Forced Submission (26 page)

When she’d first arrived on the island like a war refugee,
she’d been filled with equal parts rage and relief. Jira, Zahara and the prince
had enfolded her into a pampered, safe world of silk, cool waters and utter
peace. Within a month she no longer had nightmares, and within two months she
was laughing again, filled with a joy she’d never experienced before. She
realized that even before the abduction she’d lived a lonely, solitary life,
never taking risks, afraid of being rejected or hurt.

Now she found a bright, fierce joy in the smallest things,
from the taste of a fresh piece of fruit, to watching one of Prince Kamau’s
harem girls hold herself with perfect grace in one of the many slave positions
the girls worked on mastering each day.

Since coming to the island, Mia had learned what true D/s
could be. She had come to appreciate the beauty and intensity of an erotic
exchange of power. And though she herself found she didn’t have the hardwiring
to be a true submissive, she was in awe of the passion and courage the harem
girls exhibited as they studied the art of erotic submission. She quietly
wondered if she would ever find that intensity of experience, which she
understood now was a special kind of love.

As the boat pulled into the dock, Zahara said softly, “Oh
my, my. Who is that handsome young gentleman?” Mia followed her gaze. The man
who typically drove the boat, a grizzled grandfatherly sort, had been replaced
by a tall African man with broad shoulders and large golden-brown eyes that
reminded Mia of melted caramel. As he helped each of them onto the boat, Mia
was struck by how fine his hands looked—his fingers long and slender, his nails
perfect ovals. They were, she thought, the hands of a sculptor. His smile was
like sunlight, warming her from the inside out. An odd sense of peace moved
through her as she stared into his kind eyes, as if somehow she had come home
after being away for a long, long time.

~*~

The trip to California had been a whirlwind of excitement.
Kyle had taken them to the beach, sightseeing and out to dinner, always making
Mia feel welcome.
He had been
nearly as excited as Zahara as they researched potential nursing schools. She
planned to apply once she was settled into her new life.
Most
importantly, Mia could see that the two of them were in love, and while it made
her a little wistful, she was happy for her dear friend. She truly understood
now just how different a loving D/s relationship was from the sadistic
abduction and control Ellis Hughes had forced upon her.

Mia had discovered since joining the prince’s entourage that
she loved the hustle and bustle of world travel. She thrilled to each new stamp
in her passport, and treasured each new adventure, keenly aware how close she
had come to losing not only her freedom, but her very soul.

She loved when the plane lifted into the air, each trip a
new journey filled with possibility. She enjoyed making the often nervous young
women she was escorting to their new placement feel more relaxed and
comfortable during their travels. Most of all she found she loved returning to
the island and the people she’d come to love.

She waited on the mainland dock for the familiar yacht with
the prince’s island crest painted on the side to appear. She barely admitted to
herself how much she hoped the handsome young man who had taken them to the
mainland two weeks before would be captaining the boat.

As it pulled closer, she saw the silhouette of a tall man
with broad shoulders, his face obscured by the sunlight behind him. As the boat
eased alongside the dock, she couldn’t stop the wide smile that spread across
her face. The young man beamed back at her as he held out his sculptor’s hand
for her to take.

“I was hoping to see you again,” he said in the lovely
lilting accent of his people. “Since the day I saw you, your beauty has filled
my dreams.” His smile lit his face and sparkled in his eyes.

Mia placed her hand in his, feeling his strength as he
lifted her easily onto the deck of the boat. She smiled shyly back at him,
aware he hadn’t let go of her hand, though she found she didn’t mind at all.
“My name is Mia,” she said.

“Mia.” He said the word as if it were a caress. Lifting her
hand to his face, he brushed it softly with his lips before letting her go. He
gave a small bow, still smiling. “I am Amadi. Welcome back. It’s good you have
come home.”

Available at Romance Unbound Publishing

(
http://romanceunbound.com
)

A Lover’s Call

A Princely Gift

Accidental Slave

Alternative Treatment

Binding Discoveries

Blind Faith

Cast a Lover’s Spell

Caught: Punished by Her Boss

Closely Held Secrets

Club de Sade

Confessions of a Submissive

Continuum of Desire

Dare to Dominate

Dream Master

Face of Submission

Finding Chandler

Forced Submission

Frog

Golden Angel

Golden Boy

Heart of Submission

Heart Thief

Island of Temptation

Jewel Thief

Julie’s Submission

Lara’s Submission

Masked Submission

Obsession: Girl Abducted

Odd Man Out

Perfect Cover

Pleasure Planet

Princess

Safe in Her Arms

Sarah’s Awakening

Seduction of Colette

Slave Academy

Slave Castle

Slave Gamble

Slave Girl

Slave Island

Slave Jade

Sold into Slavery

Sub for Hire

Submission Times Two

Switch

Texas Surrender

The Auction

The Compound

The Cowboy Poet

The Master

The Solitary Knights of Pelham Bay

The Story of Owen

The Toy

Tough Boy

Tracy in Chains

True Kin Vampire Tales:

Sacred Circle

Outcast

Sacred Blood

True Submission

Two Loves for Alex

Two Masters for Alexis

Wicked Hearts

Connect with Claire

Website:
http://clairethompson.net

Romance Unbound
Publishing
:
http://romanceunbound.com

Twitter
:
http://twitter.com/CThompsonAuthor

Facebook
:
http://www.facebook.com/ClaireThompsonauthor