With the metal tab from the pen, Rebekah craned her hand around to work on the lock. She twisted it and turned it, listening for that click that sounded her freedom.
The chopping in the backyard stopped. The silence scared her more than the thought that Dak had an ax and knew how to use it. As she started to go back to the window to check on Dak, her hand bumped against the bar, and she dropped the tab.
“Shit!” She peered down at the shiny metal piece on the floor on the other side of the cell and then back at the window. Deciding that she needed to know Dak’s location first, she ran to the window and hopped on top of her bed.
She sighed in relief when she saw the ax embedded in a stump. Rebekah’s heart accelerated when she couldn’t find Dak. She ran back to the cell door and screamed when she saw Dak standing on the outside of it. She hadn’t even heard him come into the house let alone walk down the stairs.
“Whoa! What’s wrong with you?” He held up his hands as though shushing a crying child.
Rebekah dropped her gaze to see if she could still see the tab. She couldn’t. More than likely, it got hidden under Dak’s huge, bear foot. Once she got right at the door, she dropped down to her knees to get into her subservient position.
Dak smiled. Rebekah chose that moment to scan the floor very quickly.
“Very good. You are learning. You might get the whole rainbow of paints before you leave me.”
Rebekah smiled back at him.
“I’m preparing our lunch.”
She bowed her head. “Thank you, Master Dak.”
He turned to go to the kitchen. From where Rebekah sat, she heard the sound of metal scraping against the concrete floor. Dak might have heard it, too, from the puzzled expression on his face.
“When will you let me out of this jail?” she asked as a way to distract him.
“As soon as I trust you more, or when you have been assigned a new place, whichever comes first. If you do stay with me and I start trusting you, then you will be the one preparing all of the meals. For your sake, I hope you’re a good cook.” Dak chuckled.
To cut down on suspicion, she laughed with him. As soon as he walked away, Rebekah scanned the floor. The metal tab glimmered in the light that streamed through the small window over Dak’s chair.
Dak stepping on the item had actually managed to get it close enough to so that Rebekah could reach it through the bars. However, he also crushed the curved ending that had helped her maneuver in the lock itself.
Rebekah had to time picking the lock for her escape just right. She couldn’t get the item that could save her with Dak watching. Trying to get a good visual on Dak, she moved to the farthest corner to get a good bird’s-eye view of the kitchen.
From her vantage point, she watched him walking from one end to the other, going from the cupboard to the refrigerator to the stove. The man could move. Rebekah just wanted him to stand still for a moment or at least leave the room.
As though God had heard her, the doorbell rang, followed by a hard knocking. Rebekah’s heart accelerated. This could be her chance to escape. She could scream and get whoever stood at the door to get Dak to release her.
Dak appeared at the top of the stairs. “Do I need to gag you and tie you down?”
Rebekah took a couple of steps back. She hadn’t figured Dak would go to that extreme to keep her and make sure she stayed silent. She shook her head.
“Good. I’m going to close the door. Don’t make a sound.”
She nodded.
As soon as he closed the door, Rebekah picked up the metal piece and worked on the lock again. She would stay quiet, but she certainly wouldn’t stay put.
With her hands trembling as she fiddled with the lock, she worked as fast as she could, especially after she heard another male voice. What if Master Blade had come back to get her? What if Dak’s friend had come to take her away to some other place? What if the police had come to take her back home to her father? She could deal with Master Blade more than being with her father, although both men seemed to be cut from the same cloth.
She worked faster until finally the sound she’d been waiting to hear ticked. She kept turning her wrist to activate the lock, then she pulled back on the door.
Salvation! She had gained her freedom!
With not much time, Rebekah slipped on the rubber boots that sat by the steps. Still wearing Dak’s sweatpants and a T-shirt, she felt comfortable with her escape wardrobe. She cracked open the door leading to the kitchen. The voices became much clearer.
