Mistress Bonita

by Ellie Norton

  I smiled, and asked Emma, "Katie wants to know if you're willing to go public with our relationship. And she wanted me to warm you that she intends to make me famous."

  She chuckled, "Of course, my love. I'm yours, remember?"

  I grinned squeezing her leg and answering Katie. "She says yes."

  "Wonderful, I will take care of any press questions that pop up. Would you and your girlfriend be available for me to take to brunch tomorrow so you can sign these papers?" She said, getting right back to business.

  I chuckled, turning back to Emma. "Katie invited us to brunch tomorrow. Apparently I have a new contract to go over, and even though she's being too polite to say it, she's dying to meet you." I could hear Katie's laughter through the phone.

  "Sure, Rachel. We don't have any other plans for tomorrow."

  "Katie, it's a date. Would 10am work for you?" I asked my manager.

  "Perfect, see you then, Rachel." She said and hung up.

  I glanced out the window and saw that we were still about 10 minutes from my apartment. I turned to Emma again. "I'm sorry but do you mind if I make one more phone call? I haven't told Harold yet, and I don't want any distractions once we get back to my place." I said, feeling guilty.

  "Go ahead. I'd rather have your full attention when we get home."

  I smiled, loving that both our places felt like home to both of us. "Thanks," I said and called Harold. He expressed all the appropriate jealousy and pride. And I laughed at his childlike glee when I told him I had gotten him on the guest list for Friday. I hung up as Em was pulling into a parking space.

  "Thanks, Em."

  She smiled, "You're welcome, Rachel. I love you."

  I smiled back, "I love you too."

  The next morning, I hesitated before getting out of the car. I turned and placed my hand on Emma's thigh, preventing her from climbing out of the car. She turned questioning eyes on me. "I just wanted you to know that Katie knows that we got together after Darrin’s party," I told her.

  Her eyebrow lifted. "How much does she know?"

  "Not much, just the nature of the party and that we went home together afterwards. I was really vague on details. But it was implied that we have engaged in at least a little tie-me up play." I said shifting awkwardly.

  "Alright, thanks for the warning. But why did you think I needed it?" She asked.

  I met her eyes, wanting her to see the truth in my eyes, "Because I wanted you to know that you can tell her the truth about your job if you want to. I didn't want you to think you had to lie for my sake."

  Her eyes softened and she smiled at me. "Thank you. You do know that if I tell her, she will draw her own conclusions about what we do behind closed doors."

  I blushed, "I know, but I don't care."

  Emma reached out to cup my cheek in her hand. "Thank you, Rachel."

  I turned my head so I could kiss her palm. "You're welcome, Em."

  We climbed out of the car and made our way to the table where Katie was waiting. I made the introductions and Katie shook Emma's hand. When we took our chairs, Katie turned to me, "Your girlfriend's lovely."

  I smiled reaching out to take Emma's hand. "Thanks."

  I received smiles from both women. Then Katie said, "Ok, business first, then we can gossip." Emma and I laughed as she pulled out the new contract. "Ok, the basic rundown of the new contract is this: they are offering you more money, more artists to work with and they only want you to DJ one night a week, but they want it to be either Friday or Saturday nights."

  "Wow," was all I could say.

  "That's incredible, Rachel," Emma said, pride evident in her voice.

  Katie gave me a big grin, "Look at the salary, Rachel, and then sign the damn thing."

  I laughed, but when I looked at the new salary being offered the laughter died in my throat as I forgot how to breathe. I looked up at Katie and forced air into my lungs so I could ask, "Seriously?" She nodded and I turned the contract so Emma could see the sum. Her sharp gasp mirrored the shock I was feeling. "But that's too much. They don't even know if Brian's record will be a success, it's a huge change in style from what he's known for."

  "Apparently, they are impressed enough with you that they don't care about that," Katie said smugly.

  "But that's a quarter of a million dollars a year, plus royalties from each song produced," I said stunned.

  Katie laughed, "I know. Should I mention that I'd like to renegotiate my contract with you?"

