The Plume: The Second Anthology (31 page)

Mike.

Wide straps rose on either sides of her
breasts to push her breasts together and crossed behind her
shoulders, pushing up her breasts even more and enhancing her
cleavage. Louise helped her pass them over her shoulders, cross
them, and fasten them at the back. Louise adjusted the clasps so
the elastic straps were just tight enough.

“A perfect hourglass,” Louise said with a
smile.

Joanna had pulled the sheer stockings up to
her knees before putting on the corset, and now fastened them to
the garters on the corset. Again, Louise adjusted the length,
making the straps tight enough that they wouldn’t be loose when
Joanna sat down. Joanna stepped into the high black shoes that had
been her first gift from the Plume, the ones that almost forced her
to stand on her toes. She walked the width of the room and back,
getting used to the height of them all over again.

Mike liked her to be a little unsteady on her
feet, easy to tip off balance and claim. Would he take her today?
She hoped so.

She had packed her purse with the travel
bondage kit he’d bought for her, the one that allowed him to
quickly bind her helpless in a restroom, an elevator or the
coatroom of a restaurant. She knew she needed to take more, to
impress him with her desire to cooperate and to be ready for his
every whim. She changed to a bigger purse. She added a gag and a
blindfold, her mouth going dry in anticipation of whatever he might
choose to do with her.

Would he punish her for showing less than
enough enthusiasm?

Joanna could only hope.

On impulse, she added a length of cotton
cord, and a roll of electrical tape.

Louise raised her eyebrows. “Is this brunch
or a vacation?”

“I’m not sure.” Joanna bit her lip, then
added one of the hoods Mike had bought for her. This one was black
leather and lined with fur. It covered her eyes and encased her
head, the crisscrossed elastic down the back making it easy to put
on and certain to fit smoothly. The color also matched her
boots.

She checked the time, then chose a skirt that
was cut on the bias and swirled around her legs. It fell to
mid-calf and was very feminine. It felt sinful against her thighs,
especially as she’d chosen to go without panties. Her jacket of
choice was velveteen and fitted. It buttoned up the front, had long
sleeves and a small collar. It was the same burgundy as the corset
and picked up that color in the skirt. She eyed her reflection,
knowing that Mike liked when she looked elegant but was mostly
naked under her clothes.

“Lipstick,” Louise said, handing Joanna a
deep red one. Joanna applied it hastily while Louise assessed her.
“You’ll need gloves, too.” She snapped her fingers and headed out
of the bedroom as Joanna put a pair of black leather gloves in her
purse. Louise came back with an elastic hair tie. “You’ll need this
before you put on the hood.”

“Right. Thanks.”

Louise smiled at her. “So when should I
expect you back?”

“With any luck, not soon.”

“You’re really nervous.”

“Something’s wrong. He’s not even picking me
up today.”

“Really? That’s different.”

“I disappointed him somehow.” Joanna
shrugged. “Maybe I wasn’t thrilled enough with his friend.”

“Why weren’t you?”

“He’s not Mike.”

Louise gave her a hard look. “Nothing
else?”

Joanna dropped her voice. “Eric’s a bit
rougher than Mike. He frightens me a little.”

Louise nodded, then moved away. She came back
a moment later with a package that made Joanna’s eyes widen in
surprise.

“Those aren’t...”

“Yup, cable ties. The choice of kidnappers
everywhere.” Louise opened Joanna’s purse and tucked them inside,
even as Joanna stared at them. They were wide and long and black.
They could be used to lock both of her ankles together easily, and
she knew that once they were secured, they could only be removed
with scissors. Just the sight of them terrified her. “Maybe Mike
likes to play a little harder once in a while.” Louise leaned
closer. “Maybe you need to show him that you’re up for
experimentation.”

“But...”

“Don’t you think he’s worth it?”

Joanna exhaled, then closed her purse so she
couldn’t see the cable ties. He liked when she came prepared to be
bound, when she was submissive enough to assist in her captivity.
“You’re right. I’d do anything for him.”

“Then go do it.” Louise grinned impishly.
“And have fun.”