“What brings you out here, Walton? I only see cops out here when I call them.” Even from where Rebekah sat, she could hear the nervousness in Dak’s laughter.
So the police had arrived. For her, that could either be a good thing or a bad thing.
“Just checking up on a call we got,” Rebekah heard the officer say. “The caller reported that you were acting kind of funny earlier today.”
“I’m fine.”
“Good. Then you won’t mind me checking out the place, right?”
Rebekah’s heart pounded. Did she really want Dak to get in trouble like this? Did she want to be taken away? Where would they take her? What could she do?
Chapter Nine
Dak took off his baseball cap and tossed it on the table in his living room. He certainly hadn’t expected the police to come to his house, and he really didn’t want them searching the place.
Although Moira knew about the Lifestyle and the things he did in it, the police wouldn’t understand. In their book, Dak broke the law in Virginia by practicing any form of BDSM. If he spanked or flogged a submissive, even if they wanted it, he could be arrested for battery. What the hell would Walton do if he saw a whole fucking jail cell in his back room?
“Look around?” Dak chuckled. “For what? You know I’m clean.”
“I know, Dak. It’s just—”
Dak cut him off. “Look, was it Vera who called? I was in a hurry when I saw her this morning. I didn’t know that I had freaked her out when I rushed around the store.”
Actually, he thought Blade could have been the one to report Dak’s strange behavior. He probably wanted the cops to come over to see if they could find Rebekah in his house. For that reason, he had to keep them from taking her. No way would he let Rebekah go back to Blade, and it had nothing to do with Lil’ Mary.
“I’m fine, Walton. As a matter of fact, I was just about to make some lunch.”
“You were?” Walton rubbed his potbelly. “You have enough for two?” He started to head to the kitchen.
Shit! Shit! Shit! Dak didn’t want the man in his house, let alone near the back room where he could ask to see what an outsider would consider as something menacing and strange.
He couldn’t lie to himself. Dak understood the Lifestyle and knew a full jail cell in his house to keep a submissive from leaving should be considered menacing and weird. Although it seemed like he had won Rebekah over with the paints, she could still decide to turn on him.
Why the hell had he asked her if she would behave? She hadn’t before. Actually she hadn’t until that morning when she’d bowed and called him Master Dak. Just thinking about it now swelled his dick. Bad timing.
“Look, Walt, maybe we can do lunch another time. Just not today.” Dak blocked Walton’s path to the kitchen.
“Why? What’s going on?” A look of concern covered the officer’s face. “What do you have down there, Dak?” Walton put his hand on top of his gun. “And what happened to your head?”
Dak touched the small bandage on top of his head. He’d forgotten about it since the pain had subsided.
“It’s nothing. Was doing some chopping in the back and a log flew up and hit the top of my head. That’s all.” He brought his arms to his sides. He needed to play this cool, or he would be heading to jail and ruin his chances at any kind of life after this, forget about just working on the police force.
“You know, I used to stick up for you at the force, tell the guy
s that you would make a great police officer,” Walton began. “But now I don’t know. You’ve been acting a little strange lately. Isolating yourself out here. Snapping at your friends. You’re like a different man, Dak. If you don’t mind, I’m going to check out your house to be sure—”
Like a shot, Dak heard a woman scream.
Oh, God, no! Rebekah. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
Walton’s eyes widened, and he split his attention between Dak and the kitchen. “What’s that?”
Before Dak could answer, Rebekah ran up to him, tackling him on the side. Dak gazed down and saw she now wore one of his button-down white shirts that she left unbuttoned and had nothing else underneath. Her smoking hot body arrested his attention.
“Dak, what are you doing? If we’re going to start that family, we have to do it now!” Rebekah said. She glanced over at Walton, screamed again, and hid behind Dak.
What the fuck?
“Oh, my God! I didn’t know someone was here. I was in the shower.” She playfully slapped his arm. “Why didn’t you tell me, honey?”
