It was her. It had always been her.
“Victoria,” April said. “I’m yours.”
At once, Vicki shifted her hips, delving into April with urgent thrusts. April cried out as her pleasure rose to a crescendo and flooded her whole being. At the same time, Vicki shivered in April’s arms, her climax mirroring April’s.
Afterward, they ended up in Vicki’s bed. April lay nestled against Vicki’s shoulder, the blonde woman’s arm slung around her. Did Vicki’s hair always smell this heavenly?
“You know,” Vicki said. “You never finished telling me why the library is so important to you.”
“It’s a little childish,” April said.
“So what if it’s childish? Whatever your reasons, they’re important to you, and that means something.”
“You’re right.” April drew back, laying her head on the pillow next to Vicki’s. “The library was my refuge during a difficult time in my life. That was when I was a teenager. But even now, it holds an important place in my heart.”
“It’s your sanctuary,” Vicki said.
“Yes.” April looked at her in surprise. She hadn’t expected Vicki to remember that. “You see, when I was in high school, I got bullied a lot.”
“Really? You’re the fiercest person I’ve ever met. I can’t imagine anyone picking on you.”
“I was different back then. Besides, bullying doesn’t happen because of the victim’s personality. Bullies target people for all kinds of reasons. In my case, I was just unlucky. There was this clique of mean girls everyone was afraid of. One day, out of nowhere, they set their sights on me. I was a quiet, nerdy kid who liked books and kept to myself. I was an easy target for them because they knew no one would stand up for me. So they picked on me relentlessly.”
“That must have been difficult,” Vicki said.
“It was, especially at first. As time went on, I went to the library more and more after school. I used books as an escape, to pretend I was someone else, somewhere else. I made friends at the library, kids from other schools who were outsiders like me. And I met Eliza. She was the librarian back then, and only ten years older than me. She took me under her wing, gave me advice, and she didn’t treat me like my problems weren’t real because I was just a kid. As I got older, we became friends. She gave me my first job as a page at the library when I was still in school and offered me another job when I returned from college. She promoted me to director when she left earlier in the year.”
“She’s a smart woman,” Vicki said.
April smiled. “Anyway, by the time I was a junior, the bullies got bored with me and moved on to other targets. I’m ashamed to admit I was happy about that. I didn’t care that they were hurting others as long as it wasn’t me. It was selfish.”
“That’s not selfish,” Vicki said. “That’s just self-preservation.”
“Well, I didn’t feel good about it. So, after high school, I told myself that I would never stand by and let anything like that happen again, to myself or anyone else. That I
wouldn’t let bullies win, and I’d stand up for the people around me.”
“And so, you became April, defender of the downtrodden. It all makes sense now.”
April shrugged. “I guess so. That’s why the library is so important to me. It’s been mine for so long. That’s why I can’t bear the thought of it being destroyed.”
“I understand,” Vicki said. “And I mean it when I say that I’m committed to helping you find a way to save it. We can’t save Oakmont Street, but I’ll do my best to make sure the library survives.”
“Thanks, Vicki.” April let out a contented sigh. “You know, all this time we’ve spent together has made me realize something. That person I became after high school—someone who always stands up, who fights back—it’s made me forget how to let my guard down.”
“That’s never easy for anyone,” Vicki said.
“Well, for me it’s been toxic. It’s probably why my relationships always end up falling apart. But when you came along, you were offering me exactly what I wanted. I wanted to be vulnerable but didn’t know how to let myself. You were right all along. And your strength made me feel like it was safe for me to do that with you. Does that make sense?”
“It does,” Vicki replied.
“I’m glad you gave me a chance to try to be your submissive,” April said. “I’m not a very good one.”
“That’s not true. There’s no right or wrong way to be a submissive. There are lots of submissives like you, who like to push back, who need to test their dominants to feel at ease.” Vicki propped herself up and looked down at April. “Of course, their dominants usually push back even harder, whereas I’ve been letting you off easy.”
“Letting me off easy?” April scoffed. “Last time I was here, you made me wait for you, blindfolded, for god knows how long. And then you tied me to the chair! How is that letting me off easy?”
“Oh April, you have no idea.” Vicki chuckled softly. “If anyone knew about all the things I let you get away with, they’d take away my Domme card.”