Collar (Changing Roles Book 3)

by Ellie Masters

  I took the bracelet from her and draped it over the top of my wrist. The gold links fell over the leather cuffs I still wore. I hadn’t removed them, choosing to keep them on as a memory of that night with Jake at the Edge—the night I truly submitted to him.

  A rounded charm dangled from a link. “This is pretty,” I said. Encrusted with emeralds, the tiny globe flashed in the light.

  “Oh, that’s the best part.” She fingered the globe. “It’s a beacon.”

  “A what?”

  She pulled out a small money clip from the box with a matching emerald design on its surface and a kneeling woman etched into the metal. “This is the Master’s control switch. You just click it, and—” She pressed a button on the clip, and a green light lit up on the bracelet. “See? Now I’m tracking you.”

  Her giggle brought a smile to my lips.

  “I thought it would be cool,” she continued. “I’d wear the bracelet, and Kevin would always know where I was. It would be the collar that wasn’t a collar, but Kevin hated it. Said it was too intrusive.” She gave me a pout. “I wound up with a ring instead.”

  “Yes, two amazing carats. He really loves you. You do know that, don’t you?”

  “I know. I hope I’m not making it sound like I’m complaining.”

  I examined the clasp, a keyhole design, and slipped the male end into the female side, trying it on. The bracelet’s two ends slid together with a solid click.

  Lily giggled. “Oh, you shouldn’t have done that.” She grabbed the box and dug around.

  “Why?” I took a moment to admire her bracelet on my wrist.

  She stopped digging in the box and glanced at me, an impish grin on her face. Then she burst out laughing. “Because it’s a locking bracelet, silly!”

  “You mean…”

  She nodded. “Don’t worry. I have the key. Kevin didn’t like that I wouldn’t be able to remove the bracelet in an emergency.” She went back to pawing through the box. She didn’t produce a key. When she bit the corner of her lower lip, I no longer found it funny.

  “Lily?”

  “It’s in here somewhere.”

  My phone rang. I fished it out of my pocket. Lily went to her walk-in closet, hopefully to find the key. Jake’s bail hearing should almost be wrapping up. I was hoping for good news.

  I thumbed my phone on and pressed it to my ear. “Hello?”

  The most delicious voice spoke from the other side. “I’ve missed you.”

  “Jake!” My insides quivered at the sound of his voice. God, I hoped he had good news. I needed to feel him against my skin again.

  Lily poked her head out from the closet. Jake? she mouthed.

  I nodded.

  “Bail’s been set and paid. I’m coming home.”

  I released my breath, hungry to be near him. “When?” And for how long? With the power of the police force behind them, the mayor and his wife were pushing hard for a conviction.

  “Shouldn’t be too much longer. Bryce is finishing up with the paperwork right now. As soon as he’s done, I’m coming home. Where are you?”

  He sounded so positive. I didn’t understand how he could be upbeat with everything facing him. Trying to emulate his tone, I forced some cheer into my voice. “I’m at Stripes. Kevin and Lily have been keeping me company.” I missed him, but I couldn’t bring myself to say the words. I would break down, and he didn’t need to deal with any weakness from me.

  Kevin and Lily were the only ones keeping me sane. Them and my occasional trip to the office with Mitzy.

  After concluding the interviews at the Edge, I had spent two exhausting days navigating the waters of international foreign relations, trying to get proof of death on one Josh Davenport. That task had led to many dead ends and proven fruitless. It had also given me a migraine. The red tape had legions of red tape attached to it. I couldn’t see my way clear of the nightmare politics that were involved. I’d called Fahd Imman to see if he couldn’t throw some diplomatic weight around. But so far, I hadn’t heard back from him.

  All I needed was proof Josh hadn’t died in that Thai jail. Bryce said he might be able to use that to cast the shadow of reasonable doubt over Jake’s alleged guilt. Of course, no one in Thailand cared about an American who languished, then perished, in their prisons. It was best for them to forget about the incident entirely. Mitzy was still working on it.

