Part II (10 page)

“What was that?” Scott asked.

Mariana cleared her throat. “Total Power Exchange.” She said loud enough for Scott and surrounding patrons to hear. “That’s what you’re doing.”

“My girl has already studied,” Scott was proud like a father would be when their child takes their first steps. He sipped his wine. “Do you have a problem with that?”

“I don’t have a problem with it because I know everything you’re doing is for the sake of me becoming a better person. I’m just wondering what you’re going to do when I don’t need you anymore.” Mariana shot back.

“Need me?” Scott asked.

“Yes,
need
you. What are you going to do, Mr. Dominant Wealthy Executive, when I won’t
need
you anymore?” Mariana asked.

“I’m not doing this because you
need
me. I’m doing this because you
want
me to. Let’s face it, Mari, you never had anyone put you in check and for once, someone is doing just that. You like I’m keeping tabs on you. You like how I’m dominating you. You like I’m giving you opportunities no else have. You like,” Scott smirked, “how I’m fucking you.”

Mariana didn’t want to admit Scott was right. He knew her too well. “You sound like you own me.” She hoped Scott was over this slave bullshit.

“I own parts of you, yes,” Scott paused, “just like you own parts of me.”

Mariana didn’t guess or wonder what Scott was implying. She only wished he just came out and said it.
Heart, body, and soul.
“Why are you so difficult?”

Scott let out a small sigh. The answer was relatively easy. It wasn’t the time or the place to dive into detail. “You want to learn more about the
Lifestyle,
there you go.”

“No, this is not about the
Lifestyle
.” She shook her head. “Why are you –
you
– so difficult?”

“How am I difficult?” Scott was nonchalant.

“I ask you what our status is, you reply with ‘lovers.’ I tell you I’m not your slave, you reply with ‘I own parts of you.’” Mariana remembered what B. said earlier.
If mystery man was your boyfriend, you wouldn't be flirting with me.
“You are difficult.”

“We went over this.” He replied.

“I can understand why you act that way at work. I don’t understand why you act like that at home.” Mariana questioned. “What do you get out of being an asshole?”

“That’s five dollars.”

Mariana flicked her hand in the air. “Start a tab.”

“When you’re an asshole, there’s no mistake on what people expect of you. They know what you are and what you’re capable of. It’s when you’re nice, people take advantage of it.” Scott warned. It was a mistake he would never make again.

“Just curious,” Mariana sipped her wine, “have you ever thought that maybe being an asshole is a sign of weakness?”

It was that moment Scott knew he was in love with Mariana. However, it was too soon to show it. “That’s six dollars.”

Chapter Twelve

If there was one thing Sarah could count on, it was the fact Mariana knew how to keep a secret.

They went back as far as high school and were practically joined at the hip. They both grew up in Highland Hills, a small upper-middle class suburb 30 miles northeast of Los Angeles. Sarah moved to Los Angeles and Mariana soon followed after graduation. They did everything together – shopping, watch movies, and dished about each other's boyfriends. Sarah felt she could tell Mariana everything and there were very few things Sarah didn't know about her best friend.

And the number became even smaller. Mariana was surprisingly quiet about Scott.

Sarah snooped through Mariana's bedroom, hoping to gather some hints about her relationship with Scott. There was nothing. No greeting cards, no love notes. Sarah even tried to find a paddle or a whip because it was clear her roomie was into that kinky shit. No evidence of that, either.

I know she's hiding something.

Just when Sarah was ready to give up, she recognized the bag Scott carried the other day. She peeked inside to see if there were any hints. "What do we have here?" She opened the bag more. Staring back at her was a small Tiffany & Co. box and the signature Louboutins box. "Fancy." She searched more inside the bag to see if there was anything else and found only the satin wrap. It was slightly dirty with evidence of Mariana's mascara. "Um, okay…"

"Woman, what the hell are you doing?" Sarah's boyfriend, Eric Whitmore, stood at the doorway. He was tall and muscular Brother with a chiseled face. He looked like a model in the various pages of Vogue than an athlete on the court.  Eric was a star basketball player at the university.  There had been whispers he was going to the NBA since he was a sophomore but he decided to finish his studies first like his role model, Michael Jordan.

"I'm being nosey. Duh." Sarah opened the box with the shoes inside. "These are so nice! Why don't you buy me some Louboutins?"

"Sure, I'll do that," Eric walked inside Mariana's bedroom. "Just give me a Louboutins-worthy blow job and I'll buy out the whole damn store."

Sarah closed the box. "You're not funny."

Eric shook his head."I'm not joking. Now, for real, what are you looking for?"

"I saw Scott slapping Mari's ass the other day."

"So?" Eric shrugged. "They're into that kinky shit."

"She was calling him
Master.
" Sarah was sure of what she heard and saw.

"So they're into that slavery shit." He shrugged again. "Where are you getting at?"

"Something's not right with their relationship," Sarah looked around Mariana's bedroom, "I just feel something's not right with it."

"Whatever, woman. Mari's finally getting some and you're mad. Let the girl be happy."

"I'm not mad." Sarah defended. "I'm concerned."

"Your girl is getting laid and she's keeping it a secret. Big effin' deal."

Sarah sighed. "I think she's being abused. She came home with a strange bruise the other night and when I asked her about it, she said she bumped into something."

