Essential Master (Doms of Napa Valley) (28 page)

“If you own my heart, she keeps it safe,
Master.” Tears stung his eyes. “I can’t have one without the other, nor would I
want to.”

“Thank God.” Master crouched down in front
of him. “Expose your neck, Zebadiah.”

Tilting his head, he closed his eyes as
Master opened the collar. A soft sound of acceptance escaped him as cold metal
brushed his skin.

* * * *

Standing
at the railing with Bella on one side and Davis on the other, Ethan
’s breath caught as they watched Nicholaus slip the collar
around Zebadiah’s throat. When the other man had asked if he could perform the
collaring ceremony beside his duck pond, he’d never imagined it would be such a
private affair. But he understood. His own collaring of his Sabella had been
the same, and it seemed fitting Nicky had wanted to cement his bond with
Zebadiah where they’d had their first date.

“Damn.” Davis’s soft explicative struck a
chord inside of Ethan. The word had a wealth of meaning, and he couldn’t blame
the other man. No matter how many times he witnessed a Dom collar a sub, it was
always moving.

“It’s about time,” Bella whispered, leaning
against him, seeking his comfort. Wrapping his arm around her, he pulled her
against him. “He deserves some happiness, even if it does mean we’re going to
be losing one helluva a cook.”

Ethan pressed a kiss to her temple,
understanding the light-heartedness of her response. She wasn’t upset Zeb had
found a Master and Mistress, but it didn’t mean she wasn’t going to miss having
him under foot. “No worries. We’ll just start a new tradition.” He nuzzled her
neck. “Sunday brunches at Zeb’s bakery. We won’t let him forget he has friends
who care.”

“No, we won’t,” She agreed as they watched
Nicky haul Zeb to his feet and plaster his mouth over his submissive’s.

The End

ABOUT DAKOTA TRACE

Dakota
is a simple Midwest girl, who has found her passion in storytelling at a young
age. Her father always said she made up the craziest stories. Most remained
unwritten though as writing wasn’t Dakota’s strong suit. That all changed in
junior high when she took her first typing class. Problem solved for the
dyslexic Dakota. There was no stopping her after that. She wrote her first
novel her freshman year about a girl who could speak to animals on an old
electric IBM typewriter her dad found at a garage sale. Now writing in several
different genres, she is a published author with multiple books under her belt.
When she isn’t writing, she’s the crazy mom of three wild Indians who are
posing as her children, a loving wife to the man of her dreams and a full time
Web Design Major at IADT.

If
you enjoyed Essential Master you might also enjoy:

TEMPORARY
MASTER

By Dakota Trace

Ethan Tremaine may be a man in denial but his desire to dominate
has never changed despite his fear of forming a relationship with his
submissive. Instead he now trains them for others and is perfectly content to
do so. He doesn't want to ever risk the pain he felt at his dead wife's
desertion ever again. He's just released his current submissive to a fellow Dom
when he realizes he has no one to assist in an agreed to demonstration at the
Kinkfest coming up, which could be detrimental to their new club. Frantic he
jumps at the chance when his partner, Davis offers to find him a new sub who
loves shibari, never expecting that he's been set up.

As a collared sub, Sabella Johnston lived for her Master's
approval. But now un-collared and back home with her recovering father, she is
at a complete loss. It's been months since she's felt the familiar feel of rope
around her body. When her best friend, Lauren begs her to help out with a
bondage demonstration, she agrees as long as gets the chance to meet the Dom,
and add her own stipulations. But once she meets Ethan Tremaine, sparks fly between
them and she's having a hard time remembering her own conditions.

Excerpt from
TEMPORARY MASTER:

Within minutes, Kaleb was back. When she
didn’t notice anyone with him, she figured Ethan had left. Disappointment
tugged at her, even if it had gone no further she’d wanted to be able to put a
face to the voice she’d talked to on the phone. “Oh, did he leave?” She forced
the words past her suddenly tight throat.

“After waiting all day to talk to you, no,
I wasn’t going to leave.” The softly spoken words teased her ears before
sending shivers down her spine. Despite their soft tone, the command in them
was undeniable. She nearly fainted when the Asian man from earlier in the
afternoon stepped out from behind Kaleb. With his long dreadlocks pulled back at
the base of his neck and striking Japanese features, he carried himself with a
strength which belied his slender build. Dressed in a pair of loose but neatly
pressed linen pants and silk shirt, he exuded confidence.

Pushing herself out of the chair, Sabella
tried not to stare. She was so focused on the good doctor she barely noticed
Kaleb leaving the room. “Hello, Dr. Tremaine. Kaleb was right, you’re very good
at blending into your surroundings. I never would’ve guessed the man I spoke
with on the phone was the same as the one who held the door for me earlier
today.”

Ethan tipped his head. “Why? Just because
I’m a Dom doesn’t mean I lack manners, Ms Johnston. Even though at times I
might seem to.” He paused for a moment to take her in. “Believe it or not, I’m
sorry if what I said on the phone upset you. I didn’t intend to. There are too
many wannabes in the scene, and I jumped to the wrong conclusion.”

She sighed, acknowledging his point, before
finally nodding. “You’re right. There are. Apology accepted.” Uncertain what to
say, she finally blurted the first thing which came to her mind. “You know
you’re not exactly what I was expecting.” She pursed her lips. “But I suppose I
should’ve been. Considering Davis’s earlier threat.”

He chuckled. “Which one? The one to kick my
ass, or the one where he’ll lock me in my own dungeon for the next week if I,
as he puts it, “fuck this up again”.”

Shifting his weight a bit, he took a
cautious step forward and closer to where she was standing. It was as if he
were trying not to spook her. A slow smile teased her lips. It was hard to stay
mad when he was being so careful with the way he handled her. “Relax, I’m not a
horse.”

He arched an eyebrow at her, stopping with
less than two feet separating them. “Some of the things you Americans say. Do I
even want to know what horses have to do with this situation?”

“The way you were treating me. Being
cautious, talking in a soothing manner. It’s as if you’re expecting me to bolt
at any moment like a startled horse.”

“Ahh.” Understanding shone in his eyes.
“Much like people from my mother’s family do when they work in with abused
shiba inus
.”

Tipping her head, she frowned. “You’re
honestly comparing how you’re treating me to the way your family treats an
abused dog?” Her face reddened, she knew she wasn’t fashionably thin but it
didn’t mean she was a dog... “I know I’m a bit heavy for my height but
there’s…”

“Stop right there.” The command had her
drawing up short. Her eyes flew up to meet his. Their bright green depths were now
frosty with displeasure. Everything submissive in her wanted to apologize. This
whiplash thing going on with her emotions needed to stop, she decided as she
fought the urge to drop to her knees and plead for his forgiveness.
But he’s not my master. I have to remember I
don’t have a Dom anymore.

He moved closer, his hand cupping her chin.
“There’s absolutely nothing wrong with your body. If I have my way about it,
I’ll get the chance to see it embraced by my ropes. Now repeat after me,
“there’s nothing wrong with my body”.”

Disbelief coursed through her. She’d
thought he was confident before, but where had this dominating presence come
from?

“I’m waiting.” Softly spoken his words
jolted her with both surprise and the unsurpassed need to submit. He obviously
didn’t have an issue with waiting for her to repeat his words.

“There’s nothing wrong with my body.” She
gave a sigh as he stepped back with a pleased nod.

“Since
we have that out of the way and you’ve excused me for my rudeness on the phone
earlier, can we discuss the possibility of you helping me with my upcoming
demonstration?”

YOU’VE REACHED

“THE END!”

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