Rock stood. “No apologies necessary.” He walked over to her.
This time Taren didn’t stand. She almost seemed exhausted.
Rock leaned over and kissed the top of her head. “Thanks for the opportunity.”
As soon as he walked out of the room, Jace stood. He started to walk toward Taren to thank her, but she leapt to her feet and left the room.
“And cut!” Kitty exclaimed. “Taren, are you okay?”
Taren didn’t answer as she raced up the stairs to the master bedroom.
“Can someone tell me what the hell is going on?” Kitty jumped from her director’s chair.
“I’ll go up and check.” Soneni ran up the stairs and knocked on the bedroom door.
“Mackie, you can rest in your room if you want. The next thing will be the dinner with the Doms and Dommes Taren just picked.” Kitty looked at the dining room. “We’ll need to redo the room and prepare the food, so you have time to rest up if you want.”
Macabre stood. “Good. Time to get out of this corset and lie naked on the bed.” She laughed as she sauntered out of the room.
The production assistant who ran up the stairs flew down them in the same speed. She whispered something in Kitty’s ear as she glanced over at Jace. A tickle ran over his stomach at the suspicious look.
“Get this room set up.” Kitty clapped her hands, which made people move. Then she pointed to Jace. “You. Come with me.”
Kitty stomped up the stairs with Jace following behind her. She opened the door to the bedroom and allowed Jace to go through first.
Taren wrung her hands together while she paced back and forth in front of the bed. She barely looked at Jace when he walked into the room. When Kitty came in, she closed the door behind her.
“What’s this about?” Jace asked.
“Take off your mask.” Kitty crossed her arms over her chest.
Jace looked at her, then Taren. “I thought I couldn’t take off my mask unless I was in the bathroom.”
“No cameras in here. Take it off. Now.”
Jace winced at the demand. He didn’t like being spoken to like a commodity of the show. “No.” He pointed to Taren. “If she sees my face, I’m automatically out of the competition.” Although he’d wanted that at first, now that he’d gotten this far he wanted to stay. “I want to know what the hell is going on.”
Taren turned to Kitty. “He can’t be in the show.” She shook her head. “We had sex.”
Shit.
Chapter Fifteen
Taren had suspicions as soon as she saw the last two men entering the room to be interviewed. Master’s eyes caught her attention first. Her heart pounded and her insides churned as soon as she spied his body, although the hood frightened her. She had to admit that Master Rock also captured her interest. Once she smelled Master’s scent, she knew him.
“Take off the goddamn mask so that she can confirm this and we can keep Master Rock if he hasn’t left yet.” Kitty grabbed Master’s arm. “I can always edit you out.”
Master pulled her hand off him. “Before you go through the trouble, I want to hear what she has to say.”
Taren shook her head and started pacing again. “I had sex with a guy who came here about a week ago. The eyes and the way you smell. I knew it had to be you. Your voice was muffled under the mask, but I could tell it was you.”
Kitty stood in front of Master. “Is this true?”
Master regarded Kitty for a moment before addressing Taren. “Go get Vern.”
Kitty pointed at him. “Stay right here.” She left the room.
Being left alone with the man she knew had to be Jace had Taren wishing she had a buffer. “You lied to me.”
Master shook his head. “No, I didn’t.” He took a step closer to her.
She moved away. “I asked you several times if you were a part of the show. You could have told me.”
“At the time, I wasn’t.” He lowered his voice. “That doesn’t change the fact that you picked me. You wanted me here.”
Taren stared at him until Kitty and Vern burst through the door.
Master towered over the associate producer. “Vern, when did I sign the contract to be a part of this show?”
He shrugged. “A few hours ago. Right before we did hair and makeup.” He looked at the three of them. “Is there a problem?”
Master turned to Taren. “There’s no way I had sex with her after I joined the show. The contract states that once we sign the contract, we cannot have sexual relations with anyone associated with it.” He addressed Kitty and Vern. “We’re still in compliance.”
