Finding Herself(Surrender, Part 1)(22)

Emily smiled. He would be picking her up soon, and they’d go out – maybe for dinner? She imagined the two of them sitting at a fancy restaurant, sipping on red wine and sharing funny stories.

How long did she have to get ready? She pulled back her hair, and applied her makeup, making her lips ruby red and her eyes slightly smoky. She smiled back at her reflection – she looked glamorous and dangerous, and she couldn’t wait for the night’s adventure to begin.

Once her makeup was perfect, Emily slipped off her clothes and shimmied into her new dress. It fell almost to her knees, and was quite demure from the waist down. Above the waist, however, a lot of her décolletage was visible, and her sore, hard nipples poked through the thin fabric.

Despite her elegant makeup and gorgeous dress, her breasts stole the show. Emily imagined going out in public like this, and felt shy and desperate to cover up. She grabbed the Hermes scarf and draped it over her shoulders, hiding her nipples and much of her cleavage. Nate had said not to wear anything underneath – he hadn’t said anything about wearing something on top.

Just before nine, Nate texted her. The car’s downstairs. Aaron knows where to go.

Looking forward to dinner and dessert, Emily stepped out of her room.

Isabel was watching TV in the lounge, and when she saw Emily she switched it off. “Where are you going?” And then her eyes narrowed. “Are you kidding me, is that a Hermes scarf?”

Her voice reeked of exasperation, and Emily hated to lie to her. “Um, I don’t think so,” she said, fingering the scarf nervously.

Isabel shook her head. “No way. No friggin’ way. Some rich guy’s giving you Hermes scarves to sleep with him?”

“That’s not what’s going on.”

“Oh really? Then what is? Where else are you going, looking like a hooker dressed for church?”

Emily felt her face flame up. “I don’t have to defend myself to you.”

“No, you don’t. I’m just worried about you. I told your mom I’d keep an eye on you, and I feel like I’m failing.”

Isabel stared at her, and Emily shook her head. “I’m fine. I don’t have time for this.”

She stepped out and closed the door behind herself.

***

The car sped through the streets of New York, and Emily asked Aaron where they were going, but he merely shook his head and kept driving. Within a few minutes, they were in the financial district, and Aaron parked the car. “We’re here,” he said.

Emily stepped out, and Aaron drove off immediately.

She looked around and wrapped her arms around herself. Where was Nate taking her? She noticed a young man walking down the other side of the street, his arms around two skimpily dressed women. She turned and looked the other way, and saw a group of slightly drunk women tottering down the street, turning the corner and disappearing. Emily felt lonely and slightly cold.

She was just about to call Nate, when he appeared at her side. Emily smiled with relief, but Nate looked serious and led her into the nearest building. They took the elevator up, stepped out and went down a corridor. Nate opened a narrow door, and Emily stepped in.

Her eyes widened. She was inside the most beautiful apartment – the floors were white marble, and there were large windows and cream colored furniture. The whole place was done in a stylish, minimalistic design, and there was an open-plan kitchen and dining area at one end of the room, and two side-by-side doors at the other end.

And then her heart dropped, and she realized she’d been looking forward to a proper date – a night out on the town, maybe a fancy dinner and some time spent getting to know each other. Instead, Nate had brought her back to his place. This wasn’t what she wanted.

“Let me give you the tour,” Nate said, and opened a door. “This is my bedroom. That door leads to the walk-in-closet and that door leads to the bathroom.”

The bedroom was done in shades of white and cream, and looked perfectly tidy and immaculate. Nate closed the door and then opened the other door. “Come in,” he said, and Emily followed him inside.

Like the rest of the place, this room was gleaming white – white walls, white marble floors, and a couple of mirrors that reflected the soft light thrown by the overhead chandelier. Instead of the extra bedroom or study that she’d expected, this room was furnished with strange wooden and leather furniture. There was a bench, and a couple of bars and strange apparatus.

“What is this?” she asked.

“It’s my playroom.”

Nate waited for Emily to understand what he meant, but she continued to look confused. Exasperated, he pointed to one of the strange metal things. “That’s a St. Andrew’s cross, convenient for disciplining.” He pointed to the bench. “That’s a spanking bench, you’ll be bent over and positioned just right for a punishment.”