by Tara Sue Me
Mentor’s Match
A Submissive Series Standalone Novel
Tara Sue Me
Copyright © 2018 by Tara Sue Me
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission.
After Six Publishing
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
Book Layout © 2017 BookDesignTemplates.com
Mentor’s Match/Tara Sue Me. -- 1st ed.
I am eternally grateful for your support while I worked to get this book to you.
And to Danielle for never once giving up
Also by Tara Sue Me
The Submissive Series
THE SUBMISSIVE
THE DOMINANT
THE TRAINING
THE CHALET (novella)
SEDUCED BY FIRE
THE ENTICEMENT
THE COLLAR
THE EXHIBITIONIST
THE MASTER
THE CLAIMING (novella)
THE EXPOSURE
THE FLIRTATION
Lessons From the RACK
MASTER PROFESSOR
HEADMASTER
Writing as Tara Thomas (Romantic Suspense)
Sons of Broad
SHATTERED FEAR (novella)
HIDDEN FATE (novella)
TWISTED END (novella)
DARKEST NIGHT
DEADLY SECRET
BROKEN PROMISE
CHAPTER ONE
Kate Herrington was not a giddy person. In fact, she wasn’t sure she’d ever felt giddy in her life. Yet as she hung up the phone in her home office, giddy was the only word that seemed to fit her mood. She bit back a giggle.
It was the most ridiculous thing she’d ever heard.
She glanced down at the notepad in front of her with the confirmation number she’d written down. The confirmation number that meant she’d just registered for the large international conference for architects in Berlin. In two weeks.
She hadn’t been to a conference in years, much less an international one. She’d wanted to go to this one, but a prior commitment kept her from going. However, when the scope of that project had been cut, she’d finished it much quicker than anticipated.
Her phone rang and she frowned when she noticed it was the conference admin.
“Hello?” she answered.
“Ms. Herrington,” the admin replied and didn’t wait for a reply. “I’m so sorry, but I just got off the phone with the conference hotel and they are completely booked.”
Kate's heart sank. “Surely there's another hotel in Berlin I can stay at.”
“I called all the ones within walking distance and they’re booked as well. I’m so sorry. We’ll refund your payment.”
No! She wanted to yell. But she wasn’t a yeller either. Instead she took a deep breath. “I’m not going to cancel just yet.” There was one person she could contact who might be able to help. “I might be able to work something out.”
“That’s wonderful news.” The other woman gave the sigh of relief Kate felt. “Just let me know by this time next week if it doesn’t and I’ll ensure you aren’t charged a cancellation fee.”
“Thank you,” Kate said and then hung up. However, instead of reaching for the phone to make her next call, she drummed her fingers on her desk. She remembered Cole’s friend, Fritz Brose, lived in Berlin. But she also knew, he often worked in the United States, so it was possible he might not be in his Berlin house during the conference.
Unfortunately, she did not have Fitz’s number, or any other way to get in touch with him. Which meant, even though she rather not, she had to call Cole.
It shouldn’t bother to call her ex. After all, he was happily dating somebody else and she had moved on months ago. But there was still that underlying knowledge between them whenever they talked. She supposed that was only to be expected, having been in twenty-four, seven power exchange relationship with each other for eight years.
She looked at the phone. She didn’t have to call now, after all she had a week. But what would be the point putting it off? Nothing would change if she waited a week. It wasn’t so much that she minded calling Cole. It wasn’t even that he was blissfully happy anytime they talked. No. What bothered her, if she was willing to admit it, was that he had moved on. And she was the same.
How could it be that she was the one who was the same? She was the one who broke up with him. She knew she was being petty. And truthfully, she didn’t want him back.
Hell, she didn’t know what her problem was.
With a sigh, she picked up her phone and dialed.
~~~~~
Two weeks later, the cab driver dropped her off in front of Fritz’s house. Cole had assured her that Fritz was in London for business and he wouldn’t mind at all if Kate stayed there. He’d gone on to say that he had a key he’d drop in the mail for her and he’d even take care of alerting Fritz.
At the time, she’d been thankful to Cole for taking care of everything. However, now that she actually stood in front of the house, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Maybe she should have tried to get in contact with Fritz after all.
She told herself she was being ridiculous, and went up the walkway and into the house. There was a tidy looking kitchen and a living area with comfortable looking love seats on the lower level.
There were two bedrooms upstairs. One was obviously his. It was larger and well decorated with antiques and rich hues of red and black. Across the hall was what must’ve been the guest bedroom. It was smaller, but had a lovely little window that looked out onto the backyard. In addition, it was decorated in more neutral colors. She put her suitcase in that one.
She yawned and thought about heading back down to the kitchen. Except she wasn’t hungry. What she really wanted was a bath. Traveling always made her feel grimy. International travel especially. She’d been on the road and in the same clothes for the last twenty hours or so. She wanted to explore Fritz’s neighborhood and perhaps find a market so she could pick up something for dinner that night and breakfast the next day. But, first things first.
