Total Submission (6 page)

I don’t argue again.

“Thank you,” I murmur meekly, taking the
card.

Cam laughs.. “Good girl.”

* * *

I agonize for an hour over what to wear
before finally picking some designer butt-hugging jeans, a casual
T, and an amazing cropped leather jacket with cool buckles and
zips. I put my hair up in a messy bun and apply red lipstick, for
the perfect ‘front row fashionista’ look.

It’s weird to be so nervous about a simple
lunch date, but things with Keely have me on edge. I know she’s a
friend of Cam’s, but I don’t know how much she’s aware of our
relationship.

I’m a bundle of nerves by the time Cam’s
driver drops me off at the show. I make my way over to the VIP
line. A super-skinny girl with short platinum hair scans a list and
ticks off my name.

“Oh, you’re Isabelle Ashcroft,” she says,
her stare taking in everything about me. For a second, I feel a
flash of familiar anxiety. Did I pick the wrong outfit? Wear the
wrong shade of lipstick? But the girl just gives me an approving
nod. “Nice jacket.”

I exhale in relief. Of course I fit in: I’ve
spent my life pretending to be a pretty young thing, but now it
feels strange to be moving in these circles again.

I guess I figured this part of my life was
over when I decided to leave town.

Now, I brace myself and make my way through
the scrum. Journalists and photographers buzz around the runway,
getting set up for the show. I scan the crowd and see Keely waving
at me from the front row.

I wave back, and cross the room to greet
her. “Hi,” I say awkwardly, but Keely gives me an enthusiastic
hug.

“I’m so glad you made it!” she beams. She’s
wearing a casual designer outfit too, with her light brown hair in
loose waves. She turns to introduce me to the woman sitting next to
her. “You remember Justine, right? She’s the one who hooked us up
with these amazing seats.”

“Perk of being Lucia’s in-house lawyer,”
Justine agrees. Her smile is cooler as she takes me in. “Hey.”

“Hi.” I bite my lip, awkward. Justine is a
big-shot lawyer, and pretty intimidating – especially when you’re
on the other side of the lawsuit. “Thanks for inviting me. It was
really nice of you.”

Justine looks surprised. “Sure, no problem.”
Her cellphone sounds. She checks her message and sighs, “Drama,
drama, drama. I’ll be right back.”

She hurries backstage as Keely and I take
our seats. I look around, curious at the crowd.

Keely leans over. “Check it out. Directly
across from us. Recognize him?”

I peer across the shiny white expanse of the
empty runway. A hot looking guy in a baseball cap, track pants and
a leather jacket sprawls in his chair, a look of total boredom
plastered on his face.

“That guy in the cap?”

“Yes,” Keely says, leaning in close. “It’s
Rafe Dalton, the actor.”

“No way!” I exclaim, excited. “I thought he
was doing time for that DUI. TMZ just ran a story on it.”

“Right?” Keely beams, “He was supposed to,
but Justine says that he and the prosecutor had, like a ‘close,
personal relationship’ and she made some kind of deal to get him
off.” Keely adds air quotes for emphasis.

I giggle. “I bet she got him off!”

Rafe glances our way, and Keely grips my
arm. “Shh!”

“Don’t worry, he can’t hear us,” I reassure
her, still giggling, but I quickly look away, just in case.

Keely smiles, and squeezes my arm again.
“I’m glad we’ve got a chance to talk, away from everything,” she
adds, sincere.

“And by everything, you mean Brent.”

She makes a face. “Yeah. I heard you guys
had a falling out. I hope you’re OK. I know you were close,” she
adds.

My heart clenches. I search her face for any
sign that she knows just how close we really were, but Keely’s
expression is warm.

I relax again. “He’s an asshole,” I say
bluntly. “And I never want to see him again.”

“I’m sorry,” she says. “That must be tough.
I know he was family to you.”

I nod. He was. “I’m better off without
him.”

“Damn right you are.” Keely smiles again.
“And anyway, I’m family too. Kind of. So you’re not on your
own.”

I’m lucky that the lights go down, to hide
the sudden rush of emotion I feel. Keely’s kindness is
overwhelming, especially considering our history.

Maybe Cam is right. Maybe this is my second
chance with her, to be real family. Or at least, good friends.

Justine slips back in her seat just as the
music starts. “All good?” she checks.

