by Maren Smith
His look chilled along with his tone. “I stepped out for a minute to talk with a friend. Would you rather have come out of the bathroom naked to find another person in the room?”
Friend, huh? Well, if that didn’t spell it out loud and clear enough for her, nothing would. She wasn’t foolish enough to think he would delegate her to a higher status in his affections than the other woman after today. The cool rebuke underlying his words didn’t faze Carlie; it only worked to increase her growing resentment at the whole mess she’d gotten herself into. She shrugged, faking unconcern even though he’d shattered the rose-colored glasses he often told her she should keep wearing.
“Wouldn’t be the first time you made sure others saw me naked.”
“True, but those were during scenes, when your mind was engaged with what I was doing to your body. Keep up the attitude and I’ll show you the difference before you leave today.”
The threat kept her quiet, but only because she didn’t know how to respond. Apparently, her education in BDSM this weekend hadn’t covered all the bases.
“I need to detour outside for a minute and check for correspondence from my partner,” he said when they reached the first floor.
“Okay.” Her appetite seemed to have deserted her anyway, so Carlie didn’t mind the delay. Memories of the first day assailed her when they entered the gardens and he stopped at a statue of a naked woman kneeling with her legs spread. Carlie shoved them aside as he reached between the statue’s legs and retrieved a folded note. “Bad news?” she asked when he frowned.
“I don’t know yet. Come on, let’s eat.”
His evasiveness was just another reminder of how far apart they really were.
The buffet presented a vast array of hunger-inducing aromas at mid-morning the same as in the evening, but as they moved down the line, Carlie couldn’t drum up enough of an appetite to take much. Master M frowned at her meager choices, but he didn’t insist she take more this time. Maybe he was as unconcerned with her lack of appetite as he was with their fractured relationship.
“Are you going to tell me what’s bothering you?” he questioned after leading her to a corner table, away from the guest-filled tables in the center of the restaurant.
“Nothing. Can’t I be in a quiet mood without you drilling me?” she snapped, wishing she could just go pack and leave now instead of waiting on the bus.
“Sure, if I thought that was all there was to it. My job, as your Dom, is to see to all your needs, and if you have a problem we need to discuss, let’s get it out in the open.” He jabbed a thick piece of ham steak and put it in his mouth, those probing green eyes never leaving her face.
For someone who was so astute, he could sure be dense sometimes. Carlie nibbled on a slice of bacon, refusing to shy away from his gaze as she lied to him. “It’s a personal issue, Master M, and one I don’t wish to discuss with anyone.” Least of all you.
Luke struggled to hold back his temper. He didn’t know what happened between the time he left Carlie humming with low-level arousal in the bathroom and when he re-entered his room to find her dressed and ready for him, but time was short, and he was in no mood to deal with her stubbornness. If he’d done something to offend her, he wanted it out in the open, dealt with and put aside so they could enjoy the time left to them without this tension.
Dane’s cryptic message, ‘Possible Carmen sighting, trying to confirm. My sub knows something, but she’s not talking yet. Will update soon,’ didn’t give him much to go on, which was just something else to deal with.
He reached into his pocket and flipped the bullet vibrators on low, hoping a little erotic distraction would re-ignite her arousal and interest in what he might have planned next. Once he focused her mind on her body’s demands, he could wrestle a better response from her. Instead of a flare of surprised pleasure lighting up her eyes behind the neon green and white striped glasses, a flash of anger darkened the amber depths; not the response he’d been aiming for or wanted.
“Is that your solution to everything?” she hissed with a covert scan of the tables nearest them.
“Here at the Castle, yes,” he returned in a low, controlled voice. Before he could berate her for the anger in her tone, Master Sam and his sub, Hannah, stopped by their table. As happy as he was to see another friend, Luke hoped the other couple didn’t linger. He greeted the Master with a broad grin and held out his hand. “Master Sam, Hannah, I hear congratulations are in order. You finally made an honest woman out of your sub.”
