Temporary Master (32 page)

She
gripped the pen tightly. “I…it’s just my shower gel….”

He
slowly shook his head. “No, it’s Sabella. A light touch of floral with the hint
of the vanilla coffee you like.” He leaned further in, his nose nudging her
hair. Her skin prickled with awareness at the caress of his moist breath, as he
breathed directly on her neck. He gave a soft groan before moving back. “But
I’m getting ahead of myself here. Sign the papers before I’m tempted to eat you
whole.”

Hanging
onto her anger and hurt was darn near impossible, as his words seduced her. “I
don’t think so…” Pressing the papers and pen against his chest, she tried to
push him away from her. With surprise on her side, he stumbled a bit. “Stop it.
I’ll sign Davis’s papers, but it has nothing to do with…you. So there’s no need
for this act. I won’t let you seduce me into forgetting what you did.” With
trembling fingers, she found where she was supposed to sign and scrawled her
signature. Again shoving the papers and pen at Ethan, she grabbed her purse and
was prepared to leave, when his plea stopped her.

“Please
Sabella. I know I fucked up, but give me a chance to explain.”

She
squeezed her eyes shut. Lord knew she was tempted but what if it was just
another ploy? “Explain what? That you
lumped
me in
with that bitch of a wife? Or that you honestly didn’t mean to give me false
hope, Ethan?” Her hand tightened. “You know, Louis may have hurt the submissive
in me with his stupidity, but he never touched the vulnerable heart under it.
You, on the other hand, with your lack of trust…” She gave a bitter laugh.
“…not only hurt both, but also taught me a rather valuable lesson.
One which I won’t forget.”
She slowly turned to face him,
gathering her hurt around her. Tears pricked the back of her eyes as she looked
at him. He was everything she’d wanted, and her heart mourned for what could’ve
been, if he’d been different or if she could have been a different type of
woman.

He
walked over and stopped less than a foot from her. Cupping her arms with his
palms, he brushed his thumbs over the soft inner flesh of them. “I don’t expect
you to forget, Sabella, but I’m hoping you can find it in your heart to forgive
me.”

The
connection between them sparked. She had to fight the urge to lean into him,
the familiar warmth and security a beacon to her, tempting her unbearably.
“It’s not a matter of forgiving. Davis told me what I heard was only part of
the story, that you told Louis in a rather graphic way that the only way you’d
allow him to share me, is if he became a submissive woman. I can forgive you
for what I thought I heard, and I have. I should’ve stayed and confronted you
both. Then part of this misunderstanding would’ve been avoided.”

He
nodded, his thumbs continuing to stroke over her. “We both made mistakes,
Sabella. You should’ve stayed. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions when I
found you gone.”

Unable
to bear the raw intensity in his gaze, she lowered her eyes. “I agree, but in
the end, it doesn’t excuse you for turning on me the moment things got rough. I
thought we had more than mere sex. Or at least I hoped.”

“You
ran, what was I suppose to think?” His voice was gruff, but his grip never
tightened.

She
shrugged. “I needed to escape, and didn’t worry about what you’d think when you
found me gone.” She looked up at him. “But once I calmed down and listened to
reason, I came back. I was ready to at least hear you out. It hurt when you
shut out all possibilities of there being a neutral ground between us, and cut
off all lines of communication.” She took a deep breath and blinked rapidly to
force the tears back. “In my experience, if we can’t communicate, what
relationship we’d have, whether it
be
a Dom/sub or
even just one of friendship, would be doomed to never work.” A tear spilled
over her lid and down her cheek.

He
thumbed away her tear. “How did you get so wise, little one?” He lifted her
chin and his face swam before her eyes. “I let past wounds affect our
relationship, instead of discussing it with you. If I promise the lines of
communication will stay open, will you give me a second chance?”

She
gave a warbled sigh as she took in the sincerity on his face and in his eyes.
Despite all the hurt they’d somehow managed to deal each other during this
misunderstanding, there was no clear person who was in the right. They’d both
jumped to the wrong conclusions and paid for it. But the question now was: did
she want what he was offering more than her anger? Reaching up, she tugged at
one of his dreadlocks, and decided she did. “Last time I checked, this is the
third time…Sir.”