We nod. “Great!”

The lights go up on the runway, and soon,
I’m lost in the spectacle of gorgeous models in impossibly high
heels strutting their stuff in feathers, sequins and chiffon. The
cameras flash, and the audience greets each new outfit with
rapturous applause.

Still, I can’t lose myself in the show.
There’s too much on my mind: Brent, Cam, even Keely beside me. So
much has happened, it’s hard to process it all, and my thoughts are
still whirling when the lights come up again and Justine yawns.

“There’s nothing like watching models to
make me crave a good meal. Who wants lunch?”

“Me!” Keely declares. She turns to me with
raised eyebrows. “How about it, Isabelle?”

“Sure, I mean, that sounds good.” I check to
see if they’re just being polite, but Justine is already grabbing
her coat.

As we head for the exit, Justine waves to
people as we pass. “She’s gone all high-fashion,” Keely tells me
with a wink.

“Have not!” Justine protests. “Just because
my job comes with an amazing employee discount, it doesn’t mean I
don’t still shop at H&M.”

“Those shoes are H&M?” I eye Justine’s
amazing neon yellow pumps.

She grins. “Well, maybe I haven’t shopped
there in a while…”

I laugh. “Hey, I’m not judging. You should
see the size of my shoe closet.” Or rather, Cam’s now.

“Maybe we’ve got something in common, after
all.” Justine smiles. “Who’d have thought.”

* * *

Keely and Justine chat all the way to the
restaurant, about work and their fiancés, and gossip too. But it’s
not cruel or cutting like the society cliques I usually hang out
with, and it’s a relief not to have to tear down anyone else just
to fit in.

These women are secure in their own lives, I
realize: they don’t need to be bitchy just to keep their place on
the social ladder. It’s a refreshing change from my usual scene,
and by the time we’re seated in a cute Greek bistro nearby, I’m
actually relaxing and enjoying myself.

“I swear, I’m going to elope,” Keely sighs,
checking her phone. “My wedding planner is driving me crazy. I
never realized there were so many shades of pink for the
flowers.”

“You’re going with pink?” The words are out
before I realize my tone is kind of dismissive. “Sorry,” I blush,
“It’s just, you don’t seem like a pink kind of person. And Vaughn?”
I stop, trying to imagine the most rugged hunk of a man I’ve ever
seen walking down an aisle strewn with baby blush petals.

“Thank you!” Justine exclaims. “I’ve been
trying to tell her, she shouldn’t let that wedding planner walk all
over her. She should do something crisp and modern, totally
minimal.”

“No,” Keely corrects her with a grin.
“That’s you and Ash. I don’t know what I want my wedding to be. I
start looking through the design books, and it’s all so
overwhelming.”

“Well, maybe pick a theme that has personal
meaning for you both,” I suggest. “How did you meet?”

Keely and Justine exchange an amused
look.

“What, did I say something?” I ask,
confused. I take a sip of water.

Keely grins. “No, it’s just… I met Vaughn
when he was hired to seduce me.”

I choke on my water. “Seriously?” I
splutter. “OK, then maybe not.”

Keely laughs. “It’s unconventional, I know.
But what about you and Cam? I didn’t realize you were so
close.”

I feel my cheeks flush. “Umm... we ran into
each other at a club, a little while ago.”

Keely frowns. “I didn’t think Cam was the
clubbing type.”

“Not that kind of club,” Justine speaks up.
She winks at me. Keely’s eyes widen.

“Oh. OK!”

I’m embarrassed, but they don’t seem
ruffled. “Ash and I went to the Underground a couple of times,”
Justine says casually. “It’s a fun spot.”

I should have guessed. Justine seems pretty
wild and up for anything.

“So, you’re dating then?” Keely presses
me.

“I… guess so. He sort of insisted I move in
with him,” I admit.

“He does like to get what he wants,” Keely
agrees. “Well, good for you. He’s one of the best guys I know.”

“He is.” I nod. “Better than anyone.”

As if his ears are burning, my phone lights
up with a text.

Hope you’re having fun. I have plans for us
tonight…

I can’t hide my smile.

“Let me guess, the man himself,” Keely says
knowingly.

I give a happy little shrug and text him
back.

You were right, I’m having a great time.

He replies immediately
. I’ll be home at
7. Wear the outfit on the bed, and wait for me there.

