Restraint (Mistress & Master of Restraint) (18 page)

“Ah, shucks! Are you flirting with me because you know I’ve butchered your book,” I tease and threaten him simultaneously
.

Abernathy laughs
, smoky, warm, and deep… and it sounds so much like Master Ez that I have to turn to Zeitler to make sure he doesn’t have his hand firmly shoved up Abernathy’s ass and is playing ventriloquist with the author.

“I’d flirt with you in spite of my book. Maybe we could get a drink and talk about what I need to improve,” he charms me.

“I’d like that, Abernathy.” I bat my eyelashes, flirting back. My eyes dart to Zeitler, who looks confused by my behavior. That is the point. I need to throw everyone off their game and see where they land. “But only if it’s for professional reasons. How’s Mrs. Abernathy fairing?”

“Lovely as ever, my Divina,”
he says with genuine affection. His eyes dart to Dr. Zeitler, and I swear he says
cock-blocker
under his breath.

“Please
, call me Cortez,” he cunningly says. His gunmetal gray eyes pierce me to the depths of my soul.

I
slowly pull my hand back, and make my way back to the chessboard. Mother Fucker!!!! I want to stomp my feet! I study the board for a moment, analyzing, trying to find the most devastating move. Black Knight overtakes White Rook. I deserve it.

Ezra and Cortez, the Ez twins
with gunmetal gray eyes, chat on my sofa.

I study and note the comparisons between my two possible Master Ez’s. Ezra and Cortez,
both could be nicknamed Ez. Only Ezra Zeitler’s initials are EZ. But I actually saw Cortez Abernathy outside of Restraint.

The Ezes are the same height, weight, build, and share the same haircut. If they are related
, I wouldn’t be surprised. Ezra is fair-skinned with white-blond hair and Cortez has golden skin and black hair. The eyes are exactly the same shape, size, and shade of gray. I watch in awe as their eyes transform from stormy to gunmetal as they chat.

They definitely know each other very well. Their body language screams of years of contact.

…And then there is that laugh… They chuckle, snicker, and laugh identically. It’s creepy and makes it impossible to figure out which is the real Master Ez.

I sit not listening to a thing the pair
discusses. My mind reels as I try to find a new plan. I don’t have one.
Operation upset the boat, part two
:
disrespect Ezra- flirt with Cortez
. Neither is my usual M.O. Either man will find this disheartening if they are the real Master Ez. Will the real Master Ez please stand up?

“Ms. Waters suggested you completely scrap the draft.” My name draws my attention.

Game or not, I do have integrity, and the moment work is brought into the conversation, I can’t help but respond. And I can still flirt while I serve shitty news.

“I’m sorry, Cortez. The story doesn’t match up for the series. You’ve rewritten your own history. That is my main
concern.” I lean forward and place my hand on his knee. My elbows press into the sides of my breasts, lifting and creating a provocatively appetizing view. The Ezes hungrily eye my cleavage.

I smile to myself. Men and women, alike, can’t help but stare at breasts, even if they aren’t that great. It’s like a car wreck, you just can’t look away.
Boobies!
Pushup bras are an amazing invention, just don’t look at my saggy tits once the supportive bra is remove. Ugh.

Zeitler looks worried
by my strange behavior while Cortez looks intrigued. I give a squeeze to the naughty author’s knee and draw back.

“If you could resolve the history issue
, the story would be salvageable.” I smile sweetly to lessen the blow.

“You’re
right, I feel the same way. I’ve just been so distracted lately,” he cryptically says while smirking at Dr. Zeitler.

“Maybe you could
breathe new life into it instead of outright abandoning it.” My smile is reassuring. “It will be a lot of work… if you could get over your distractions, that is.”

“Your smile inspires me. May I call you Katya?”
Cortez reaches over and fingers a few strands of hair that escaped my up-do. The backs of his knuckles brush my nipple.

