“Lovely girl,” Daniel spoke first.
“Yes, well,” Marcus sighed, “she looks innocuous now, but she can sure pack a punch.”
“Pack a punch?”
Marcus laughed nervously, while massaging his jaw. “And she can kick.”
“I see,” Daniel said, guarding his feelings, though the scene of the girl’s and Marcus’ first confrontation began to form a clear picture in his mind. Kicking. Punching. Apparently, she had a temper and if he were guessing right, she had no desire to be removed from the estate. Why would she be? Serenity of this sort was difficult to find in the modern world; Brauer’s domain had obviously been a throwback to an earlier time, one where El felt perfectly content.
“So, she’s a hellcat? This is why you insisted I come?” Daniel asked, as he continued observing the lovely female.
“Yes. I guess so,” he reluctantly admitted. “I’m sure that Nickolas, the caretaker, and I could have put her in chains and stuffed her in the back of my car. We could have caged and gagged her. But I was hoping for something a little less severe,” he grimaced. “But regardless of what it takes to get her out of here she can’t stay a day longer. I have to get back to my regular business for the next couple weeks and with the mansion nearly stripped of ‘all that nasty stuff’—that’s how Frieda, Brauer’s sister, refers to it—she can’t stay here. The truck comes tomorrow to pick up all the fetish gear, and everything the family wants gone. Once that’s taken to the warehouse I’m done until the auction at the end of the month.”
Daniel appraised the situation with pursed lips, a scowl and narrowed brows. For a moment he was deep in thought. Then turning to Marcus, he said, “Well, then, let’s get her out and be done with it. How far is it to your Domme friend?”
“Three, four hours away, tops.”
“Good.” The gate at the far end of the dog pen was already open and Daniel marched out and headed down the grassy slope. This was no longer Marcus’ mission but his. His friend called himself a Dom and acted the part rather well when he needed to, but he obviously didn’t have the stomach for the possibilities that lay ahead with a confused and fractious young female who was about to be ripped from the life she knew and apparently loved. Daniel had been in this kind of position more times than he could count—all in his past of course, but that past was not so long ago. As a slave trader in the Middle East, where were there few restraints on his behavior, he had many vivid recollections of other confused and fractious females who became his properties to dispense with. He could subdue a screaming, kicking female in less than ten seconds. “You have some rope,” he asked as they were halfway down the hill.
“I do, in the bag, along with a gag and shackles.”
Daniel nodded. Hopefully, the items wouldn’t be needed.
It wasn’t until they’d reached the bottom of the hill that the girl first caught sight of the two men. Daniel worried that she’d take off and one of them would have to track her down. The woods were not far and once she disappeared into the maze of trees, she could be hard to track. He’d never been a good runner, which is why he relied on brute strength and the element of surprise to contain a bolting female before she had a chance to run.
“You’re too keyed up, Marcus,” he told his friend, “Act casual, as nonthreatening as you can be.”
“I’m trying,” Marcus whispered. They were within ten feet of the naked El, who stared at them with alarm, although she didn’t budge. In fact, she barely shifted her posture as she looked their way. Her head turned at a right angle to her body while the rest of her still faced the garden. Her profile was quite pleasing.
Marcus moved forward first, “Good morning, El,” he said kindly. “How are you doing today?”
She didn’t answer, but she did begin to shake her head back and forth and continued with the rigid gaze. The tension in her lithe limbs increased, subtle yes, but Daniel saw the change. He expected it. He reached out, gently tapping Marcus on the arm, stopping his forward progress. If he got any closer, she’d bolt like a jack rabbit. An instinctual feeling but he knew he was right.
She was like a feral cat. Poised. Ready. Muscles flinching. Her stare hardly human. Her dark blue eyes wide open. She was even more lovely close up, enough to generate a warm feeling in his crotch—one he quickly pushed aside. The girl wasn’t his. This was just a job, a favor to a friend—a very scared friend. He almost wished that Marcus had stayed at the house. He could do this better alone. His mind quickly weighed the options and before Marcus could speak again he stepped forward.