Joanna swallowed, nodded, and headed out to
the restaurant.

* * *

Rex was feeling unusually serene.

He awakened in Leya’s studio and knew it had
to be Saturday afternoon by the color of the light streaming
through the windows. There was no clock in the space. He liked the
space she’d chosen for her studio, because it had the patina of
age. It was on the top floor of the old warehouse that housed the
Plume in one of the corners that had never been renovated. The
rafters were massive wooden beams overhead, and the floor was made
of thick planks of oak that had been worn to a gleam. The space was
empty, except that at some point it had been a dance studio. One
wall was lined with mirrors that were about eight feet tall. The
windows were large but made of glass blocks, which refracted the
light but obscured any view.

Rex didn’t know the time and didn’t care. He
felt at peace in a way he never did. He was aware that there was an
indent in the futon beside him and that it was empty. Leya had
gotten up, but he could hear her breathing and smell her
perfume.

He stretched and rolled to one side, facing
the room. Leya was kneeling in the middle of the polished wood
floor, her back to him. He could see the bottoms of her feet, which
were a bit dirty. She was wearing a short kimono of nubby fabric,
one that was the color of indigo. All around her were coils of
rope, with loose fibers in front of her.

He tugged on his jeans and went to her side,
curious.

She was braiding jute rope. He crouched down
beside her, watching as she worked, then picked up some of the jute
from the floor to mimic her gestures.

“It must be smooth and strong,” she said
quietly. “All the joins hidden inside so there are no
imperfections.”

Rex nodded agreement. She showed him a join
in the fiber he was holding, then demonstrated how to weave it in.
Rex echoed her gestures, letting her correct his tension and his
method. He was pleased at how quickly he was able to improve the
quality of his weaving, and driven to do even better.

He kneeled beside her, savored the
tranquility of the studio, and settled in to weave with a
contentment he hadn’t felt in a long time.

No one was reliant upon him. No one was
waiting on him. There were no decisions to be made, no books to be
balanced, no payroll to be calculated, no arguments to diffuse.
There was just the sunlight on the polished wood floor, the soft
perfume of Leya’s body and the smooth jute in his hands.

This might be as close to heaven as he’d been
in a long while.

* * *

Mike had decided against giving Joanna a
ride. He felt completely fucked up over events of the weekend, and
wasn’t happy that she wanted to talk about Friday night. He was
sure she was going to ask him to invite Eric back again, maybe on a
regular basis, and he knew he couldn’t deal with it.

He didn’t want to share.

He hadn’t wanted to share that one time, and
it was still chewing him up. Seeing Joanna enjoyed by Eric was just
too far out of his range of tolerance. He wanted her to be his
possession and his alone. He wanted them to spend a lifetime
exploring the possibilities together.

Except for her desire to be shared. He hated
that one and now, having tried to fulfill it, he hated it even
more.

He’d already had a drink by the time she
arrived at the restaurant, looking as lovely and luscious as he
could ever imagine. He stood up when she came to the table,
noticing every single detail.

She’d dressed with care.

Because she wanted to ask him for something,
something she thought he wouldn’t want to do. Mike’s chest
tightened. She wanted more time with Eric, or to be shared again.
There couldn’t be anything else.

Sometimes Mike hated how well they knew each
other.

He’d deliberately booked this restaurant
because of its booths. It was located in one of the office towers
in the downtown core, and arranged around the perimeter of the top
floor of the building. Because the sight was spectacular from this
height, the booths had been designed to give everyone a view. There
were three tiers of booths, around three sides of the building.
Each booth was a half-circle with a lavishly padded bench and a
curved wall around the back. Once in the booth, it was impossible
to see patrons at other booths—there were just the enormous glass
windows and the sight of the city.

Mike moved so that Joanna was right in the
middle of the booth. Joanna licked her lips nervously and tightened
her grip on her purse. It was a bigger one than she usually brought
to brunch, but he assumed she’d chosen it to match her boots or
similar.

Mike took it out of her hands and put it on
the bench on his other side. She looked so phenomenal that he
wished everything could just go back to the way it was.

This restaurant had a great coatroom and he
could easily imagine taking her in it.

