Being Hers (Irresistibly Bound, #1)

by Anna Stone

“He tried to impress me with his name and his job. And he had some rather vulgar words for me. I told him my name, and that he should pray that we never cross paths out in the corporate world, because after speaking to me like that, I would make sure that no one does business with him again.”

Owner, I'm calling it now.

“And I’ve seen the way you look at me.”

“Which do you prefer? Being in control? Or giving it to someone else?” She began to tap the whip against her palm. “Being in control means having all the power. But it also means responsibility. Giving up control means you get to let go completely. But it requires you to place yourself in someone else’s hands. To trust them. It can be terrifying.” She stilled the crop in her hands. “And it can be exhilarating.”

“I’ve said before that I’m good at reading people. And I think I know the role you’d like to play. I know your type, Melanie. Ambitious. Driven. Always striving for perfection. Never allowing the slightest lapse in self-control. It must be exhausting.” Vanessa ran her fingers along the shaft of the crop. “Don’t you ever want to just let go of all your problems and let someone else take the reins?”

“I’ve wanted you since the first night I saw you in my club. And I always get what I want.”

“If I’m going to give you what you crave, you will have to give me something in return,” Vanessa said. “Complete and utter surrender. You will submit to me. You will obey me. You will belong to me in every sense of the word. Do you understand?”

“What do you get out of this? Out of having someone submit to you?” Vanessa looked out through the glass. “I’ve said it before. We’re alike, you and I. Hard working, ambitious, obsessed with control and self-discipline. It can be consuming. We both want a temporary escape from all of that. It simply manifests in us in different ways.” Vanessa looked back at Mel. “You want to give up control, to lose yourself in a way that you would never allow yourself to out in the real world. Me? I want control in its purest, most absolute form. What I do gives me complete power over another person in the most intimate of ways. I become her Master, her whole world. Her everything.”

“That’s right. You belong to me now. And I don’t like to share. Which means no one but me is allowed to touch you. Not even yourself. The only release that you’re going to get is at my hands. Do you understand?”

“Do you know why so many people find the combination of pain and pleasure so irresistible?” “No, Vanessa.” “It’s because pain is a stimulant. Just like a drug, it puts your nervous system on high alert, and makes your body hypersensitive in the best possible way.”

“That, Melanie, was subspace.” Vanessa rolled over to face Mel. “It’s a natural high, a rush of adrenaline and endorphins triggered by all the sensations that your body was experiencing. At least, that’s the physical side. There’s far more to subspace than that. Or so I’m told.”

“You don’t need to thank me,” Vanessa said quietly. “I would do anything to keep you from hurting.”

“Hey, Mel.” He held out his hand. “Wanna dance?” Mel grinned at Ben. “Sure, why not?” “Whoa, seriously?” James said. “I’ve been trying to get you to dance this whole time, and Ben asks you once and you say yes? I’m crushed, Mel.” Ben sighed. “Should we take him with us?” “Probably. Come on.” Mel grabbed James’s arm and pulled him onto the dance floor.

“You would never allow that, would you? You should know, you’re the first woman who hasn’t simply let me do whatever the hell I want with you. Outside the bedroom, that is.” Vanessa lowered her voice. “You have no idea how infuriating it is. It only makes me want you even more.”

A slender, androgynous looking woman stood next to them. She had delicate, high cheekbones and short blonde hair, and wore a suit that was perfectly tailored to her modest curves. The young woman possessed an air of cool confidence that Mel immediately knew drove every queer woman she came across wild.

Yes, yes it does. She happens ro be my exact type it seems.

“You really don’t see it, do you?” Vanessa reached out and stroked Mel’s hair. “I’ve been under your spell since that night I took you into my room at The Lounge. When you sat down on my couch, indignant that I’d helped you. I was telling the truth when I said I believed you could have handled it yourself. But I wanted to rescue you. I barely knew you, but I wanted to be the one to save you from hurt.” Mel’s heart fluttered. “All these things I do, all the lengths I go to. It’s all to please you.” She pushed Mel’s hair behind her ear. Her hand lingered on Mel’s cheek. “You have far more power over me than you know. I’m yours as much as you are mine.”

“If you walk out that door, it’s over. You’ll never be able to find anyone who loves you like I do.” Kim’s words hit Mel hard. But she held firm. Mel stormed out the door and slammed it behind her.

Vanessa hadn’t told Mel what this elaborate scene she had planned involved. Keeping Mel in the dark was all part of Vanessa’s game. And Mel couldn’t deny how much the suspense thrilled her. But Mel couldn’t help but notice the timing of Vanessa’s shift in mood. Did Vanessa only need Mel to satisfy her need for control? Mel could think of someone else who only needed her for sex. Kim.

Why do I think this is the night she'll use her safe word?

“Do you have any idea what it’s like to live with that sort of guilt?”

had been two weeks since that fight with Vanessa. Two weeks, and Mel hadn’t heard a thing from her. That was long enough for Mel to know that things between the two of them were damaged beyond repair. Mel didn’t even want to repair them. Not after the way Vanessa had treated her. Mel knew she wasn’t innocent in all of this. But Vanessa? She had kicked Mel to the curb, then had disappeared.

Mel should have known that it was all too good to be true. She was done. She’d gotten this far in life on her own. She didn’t need anyone else.

Every time she got close to anyone, she would wonder: do they actually love me? Will they just leave me like everyone else? Is this what I deserve?

Mel turning her back on Vanessa after she’d poured her heart out was the final nail in the coffin. It was too late to fix things. And clearly, she was too broken to be in a relationship. Vanessa was better off without her.