Master Sam flicked the slender brunette an indulgent look before saying, “Thank you, although we’re still catching hell for doing so in secret. I won’t keep you. I just wanted to take a moment to say it’s good to see you here again. Who’s your pretty little sub?” he inquired with a look of interest at Carlie.
Without waiting for Luke to make the introductions, Carlie opened her mouth before turning blazing eyes up to the strict Dom and making a huge mistake. Her voice dripping sarcasm, she said, “You must be as blind as Master M, either that or you’re into fat women.”
“Fuck,” Luke cursed under his breath when Sam’s jaw went as taut as his own, his eyes reflecting the same glacial censorship Luke knew showed on his face as he slowly came to his feet. She was smart enough to cringe from their combined anger and the pity on Hannah’s face. The other sub knew first-hand what that disrespect would cost Carlie, something he didn’t relish but saw no way around.
“Master Sam, I apologize for my sub’s disrespect. Cinderella, stand up and bend over your chair.” Carlie’s face paled, adding to the guilt slicing at Luke’s abdomen, but it was the betrayal in her eyes as she stood and obeyed his order that cut him to the quick. Ending their time together with a painful and humiliating public punishment delivered by the Dom whose sadist streak drew the hardcore pain sluts had not been on his agenda nor what he wished, but rules were rules.
“This is not how I wanted to say hello after all this time,” Master Sam said as he removed the tawse clipped to his waist and Luke draped Carlie’s skirt over her back, baring her ass.
“She’s a newbie but knows the rules.” Luke dropped the hint about her inexperience in the hopes Sam would keep the swats to a minimum since the tawse silicone whip took little in terms of strike force to deliver a painful spanking. The two broad tongues, each measuring an inch and a half wide and ten inches in length, allowed for long broad strokes, covering a lot of flesh at once. A few strikes would leave an impact.
Master Sam’s dark eyes conveyed understanding, as did his quick nod. “Five swats.”
Chapter 8
Carlie managed to hold in her cry and maintain her stoic acceptance through the first two stinging blows. Had she looked up at the man speaking behind her before uttering the flippant remark, she never would have said a word. Built like a brick wall, dark hair pulled back in a ponytail, there was an air about the Dom that instantly put a person, especially a sub, on alert. Pain blossomed across her backside, the third strike eliciting a low whimper from her compressed lips. She curled her fingers into the chair, trying to decide which punishment hurt worse, the painful blows delivered by a stranger in front of a roomful of diners, or Luke turning her over to the man. She accepted the first as her due for disrespecting a Master, but the second she didn’t understand. Why couldn’t Luke have disciplined her himself? Why add to her humiliation by allowing this hard man, a complete stranger, to administer the spanking?
The fourth blow almost drove her to her elbows, but she locked her arms and held tight against the tears gathering in her eyes. She refused to add to her mortification by collapsing under the weight of her chastisement. The wide strap covered every inch of her buttocks by the time Master Sam delivered the final, most painful swat, which wrenched a cry from her throat. Even though Master M left the vibrators pulsing inside her pussy and rectum, she derived no pleasure from the fiery burn encompassing her backside. Just when she thought the worst was over, Luke took her arm and helped her uprig
ht, turning her to face the other man with a tear-streaked face.
Shock stiffened her body when he instructed, “Kneel down and apologize to Master Sam, Cinderella.”
Clenching her hands into fists, she avoided looking at the other woman, not wanting to see the compassion and understanding of her predicament she’d caught before. She sank to her knees, grateful Master M kept hold of her arm. If he hadn’t, she would’ve bolted right then and there. As it was, her entire body still trembled with the urge to do so. “I’m sorry, Master Sam. I spoke without thinking.”
He surprised her by laying a hand on her head in a light caress. “You’re forgiven. Maybe later, you and Hannah can have a nice visit.” Stepping back, he addressed Luke. “I’ll catch up with you later, Master M.”