“You know how to sit,” he said in a low
growl.

Joanna took a deep breath. He felt her knee
bump his as she parted her thighs and knew she had pressed her
heels together. Her lips parted, making her mouth look soft and
inviting, and she placed her hands on her knees.

He had a heartbeat to appreciate the sight
before Eric arrived and slid into the booth from the other side.
She was sandwiched between the two of them and Mike watched her
swallow. Her cheeks flushed, a sure sign of her anticipation. He
loved that she loved this, and just wished he liked it more.

“But I thought we’d be alone,” Joanna
whispered to Mike.

“I knew you’d like this better,” he murmured,
watching her eyes widen. “And Eric says he has a suggestion to
make.” He had a pretty good idea what Eric would suggest, and
watched Joanna closely for her reaction.

She studied Eric, her breath coming too
quickly for Mike’s taste. If he’d wanted evidence that Joanna
wanted only him, Mike wasn’t going to get it.

Eric was dressed in faded jeans with a tweed
jacket and casual shirt. He looked vital and handsome, his smile
both wicked and unpredictable.

“Hey, gorgeous,” Eric said, then caught
Joanna’s face in his hand. He leaned in and gave her a long,
passionate kiss, one that made Mike writhe with jealousy. He
waited, expecting Joanna to protest, but she simply wiped her mouth
when Eric was done and put her hands on her knees again.

As if she liked it.

But then, being shared
was
her
fantasy.

Mike felt a bit sick.

“Did you bring everything?” he asked Joanna,
hearing the rough edge in his own voice.

She nodded without lifting her gaze. “Yes,
Mike.”

He handed her back her purse. “Show us.”

Eric blinked in astonishment as she opened
the purse, giving view to both men of the bonds packed in it. “Even
in public,” he murmured. “Jesus!” He ran a hand over his head, and
eyed Mike in wonder. “No wonder you take her in coatrooms.”

Mike had nothing to say to that. In fact, he
didn’t like that Eric even knew that. He wanted it to be his
secret, his secret with Joanna, not something other people knew
about. He was feeling possessive and prickly, which wasn’t his
normal attitude.

“Now,” he said when Joanna hesitated. He
tapped one finger on the tabletop. He heard her catch her breath,
then heard Eric inhale as she reached into the purse.

Eric’s attention was riveted.

Joanna set the wrist and ankle bonds on the
table first, the travel set made of nylon and adhesive binding,
then the gag that matched them. They were compact and perfect to
keep tucked in her purse. She had a blindfold, a ball gag, the
black leather hood that he adored, and a length of cotton rope. He
was a bit surprised by the roll of electrical tape.

His heart stopped cold at the sight of the
big black cable ties.

She did like it rough.

“Shit!” Eric said and turned to look out the
window. His throat worked and he drummed his fingers on the table,
apparently close to losing control.

“Is that everything?” Mike asked.

“Yes, Mike.”

“Put it away.”

She did as instructed, then Mike took her
purse again. Cable ties. So, she not only liked it rough and wanted
more. He was more troubled by that than he wanted either of them to
know.

What was he going to do? He’d started them on
a path, hoping to satisfy Joanna’s desires, but it seemed that
there was only one possible destination.

He didn’t like that and he didn’t like this.
He didn’t know what to do.

The waitress came then and took their orders
for drinks. When she was gone, Mike dropped his voice low again.
“What are you wearing?”

“The burgundy corset, Mike, the one you just
gave me.”

“Panties?”

“No, Mike.”

Mike sat back, hard himself at the thought of
her laced into that new corset. “How did you get it done up?”

“Louise helped.” She caught her breath
slightly. “She made it extra tight, because I knew you’d want it
that way.”

Mike swallowed at the heat that flooded
through him. He kept his voice hard. “Show Eric.”

Joanna’s mouth opened, then closed again. She
swallowed and nodded, then swiveled slightly on the bench, so that
she was turned toward Eric. She unfastened the buttons of her
jacket, and he didn’t even blink, he was so interested. When the
jacket was unfastened, she held it open and displayed herself to
him.