Master (3 page)

With a last look at the setting sun over the river and the
buildings beyond,
Cade
left the lounge and headed for
the master bedroom. He dumped his case on the stand provided and stretched to
get rid of some of the kinks in his body. The phrase made him grin. Not all of
them, he hoped.
Cade
wrinkled his nose as he caught
site of himself in a full-length mirror. Crumpled and rumpled was too mild a
description. It was time to freshen up and find the club. Maybe he'd see what
happened if he tried to pop in.

Standing under a stream of water in one of the most powerful
showers he'd ever experienced,
Cade
pondered the club
rules and regulations
Linsey
had emailed him along
with opening hours and activities.
Nothing outside his sphere
of understanding and all sensible.
If only he could find out whether
Diana—Anna, he corrected himself—would be manning the reception desk. He had no
intention of meekly meeting her for the first time in front of her boss.

****

Several hours later, after a superb meal in a fish
restaurant in the
Merchant
City
area, he walked
briskly along streets that for a mid-week evening were somewhat busy. Dressed
in conservative black jeans and a short-sleeved, dark grey shirt, he looked
like any other visitor to the city out for a meal. Until you saw the raw
strength of him, that was. More than one Ned glanced in his direction and
looked away again.

Cade
smiled, dark and dangerous.
He'd been told about Ned's, the petty criminals of the city, but knew his aura
was very much one of … 'leave me alone and I'll do the same to you. Don't and
you'll suffer, not me'.

He crossed a busy square, gave a cursory glance at the
statues, surprised at the number of people milling around. Of course, he mused,
tourists were out and about, and this far north it was the time of the year
when it stayed light until very late.

Blessed with a great sense of direction and an almost
photographic memory, he made his way across town. He began to plot, not really
paying a great deal of attention to his surroundings. The blaring of car horns
and the rumble of buses hardly penetrated into his mind.

An obliging Daisy had somehow managed to check that indeed
Anna would be on reception for the earlier part of the club's opening hours,
and
Cade
planned his arrival to coincide with the
time she was due to be relieved.
Linsey
had promised
him someone to show him round, and he knew the very person.

Chapter Two

Anna glanced at her watch, relieved it was almost time for
her to hand the desk over to Athol, the tall, effeminate-looking black belt in
Judo who worked the later shift on reception. His pretty boy looks were
deceiving, and many an unwary customer had thought he'd be a pushover, only to
find they were the ones pushed over, and none too politely either.

Thursdays were her least favorite night of the week, and it
was rare she was asked to work them. However,
Carly
,
the main receptionist, had begged for the night off. Her Royal Marine husband
was home on leave, and they wanted to play in the club. As much as the thought
of doing so in front of however many people who cared to watch made her
shudder, Anna wouldn't deny them the opportunity. She'd agreed to work and had
smiled when
Carly
had offered to repay the favor at
any time. Just because she wasn't interested in baring her body, let alone her
soul in front of others, didn't mean she'd condemn anyone who wanted to.

The actual
scening
excited her; it
was the thought of the watchers that didn't. There had been a rhyme
Caden
had showed her many years ago that she often repeated
to herself.

My kink may not be your kink,
and yours may not be mine. Whatever… If they're safe, sane, and consensual,
then everything is fine
.
She had no problems with people having kinks. She knew she had plenty, and
she'd enjoyed them when… She blocked those thoughts out before she had to
disappear and find her bullet.

The ornate double doors at the back of the room opened, and
Linsey
walked into the reception area, wearing a long blue
evening dress. What she had on underneath Anna didn't care to speculate. The
reception area was strictly
vanilla
, much to Anna's
relief. She'd never once passed through those doors and never intended to.
Linsey
joked Anna must be the only person in the world who
worked in a BDSM club and didn't ever venture inside. Even going into their
offices Anna used a separate entrance.

Linsey
walked across to the imposing
desk Anna sat behind and perched on the edge.

"All okay,
hon
?"

 
Anna nodded.
"It's quiet."

"It's early. The main players won't be in for another
hour or so yet. Talking of players,
Carly's
Ian had a
lovely striped ass, and both he and
Carly
are going
to be ever so grateful to you, I reckon."

Anna couldn't stop the shiver that ran through her body, and
she swallowed.

I cannot be sick.
 
She knew the shiver wasn't only fear; however,
Anna was one of those people who sometimes showed extreme emotions by throwing
up. It had made for some embarrassing moments in the past.

She could only hope
Linsey
either
didn't see her reaction or chose not to comment. Of course being
Linsey
, she did see and
did
comment.

"Anna, honey, it isn't all bad, you know. You should
try it again. I'll be happy to ease you back into the lifestyle anytime you
want."

The trouble was Anna knew
who was the only
person she wanted to do that,
and he came with too many extras for her
to contemplate it.
Even if he still wanted her, and somehow
she doubted it.

A buzz sounded, and
Linsey
looked
at the tiny pager strapped to her wrist.

"Damn, duty calls. That’s Antonia ready for my help.
Remember what I said, if you want to feel the sting, I'm the person to show
you. The club is there for you." She smiled and walked towards the
members’ rooms.

Anna pressed the button to release the lock and allow
Linsey
through the doors.
She let out her breath in a whoosh. Why, when the idea of being on show
revolted her was she wet, and her thong damp? The thought of anything to do
with the play in public part of the lifestyle terrified her. The old familiar
feeling of clammy skin and pins and needles in her arms began to bombard her.
Her vision became blurry, and she began to pant.

