Page 43 of Make Believe

“We are?” I say as I slide my bookmark into place.

He nods and licks his lips. “We’re going to a party.”

It’s clear he doesn’t mean for cocktails and dancing.

My heartbeat picks up as I stand. “Is that right, Daddy?” He nods again. “What shall I wear?”

He reaches out for my hand, and I let him take it. “Let’s go get you dressed, hmm? I want to make sure you look absolutely divine when I show you off.”

Although the majority of the clothes I’ve been wearing were ones bought by him and he’s made quite a few suggestions since I arrived, this is the first time he’s actually come and dressed me. I relax and feel like a real doll as he stands me in front of the closet. For a while, he peruses what’s on the hangers as well as in the drawers, obviously taking his time in making up his mind.

I don’t ask when the party starts or where it is or anything. That’s not my concern. These things usually start late anyway, and it’s only early evening still. We’ll get there whenever Rafferty wants to. I sink deeper into my relaxed state, comforted by the fact that I don’t have to take care of anything.

Normally, I’m meticulous about what I wear out in public. However, knowing that everything in this room is exquisite makes it easier to trust that the man knows what he’s doing. Or at least will have the good sense to try a few different items to see which works best.

Ultimately, though, he goes for very little clothing at all.

The skirt he slips over my hips has a thick elastic red waistband threaded with gold. Many layers of red silk fall down to my feet, which he’s put in delicate gold heels. He places strings of pearls around my neck and wrists and matches them with my own favorite pearl earring. Finally, he pours a shimmering lotion into his hands that he rubs all over my naked torso and arms. I glimmer like a Christmas ornament and feel like some kind of genie that’s been released from his bottle.

He washes his hands before coming back to me. “Perfect,” Rafferty murmurs, gently rubbing his thumb against my lower lip. “Would you like to do anything different with your make-up, pretty doll?”

“Yes, Daddy,” I say without hesitation. If we’re going out, there’s no way my regular day face will be good enough.

He smiles warmly and places his hand on my lower back to guide me toward my dressing table. Then he sits on the end of the bed to watch me, but I don’t feel rushed. In fact, I preen under his watchful eye as he drinks me in.

Luckily, I had a good neutral base look on today, so it’s easy enough for me to update with lots of gold sparkles and hints of dramatic red around my eyes. I add some false eyelashes and a strong crimson gloss that I plan to mess up soon enough, and in no time at all, we’re good to go.

I thrum with excitement the entire drive there. Rafferty called his chauffeur, so he’s in the back seat with me. We don’t talk much, but the quiet is actually pretty soothing. Especially as Rafferty has his hand under my skirt and between my legs, idly caressing my inner thigh as he looks out the window.

Of course I don’t have any underwear on. Where would the fun be in that?

I expected another house party like Jason and Markus’s, and I’m not disappointed. This place doesn’t have the seclusion of their home, but it’s still a huge mansion that makes my jaw drop as we approach. From the number of cars outside, I’d guess it’s already well attended, but a smaller affair than when Rafferty and I met.

The car stops, but Rafferty doesn’t get out right away. Instead, he turns to me, removing his hand from my leg and then touching my chin gently. My heart skips a beat.

“Are you ready to play, Kiki?” he asks directly.

“Yes, Daddy,” I say breathlessly.

“You remember your colors?”

“Yes, Daddy.”

“And?” He raises his eyebrows. “How do you feel now?”

“Green, Daddy,” I say, putting it mildly.

It’s not like I’ve forgotten that our first scene was very public. I’m sure Rafferty trusted those people to be discreet, and if this party is more intimate, that suggests an even tighter circle. But the fact remains that he wants to be seen with me. He wants to play with me…and I assume with others.

In a way, because this is his decision to come out like this, it takes the sting out of anything I was ever planning to do to him. I won’t have the chance to make anything scandalous as this is already public to a certain extent. True, it’s different from his wife or the board of his company knowing, but it’s not a complete secret either. That first encounter could have been brushed off as a wild frenzy of passion.

A repeat is deliberate.

It’s a relief. Not that I wanted to humiliate him for a long time now. But it’s like he’s put the safety catch on and I’m being let off the hook for any responsibility.

I feel free.

And that’s before we embark on any mind-blowing sex.

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