Love My Way

by Bridget Midway

  One by one the women all filtered into the foyer. Ananda stood to take her place in line and tried helping Meadow to her feet.

  “No. You two may remain seated.” Eagan pointed to Ananda and Meadow. “Some of you did a hell of a job. I’m impressed at the level of dedication many of you showed.” Eagan walked over to Sunny who kept her gaze down to the floor. “Sunny, I know you wouldn’t have given up. That was just bad luck.”

  She nodded. “Thank you, Master Eagan.”

  “The last two in position were Meadow and Begonia. I watched the live camera feed. I’m declaring—” He paused and looked at the both of them. “—Meadow the winner.”

  The cherubic woman smiled and wiped away more tears streaming down her face. The other ladies applauded.

  “The person who lasted the longest, however, was Begonia. Meadow, you moved your head first. But because Begonia quit, Meadow showed more integrity than Begonia.” Eagan stood in front of Ananda. “I’m so disappointed in you. I thought you were going to win this.”

  “Circumstances changed,” Ananda said softly.

  “I didn’t say you could speak! Stay silent, or immunity or not, you’re out of here right now.”

  Several of the other contestants looked around at each other.

  “Immunity? I thought this was the reward challenge.” Rose stepped away from the group.

  “What gave you that impression? I just called it a challenge. I didn’t specify if it was a reward challenge, immunity challenge, or both. It’s both.”

  The women all groan. Some cursed.

  “Therefore, since Begonia has immunity, she stays. Meadow, not only do you win the shopping spree, but you also have immunity from elimination in the next challenge. By the way, did I tell you the spending limit?”

  Ananda didn’t want to know, but the other women shook their heads.

  “There is no limit. And there is no time limit. Go there when the store opens, stay there when it closes. Buy whatever you like.”

  Meadow clapped her hands. If anyone deserved that, it was her.

  Eagan pointed to a spot in front of him. “Poppy and Rose, come forward.”

  The two disgruntled women stepped forward.

  “Poppy, you talked when you weren’t supposed to and you’ve consistently disrespected my Lifestyle and home.”

  Poppy opened her mouth, but Eagan brought his hand up to silence her.

  “Not a word.” Then he turned to Rose. “Rose, you’re as bad as Begonia. You simply gave up without trying. That’s unacceptable. I’m releasing you. Give me your collar.”

  Rose’s bottom lip quivered. “I didn’t know. That’s not fair.”

  “I only want a submissive who is willing to put her best foot forward. You quit, simply because you didn’t think the prize was worthy enough for you. I’m the prize. I should have been worthy. You should have done it for me.”

  “Please don’t do this. Give me another chance. You said Poppy never listens to you, that she’s disrespectful.”

  “And now you’re being disrespectful. Give me my collar now.” He held his hand up waiting for the adornment.

  “I can change. I can do better. I swear.”

  Eagan shook his head. “No, no, this is you. This is it. You will always take the easy way out. Good luck in finding another Master. I don’t need your services.”

  Eagan grabbed Rose’s shoulders and turned the woman around. He touched the clasp of her necklace just as she pulled away again.

  A snap sounded and pearls flew everywhere in the room, over furniture, over the floor, pelting the other women. The women shielded their bodies with their hands. Rose held the remains of the collar in her hand, stroking it like a departed loved one.

  “What will I do now? Where will I go? I have nothing.” Rose hadn’t removed her mask.

  “You all knew this would happen. This is a competition, not a sorority. Pack your things and go, now!” The snap of the final word made all the women jump. He snatched the remains of the necklace from Rose’s hand. Then he pulled her mask off.

  Behind it hid a young woman with red hair, soft brown eyes that were now rimmed red from all of her tears, and the most delicate features Ananda had ever seen on a person. Rose looked like a doll with her porcelain skin. And this was the woman Eagan had just crushed.

  Eagan stormed off camera and headed back upstairs.

  “I’m so sorry, Rose.” Sunny hugged her.