She was delighted to find that the small bedroom had its own bath. Not only that, but it had a huge freestanding soaker tub. Just looking at it made her sigh. She couldn’t wait to get in and loosen her tight muscles. She found some body wash and briefly wondered whose it was. An ex-girlfriend perhaps? Maybe a sister? She didn’t even know Fritz had a sister. It was probably an ex-girlfriend, she decided. Cole had forever talked about what a player Fritz was.
But as soon as she lowered herself into the warm sudsy water, she no longer cared whose body wash it was. It was, hands down, the most exquisite bubble bath she’d ever been in. More than likely, it was probably due to the fact that she was tired and dirty. However, the bathtub had a high end that allowed her to recline more comfortably. The scent of the body wash relaxed her and the temperature of the water was perfect.
For a second, she wished she had a book to read. It had been ages since she’d had time to read for pleasure. Of course, she told herself, it’d been just as long, if not longer, since she simply relaxed in a tub. That stopped tonight.
She was on no one’s timetable other than her own. After being in a Master/slave relationship for eight years, that truth still had a way of catching her off-guard.
She smiled and sank deeper into the tub.
~~~~~
Fritz muttered a curse under his breath as he opened the
door to his house and noticed that Kate had already arrived. He had wanted to get to Berlin before she did, so he could open the house and get some groceries. Get it ready for her.
He had been flabbergasted when Cole had called and told him about the predicament Kate was in. Without thinking, he had offered his house. As fate would have it, he’d been asked to speak at the conference. He turned them down because he thought he’d be in the United States.
But he changed all that when he heard Kate was going to be in Berlin. He’d even called the conference coordinator and asked if he was still able to speak. She’d been excited and replied with a resounding yes. So as it turned out, he was going to speak two days at the conference.
He wondered what Kate would think when she heard. On second thought, he wondered if Kate ever thought of him? He certainly thought about her. A lot. Although truth be told, he didn’t feel as badly about it now as he had when she’d been with Cole. At least now she didn’t belong to one of his oldest friends.
He’d been shocked when he’d visited the States earlier in the year and Cole had casually brought up his interest in Kate. Hell, had he been that obvious? He’d always thought he had a better poker face.
And he equal parts hoped Kate did and didn’t know of his interest.
Either way, though, it’d been his plan to arrive before she did and that hadn’t happened thanks to an emergency that’d popped up in London right when he was supposed to be leaving.
Nothing to do about it now.
“Kate?” he called as the front door closed behind him. There was no way she’d have known he was coming and the last thing he wanted to do was scare the wits out of her. Belatedly, he’d realized on the flight to Berlin, that it probably would have been a good idea to have told her. But even if he had thought about it, he didn’t have her contact information.
He called her name again when she didn’t reply the first time. If it hadn’t been for her purse thrown haphazardly on the foyer table, he’d have thought she might have gone out.
He didn’t call her a third time for fear she was napping. He stepped into the kitchen to take a quick inventory of his pantry. Maybe he’d have time to run by the market at the end of the street and start on dinner before she woke up. Something quick and easy and preferably nothing too rich or heavy. It had only taken a few international flights for him to learn he typically fared better if he ate relatively light his first night in a new country.
He pulled out a notebook from the top kitchen drawer and made a quick list. A salad and some fresh bread sounded good. He’d need to check in the freezer for chicken. He thought he had some, but better to be safe and make sure.
“I want your hands in the air where I can see them,” a woman said from behind him.
He started to turn around.
“I said hands in the air.”
He put his hands in the air. He had to hand it to Kate, she sounded very calm. That was impressive since she thought an intruder had broken into the house.
“Kate,” he said calmly. “It’s me, Fritz.”
She was silent for several long minutes. Of course, it probably wasn’t that long, it just seemed that way. What was she doing? She had to still be in the room, he had not heard her leave.
“Turn around slowly,” she finally said.
He should feel completely stupid. After all, he was in his own house, with his hands in the air, like he was a robber or something. Yet, he did it because Kate was his guest, and she did not know he would be home. She was justifiably frightened.
He turned around slowly, and he had to admit, he was anxious to see her. Maybe, he thought, she wouldn’t be as gorgeous as he remembered. Maybe, she wouldn’t have that spark in her eyes. The spark that always seemed to be so jovial and full of mischief. Maybe, when he turned around she would be dull and commonplace.
No such luck. He turned around to find her exactly as he remembered. Every bit as gorgeous. Every bit as intelligent looking. And every bit as dangerous, with an antique iron fire poker in her hands.
It was probably a good thing he wasn’t a robber, because she stood in front of him in nothing but a towel. Her hair was still wet, and dripped on the floor.
