Camellia Read Online Free PDF Page B

carefully watched her expression to see what Danny thought of it.
    Though the outfit was intricately detailed, with the straps and brass riggings that would follow along Danny's curves, Lucy knew that it would do little to give her any sense of modesty. She'd made it clear that the model hired would not be required to be naked when she'd contacted the agency, but at the same time Lucy had tried to convey just how open the woman coming to take the job would have to be in regards to the attire she was expected to wear.
    "That looks complicated," Danny said, leaning toward it and running her hands over the skirt, nothing more than a series of thick leather straps that dangled down from the bottom hem of the corset.
    Lucy nodded and moved away from the outfit so that Danny could examine it. "It is, a bit. My friend will meet us at the conference tomorrow morning to help you into it, should you need assistance."
    Danny's mouth pinched. "So she'll be there too?"
    "Yes, of course. She and her partner will be running a booth at the convention; they have to be there to make sales," Lucy said as she took another sip of her tea.
    Tilting her head to the side, Danny looked up at her. "So if your friend is going to be there, then why are you demonstrating her stuff? Shouldn't she just be doing it?"
    Lucy's tight smile eased as another sip of hot tea worked its way down to her stomach. The heat radiated out from her chest, easily making her forget all about Andrea and her oaf, or the way Emmanuel had looked at Danny as if he might be interested in her. That had bothered her, though it was likely only because she knew how wrong they would be for each other. Emmanuel, she knew, was soft and shy, and though she barely knew Danny, Lucy was sure that she was a far cry from Emmanuel's gentle life, full of quiet music and carefully-selected plaid shirts.
    "My friend has a ..." Lucy considered for a moment how to describe her friend's relationship with the woman who had been sharing her bed for the last four years. Coming up with nothing better, Lucy decided to go for the truth. "She has a slave."
    "Slavery is illegal," Danny quickly pointed out, her gaze narrowing. Clearly, Lucy had chosen the wrong way to introduce such a topic to her.
    She backtracked, thinking of way to have this make sense to someone that hadn't spent most of their adult life surrounded by others to whom such things came as naturally as breathing. "My friend, Natasha, and her partner, Lillian, have a special relationship. It isn't the typical one you'd likely find at your Sunday brunch downtown at a fancy restaurant, but it works for them and has done so for quite some time. Natasha is a dominant type of person, much like I am. That dominance is openly expressed in her private relationships. She was fortunate enough to find Lillian, a woman who is naturally submissive. Lillian is sweet and gentle, a caring sort who enjoys being cared for as well as taking care of someone else.
    "Natasha believes, as do I, that there is freedom and beauty in the act of giving oneself over completely to another person. To let that person take care of you, to see to your every need, to accept and expect that they will put their well-being above your own. Together Natasha and Lillian have taken this idea to an even deeper level between them, to the point where Lillian has given all of herself over to Natasha. This level of submission is defined by some as slavery, where Natasha, in essence, owns all of who Lillian is, body and soul. Lillian, in turn, exists only for Natasha. In exchange, Natasha cares for Lillian’s needs as her own and gives each of them the same amount of consideration she would give herself."
    Having said that, Lucy still wasn't entirely sure that Danny could comprehend such a relationship. It was far more than whips and handcuffs, though even those simplest of bedroom accessories were more than some people could imagine.
    Danny took a sip of tea before answering her. "So,