“Oh, my.” Vern covered his mouth.
Taren felt heat radiating throughout her body. She couldn’t tell if it stemmed from anger or sexual excitement. “Is that true? He signed a contract to be a part of the show before taping today?” She kept her voice low, almost inaudible.
“That’s true.” Vern held his hands up.
Master clasped his hands together. “One of the original sixteen Dominants backed out at the last minute. I agreed to fill in, thinking she wouldn’t pick me.”
Kitty shook her head. “Fuck.” She moved past the men and stood in front of Taren. “How do you feel? You did pick him over Rock, and he did sign the contract after you two connected.”
“Allegedly.” Master wagged his finger in the air. “I’m not admitting to anything.”
Kitty shook her head. “He’s compliant with the contract. You still haven’t seen his face. Technically, he can still compete. What do you think? Do you mind if he stayed?”
Taren considered the option. She’d picked him not because she knew him, or thought she knew him. She’d picked him because she did like his answer. Out of all sixteen contestants, his answer about his favorite form of play impressed her the most. He talked about her instead of himself.
Then came the realization that she’d had sex with this man and had a signed a contract that she wouldn’t have sex with any of the contestants. She had to be honest. If honesty truly ruled her, she would admit that she wanted another session with Jace. Master. Damn.
“Since we didn’t do it while he was under contract, I guess it’s okay if he stays.” Taren could barely look at Master. “You’re going to have to do a lot to gain my trust back.”
Kitty growled. “Fine. Tell the P.A.s to get everyone ready for dinner tonight. The mute one will have to change masks. He can’t eat with the one he has.” She pointed to Master. “You had better watch yourself. Anything else funny and I’ll kick your ass out.”
Master grabbed Kitty’s pointed finger and held it. “Understood.” He continued to hold it for a beat before letting her go.
“I have to get the next shot set up.” Kitty started to leave, then stopped. She whistled. “You. Master. You are not going to be left alone in a room with her again. Come on downstairs. You have to be assigned your sleeping quarters.”
“I’m staying in the guesthouse.” Master put his fist to his hips like he wanted to end this conversation.
“No, you’re not. All contestants stay in assigned rooms.” Kitty stepped up close to him. “It was in the contract unless you had that clause removed.” She glared at Vern.
Sweat poured down the big man’s face. “No, nothing was changed.”
“Good. Go down to the production room. You’ll be bunking in with a few guys.” Kitty glanced at Taren. “You take a bath or shower. Relax a little. I’ll send hair and makeup up here for you in a couple of hours. You’ve met the guys. Next you’ll meet the house slaves.”
Taren nodded. “Sounds good.”
Master walked backwards out of the room, keeping his stare on her until Kitty closed the door. Taren didn’t waste any time. She locked the door and pressed her back to it. As much as she wanted to disagree with him, Master had been right. She did pick him. She could have easily chosen Master Rock. He ticked off a lot of boxes on her list. Even without seeing Master’s face, her body felt the draw.
She k
new what she would have to do. During the first round of eliminations, she would have to get rid of him. She saw his character. She didn’t need to know anything else.
****
“You really have some huge ones, buddy.” Kitty said between gritted teeth as she stomped in front of Jace. “Don’t think I don’t know who you are. Not only did you weasel your way onto the show, but you managed to fuck the talent. That was, like, rule number one of things you shouldn’t do.” She stopped him outside of the production room. “What are you even doing here? I thought you were supposed to be gone.”
“Business trip got cut short. I swear, I was going to stay in the guesthouse and not get involved. One thing led to another. Pretty soon—”
Kitty held up her hand. “Spare me the details. Just know this. I have a feeling that you’ll be in a hotel after the first round of eliminations.”
“Hotel?”
“Contract. Don’t you read anything? Eliminated contestants are put up in the Westin until the end of taping.” She nodded toward the room. “Go in and find out who your new roommates are.”
