by Linzi Basset
“No one is denying she’s beautiful and hot as hell, mate, but a D/s agreement? You, of all people? And . . . fuck me, she’s wearing a collar—judging by the amount of glittering diamonds, not a cheap one either. Come on, give. What’s the real story?”
Rhone suppressed a sigh. Keon knew him too well. Rhone liked variety—like most of his friends did, even Keon, since Amelia’s death. He took stock of Samantha’s curvy form. He couldn’t deny that it was more than just physical attraction. Something about her had touched his soul the day they’d met. He hadn’t trusted her at first but since finding out that he was her target, his mindset had changed. The prize was her sister’s freedom and she could’ve killed him already. Yet, she hadn’t. In fact, she’d gone to face the coward instead. That proved to him that she wasn’t a hardened killer.
And he wanted her; not only her body, her heart too.
Rhone was shaken by the realization, but for once in his life, decided to embrace it, rather than taking the high road.
“I’m not getting any younger, Keon. There’s something about her that makes me want to give up my wandering boots. You know—the white picket fence and the whole nine yards that go with it.”
Keon did a double take. He stared at Rhone and after a while, he nodded.
“I know, Rhone. I’m tired of it too; the constant danger, always looking over my shoulder, no matter where I am.” He slapped him on his back in a show of camaraderie. “Go for it, mate. I’ve had my turn at love. Life is short, shorter than we can imagine. Don’t throw it away.”
“You can find love again, Keon.”
Keon shook his head. The sad memories were reflected in his eyes. “Not me, Rhone. I didn’t just lose the love of my life. I lost my child, my flesh and blood.”
“It’s been six years, Keon,” Rhone had to bite his tongue from blurting out that his little girl was still alive and was turning into a beauty, like her mother had been. Keon might put his life in danger by going after her now. It was a risk Rhone couldn’t take. He’d be killed, and in the process Lauren and Beckie might be too.
“An eternity won’t make me forget, Rhone. Anyway, enough of this morbidity. Let’s get the ball rolling. I, for one, am looking forward to the end of the treasure hunt. Hopefully the sub who finds me at the end of the maze, knows how to deep throat.”
“Yeah, my sub better get the clues right because if she ends up with one of you fuckers, she’s in for a bundle of pain at the end of it.”
“Poor woman. I hope she knows what she let herself in for when she signed that agreement.”
Rhone didn’t correct him. Purely because their club attorney, Pamela Seeger, was in the process of drawing up the D/s agreement—with a number of specific additions Samantha would balk against.
“Right, I’ll find Max and ask him to make the announcement.”
Rhone watched Keon walk away before he turned to the bar.
“Rhone! Wait up.”
He turned with a smile, recognizing the husky voice of Pamela Seeger amidst the hum of the people around him. She was a blonde bombshell and her physical armory made many men drool. She was the only ‘outsider’ in his group of friends who owned shares in Club Devil’s Cove. She was also a formidable bisexual Domme.
“Mistress Pam,” he said by way of greeting, drawing a sensual smile to her lips. They’ve had a couple of scenes together in the past, but it had dwindled when their relationship morphed into sibling vibe rather than lovers, a couple of years ago. He loved her like sister.
She hugged him while he planted a loud kiss on her lips. Her tinkling laugh drew attention.
“I have drafted your D/s agreement. I’ll be around if you need any changes made.”
“Why would I want that?”
She shook her head with another laugh. “With all the provisos you added? Trust me, Master Razor, no sane woman would agree to them.”
“We’ll see. Are you ready for the treasure hunt?”
“I’ve been looking forward to it the whole week and unlike you, I’m not even fussy who wins my time at the end of it.”
“I know quite a number of the participants joined specifically for that honor.”
Her eyes glinted. “If only they knew.”
Rhone laughed. As feminine and sensual as Pamela appeared, she had a mean streak when she was in the mood.
