Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 87629 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87629 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
I simply nod and heave a sigh of relief when he shuts the door behind me.
Frankie thinks Mandy is in love with me.
A couple of months ago, that thought would’ve scared the hell out of me.
Now? It still scares the hell out of me.
But for a completely different reason.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Amanda
Treasure’s Chest opens at ten a.m. on Monday, and I go in. My nerves are about ready to jump out of my body. Will Mary be here? Will she remember she sold me a corset? Will I be able to look her in the eye knowing she’s been with Jackson?
My worries are for nothing, though, as Mary’s not in.
“May I help you?” a salesclerk asks.
“Yes”—I eye the name tag on the blond woman’s shirt—“Eileen. I was here a few days ago, and I understand you…have classes?”
Damn the inflection in my voice! I need to be empowered. That’s why I’m interested in the classes, after all.
I clear my throat. “I understand you have classes.”
There. That’s better.
“We do. Come with me. I’ll get you a brochure.”
“I already have your brochure,” I say. “I’d like to…enroll.”
“Oh, awesome. Follow me, then.”
I follow Eileen back to what I think is the dressing rooms, but then she takes me to an office.
“What kind of classes are you interested in?”
“The submission, I think. I’m pretty new at this.”
“I understand. Let’s see…” She types a few things into her computer. “We have a beginner class starting tonight, and I have room. I can put you down.”
“That would be great. And Mary told me that since I spent over four hundred dollars…”
“Yes, you get the beginner class for free. Do you have your receipt?”
I pull it out of my purse and hand it to her.
“Perfect. All right, you’re all signed up, Amanda.”
“Mandy.”
“Mandy…and you can call me Lena.”
“Who will be teaching this class?”
“This one is…Mary, actually. So that works well. You already know her.”
I bite my lip. “Mary. Okay.”
“Is that a problem?”
Only that she’s been intimate with the man I love. “No. Not at all.” I use my best empowered voice. “Is Mary…submissive?”
“Mary is a submissive, yes.”
“And…you…”
She smiles. “Me? I’m not in the lifestyle. I just like the clothes.”
…
I haven’t heard from Jackson all day, and I haven’t reached out to him, either.
After checking in with Frankie and making sure she’s all settled in at home and that Penn is looking after her, I finish up my work for the day, make myself a light supper, and then head to Treasure’s Chest for my class.
It’s after eight o’clock, so the shop is closed. I have to text them to let them know I’m here.
Mary answers the door, welcomes me, and leads me back toward the dressing rooms once more, to a room beside the office that turns out to be a large classroom.
And by large, I mean larger than the office but not really large at all.
“We’re all here now,” Mary says, “so we can begin.”
Four others—three women and one man—sit in chairs. I say a quick prayer of thanks that I don’t recognize any of them. Not that there’s any probability that I might have. Working at home and being an introvert doesn’t allow for meeting a lot of people, even in a huge place like New York City.
“I thought we would all introduce ourselves,” Mary says. “Say a few sentences about yourself, first names only please, and why you’re interested in this class on submission.” She eyes me. “Would you like to start, Mandy?”
“Uh…sure. My name is Mandy. I’m a virtual assistant to an author, I’m twenty-nine years old.”
What else is there to say about myself? At the moment, I feel like the most uninteresting person on the planet.
“What brings you in tonight, Mandy?”
“I read a lot of romance. In fact, the author I work for is a romance author. She doesn’t specifically write BDSM, but I’m required to keep up with what’s popular in the genre, and BDSM is very popular. I find it…intriguing.”
Mary smiles. “I see. Do you have any experience in BDSM?”
“Very limited.”
“Thank you, Mandy. Do you want to elaborate on your limited experience?”
“I’ve had my wrists bound with fur-lined handcuffs. That’s about it.”
I don’t tell her about the soft lashing with the flogger. I also don’t tell her that I’m in love with the person who dominated me—a person she has been intimate with. That’s personal. Very personal.
“Good, thank you for your candor. And next, Jason?”
The one male in the room clears his throat. “I’m Jason, and I’m an accountant.” Then he laughs. “I feel like I’m at an AA meeting.”
Chuckles throughout the room.
“I’ve kind of always had the urge to submit to a beautiful woman. I’m not in a relationship right now, so I figured it would be a good time to explore these…inclinations that I have.”
“Any experience?” Mary inquires.
“Just watching porn.”
Another chuckle rolls through the audience.