As Luke drew her to her feet, Carlie couldn’t help but notice the heads turned their way, some faces reflecting understanding, others a hint of censure. Anger rose to the surface. She didn’t need this, didn’t want this kind of abasement, and certainly didn’t need the compassion Luke’s face now revealed. Responsibility for her outburst lay solely with her, but the sense of betrayal from being handed over to the other Dom wouldn’t abate. She’d been so thrilled with finally having his attention on her as more than a friend and Evan’s little sister, even with it given grudgingly, she’d succumbed to his dictates and heavy hand without a qualm. She knew she shouldn’t feel betrayed by being turned over to the man she’d insulted to dish out her punishment. From what she’d seen the past two days, others meting out discipline was a common practice. But, when combined with what she’d seen on Luke’s face earlier when he’d leaned toward the tall, attractive blonde in the hall, the one who was everything Carlie wasn’t, the feeling couldn’t be helped.
Desperate to flee the crowd, her conflicting emotions and the pain of both Master M’s and Luke’s perceived disloyalty, she yanked her arm out of his grasp and spun away.
“What are you doing?” he demanded, both concern and irritation crossing his face.
“I’m leaving.”
Fisting his hands on his hips, he argued, “You can’t just walk out. Wait a minute and we’ll go somewhere we can talk in private.”
She didn’t care for his dictate any more than she did the riot of emotions clamoring for answers. Needing to get away from him, she didn’t hesitate to go against him. “Oh, yeah?” Bending, she reached under her dress and yanked the vibrators out, wincing at the abrupt removal of the still pulsating toys. Tossing them on the table, she snapped, “Watch me.”
Stunned disbelief kept Luke rooted for the few seconds it took Carlie to dash through the restaurant. Swearing in both annoyance at her stubbornness and worry over whether she believed he’d gone too far in letting the Dom she’d insulted punish her, as was his right, he snatched the bullets off the table and went after her. One way or another, he would get to the bottom of what had gotten into her.
Luke had no sooner reached the foyer when an explosion erupted from one of the upper floors, the sound sending everyone fleeing for the exits. Carmen. Fear tightened like a vice around his throat as he wrestled through the crowd, his first concern not of Grace’s safety, but Carlie’s. Dread churned in his abdomen when he searched the throng of panicking guests for her brown head but found no sign of her. He turned toward the front doors, praying she’d hightailed it outside in her effort to get away from him, but came up short with annoyance nipping at his heels when Victoria latched onto his arm with a worried expression.
“Are you looking for the woman in your room earlier?” she asked above the din.
Surprised, he nodded. “How’d you know?”
“She saw us, looking out your door.” Pointing to the stairs, he almost strangled on the choking, icy grip of terror constricting his throat with her next words. “I saw her going upstairs just seconds before the explosion. Do you know…”
“No, I don’t know what happened, but thank you for telling me that. Now, get outside until the all clear has been given.” Giving her a slight push toward the doors, he shoved his way through to the stairs, praying like he’d never done before.
Not knowing where the explosion occurred, or even which floor, propelled him to move faster. Years of memories played through his mind on the trek upstairs. Carlie as a toddler, always begging for attention from both Evan and Luke; the pesky little kid constantly demanding to hang out with them; the adoring crush in her eyes in her pre-teen years; both her tearful and angry tirades during high school when she was labeled a nerd; the grief they shared when Evan died; the longing for more from him than protective friendship the past few years she thought she’d kept hidden.
It had all been there, right in front of his face the whole time. Blinded by loyalty, he’d refused to see it, acknowledge or act on it. It had always been Carlie; always would be if he found her safe. How ironic would it be if he’d failed to protect her while determined to keep her at arm’s length?
Luke reached the second floor and sped down the hall, sliding to a halt in front of her crouched form. Dropping to his knees, he went lightheaded with relief when she looked up at him with fear before releasing a strangled cry and flinging her arms around his neck.
“God, it was so loud, it shook the walls, and I didn’t know where to go, what to do,” she sobbed, her body shaking as hard as his.
