Being Hers (Irresistibly Bound 1)
As she toweled herself off, an image of the riding crop hanging from Vanessa’s bedpost flashed across Mel’s mind. And then, Vanessa holding the crimson handle…
No. Mel refused to let her imagination go there. She left the bathroom and started to get dressed for work.
As soon as Mel arrived at work, James pulled her aside.
“Hey, Mel.” His usually cheerful expression had been replaced by one of concern. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine. What’s going on?”
“Vanessa told me about what happened the other night.”
Vanessa had told James that she had taken Mel up to her room?
“You know, with that asshole in the VIP area.”
Of course. She’d forgotten all about that part of her night. “Right.”
“Just so you know, that guy will never set foot in here again. No matter how rich or famous a customer thinks they are, lay a hand on my staff and you’re banned for life. He’s on Vanessa’s blacklist now, which means he’s banned from a long list of venues,” James said.
“Okay. Thanks, James.” Mel paused. “So, you’ve known about Vanessa all this time?”
“Yep. But I’m not supposed to tell anyone. She has her reasons for keeping her identity private.” He held up his hands apologetically. “Don’t worry. She doesn’t come in here to monitor anyone. She just likes to check up on the place every now and then.”
That wasn’t particularly reassuring. Would Mel have treated Vanessa any differently all this time if she’d known? It was probably a good thing. Mel didn’t need another reason to be intimidated by her.
It turned out to be a quiet night. For what seemed like the twentieth time since her shift started, Mel wiped down an already clean table and rearranged the chairs around it. She ran her fingers through her hair and looked around for something else to do.
“Mel?” James waved her over to the bar. “Want to practice your bartending skills while things are quiet?”
“Sure,” Mel replied. James had been training her as a bartender so she could help out when things got busy.
“If you need any help, I’ll be right here unpacking these.” He pointed to a stack of boxes behind him.
Mel slid behind the bar and began making drinks. She knew most of the cocktail recipes by now, so it was mostly a matter of honing her technique. In between customers, James gave Mel the latest of many informal lessons on bartending. Today, it was about different wines. Mel listened carefully and filed it all away in her mind.
A few minutes before the end of Mel’s shift, James pulled a bottle of amber spirits out of a box. The label was written in Japanese. “This must be one of Vanessa’s special orders,” he said. “Now that you’re in on her secret, you can give this to her for me. Here.” He held the bottle out to Mel. “She’s upstairs looking over some paperwork.”
Mel’s heart jumped. “Sure thing.”
“You might as well head off early. It’s dead tonight. Just take it up to her on your way out.”
Mel took the bottle from James and grabbed her bag and coat. She said a quick goodbye to her coworkers, then made her way across the club to the corridor that led to Vanessa’s room. Her stomach filled with butterflies, she climbed the stairs and knocked on the door.
“It’s unlocked,” Vanessa called from inside.
Mel entered the room. Vanessa was sitting at the table, her back toward Mel, looking down at some papers spread out before her.
“I need a minute, James-” Vanessa turned her head. She seemed entirely unfazed to see Mel standing in her doorway. “Hello, Melanie.”
Usually, Mel didn’t like it when people called her by her full name. But it didn’t bother her when Vanessa did. “Hi.”
“Come in. Sit. I’ll be with you in a moment.” Vanessa turned back to her work.
Mel sat down on the couch, bottle in hand. She couldn’t help but glance over at Vanessa’s bed. Yep. It was still there. The crimson-handled riding crop.
Vanessa’s chair scraped across the floorboards. She gathered her papers and placed them to the side neatly, then walked over to Mel. “What can I do for you?”
“Here.” Mel held the bottle out to her. “James asked me to give you this.”