  Her teasing finally broke through my shock and I rolled my eyes at her. "I'm sure you do. We can talk about that later."

  She laughed again, knowing I'd never agree to pay her more than the standard management fees, and with this new contract she'd be getting a substantial bump in pay from me. I sat back, my mind racing with the new information and the waiter arrived for our drink orders. I took the time to think about the possibilities; the original contract had wanted me DJing on two weeknights. But working on Friday or Saturday nights would affect Emma too. When the waiter left to get our coffee, I turned to her and asked, "How much would the DJing affect you and your job?"

  Her eyes flashed possessively for a moment before she smiled. "I can arrange my schedule accordingly. But thank you for asking. And if there are conflicts, we can discuss them as they come up."

  "Of course, Em. Thank you. Which day would be better for you?" I asked.

  "More events are scheduled on Saturdays," she answered and I nodded.

  When I turned back to Katie I could see the questions she had and I cut her off before she could voice them. "Ok, can you arrange for Fridays to be my usual DJing night, with the caveat that it can be switched if necessary?"

  Katie blinked. "Yes, I can do that."

  I grinned, "Then give me a pen." After I had signed, I added vaguely, "I think Darrin will understand my scheduling stipulation."

  Emma chuckled, but before Katie could ask about it, the waiter returned with our coffee. We gave him our orders and when he left, my manager turned to Emma. "So what do you do for a living?"

  Emma smirked, "I'm a dominatrix and write non-fiction on the lifestyle."

  Katie's jaw dropped. She stared at Emma for a moment, dumbstruck, before turning to me. I grinned and offered, "I told you I spent the weekend with my old college friend after Darrin’s party."

  Katie shut her mouth and I could see the thoughts whirling through her mind. Emma seemed to sense what her biggest concern would be and she did what she could to ease Katie's worries. "The community is very discreet, you don't need to worry about how it will affect Rachel's career."

  Katie's gaze focused intensely on Emma. "How can you be certain?"

  Emma shrugged, not affected by the power play Katie was trying to pull on her. "Have you ever heard any hint of scandal about Darrin? He's well known in the music world."

  "No," Katie answered.

  "Well, he's been very active in the lifestyle for over a decade. So, as I said, Rachel's reputation will be safe." She stated matter-of-factly.

  Katie deflated, "Alright. Is there any chance of you being tied to your writing?"

  Emma chuckled, "No, I publish under my professional name, Mistress Bonita."

  Katie finally smiled. "Ok," she said and turned to me. "I like your girlfriend."

  I laughed. "That's good, because I love her and I intend to keep her." The other two women joined in the laughter, and we spent the rest of the meal discussing more mundane topics.

  On the drive back to my apartment, I was lost in thought. Emma seemed to realize that I need the time to think and seemed content to listen to the music on the radio. When we were safely inside, I looked around the small loft space and came to a decision. I moved over to sit heavily on the couch, Emma following close behind, waiting for me to break the silence. I smiled shyly at her and said, "Can I ask you a question?"

  "Of course. You can ask me anything," she said immediately.

  I took a deep breath to gather my courage. "When I first got th
is job, I was going to look for a nicer apartment, because the salary was big enough that I could finally afford something with more than one room," I started, pausing to see if she was following me. She nodded for me to continue, confusion evident in her eyes. I went on, "Now with this new contract, I can afford a hell of a lot more than that." I hesitated again.

  Emma reached out and took my hand. "It's alright."

  I relaxed at her soft touch. I blew out a breath and asked, "Do you want to keep things as they are between us, or would you like to move in with me?"

  Her grin was instantaneous and lit up the entire room. Before I could respond, I found myself pinned to the couch, with Emma peppering kisses all over my face. "I'd love to move in with you!" She practically yelled between kisses.

  "I know we'd have a lot to work out, logistically," I said voicing my one concern.

  Emma sat up, pulling me into her lap. "I know, but we'll figure it out."

  I finally let myself fully relax and I grinned at her. "I love you, Em."

  She returned the grin and said, "I love you too, more than anything." I pulled her to me and we made love for hours.