“I’ve got you, little one. Come on, let’s get you out of here.” See her safe first, then do his job and find out what happened and if Grace escaped unscathed. If this turned out to be Carmen’s doing, he swore the man wouldn’t escape justice this time, even if he had to go vigilante and hunt him down personally.
Granger, seven hours later
Carlie heard the car pull up to the curb and her heart leapt. She recognized his footsteps as he approached up the walk and she clenched her hands into fists. She responded to his deep, commanding voice with a surge of heat and fought to hold on to her resolve. Yanking on a weed, she remained kneeling in the garden, thinking back just two-and-a-half days when he’d sought her out to try to convince her not to return to the Castle. What, she wondered, would he want to try to dissuade her from doing this time?
As soon as he stopped behind her, she spoke, keeping her back to him. “So, you were telling the truth. You really were there on assignment.”
“Yes. I’m sorry I couldn’t give you any details.”
Luke’s deep voice washed over her like a comforting balm and she almost lost the effort to remain detached, unaffected by his nearness and the longing she despaired of ever getting over. “And your witness? She’s okay?”
Luke tightened his jaw, impatience coloring his tone as he said, “We’ll talk about all that later. Mind if I go inside and get a glass of that iced tea I see you have?”
Giving in to the inevitable, she stood and faced him, her heart constricting at the weary cast to his dark face, the concern in his green eyes. His ink black hair looked mussed, as if he’d been running his fingers through it again. She sighed and nodded. May as well get this over with. “Come on in.”
As she knew he would, he stared at the stack of boxes and the disarray in surprise the minute they entered the living room. With a wave of his hand and a perplexed frown, he asked, “What’s all this?”
“I’m moving,” she stated with a calmness she was far from feeling. Padding into the kitchen, she washed her hands before pouring his tea, trying not to look at him. She wouldn’t be able to stay strong if she stared at him too long. The memories of the weekend were still too fresh to hold her back from begging for more.
The close brush with real danger made the scene in the restaurant pale in significance considering what could have happened to everyone, to her, to Master M. Why did it always have to take a life-altering incident to get one’s priorities straight? If only she hadn’t let jealousy cloud her thinking, had spent the last morning at the Castle enjoying her time with Master M instead of marring it with her irrational behavior. If only he cared enough to invite her back.
> “When’d you decide this?” he asked, a hint of reproach in his voice. Walking over to the counter, he picked up the glass she’d poured, his eyes never leaving her face as he took a hefty swallow.
When I realized you’d never look at me as anything more than Evan’s little sister. “Actually, just last week. I thought it was time for a change.” Time to get over you.
Luke set the glass down with a clink, his face tense while he stood and gazed at her across the counter, the look in his eyes one she couldn’t decipher. Then he inhaled, one deep breath, blew it out and said the most unexpected thing.
“I loved Evan.”
Frowning, she nodded. “I know, so did I.”
“When he died, it tore me up, as much as it did you. The only way I held it together was because Evan needed me to keep my promise. Then,” he raked his fingers through his hair and swallowed hard with a shudder, “when that bomb went off and I didn’t know where you were, if you were hurt, I couldn’t breathe, Carlie. My first thought was I didn’t keep my promise after all; I failed to keep you safe. Seeing you huddled in the hall, scared but alive and unharmed, it dawned on me.” He sidled around the counter and backed her against it, nudging up her glasses with an indulgent smile. “The best way to fulfill my promise to Evan is to keep you chained to my side, with me always. It’s the only way I’ll survive the next fifty years.”
“What… what are you saying?” she whispered, afraid of misreading what she so desperately wanted to hear and see on his face, what she’d waited so long to hear and see.
He gripped her hair in his fist, tugged her head back and growled above her mouth, “I’m saying, whatever you thought was going on when I spoke with Victoria out in the hall this morning, you were mistaken. She asked me if I was free to scene with her today, and I told her no. How could I want someone else when I had you waiting for me?” He paused, searching her face, breathing her in. With a low groan, he whispered above her lips, “Thank God you’re so stubborn.”