  “I need you,” I said to Jake. My fingers ached from their grip on the phone.

  Lily moved from the closet, empty-handed, and dug through her nightstand drawer. “What’s going on?”

  I waved her away. Her whisper was too loud and intrusive. Jake and I were reconnecting, and she was in the middle of our moment.

  She shook her head and headed into the bathroom, presumably to give me privacy for the rest of my conversation.

  “I know, and I need you too.”

  Jake’s positive attitude reassured me. Despite everything going on in his life, he stood strong for my paltry needs. I reminded myself to be stronger for him, to be a better slave and take care of him instead of myself. If I were facing capital murder charges, I wouldn’t be so calm.

  “Can we go somewhere?” I wanted to have him to myself. Once he set foot in Stripes, everyone else would want a piece of him. It would be hours before I had him alone. Selfish perhaps, but I had a sense of what Jake needed. Stress had him bottled up tight, and he needed to decompress. I would provide him with that outlet. His choice, whatever he needed, however he needed me.

  “Eager to be alone with me?” His voice turned dark with need.

  “Desperate.” We’d started something that night at the Edge and hadn’t had a chance to finish. I was ready to show him what that meant to me. My submission belonged to him, and I had accepted my heart did too.

  His chuckle warmed me to the core. I’d missed the sultry undertones of his voice during our short separation. Thinking about what might happen if that separation became permanent terrified me.

  “I can come get you.” That would guarantee no one at Stripes would steal him from me.

  “No. I should be there within the hour. Depends how long the paperwork takes.”

  Lily returned from the bathroom and sat on the edge of the bed. Her almond eyes regarded me with compassion. Is he coming home? she mouthed.

  I swiped a tear from my cheek as I disconnected the call. “Yes, he’s coming home.” At least for the time being. His trial loomed in the future, still threatening to take him away.

  She leaned forward and wrapped me in a hug. “It’s going to be all right, Kate. I promise you, it’s all going to work out.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  Releasing me, she shrugged. “I just know.”

  We laughed, and then we picked through the spread of bridal magazines lying about her room, our conversation shifting back to dresses, bouquets, and guest lists. She and Kevin hadn’t yet set a date. Kevin needed to clear time in his schedule. With Jake taking me on as his submissive, I got the impression Lily was looking to add me as a potential close friend.

  She was too beautiful, too perfect, too feminine and delicate for my tastes. Hell, I wasn’t the kind of gal who kept friends. This was uncharted territory for me. But for now, I appreciated the time she spent helping me keep my mind off what was happening with Jake.

  Half an hour later, I received a text. Be there in five minutes.

  “I have to go.”

  Lily clapped her hands together and bounced on the bed. “Oh goody! I can’t wait to see him.”

  “For the next however many hours, Jake is all mine.”

  Her eyes lit up, excited for me. “Got it! You going to your place?”

  Where else would we go? I gave her a nod, and she flung her arms around my neck, giving me a hug and a kiss. As girls went, I could do worse for a friend. A few seconds later, she squeezed and let go.

  I needed to hurry. Jake would be pulling up downstairs soon.

  Sticky and warm, the late spring
evening air had my T-shirt clinging to my skin with perspiration. The coolness of the prior night had faded with a turning in the weather. I stood on the curb, staring out at the parking lot with a hand raised to my brow to shade my eyes against the setting sun.

  It was Wednesday night, a down night for the club. The parking lot sat nearly vacant with the exception of the few cars belonging to employees, cleaning crews, and the few office workers who kept the books.

  A familiar low rumble caught my attention. The syncopated howl of a motorcycle echoed off the brick facades from down the block, a classic sound belonging to a very particular style of bike.

  There was no denying the sexy man turning into the parking lot, making a beeline for me on the back of that bike. Heavy boots, black pants, white shirt, and black leather jacket, he wore the same clothes he’d had on at the Edge. His entire presence screamed sex, and I was ready to oblige. His dark helmet obscured his face, but I knew that body. I needed that man.