  The next morning we went to the bank to secure a home loan. An hour later we left and I was in shock. Emma slung an arm over my shoulder and said, "It's gonna be ok, Rachel."

  "I know, Em. I just can't believe that we just got approved for a $2.5 million dollar loan. Do you have any idea how much money that is?"

  She chuckled, "Yeah."

  "I had no idea you had so much money, I mean I know my new contract helped a lot, but still," I said.

  She shrugged. "My dad is a very driven business man. I've had a trust fund since I was in diapers. Plus, my first book sold really well."

  I laughed, "Alright, let's go talk to a realtor and see what we can find. Do you have any ideas of what we're looking for?"

  We reached the car and Emma climbed behind the wheel before answering. "Well, we need a bedroom, a playroom, a guest room, an office for me and a mixing studio for you. We need privacy so the paparazzi don't hassle us at home when you get famous, and so we can come and go without prying eyes seeing us in our club clothes," she said ticking each item off casually.

  I laughed, "Is that all?"

  "Well, I'd also like a pool, but that'd be a bonus and not a necessity."

  "You think of everything," I said somewhat in awe.

  She chuckled, "Yes, I do."

  A short while later, we met a very energetic realtor named Janice who was eager to help us. We showed her the loan paperwork and told her what we were looking for. She typed away on her computer and said, "I have a few properties that might suit you. Let me see what I can set up." We thanked her and waited while she made phone calls. I have to admit I was shocked when she put the receiver down and announced, "Alright, if you are free today, I've arranged a couple of viewings for this afternoon."

  "Seriously?" I asked.

  She grinned, "Yes."

  I looked over at Emma and she gave me a smile before turning back to Janice. "We're free today."

  "Great well, why don't you two go grab some lunch and we'll meet back here at 1, and I'll show you the properties."

  "Thanks," I said still reeling from the speed at which this was all happening. Emma also thanked her and promised that we'd be back, and then she took my hand and led me out of the office.

  When our feet hit the sidewalk, I turned to her, "Is it just me or is this all happening really fast?"

  She chuckled, "It's happening pretty fast. Are you alright with that?"

  "Yeah, I mean I guess it's good because we won't have time to look while Kristen's here. It's just a little overwhelming."

  "I know what you mean. Come on, let's go eat, you'll feel better with some food in your stomach."

  "Ok," I said and let her lead me into a nearby bistro.

  An hour and a half later, we were climbing into Janice's car. She spent the entire drive talking to us about the various features of the houses she wanted to show us. I tuned her out, wanting to get my own impressions when I saw them. Emma listened intently asking a few questions.

  Neither of us liked the first house, it was too sterile, the bathrooms were tiny and the closet space sucked. But the second house was incredible and it was only a short drive through the hills to reach downtown. The second I walked in, I felt like I had come home. I grinned at Emma and saw the same excitement on her face. As we moved through the house I began to see how we would use each room, the only hitch I saw was that there wasn't a good room to use for the playroom. But then Janice led us out the back door and showed us the small guesthouse. It was perfect. Emma asked Janice a few questions about the load bearing capabilities of the structure, saying something vague about exercise equipment when asked. And then Janice wandered away so we could talk privately.

  "It's perfect," I said as soon as the realtor was out of earshot.

  "I know. I just love the view of LA from the balcony in the master bedroom," she replied nearly squealing in her excitement.

  I grinned, "And did you notice the Jacuzzi tub in the bathroom?"

  She nodded, "And the gas fire pit by the pool?"

  I laughed, "Plus this guest house would make a perfect new playroom."

  She smirked, turning me to take in the guesthouse and wrapping her arms around me. She purred into my ear, "Do you want me to tie you up in here?"

  I shuddered against her, breathing out, "Yes, Mistress."

  Emma chuckled, slapping my ass as she moved away, "Good, me too. Let's go tell Janice."

  Janice was thrilled. She talked us through the process as she drove us back to her office. She said she'd place a bid on the house and let us know what they said. We thanked her and headed out to Emma's car. My head was spinning, and I felt completely overwhelmed by the events of the prior 24 hours. Emma noticed and took my hand in hers as she drove away.

