The Plume: The Second Anthology (5 page)

The garters attached to black stockings with
seams up the backs, and her black high heels had pink bows on the
toes to match the trim on the lingerie. Her dark hair was wound up
in a retro coil, her lipstick and fingernail polish that same vivid
pink.

“Something like that,” Tex agreed. He and
Amanda had joined the permanent staff at the Plume at roughly the
same time, and had quickly realized that the attraction between
them was less important than their similar sense of humor. They’d
become good friends over the years, and routinely confided in each
other.

Tex waved to Tony, the bartender, and
indicated Amanda. Tony nodded and made a frozen strawberry
marguerita, Amanda’s favorite.

“You are the best,” she said when the drink
was set down in front of her. She gave him a kiss on his cheek.
“Why hasn’t some smart chick snapped you up already?”

The question just made Tex more glum. He
didn’t answer.

Amanda closed her eyes in appreciation as she
took a sip of her drink. “Perfect. Especially after this
night.”

“Busy?”

She nodded. “Everyone changing their mind,
all at the same time. Maybe some planet is retrograde or
something.”

Tex almost smiled. “I’m sure you pulled it
all together.”

Amanda looked up at him suddenly. “Hey, is
that what’s bothering you?”

“What?”

“You put in a request to see Tess when she
came back.”

“Yes, but she’s gone for a few weeks
yet.”

Amanda shook her head as she sipped her
drink. “Nuh uh. She’s back already. Change of plans.”

Tex straightened as the night showed more
promise. “But why didn’t you tell me already?”

Amanda grimaced. “She said she wanted
something different.”

Tex was stunned. He looked across the dance
floor, unable to believe that he’d been so wrong about Tess.

Amanda put her hand on his arm. “The Count
was looking for pussycats, so I set her up there. See?” And she
pointed across the bar to the Count and his four pets.

Tex stared, unable to help himself. The four
women were dressed in sheer bodysuits that clung to their curves
and were painted with cat markings. There was one white, one black,
one calico and one charcoal kitty. They wore hoods that covered
their hair and had matching furry ears, like cat ears. The front of
each bodysuit was transparent, showing their nipples, and the
bodysuits were crotchless as well. Each woman wore tall matching
boots with high heels and had a thick lush furry tail that trailed
on the floor. They each had jeweled collars and leashes, and the
Count held all four leashes with one hand as he chatted. The
pussycats twined around his legs and rubbed against him, mewing for
his attention.

As Tex watched, the Count rubbed one under
the chin, then kissed her.

“It’s like something out of Barbarella,”
Amanda said, laughter in her tone. “But whatever works for
him.”

“But where’s Tess?” Tex asked, his words
tight.

“What do you mean?”

“She’s not there.”

“Sure. She’s the calico.” Amanda sipped her
drink. “Wow, this is good.”

“No,” Tex insisted, taking a good look. “No,
she’s not.” He turned to face Amanda. “That’s not Tess.”

Amanda stared at him, nearly dropping her
drink. “You are kidding me, right?”

Tex shook his head.

“But she called on her cell. The caller
identification matched and the system loaded her file
automatically.” Amanda had turned pale as she looked across the
floor at the Count and his kittens. “She tricked me. I wonder who
she really is.”

“Someone who wanted into the Plume without
following the rules,” Tex said, his anger rising. Was Tess okay? He
wished he knew how he could check on her. Maybe this bitch had just
stolen her phone. Maybe it was worse than that. “Did you check her
ID when she arrived?”

Amanda shook her head, her gaze rising to
meet Tex’s. “Rex is going to kill me.”

“Maybe you got lucky. He left early tonight
and Athena’s in charge.”

“So, she can kill me instead. That’s not much
consolation. I think she’d actually enjoy it more.” Amanda sucked
back the rest of her drink. “You know how they are about security.
How could I have fucked up so badly?”

“You just made a mistake. Everyone does
sometimes.” Tex tried to cheer Amanda up by teasing her. “What is
this, the first mistake of your life?”

