Read Online Celebration by Ella Ardent - Free Book Online Page B

from her. He recalled how frightened she had been when she’d first come to the Plume, how she’d been out of her element but hadn’t retreated. People like Joanna picked themselves up and tried again. Maybe it was time for Rex to be proud of what he’d accomplished, to focus on the positive and what he could do, rather than his mistakes and shortcomings. The idea made him stand straighter. Maybe he should take charge of his future and build on success, as Julius had suggested. All these people were here because they’d loved the Plume. All he needed was the right idea, and the faith that it would come.
    For now, he’d take Athena’s challenge and make her party an incredible event.
    Rex turned to face the other party attendees and raised his voice to a shout. “I’ve got something to tell you all!”
    Someone turned down the music and they all faced Rex with expectation.
    “You’re all invited to a party at Athena’s home in London two weeks from tonight,” Rex said.
    “In England?” someone asked and at Rex’s nod, a few people groaned.
    Tess pulled out her Blackberry and Tex leaned over her shoulder, murmuring to her.
    “I’m giving away thirteen return airfares to London tonight.” Rex said. “Lucky thirteen! Just show me your stuff and convince me that you have to be there. I’ll make it happen for thirteen of you.”
    The shop erupted into shouts of approval. Rex was kissed and hugged from all sides, and he smiled at his newfound conviction that he was right where he needed to be.
    With the people who understood him best.
     
    * * *
     
    Joanna did her best to hide how startled she was by Wicked Ink. It was one thing to be visiting a tattoo shop for the first time in her life, but seeing all these people in their fetish gear made her realize how conservative she still was. She’d seen them at the Plume and at Rex’s show, but those locations had seemed contrived. She’d also been aroused and distracted on those two nights.
    Not on this one.
    Wicked Ink wasn’t exactly in the mainstream, but it was a real place, a business open to the public. Even though it was closed for the party and it was late at night, Joanna found the eye candy a little disconcerting.
    Then she heard Rex’s offer and knew she couldn’t stay very long. It was funny how much she felt like an outsider—or an alien. She loved what she and Mike did to each other and for each other, but the privacy, even the secrecy, of it was a big part of the appeal. The intimacy was also what she loved. She liked that it was their little secret and that virtually no one knew how they played together. She felt lucky that they’d found each other and knew she was smiling like a fool by the time she reached Rafe.
    She’d thought she might feel embarrassed talking to him, given what he’d seen done to her (and what he’d done to her) but he greeted her as if they were casual acquaintances.
    She supposed that in this company, they were. They’d only had oral sex once and Rafe had seen her naked, bound and claimed. That was pretty tame compared to the possibilities.
    Joanna had to shout at him to explain her idea over the loud music. She would have loved to have seen Rafe’s eyes as he listened, but he didn’t remove his sunglasses. His smile broadened, though, which made her hope he’d do it.
    He demanded a pretty high price and she let her surprise show.
    “I have to rent a limo,” he said, rubbing his fingers and thumb together.
    “Can’t you borrow the one from the Plume?”
    He shook his head. “It’s gone.”
    Joanna didn’t ask where it had gone, as the admission seemed to sadden him. “You know Mike,” she negotiated. “Give me a deal because it’s him.”
    “Because he’ll be getting what he deserves?”
    “Pretty much.”
    “We should all be so lucky.” Rafe dropped his price a little.
    Joanna made a counter-offer. “You can watch.”
    Rafe laughed. “I would anyway. That’s a given and you knew it.”
    Joanna