I close my eyes and breathe through my nose. Either my last session with Master Ez cured me
, or Cortez is Master Ez. The more disturbing thought is that it’s all dominants in general that have this effect on me. Obviously Cortez is a Dom or he wouldn’t have been at Restraint. I just can’t see this virile man kneeling on the floor and begging. 

“Of course, Cortez
. Please call my Katya,” I purr as I surreptitiously pull his fingers from my hair.

Zeitler breaks into our syrupy sweet flirting by clearing his throat.

“That’s an interesting box. What’s inside it?” He comments on my solution for the explicit chess set. Mahogany, because it deserved nothing less, shined to a glossy finish, and shaped like a tiny trunk. The game is safely nestled inside, underneath the keycoded top.

An extra
challenge to the game is seeing if Master Ez can hack the code, so he can move his pieces. My lips break into a wide smile.

“
You remember the chess set I received from an admirer. It’s a long-term game, and I didn’t want anyone accidently moving the pieces on us. It’s safer this way.” My voice is pure passive-aggressiveness.

I can’t help it,
a snicker spills from my lips. Ah, that created a reaction. Dr. Zeitler tries to suppress a grin, but fails.

***

So much for my game progressing along nicely. There are two of them. Which is which? Obviously Ezra is my
boss,
but I can actually place Cortez at Restraint. Ezra Zeitler and Cortez Abernathy: the exact same gray eyes, body frames, height, weight, laughs, and feeling of power. If I could sniff on their skin, I’d know for sure. Master Ez’s intoxicating scent is imprinted on my being. But I can’t go around randomly sniffing people. They both put me at ease, as if I instinctively know them, and I want to connect, to bond with them. I just don’t understand it.

Kayla finds me a
while later, drumming my fingers on my desk, completely lost in thought. “Katya, may I get you a drink? You’ve been quiet for a few hours.” Her voice is meek, scared, and I don’t like that.

“Really? It’s been hours?”
I ask in surprise.

“Yeah, it’s been j
ust over two. I didn’t know if I should disturb you or not, so I’ve checked on you a few times.” She looks worried, and I hate it. I should be the one taking care of her, not the other way around.

Bad Domme, bad!

“Come here,” I growl.

When Kayla is in arm’s reach, I grab her by the back of her neck and draw her to my mouth. I kiss her gently, softly. The kiss is at complete odds with the aggression flowing throughout my body. Our lips dance against one another for a moment. The kiss is out of mutual comfort, not one ounce of sexual heat or passion, just friendship.

I draw back
and whisper against her lips, “Thank you.” I thank her for clearing my head and offering me comfort, for stabilizing my thoughts. Staring into her wide, blue eyes, a thought enters my head- a light bulb moment. I smile against her lips.

“Get me the number to Restraint
.” Kayla freezes beneath my hands. I know she’s worried that I’m doing something wrong, and going to get us into trouble with Master Ez. I’ll take the blame if he’s angry. “Don’t worry, beauty, I’m just calling a friend.” I reassure her.

Chapter Seventeen

“Restraint, this is Kristal,” echoes from the other end of the phone
.

“Is Queen or Fate available to speak?”
I cordially ask while swallowing my own heartbeat. Why am I so nervous? Oh, it could be that I know I’m gonna get an ass whooping for this. Yeah, that’s why. 

“What do you think this is- a hotl
ine?” Kristal practically spits into the phone. She’s such a sweet, submissive girl…

“Um,” I stammer. “I don’t h
ave their number and I need to speak with one of them, please.”

“This better be a fucking emergency or I will reach through the phone and tear
out your tongue.” The last part is a menacing whisper. I shiver at the thought. Before I can answer, she’s talking again, “Who is this, anyway?”
Cranky bitch!

“Katya,” squeaks out. I gather my courage and
continue. “Mistress Kat,” I firmly say.