“So I make it a really good one. Shit. Best
case I’ll get fired.” Amanda looked as if she would be sick. “I
love this job, you know. I love this place. I can’t believe I did
this.”

The crowd moved and Tex caught a glimpse of
Athena on the other side of the dance floor. She was watching the
Count with obvious disapproval. “I’ve got an idea,” Tex said.
“Maybe Athena will go for it.”

“What?”

“Nobody can lie without expecting
repercussions,” Tex said, glaring at the calico pussycat.
“Curiosity isn’t going to kill this cat, but maybe we can teach her
to think twice about tricking us.”

* * *

The Count was watching Athena.

It was amazing that the years hadn’t
diminished her appeal to him at all. She had little in common with
the innocent schoolgirl he had once seduced and trained to his
pleasure, except for her red hair and her beauty. He would have
liked to have taken credit for awakening her to passion, but the
Count suspected that Athena would have become the woman she was
even without his influence. It was in her blood, after all. She was
a thousand times more alluring now, a rose in full bloom as opposed
to a tender, tightly furled, bud.

And she was disgusted with him. He didn’t
blame her really. He hadn’t been kind. But he hadn’t felt that he’d
had a choice.

And he’d never imagined that he’d see her
again.

Much less that she would haunt his every
waking moment – and his dreams – with the promise of what might
have been.

She should wear gold more often, he decided.
On this night, she wore a metallic gold leather bustier and
matching thigh-high boots, along with a rustling taffeta skirt that
brushed the floor as she walked. The front of the skirt was split,
the way she favored it, and all that gold fabric and leather simply
drew the eye to her naked cunt.

At least it drew his.

And that made him not only remember the times
he’d had her, but to want her all over again. It made him want to
unclip this metallic gold collar and leash from this kitten and
lock the collar around Athena’s neck for good.

Or even let her fasten it on him.

The idea nearly made him come in his
pants.

Athena turned in that moment, almost as if
she’d heard his thoughts, and cast a glance across the bar at him.
It was a cutting look, filled with the disdain and fury she seemed
to reserve for him.

He was so desperate for her attention that
even her displeasure thrilled him.

She was talking to one of the Plume’s
cowboys, or more accurately, listening to him. She nodded
understanding, her gaze fixed on the Count and his willing little
pussy, then her full lips tightened.

To the Count’s joy, Athena pivoted and
marched across the floor toward him, eyes flashing. She was
magnificent. It had been years since he had let a woman enslave
him, but in that moment, if Athena had asked, the Count would have
fallen at her feet in surrender.

And then he would be very, very bad.

Her perfume filled his nostrils when she
stopped in front of him and the gleam in her eyes made his pulse
quicken. “How unfortunate for you that it’s my turn to deal with
trouble,” Athena said. She smiled coolly, raised a hand and snapped
her fingers.

“Trouble?” the Count echoed. “What kind of
trouble?”

“An imposter,” she said with satisfaction and
the little calico cat jumped in alarm. “Guards!” Athena shouted and
pointed a finger at the woman, her long satin gloves the same
golden hue as the rest of her costume.

Everyone in the Plume’s bar turned to look
and the music was silenced.

The Count saw four of the Plume’s hooded
guards closing in on them. The kitty cat paled. She removed the two
clamps from her nipples, then turned to run. The Count set her
leash on the table and folded his arms across his chest to watch.
He knew she wouldn’t get far, and was curious what Athena would do
to her.

The four guards surrounded his kitten and
snatched her up. One guard, to the Count’s surprise was a woman.
One had a remarkable set of tattoos, the ink flowing over all of
his exposed skin. A third had nipple piercings, which always made
the Count wince.

As he watched, the four guards held the kitty
cat captive and stripped her of her costume. The members of the
Plume jostled for a better view, hooting and clapping at the show.
Her ankles were bound as well as her wrists, despite her struggles.
Then she was carried to Athena like a prize.

“So much energy,” the Count said with a sigh,
regretting the waste, and sipped his drink.

Athena must have heard him because she
sniffed.

“Who are you?” she demanded of the woman.

“Tess. Tess Martin.”

“Liar!” the cowboy said.

