Submission by Ella Ardent Read Free Book Online

her breasts.
    Joanna could have walked down the
street like this and no one would have known that her breasts were bare, her
sex was exposed, her skin was sizzling and her cunt was hot. She swallowed and
tried to control her racing pulse.
    Joanna’s heart skipped a beat when
she picked up the black velvet mask. She slipped it into the pocket of her
coat, and picked up only her keys from the hall table.
    She looked out the window,
watching as a dark limo pulled up to the curb and parked.
    Joanna checked the clock.
    Her ride was right on time.
     
    ***
     
    The driver got out of the car to
open the door for Joanna. He was dressed all in black, and was wearing
sunglasses even though it was dark. He wore black leather gloves and a
high-necked jacket that did exactly nothing to disguise his athletic build. His
jaw was square, the visor of his hat pulled down over his forehead, almost
touching the rims of the sunglasses. What she could see of his hair was dark
blond. Joanna was sure he checked her out, because he smiled as he opened the
door for her.
    A waft of the Countess’s perfume
wafted out of the car and Joanna nearly tripped at her reaction to the scent.
The driver caught her elbow. His fingers wrapped around her arm, tighter than
they needed to be, sending a surge through her. She glanced up and saw the
glint of his eyes through his sunglasses, noticed that his smile had widened.
His teeth were white and straight, startling against his tan.
    “Thank you,” she said and her
voice was more breathless than usual.
    “The pleasure was all mine,” he
said, his voice deep and sure.
    Joanna was sure his thumb slid
across her elbow, sure she felt a caress even through her coat. She climbed
hastily into the car, surprised that the interior light hadn’t come on when the
door was opened. It was as black as midnight inside, with leather seats and
darkly tinted windows.
    But she could feel the presence of
the Countess, sitting in the far back corner. As Joanna’s eyes adjusted, she
could see her. The Countess still wore her mask, and her smile was as coy as
ever. Mounds of taffeta surrounded her, shining with the luster of silk,
falling to her ankles like a ball gown. The front of the skirt was slit open,
giving a view of her legs and thighs.
    The dress was tightly fitted
through the bodice, the front opening wide and low to leave her breasts
exposed, the corset below rising to cup those pale orbs as if displaying them.
The dress had no sleeves, her fair skin glowing like moonlight in the darkness,
but she wore gloves that rose past her elbows.
    Velvet again.
    And boots. High leather boots with
stiletto heels and pointed toes, peeking from beneath the front of that
remarkable dress. As before, she wore the peacock pendant.
    “Thank you, Rafael,” she said and
he firmly closed the door beside Joanna.
    Rafael.
    The Countess patted the seat
beside her, watching with a smile as Joanna took her place. The silence
stretched between them as driver strode around the car, got in, and started to
drive. Joanna heard the doors lock and she pleated her coat nervously. What
exactly would happen tonight?
    Joanna felt that she couldn’t
quite catch her breath, well aware that the Countess was watching.
    The silence between them pressed
against her ears, made her mouth go dry.
    Was Rafael watching her in the
rear view mirror?
    The car slid through the night,
the ride smooth and the engine quiet. They drove along familiar and busy
downtown streets, streets where Joanna might have been if she hadn’t been
surrendering to a night of erotic passion. Joanna felt apart from the view outside
the windows, the people lining up for restaurants, even those who tried to peer
through the tinted windows for a glimpse of a celebrity.
    They turned a corner onto a darker
street and she feared they had arrived.
    The Countess straightened. “The
mask now, please.”
    Joanna pulled the black velvet
domino out of her pocket. It had a thick elastic on it, and she