanted it.

  “I’m going to replay the song and you guys are going to close your eyes and forget that there are other people in the room. Forget the dance moves that you were taught. I want you to think about being alone in your room and trying to seduce yourself in the mirror.” The girls looked around, trying to figure out if I was joking.

  “Just trust her. We want to see something.” Renee said.

  The girls nodded and got back into position. Renee started the song over and all the girls closed their eyes. I lifted my cell phone and began recording them. It took a few seconds, but they all began swaying and touching themselves in various ways. The room transformed into a whole new level of seduction. I had to give it to them, they were sexy alright. One of the girls up front began lowering her body onto the floor and moving around. I backed up a bit so that I could get the whole room in the shot, and when the song ended, I heard clapping from behind me. I ended the video and turned to see Master Howard watching.

  “Now that was hot!” I heard a squeal and watched as a woman ran over to him and kissed him. He spun her in a circle and held on tight as he did so.

  “See!” I told them. The girls all started talking at once. I played the video and they all crowded around me to watch.

  “That is much nicer,” said one of the girls.

  “Yeah, it’s sexy, and I don’t feel out of breath. Well, not in a bad way.”

  We all laughed.

  “So, are we in agreement that the moves should be changed?” Renee asked.

  “Definitely,” somebody said.

  “Alright, well I’ll work on a new routine and get it to you guys. We’ll have to find a way to get more practice time in,” Renee said.

  “Where will we practice?” someone asked.

  “I don’t know.” Renee thought for a while.

  “I can ask Master J if I can borrow his studio. I don’t think he’ll mind if he’s not using it.”

  “That’s great!” Renee shouted.

  I walked away from the crowd and called Master J.

  “Hello?”

  “Hello, Sir.”

  “What do I owe the pleasure?”

  “I wanted to ask you a question, more like a favor.”


  “Shoot for it.”

  “I was wondering if a couple of the submissives from the club and I could borrow your studio a few times a week.”

  “For?”

  “The dance troop needs a place to practice and, since Renee recruited me, I’m helping to find a place.”

  “I work until five pm so you guys can borrow it at five thirty.”

  “Thank you, Sir.”

  “I expect lots of kisses and maybe even dinner on those nights.”

  “Yes, Sir. I can do that. Now I just have to see if Mamá will watch Angelica.”

  “Why don’t you bring her with you? I don’t mind looking after her, and it might be nice to give your mother a break.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “More than a little. She’s a good kid and won’t be any trouble.”

  “Ok. I’ll let you know what days as soon as we wrap up here.”

  “I’ll talk to you soon.”

  “Yes, Sir.” I hung up the phone and turned to the group. “He said yes!”

  They all applauded and then hugged me at once. This was going to be interesting. Renee stood back and then whistled loudly.

  “Hey. Let’s do a quick introduction for Vanessa.”

  They all stood in a line and ran off their names. I hoped that I’d remember them all after today.

  “I’m Carmen.” She was a tall, beautiful Latina. I looked her up and down, assessing her. She made me wonder what kind of outfit we were wearing for this thing.

  “Zihanna.” She smiled, and I remembered that she was Master Howard’s submissive. I’d met her once before. She was a beautiful brown skinned woman with curves to die for. She also had that same curly beautiful hair like me.

  “Amy.” She appeared to be trouble. Not in a bad way but in a fun ‘get prepared to be spanked for hanging out with her’ kind of way. She was blonde with that girl next door appeal.

  “Torrie.” I couldn’t really catch a vibe from her, but she seemed friendly enough, especially with the wave that she threw in. The one thing that I noticed about her was her super long cocoa colored legs. They seemed to go on for days.

  “Hope.” She was model material. Brunette, pouty lips, but she seemed extremely shy. Renee had probably roped her into this the same way she’d done it to me.

  “I’m Vanessa.” I said to the group.

  We agreed to meet tomorrow for our first official practice with the new dance routine. Renee said that she would send me a video to see what I thought about what she had in mind. We could tweak anything afterwards. We hugged, and I left to get home so that I could make it in time for dinner.

  The next day, I went to class, and when the professor announced, ‘pop quiz’ I was nervous for the first time. Lately, I couldn’t seem to focus during his lectures because they’d become more and more boring. I always recorded them and listened at night, but it put me to sleep more than it helped. I always read over the material and answered the chapter review questions to make sure that I understood, but it seemed as if I was missing the retention portion. I sighed and took out my pencil from my bag and prepared to put my best foot forward. No matter what happened, I would always get to drop my lowest grade.

  Forty-five minutes later, I was still taking the longest pop quiz of my life. I looked around and everybody was still working hard to finish before the hour was complete. I didn’t know what kind of demon professor this was, but somebody needed to explain to him what the difference was between a pop quiz and an exam. I walked out feeling confident about my answers but still disturbed by the length of the quiz. I went straight to my internship and played secretary for the next four hours. That’s when the anxiety started to creep in. Did I really want to be a part of this dance troop where I danced seductively for my man? It was kind of too late to backtrack, but it still gave me pause.

  When my school day was over, I headed home and changed into workout clothes. I packed a bag for me to change into, and I packed some things to entertain Angelica while I was dancing. I wanted tonight to go as smoothly as possible so that if I needed Master J in the future, he would be on board. Angelica was surprised when I told her that I had a dance class that I was going to, and that she would be entertaining herself across the hall at Mr. Jamar’s.

