Chapter 26: Serious Conversations, with Love

The next morning, Dani took one look at me and said, “Call the photographer. Don’t look in a mirror ‘cause it might make you cry. Call the photographer, and then think about maybe taking a couple of days off from work.”

“Damn! Is it that bad?”

“Well, put it this way. Your new posters might even be harder to look at then the last set, at least in terms of how horrific the abuse looks.”

“You know you’re not helping me feel better.”

“That’s me, remember, the somber, dour member of this relationship.”

“I still love you, even when you’re being a downer.”

“Just remember that.” She finally smiled widely at me, with the grin lighting up her whole face.

“Well, at least one of us still looks beautiful, especially when you smile like that.”

“It’s okay, babe. You could still be a web cam girl. You’ve certainly got the body for it, and if we angle the camera the right way, no one will see your bruised face. All they’re really interested in are your tits and your pussy, anyway.”

“What? Now you don’t like my ass? You used to at least like spanking it.” I did my best to pout at her, but that got me another reminder of how much the bruised muscles in my face hurt. The fast changes in the expressions on my face got Dani laughing like crazy just before she pulled me into a hug.

“Don’t change. Don’t ever change. Yes, I still love your ass, even if I’m not spanking it.” She punctuated the comment by reaching down and grabbing both cheeks of that ass, and squeezing them hard. Instead of pain, all I felt was another one of those warm, fuzzy pulses that she always caused in me. I put a hand to the side of her lovely face, caressing it as I looked into those wondrous violet eyes. I knew how we had met, and how we had come together as lovers, and more, but I still had trouble believing it was all real.

I kissed her gently, then rested my head on her shoulder for a moment and hugged her tightly. I brought my hands up to cup both of her breasts, squeezing them firmly before I grinned at her and said, “I need a shower if I’m going to get photographed, and I’ll bet these boobs of yours are all stinky and sweaty, so you should come with me to get clean.” I was giggling as I pulled back out of her arms, dodging the swat she was aiming at my rear and moving fast toward the bathroom. I could hear her giggling as she chased after me.

We ended up back in each other’s arms, this time naked and wet in the shower. We did each other’s hair, then each other’s body, making sure that all the good bits were well-washed, but no orgasms resulted. It was just love, without too much sex, both knowing that there would be lots of that later on.

As we dried each other, Dani asked, “So, are you going to call the photographer? And can I come and watch when he does the shoot?””

“Looking for some boudoir photos, are we?”

“Well, if it weren’t for your face, I’d get him to do a Playboy centerfold kind of shot. I’m sure Eve would love to see it in a nice frame, hanging behind the bar. I’m sure the customers would really like it.”

“You mean you wouldn’t want to blow it up into a mural-size print to really catch everyone’s attention?”

“Somehow, I think you’re just fishing for attention. I think the payment for that would be a spanking or two.”

“Well, we could both get naked, and have him shoot you spanking me, and make sure that lots of skin shows on both of us. I’m sure both Eve and your customers would really like that one.”

“Yeah, and get me arrested for abuse, and the two of us charged with lewd and lascivious behaviour. Eve barely stays ahead of the cops as it is. It’s a good thing a couple of fairly high-ranking detectives happen to be both female and gay, so she gets a warning when anyone decides they should inspect the club a little more closely. It gives us a chance to turn the back room into a storage space, and to make sure that everyone is dressed.”

“A gay bar gets hassled? In these days?”

“You better believe it. It helps that we’re nowhere near any kind of residential neighbourhood, but with all the conversion of industrial spaces into apartments, the neighbourhoods are creeping closer all the time. We’ve had a couple of complaints filed by straights who happen to come in and then get hit on by one of the gay regulars.”

I couldn’t help the fit of laughter that nearly doubled me over. When I could finally catch my breath, I put a hand on Dani’s shoulder and, between giggles, said, “Oh, you mean just like this poor straight girl who only wanted a glass of wine because she was having a shitty day, and had to pay for it by getting naked and whipped?”

Dani grinned, and said, “Yes, I see the irony in what I just said. Not every straight girl ended up in my bed being introduced to my ‘leetle friend’.”

“Sounds like you’re confessing that some of them did. Do I need to ask for a list, just in case one of them comes back and professes never-ending love for those violet eyes?”

She cupped my face in her hands and kissed me tenderly. “Only one ever came back.” She kissed me again, then lifted one eyebrow. “Strange girl, though. She’s still here and I can’t seem to get rid of her, even though she keeps telling me she’s not gay.” Another one of those warm, fuzzy pulses went through me before she pulled back and said, “You’d better get your tail moving if we’re going to get photos done before the bruises heal.”

“Yes, Mistress, right away, Mistress.” I let out a whoop as I dodged the swat she was aiming at my butt, then couldn’t help giggling again. As soon as I was dressed, I called the photographer, and he told us to come right over as he had a break in his schedule and was mainly just doing paperwork.

The photos took a surprisingly short amount of time, as there was no makeup or special costuming to them. The photographer even offered to finalize the editing and make prints while we waited. We decided to go and get some lunch so we wouldn’t be breathing down his neck while he worked.

We were back about an hour later, and were once again blown away by the quality of his work. I told him to invoice me at work, and took the envelope of prints. Dani and I decided to swing by my office to drop them off, and that way I could get my staff to start working up a new campaign using these new prints as the basis.

I should probably have expected the reaction I got when we entered the office, but it still blew me away with the caring attitudes I got from every staff member I saw. It started with our front counter receptionist, who gasped out loud and looked like she wanted to kill Dani, until I managed to explain that it hadn’t been Dani who had hit me. She was still looking daggers at Dani as we moved into the main office area, and I made a mental note to talk to her about it.

It continued as I gathered up a few of my staff into the boardroom, as they all gave questioning looks at Dani whenever they looked at me. I knew I had to put the rumours to rest right away. I looked around the room, and said, “First, I want you all to meet my fiancée, Dani, who is the love of my life. Second, no she was not the cause of the bruises on my face.” I looked in Dani’s direction, and slowly added, “Well, she wasn’t the direct cause.” I caught Dani’s eye as I heard gasps go around the table, and gave her a wink.