“Um, I thought you heard him.” Dak tried wrapping his brain around the fact that Rebekah had managed to escape the cell and that she now tried to help him.
“Oh, my goodness, ma’am.” Walton turned his back to the couple. “Dak, why didn’t you tell me you had company?”
“As you can see, we were in the middle of something private.” Dak had to figure out what in the world Rebekah had planned.
“Yep, Dak and I are trying to make a little Dak. Ain’t that right, baby?” Rebekah framed his face and brought him down to plant a mind-blowing kiss on him.
She slid her tongue into his mouth as she caressed his head. At first, to put up appearances, he wrapped his arms around her body. Dak couldn’t deny the fact that she felt so good to hold, her curves, her aroma, her soft hair and smooth skin.
As soon as she touched the sore spot where she had cracked the lamp on his head the first night they were together, he winced. Without that gentle reminder that of how their relationship had started, he’d envisioned them together, she as his submissive, him as her Master, and them making love often.
He pulled back from her and stared at her, wondering now what would happen between the two of them. Would it change the dynamic he had set up?
“He’s so good to me,” Rebekah said as she looked at him with such adoration in her gaze. “He got up so early this morning just to get me painting supplies.” She turned to Walton. “I picture our baby’s room filled with my paintings and Dak’s furniture.”
The more she spoke, the more Dak could see that, too. Too bad that would never happen in real life.
“I know it’s crazy. Pregnant women get food cravings. I’m ovulating, and I get creative cravings.” Rebekah laughed, and it didn’t sound fake.
When she hadn’t annoyed him by calling herself “This Slave,” she could be quite charming.
“I can understand, ma’am. Probably why Dak seemed so distracted earlier today.” Walton’s cheeks flushed a bright red.
Rebekah covered her mouth. “Oh, my. Is that why you’re here?”
“Someone was concerned over Dak’s behave—”
Dak cut him off. “I went a little crazy in Wal-Mart today.”
“Baby, you didn’t have to rush for me.” She kissed the side of his neck.
The connection raised hairs on Dak’s body. “I didn’t want to leave you too long. You were asleep. I didn’t want you thinking I just left you without saying anything.” Dak raised his eyebrows at her, sharing a secret conversation that only she would understand. “For that, I apologize.”
Rebekah blinked as though she’d never heard anyone apologize to her. She cleared her throat before speaking. “I knew you would come back to me.” Her hand coasted down his body and over his cock before going down his leg.
Rebekah deserved a damn Oscar for her performance.
“I see you two want to be alone.” The officer backed away from them to the door. “Nice to meet you, uh—”
“Rebekah. Friends call me Becks.” She waved to Walton and wrapped her arms around Dak’s waist.
“I’ll talk to you later, Dak. Nice to see you had a great reason for being a little anti-social lately.”
“Thanks, Walton. If you could, don’t tell anyone about this.” He glanced at Rebekah. “You know, just in case it doesn’t work out.”
Rebekah grabbed Dak’s hand and put it on her stomach. “I’m hopeful. This time is going to be a winner.”
“Congratulations again, Dak. Funny. Never pictured you as a family man. Looks like you may be a good influence on him, Becks.” Walton walked out of the house, closing the door behind him.
Without a word, Dak stared at Rebekah. As though answering the question that had burned in his brain the second he saw her, she turned his hand over and placed a small metal piece in it.
She wrapped the shirt close on her body and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ll go back to my cell.” She started to walk to the kitchen, but Dak continued holding her hand.
When she turned back to him, he still didn’t know what to say to her. Why had she done what she did? Why hadn’t she turned him in if she truly didn’t want to be there? Why had she made up that story about them being a couple? What about that kiss?
Rebekah slipped out of his grip. “Master Dak, please let me know when lunch is ready. I’ll be in position for you until then.”
She sauntered through the kitchen and down the stairs to the back room. Once there, he heard the metal door slam shut.
