Chapter 32
Helena woke at dawn with a slightly sore head but, more importantly, a sense of certainty that told her that her sober self wasn’t about to contradict what her drunk self had decided.
The answer is still yes.
Caitlin was asleep next to her, curled on her side, her breathing slow and even. The pool house was quiet and the sun had just risen above the horizon.
Helena reached for her phone on the nightstand and typed a message for Juliana.
Message me when you’re awake. Something I’d like to talk to you about.
The reply came faster than she expected. Juliana was a notoriously late sleeper, but apparently not today.
I’m awake. The chickens next door woke me up.
Helena grinned to herself. A definite upside to the pool house was that it was screened from the house next door by the garden wall, whereas in the upper floor bedroom that Juliana was in she would have had direct line-of-sight to their chicken run…
guests often only made the mistake of sleeping with their windows open on the first night. She typed back:
Can you meet me? The beach. Ten minutes.
Her reply was instant:
Of course, on my way.
Helena slipped out of bed, pulled on shorts and a t-shirt, and walked barefoot through the garden.
The neighbourhood was silent… the main house dark, everyone else still asleep, the pool still with the inflatable unicorn forlornly marooned on one side.
She took the path through the trees to the beach and emerged onto the sand as the sky was noticeably lightening moment-by-moment.
Juliana was already there, standing at the water’s edge in an oversized t-shirt and sleep shorts, her curls even wilder than usual from bed.
Her arms were crossed against the early morning cool.
She looked younger in the dawn light, Helena thought, less composed and more like the twenty-three-year-old she actually was.
“Morning,” Juliana said.
“Morning.” Helena stopped next to her and they stood for a moment watching the ocean from the empty beach. “How was the party?”
“Good right up until one of the guys started hitting on Mariana.” Juliana smiled. “She handled it.”
“I’m sure she did.” Helena took a few moments to get her words straight. “Caitlin asked me something last night.”
Juliana glanced at her. “What did she ask?”
“She wants to watch. You dominating me. She said she wants to understand that side of me… the side that surrenders.”
Juliana was quiet, looking at the water. Helena let her process. The waves broke gently at their feet, the cool surf washing over their toes and retreating.
“She meant it?” Helena nodded. “Tonight?” Juliana added.
“We didn’t get that far, but I thought tonight. If you’re willing, after the others have gone to bed. The pool house.”
Juliana picked up a shell from the wet sand, turning it around in her fingers. “You want me to dominate you? Properly? In front of your girlfriend?”
“The full thing. Not a show, not a demonstration. The real thing.”
“Complete surrender?”
“Complete surrender.”
Juliana put the shell down and turned to face Helena. The playfulness that was her default had receded, replaced by something much more considered. Helena had seen this version of Juliana before when she took control… she took it seriously, and understood the weight of what she was being asked.
“It feels right,” Juliana said. “Like a parting gift.”
“A parting gift?”
“You taught me everything, Helena. You took me from someone who was curious and clueless to someone who can hold a woman down and make her beg. You were patient and generous, and you gave me something that’s changed my life.
” She paused, and the sound of the waves on the shore filled the silence.
“And now you’re asking me to do that to you, the woman who taught me, while the woman you’re in love with watches.
That’s beautiful.” She smiled wryly. “In a slightly insane way.”
“I don’t know if love is…”
“Helena.” Juliana gave her a look. “You look at her like she’s the most wondrous, incredible thing to ever happen to you. And she looks at you in the same way.” She shrugged. “Call it whatever you want to. I can see it’s special.”
Helena didn’t argue. She didn’t have a word for it, but special was a good place to start.
“I should tell you something,” Juliana said. “I’ve started seeing someone. A woman called Letícia. It’s very new… a few weeks, non-exclusive. We’re exploring the dynamic together. She’s naturally submissive. I’m using everything you taught me.”
“Juliana, that’s wonderful.” Helena meant it too, she was genuinely pleased for her.
“It is. It’s early but it’s good so far.
” She looked at Helena with a soft smile.
“Which is why this feels like the right time and the right thing. You have Caitlin. I have the beginning of something with Letícia. Tonight can be our closing chapter. The last time, done properly, with someone special to you watching.” She touched Helena’s arm.
“A parting gift. From the student to the teacher.”
It was ridiculous but Helena felt her eyes sting. She hadn’t expected the emotion, and she hadn’t expected Juliana to name what they’d been to each other with such clarity and generosity.
“Thank you,” Helena said.
“Don’t thank me yet.” The grin returned, suddenly wicked. “I’ve been wanting to properly go to town on you since we started. Now I have both permission and an audience.”
“Don’t enjoy it too much.”
“I’m going to enjoy it exactly as much as I want.” She leaned playfully into Helena’s shoulder. “So tonight, after the others are asleep, the pool house?”
“The pool house.”
They stood together watching the sun rise for a few minutes.
“You know what I love about us?” Juliana said, her voice taking on a teasing, playful tone.
She glanced sideways at Helena. “When I dominate you, you’re my lioness.
Fierce even on your knees.” She picked up another shell and tossed it into the surf.
“And when you dominate me, I’m your queen.
” She let a wave break before continuing.
“We chose those names because they’re true.
Even submitting, we’re both still powerful. That’s what you taught me.”
The mutual respect, the reciprocity, the understanding that power given was not power lost…
Juliana really had listened and learned.
And suddenly Helena realised just how much she wanted Caitlin to see it…
not just the mechanics of submission, not just the physical spectacle, she wanted Caitlin to understand what those names meant, that the lioness chose to kneel, that making that choice was the bravery, that Helena on her knees was not Helena diminished but Helena at her most courageous.
“I want her to understand that,” Helena said quietly. “I don’t just want her to watch tonight, Juliana. I want her to see.”
“She will.” Juliana’s tone was certain. “That’s why I said yes.” She paused, then her tone changed to be more practical. “Did you bring anything with you? Equipment, I mean.”
“Some things. There’s a bag in the pool house bedroom wardrobe. Scarves, restraints, the harness, a few toys.”
“Can I look through it during the day? I want to plan tonight properly.”
“Help yourself. I’ll make sure the pool house is unlocked.”
Juliana nodded. “Can I have Caitlin’s number too? I want to make sure I talk to her directly first.”
“Sure, why?”
“Because I want to look her in the eye and understand why she wants this. And because, maybe she can help me a little…”
Helena pulled out her phone and sent the contact details. “Speaking of Caitlin, I should get back before she wakes up,” Helena said after a moment.
“Go. I’ll see you at breakfast.” Juliana smiled. “And Helena?”
“Yes?”
“It starts when I say it starts. No earlier, no later. Today, Leoa, you belong to me.”
Helena held her gaze for a moment until she realised she was blushing. Juliana saw and grinned before she turned back to look at the sea.
She walked back through the trees. Caitlin would be waking up soon. The group would assemble for breakfast. The day would be normal, ordinary, at least for the other three in the party.
Helena let herself into the pool house quietly and found Caitlin still asleep, exactly as she’d left her. She stood in the bedroom doorway watching her breathe and thought about tonight… Juliana’s hands, Caitlin’s eyes, the lioness choosing to kneel.
The fear was there, naturally, but the excitement was far, far greater.