Page 37 of XX Love Affair
Green necklaces were harder to come by now that Helena was in an area already picked over by other girls. She sized up her competition and discerned she was neck and neck with at least two other submissive types who were way more into getting spanked than Helena, who quickly figured out which women were willing to give her the beads in exchange for leaving them alone.
Then she reached someone quite familiar. Someone she didn’t know intimately but had seen around other clubs. Mostly in California.
“Michelle told me you were here.” Vanessa Richards, sitting in a dark corner with two others, held her green beads by her shoulder as Helena confidently approached. “I hope you’re doing well since we last met. Helena, isn’t it?”
She was mildly impressed that Vanessa remembered her name. Considering I’m a nobody to her. Vanessa and Michelle were the types to completely live in their fantastical bubble that young women like Helena barely penetrated with a hearty pop.
“I’m doing well. Thank you for asking.” Helena maintained her manners as long as she might get what she wanted. “Don’t suppose I could entice you to part with those green beads?”
Vanessa wrapped the plastic beads around her hand. “I’m supposed to spank you in exchange for them. The interesting thing is that I’ve had a few come by and offer already. So, why should I give them to you? Make it compelling.”
The strangers in Vanessa’s entourage chuckled. I’m not afraid of them. They could spank her too, although none of them still held their green beads.
“Because I don’t want it as badly as the others who have come your way.”
“Isn’t that interesting? You’ve got quite the collection of beads already. Is your ass already raw?”
The other women continued to laugh, louder. Helena was not perturbed. “You might be interested to know that most people here don’t want to spank and kiss other women. Although I hear your girlfriend makes a convincing argument for it.”
“She’s quite talented with her tongue, yes.” Vanessa allowed the green beads to sag down the length of her hand. “But what she does off-leash is her prerogative. Who are you here with tonight? Are you thinking about joining the performance circuit?”
“I’m here with Delia Benoist.”
Vanessa’s interest was piqued. “Personally speaking,” she unwrapped the green beads and tossed them to Helena, who caught them in one try, “she’s not who I would pick to rein you in, but she is a step up from… what was her name? Irene Feist? Be glad you ditched that weight.”
Helena pulled the string of beads over her head. “So, you’ve heard?”
“Not much gets past me in my town. I make it my business to know who is dating who.”
Best to nod and walk away. “Thanks for the beads. Have a nice night.”
“Have a lovely time.”
With a sigh to relieve the pressure in her chest, Helena headed out into the hallway, attempting to not think of Irene. Or her husband. Or the house in San Bernardino.
Thinking about them might ruin her fine night.
But nothing surprised her more than one of the locked doors suddenly opening up, a delicate hand snatching her by the wrist and pulling her in.
Helena barely had time to react before the door closed again and the diluted music of the nightclub disappeared. She was briefly reminded of an event on a mega yacht off the coast of Mexico. A party I attended with Irene, who wanted to hang out with the asses she loved to kiss the most. Helena wondered if Violet Pell-Martin, the sister of the yacht owner, was in attendance tonight.
“What do you want?” she snapped at Michelle, the half-naked woman who had pulled her into this supply closet from New York City hell.
Michelle plastered her hand against the door, preventing Helena from simply opening it up again and escaping. Christ. Lecture incoming in 3… 2… “What are you doing here?”
Helena snorted in the kind of derision that bubbled up her esophagus and threatened her with a good, pukey time. “Having fun. Playing games. On a date. Do you have a problem with that?”
The hilarious thing wasn’t that Helena was more than a few inches taller than Michelle, who relied on poise and grit to make her appear bigger than she naturally was. It was that she looked like such a mom in the eyes when she scowled at Helena like that. Since they first met a few months ago, Michelle had taken it upon herself to inform Helena that she was not prepared for the kinky club life. Been with more people in a year than she has her entire life. Guarantee it. Yet Helena knew better than to throw that into the face of someone who thought her the big sister type. For all Helena knew, Michelle did have younger siblings she bossed around the same way.
“You’re not old enough to be here.”
Helena’s cheeks burned. Every once in a while, someone clocked her for lying about being twenty-one and carrying around a fake ID, and Michelle had done it in three seconds. Infuriating, but what could Helena do about it? Michelle wasn’t the type to be swayed by come-ons and promises of a good time. Not from someone like Helena.
“What are you going to do?” she wrapped her fingers around the strings of green beads she had amassed since embarking on the party game. She did not miss that Michelle was the front-runner for the gold beads. She wore so many that they blocked her nipples from Helena’s view. “Tell on me? They let me in. It’s their problem they didn’t take my ID seriously. Someone could get fired, you know.” Helena thought of the hostess working the door. One day, I’ll thank the person who made my ID. Bake them cookies. Share her Prime account. Give them a big ol’ kiss or a soccer kick in the dick, whatever turned them on more.
“I’m not interested in exposing your lie to everyone around you.” Michelle slammed her hands on her hips, her arms so angularly akimbo that they almost jabbed into Helena’s stomach. “You’re here with Delia Benoist, aren’t you? Does she even know how old you are?”
“Who cares? We’re not going to date for more than a few months at most.”