  I left Mamá a note and told her that I could bring dinner home with me, or she could eat leftovers. She would call me to let me know that she was safe and sound. If I was in my class, I’d call her back right afterwards.

  When we got to Master J’s, Angelica rushed inside and greeted him with a big hug. I took my clothes upstairs and put them in his room on the floor so that I wouldn’t have to carry them up after practice. I turned to exit the room and saw Master J leaning against the door frame. I smiled at him and walked over to greet him.

  “Hello, Sir.”

  “Hello, girl.”

  I kissed his cheek stood beside him. “Are you sure that Angelica won’t be a problem?”

  “Positive. I figured that while you were dancing that we could make dinner together and maybe watch a movie or something.”

  I kissed him again. “Thank you!”

  “You’re welcome, girl.”

  I frowned at him because he had yet to touch me. “Daddy, did I do something?”

  “No, why?”

  “Because you seem so distant.” I pouted a bit. Whatever was going on needed to be fixed.

  “I’m not distant.”

  “You haven’t touched me.”

  “That’s because we haven’t discussed our relationship when we’re around Angelica.”

  “She’s downstairs.” I was so confused.

  “And if she were to come upstairs?”

  “I see.” I looked at him. “We should negotiate?”

  “We should.” He took my hand and led me to the bed where we sat. “What are you comfortable with in front of her and your mother?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never had to worry about that.” I was honest, and the thought of having to think it through felt stressful.

  “I don’t like that frown. What’s that about?”

  “It just seems overwhelming.” I looked at him.

  “I could take the lead on this, but it’s your family. I don’t want you to have to explain things later.”

  “I’m comfortable with respectful PDA. I don’t want Angelica to think that relationships don’t hold affection. Kissing is okay as long as it’s not making out.”

  “And the power exchange portion?”

  “I don’t like the thought of you calling me ‘pet’ in front of them. Everything else seems fine.”

  “Even brat?”

  I chuckled. “Yes, even brat. It seems more like a teasing endearment than anything else.”

  “What about you?”

  “Well, I think that Master seems over the top in front of them. I’m still not comfortable calling you Jamar. It just seems so wrong. I don’t mind power play that isn’t obvious. I’ll still treat you with respect and will serve you as I would any other time. Can we play the rest by ear?”

  “Safe word?”

  “Can we use the stop light?”

  “Of course. I wouldn’t have a problem if Angelica walked in and saw me kissing you. Would you?”

  “No, Sir. I wouldn’t want to be hot and heavy in front of her, though.”

  “Understood.”

  “I’m surprised that she hasn’t come looking for me yet.”

  “She’s on the phone talking to Elise.”

  I laughed. “Really?”

  “Yes. She asked me where she was and when I told her that she was at home with her mom she asked if she could talk to her.”

  “You may not get your phone back for a while. She’s a talker.”

  “That’s okay, too. Maybe they can hangout this weekend sometime. I’m glad they hit it off.”

  “Me, too. She needs friends her age that aren’t in class with her all day.”

  “True.”

  I looked at Master J’s l
ips and wished that he would kiss me already. I heard footsteps approaching and turned toward the door. Master J started to let go of my hand and I held it tighter. Angelica’s laughter could be heard a bit louder as she rounded the corner.

  She lowered her voice, but we could still hear her. “I know. Hold on, let me ask my mom.”

  Master J stroked my hand to calm me. I swallowed and tried to calm my reaction. Master J leaned over and whispered in my ear. “Breathe, it’ll be OK.”

  I was confused until I realized that I wasn’t breathing. Anxiety had kicked in a bit, and I was trying to keep it together. Angelica looked at me assessing whether or not I had heard her.

  “Can I go visit Elise this weekend?”

  I looked at her, not ready to respond. Master J elbowed me, and I realized I wasn’t breathing again. I looked at him and he smiled at me which in turn made me smile. I swallowed and decided to talk through the anxiety.

  “I haven’t met her mother yet. We should set a play date before I can answer that question.”

  Angelica nodded and put the phone to her ear. She turned away and walked out of the room. “My mom said that she needs to meet your mom first. I know; that’s so not cool. But can your mom cook? Maybe we can all have dinner here.”

  Her voice drowned out as she walked downstairs. Master J kissed me, and I responded with a low moan before I wrapped my arms around his neck. He leaned me back on the bed and ran his hand up and down my sides. I lost myself in the moment and welcomed his touch. When he pulled away, I groaned a bit.

  “Daddy...”

  “I’m proud of you, angel.”

  “Why?”

  “You didn’t get all bent out of shape about it. Though you forgot to breathe, you handled it better than you have in the past. You deserve a reward.”

  “Reward?” I liked the sound of that.

  “Yes. We’ll iron out the details later.”

  There was a knock on the door and then I heard Angelica run upstairs. We sat up and waited for her to enter. “Mr. Jamar, somebody’s at your door.”

  “Well, let’s go see who it is.” Master J kissed me and pulled me up with him. As we neared Angelica, he lifted her, and she giggled just before he sat her down again.

  When we got to the door, Master J opened it to reveal Renee. We squealed and hugged each other as if we hadn’t seen one another in weeks instead of twenty-four hours. Angelica and Master J looked at us crazily. We laughed and began talking at once to one another.