Mel sprawled out on her bed. What naughty things did Vanessa have planned for her? If she closed her eyes, she could almost feel Vanessa’s fingertips running along her curves. She could almost sme
ll her perfume and taste her soft lips.
No. The last thing Mel needed was another cold shower. She glanced at her phone. Nothing more from Vanessa. Mel wasn’t surprised. That “V.” at the end of Vanessa’s texts always meant one thing: this conversation is over.
The message came the following Sunday morning. Mel had slept in after a late-night shift at The Lounge. She rolled over in a daze and picked her phone up from the nightstand.
Tomorrow night. 8 pm. I’ll pick you up. Wear my gifts. And only my gifts.
Mel’s heart jumped. Finally! Her stomach dropped as she read it again. Only her gifts? Did Vanessa expect Mel to leave the house in nothing but lingerie? And that lingerie? It barely counted as underwear.
Another text followed a minute later.
You may wear a coat. And shoes. But nothing else.
Mel rolled onto her back, a smile on her face. Finally, her torment would end. Vanessa’s mind games were far more potent than any whip.
At least, that was what Mel thought.
Chapter Ten
Mel left her apartment at 7:55 p.m. the next day, keenly aware of how naked she was under her long coat. The leather cuffs peeked out from her sleeves. The day had passed with excruciating slowness. She’d barely been able to concentrate in class.
She stepped out onto the sidewalk. A large black Mercedes Benz was parked out in front of her apartment building. Standing next to it was the sharply dressed dark-haired woman who had delivered Vanessa’s gifts. So she was Vanessa’s driver. Something told Mel that hand-delivering gifts to her boss’s lover in a dodgy part of town wasn’t part of the job description. Perhaps Vanessa’s expectation that everyone cater to her whims went beyond her sex life.
The driver opened the back door.
“Hello, Melanie.” Vanessa sat in the back seat, her legs crossed in front of her. She wore a long, dark coat, and black stockings and heels.
“Hi.” Mel hopped into the back seat next to her.
“Thank you, Elena,” Vanessa said to the driver.
Elena nodded and shut the door. Shortly afterward, the car pulled out and joined the slow stream of traffic. It was a much smoother ride than Vanessa’s convertible.
“Where are you taking me?” Mel asked Vanessa.
“I’m going to show you one of the other clubs I own,” Vanessa said.
They were going somewhere public? Mel barely had a thread of clothing on her.
Vanessa read her mind. “Don’t worry, it’s closed. We’ll have the place to ourselves.”
Mel sat back. Why would Vanessa be taking her to an empty club? She remembered something that Vanessa had said in her room all those nights ago, that not all of her clubs were as ‘respectable’ as The Lounge. Was Vanessa taking her to one of those?
Mel looked out through the tinted windows, vainly trying to see where they were going. The privacy screen between the front and back seats blocked her view of the windshield. She sat back in defeat.
“So, Melanie,” Vanessa said. “Have you been following my rule?”
“Yes, Vanessa.” Mel didn’t know when she had started to answer to Vanessa like an obedient schoolgirl. But it seemed to please Vanessa.
“Really? You didn’t slip up? Not even once?”
“No, Vanessa.” Mel couldn’t tell whether Vanessa was pleased or disappointed.
“But did you want to?”
“God, yes.”