  I glanced at her, smiling slightly. "Em, will you take me to your house?"

  She glanced at me, saw the pleading look in my eyes and nodded, "Sure, love."

  "Thank you," I said, grateful that I would be able to put aside all of the worries swirling through my mind, at least for a little while.

  When we got there, I immediately moved to pick up my collar. As the buckles closed it around my neck, I sighed, feeling the tension drain from my body, and my spinning thoughts calm.

  "I love seeing that," Emma said smiling at me.

  I returned her smile and said, "Thank you, Mistress."

  She grinned, "Come on, I think I found a movie that you won't think is predictable. Will you watch it with me?"

  "Yes, Mistress," I sighed, not believing for a second that I wouldn't be able to predict the ending of the movie.

  She smiled at my lack of enthusiasm and dragged me into the living room. As she put in the blue-ray, I noticed the title and rolled my eyes. I remembered the ads for Now You See Me, and knew it was about stage magicians. It would be predictable, but I resigned myself to two hours of boredom. Emma pulled me onto the couch, and I cuddled into her side while she got the movie started. The movie quickly drew me in, and by the time the action moved to New Orleans, I was enraptured. I couldn't figure out what would happen next. The ending completely threw me. I didn't see it coming.

  Emma chuckled when I launched immediately into a discussion about the plot when the credits rolled. We talked for a while about the movie, and Emma was very proud of herself that she had managed to find a movie that I loved. I asked to watch it again to see if I could see any clues earlier in the movie. Emma agreed and we ordered Chinese delivery and spent the rest of the night dissecting the movie.

  On Tuesday, Darrin had me meet him at Tusk so he could give me a tour. The club was incredible. It had a large dance floor, with a gleaming chrome bar and lots of plush couches and tables on the main floor. There was a wide staircase leading up to what Darrin described as the VIP room. It had a balcony that overlooked the lower floor, a separate bar and a smaller dance floor.
The DJ booth was positioned underneath the balcony and had stairs that led to both floors of the club. The booth was incredible. It had every piece of equipment I could want. All I needed to bring was my laptop and it would plug directly into the soundboard.

  While he gave me the tour, he talked me through the schedule for the evening. I was due to arrive at 8:30pm, the doors would open at 9, but they didn't expect any of the VIPs to start arriving until after 10 at the earliest. I was to debut Brian's new album at midnight, with closing at 4am.

  As we finished the tour, he turned to me and said, "Now, your friends have been cleared for the VIP room, but please ask them not to make a scene, and not to ask for pictures with any of the celebrities. We are hiring a photographer to document the opening for the website. I'll make sure you get copies of any of the pictures you want. Just contact Kira next week and she'll get you the files."

  "Thanks, I'll let them know." I said.

  "Excellent, also, I'm sure you're busy this week getting ready for Friday night, so, I'm going to set up some meetings for you next week with some of our other artists, and with a new band we just signed."

  "Great, thanks." I said, feeling the thrill of excitement of working with new musicians.

  "I'll contact your manager to set up the meetings."

  "Thanks."

  "Is there anything you need before Friday?" He asked, leading me towards the door.

  "No, I don't think so," I said honestly.

  "Alright, well if you think of anything, just call," he said and I thanked him before heading back to my apartment to work on the mixes that I'd been neglecting. I texted Emma to let her know I was headed home and she replied that she was writing and would call me later.

  The next day, I went with Emma to pick Kristen up at the airport. The tension in the car was palpable as we both fought vicious battles with our nerves. I knew my girlfriend was worried about Kristen's reaction to my status as Emma's slave. But I was most worried about driving a wedge further between the two best friends. I didn't want to be the reason Emma lost Kristen's friendship. Don't get me wrong, I was also worried about how she would react to me, but it wasn't my biggest worry. After we parked and went into the sprawling airport, we checked the arrivals board and saw that we had about half an hour before Kristen was due to land. We grabbed coffees and waited close to where the passengers would pass security.