And
I thought I could be a bitch when I’m interrupted while working… I was wrong. Kris brings a whole ‘nother level to the word bitch. I need to speak to Queen or Fate or my game is finished. I have no other leads, and Kayla and Aaron work for Master Ez, both literally and figuratively. Kris is just a bartender on the other end of the line, why am I stammering. Katya, stop being a pussy, and man up.

“Either put Queen or Fate on the line, or give me their damned number.” When I finish I sound hostile.

“Kat, why didn’t you say that to begin with? Hold a moment please,” she sweetly finishes. Does everyone at Restraint have multiple personalities? Why, yes… why, yes, I think they do- myself included.

“Kat,” Queen harshly breathes into the
phone.

“I hope you’re out of breath
because you ran to the phone, and not because I’m interrupting you,” I say in amusement. “Please tell me you weren’t doing a scene.”

“No, it’s all good. I was just setting up
some stuff for tonight.” Her voice is as smooth as molasses. Her laugh fills me with imagery and possibility. I shiver at the thought of what her night has in store.

“I ne
ed to ask you a few questions. But only answer the ones that won’t get you into any trouble.”

“Ask away
,” Queen offers. “Besides, I like trouble.”

“
I’m sure you do,” I say with a smile. I like Queen. She feels like a kindred spirit. “What does Master Ez, or rather, the Boss look like?” I list off the first question in my mind.

“Ah, good girl!”
She chuckles into the phone. “I’ve never seen him, if you can believe it.” No, I can’t believe it, I want to say. “He does scenes in the dungeon. But he’s always hooded.”  I can tell she’s lying, or maybe she was ordered not to tell me.

“Do you know his real name? Have you met a man named Ezra or Cortez?” More chuckles come through the phone
... curiouser and curiouser.

“Mmm, baby girl is getting closer, warmer. Yes, both of those names are here. None of us actually know which belongs to the Boss. Both men are present during the scenes, both hooded. One tops the other if they aren’t playing with the other two.”

“Other two? Do you mean Aaron and Kayla?”

“Lookie, lookie, you’ve been a busy girl. Yeah, Aaron and Kayla. Usu
ally Aaron tops Kayla while the hoods direct the scene. One is obviously the Boss, because no one ever tops him. He takes complete control of the others. The Boss has never dominated Kayla in a scene, always makes sure the other hood doesn’t hurt her- he likes to be rough. The Boss doesn’t let him play with Aaron either. Aaron is just his. I’ve always wondered if he was gay until you came around.”

Jesus, that’s lot to digest- way too much to digest on the fly. I just pull a question out of my whirling mind.
“Do they call each other names?”

“Nah, they communicate with t
heir eyes. It’s creepy as fuck- their intense connection. The scenes between the pair are even weirder. But nowhere near as creepy as when Aaron begs for it.”

“What do you mean, creepy? And why is Aaron begging?”

“Well,” Queen pauses as if gathering her thoughts. “It’s like a therapy session or something, neither enjoys it, and they both end up bawling. As for Aaron, he will go months being the little gal’s dominant, and then he snaps and begs the boss to punish him. It gives me the fucking creeps. Sorry, chick, but you just entered a fucked up family. And I do mean family. The hoods have been together since birth and Aaron entered the picture when he was a tween. The boss brought Kayla in for Aaron, said he needed her.”

Yeah, and the Boss/Master Ez said Kayla was mine. I guess she does have a boyfriend, and his name is Aaron Frost. 
“So the Boss is either Ezra or Cortez, right?

“Doubtful, I mean they use hoods, why wouldn’t their names be aliases?”
Queen’s voice changes from friendly to warning.

Queen tries to warn
me off. But I think it’s because I finally asked something that she isn’t allowed to answer, which means I asked the right question, and her brushoff is all the answer I need. Yeah, Master Ez is definitely Ezra or Cortez.

“
Those are not aliases. An alias would be like calling yourself Master Ez or the Boss, not a real identity. I know their entire names, first, last, and middle. Hell, I can get their social security number if I try hard enough.”