His
eyes flared with hope. “Then give me a third. I can promise I won’t need a
fourth.” He cupped her face and touched noses with her. “I love you, Sabella
Johnston. If you’ll have me as your Dom, there’ll be no others…for either of
us.”

Her
heart leapt. “You love me?”

He
pulled back just a bit and gave her a crooked smile. “Yeah, you snuck up on my
blind side.”

Joy
washed over her. “I…I love you too, Sir.”

His
eyes closed as he savored the words. Then, when he opened them, there was a
mischievous look in them. “So what would you say if I asked you to bend over
Davis’s desk, so I could give you the fuck of a lifetime?”

She
giggled. “I’d say ‘Yes, Sir.’ And then laugh at the expression on Davis’s face
when he realizes we christened his desk.”

His
chest expanded. “Over the desk, Sabella, and lose the pants and underwear. I
need to be inside you.”

Her
breathing grew rapid even as her hands went to the fastening and zipper on her
jeans.
“Yes, Sir.”

“You
know I still don’t find it the least bit funny, Ethan.” Davis groused as they
made their way down the cobble stone path leading from the house to the club.
It was nearing eight o’clock, and once again it was Subbie Night at New
Beginnings.
“Do you know how hard it was to deal with the
Mayor, when all I could smell was fresh pussy?”

Ethan
had to hide his smile at the memory of pounding in and out of his little one,
as they made love over his partner’s desk earlier in the week. It had been just
as fierce as their make-up had been tender. It had been all about reclaiming
each other. Behind his leathers his cock started to fill. “Sorry, I couldn’t
resist. You know how intense make-up sex can be. We couldn’t wait.”

Davis
groaned. “I get that, but couldn’t you have taken her into the conference room?
Hell, even over Eileen’s desk would’ve been preferable. I had the fuckin’
hard-on from hell all afternoon. That air freshener Eileen sprayed didn’t do a
thing, and don’t give that shit she told you to do it.”

“Well,
she did. And it’s no one’s fault other than your own that you didn’t take her
up on her offer.” Ethan stopped next to the door of the club door.

“I
don’t do topping from the bottom, and you damn well know it.” Davis started to
enter the code on the security pad next to the door. He stopped. “Were you down
here earlier?”

“No.
I had appointments all day. I’ve been cooped up in my office dealing with
several depressed individuals.”

Davis
looked over at him. “Well, someone’s already deactivated the security. Did
Bella or Toby say anything about coming in early?” Davis nudged the door open.

Unease
filled Ethan. “No. I spoke with Sabella earlier when I ate a hurried lunch.
Lauren and she had made it to San Francisco. They were going to eat and then
hit up some of the leather shops. She said she wanted to get me a surprise for
my birthday next month.” He licked his lips. “And I believe Toby said he was
going to be late tonight, because of overtime at work.”

“Then
we may have a break-in going on.” Davis pulled out his cell and dialed the
police. After a few moments of hushed conversation, Davis snapped his phone
shut. “The cops said to wait outside for them to show up and not endanger…”

Ice
rushed through his veins as a blood-curdling female scream echoed through the
club.
“Or not.”
Both he and Davis rushed into the
club. Quickly ducking into the security office, located closest to the entrance
they were using, and after grabbing an ear-piece, Ethan shoved it in his ear.
“Check the monitors and tell me where they are.” Then he slipped out the door,
not giving his partner time to protest. It was one of those things, while Davis
was huge as a
mountain,
he hated physical violence
after seeing his sister nearly beaten to death. His friend had nearly killed
her attacker, who happened to be her estranged husband. His sister had never
forgiven him, and less than a year later she was dead. There were times his
friend still mentally beat himself up for not doing more. It had left unseen
scars on his whole family. So when it came to physical altercations, Ethan was
the one who normally dealt with them. He had no emotional issues to prevent him
from doing what was needed, while keeping his cool and objectivity.

