Obediently Ever After

by Measha Stone

  OBEDIENTLY EVER AFTER

  A Girls of the Annex Novella

  MEASHA STONE

  Copyright © 2019 by MEASHA STONE

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Epilogue

  RED

  Also by MEASHA STONE

  Chapter 1

  “Are you sure about tonight?” Celeste dropped her mascara tube into her makeup bag and reached for the eyelash curler sitting on the vanity.

  “For the last time, yes.” Angel got up from the stool, having had enough primping. The longer she stared at herself in the mirror, the more her nerves rattled.

  “It’s just—Angel, you’ve never been to one of these parties. You should at least attend one before you put yourself on the menu.” Celeste took the vacated stool and leaned toward the mirror with her eyelash curler in hand.

  “I know you’re worried, but don’t be. I’m perfectly capable of handling myself. Besides, Jason was assigned to me for the night, and you know how protective he can be. I’ll be fine.” She repeated the last bit in her mind, just to cement the idea. As long as she had Jason, she would be perfectly safe.

  Angel left Celeste to finish her makeup and busied herself with her dress. The stockings were easy enough to slip on and hook to the garters, but the dress she’d chosen for her first party at the Annex had a line of pearl buttons not easily reached.

  “I just don’t understand why you won’t take your time with this. Jumping into a party your first week.” Celeste continued her lecture but stepped behind Angel to help with the buttons.

  Angel looked at her new friend, her apartment roommate at the Annex, through the full-length mirror. “I’m a big girl, Celeste. Besides, I’m only going to sign an evening contract. Nothing overnight and nothing off the grounds.”

  Celeste finished off the row of buttons and sighed. “Okay, just stay close to Jason. You don’t want Daniel finding you wandering around the party without him.” She patted Angel’s ass to indicate what would happen if she was found by Daniel and laughed.

  Angel smiled. If she broke the house rules, Daniel would take her to the office at the end of the hall and punish her. He’d peel off his belt, make her bend over, and he’d spank her bare ass until it was red and sore. Celeste had told her the routine at least a dozen times already, warning Angel to stay within the rules unless she wanted to get her ass busted.

  Her thighs squeezed together at the mental image. Letting out a long breath, she shook her head. She needed to keep focused. Get a contract. Hopefully not with anyone too unseemly; earn time served toward her agreed-upon tenure at the Annex. It wasn’t enough to simply reside there and work waitressing shifts at the clubs. In order to get out of the trouble she’d gotten herself into, she needed to be a full-fledged Annex Girl, and the sooner she got it over with, the better.

  She smoothed her hands down the skirt of her dress and checked the pins in her hair again.

  “Shit. You look like you stepped out of a time warp.” Serena, their third roommate, walked out of the bathroom wearing her towel tucked neatly around her chest.

  “Is it too—bland?” Angel asked looking down at the white dress with large black polka dots. She smoothed her hands over the soft material. It was one of her favorite dresses; she hoped it would do for the evening.

  “Hell no, it’s hot. Got that fifties housewife vibe going for you. Some of these guys love that shit,” Serena said.

  “You’re not ready,” Celeste said to Serena.

  “I’m not on the menu tonight,” she explained, unwrapping the towel from her hair. “I’m working a late shift at Sampson’s. My ass hurts from my session yesterday, so I asked Daniel to switch me for the night.”

  “Mr. Jones too much for you?” Celeste joked with a smile. Angel didn’t know who Mr. Jones was, but he sounded harsher than she would want to take on. She’d only come into employ a week before and had worked a few waitressing shifts at the Titon nightclubs, so she hadn’t met any of the Annex clients yet.

  “It shouldn’t be legal to use a cane that well and look so fucking hot while he’s doing it.” Serena laughed and headed toward her bedroom.

  “She was caned?” Angel tried to keep her surprise out of her question and sound more casual. She was supposed to have some experience with impact play, so she couldn’t seem so naive.

  Celeste gave her a wry smile. “I’m really not sure about you going tonight.”

  “I got the okay from Daniel. There’s no reason for you to be so motherly over it.” Angel put her hands on her hips. “Besides. I get to have a say about what goes in that contract. It’s perfectly safe. I’ll rule out the things I’m not comfortable with and only take what I want.”

  Celeste stared at her silently for a long moment. “Peter never would have let you work tonight. Daniel doesn’t understand how inexperienced you are.”

  “I’m not inexperienced. It’s just been a while.” Angel slipped her feet into the black satin pumps she’d put aside for the evening.

  “How long is a while?” Celeste asked, sounding as though she already suspected the truth.

  “We need to get going. Are you ready?” Angel tapped the slender watch on her wrist.

  Celeste shook her head with disapproval but, thankfully, got moving. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

  Jason startled her when she opened the door to see him standing there.

  “I knocked,” he said by way of apology.

  “We were in the living room; I didn’t hear you,” she answered. “Celeste, are you coming?” she called over her shoulder.

