Page 20 of Petting Penelope
The enby looked a little guilty and pressed a hurried kiss to their partner’s cheek. “Love you!”
“Si, si,” said Guilia. She didn’t actually look cross though, and Rachel smiled to see their easy affection for each other.
“I have tried to persuade Riley to come over with Wendy and visit the Ranch,” said Bex, “but she always says that it feels weird visiting someone else’s club. But the Ranch is much more than that.”
“It certainly feels that way,” said Penny.
CHAPTER 17
Penelope
It had been so long since Penelope had seen Bex that it was lovely to catch up with her. It was almost enough to distract from her clit which was throbbing insistently between her legs.
Faith seemed really lovely, even if she was quite quiet in comparison to the other subs and Littles sitting at the table, and Penny really appreciated that she’d checked in on Rachel.
Her Domme actually seemed a little awkward, and Penelope realized that she hadn’t actually seen Rachel do a huge amount of socializing outside of the club. Most of the time she was in Domme mode, and now she seemed slightly lost, as if not entirely sure how to navigate all these new people.
She slipped her hand into Rachel’s under the table and squeezed. Rachel squeezed back, and Penny was reassured that her Domme was okay.
For herself, it was quite novel to be able to be openly kinky, especially in front of people she didn’t know very well. Other than Bex, no one really knew her history, and so no one looked at her with pity, or looked like they were in over-protective mode. As much as she appreciated everyone back in London, and especially Moira, it was nice to feel freed from her past.
Her cow ears didn’t even make her feel all that self-conscious. She was still wearing her collar, a reminder of what Rachel had promised would happen later, the weight of it a comforting presence around her neck.
So Penelope ate her pasta and let herself be comforted by the friendliness of the people they sat with. Feeling part of a community, invited to sit at the table, was something that she had missed outside of the club.
She usually worked, went to the club and played, and then went home. That was her routine, day in and day out. And she was bored of it. She wanted more.
She needed more.
After lunch, Mandi and Amelia had to go back to work, and it looked like Tay and Guilia had plans of another sort.
“Bex and I were going to soak in the communal hot tub before doing a scene in the Dungeon,” said Faith, her soft voice warm. “Would you guys like to come join us?”
Penelope looked at Rachel eagerly, but her Domme was flagging slightly. “That sounds lovely, but I think we’re going to go and unwind in our room for a little bit.”
When they headed up in the elevator, Rachel slumped against the wall and gave Penny a weary smile. “Thanks, sweetheart. Everyone is really lovely, but I don’t actually spend very much time with people. The company I work for in London allows us all to work from home, so being at the club is most of the socializing I do in a week.”
“I had no idea,” said Penny. And she really hadn’t; Rachel had always seemed very confident.
“It’s different when I’m in Domme mode; then I know what the world expects of me, but ordinary day-to-day conversations sometimes trip me up. I never quite know which version of myself I’m supposed to be.”
“That sounds exhausting,” said Penelope, because it did. Moira was autistic, so she understood the concept of masking, but Penny had never seen someone unmask in front of her before. It was as if whatever strings had been holding Rachel up had been cut, and she was now fighting to keep herself upright.
Penny thought back to their scene. She’d had water and a snack, but Rachel hadn’t. She’d looked after Penny and then gone straight into having lunch with people that she didn’t know.
“Rachel,” she said seriously, deliberately leaving off the honorific. “Are you experiencing top drop on top of the unmasking?”
Rachel stared at her unseeing, and then as the ding of the elevator indicated the opening doors, she blinked suddenly. “Crap, you might be right, Pen.”
“Okay,” said Penelope, suddenly taking charge. She took Rachel’s hand and walked her down the corridor quickly, unlocking their door and ushering Rachel into the suite. “I think you need a nap.”
She ignored the huff of laughter that Rachel emitted and turned a stern look on her Domme.
“It’s fine, I just need some water and then?—”
“Absolutely not,” said Penny. “I mean, yes, you should have some more water, but we are going to get into bed, and you’re going to curl up in my arms and have all the cuddles you so clearly need.”
Any protestations Rachel might have had were swept aside as Penelope pulled her into the bedroom and set to undressing her Domme. Cowboy hat placed carefully on the bedside table; top up and over the top of Rachel’s head. The black lace bra undone and discarded.