“Doms and subs, attention please. Would everyone join me on the outside patio for the commencement of our treasure hunt?” Max’s lazy drawl interrupted their banter.
“I’ve left it in your desk drawer in a folder. See you at the center of the maze,” she said with a toodle-oo motion of her fingers. Her swaying hips were molded in a very short, black silicone mini skirt, paired with a matching crop-top.
His eyes were drawn to Samantha. Her back was ramrod straight. Her heated glare shot daggers at him.
“What’s the problem, sub? In here, you should know better than to glare at your Dom,” he berated her while he unlocked the cuff from her ankle.
“My Dom? I would never have known, judging by the way you were drooling over that blonde,” she sniffed and then cursed herself when he simply arched a sardonic eyebrow.
Great, Samantha. Now he thinks you’re jealous.
He dragged his finger over the choker around her neck. “I’ve never collared a sub before, my pet. That should tell you that you’re the one I want.”
“Now that you mention it, what exactly did you mean earlier in the room? You don’t trust me, Rhone and that is one of the biggest factors in a D/s relationship—mutual trust. How can you even allude that this would be more than that? We both know why you forced me into this.”
“Rhone! Get your sub over here. We want to start,” Jack shouted at them from the door leading to the patio.
“We’ll discuss this after the treasure hunt. Let’s go, my pet. Oh, and by the way, I hope you studied the clues handed out at the door.”
She frowned up at him, almost tripping in an effort to keep up with his long strides. “Why?”
“Because, my sweet, one of my rules is that no one touches you without my permission and should you end up with another Dom because you got the clues wrong, you’ll receive your first punishment later tonight.”
“You didn’t tell me that I’d have to participate!” she snapped at him, stopping dead in her tracks. She hadn’t bothered to even look at that piece of paper. How could she have, when she’d been distracted with following his movements around the room?
He took her arm and dragged her over the patio onto the grass slope where the members were all gathered.
“I did, Samantha, but it’s obvious your mind was elsewhere at the time. No, don’t give me that look. Of course, you have to participate. I’m one of the owners. How would it look if my own sub didn’t participate in the hunt to win her Dom as the prize?”
“What do you mean my Dom as the prize?”
Rhone glanced at her down his nose. “You didn’t even look at that paper, did you?”
“Rhone!”
His shoulders rolled in a negligent shrug. “We are six owners and all of us are offered as the prize at the end. The participants had to choose the prize they wanted to win and will receive specific clues to find their way through the maze to reach that Dom. Obviously, the first one who does, wins a scene with the Dom. We limited it to three contenders per prize.”
“Are you telling me that there are two other subs who will be vying for your favors tonight?”
“Oh no, my pet. I have it on good authority that all four have every intention of winning.”
“Four? Does that mean there are five of us hunting for you? I thought you said only three.”
“Yeah, but there were too many who chose me and I was forced to accept a couple more.”
“How generous of you.”
Rhone basked in the angry glint in her eyes. His little firecracker was jealous. Something, he was sure she would deny come hell or high water.
“Isn’t it? W
e’re quite well known in the BDSM community. Now, keep quiet and pay attention to the rules.”
Max’s voice crackled over the speaker system. “Would all the participating subs gather closer to me, please?”
Rhone pushed Samantha to the front and stood by her side with a wide smile on his face.
“Wipe that grin off your face, Master Razor. I find nothing funny in this entire situation. I’m not allowed to touch or be touched, but you’re anticipating similar pleasures from the look on your face. Like a cat that got the cream and won’t stop licking himself.” Samantha was beyond annoyed. She couldn’t fathom why it bothered her so much that another sub might win him as the prize. “Another thing. Why do I have to wear this collar as a sign of our relationship? Hm? Why is it only the sub that has to be branded as another’s possession? Why don’t you wear my brand as well?”
