“After a week of playing my girlfriend for Denise, you’re not tired of it?”
“Not at all.”
Even after Denise left, Lindsey and Camilla had continued with their feigned intimacy. It was almost as though they hoped that if they pretended hard enough, the lie would become real. At least, that was how Lindsey felt. But surely Camilla had noticed that this was no longer an act for Lindsey. Surely Camilla could tell that Lindsey’s feelings were real.
Surely Camilla felt it too.
“Okay then. You’re my girlfriend.” The corners of Camilla’s lips curled up. “And once again, I give you permission to not call me Mistress.”
Lindsey smiled. It was impossible not to react to Camilla’s smile, and her bright eyes, and that stern but playful tone of hers that sent pleasant shivers through Lindsey’s entire body.
The door swung open, and a raven-haired woman with pale skin appeared. “Camilla,” the woman said. “So glad you could make it.” She pulled Camilla into an embrace.
“I wouldn’t miss this,” Camilla
replied. “Congratulations on the engagement.”
“Thank you.” The woman broke off and turned to Lindsey. “And you must be Lindsey. My name’s Vanessa. It’s lovely to meet you.”
Lindsey stumbled over a greeting. Her stomach swam with both nerves and excitement.
“Here, I brought you a small engagement present.” Camilla handed Vanessa a bottle of whiskey with a yellowing label and a bow tied around its neck.
Vanessa took the bottle and held it up to the light. Her mouth dropped open. “Where on earth did you find this? Last I heard, there were only fifty bottles left in the world.”
“I convinced an old family friend to part with it as part of a business deal.”
“This is incredible, Camilla. Thank you.”
Lindsey and Camilla followed Vanessa inside. The enormous, lavishly decorated apartment held a few dozen people, all dressed to the nines. Lindsey now understood why Camilla had bought her a new dress for the occasion.
“I have a gift for Mel too,” Camilla said. “I made a donation to the legal aid clinic where she works. I thought she’d like that more than something material.”
“Melanie will be thrilled.” Vanessa looked around. “She’s here somewhere. I’m going to go find her. Make yourselves at home.”
Camilla led Lindsey over to a small home bar to the side. They helped themselves to some wine.
Camilla spoke to Lindsey under her breath. “Don’t tell anyone this, but Vanessa owns a string of BDSM clubs around the country. There’s one right here in the city. Lilith’s Den.”
“Really?” Lindsey looked over at the woman, who was chatting at the other side of the room. “Is that how you know each other?”
“Yes. I did some business with her when her company was just starting out. It must have been ten years ago. But we didn’t really get to know each other until we crossed paths at Lilith’s Den a few months later. I’ll take you there sometime if you’d like.”
“I’d love that, Mistress,” Lindsey said. There was no one close enough to overhear them.
“Actually, that’s how a lot of us know each other.” Camilla looked around the room. “Half the guests here go to that club.”
“Really? But everyone seems so proper.”
“Unlike the two of us, who look like a pair of sexual deviants?”
“That’s a good point.”
“You should see this crowd at Lilith’s Den.” Camilla leaned in and spoke quietly. “Between you and me, it’s always the proper ones who are the most perverted. There’s nothing quite like sitting through a business meeting with a woman you saw the night before getting spanked on a stage in nothing but a corset and a thong.”
Heat crept up Lindsey’s face. She wasn’t sure if it was embarrassment or arousal.
As the two of them mingled, Lindsey found herself distracted by the idea that some of the people she met were secretly like her and Camilla. She couldn’t help but try to pick them out. Of the couples, she thought she saw a few signs. They would give it away with a possessive touch, or a deferential look, or a disguised piece of jewelry that would have been impossible to spot unless she knew what to look for.