Raw Ch. 09

Men in tuxedos presented trays of hors d'oeuvres and glasses of champagne as we mingled. A cluster of men were discussing some rope strategies on one of the models as we walked past, and I wondered if that's all they were studying. As the model kept a straight face, I wondered how hard that was for her. And if she got any enjoyment out of this.

Malcolm and Darryl had stopped next to a sculpture of some sort. I studied the photograph on the wall next to it of a naked woman in profile sitting back on her feet, her hands bound behind her waist. Her bound legs prevented her from moving from her kneeling position. A rope wrapped above and below the intricate lines of a Celtic knot on her right forearm. Ropes also wound around her breasts and neck like an erotic halter-top that bared her nipples.

Her head was tipped back, her mouth open as she stared up at the barefooted man who stood next to her in the camera's lens. He wore rugged jeans and an open shirt with the sleeves rolled up to show his burly arms covered in dark hair that matched the smattering of hair on his equally-defined chest and the short but messy style on his head. He had one large hand fisted in her wild mane while the other rested over his fly that was already unbuttoned. The placement of his fingers and thumb implied he was preparing to unzip his pants and whip out his cock.

The piece was mostly black and white. However, the photographer had brought out the specific colors of the woman's bright red hair, the deep green of her eyes, the blue in the man's jeans, and the matching shade of his eyes. It was breathtaking.

I felt a slight tug. But instead of moving on with Malcolm, my hand fell from where it had rested on his arm. I stepped closer to the enlarged photo. I couldn't take my eyes off the couple's expressions. The complete devotion she was showing to him. The control he reflected back. I could sense her readiness to take his cock between her lips if he asked her to.

Something inside me twisted tighter. It wasn't arousal this time, but rather a longing. I'd given up on my search for what I'd thought was the perfect partner years ago. I'd convinced myself that I was better off alone. And when I had least suspected it, there was Malcolm. I had never imagined I'd be in this type of relationship. Now? I didn't want any other kind. And I didn't want it with any other man.

"Becca?"

He spoke my name so softly I barely heard it. But when he said it a little louder, I turned my head from the photo. As soon as I saw Malcolm standing there, a tear escaped my eye.

"What's wrong?" He swiped his thumb across my skin to catch the teardrop.

"Nothing." I turned my face into this palm as he cupped my cheek. Then I stared up at him through blurry eyes. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he whispered before he took my face in both of his hands and kissed me.

My composure regained, I looped both of my hands through his proffered arm so we could continue through the exhibit. I noticed that Darryl had wandered off and was talking to a group of men by one of the live models. We let him be and veered off towards another area, pointing out various pieces that sparked our interest.

We were standing before a suspension display when I heard the whispers. I wouldn't have noticed them amid the other chatter, but we were the only ones in that area. It was almost as if they wanted me to hear them.

"Is that's her?" said girl #1.

"Yes, I told you she was here!" girl #2 said.

"No, she just looks like her." Girl #3 seemed disinterested with the conversation. I wondered if she was chewing gum or studying her nail polish. Or both.

"It's really her. She was talking with one of the vendors." By the tone of girl #2's voice, I could envision her stomping her foot to get it across that she knew what she'd seen and heard.

"Why would she be here in Canada?" Girl #1 wasn't completely abandoning belief in her friend, but she still had plenty of doubts. She probably had her arms crossed and one eye squinted.

"Why would anyone intentionally come to Canada?" Girl #3 really didn't want to be here. "It's effing cold, and there are no single men."

I could hide my curiosity no longer and turned around. Three girls, who were probably no older than twenty, stood behind a pillar holding a sculpture of two figures having sex. Rope wrapped the metal couple's appendages. It looked like a lame attempt to signify bondage in order to get the piece entered into the show.

The blonde and the brunette girls looked like two sorority-sisters-turned-porn-stars. Both had their long hair in two braids and wore plaid super-mini-skirts with white button-up blouses that were two sizes too small and were unbuttoned at the top to fit over their ample bosoms. To complete the look, they wore black, knee-high platform boots. I wondered how close they were to the line of "no kinky clothes."