Rhone went still. His body turned rigid as he glanced at her. “Is that what you want, Samantha? An exclusive D/s relationship?” He placed his fingers over her lips. “Think carefully before you answer, my pet, because once you do, there will be no turning back for you. I will demand total surrender from you. Anything and everything I desire from this sexy body of yours. Looking at your sensuous body makes me hungry—to fuck you—hard, rough and so often you’d be walking bow-legged most days.” He leaned closer. “I am possessive as hell but I also love threesomes and foursomes. So, unless you’re willing to be shared, don’t even consider it.”
Her mouth gaped open by the time he was finished and she snapped it closed. Whatever she had expected, it wasn’t that he would offer or even consider an exclusive D/s relationship.
Hotdamn. He couldn’t have softened the blow a bit, could he?
“Master Razor, could we have you and your sub’s attention, please?” Max drawled with a twinge of amusement in his voice.
Rhone laughed along with the rest of the people at the gentle rebuke but acknowledged his request with a military salute.
“Rhone, are you—”
“Not now, Samantha. Pay attention, unless you want to feel the sting of my whip tonight.”
Samantha blanched. She wasn’t a coward and had been on the receiving end of floggers, taws, paddles and belts but she had an inherent fear of whips. And with him on the other end?
No freaking way!
Max’s voice droned on and she decided it would be prudent to pay attention.
“You were all given detailed descriptions of all the Doms, or as we call them, guiding Doms, who will be at strategic places in the maze. You have to identify who that Dom is with the clue you are given, find him using the map you will receive at the start of the race, and enjoy the reward he will offer when you do. However, if you find the wrong Dom, you will receive the punishment listed on the clue you’ve received. After the punishment, he will direct you to the next Dom you are supposed to find. Only that Dom has the route to your prize Dom. Remember subs, the first one to reach her prize Dom, wins. Every clue you get wrong, delays your chances.”
The excited twitter of the subs grated on Samantha’s nerves, especially when she noticed a few glancing and smiling at Rhone.
“Each sub will receive three clues. The first one at the start of the hunt, and each guiding Dom will give you the next clue. Any questions?” Max asked with a broad smile.
“Do we all receive the same clues? In other words, I am hunting for Master Razor. Do the other subs, who have chosen him, receive the same clues?” A pretty, redhead sub asked.
“No. Each one receives a different clue which will direct you to a different Dom. But each of those Doms will direct all of the participants who are racing for Master Razor to his location. In the end, the one who gets all the clues correct and reaches him the quickest, wins.”
“Gmphf.” Samantha glared at the group of subs who couldn’t keep their eyes of her Dom.
Mine, you bitches. Do you hear me? He. Belongs. To. Me.
Samantha was stumped by her thoughts. When did this happen? They barely knew each other. She avoided Rhone’s questioning look. It was difficult enough trying to sort through her emotions; she didn’t need him to know that she was foolish enough to fall for him.
Fall for him? Hell, no. It’s just lust.
The audience was looking forward to the hunt. From what Samantha overheard, some of them were going to follow the subs along the way to witness the fun.
“You couldn’t make it any easier, could you?” Samantha muttered at him.
“Where would the fun be in that, my pet?”
“I need one of those papers. Where can I find one?”
Rhone pulled a folded piece of paper from his back pocket.
“Better be quick about it, luv. You don’t want to disappoint me, do you?”
Samantha was overwhelmed by how much Rhone’s words affected her. She’d never been a conventional sub. She was too sassy and stubborn, but the thought of disappointing him, as her Dom, made her stomach clench. She silently berated herself for not studying the details, although, she did recall, while Max was explaining the rules, that Rhone had told her to make sure she studied them when he handed her the piece of paper. She’d been too annoyed at being cuffed to the bar to pay any attention to his instruction.
“Very well, subs, you have fifteen minutes to review the details of the Doms who will be your guides in your quest, so to speak, while they find their positions. Use them wisely.” Max cautioned one last time.
Samantha sat down on a stone bench in front of the patio to study the clue, even as she watched Rhone disappear into the maze. She quickly identified three Doms—Ruark, Bracus and Slade. She knew them and their skills well enough to be able to identify them from the clues.
