Submission by Ella Ardent Page A

close her eyes against her desire.
    She put on the raincoat, knotted
the belt tightly around her waist, wrapped the scarf around her neck and
shivered as the satin ends touched her bare breasts. She took a small purse
this time, a black satin evening purse that held the coils of ribbon, the hood
and her black domino mask. She dropped the apartment keys in her purse just as
she heard a car stop at the curb outside the building.
    The black limo.
    Rafael.
    Her heart skipped at the thought
of another encounter with the Countess and she strode to the door.
     
    ***
     
    It was Rafael again, of course,
his smile as mischievous as ever, his sunglasses as dark as midnight. He opened
the car door for her with a flourish. This time, Joanna didn’t stumble, but
slipped into the car’s dark interior with a certain grace.
    She realized before Rafael shut
the door that she was alone.
    She glanced back but he was gone,
getting back into the driver’s seat, shutting the door. The glass barrier
between them was open.
    “Where is the Countess?” Joanna
asked.
    “You’re not supposed to ask questions,”
Rafael said. “Unless you want me to punish you first.”
    She sat back, perplexed, and
watched Rafael watch her in the mirror.
    “Reveal yourself,” he commanded.
    Joanna looked at his reflection in
surprise.
    “Because you were naughty, show
me.” He arched a brow. “Or I’ll tell.”
    Joanna swallowed. She remembered
the Master’s voice. Ankles together, always. She put her ankles together tightly. Knees apart. She parted her knees, then opened her raincoat. Lips
parted. She leaned back against the seat,
letting her lips soften, as if in invitation. Just doing so made her feel bold.
    Rafael smiled and she knew he
could see her wet sex. Did he know it was throbbing and thick?
    He drove easily, neither fast nor
slow, flicking glances at her in the mirror. The rain drummed on the roof of
the car as they passed people hurrying down the lit streets. Joanna felt
curiously serene, as well as excited. She found that sense of tranquility
sliding through her again, that strange submissive anticipation. A mix of
excitement and inevitability.
    What happened this evening wasn’t
up to her.
    The situation was out of her
control.
    She was the Master’s possession,
to use as he pleased.
    Her throat tightened and her
clitoris pulsed.
    Rafael turned a corner. “There’s
an envelope in the side pocket,” he said. “Get it and shut your coat.”
    Joanna saw the flash of lights as
he pulled into the drop-off area of a large luxury hotel. She closed her coat
just before a doorman stepped toward the car. She reached into the side pocket
and grabbed the envelope.
    It contained a smaller envelope.
    A magnetic room key.
    With a number written on the
envelope.
    The doorman opened the door with a
smile, and Joanna smiled back as she accepted his assistance. Beyond the
sheltered entry, the rain was pouring down and she could smell wet pavement.
She walked to the doors, letting another liveried doorman sweep one open for
her, and strolled into the lobby.
    Like a call girl.
    Well, she had been called.
    Summoned by the Master.
    It was the finest and most
expensive hotel in the city. Joanna had interviewed celebrities here, in the
lobby bar – usually ones launching cookbooks - but she’d never stayed in
the hotel. The lobby was spotless and luxurious, all deep velvet chairs,
shining brass and sparkling chandeliers. Her heels clicked on the polished
marble floors and she heard the laughter carrying from the bar.
    She tingled.
    Why here? Was the Plume part of
this hotel?
    Joanna checked the room number and
chose the appropriate bank of elevators. Her heart pounded as the elevator shot
skyward and again she could see her reflection in the glass. She didn’t look
like herself at all.
    But she liked what she saw.
    The carpet in the corridor was
thick enough to muffle any sound. Even here, the light fixtures were
chandeliers, the hardware on the doors