Page 141 of Baby Girl
Emmy’s eyes land on the ropes at my feet, shoot over to the beam and the large metal ring currently hanging from it, and snap back over to my face. “Are we doing a suspension today?”
My lips twitch, a smile trying to form. “Yes, you’ll be in a supine position—” I cut myself off when her brows furrow. “You’ll be on your back when the suspension is complete.”
Her eyes fall back to the ropes, and that bottom lip disappears into her mouth as she nods, but she doesn’t move toward the changing area where there is another surprise waiting for her.
I give her a moment, however it’s clear she’s lost in her thoughts, so I give her a little prompt. “You can change when you are ready, I’m going to set up my cameras for today. This will be your first time in the position, so we won’t spend too long in it.”
It’s like watching someone flicking her switch on. She jolts in place and then power walks over to the dressing area.
I don’t make it even a few steps toward the cabinet with my camera equipment before there is a gasp and a flustered Emmy comes back around the changing screen.
“You brought the red pillow here!” This time her cheeks are more than rosy, the hue spreading down her neck to her chest.
I have to admit, seeing her eyes burning with the fire that has suddenly filled her eases something within me. That Friday night will haunt me until the day I die, and I wasn’t the one who lived through it. Seeing life, even if it is this mix of anger and exasperation, is something I will celebrate.
Continuing on my walk to the cabinet, I throw my answer back over my shoulder at her. If I don’t act like it’s a big deal, then hopefully she will match my energy. “Yeah, I thought it would be more comfortable than a mismatch of my pillows.”
With controlled movements, I open the door and then my camera case.
“But that’s—it’s not—how?” She splutters out a bunch of words, never quite completing a sentence.
With my camera in hand, I turn around. “Did you not find it comfortable last time you used it?”
The poor thing has no idea what to do with the memories my words force on her. Present Day Emmy is furious at me. But Past Emmy? She is remembering how we fucked her like a sex doll and how much she really, really enjoyed it.
It is a fucking amazing look on her.
So I raise my camera and take a picture of her.
“You are such a dick,” she states, a little of the fight leaving her.
“I’m not trying to be. You’re going to be suspended from shoulders to ankles for a while. I was trying to think of your comfort. I guess I could have brought a mattress in here instead. It would only perpetuate the rumors that I live here, though.”
“I…what? Live here?” The fight is completely gone now, and we are back to confused.
Maybe this is how I keep her distracted and talking to me? Instead of giving her space to find her way back to me, maybe I need to change tactics and work at keeping her on her toes. If I can keep that fabulous fucking mind busy, then it will give her body time to remember me.
I wave my arm in the air, as if waving smoke away. “Just a thing among the artists downstairs. Apparently, I’m never not here.”
She eyes me suspiciously. “But you work at NU.”
I shrug and spread my arms out wide. “Most of them work, too, so they wouldn’t see me not being here during business hours. When I opened this place, Derek and Hudson helped me set up an arts committee that fundraises for the scholarships the students need. The scholarships are enough for their supplies, but unfortunately, we aren’t at the stage where we can pay them a stipend. Yet.”
There is apparently no reply for that, since she turns around and disappears back behind the screen. It only takes a couple of minutes before she returns in her nude set. I’m looking forward to when the first outfit arrives. Margot let me know that delivery is set for next week.
Putting her in the suspensions with the fabric trailing from her body is going to be fabulous. I just wish I could suspend her fromhigher points to get the full effect. Something to explore at a later date.
I gesture toward the space below the beam and ring. “Like I said before, we are going to do a suspension scene today. If at any time you start to feel discomfort, tingling, numbness, headache, or any other type of strain, you need to tell me. If this does happen, the first thing I will do is lower you to the ground, and then I will get you free of the ropes.”
Placing my camera down on a rolling table, I push the entire thing over to my ropes. I open the top drawer and take out my safety shears, showing them to her as I place them next to the camera. “Depending on your urgency, I can either cut you out or untie you.”
Emmy nods as she walks toward the center of the room. She shivers a little as she stops directly under the ring.
My eyes narrow. “Are you cold?”
She shrugs and folds her arms over her chest, covering her pebbled nipples. “Probably just from taking my sweater off. I’ll be fine.”
Annoyance tries to spark inside of me, but I shove that shit down. Instead, I go over to the air conditioning panel and increase the heat. I’d prefer I be in discomfort than her.