“Fine. But I’ll need to get to the guesthouse at some point to get some clothes.” Plus he could use the away time to get up to Taren.
Kitty glared at him while shaking her head. “Ananda is going to freak about this. You know that, right?”
Jace put his finger to his lips. “Our little secret for now.”
“Don’t make me regret any of this.”
Jace couldn’t guarantee that, but he would do his best to at least not embarrass himself. By the time he walked into the production room, the other contestants had removed their jackets and ties, but their masks remained in place.
“Got called to the principal’s office? Were you caught cheating?” Fear tossed his jacket on the couch as he looked at Jace.
“Careful, man. Your insecurity is showing.” Jace stood in the middle of the room. “I need to know my room assignment.”
Soneni rushed to the middle of the room with a tablet in her hand. “I have it right here, gentlemen…and ladies. Okay, in one bedroom we’ll have Master, Lord No, Sire Swift and Bruiser. The other bedroom will have Fear, Mistress Night, Sire Ball and Miss Twist.”
“Wait. I have to bunk with women? Why can’t they have their own room?” Fear pointed to the two ladies.
“Are you afraid we’ll see your business?” Mistress Night winked before she chuckled.
“I would think you two would be uncomfortable with sleeping in the same room with two men.” Sire Ball remained seated as he offered his opinion.
“Sorry. That’s all the room we have. Anyone willing to switch?” The assistant scanned the group.
“I don’t care.” Bruiser raised his hand. “I’ll move over with Night, Twist, and Ball.”
“Night, twist, and ball. Sounds like one of my Friday evening activities.” Twist laughed.
“Great. I believe dinner for you all is ready now. Then you’ll be asked to stay in your rooms tonight. Afterward the house slaves will eat with Taren. She’ll get to know them.” Soneni started to leave when Fear stopped her.
“Will the slaves be serving us?” Fear asked.
“Not for this meal. After tonight, they will.”
“Will they serve us at all tonight?” Fear started to fidget in his spot.
“No. It will all start tomorrow.” Even at her diminuitive height, Soneni stood toe to toe with Fear.
“Who will wash my dick for me when I take a shower?”
The room fell quiet.
“Dude, did you really just ask that out loud? You really need someone to wash your dick?” Bruiser shook his head.
“Yeah. It’s that fucking big.” Fear stomped away from talking to Soneni.
She took the opportunity to leave the contestants alone.
“Great.” Sire Swift shook his head. “I can’t wait until all this gets underway.”
“Me, too. It’s like we’re living our lives in a segmented way.” Ball rose from the couch and pointed out his luggage to the crew.
While the contestants got their items together to go to their rooms, Jace took that moment to slip out. He managed to get through the back door to the guesthouse. As he packed his bag, he couldn’t help but look up to the master bedroom window. When he saw her silhouette pass, he couldn’t take waiting anymore.
Jace abandoned packing and darted to the stairs at the back of the house that went up to his office. Using his keys, he unlocked the door. The office hadn’t been touched. He opened the main door that went into the bedroom.
“Hello? Is someone there?” Taren called from the bathroom.
Jace couldn’t decide if he should leave his mask on or take it off. He decided that if Taren responded to honesty more, he would have to approach her sincerely. He removed the mask and shoved it in his pocket. “It’s Jace.” He didn’t want her to be afraid.
She’d already called him a liar and told him that she would be eliminating him first. In order to gain her trust, he had to prove it.
He heard splashing.
“What are you doing in here? Are you with Kitty and Vern?” Excitement rose in her voice.
Jace stood outside the bathroom door. If he looked inside, he couldn’t promise that he would stay on the other side of the door.
“No, I’m here alone.” He pressed his hand against the doorframe, but stayed out of view. “I wanted us to talk alone.”
“I don’t think that’s appropriate or necessary.”