“I’m Daniel, El, Marcus’ friend.” He spoke with a rare kindness in his voice; a well-practiced kindness since it didn’t come naturally to him—unless he were to greet a child or a young animal—indeed, this young thing might have qualified for either category. Despite the claims of her sexual experience, her inherent innocence shone through like a beacon. “You’re called El here. Is that your real name?”
She stared at him blankly as if she hadn’t heard him then abruptly shook her head.
“Could you tell me what your real name is? I’d like to call you that. If that’s okay with you…” The request seemed like a risk, but he had to start somewhere and starting with the truth, that they were going to remove her from the property, would only send her fleeing.
The stare went on between the pair, fixed and steadfast, as if they were engaged in silent conversation. The longer the stare, the better for Daniel. Even now, he could see miniscule shifts in her bearing. He’d have to be content with that and ease in.
“Your name?” he dared to repeat. His voice was deliberately hushed, and he maintained an open, nonthreatening attitude. After tedious seconds of hesitation, she finally turned directly toward them and cocked her head. She considered Daniel’s request strange and unexpected. Even curious. But she did reply.
“My name’s Lisle.”
“Good morning, Lisle,” he smiled. He wasn’t a man who smiled often but he could smile at wolf if that’s what the situation called for. The girl was hardly a wild animal—but she wasn’t won over just yet and he couldn’t let his guard down for a second.
“You like this garden, don’t you?”
She nodded.
“It’s a beautiful place.” He bent down to smell one of the roses, bringing himself another foot closer to the girl. “Is this a favorite?” he asked when he stood up.
She shrugged and stepped back, keeping a safe distance. The urge to bolt was fierce; her muscles were flexed; her eyes alert and darting here and there as if she was staking out possible exits. Finally her cautious appraisal of Daniel resumed.
The longer she remained where she was the better for Daniel’s purposes. The essence of the girl and what she needed became clear to him. She’d be quite a challenge for any man or woman to tame. She had one master and that master was dead.
“The man you loved is gone, Lisle,” he said. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
Her expression soured and her eyes filled with sadness. She gazed down briefly, feeling the weight of her grief take her to the brink of tears. When she looked up again her eyes were wet and her sorrow connected with his own.
He nodded gently. “I can see how much you loved him, but he’s not here anymore.”
Her entire body instantly bristle; her tensed shoulders rose toward her ears and as her hands turned into fists, she shook her head back and forth like she hated the sound of what she heard. Her pained reaction gave Daniel just enough time to make up the distance between them and put a capturing arm around her waist. Though it gave the appearance of being a consoling gesture, the authority behind that move was steely and sure. She would not escape him now. Still consumed by grief she allowed herself to rest her head on his chest. That last just briefly; she suddenly stiffened and tried to pull away, but the muscles in his arm hardened and prevented her from escaping his hold.
“No, Lisle, you’re not going to run away.” He drew her close and lifted her chin with his free hand, forcin
g to look at his face. “I’m a master, too, Lisle. Not your master, I’d never presume to be that. But you will respect me as a master, and you’ll understand when I tell you that you cannot stay here.”
She shook her head violently, screaming, “No, no no no!”
“Hush!” his voice rose in tenor. “You’re not going to scream.”
When she looked at him now her nostrils flared and her eyes widened crazily, defiant and furious. Raw pain spewed from her wounded soul. She bit her lip and shook her head again then launched into another savage war of flailing arms, causing Daniel’s grip to stiffen until she finally quieted on her own.
“Everything is going to be okay,” he soothed. He gently stroked her head as he spoke. “You’re going to be taken care of. I’ll see to that. But there’s nobody to take care of you here. The people that own this house don’t want you. They don’t understand you. If you were to stay here and hide, they’ll come after you, they’ll bring police cars and men who will hunt you down like a wild animal. This is not a safe place for Lisle. Lisle is going where she’ll be understood, where there are masters and mistresses who live the way you want to live. If you want a new master to serve, then you’ll be able to find one. But you cannot find one here.”