  “It’s Marsha. My real name. I didn’t want to reveal it until I was the last one standing.” She buried her face in her hands. “I feel so ashamed.”

  “Don’t be. We didn’t know. You’ll be okay.” Freesia stroked Marsha’s hair.

  “I know this. The game is really on now. Master Eagan is taking no prisoners.” Poppy shook her head.

  If this was the real Eagan, Ananda didn’t want any part of that guy. She wanted the guy who had licked her clitoris so gently that it turned her bones into butter. For whatever reason, that man was gone. Now Ananda really had to be on her game.

  Chapter Fifteen

  A spray of pearls and platinum chains flew across Eagan’s office when he threw what was left of Rose’s necklace. Intense energy swirled inside of him until he wanted to scream. A soft rapping at his door broke him from his manic thoughts.

  “What?” he snapped.

  The door cracked open and Aspen poked her head inside. “I’m afraid I drew the short straw, sir.”

  Eagan took a deep breath. “You wanted something?” He made his place behind his desk.

  “Just to make you happy. I’ve never seen you like this, Master Eagan. The other slaves and I are concerned.” She crouched down and picked up the pearls one by one. “I’m sure the contestants now are very concerned.”

  “They should be. Being with me is not a picnic.”

  Aspen stood. “It is a picnic.” She approached his desk. “You just happen to bring your own ants.” She set a pile of pearls in the center and continued her search. “Want to talk about it?”

  Did Eagan really want to talk about the constant calls from Dris and his unreasonable demands? Or the calls and visits from his neighbors about the noise from the camera crews and the goings-on in his house? Or maybe what he really wanted to talk about was the one thing he didn’t want to talk about, the e-mail from Ophelia, the one that simply said, “Hi.”

  “Aspen, sit on the couch. You know the spot.”

  “That I do, sir.” She sat at the end and waited.

  Eagan sat in the middle then turned over and placed his head on her lap.

  “Close your eyes, please.” She slipped her delicate hand over his eyelids to prompt him to close them. Then she put one hand on his chest over his heart and stroked his hair with her other hand.

  Eagan took a deep breath and settled his body down. His heartbeat slowed to a reasonable pace. He stopped panting. Aspen had a gift that couldn’t be bottled.

  “I have never felt so out of control before.” Eagan spoke low and even.

  “Do you know what triggered your new behavior?” Aspen rubbed the center of his forehead.

  “The usual. Dris Markham asking for more money.”

  “That’s the nature of your business. You’ve never let that bother you before.”

  And Aspen was right. He’d always handled actor demands in the same way; he ignored them. An actor who made too many demands was an actor who no longer respected his craft. That was like the elimination tonight. Rose didn’t respect him as a Master. She only looked at the prize. In a way, so had Meadow. The only reason Begonia tossed in her towel was to give Meadow a win. Knowing that made him want her even more. That scared him.

  “Magazines are saying that I’m no longer relevant.” Eagan stretched his legs out.

  “Since when do you care about what magazines say about you?”

  “Since the sales for my last few movies tanked. I don’t want to be the punch line to a joke.”

  “You’re still a great producer and director.
No one can take that from you. Now do you want to talk about your real problem or do you want to keep discussing things you can fix?”

  Eagan smiled. “Have I told you what an invaluable slave you are?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “And how incredibly intuitive you are?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “And how I enjoy your company?”

  “You’re not going to talk about it, are you?”

  Eagan sat up. “As usual, you’ve done a great job. I’ll be fine. I promise. No more tantrums.”

  Aspen stood. “Shall I finish cleaning up the pearls?”

  “Not now. Perhaps later while I’m reading.” He didn’t want to see Aspen on her hands and knees picking up items that were on the floor as a result of his lack of control.

  Aspen headed to the door and stopped. “I can get the number for Miss Marsha’s room.”

  “Who?”

  “Rose, the contestant who’s leaving tonight. I can get her room number, if you would like to make a visit.”

  Eagan had been especially hard on the woman. He didn’t mean to snap at her. His emotions ran too high and hard for him to stop or control them.