  He pulled to a stop in front of me and spread his feet wide on the pavement, supporting the weight of the bike between his legs. Turning, he unstrapped the helmet attached to the seat behind him. With a practiced flip, the visor of his helmet retracted, flashing those electric blues I loved.

  “Put on the helmet. It’s time to go.”

  I pulled my hair to the nape of my neck and shoved the protective gear over my head.

  A slow roll of his shoulders made the leather of his jacket creak. He tapped the seat behind him. “Climb on board. I don’t want to stick around here any longer than necessary.”

  My cheeks hurt from the grin splitting my face. He was as desperate as I was to reconnect. I wanted to kiss him, hug him. I wanted to jump his bones. But the damn bike and helmets prevented all that.

  “Why are you just standing there?” He thumped the seat behind him again. “Hurry up.”

  I straddled the bike, wrapping my arms around his waist and settling them low in his lap. I knew this body—the hard muscles, the intoxicating smell of leather, and Jake’s unique scent. Somewhere out there, his brother waited, planning his next move, but for now, I didn’t care about proving whether Josh was alive or dead. I had Jake in my arms, and that knowledge had me wishing we were already at my place and planning exactly how I would welcome him home.

  He gripped my wrists, giving me an affectionate squeeze. “You have no idea how much I’ve waited for this.”

  The urge to kiss him swept through my body, unrelenting in its need. I had to settle for touching my helmet to his. “I missed you too, Master. Let’s go to my place. I need you inside me.”

  The low, throaty chuckle I’d come to adore had my insides fluttering with instant need. “I bet you do. You have no idea how much I love hearing that.”

  The bike shifted as he readied us to take off. With a flick of his wrist, the throttle engaged. We shot out of the parking lot, leaving Stripes behind.

  I settled in the seat and pulled out my phone to text Lily. Off with Jake. Don’t wait up. I added a smiley face and pressed Send, my heart soaring. I was going to spend all night pleasing my Master.

  Chapter Seven

  Jake

  Six-hundred-plus horses tucked under the hood of Bryce’s black Corvette couldn’t get me to Kate fast enough. I’d spent four agonizing days trapped within the bowels of the justice system, fighting the state’s DA over bail. Favors had been called in, long-standing debts. Thomas’s fingerprints were all over the dealings behind my swift release.

  For once, I both cursed and praised my wealth. Cursed it because the DA claimed my finances made me a flight risk. Like I would ever run from a fight. I praised my deep pockets because I had no problem mobilizing the ridiculously high bail and getting the hell out of that place. I had plenty of supporters, all of whom were willing to stand behind me, but still I had never been so nervous. Whoever set me up had been beyond thorough.

  I loved my friends. Not a single one believed the lies the mayor and his wife spewed out of their filthy mouths. To think my Kate had suffered under the persecution of those two. I had admired her strength, but not until experiencing the full brunt of what could be levied by that man and his wife had I truly understood the hell they had put her through.

  “Can this bucket of bolts go any faster?” My growl had Bryce’s jaw clenching.

  He’d been fierce in the courtroom, running right over the pompous DA’s claims about the odds of me legging it out of the country. I’d never seen a man destroy another so completely and looked forward to Bryce bringing that tenacity to bear during my trial.

  There was going to be a trial. Preliminary reports from the team of lawyers Thomas stuck on my case were not looking good. Bryce’s upbeat greeting that first night had turned serious over the successive days as he met with them and debriefed me afterward. His eyes told me we were in for a rough ride.

  The Corvette’s engine roared with the press of his foot, but we didn’t move. A truck blocked us, stopped at a red light. The corner of his mouth ticked up. “Calm down. We’re almost there. You’ll have her all to yourself soon.”

  Odd to have Bryce reuniting me with my submissive. Before Kate had called him in to act as my defense lawyer, he and his partner, Tyler, had been two blocks of muscle and testosterone standing in the way of my claim, one fiercely submissive man and the other a cautious and uncertain dominant. Teamed up, they’d been determined to protect Kate against what they deemed was a situation of forced consent.