She shook her head, not violently this time, but out of sadness. Tears spilled from her eyes as if the memory of her master was still too painful.
“I realize that no one can replace the Baron. No one would want to and no one could. But you will be with people who understand how you feel and you’ll be safe.”
She lifted her head and stared into his eyes.
“It’s time to go.” He motioned to Marcus, speaking to him over his shoulder, “The dress, please…”
Marcus rummaged through the shopping bag, pulled out the dress and stuffed it in Daniel’s hand.
With surprising ease he slipped the pale yellow sundress over the girl’s head, although he waved off the underwear and sandals that Marcus offered next. “Let’s go on up the hill,” he said, and he led the girl up the path and toward the car.
The ‘extraction’ was much easier than Daniel first feared. The girl was feisty and very hurt; not a prescription for cooperation. Odd memories from the past had been quick to surface in his mind—other places, other slaves, other ‘extractions’; he was thinking like a slave trader and the flashback left a bitter taste in his mouth.
As the trio trekked back up the hill, Daniel kept his arm around the girl’s waist. He felt the softness of her female body and the accompanying jolt of lust in his own. So slight. So nimble. He could crush her into nothing. She was not his kind of female, not like Shelly or Val, one he would go toe to toe with in fierce battle. She was the kind of female he didn’t understand, aloof and mysterious, just as Marcus had described. But he had correctly assessed her current frame of mind and as he felt her urge to flee rise up through her body again he strengthened his grip.
Just as they reached the SUV, he felt her cringe and suddenly the struggle began all over, this time more energetic and more powerful. She began to kick—a good reason to forget the shoes—then groan, grunt and sputter out, “No, I won’t leave! You can’t make me! I won’t … never, never, never…” until the words were little but unintelligible babble.
She was stronger than he thought and nearly slipped from his grasp as he attempted to subdue her. However, the breach in his defenses was only momentary. He flipped her around and thrust her against the hood of the car, her hands behind her back.
“You’re a slave, Lisle, act like one!” he bit off tersely.
She froze, and for a moment her body remained tense, although the will to fight gradually lessened the longer he held her, the longer his ferocious will impinged on her private world of slavery. At last she collapsed against the car in defeat.
Without the stern tone, speaking like a kind but authoritative parent, he said, “You cannot stay here, Lisle. Where you’re going you’ll be safe and cared for.” He felt her wince. “Yes, I know you’re angry. It’s okay to be angry, you should be. But you launch into another tantrum and I will tie you up and gag you. You know I can.”
For another tense minute she lay against the car. He could feel the fire in her ease and her muscles slacken until he knew that she’d been subdued.
“You have child locks on this vehicle?” he called to Marcus.
“Sure do.”
Carefully pulling the pacified female from the hood of the car, Daniel opened the back door of the vehicle, helped her in and locked the seatbelt in place.
“It’s going to be a bit of a drive. You just sit back and relax.”
She stared at him with hollow, empty eyes as he pulled away and shut the door.
By then, Marcus was behind the wheel setting the child locks and when Daniel slipped into the front passenger seat, he started the vehicle and they made their way to the road.
***
An hour after Lisle was successfully apprehended, the girl was sound asleep, snoring softly in the back seat of the car.
“Looks like an angel, doesn’t she?” Marcus remarked on looking over his shoulder at the sleeping girl.
“And you knew as well as I do now that she’s not.”
Marcus snickered to himself while Daniel silently fumed. “Let’s be honest here,” he suddenly cut through his grumbling complaints to the heart of the matter. “How many times have you tried this and failed?”
His friend grinned sheepishly. “Oh? Twice, well, actually three times if you count the first day when I found out that she wasn’t exactly a subservient sub. She perceived me as a threat right off and ran into the woods. She was scared and I certainly didn’t have your expert touch. Frankly, I didn’t know you could be so kind, especially to an unruly slave.”