  “Yes, get her room number so that I can send her some flowers. Perhaps a gift.”

  “If I’m allowed to be frank, sir. I don’t think throwing money at this will solve the problem.”

  Eagan blinked at Aspen’s candor.

  “You verbally spanked her. Time to do some aftercare.”

  And he knew she was right. He should be there holding her and telling her that, despite his lack of control; she still had worth. She could still be a good submissive to another Master.

  “Thank you for your opinion. Let Apple and Willow know to prepare the women for dinner.”

  Aspen smiled and bowed before leaving the room.

  Although he had no appetite, the women all had to eat. After this contest, he would see who listened, who wanted it bad enough.

  Eagan’s gaze dropped to his computer monitor. On the screen, the one he’d been staring at for the last two hours, was Ophelia’s e-mail. What the hell did she want?

  * * * *

  Dinner? Eating was the last thing on Ananda’s mind. She was sure that the other women felt the same way. After cleaning up, they all trudged down to the dining room. Meadow grabbed a chair and was about to sit down before Ananda stopped her.

  “Position, remember?” Ananda whispered.

  Meadow nodded and smiled. One by one the eight of them dropped down to the floor next to a chair, just on their knees as instructed. Then they waited. Apple and Willow had been in and set salads on their plates and filled their glasses with water and wine. Still no Eagan.

  Ananda’s stomach growled, but she didn’t dare move or acknowledge it. Then she heard the tell-tale padding feet again. Eagan strolled into the room. He stood at the end of the table and stared at each woman before speaking.

  “Up,” he said.

  Ananda and the other women stood.

  “You may eat.” Then as quickly as he walked into the room, he left.

  “He’s not eating with us?” Meadow whispered.

  Ananda shrugged. There were things about him that she couldn’t explain. Perhaps he didn’t want to sit among submissives who had so little regard for him. Or maybe he was disappointed in his own actions. Either way, Ananda was going to eat, drink and be merry…until the next contest.

  * * * *

  Eagan strolled around his dance studio alone. He glanced at his watch then looked out the window admiring the reflection of the moon in the water. Usually, about this time, Begonia would make a surprise visit. His cock still throbbed over her last one where she’d hidden under his desk giving him a hand job that rivaled Aspen’s.

  He’d warned her that things would change. He noticed the confused look in her eyes when he admonished the group. He didn’t like doing it. On some level, he had to reprimand them. They knew who was the boss of the house. And they wouldn’t question his actions.

  Tired, Eagan slid his finger over his piano keys as he headed to the door to go to bed. He made one stroll around the foyer area to see if anyone lingered. No one was in the main area.

  Just as he headed to the stairs, he caught someone down the hall.

  Begonia.

  She gasped when she saw him, but stood perfectly still at her bedroom door. Eagan stopped and stared at her from his spot. He wanted her. He wanted her to come sneaking down the hall and to his office where he could tell her he wasn’t the jerk she probably suspected him to be. Or maybe they could go out into the garden again to just explore each other’s bodies.

  Instead, she slinked into the room and closed the door behind herself. He couldn’t fault her. He made the rules. Can’t be mad because she was sticking to them. He just had to figure out a way to bring out that old Begonia again, the rebel he’d grown to desire. She had to accept him for who he was though. Seeing the fear in her face, she probably couldn’t do that.

  Damn.

  * * * *

  “I need to have my own personal acupuncturist on set with me at all times,” Dris whined over the phone.

  Eagan rolled his eyes and continued typing a message on his computer.

  “I’m stressed. These shoots are hard.”

  “Dris, have your agent contact me. She and I need to go over the terms of your contract.” Eagan sent his message, then stood.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Gone was the scared and exhausted actor. Here was the indignant asshole that lurked just below Dris’s shallow surface.

  “It means exactly what I said. Now I have work to do.” Eagan disconnected the call. He no longer cared that they were in the middle of production on Infinity. Eagan was over placating this idiot. Did he really think he was the only actor out there, that he couldn’t be replaced?