  “David will be up to get her,” Jason explained and gestured for her to get moving. “She needs to wait for him.”

  “Right.” Angel nodded. “I forgot.” She closed the door and started down the hall to the elevator that would take them to the first floor. The parties at the Annex took place in the main ballroom.

  “Were you on your way downstairs without me?” Jason asked once the doors closed and the elevator started to move.

  “I figured I’d meet you down there.” She kept her eyes on the lighted numbers. Seven, six, five…

  “So, you were going down alone?” He was fishing for something, but she was concentrating on the passing floors too deeply to think about it.

  Four, three, two…

  “Yes. I just said I figured I’d meet you down here,” she said.

  One. Ding!

  She let out a breath and stepped off the elevator as soon as the doors opened. Jason grabbed her arm gently to stop her from walking off.

  “You can’t come down here unescorted on a party night. You know that,” he chastised.

  She pulled away from him. “Oh. Right. Yes. I’m sorry. I just forgot.”

  He looked her over with a narrowed expression. “This is your first party, so stay close to me. Do not wander away, for any reason, do you understand? You can’t forget that rule.”

  “I won’t. I promise.” She nodded and fiddled with her watch, twirling it around her wrist. “But, if I’m attached to you, how will anyone else meet me?” she asked as Jason led her down the hall to the entrance of the ballroom.

  The party guests would be enter
ing through another door toward the front of the Annex. She wouldn’t see any of them until they were inside the ballroom.

  “I’ll be off to the side at all times, watching. But you can’t just walk off.” Jason rested his hand on the ballroom door. “I know you went through the rules with Daniel and again this morning at the meeting, but do you have any questions? Does anything not make sense?”

  “No, it all makes sense,” she said. Perfect sense. She was going to walk into the ballroom filled with men who wanted to purchase a woman for the evening or longer. And they would discuss what sort of sexual things she’d be willing to do with them for a fee.

  Her stomach swirled, but she remembered why she was there. What was at stake.

  “I’m good. We can go in,” she said with a firm nod.

  Jason gave her a slow appraisal. “You look beautiful tonight by the way.” And before the blush finished blooming on her cheeks, the door opened, and she walked inside.

  Chapter 2

  Damien swirled the ice in his glass, trying to pay attention to the arrogant prick in front of him who blathered on about his latest conquest with an Annex girl.

  Some conquest. He’d paid her to let him bind her in all sorts of uncomfortable positions while he fucked her. Damien wondered if the poor girl had received any pleasure at all from the encounter. After enduring the one-sided conversation, Damien doubted it.

  “Jackson, Penelope just walked in,” Daniel interrupted and effectively shooed away the annoying fly.

  “He’s an ass.” Daniel grinned.

  “I got that impression,” Damien said.

  “But he’s an extremely rich ass,” Daniel sighed. “Anyway. I’m glad you made it tonight.”

  “Yeah. Me, too.” Damien nodded. He wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth or not. When he’d received the invitation to attend, he’d been curious. Hunter, a longtime friend and boss, had found his wife at one of these parties, so it couldn’t be too bad. But after reading through the “menu,” he wasn’t so sure it was for him.

  The patrons were looking for darker things than he enjoyed. Binding a woman to a pole and whipping her, though arousing to watch, didn’t do much for him in the act.

  But sitting at home on a Saturday night alone didn’t sound appealing, either. Now that Hunter was busy with his wife, and they’d stepped further away from the Janson family business dealings, he found himself with less to do on his off-hours.

  “Peter’s usually here to monitor, but he’s out—well, I guess you knew that,” Daniel said.

  “Yes. He and my sister are away for a while.” Damien took a sip of his drink. His younger sister had married Peter Titon a short time ago. He tried not to envision her having walked the halls of the Annex. Even knowing she’d never been one of the girls, he still didn’t like the idea.

  Damien scanned the room, focusing on the evening and not things he could change from the past. More women had arrived, escorted by those he’d been told were their handlers. Men watching over them to be sure none of the clientele were unsavory or too handsy with the women.

  “Right.” Daniel cleared his throat. “Ash just finished his announcements before you arrived. He went a little early tonight, not waiting for all the girls to get here, but, anyway, so you can just mingle.”

  “And shop?” Damien couldn’t help but add.

  Daniel laughed. “Yeah, that, too.” Daniel strained his neck, looking around the room. “I need to deal with something.” He walked off into the growing crowd before Damien could acknowledge he’d spoken.

  He finished the last of his drink and headed to the bar to get another. He’d arrived only a short time before the women started entering, but he didn’t think he’d be staying longer than one more old-fashioned.

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t think that would work. But I believe Celeste is here or will be shortly. She’s very much interested in shibari ropes.” A soft voice caught his attention as he approached the bar.

  “Another old-fashioned?” The bartender asked.