“She’s not an unruly slave. There’s nothing that girl’s more proud of than being the good slave. And in the end that was what broke her. I could have coddled her all day, tried to gain her trust with a bunch of promises I had no way to keep; and still, she would have kept those eyes fixed on the woods waiting for the first opportunity to take off and leave us choking on a trail of dust.”
“So you call her ‘slave’ and that does it?”
“It worked, didn’t it? I appealed to what she understands. And what she understood from our little chat was that I had both the physical strength and the backbone to respond to her defiance. She’ll respond to authority she can trust, and for about ten minutes back there she chose to trust me. I’m not betting that trust will stick. She’ll fight everyone who tries to befriend her. You can bank on that. Until there’s a man or woman willing to spend the time to get inside her head she’s going to be miserable and she’s going to be a mess.”
“Well, that’s a pleasing prognosis,” Marcus retorted. “I’ll be sure not to mention that to Lady M when we get there.”
“Your Lady M prepared for this?”
“She knows the circumstances. She’ll be rough if she needs to be. The girl will get the message.”
Lisle stirred in the backseat and the conversation ended.
***
It took no more than a minute with Lady M for it to become abundantly clear that the girl and the Domme were on a collision course headed for disaster. Lisle took one look at the six foot tall Amazonian female and shrank back in tears as if she’d just laid eyes on the devil’s handmaiden. Fear reduced her to silence and she withered like a vine to the floor and remained there crouched by the doorway of the woman’s home, hiding her head.
Her Ladyship stood over the shivering waif tapping a crop against her own leather-covered thigh. Why the Mistress appeared in full leather regalia was not at first apparent, though seeing that the girl was too petrified to even lift her head, Lady M turned to the men.
“Sorry about the costume, probably not a good choice,” she even managed a smile, though it was hardly a genuine effort. She seemed annoyed by their arrival and even more annoyed by the girl. “I just finished a heavy dungeon scene,�
� she explained, her voice husky and tired, “and I haven’t had time to change.”
She didn’t seem willing to now as she returned her attention to the girl and spoke in the curt tones of a haughty Domme. “Look up at me, young lady.”
The girl didn’t budge and she didn’t look up. Hugging her knees with her head bowed she nervously fingered her bare toes. Daniel could almost hear her thinking.
“C’mon now, let me see you, darling,” Lady M added, gently tapping her crop against the girl’s arm.
Lisle flinched but refused to respond. Even the woman’s crop against her cheek elicited no response. She shook it off to the woman’s further ire.
“You expect me to do something with an urchin like this?” Lady M complained.
Some caller’s silly ringtone suddenly broke the tension and the Domme strode toward the back of the entry way pulling her cell phone from her pants pocket and answering the call. For the next several minutes the trio at the door waited while she took a string of cell phone calls and had a major row with two giggling subs in petticoats who were supposed to be cleaning her house. When she finally returned she seemed more exasperated than before.
“I’m sorry, this isn’t a very good day, and I’m afraid, Marcus, the girl is not as advertised. I expected a well-trained and compliant slave. You have nothing but a sniveling brat here.”
“You’re saying you can’t handle her?” Marcus said, deliberately baiting her.
Challenged, the woman with the hand on her hip scowled again. “Of course, I can handle her, but do I want the thing?” She cast the girl a disdainful glance, then shrugged. “I could hand her off to my dungeon master. He’ll keep her confined until she’s subdued enough to train for my house. I can handle even the most recalcitrant slave. This is just such an awkward time…not that I didn’t welcome her…” she prattled on.
While Marcus negotiated with the Domme, Daniel, with one ear tuned to the conversation, carefully studied the couching girl, every twitch, frown, bitten lip and teary eye he could actually see. She was a silent member of the conversation, alert to everything that was said. He finally crouched down in front of her and whispering quietly so neither Marcus or Lady M heard, he asked, “Do you know this woman?”
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