The moment they saw me watching them, the two girls started whispering and pointing at the sculpture as if they had been deep in discussion all along. The third friend, a petite girl with red hair in a pixie-style cut, had lowered her eyes to the floor. She had on an emerald-green halter dress that looked very cute with her black open-toed pumps. Very sophisticated. Unlike her companions. She looked serious about being here; they did not.

"Can I help you, ladies?" I tried to be professional, but I really wanted to crack a smile at their poor attempt to look disinterested. Especially when I heard Malcolm's soft chuckle.

"Us? No, we're fine," the blonde-haired girl said with a quick smile before she turned away. Ah, girl #1.

"See, I told you it wasn't her," the brunette hissed at her friends. That would be girl #3. She turned to leave as well.

The redhead, whom I assumed was girl #2, bit her lower lip. She glanced after her friends who had already moved onto another exhibit. I heard her take a deep breath before she raised her head to me.

"I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you, but are you Rebecca Rockland?"

I smiled and stepped toward her cautiously. "Yes, I am."

"The writer?" The corner of her mouth turned up in an awkward smile.

My chest warmed with admiration for her bravery. "The one and only."

"I think you're amazing. I mean an amazing writer. Not that you're not probably amazing, too. Wait, I don't think I said that right. Anyway, I just wanted to say I think it's so cool that you're into the scene, too. I know your latest book is kinkier, but...well, you know what I mean." She shrugged then.

I finally let out my laugh. "Yes, I do know what you mean. Can I ask your name?"

"It's Ginger." Her eyes fell to the floor again, and she wrung her hands at her waist. "Don't laugh. My parents didn't know how cruel kids would be when they named me. A ginger called Ginger. Especially after 'Gillian's Island' and all."

I was standing beside her now and gently tipped up her chin. "I think it's a beautiful name for a beautiful woman. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

Her cheeks competed with her hair now. "Thank you."

The words were barely audible, and I could see her green eyes were glossy. If she was a little older and her hair had been longer, she could have been the woman in the photograph I'd been admiring. A quick scan of the room showed that Ginger's friends were no longer around. What a surprise.

"Would you like to walk with us through the rest of the gallery?"

Her eyes widened. "Really?"

I glanced at Malcolm over my shoulder. I could see the pride in his eyes and his smile. He gave me a quick nod. I should have asked first, but the thought had just come to me. If I was in trouble, he didn't show it. Regardless, it would be worth it.

I put my hand on her shoulder. "Yes. It would be my pleasure."

Ginger's smile returned, and the three of us stepped back to the suspension contraption.

"What have we here?" Darryl said. He put his hands behind his back and grinned back and forth between Ginger and myself.

"Nice of you to join us." Malcolm cleared his throat. He held out his hand to our newest guest. "Ginger, I'm Malcolm, Rebecca's fiancé. And this is Darryl, a friend of mine."

"It's lovely to meet you, Ginger," Darryl said, kissing her hand as she offered it to him.

"It's very nice to meet all of you." Her shoulders rose up, and I could see her eyes darting down to the ground. She was a shy one. I wondered what area and role of the scene she leaned towards.

"Shall we proceed onto the next piece?" Malcolm suggested.

"Thank you," I whispered in his ear and kissed his cheek.

By the time we'd walked the laid-out course, I'd learned that Ginger had overheard me talking with Darryl earlier today and realized who I was. She had every book I'd written, and she'd written a few erotic short stories herself. Mostly, she was thrilled that I'd incorporated more kinkiness into my new series.

We talked about our various interests in the scene. She revealed that it had been her idea to come to the convention, and her friends had tagged along hoping to find some cute guys. While there had been plenty to see, they had been disappointed to learn that there were no scheduled play parties or hook-up events. They'd pretty much made the day miserable for Ginger as a result.

"I should find my friends," Ginger said once we'd exited the ballroom. "Will you be here tomorrow?"

I put my hand on Malcolm's arm since he was talking to Darryl. I did not want to assume we were staying the whole weekend.

Ginger repeated her question to him, and Malcolm nodded. "We still have half of the convention to see. Plus, there are a couple of other demos I'd like to sit in on."

"Thank you for letting me join your group. You have no idea how much I enjoyed it."

Malcolm took her hand in both of his. "You are very welcome, Ginger."

"If it's not too much to ask, I brought my copy of 'Triple Tease' to read in my downtime." Her eyes lowered to her feet again. "Would you be willing to sign it? I could meet you whenever it's convenient."