  “Uh, yes.” Damien put his empty glass down and turned toward the voice.

  Holy hell.

  She was like something out of a 1952 home and gardens magazine. Her dark-brown hair was pinned up in a tight roll with pearl-ended pins. A little too much makeup for his liking, but that dress. The perfect pinup dress. It hugged her delicious curves and accentuated her breasts without being vulgar. Everything about her screamed woman right down to her black pumps.

  Who would want to tie her up in any sort of ropes? This woman was to be draped over a lap, her skirts piled up on her back exposing her round ass, and ready for a spanking.

  His cock stiffened in his slacks just looking at her.

  “Sir?” The bartender’s voice got his attention, and he snagged his drink.

  “Thanks.” He shoved a few bills across the bar and walked toward her.

  “There she is, right over there.” She pointed across the room, but Damien didn’t follow her line of sight. The man she’d been speaking with looked more than a little agitated by being turned down, but, after one glance at the mammoth security guard behind her, he scampered off.

  “Damien.” Daniel cut in front of him just as he was walking up to the woman. “I see you found Angel.” He followed Damien’s gaze.

  Angel.

  Perfect.

  “I was about to say hello. Did you need something?” Damien wanted to be left alone. With her.

  “No but let me introduce you.” He slapped Damien’s back and turned to face her. “Angel. I see you made it on time,” Daniel said with a wink. What the hell did that mean?

  A soft blush covered her features when she regarded him. “Of course, I was.”

  “I want to introduce you to someone. This is Damien.” Daniel stepped aside to let him move closer.

  Her caramel-brown eyes found his, though, while he was trying to remember to breathe, her eyes widened and her face flushed deeper.

  “Damien Simon?” she asked quietly.

  Damien nodded. “Yes, that’s my name. Have we met before?” He would have known. Surely, he wouldn’t have passed her on the street and not stolen her away.

  Daniel made his excuses and slithered off, leaving them alone.

  “A long time ago.” She scratched her neck just below her ear. “We actually went to high school together.”

  High school?

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. You were several grades above me though.” Her smile drooped slightly.

  “What’s your name?” He tried to jog his memory, but she shook her head.

  “We aren’t allowed to give that out,” she explained with a glance at her handler. Damien appreciated the safety precautions Ash and Peter took with the girls in their employ. Even though all customers were vetted, they didn’t take any chances. Each girl was escorted by a handler, who kept them safe and helped them negotiate if needed.

  “Well, then, I suppose I’ll just have to go with your word.” He tried to make a joke, but she didn’t laugh.

  She tilted her head slightly. “I wouldn’t lie about that. Why would someone lie about something so stupid?” A fire built in her eyes.

  “I didn’t mean to imply you were lying.” He dropped his own grin and lowered his voice. He didn’t like her tone but telling her that would probably send her running away. She looked ready to bolt as it was.

  Her lips pinched together and curved into a tight smile.

  “This is my first party,” she blurted out after a stretch of silence passed.

  He narrowed his gaze. “How long have you worked here? For Ashland?”

  Her dark-red lips pressed together again, like she debated whether to tell him the truth or not. Considering how offended she’d seemed over the implication of dishonesty, he wondered why she would consider it now.

  “A week.”

  He hid his surprise by taking a long drink.

  “And before working here?” He was probably pressing the issu
e too hard, but he wanted to know how many men had touched her before he came along.

  “What do you mean?” She narrowed her lids. The black eyelashes framed her beautiful eyes, but he didn’t like the clunk of it. He preferred a fresh face. Pure beauty, and he was sure it lurked there, underneath all that paint.

  “I mean, where did you work before here?” He stepped closer when the crowd in the room shifted, crowding them.

  “Oh.” She nibbled on the lower corner of her mouth. “Uh. I didn’t. I mean, not this sort of work.”

  “So where did you work?” he pushed. She was hiding something. He hated hide-and-seek games, but she didn’t seem to be playing cat and mouse.

  “The library.” The words burst from her mouth with too much force. The deepening of her blush gave her away.

  Now she was lying.

  He leaned down to her ear, his lips a breath away from touching the soft flesh of her neck. “Women that lie end up with very sore, red bottoms. Would you like to answer again?”

  She stepped back as though he’d pinched her, her hand touching the spot on her neck that his breath had caressed.

  “I—uh.” She stumbled over a response.

  He tilted his head, enthralled with her innocent reaction to his words. She was perfect.

  “What sort of contract are you willing to make tonight?” he asked boldly, not needing to finish the previous conversation. They would have that chat in private. With her skirts well above her waist.

  “I—” Her eyes darted around the room. Could she be looking for an escape?

  “If it’s easier, I’ll explain what I want, and you can go from there.” He downed the rest of his drink and placed it on the tray of a server walking between the guests.

  “You want me?” she asked with more surprise than a woman as beautiful as she should harbor. How hadn’t there been a line of suitors waiting for her already?