Being Hers (Irresistibly Bound 1)

But this woman clearly had other motives.

“I don’t ‘play’ with anyone.” Mel handed the woman her drink. “And I don’t have a Master.”

“A Mistress then?” The woman asked.

r /> Mel wiped down the bar in front of her, ignoring her question.

“Wait. Don’t tell me. You’re one of Vanessa’s?”

Mel froze. “Uh, yeah.” How did she know? And what did she mean by ‘one of?’

“Typical. She always liked recruiting subs at the places she owns.”

Mel blinked, then continued wiping down the bar in front of her. She didn’t know who this woman was, and she didn’t care.

“What, did you think you were special? You’re just the latest on a long list of names. I bet Vanessa doesn’t even remember half of them. She just uses girls like you until she gets bored and moves on to the next one.”

Mel stopped. “What are you talking about? Who are you?”

“I’m Rose. Vanessa and I? We have a long history.”

This was Rose? She wasn’t what Mel expected. She was older than Vanessa. And Mel couldn’t imagine her as a submissive. Everything about her seemed predatory.

But none of that mattered. She was banned from the club.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Mel said.

“Oh? So you have heard of me? Did Vanessa tell you what happened between us?”

Mel didn’t respond. But she didn’t call security either.

“She hasn’t told you? I’m not surprised, considering what she did to me.” The woman took a sip of her drink, never taking her eyes off Mel. “I was just one of her submissives at first. It was nothing serious. But then Vanessa decided that she wanted me all to herself permanently. She even gave me a pretty collar, just like yours. We were together for two years. We were happy. We were in love. At least I thought we were.”

Mel waited for Rose to continue. She seemed to have a flair for the dramatic. Which made Mel wonder if she should believe a word that she said.

“But one day, something bad happened to me. Something traumatic. And Vanessa? She couldn’t handle it. Or didn’t want to.” Rose lowered her eyes, her voice cracking. “So she ran. She disappeared. She cut me out of her life like I meant nothing to her.”

Mel felt a gnawing in her stomach. Rose’s story matched up with what James had told Mel.

“Vanessa abandoned me when I needed her the most. When I was hurting and broken.” Rose looked into Mel’s eyes. “You know what this kind of relationship does to you. Giving yourself to someone, mind, body, and heart. Trusting them with your entire being. It leaves you fragile and vulnerable. And for Vanessa to take advantage of that, to rip me open and take me apart time and time again, only to leave me to deal with the aftermath all by myself. It was heartless.”

Mel spoke up for the first time during Rose’s story. “Vanessa would never do that.”

“That’s what I thought too, until she left me. I don’t think she ever loved me, really.” Rose’s eyes were filled with pain. “She showered me with gifts and said sweet things to me so that I would be her perfect little submissive and satisfy her interminable need for control. She gave me just enough attention so that I felt like she cared about me. But she never really gave me any of herself.”

Mel’s stomach lurched. Hadn’t she had that same thought a million times before?

“She’s doing the same to you, isn’t she?”

Mel didn’t respond.

“Have you ever been to her apartment?”

Mel nodded without thinking.

“That’s further than most of the others then. How about her playroom? Has she shown it to you yet?”

Her playroom? Was that what was behind that locked door in her apartment? Mel had been back to Vanessa’s apartment a handful of times since the night of the party, and the door had always been shut. Her surprise must have shown on her face.