  Bryce had been ready to hand me my balls and force-feed them down my throat, and Tyler’s warning had not left me. Kate had convinced them I was no threat. How she managed that, I didn’t know. Bryce hadn’t come to my aid because he believed in my innocence. I still wasn’t sure if he cared. He took my case because Kate asked as a personal favor, and he would do anything for his Mistress.

  I understood his devotion. Kate’s power and strength drew me and consumed me as well. For that reason alone, these charges levied against me would fall. I didn’t know how I would overcome the DNA evidence except that I would.

  The trial date had yet to be set, although I suspected the mayor would pull as many, or more strings than Thomas had, to ensure a quick trial. That man was out for my blood and a quick hanging. Thank God, we executed criminals via lethal injection. I didn’t want to swing by a rope.

  The light turned green, and the truck in front of us lumbered through its gears, pulling slowly through the intersection.

  Bryce followed obediently behind the slow-moving behemoth. I growled, and he threw his head back, laughing at my frustration. The car leaped forward, the motor roaring with a surge of speed, pressing me against the seat back while Bryce pulled around the truck.

  The road in front of us was clear. He didn’t break a single speed limit, much to my continued frustration. Eventually, he delivered me in front of Stripes. Before he could turn off the engine, I was bounding out of the car.

  “Hey!” he yelled. “Wait up.”

  No way. Not when he moved so slowly. It was a down day for the club. Time for the staff to clean and repair any equipment that needed mending before we opened for the weekend crowds. A few of our office staff would be inside, but that was still too many people between Kate and me.

  She said she was upstairs with Lily. I was a little disappointed she hadn’t come down to greet me, but my cock jumped at an alternate explanation. Kate stretched out on my bed, naked and waiting. Wanting? Yes, that scenario sounded much better.

  I thrust open the doors and barreled my way into the entrance foyer. Lily stood at the reception desk, a soft smile on her face. A beautiful woman, I had trained her, and she would always hold a special place in my heart.

  Now I only had to figure out how to get past Lily without getting bogged down in a prolonged greeting. I ate up the long foyer in ground-devouring strides, angling toward the bank of elevators, eager to get to my apartment on the top floor. To Kate. To the bliss that was my submissive.

  Lily flicked her sleek black
hair over her shoulder and gave me a wink. “Back so soon?” Her gaze went over my shoulder, searching. “Where’s Kate?”

  I skidded to a halt and stared at her, processing her words. The sense of something horribly wrong settled over me like a shroud.

  Kevin exited a doorway from the left. Our offices were back that way, up a level accessed through a private set of stairs so as to keep the administrative level separated from the club. His expression brightened. Arms stretched out, he came toward me.

  “You’re out.”

  Man hug aside, my attention focused back on Lily. My tone darkened, turned hard. “What did you just say?”

  Bryce walked in, whistling. “Where’s Mistress Kate? I thought she’d be waiting for you.”

  “She’s with you,” said Lily. She wrung her hands over her belly, eventually pressing them flat against the small bump there.

  My eyes bulged, going from her to Kevin. Could it be? He would tell me—but I couldn’t focus on them right now. I needed Kate. “Lily, what do you mean, she’s with me? I just got here.”

  Lily reached behind her and held the counter for support. Her pale complexion turned deathly white. “But, you called…”

  “Yes, I called and told her I would be here in an hour.”

  She shook her head. “No, you texted and said you were minutes away.” She leaned against the counter while Kevin came to her aid, supporting her in his arms.

  “Lily?” He kissed her brow and turned her into his chest. “You’re not making any sense.”

  “She’s been gone for nearly half an hour.”

  The tremor in her voice had my insides turning to ice.

  “She said she was with you.” She dug into her pocket and withdrew her phone, holding it out to me. “See? She said not to wait up.”

  Kevin took the phone out of Lily’s shaking hand. He stared at the screen, his brows knitting together as he read the text. “This makes no sense.”

  “What does it say?” I walked over to them, the world shifting and rolling under my feet, each step light and unsteady. I did and didn’t want to see what was on that screen.