It will be just my luck that I might be allocated local Doms and none of the Club Alpha Cove Masters I already know well.
She wasn’t concerned about directions; it was one of her strengths and something she’d honed over the ten years in her line of work. She had a photographic memory; therefore, she was relatively certain she would be able to link the clues to the correct guiding Dom.
She looked at her stilettos and glanced in the direction of the maze. Every hedge was uniform, cut with a square top, and in the centre, was a glorious oak tree. Rhone had told her that the oak had been there from the beginning and the eccentric couple who had lived here many years ago, had created the maze around it, on a whim of his wife who’d loved the old historical romances. Rhone had decided to keep it.
The pathways were well lit with lanterns, specifically to make use of the labyrinth at night time. It looked serene, almost ethereal.
Samantha groaned as she noticed that the ground was covered with small round pebbles. Barefoot was out of the question and running in spikes was going to be equal torture but the lesser of two evils.
“I suppose that’s all part of the fun,” she grumbled.
A young Dom approached her with a smile.
“Are you one of the participants, sub?”
Samantha nodded.
“Are you ok? You look flustered and out of breath.”
“I’m fine,” she retorted sharply.
He stared at her for a couple of seconds before he glanced down at the clipboard. “Your club name?”
She hesitated, with a frown between her brows. Rhone must’ve given them a club name because he’d never asked her which name she used when visiting a club. Then, she instinctively knew.
Damnit! How could he?
“Ace,” she almost snapped at him.
“Ah, Master Razor’s sub. Pleased to meet you. I’m Dom Wilson, I’m in training under Master Keon.”
“Likewise,” she smiled at him.
“I need to strap on this wristband, Ace. It sends out a signal, so we can keep track of all the participants. We don’t want you to get lost in the maze. The only people who have been able to find their way in and out of this maze are the Senior Masters.”
Samantha dutifully held out her hand. It seemed they’d thought of
everything. She was impressed with how smoothly the opening of the club was progressing.
“Ehm, I was so busy this week, I completely forgot about this hunt. Remind me again what my Master’s prize is, please?” She asked.
Dom Wilson stared at her, thrown by the sweet smile she bestowed upon him. “He . . . er . . .” he stammered and paged through the papers on the clipboard. “Oh, yes, he offered cunnilingus and some rowdy sex in the dungeon on a spanking bench.”
“Of course, he did,” Samantha could feel the anger gurgling inside her at the thought of anyone else receiving what she’d been craving from the first day he’d walked up to her in his naked glory. To feel his soft lips and tongue pay homage to her womanly bits.
“You have two more minutes, Ace, and then the hunt will begin. You should join the rest of the subs at the starting line.”
“Yes, of course.”
“Good luck but I have to warn you, there is hefty competition in your group. Every sub is set to win. Master Razor has quite a large—”
“Yes, so I’ve noticed,” she cut him short before she blew a fuse.
* * * * * * * *
Rhone’s senses automatically sharpened as soon as he stepped inside the maze. He tuned out the sound of the gaiety filtering across the maze, concentrating on anything untoward. He identified small animals scurrying underneath the shrubs, away from him. He almost missed the unnoticeable whizz of an object hurtling through the air directly at him. If not for his training, he would’ve missed it.
He hit the ground seconds before the bullet grazed the back of his arm. The force, with which he slammed into the hard ground, left him breathless but he didn’t move, keeping his breathing shallow as he strained his ears. He closed his eyes to concentrate on the sounds. He could identify the footsteps of the other Doms in the adjacent lanes as they made their way toward their stations. Then he heard the running feet at the edge of the maze to his right, where two huge oak trees stood. The shot had come from there. At the angle it had hit him; the sniper must have been high up in the tree. He surged upright and with a couple of quick twists and turns he ran in that direction, listening to the receding footsteps. They became indistinct and then disappeared by the time he burst though the opening in the maze next to the oak trees.