Her musky aroma wafted out of the bathroom door. She bathed in that scent. Jace felt a throbbing below his waist that wouldn’t quit. He would need to either satisfy it or leave. Too bad he couldn’t move his feet.
“It is necessary. When you asked me if I was the director or if I was a part of the crew, I didn’t answer you. I changed the topic.” Jace leaned against the wall. “I take care of this house.” Not a lie. “I hadn’t planned on getting involved in the show.” Complete truth. “I tried staying away from you. I couldn’t help but be drawn to you.” Fully exposed.
He heard some more splashing like Taren had stepped out of the tub. Within a few seconds, she appeared in the doorway wearing a white terrycloth robe and nothing else. From the sheen and bubbles over her chest and legs, it didn’t look like she had even dried herself.
Taren stared at him like she didn’t know what to say. “You’re not wearing a mask.”
“I told you. I’m Jace.” He held up his hands to show he meant no harm.
Taren tightened the belt around her waist. “I had to tell them.”
“Actually I’m very proud that you did. Shows that you have integrity.” If he hadn’t been quick-witted to remember that he’d signed the contract after they had had sex, he would have still be standing there fighting the good fight. He didn’t want to leave, and it had more to do with Taren than getting back at Eagan and Ananda.
“Thanks.” She glanced around the room. “How did you get in here?”
He pointed to the closed office door. “Through there is an office. The door is always locked. I have a key. There is a balcony with stairs that go down to the backyard.”
“So if you wanted, you can come in here at any time.” Her breathing increased. “I don’t know if I like that.”
He shook his head. “What is the BDSM credo?”
“Safe, sane, and consensual.” Her words came out in hushed tones.
“Exactly. Nothing happens unless you want it to. I control the play. You control the action.” He took a step closer to her.
Taren moved away. “I don’t want you here.” She had her back to him. “I don’t like when people hold back information from me. Never works out well for me.”
“If you’re waiting for me to apologize for controlling the information I shared with you, you’ll be standing there a long time. Being open with my feelings and sharing information have not been great for me, either.”
Taren turned to him. “Then I guess my decision to eliminate you fi
rst still stands. If I can’t trust you, how can I have you as my Dom?”
Jace knew she had a point. Being open had always bitten him in the ass. He couldn’t drop his defenses. They helped keep him protected.
“I may be closed off, but know this. I’m honest about situations around you. I can keep you informed if I feel you’re doing something risky.” He thought about something crucial that he hoped would have her looking at him differently. “I held back some vital details, but I’ve never lied to you.”
Taren turned around.
Jace had to expose himself a bit more. “I want you right now. Would you tell Kitty?”
****
Taren didn’t know how to answer. For once in her life, she wanted Jace as her own little secret. She’d never lived her life that way. Even as a little girl, if she’d done something wrong, she told her parents right away. Kids hated her and called her a tattler for telling teachers when they did some mischief.
Taren couldn’t help it. The truth truly set her free. For that reason, she had to be honest.
“I would tell. We signed a contract.” She ran her hand up her arm to feel the soft fabric of the robe the show had given her.
Jace loosened his necktie and unbuttoned the top few buttons. “I can’t leave here without something.”
Taren felt her lips moving but nothing came out of them at first. “What do you mean?”
He framed her face. He stared into her eyes, which weakened her. “Don’t hate me.”
Taren put her hands to his chest, preparing herself to push him back. Instead she coasted her hands down his body to his belt.
Jace grabbed her wrists and pulled her back. “If you do anything more, I won’t be able to stop myself. And I’ll be damned if I get eliminated from this based on some contract clause.”
“Please.” She brought his hands up to her mouth and kissed them. “You have to leave and don’t come back again. It’s obvious that I can’t control myself around you. I thought it was the BDSM play I’d seen. But now…”
Jace let her hands go and grabbed the tie around her waist. He pulled on it and let her robe flap open, exposing her nude body. The air conditioning cooled her skin on contact, which helped her considering how hot she’d become.
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