“I thought you were asleep,” he said. “I should’ve realized you’d want to take a shower.”
“I was taking a bath,” she said. “Enjoying it a whole lot, until I heard a ruckus down the stairs.”
“You might want to put that poker down and work on that towel,” he said. Because even though she held it tightly in her hands, it looked as if the towel was getting ready to fall off completely.
She looked down and seemed a bit surprised to find herself in only a towel. She carefully put the antique tool down and grabbed the towel with both hands. “Oops.”
“No worries,” he said, making sure his gaze didn’t drop below her neck. “I was going to pick up a few things for dinner. How does salad sound?”
“Delicious,” she said and he wasn’t sure, but he thought she was blushing.
“I’ll run down to the market while you finish getting dressed. I’ll be gone about twenty minutes.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, but hadn’t turned to head back upstairs when he left for the market.
~~~~~
Kate watched his retreating figure in disbelief as he walked away. Holy shit. Had he always been that attractive and good-looking? She certainly didn’t remember him looking like that. Yet, how was it possible that he’d changed so much? She tried to remember when the last time she saw him was, perhaps three years ago?
Three years ago she would’ve been with Cole. As such, she wouldn’t have paid much notice to other men. Or look at them the way a woman would look at a man. But now that she was no longer with Cole, she did notice him. And she had definitely looked. A lot.
He was tall, handsome, and judging from the way he filled out his shirt, he worked out quite a bit. His face had angular lines to it and his hair was a dirty blond.
And his eyes…she shivered remembering them.
They were a deep blue. When he talked to her, they seemed to laugh. But she had the feeling they could turn to ice in a second.
She was also surprised at the fact her body reacted to a man. And strongly at that. She didn’t think she had been attracted to a man since Cole. Not that she’d been actively looking. Oh no, she had not been anxious to fill his shoes. Having said that, she could honestly say, she’d like nothing more than to spend an hour or two in the playroom with Fritz.
She had bottomed to a few men since Cole. Just a handful of times, though, and nothing serious. She wasn't sure if she wanted anything serious. For sure she didn’t want back into another master/slave relationship. But just as she couldn't remember what Fritz looked like, there was no way she could recall his D/s preferences.
From what she could tell, despite the lovely scented bath wash, there wasn't a woman currently living with him. Of course, it may be that there was a woman in the picture somewhere. She wasn’t sure where he’d been before he arrived in Berlin, he might’ve been with a woman.
She realized she had been standing in the kitchen, and that he had left minutes ago. She slowly went back up the stairs to the bathroom, thinking about nothing else except him as she went.
She tried to remember how long he said he would be gone to the grocery store. Funny how she couldn’t remember. She thought maybe he had said ten minutes? Either way, she decided to hurry up and finish getting ready, so she would be more appropriately dressed when he showed back up.
She looked at herself in the mirror for the first time in ages as a woman might. She turned, making sure she viewed all sides. Adequate enough. Her dark hair fell to her shoulders in soft waves. As for her body, well, she hadn’t been working out the same way she had when she was with Cole. However, that didn’t mean she had stopped. Rather, on average, she worked out at least three times a week.
At first when she’d left Cole, she’d stopped exercising entirely. Not much over a
week later, however, she found she didn’t like the way she felt and picked it back up on her own. She supposed she’d do for dinner with Fritz.
She hurriedly went through her suitcase, remembering she hadn’t planned for many dinners out. There was probably no one she knew at the conference and she’d much rather eat alone than to sit with a fake smile on her face. Fortunately, she always went everywhere prepared and she was able to find a sundress that was not too wrinkled. She slipped it on and decided to forego shoes.
She was putting the finishing touches on her hair when she heard Fritz return.
“Kate,” he called. “I'm back. Didn’t want you to think I was somebody else.”
He laughed and she found herself laughing along with him.
She remembered Cole saying that he was a very stern dominant. Even with the small amount of talking they’d done, her body had recognized his dominance. That thought alone sent shivers up and down her spine.
She walked slowly down the stairs, wanting to see if he was still as handsome as she remembered him looking just moments before. Stupid, she realized. Of course he would be. She stepped into the kitchen and saw that he was bent over, putting groceries into the cupboards. She stood there for a while, no more than a few seconds, just watching.
He turned around, and when he saw her, a large grin came over his face. “Let's do this again,” he said. “Hello, Kate it's good to see you again.”
“Hello, Fritz. Thank you so much for letting me stay here this week.”
They both laughed at the silliness of it. After all, she’d just been in his kitchen half naked.
“I'm going to start supper,” he said. “You’re welcome to sit at the table.”
“Actually,” she said. “I’d like to help.”
He looked pleasantly surprised that she had asked to help. “Of course,” he said. “I never turn down help in the kitchen.”
“Did you say what we’re having?” she asked.
He laughed again and she realized he must have said something before he left for the market.