Page 105 of Bound By Words

Nathan helped me secure the clasp before he kissed my shoulder again, blowing out a breath before he turned to leave. “Be good, sunshine. Don’t let Tal talk you into anything you don’t want.”

As I zipped up my jeans, I heard him talking outside the bedroom with the door cracked open. I quickly tugged on a form fitting blouse and walked to the door.

Talia was sitting on the couch as I walked into the living room, a large handbag on her lap and her phone in her hand. “Do you have a skirt?” she asked without looking up.

“Um, not with me.” My clothing options were limited. She was lucky I wasn’t wearing plain black leggings as I had been for the last week.

“Here,” she reached into her purse, tossing me a solid black maxi-length skirt. “Change into that.”

“Are the jeans not alright for where we’re going?”

“Not if you want to be comfortable after,” she smiled, setting her phone down and shooing me toward the bedroom.

I disappeared back inside, leaving my jeans folded on the dresser as I pulled the skirt on. It was long and flowing, made out of soft cotton.

“What’s the state of things downstairs?” Talia asked from the door, nodding toward my lower half.

“Um…” What?

“Oh, don’t be shy. I’ve seen your O face. I think you can tell me when you waxed last.”

Cringing, I thought back to my last waxing—right before the wedding. It wasn’t looking good down there, not that it’d slowed down Nathan.

“That bad, huh? Don’t worry. We’ll get that remedied for Friday night,” she nodded, turning toward the living room. “Dry your hair, and let’s get going. Emory lent me his car today. Too bad we can’t put the top down since it’s raining again, but it’s fun to drive.”

Two hours and a seventy-dollar waxing that Talia insisted on paying for later, I felt a little bit sore and cold because I was walking around downtown Boston with my panties in my purse. The rain had stopped, but Talia hadn’t, talking continuously as she led me in and out of clothing stores to get an idea of what I liked. We’d left Emory’s sleek black Mercedes convertible in a parking garage, and she’d dragged me toward a clothing store before I could argue about my state of undress.

“Is this dinner going to be formal?” I asked as she held a dark blue mini-dress to my chest, tilting her head to the side.

“You’ll see everything from latex bodysuits to cocktail dresses,” she said in a conversational tone, oblivious to the people around us. “But I know Nathan will want to show you off, so let’s get a conservative yet sexy dress, and then we’ll go find the fun stuff. Most people will have the kinky attire hidden until the play starts.”

“Show me off?” I asked, and she giggled as she cupped my cheek.

“You’ll be fine. He won’t do anything to make you uncomfortable, but some people will notice he’s got a new partner. Nathan refuses to play the politics in the scene, so people are always curious about who’s with him. That was part of why Marisa pursued him; she liked the attention.”

“Is it a bad thing that he’s got a new partner?” I wasn’t sure if I wanted people to notice me at something like this. Observing it from the sidelines sounded like a better idea.

“No, but you’re gorgeous, so they’ll be curious. Most people in our circle know Nathan doesn’t share, but I’m not sure about this Dom’s friends. Don’t worry, though. Emory and Nathan will always make sure you feel safe.”

“Who are they?” I asked with wide eyes.

“Relax, Kelly. I know it’s a little scary, but you’ll do great. You know the phrase ‘fake it until you make it’? Just do that. No one will question it if you walk in there like the confident badass I know you are.”

Scary wasn’t adequate to encompass what this was, but I was trying to relax because I knew Nathan would never take me somewhere that would make me uncomfortable. The fact that he’d been hesitant and left the decision up to me spoke volumes.

“Alright, I think this one will do,” she told me as she headed toward the cash register with a dark blue cocktail dress that would hit just above my knees. The fabric was satiny and shimmered when I moved, but it was far from scandalous. “Then I’m taking you to find something to wear underneath that’ll blow Nathan’s mind.”

My pulse pounded at the implications of her statement, but she knew more about this than I ever would, so I followed her lead.

KELLY

Boston

“This one?” Talia asked as she held up another hanger with tiny leather straps hanging from it.

“I don’t even know how to put that on,” I laughed as she pushed my shoulder lightly to turn toward the dressing rooms. “Is that supposed to cover me? It doesn’t look like it’s going to cover much.”

“That’s the point, and exactly why I’m here. I’ll help you figure it out.” She smiled, wiggling her eyebrows. “It’s my duty as your new kinky mentor to encourage you to embrace your inner vixen. That starts with picking out lingerie to bring Nathan to his knees.”

---