Page 80 of In Her Own Way
“Thank you for the table invite,” Jessica said.
She looked around and saw Mistress Rikki, the gorgeous redhead, on the far side of the room. She was so pretty. And tall. And just regal. Her wife, Bernadette, was standing by her side. She had stylish short blonde hair and dimples to die for. Bernadette struck her as one of those pretty women who had no idea they were pretty. They were standing near the small stage, talking with an older man whose name she could not rememberat the moment. It was something Irish or Scottish, maybe? They laughed at something the man said, and Jessica witnessed a glance between Miss Rikki and Bernadette. Bernadette looked at her Domme with pure love and trust. Jessica felt a pang of loneliness. It was, unfortunately, a familiar feeling. She wanted what Miss Rikki and Bernadette seemed to have. The love and respect she’d witnessed between them since becoming part of the community was clear and very present that evening. She wanted that. Oh, how she wanted that.
She had promised Victoria that she would not be shy at the party and would socialize, so here was her attempt to do just that with one of the aunties. “This is quite the shindig,” Jessica said.
“Oh, this party is just getting started,” Miss Shasti said. “Once Shanice and Pammy get here, I’ll have them and Madison show you around. The demonstrations will be back there.” Miss Shasti pointed toward a darkened area of the big open space.
And right on cue, Shanice and Miss Marta came through the balloon archway near the front door. Hugs were given all around, and from her wheelchair, Shanice declared, “I’m going to dance on my own two feet tonight, Miss Jessica.” Her prosthetics were in a bag hanging off the back of the wheelchair.
“Fantastic,” Jessica said. “Save a dance for me, okay? Especially if they play any Benjies songs.”
“Yasss,” Shanice said and bounced in her chair.
At Victoria’s gentle suggestion, Jessica had gotten brave and ventured out of the house to Rikki’s Coffee Shop the weekend before. Jessica had overheard Shanice declare her undying love for the Benjies that afternoon.
“C’mon, there’s Pammy,” Madison said gleefully and pulled at Jessica’s hand. “C’mon, Shanice.”
“Where are we going?” Shanice said, then wheeled backward from the table.
Madison pointed to Pammy and her Domme Lydia. “We’re grabbing Pammy and then showing Miss Jessica around.” Madison leaned closer to Shanice and whispered, “It’s our community service thing. Remember?”
“Oh, yeah,” Shanice said.
Jessica was fairly positive that their Dommes had come up with some kind of community service plan for the three of them, and Jessica was proud to be a recipient of their efforts. She got dragged to the darkened demonstration area and marveled at the displays. There was an electro-stim setup, the thing she wished wasn’t a thing, so she’d be staying away from that demo. The vendor selling floggers, whips, and crops had gorgeous pieces for sale. Jessica would snag one of those business cards later. She hadn’t realized they could buy things at the masquerade ball, beyond the cash bar, of course.
“What is this contraption?” Jessica asked when they came across something that looked like a gymnastics uneven bar setup. It wasn’t, but it was similar.
“Miss Minjung is going to be a rope bottom,” Pammy said. The blonde pigtails were positively adorable on the early twenty-something young woman.
“Miss Shasti is the rigger today,” Shanice said.
“A suspension,” Madison said wide-eyed. “Miss Minjung is a dancer, and she is quite flexible.”
“I will make this a priority, then,” Jessica said. She’d had Dommes do rope ties on her before, Miss Marta included, but never a suspension. That kernel of self-dread she fought hard against daily came in unbidden. No one would ever attempt to suspend her full-figured self.
Jessica swallowed the regret and allowed herself to be dragged around the venue by three very enthusiasticlittles, all in the name of their community service project. Once back at the table, Jessica made small talk with Miss Marta, Miss Shasti, andMiss Lydia. It was nice getting to know some strong women in the community. She was on the brink of feeling like she belonged somewhere, and that warmed her heart.
She looked toward the beverage area, thinking she should get a glass of white zinfandel before the line got too long. She might need the wine for courage, especially if these aunties were going to introduce her to someone. She excused herself and got on the beverage line.
Heads turned toward a loud, raucous group of people entering the venue. All threelittlesscreeched, and Madison took off running.
“Daddy Vic!” Madison yelled and leaped into someone’s open arms.
The room telescoped in front of her, zeroing in on the woman now hugging Madison. “Daddy Vic?” Jessica muttered out loud. “Victoria?” A soft clearing of a throat told her she was holding up the line. She moved out of the way, her gaze not deviating from the tall androgynous woman who was the perfect blend of masculine and feminine.
Jessica swallowed hard; every nerve in her body seemed to be shaking. How was Victoria here? Jessica moved to lean against the fire pole, conveniently placed behind her. She needed the support. Was Denton Heights the town where Victoria used to live? Was the woman they referred to as B here? Jessica let her head turn toward Bernadette. “Was it her?”
Jessica’s heart was pounding. She looked back as Victoria greeted her friends and introduced someone to them. Was that masculine-looking person Victoria’s date? No, it didn’t seem like it. Just a friend then.
Victoria’s light gray collarless shirt and dark pants fit her lean frame perfectly. Her light sandy hair was perfectly casual and messy, like she’d just gone windsurfing or something. At oneunguarded moment, she watched as Victoria looked toward Miss Rikki and Bernadette, her expression turning quite serious.
“It was Bernadette,” Jessica said out loud. “Holy shit. Oh, my God.” Panic started to creep in. She knew these people. She knew all the people Victoria had talked about. She suddenly felt like a spy. She should leave. She thought the thought but couldn’t get her feet to move.
Victoria was obviously well-loved by this community. How could she not see that? Obviously, she’d let the Bernadette situation cloud over everything. Victoria hadn’t yet spoken with Bernadette face-to-face yet. That might determine everything.
Jessica stood against the pole, allowing a small glimmer of hope to enter her heart. She should make herself known. It wasn’t fair that she knew who Victoria was, but Victoria didn’t know who she was, and the fact that she was right there holding up the fire pole. But then that familiar dread hit her again. There was no way someone that gorgeous was going to take one look at her and be smitten. No way.
She’ll look at my plus-size figure and say, ‘No thanks.’