 
 
Oh god, no not here and now.
With enough presence of mind to turn her chair around to let herself put her
head down, Anna took deep breaths and waited for the ringing in her ears to go
away. She hadn't had an attack for years, and now that was twice in a matter of
days. Damn
Linsey
, she knew not to mention anything
about the lifestyle. It was easier to show a dislike for everything rather than
try to explain things she wanted to forget. What with worrying when
Caden
was going to turn up,
Linsey
talking about Ian's and
Carly's
enjoyment had been
the last straw. Obviously
Linsey
had decided she
wasn't going to let Anna bury her head in the sand any longer. Anna wished
Linsey
had held off a bit longer, at least until the
dreaded visit from
Caden
. Once that date was firmed
up, Anna was taking holidays.
Or calling in sick.
Or leaving.
The knowledge that she may have to speak to him,
that he might want explanations terrified her, even though the thought of
seeing him again had her vibrator on high.

Cool hands on the back of her neck made her scream. She
jerked her head up and hit a wall of hard body.
Hard male
body.

"It's okay. Take long, deep breaths. Breath through it:
let it flow over you."

The voice rumbled through her, and her nipples became hard,
tight, tense, nubs as if someone had clamped them.
Oh fuck, that’s all I need, my bloody body responding to his voice like
that.

The hands—
Caden's
hands, there was
no doubt in her mind it was him—began to massage her neck. The memories flooded
back. Things she had been suppressing for years.

No, please let me
be
. I can't feel for him again, not if I value my sanity.
Against everything her body
demanded, Anna struggled upright and shrugged her shoulders. To her vexation he
didn't let go of her, and if anything his hands tightened.

"Let
go
of me
."
To her intense annoyance, her
voice was
thready
and not at all assertive. It was no
wonder he ignored it, and Anna began to struggle.

"Stop it." He was all authority. Anna's clit
responded automatically. Her pussy walls tightened, and her juices collected
before coating her thighs. Her breath hitched, and she gasped. All of a sudden
her throat was dry, and she needed fresh air.
By-herself-no-wet
dream-inducing-man-around fresh air.
He was still kneading her neck as
he rubbed each spot he knew was guaranteed to arouse her even more. The chuckle
he gave was the last straw. Anna remembered something he'd taught her about
self-defense all those years ago, gathered her fast dispersing senses, and used
it. He doubled up with an
oufft
, as her elbows hit his torso. His hold on her
slackened, and Anna twisted out of his grasp and almost sprinted around her
desk. She mentally thanked whichever god watching over her that day had not let
her conscience trouble her over wearing ballet flats. Anna had never worn a
pair of heels since that fateful night so long ago, and had no intention of
ever doing so again. It had been one stipulation, along with her never having
to enter the main club that swayed whether or not she accepted the position.
When she had applied for it, although she'd wondered about
Dommissima
,
the job description had swayed her misgivings about applying. When
Linsey
had agreed to her demands, she'd accepted the
position and from day one enjoyed it all. Anna had no worries about other people
enjoying the lifestyle; she just knew it wasn't for her. Not now. Not again.

The look on
Caden's
face was
almost enough to have her on her knees before him.
Almost.

Intervention in the shape of
Linsey
coming through from the club stopped Anna from doing something very silly. In
her mind, if she'd have had time to react to him, she'd have made a fool of
herself. Or heaven forbid, done something that would have cost her
her
job.
Linsey
glanced from one
to the other and obviously summed the situation up.

"Master McCourt?" Unless you knew her, you would
never know the smile was forced, and the concern in her eyes was for Anna. As
Anna did know her, she was somewhat comforted by the thought that
Linsey
would protect her.

Oh god, I'm losing it. What
has
Linsey
got to protect me from? He's not into
force, and I'm sure as hell not into agreeing to anything he wants.
Anna concentrated on
regulating her breathing and watched as
Caden
exerted
his charm on
Linsey
.

 
Linsey
might not be into men, but Anna saw the exact moment
Cade
won her boss and friend over. It was no wonder he was at the top of his tree.
His presence was enough to command respect at a dozen paces.

"I know it's unexpected, but I found myself in the
area," he said suavely. "And as we agreed, I would like to look round
before my evening of demos"

"You can't," Anna said. "You haven't
registered. It'd be illegal."
Oh
god, word vomit, shut up.

He raised one eyebrow in a manner that would have had every
sub in the vicinity on their knees and trembling. In fact, once upon a time,
Anna would have been the first person to assume the position.
No longer.
She glared at him.

"Anna, Master McCourt is…"

Anna didn't give
Linsey
a chance
to finish. "With respect,
Linsey
, I know who he
is, and I know the rules. You're not getting shut down because one person
doesn’t follow them."

"You're right."
Cade
spoke before either woman could. "If you find me a copy to read and sign,
I'll gladly do so, and then perhaps someone can show me round?"

Anna ignored him. It was up to
Linsey
to sort all that out. She stalked around her desk and glared at him, as he
stood unmoving next to her chair.

"Excuse me." She waited until he took a step back
and opened a drawer. Anna handed a sheaf of papers and a pen to him and moved
away. "Use my desk," she said. "I won't need it any
longer." She looked at
Linsey
, who gave a faint
shrug, as if to say there wasn't anything she could do. Anna didn't believe
that for one minute. "Where's Athol?" she asked, as she realized
there was nothing else she could say or do to dissuade
Caden
from his chosen plan.
 
"He's
late."