Just reading Cam’s sexy text makes my body
tighten in anticipation.

“You’re blushing!” Keely teases me. I blush
harder, and put my phone away.

“Don’t worry, Vaughn is the king of the
filthy text,” Justine informs me. “Keely’s forever excusing herself
to go talk dirty in the bathroom.”

“Am not!”

“Well then, you’re missing out,” Justine
says smugly. “Ash has quite the way with words.”

As they taunt each other good-naturedly, my
phone buzzes again. My heart leaps, expecting more from Cam. But
when I look at my phone, the text is from Brent.

You’ll get what’s coming to you, bitch.

I delete the message and look up to find
Keely and Justine staring at me expectantly, mirth in their
eyes.

“So, what’d he say? Or do you need to go
visit the ladies’ room?” Keely winks.

I scramble for an answer. “He said…Cam said
lunch is on him,” I bluff, flashing his AmEx with a smile that I
hope doesn’t look as fake as it feels.

As Keely and Justine saytheir thanks, I push
Brent’s text to the back of my mind, but my appetite is gone and I
can’t shake my anxiety for the rest of the meal.

It’s not that I don’t trust Cam to protect
me—I just don’t know if he’ll still want to once he finds out what
I’ve done.

It’s impossible to focus on work with
memories of Isabelle raging in my mind. Work is a tedious
distraction from thoughts of her supple body, opening to me. Her
lips sliding around my cock. Her warm, slick wetness consuming me
whole.

By the time the day is over, I’ve got a
hard-on raging like never before. I let myself into the apartment
and go straight to the bedroom, loosening my tie as I go.

Just as I commanded in my text message,
she’s laying waiting on the bed. Dressed in just a skimpy black
silk negligee, a matching silk blindfold covering her eyes. Ready
to please me, so eager for my touch.

“Cam?” her voice quavers, breathy with
lust.

I watch as she strains to hear a sound from
me, her chest rising and falling faster as her breath quickens in
anticipation. The sun has set, leaving the room dim, save for a low
glow from the lamps.

I’m the one in control here. Just as it
should be.

I move closer, drinking in the sight of her.
I had planned to tie her up, but now it seems a shame to let those
clever hands go to waste.

Not when they can do so many other things
instead.

“You followed my instructions,” I murmur,
when I’m just inches away.

Isabelle jolts, and I see her nipples
tighten. “Yes,” she whispers, her eyes hidden under the blindfold.
“I’ve been waiting for you.”

The power rolls through me. God, she’s so
willing. I knew from the start that she would be a perfect sub, and
now here she is, trusting me completely to give her pleasure—or
whatever I choose.

That trust should be rewarded.

I know what I want from her tonight. Part of
me wonders if she’s ready. I’ll start slow.

I go to the bedside table and open the
drawer, pulling out a slim vibrator and lube I purchased just for
this occasion.

I settle on the bed beside her. Isabelle’s
head twists around, like she’s trying to get her bearings.

“Shh,” I murmur, gently peeling the straps
from her shoulders. “You don’t need to do anything tonight but
relax. Relax, and feel.”

Isabelle exhales. I lay her gently on the
pillows, sliding the negligee down her body until she’s naked,
wearing only the blindfold. I skim her body with kisses as I go,
until she’s squirming in my hands.

“You taste so sweet,” I whisper, dropping
kisses on her stomach, her hips, her thighs. “I’ve been fantasizing
about licking you all day. Now spread those gorgeous legs.”

She obeys, and gasps as my tongue finds her
sweet, wet pussy.

Mmmm.

I lap her hungrily, gripping her calves in
my hands and forcing them up, baring her to me completely. I suckle
at her clit, loving the way her body shudders and clenches around
me.

“Cam!” she gasps, throwing her head back.
She grips the covers in her fists, and I spear my tongue deep into
her tight cunt. “Oh my God!”

I return to her clit, swirling over the
tender swell until she’s whimpering with the measured pressure of
my tongue, my thumb, a nip from my teeth. Then I dip my fingers in
her juices, teasing her by slipping just inside before
withdrawing.

“More, please,” she moans. I moan against
her pussy.

“Soon.”

When she’s writhing and panting for me, I
push her hips higher and trail my slick fingers down. I rub them
gently around her tight, puckered asshole, and feel Isabelle
flinch.