"I'd be delighted." I gave her shoulders a quick one-armed hug.

"If you'd like," Malcolm said, "you can join us for breakfast at eight downstairs. Bring your book then."

She glanced between all of us. "Really? That would be wonderful!"

"We'll see you bright and early, kid," Darryl said as she giggled and turned to leave. Once she'd disappeared around the corner, he shook his head. "She is the equivalent of a puppy. I hope you two didn't have any plans for personal time the rest of the weekend."

"Before you ask, you can't keep her," Malcolm said before he kissed my forehead.

I stuck out my lower lip. "You are no fun at all."

"That's why I'm the Dom, and you're the sub."

"Touché." Darryl said, leading the way to the elevator. "How about we all go get a nightcap?"

###

The next morning, we were down at the buffet by eight o'clock. Ginger was already waiting. By herself. I didn't ask where her companions had run off. I assumed they were probably still in bed. My guess was, she would be seeing very little of them today.

As soon as we finished eating, I asked to see her copy of the book. I opened the cover to the title page and signed 'To Ginger. Stay Kinky in Canada. Love Becca' with the date. "So, what's your favorite series?"

"I loved the Dex Knightly mysteries. I hope I'm not jinxing anything, but I'm counting on the new series to top it, though. I love the first book so far. I can't wait to see where you take it from here."

I silently thought that she wasn't the only one. I really needed to crack down on the chapters once we got home. "Book two should be coming out later this year. It's a new genre for me to write in, but I'm enjoying it. I'm glad to hear my readers are, too."

"Thank you, again, for signing my copy. But more so, for rescuing me last night from Ashley and Mindy."

I tried not to laugh at her friends' names. They seemed to fit so perfectly. Malcolm's words came to mind suddenly, and I smirked. I could play with my puppy as long as I had her. I opened my iPhone up to the notepad and slid the device over to her. "If you give me your address, I'll send you a copy of the two other books in the trilogy once they're published."

Ginger's face turned as red as her hair, just like last night. "I can't thank you enough."

Darryl whistled. "Gee, and all I got was a signed business card."

"Actually, you got nothing. Yet. I'm sending you a book, too, when I get home."

Malcolm cleared his throat. "Um, Becca?"

I traded Ginger's book for my phone and glanced at him, wondering what I had done wrong. He just gestured with his head to look to my left. I flinched when I saw Ashley and Mindy standing by an empty table, a book in each of their hands. They had sensible jeans and T-shirts on today, but their clothes were still too tight in my opinion. The only thing out of place was the apprehensive looks they kept sending in my direction as they worried their lower lips.

I put on my best professional smile and waved them over. "Good morning, girls. Would you like me to sign your books, too?"

"Yes, please, ma'am," the blonde said. "I'm Ashley."

I ignored her use of the old moniker, but I kicked my boyfriend under the table as I heard him stifle a snort. The faux respect they were showing was hilarious. Did they not think I remembered them from last night? How rude they had been to me, and especially to their friend?

I just signed my name this time then slid the book back to her. I glanced up at the brunette. Her hand was shaking as she held her book out. I smirked as I handed back the signed book. "Here you go, Mindy. Enjoy your weekend."

The brunette's jaw dropped. Ah ha! I knew her name, oh ye of little faith. Ashley pulled on her friend's arm, and they walked way glancing back at us over their shoulders. Probably mostly likely at Ginger who remained seated with us.

I had just settled back into my chair and was lifting my glass of juice to my mouth when Darryl pointed behind me.

"Don't look now, but Babes R Us is spreading the news that a celebrity is amongst us."

I didn't dare turn around. But I did see Malcolm raise his hand and beckon someone forward with his first two fingers.

And that's how I spent the next thirty minutes signing everything from napkins to hotel brochures. Malcolm disappeared at some point during the spontaneous non-book signing. Damn him. But Darryl stepped up and helped choral the line that had formed. It was mostly women, but there were some curious men as well, which made me blush. And through it all, Ginger sat there with the biggest smile on her face. My puppy was having a good time, too!

Once the hullaballoo died down, Malcolm returned and we parted ways with our new friend as well as with Darryl who had to go man his booth.

"You are quite the popular attraction today," Malcolm said, his grin reaching from ear to ear. He had enjoyed it, too.

