Page 7 of Delicious Surrender
“One would think you don’t want this job.”
“Then one would be quite mistaken, Margaret.” Brynne turned away to pull her PC out of her backpack, ending theexchange. The woman huffed and walked away.
Brynne spent the better part of the morning proofreading a tedious article for the Life & Culture section. It was almost noon when her phone buzzed. Jared was back from photographing the gallery opening and wanted to meet.
Jared:Bree, I’m at the café. Got us a table if you can take lunch.
Brynne:On my way.
The noon rush was in full swing, but he had a table in the back with her favorite tuna on rye waiting. She maneuvered through the tables and saw he was grinning mischievously. Before she sat down, he blurted, “I have news!”
“Don’t tell me, the Nash Gallery wants to exhibit your stuff?” she asked.
“I wish. No, I have news from Mistress Patricia!”
Her head snapped up. “God, keep your voice down. There could be people from work nearby!”
“Right! Sorry. I just never thought I would hear from her so quickly.” He looked around to ensure no one was within earshot. “She has agreed to meet you.”
Brynne’s hands went to her forehead, then she covered her eyes. “Oh. My. God.” She couldn’t believe Jared got her an appointment so quickly. This was all moving so fast.
“I know, right!” Jared was gleeful. “She is in very high demand, but she will do this favor for me. She can fit you in next Saturday.”
Brynne’s fingers pressed hard against her temples. Shehad never been with a woman—but it wasn’t about that. It was anxiety and uncertainty at the thought of finally doing something she had never experienced before. “Jared, I don’t know about this.”
“You’ve got to go. I accepted for you.” He got all serious, his mouth a stern line. “There is no turning back now. My reputation is on the line.”
“J, you know I love you, but you shouldn’t have made this commitment without talking to me first! If she’s as good as you say, she will know I’m not submissive.” Brynne looked down at her sandwich and shook her head. “I would rather just interview her, and she can explain all the power dynamics to me.”
“Hon, you have already done lots of research. You’vetalkedto enough people about the how and the why, and you’ve watched enough videos to understand the mechanics.” He sighed and put his hand on hers. “But all that will not help you get inside your characters’ heads and make them real.”
Brynne knew he was right, and it was annoying as hell. Shaking off his hand, she glowered at him and bit into her sandwich. Twenty minutes later, they walked back to the office in silence. Thankfully, Jared knew better than to press her.
She had no time to think with Ms. Smarmy Smythe watching her every move. After staring at the same page for an hour, she went to make a hot chocolate. Her boss, Nigel, was in the staff kitchen pouring himself a coffee.
“Hey Brynne, I meant to tell you how impressed I was with your work on that last piece you fixed up for Edwards. It’s a good thing you checked her facts and caught those errors before we went to print. It could have been a disaster.”
“Thanks, Nigel. Glad I could help.” Brynne smiled brightly, thrilled at finally being noticed for her editing skills. She often wondered if his PA had poisoned his opinion of her. Maybe her fears were unfounded.
“I’ve seen what you are capable of and will send you more. Keep it up.” She stood there for a few minutes, basking in the compliments about her work.
The week flew by. Brynne worked late three nights in a row. Nigel, true to his word, kept calling on her to edit more of the higher-profile articles. She welcomed the added responsibilities.
By Thursday, she was exhausted from obsessing about the upcomingsession. Begging Jared for more insights on Patricia proved fruitless. He told her that anticipation was like foreplay and that the mystery would add to the experience.Thanks for nothing, J. She called him every name in the book and stopped answering his texts.
Madame Patricia’s assistant sent a confirmation email that was comprehensive and explicit. She expected punctuality, immediate compliance with instructions, and proper use of safe words. Upon arrival, Brynne would complete the hard and soft limits questionnaire. Lingerie was optional for modesty; however, it might get damaged during the scene. The fee of £275 cash was required upfront for this custom “test your limits” session and a reference letter would be provided shortly after.
Brynne splurged on a taxi to cover the distance to the industrial area of East London. It reminded her of Toronto’swaterfront and her first full-time job.Toronto Life & Stylemagazine was her first big break out of university. It provided an abundant education—particularly in how men could be duplicitous bastards.
She forced herself back to the present as the taxi pulled up in front of the old yellow brick building. The structure was two city blocks long, and the barred windows reminded her of a prison, not an office building.
Pulling her collar up against the wind, Brynne hunted for the entrance to the Valentine Agency. Anxiety churned in her stomach as she pressed the buzzer. Had she lost her mind letting Jared talk her into this? Working at the club was one thing, but submitting to a professional Domme was quite another.
A cheerful, melodic voice came over the intercom. “Come on up, luv. Take the stairs to the second floor. We’re at the end.”
Brynne entered a well-appointed reception room and was greeted by a striking woman in a tailored gray suit, white silk blouse, and sexy suede slingbacks. Taking Brynne’s extended hand, she said, “It’s lovely to meet you, Brynne. I’m Patricia.”
Her welcoming manner put Brynne at ease. “It’s great to meet you, too. Thank you so much for agreeing to meet me on such short notice.”