The woman gave him a considering glance then
lifted her chin. “What if I’m not? What if I just wanted to
experience the Plume?”

“Then you should have applied, like everyone
else here,” the cowboy retorted.

The woman’s eyes flashed. “Rex would never
have let me in.” The Count sensed Athena’s surprise that this woman
even knew Rex.

“Where’s Tess?” the cowboy demanded.

“How should I know?” the woman was
unrepentant, which the Count admired. “I just took her phone. Even
it’s at the hotel lost and found if she wants it back.” The woman
sighed and looked unhappy. “Now you’ll throw me out and none of you
will ever let me back. All I wanted was to see what it was
like.”

The mood of the crowd shifted in favor of the
calico pussycat who wanted to visit the Plume.

Athena must have noticed the change of mood.
She was good with such details, the Count remembered. She smiled
and leaned toward the woman. “Then beg me to make your wish come
true.”

The woman blinked. “Really?”

“Rex isn’t here. I’m in charge. You want to
try the Plume? I can give you two hours in the Dungeon as
punishment for tricking us.”

The woman’s eyes danced with pleasure.
“Excellent! I’m in!”

Athena arched a brow.

The woman squirmed free of the guards and
fell to her knees. Despite her bonds, she did it with a certain
grace. She let herself fall forward and kissed Athena’s boot.
“Please, mistress, please. I beg of you to send me for two hours
punishment, if not more. I’m your possession. Do with me whatever
you will.”

Athena exchanged a smile with the Count. “She
has promise.”

“I pick the best,” the Count said modestly,
surprising Athena into a smile.

“Take her to the Dungeon,” she instructed the
guards. “You all deserve a plaything tonight. Put her on the cross
for two hours and enjoy her.”

A roar of approval came from the guards and
was echoed by everyone else in the bar. The four guards carried off
the woman, who made a show of struggling. The cowboy glared at her
as she was removed from the bar, and the Count noticed the frisson
of excitement among the membership. The music began again, but the
talking was louder than it had been. A few slipped after the
guards, undoubtedly to watch the proceedings.

There were those who like to dominate, those
who liked to submit, and those who simply liked to watch. The Count
enjoyed that the Plume had a place for all of them.

“You enjoyed that,” the Count said to
Athena.

She eyed him, her expression assessing. “Just
doing my job,” she said lightly, then opened her eyes wide. “Why
would I find any pleasure in denying you something you
desired?”

“I can’t imagine,” the Count replied. “But
you routinely deny me, so surely it must give you pleasure to do
so.”

“I never deny you!”

“You always deny me.” The Count smiled.
“Worse, you deny me the only thing I’ve ever wanted, and you do so
every single time our paths cross.”

Athena propped her hands on her hips, looking
skeptical.

But interested. The Count would take what he
could get.

“And what is that?”

“You.” For once, he spoke directly, liking
how Athena flushed at the single word. “Simply you, little dove.”
The Count sipped his drink as she stared at him. “Why else would I
have even come to this place?”

Athena’s eyes flashed. “You’ll never be
inside me again. I’ve made that mistake once and I won’t...”

“This isn’t about sex,” the Count said
crisply, interrupting her tirade. “It’s about love.”

She was startled and hesitated for a moment.
“What do you know about love?”

He smiled, knowing the expression was rueful.
“More than I expected. Of course, I only realized my mistake once
it was made.”

“You had to think about it for a long time,”
Athena said tartly. “It’s been fifteen years.”

“I am not accustomed to asking forgiveness.”
He arched a brow. “You can tell, because I do it so badly.”

She laughed then, surprised by his remark. He
felt a keen sense of pleasure that he had caught her off-guard.
Then she leaned closer to him, then, her eyes dancing. “I don’t
believe you.”

The Count caught the back of her neck in his
hand and held her before him, their noses almost touching. He let
his fingers slide into the thick weight of her hair and felt the
softness of her skin beneath his palm. He was so aroused and – for
once – he didn’t hide his thoughts from her.

And Athena was surprised again. He watched
her gaze rove over his face and knew that she wasn’t as immune to
his touch as she would have preferred.