Being Hers (Irresistibly Bound 1)

“So you’re supposed to sit around and wait for her to booty call you?” Jess peered at Mel from over her sunglasses. “That’s pretty cold.”

“It’s not like that. She’s not like that.”

“Then what is it? Are you sure you’re not just afraid of putting yourself out there?”

“Well, maybe a little,” Mel said. “It’s complicated.”

“Only because you’re making it complicated. Just call her!”

Mel sighed.

“Besides, she could just be busy. Didn’t you say she has a demanding job?”

“Yeah. Maybe you’re right.” In the past, Vanessa had gone for long periods without contacting Mel because of her busy schedule. But after the intimacy of that night at Lilith’s, Mel felt like things between them had changed. That they had grown closer. “Honestly? I’m a little worried that I scared her away. Everything seemed fine when I talked to her the next day, but now…” Mel trailed off. It was all too familiar. She’d gotten too close to someone. She’d shown them her vulnerable side. And then they’d discarded her like she was nothing.

Mel banished her thought. Vanessa wasn’t Kim. And this was not a relationship.

“Why do you think you scared Vanessa away? Did something happen?” Jess asked.

“It’s hard to explain.” Mel considered her friend carefully. Jess wasn’t shy when it came to her sex life. And Mel trusted her. “There’s more to it than what I told you. Promise me you’ll keep an open mind?”

“Sure. I’m as open-minded as they come.”

Jess listened silently as Mel described the events of that night. When Mel reached the point when she and Vanessa had gone up to Mel’s apartment, Jess interrupted her.

“Oh yeah, subdrop.” Jess propped herself up on her elbow. “It makes everyone feel needy and depressed. It’s totally normal.”

Mel gaped at her.

“What, Vanessa didn’t explain it to you?”

“She did. I didn’t know you were into that kind of thing.”

“Don’t look so shocked, Mel. Do you think you’re the only girl who likes getting tied up and spanked?” Jess grinned. “Anyway, it sounds like Vanessa knows what she’s doing. Aftercare, checking up on you in the morning—it’s pretty important. So I doubt something as common as subdrop fazed her. You have nothing to worry about.”

“You’re probably right.” Mel turned to her friend. “So you’ve experienced it before? Subspace? Subdrop?”

“Yeah, a few times. Not for a while though. Unlike you, I don’t have some rich Domme lover who owns a BDSM club.” Jess sat upright. “Wait. The club Vanessa took you to. Was it Lilith’s Den?”

“Yeah. Do you know of it?” Mel asked.

“Of course. Everyone in the BDSM community has heard of it. But it’s very exclusive. I’ve never been inside. Wow. So Vanessa owns Lilith’s.” Jess looked off into the distance. “I wish I had a girlfriend like her.”

“Just don’t tell anyone, all right? She is very private about the fact that she owns the place.”

“Yeah, no problem.”

“And she’s not my girlfriend.”

“Right. You just have an intense connection with her, you’re exclusively seeing each other, and now you’re going crazy because she hasn’t texted you in a few days.”

“It isn’t like that,” Mel said. Weren’t all those things just part of the kinky game that Mel and Vanessa were playing? Mel suddenly remembered something that Vanessa had said as they drifted off to sleep that night. I would do anything to keep you from hurting. Had Vanessa really said that, or was it a dream?

“I wish I had someone who I felt as strongly about as you do with Vanessa. I spent most of my weekend dodging Brett’s calls.”

“What? I thought you two broke up?”

“That was Brendon. I only just started seeing Brett. He’s way hotter. Not much upstairs though.”