  Eagan’s phone rang before he walked to the door. Looking at the Caller I.D. screen, he noticed it was Dris Markham’s agent. The man didn’t waste time, did he? Eagan had been serious when he said he had other things to do. He ignored the call and headed downstairs.

  Today would be an interesting day. After the last shoot a few days ago, Eagan allowed the women some space to reacquaint themselves with the house, the rules, and why it is that they were there in the first place.

  So far, they had been doing well. Every morning at six a.m. the women were all in the foyer in position and waiting for him. So far no one had disappointed him, not even Poppy, and especially not Begonia, whom he had expected to oversleep or just complain about the treatment. She almost acted as dedicated as Sunny. The turnaround in her behavior impressed him.

  Because he’d planned on playing in a manner of speaking today, Eagan had on a pair of drawstring pants and a white cotton T-shirt. The T-shirt was worn only for protection.

  He stood at the top of the stairs and waited for Tony to give him his entrance. Once he heard it, Eagan descended the stairs. His customary welcome kisses went by quickly.

  Standing in front of them, the women all said, “Good afternoon, Master Eagan.”

  “Before we get started, there’s one thing I want to say.” He paced, keeping his gaze down to the floor. Then he stopped and stared at all of them, making sure to look at each woman in her eyes. “During Rose’s elimination, I was not myself that day. I allowed some personal issues to affect my mood. For that, I apologize.”

  The women all nodded, except for Begonia.

  “I owed Rose a more personal apology so I went to see her where we have her hidden until after the show is over.”

  That’s when Begonia nodded. Knowing that she understood him and, most importantly, forgave him as Rose had forgiven him earlier that week, calmed Eagan’s raging heart.

  “I don’t rule by fear, but ask for servitude through respect. If you can’t respect me, I can’t be a good Master to you.” He paused. “I’m no one to be feared. Please believe that.”

  Begonia smiled this time. Her expression accelerated his
heart.

  “Today, we’re going to learn about one of my favorite things.” From behind his back he pulled out some rope and tossed it to the floor in the middle of the room.

  He noticed right away how big Lily’s eyes had become. The other women looked confused. Poppy appeared horrified.

  “Rope play. To me, it’s like an art.” He called for Willow and Apple.

  The two women appeared, wearing intricate rope dressing that he’d done earlier that morning. Evenly-spaced knots decorated the ropes that were wrapped around their legs, their breasts and arms. It was the only time he allowed them out of their chastity belts.

  He stood behind Willow. “The great thing about it is that with the knots in the right place, this can feel amazing.”

  Eagan grabbed a part of the rope that crisscrossed at Willow’s back. The rope dipped between her legs. With one tug, he crushed a knot against her clit. Willow moaned in an immediate response.

  “Feel good?” he asked her.

  “Yes, Master Eagan. Thank you.” Willow nodded.

  “I will teach you all some basic rope tying tricks. The person who picks it up the best will get a reward.” He wanted to be sure to announce that this was not an immunity challenge, although he’d hoped they would all take this seriously. “I own a small island in the Bahamas. You and a guest will be taken there on my private jet for a seven-day vacation.”

  The women all applauded. Eagan’s insides tickled knowing he’d regained their admiration again. Eagan showed them basic ties to wrap around wrists.

  “The great thing about binding the wrists this way is that it won’t tighten if you pull on it, so your submissive doesn’t get hurt.” Such a knot was tied around Begonia’s wrists. “See.” He pulled on it, bringing her closer to him. Every time she stepped closer to him his heart pounded. “Or if you have a submissive suspended, it won’t tighten up and cut off circulation.” He brought Begonia’s bound wrists in the air and tugged on it. His mind flashed over images of binding her wrists in his dungeon and fucking her while suspended.

  Eagan dropped her hands. “Everyone, pick a partner.”

  Begonia immediately grabbed Meadow. Daisy and Venus paired up. Freesia hooked up with Sunny. And Lily and Poppy made a team.