I stuck out my lower lip and crossed my arms. "And you were quite the missing arm candy."

"I had something to take care of. Please forgive me."

I narrowed my eyes at him and then giggled as he kissed me. "Forgiven."

"Good. Let's go do more shopping. You had something you wanted to show me in regards to a blindfold and new handcuffs?"

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but whips and chains excite me," I sang, waiting for the elevator doors to open.

"You better believe it," Malcolm growled, squeezing my ass as we embarked.

If it hadn't been for the glass walls or the fact that there were dozens of people around us, I think he would have taken it farther. We'd crashed last night and hadn't had time this morning for any playtime. I was hoping that that wouldn't be the case for the remainder of our stay. I was still horny from the exhibit last night.

We spent the entire morning browsing. A few people asked for autographs, which delayed our destination several times. Why had no one recognized me yesterday?

I settled on two pair of fur-lined leather cuffs with heavy-duty buckles—one set for my wrists and the other for my ankles—from the booth I'd noticed the night before. Darryl confirmed the chains we'd bought from him would work with them for suspension, although he us sold a thinner set as well for just restraint use. Malcolm found a new crop that had satin strands combined with the feathers, and I selected a blindfold with an adjustable strap instead of just elastic. I'd giggled when I reminded him we'd rather worn out the stretchiness of the one we'd started with.

After a demonstration on leather bondage, we chose to get room service for lunch and relax a bit. Malcolm opened our hotel room door and stepped aside to let me enter first. I tripped over two large boxes set just inside the doorway.

"What the hell?" I sat on the edge of the bed to rub my shin.

"Oh, good, they arrived." He picked up each of the boxes and plopped them next to me on the mattress.

"What arrived?"

"A little surprise." He managed to get the tape loose that had sealed the top of the box. One side of the box had a stamp from a bookstore. Once unbound, he said, "Go ahead and look."

I lifted two of the flaps to see stacks of 'Triple Tease' staring at me. "I'm assuming that box is the same?"

He shook his head, his hands on his hips and a big grin on his face. "Those are your other titles."

I arched an eyebrow at him. "Why do I need dozens of my own books?"

"Because I spoke to the convention organizers, and they've given you a booth for the rest of the weekend to sign books."

I was speechless. I wasn't sure if it was from shock or elation that he'd thought of this. After several swallows, I managed to ask, "How?"

"Sue. I called her this morning after seeing the breakfast fan base. She made some calls to the bookstores around here. One of them offered to send their stock to accommodate us. She's giving them a portion of the proceeds from any sales you make. You open at one, so we should order lunch."

I was still leery about selling my books at a kinky convention. Who thought this would be a good idea? But as soon as I began unpacking the boxes on the empty table that had been set up by the curtained area near the entrance to the ballroom, people started stopping by. At first, they were just curious. But it seemed that the word was spreading and people who'd actually heard of me joined the queue.

I spent the next several hours selling copies of books, giving autographs on a variety of items, and shaking hands with a different kind of crowd than usual. It wasn't until dinner that I learned Darryl had taken to social media to advertise I was at the convention. I knew my popularity couldn't have spiked only due to Babes R Us, as he called Ginger's friends. I thanked him profusely, happy that I could give him a signed copy of my book this weekend. I even kissed the title page with extra lipstick so he'd have something to remember me by.

Sunday was a repeat of the day before where we had breakfast with Ginger and Darryl, I signed books during the morning and afternoon, and then we had dinner with our new friends before we retired to our respective rooms.

I lay in bed that night cuddled against Malcolm's body, exhausted but completely happy.

He kissed my shoulder. "Did you have a good time?"

"Mmm hmm." I linked my fingers through his as his hand crept around to hug me. "I can't believe it's over already."

"Are you sorry I set up the book signings? Was there something you wanted to see that you missed?"

"I really hate that we missed the sleepsack demonstration. And the rubber and latex one. I was really considering—" My shrieks filled the room as he tickled me.

"You are such a tease."

"You asked the tease to marry you. You must love the abuse."

He chuckled and kissed me goodnight.

As I heard his soft snoring, I realized we hadn't had sex since Thursday night when we'd arrived. We just hadn't taken the time. We'd have to rectify that in few hours. I loved morning sex with him.