Betrayed Chapter 10

We met Paul and Kitty at their booth in the mezzanine-level vendors' area at the Hilton on South Michigan Avenue. As we came up the escalator, Angie and I both gaped at the far-flung assemblage of fetish apparel and gear; booth upon booth, row upon row, extending throughout the mezzanine and into the ballroom where the pageant would be held. He escorted us towards the backstage area while Kitty took charge of the booth.

As we traversed the vendor area, there was a seemingly-endless array of leather and rubber clothing, shoes and boots, whips, paddles, chains, restraints, dildoes, butt plugs, vibrators, bondage furniture, even medieval-style iron cages, up to and including an honest-to-goodness 'iron maiden' – minus the spikes. Paul's was not the only booth featuring corsets, but as far as I was concerned, it might as well have been. All of it was brand-new and for sale. The vendors were mostly fresh-faced, intelligent, superbly knowledgeable about their craft, wares and the market they served – and as matter-of-fact and enthusiastic about it all as though they were vending hot dogs and soda from a curbside cart. Angie and I stared at each other and shook our heads sadly - wondering what we had been missing in our lives all this time.

"And this is all for the boys?" I questioned Paul, fingering an exquisitely-tooled pair of black patent thigh boots with wicked six-inch stiletto heels.

"Hardly," he chuckled. "Look around you. You are not the only women here; just the sexiest."

"Don't you dare let Kitty hear you say that," I teased. "She'll have you trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey all night!"

"Promises, promises," he sighed.

Dianna was already backstage, applying her makeup. I had dreaded this moment for months; the two women I adored, coming face-to-face. How was I going to get past this moment? How would I be able to look either in the eye again?

"Hi Dianna!" Angie beckoned, hugging the beautiful brunette and bussing her lightly on the cheek.