"You know how clumsy the girl is!" Eric laughed. "She probably did bump into some shit."

"Mari being this secretive isn't like her," Sarah had a genuine concern. "I just don't feel right about what's going on."

"Look, just ask her what's happening." Eric thought it was interesting he had to defend Mariana to her best friend. "She'll explain."

"And if she doesn't?"

"Then don't worry about it." Eric was exasperated. "Only women, I swear."

Sarah folded her arms. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"It means only women are concerned about this shit." Eric removed the box from Sarah and put it back into the bag. He dragged her out of Mariana's bedroom. "You will never see a brotha catchin' feelings about why one his homies didn't talk about the ass he got the other night."

“I think there is something more to their relationship, Eric,” Sarah defended. “I really do believe he’s hitting her.”

Eric sighed. “If you honestly believe that, just ask her. I personally don’t think that’s what’s going on but whatever.” A light came on in Eric’s mind. “Say, how would you know what they were doing anyway? Were you spying on them or something?”

Sarah was doing more than spying on Scott and Mariana; she was a voyeur to their relationship. Scott domineering Mariana also brought out the hidden freak inside Sarah. She secretly wanted Eric to do something similar to her but was afraid he would consider her weird and they were both very conservative in their sex life.

It didn’t stop Sarah from fantasizing, though. Years ago, Sarah had a bad experience with an ex-boyfriend. They were doing experimentation with BDSM and one evening he went too far. He ended up choking Sarah during a sex act and she went unconscious. The next morning, she woke up in a hospital bed. She completely swore off any kinky sex acts and turned her life over to Jesus.

Still, the kink inside her wanted to come out and play. She wanted to get spanked. She wanted Eric to pull her hair. She wanted to get flogged. She wanted to be
submissive
and Scott was the perfect candidate to be her
Dom.
“I wasn’t spying!” She lied. “I heard them. They were loud.”

****

“So fellas, what do you think about this fall’s interns? An exciting bunch we have, huh?” Richard poured out some whiskey for his executive team.

"I have to say, Ice, you really outdid yourself this time." Michael took out a box of cigars and placed them on the coffee table. "We have a strong set of students. I see a lot of potential with all of them."

"Thank you, Mike," Scott was particularly happy on the weekly reports regarding Mariana. She had proven to be one of the best interns the company had ever seen. She was pro-active in contacting the clients, setting up meetings, and presenting ideas during brainstorming sessions. She was professional and courteous at all times, despite the stress of the business. He took a risk on hiring her and it paid off. “I’m glad you approve.”

“Oh, don’t we!” Richard chuckled as he lit a Cuban. “I’ve had my eye on Tawny the moment she stepped foot inside here. Man, what a piece of ass she is.”

“Tawny? Nah, you’re thinking Jennifer. I would totally bone her.” Michael commented.

Scott rolled his eyes as he listened to the banter between the co-chairs. He never participated in the foolishness. He had his own issues with females outside of work. The last thing he needed was a scorned stalker at his place of business.

Every fall, both men took bets who would fuck the latest crop of interns first. It was a game Scott was all too familiar with: they would pick a girl, court her, take her out to fancy dinners and pay extra attention to her ideas at work.

Then when the moment was right and they were alone, the chairman would proposition the girl and one thing would lead to another. The girl would be flat on her back on the conference room table with the chairman huffing and puffing over her. Depending on how good she was in bed, she got a position at the company. If she was bad, she was recommended to their competitors.

 “Oh, Jennifer is a nice one,” Richard nodded. “She has a nice little body on her. She seems loose, though.”

“Good. It’ll be easier for me to fuck her!” Michael erupted into a boisterous laugh.

“What about that other one? The Black one? What’s her name?” Richard asked.

“Mariana,” Scott suddenly became interested in the co-chairs game.

“Oh yeah, Mariana,” Michael nodded in agreement as he took a toke of his cigar. “She’s a hot little one.”

It was a feeling inside Scott he was not used to – possessiveness. Mariana was attractive enough to warrant glances and stares from other men. But she was
his
and the Golf Boys were eager to get their wrinkled, old dicks in her. “Alright, so what’s the status on that Pepsi account?” He attempted to change the subject.

“Have you seen her ass?” Richard commented. “I bounce a quarter off that shit!”

“Hey, let’s make a bet on who’s gonna score first!” Michael added.

“Shit, you honestly think you’re going to get the Black one?” Richard scoffed.

The Black one has a name.
Scott thought quickly. “I got her.”

Richard and Michael looked at each other in amazement. “Oh?”  Richard asked. “You're going to fuck her?”

“I’ll take care of her,” Scott replied. “You two can fight over the other ones.”

“Fair enough,” Richard shrugged. “You gotta tell me how she’s like in bed. I bet she’s amazing.”

She is and you’ll never know it.
“I’m sure she is.”

Chapter Thirteen

It was moments like this one that made Mariana realize how social-economically different her and Scott were. She stared at her Playboy duffel bag and wondered why she ever got it to begin with. The bag didn't cost very much, maybe $30. Scott had a small collection of Louis Vuitton luggage in his arsenal and there she was, with a neon pink Playboy bunny staring back at her. She hoped she had another bag stashed somewhere in her closet but it was only the Playboy duffel.
Yeah, this is not weird at all.