Rude Awakening (13 page)

If he cared so much to make this extra effort, why did he want her gone in a couple of weeks? Ruby played with the fork on her mat and watched him work the stove. His fine arse called to her. Tight and firm. She imagined sinking her nails into the flesh as he rode her hard and fast, forcing her to take all of his huge cock. A blush heated her cheeks, and she attempted to cover it with her hands. Embarrassing to be caught ogling and fantasising about the man who’d come out into the cold to rescue you.
 

Several minutes later, he came over with two plates, each with a generous serving of bacon, mushrooms, sausages, fried eggs and beans, all finished off with crispy toast.

“Sorry, I didn’t get round to doing the fried slice,” he said.

Ruby laughed. After this treasure trove on her plate she’d be lucky to walk afterwards.

Harry pulled a newspaper and a card across the table and began to read.

Ruby ate her breakfast, forcing herself not to be nosy and not to see what he had. But she couldn’t resist asking, “Anything interesting in the paper?” Everything about the man who was fast becoming her ultimate crush intrigued her. He was far better than the Edward Cullens of this world. At least this guy was freaking real and she stood a chance of being fucked by him.

Would he go and watch the new
Twilight
movie with her? With Master, she’d been controlled to the degree he even monitored what she watched.

This is ridiculous, thinking about him. Stop being so bloody negative. Master is gone and not coming back into my life. Ever!

Harry cleared his throat. “Just the usual chaos and tragedy that is the norm these days in our small country.” He sighed, pushing the newspaper to one side. He picked up the card, piercing a mushroom at the same time.

“I take it everything is bad news,” she said.

“If you count the crime and unemployment, then yes. If you count me sitting here enjoying my breakfast with a beautiful woman at my side, then no.”

Ruby could purr with all of his compliments. Harry frowned, turning the card over, then put it further away from them at the corner of the table. He ate his food without any further expression.

“What’s the matter?” she asked.

“Nothing, nothing.”

“You said ‘nothing’ twice, which usually means something’s wrong. Please tell me.”

She reached out and placed a comforting hand on his arm. He moaned and gave in, handing her the card. Ruby didn’t understand. It was a message about a Master-and-sub meeting. She flipped the card over to see if there were any more clues, but a black design covered the back.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Nothing to concern yourself with.”

“Is this the club you attend as a…a Master?” Ruby had heard of such meetings, but after being with her own Master, she’d never believed they really happened, let alone had men like Harry attending.

“Yes, a group of professional Masters get together at an exclusive club to talk and train new subs, among other things,” he said, drinking his cup of horse shit.

“You’re going tonight?”

“I go every Sunday but I think I’ll give it a miss tonight.”

They continued to eat in silence. The imposing card hogged all Ruby’s attention. Was it a sign for her to go with him? To take the next step and trust him with her body and mind out in the public eye? Among strangers who lived the lifestyle?

When her stomach pretty much complained it was full, Ruby put her plate away from her and picked up the card, twirling it in her fingers while waiting for Harry to finish eating. The corners dug into her skin, and the gold-embossed fancy writing continued to catch her eye.

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, Harry finished and made to clear the table. Dropping the card, she took over.

“I’ll do the dishes.” She took their plates and moved to the sink already filled with bubbles.

“You don’t have to clean for me, Ruby, you’re my guest,” Harry pointed out.

She ignored him, wanting to do something to digest her crazy thoughts about going to that meeting. He finished his coffee while she pondered the possibilities of visiting the club and being part of his world outside this house. She cleaned all of the grease and muck off the pots, then dried and cleaned the work surfaces. Master’s training had turned her into an efficient beast.
 

Using a fresh cup, she poured Harry more horse sh—coffee. She placed it on the table.

He was flicking through the newspaper again.

“Thanks, Ruby.”

She wrung her hands. How did she ask if she could go with him?

“What’s the matter, Ruby?” He put the newspaper down and moved his chair so he faced her. Opening his legs to make room, he caught her hands and brought her between his spread thighs. He closed them, trapping her close to his body—a simple contact of his legs that sent shock waves of heat rolling up to her pussy. Biting her lip to keep from moaning, she turned her eyes away.

“When you’re with me, show me how I affect you,” he said. “I can see you containing a moan and I want to hear you express it. Show me what I do to you.”

Ruby shook her head, and the devil placed his hands on her thighs. As they travelled up her body, the heat of him warmed through the thin fabric of her trousers. She moaned, no longer able to contain the sound. He let go of her, clearly satisfied.

“Now, what can I do for you, young lady? What do you want to ask that had you wringing your hands?”

“I don’t want you to miss your meeting.”
That was a good start.

“One week won’t hurt, and I have you to keep me company.”

His fingers locked with hers and he smiled, melting even more than her heart this time.

“What if I was to come with you?” Biting her lip again, she looked down, not wanting to see his reaction in case he was disgusted by her idea.

His finger under her chin lifted her gaze to his.

“I don’t think you’re ready for that bit, honey.”

“I won’t do anything. Just keep you company. That way I won’t feel like a total pain for stopping you going. And I can watch. Learn.”