Fuck. What the hell had Dak gotten himself into now?
Chapter Ten
Probably in an effort to get to know Rebekah better, Dak moved a little table into her cell along with two chairs. The whole time, Rebekah remained on the floor in her subservient position until Dak requested that she get up and sit with him at the table.
“Master Dak, you don’t want me on the floor by your side until after you have eaten?” Master Blade had wanted her that way during meals. Rebekah had gotten used to cold food in the time she had been with him.
“Not today. Right now, I want you to sit, and I want us to talk.” He pointed to her chair.
She sat and kept her gaze on her food. Today he’d prepared turkey-and-cheese sandwiches, along with chicken noodle soup.
“Do you want me naked?” She peered up at him. “I had a twenty-four-seven relationship with Master Blade, and he wanted me—”
“I’m not Blade,” Dak said, interrupting her. “I’m nothing like him.”
“I’ve noticed.” She smiled.
For many reasons, she thanked God that Dak resembled nothing of Blade. Although being in a jail cell hadn’t been easy, she could deal with that much better than a dog bed or a drawer.
Dak hadn’t once been disrespectful to her, or called her a bitch or a whore. The one time he’d disciplined her, even that had been more humane than how Master Blade had treated her.
“Speaking of Blade,” Dak began, “I saw him today.”
Rebekah held her spoon full of soup in midair.
“He was at Wal-Mart.” Dak took a bite of his sandwich. With a full mouth, he said, “Actually that’s who I thought had called the cops on me today. I wouldn’t put it past him.”
“Oh.” Rebekah submerged her spoon back into the soup. “Did he, um, ask about me?”
“Do you care?”
She caught the anger and jealousy in Dak’s voice. The dormant butterflies in her belly flapped off the cobwebs and started a fluttering feeling at catching Dak’s envy.
Master Blade had her in his home for over a year, had fed her, trained her, had made her serve him. She wanted to know if he’d thought about her even once.
“Rebekah, if it’s the last thing I do for you, I’m going to teach you that Master Blade was not a good Dom. He mistreated you and didn’t respect you.”
“So he didn’t ask about me.” She stole little glances at Dak, who now looked very conf
used.
Dak wiped his mouth. “He was concerned about his property, wanted to know if I knew where it was.”
Dak stressed the word “it,” and the aim hit its intended target. Rebekah felt like a knife cut through her gut. Master Blade didn’t care about her, and she didn’t know if Dak could care enough about her in the short time he would have her.
She nodded again. “When it’s all you know, you just hope—I don’t know—”
“That’s one sign of problems in a Dom/sub relationship. If you question your Dom’s actions, if you don’t believe him, your relationship is bound to fail.” Dak shook his head. “Don’t worry. I didn’t say a word about you, although he tried to get me to talk.” He ate a couple of hearty spoonfuls of soup full of meat and noodles. “So your art, are you trained in it?”
Rebekah glanced to the side where she had two pictures of a bear and an owl sitting up against the wall. With only brown to work with, she couldn’t come up with a lot.
“No, not really. I learned some in high school, but I didn’t go any further with it.” She took a small nibble of her sandwich.
“You’re very talented. I’m surprised Blade didn’t encourage you.”
“He didn’t know. It wasn’t like I had any opportunities to show him what I could do.” She shrugged. “So is what that police officer said true? You want to be an officer, too?”
The glare in Dak’s eyes chilled her to the bone.
“Like you and your art, I didn’t go any further with that plan.” With a hard stare, he kept Rebekah cemented to her chair. “I’m a little too, um, intense for the police department.”
Rebekah blinked. “They told you that?”
Dak leaned back in his chair. “They didn’t have to. I know what I’m capable of doing.” Then he cleared his throat. “Do you mind telling me what a typical day with Blade was like?”
Rebekah stared at Dak, wondering if he wanted to know out of morbid curiosity or if he thought her talking about him would make her feel better.
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