Free Camellia by Cari Z. Page A

anyone, and she had never been afraid to throw down with her brothers if she felt backed into a corner. Danny was strong and self-reliant and confident, and she didn't need to submit to feel good about herself. Hell, she might not want to do it at all if it weren't Lucy who was asking for it; Lucy who seemed to be reason enough for Danny to try something new. She could do this, with Lucy. For Lucy. Danny didn't take the ribbon, but she did bend her head forward a little. A moment later, Lucy's hands slipped around Danny's neck, and she tied the smooth white ribbon with a tiny bow at the back, just tight enough so that it didn't slip.
    "Perfect. Let's head downstairs."
    "Sure." Danny pulled on the velveteen boots which, as promised, were a great fit, then followed Lucy out the door.
    Maybe there was still a part of Danny that rankled at the idea of belonging to another person, but as they entered the lobby and the stares of both men and women alike followed them, she was glad that Lucy had declared Danny to be hers in front of all these people. It made Danny feel far less intimidated by the beefy guy in leather that they passed. She even added a little confident sway to her hips, knowing that Lucy would probably appreciate it as much as everyone else.
    Compared to some of the people here, Danny's outfit was downright tame, but she felt fantastic in it. She felt sexy and powerful, like she'd just taken a shot of whiskey, walked up to the hottest girl at the bar, and asked her for a dance. Only the hottest girl at this bar happened to be Lucy, and she'd likely eat Danny alive .
    Oh, that wasn't a good thought , especially while Lucy was dressed like that and holding the crop in her hands. Danny licked her lips, thinking about the feel of that soft leather against her again.
    "By the way, while we're working, I prefer to call you Danielle," Lucy said as she moved ahead and through the door to a room marked Ballroom A.
    God, Lucy's ass looked like perfection in that skirt. "Uh-huh. Sure."
    Danny looked up as they entered the ballroom, then immediately looked back down. Damn, she had to be blushing now. She should have kept her eyes on Lucy's ass. The people here were … well, Danny hadn't known what to expect, but there were a lot of people here, and they were all over the map when it came to dressing for the convention. There were people in latex, others in leather, some in street clothes, some wearing little more than underwear with tape over their nipples, and one woman walking around with words written all over her mostly naked body. Danny could see that they were phrases, but from her distance from the woman she couldn't read any of them.
    "Does that woman interest you?" Lucy asked, her words a little clipped as she followed Danny's gaze.
    Danny quickly shook her head. "Not really, just … I mean, what's going on with her?"
    "If I had to guess, I would say that she's a toy."
    Frowning, Danny shook her head. "This is like the slave thing, isn't it? How can a person be made into a toy?"
    The crop twirled in Lucy's hand as she spoke and led them along past the people that were setting up their booths. "Toys are people who simply enjoy being used. Their lives are supremely uncomplicated, and though it's the lowest layer of the scene I'm acquainted with, in many ways it's the highest level of submission, because a toy accepts that none of their needs will likely be met. They exist solely for the use and pleasure of whoever they belong to at the time. No name, no feelings, no wants or desires of their own. A perfect sexual object."
    Danny shuddered. There were so many ways in which that was not okay to her. "Have you ever been with someone like that?" The question was likely too personal, but Danny found herself unable to stop the words from coming out of her mouth. She was curious, not just because that was natural for her, but also because she wanted to know what Lucy liked, what she wanted. Lucy was one sexy-as-hell enigma, and