Harry shook his head and leant back. On instinct, Ruby wrapped her hands round his neck, tugging the strands of hair at the base of his skull. She held his face, forcing him to look at her. When he reared back again and a gasp escaped his lips, and no backlash of punishment came, she didn’t know what to do. His lips beckoned to her, and before she could stop herself she covered those lips with her own. The moment they connected, the electricity around them spiked. Her nipples pulsed as a fresh wave of heat rushed through her. He cupped behind her neck with one hand grasping her hair and pulled the long strands, easing her away from him. She let go and gave herself over to her new Master. He stood, towering over her, but she didn’t feel threatened. Instead, she was extremely turned on by his dominant move.

He was taller, stronger and more powerful than her, and his act of transferring power to get her to submit to him was clear.

“You would never be a pain or problem to me, Ruby. Never.”

He stroked a finger along her cheek and she closed her eyes. The touch was gentle, his words poetic. “Please let me go with you?”

“Why do you want to go?” he asked.

“So I can see other people in the lifestyle. It’ll help me to know it’s not only you who’s kind and generous. Help me see you’re not the only Master who allows his women free rein to speak their minds and to be submissive to your needs without ever taking mine away.”

“Why else do you want to go?”

“I want to prove to you I can be your sub.”

With that admittance, Ruby knew with all of her heart she had no desire to leave Harry’s side. They’d known each other such a short time, but some of the great love stories had taken a matter of moments. Love did exist. She’d seen it in people before Master had taken her away, clear with her own eyes.

Harry shook his head and turned away, picking up the card and newspaper. “I don’t think you’re ready, but if
you
think you are and you trust me, then you’d better get some clothes ready for tonight. Hang them up, give them time to air out.”

Ruby jumped on the spot, happy to be going with him, owned and claimed by Harry. She twirled in a circle and clapped her hands, going giddy.

“What shall I do after that?” she asked, still doing her merry dance.

“Explore the house. Have fun.”

Ruby started off walking up the stairs until her excitement got the better of her and she ran. The freedom and chance to investigate brought a new lease of life. She danced in circles once she reached the top floor, then ran back downstairs to the first. The handrails were designed like those in the movies that children slid down. Unable to resist, she cocked a leg over the side and once she was comfortable, let go, sliding down to the ground floor. Landing on her feet, she went back to do it again. Four more times she repeated the slide, her giggles echoing off the walls.

“What the bloody hell are you doing?” Harry came out of the kitchen in time to see her making the journey again.

“Having fun like you told me to. Come on, give it a try.” She took his hand and led him up the stairs.

He tried to pull out of her grip.

“Come on!” she growled, tugging him along.

“This is childish.”

“But fun.”

“Ruby!”

Hands on hips, she glared at him. “You told me to have fun and finally I listen and now you’re…what? Going to tell me to stop?”

“No, of course not.”

“Then give it a try. It’s
fun
.”

Urging him towards the rail, she raised her eyebrows and waited.

He glared at her, cheeks stained pink. He sighed. “Fine. I’ll do it this once.”

Harry went down, landing perfectly. Ruby hooted. They took it in turns until finally they collapsed in a heap on the floor, laughing.

Ruby laid her head on his stomach. “Told you it was fun.”

He stroked her hair and chuckled, the movement making her head bounce. “I suppose I’d better listen to you more often.”

“Yes, you should.”

* * * *

Some time later, Harry took her by the hand and led her through every room of the house.

“What about the work you were doing in your office?” she asked.

“I work all the time and it’ll still be there when I get back.”

Ruby smiled, seeing a whole new playful side to Harry. Going down the handrail seemed to have invited the child inside him out and in doing so changed the atmosphere between them again.

They went to the living room and she recalled them exploring one another last night, her arse finally properly introduced to the paddle. He pointed out certain features and his art. She found he even had a swimming pool.

“You had this and you didn’t tell me?” she said.

“I was saving it for a nice surprise.”

After the tour, they landed in his library.

“Now, I don’t think this is going to be as big as some of the libraries out there, but it could get you back into the swing of things,” he said, showing her one of the most expensive and rare collections of books she’d ever seen.

Display pages of classics along with modern texts adorned each wall in spaces between shelves.

“Where did you get all these from?” She moved to a shelf and inspected the collection of horror books before moving down to see first editions.

“Passed down from generation to generation, and so my children will get these books, but with all the e-readers out these days, I don’t think they’ll be too thrilled with my collection,” he joked.

“I know what you mean. But there’s nothing like the smell of a book, new or old. I love holding them in my hands.” Ruby pulled one off the shelf and opened it, smiling at the dedication. She loved reading those. It made the book more personal and memorable.
 

“Yes, I can see you like that,” he said.

She brought the book to her nose and smelt the musty old cover. Fun and happy memories assailed her from when she’d worked as a librarian. “The worst mistake throughout my whole life was giving up my job and going with
him
. Most young women would probably hate being stuck in some boring old library cataloguing books and placing them back on the shelves, but I loved it.”

“You can use this place as your own personal library if you want.”

“Do you mean that?”

“I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t.”

Giggling, she replaced the book then charged at him. She jumped, and he caught her, his arms about her back, her legs circling his waist.

“I knew you’d catch me,” she said, breathless.

“Always.”

She smiled and brushed her lips against his. She could lose herself in his kiss. The touch and taste of him was exotic and unlike anything she was used to. Harry gave pleasure and made sure she took as much as he did from the moment.

Without thinking, she pulled away and pressed her nose into the curve of his neck.