Static
filled his ear, before Davis’s voice filled it. “Aw, fuck. They’re in your
private playroom, Ethan, and it’s Louis. From the position of the camera and
the sub herself, I can’t see who he has restrained, but from the way she’s
hanging from the St. Andrew’s cross, I think she’s passed out.”

Frustration
built in Ethan, but in a way he was glad Louis had broken into and entered the
club. “Well, at least now I have a more solid reason to report his ass than a
couple of missed appointments.”

“Take
care when you go in. He’s got the cat-o-nines. I’m calling the police back and
asking them to send the ambulance as well. The sub’s back is a raw bleeding
mess from what I can tell, and no movement on her part worries me a lot. She’s
going to need medical attention.”

Unfastening
the
hayanawa
from around his waist, Ethan wrapped it swiftly along his
hands preparing the thin flexible cord to execute a fast take down of the fool,
who’d judged him not to be an threat because of his slender build. Slipping
into the room, he waited until Louis had drawn his arm back to strike the bound
submissive again, then he swiftly looped the
hayanawa
around Louis’s
wrist. Using the man’s forward momentum against him, Ethan tightened the noose
to jerk him off balance, but hadn’t planned on it slipping off Louis’s hand
because of the whip. At least he’d fouled up the man’s aim. The cat-o-nine
tangled uselessly with his cord before thudding to the floor.

“What
the hell!” Louis spun around to face him. His face was florid, his eyes
bloodshot, his hair sticking up on end, and the disarray of his clothing the
opposite of his normal well-dressed self.
“You bastard.
You keep fucking up my life. This is the last time I’ll tolerate your
interference, you round eye fuck.” The stench of alcohol rolled off him as he
tried to swing at Ethan.

Twisting,
Ethan managed to avoid the fist rushing his face, allowing the blow to glance
off his shoulder. “I’ve done nothing the court hasn’t ordered, Louis. I’ve even
let you attend my club. How am I fucking you? Any issues you had in New York
and Chicago are of your own making.”

Weaving
on his feet, Louis stumbled around him, still punching wildly at the air. Some
of his blows were not even coming close to Ethan, while others glanced
harmlessly off his arms, shoulders, and hips as Ethan moved with the fluid
grace resulting from his years of training. This was a lopsided fight if there
ever had been one. It was only Ethan’s innate sense of fair play which kept him
from brutally hurting the ass. He wanted to make sure there were no marks or
bruises on the man when the police arrived.

Louis
suddenly stopped throwing punches and glared at him. “Bullshit, you took her
from me. She was supposed to still be mine. Instead she laughed at me when I
offered to take her back.
Said she had found her perfect
Master with the Temporary Dom.”
He gave a leer towards the cross. “But
the bitch isn’t laughing now.”

Ethan’s
eyes flew to the dark haired sub hanging from the cross. That was his Sabella?
The body size was right as was the hair, but something was off. The white-hot
fury of the whole situation melted the ice around his reserve and tested his
control. If it wasn’t for the calming tones of his partner in his ear telling
him that Louis wasn’t worth it, that Sabella needed him to be a free man, and
killing the ass in front of him wasn’t a good idea, he’d have flown at the man
not stopping until Louis Vayarti was a bloody spot on the floor. “You dared to
touch my submissive?”

Louis
laughed drunkenly. “Oh, I more than touched her…” He stumbled towards the
counter where several heavy weight whips and leather horse crops lay scattered.

Horror
filled Ethan. His Sabella wasn’t into heavy impact play. Neither was he, which
is why his private room was stocked with nothing heavier than the wooden paddle
he’d used during Sabella’s punishment. The thought of Louis bringing these things
into his private playroom and using them on her had his stomach rolling.

“When
the little bitch wouldn’t quit begging for you, I used a bigger whip.” Louis
picked up a single tail whip. “Started out with this one but still she wouldn’t
stop. It should’ve been my name she was screaming, and until she does I’m gonna
continue. She’ll learn her place.”