by Jill Shannon
She came out of the bathroom dressed; she did a pirouette for his inspection. She had pulled the front pieces of hair away from her face, clasping them so they ran down her back with the rest of her hair, leaving wispy tendrils by her face. The only jewelry she wore was a pair of dangling earrings. She finished off the outfit with a pair of black four-inch heels, which brought her to just below Cameron’s chin.
Sadie took a bite of a cheese danish, fixing her coffee. “Do you know who picked out the dresses I found in my closet?” Sadie looked at him knowingly.
“I had Melanie…”
Sadie interrupted him, “I knew it.”
With raised eyebrows, Cameron glared at her. “That was very rude.” Cameron started to stalk towards her.
Warning bells were going off in Sadie’s head. She stood frozen in place, her head hanging in submission, dropping the pastry. Cameron walked up to her. All she could see were his feet. When he reached out to raise her head, she flinched, as if he had burned her.
When her eyes were raised to his, he could see the fear it them. Her face white as a ghost. His features softened, compassion showing in his eyes. “Sadie, what’s wrong?”
She tried to turn away, but Cameron wouldn’t let her. “Tell me!”
“I remember him saying that over and over. I thought you were going to punish me. I’m sorry, I know you’re not him, but it still frightened me. Bad memory.”
Cameron cradled her face gently. “I will make sure I do not use that word in your presence again. You have nothing to fear from me, you understand that don’t you?” Sadie nodded her head yes, “Lesson number four, you will always speak your answers to me.”
“I know I have nothing to fear from you. I just didn’t expect that phrase to bring the memory the way it did. What were you going to say about Melanie?” Sadie asked, changing the subject.
“I was saying,” Cameron began, turning and walking to the bed. “I had Melanie, arrange for a personal shopper to bring a wide variety of dresses and gowns for me to choose which ones I,” he stressed to her, “wanted you to wear.” Cameron knew what she was doing, he didn’t like it, but he understood.
It was Sadie’s turn to have a shocked look on her face. “Now, for your punishment.” Sadie’s face fell again. “Come to me, Sadie,” Cameron was sitting on the edge of the bed.
Sadie, walked cautiously to Cameron. Her hips were aligned with his face and he pulled her closer. He began raising the gown up her legs. When he had it up around her hips, he commanded, “Hold this up.” While Sadie held onto both sides, Cameron hooked his fingers in her thong and lowered it down her legs, making her step out of it.
Cameron raised them to his face and inhaled deeply. “I’m beginning to crave your scent. I will keep these for the day,” he said, tucking them behind him. “Now, when I ask you a question, I expect you to answer me. Next time, I will take the bra too.” He lowered her dress.
Sadie felt very naughty, she had never gone out in public without panties, it was very arousing, and she could feel the dampness between her legs.
Cameron stood in front of her. “I will see you when you’re finished. I will bring you back here to get changed for dinner.”
Sadie really didn’t want to sit through another dinner. “Do you mind if I just eat in the cabin tonight? I really wanted to just relax tonight, maybe go to the after party. I have the cutest pirate outfit,” Sadie teased Cameron.
“I will approve what you wear tonight, and if you prefer to eat here tonight, that’s fine, but make sure you eat.” He kissed her on the cheek. “Now, get to work before I don’t let you leave.” He smacked her on her ass when she turned to leave.
“Yes, Master.”
***
Cameron watched Sadie walk out the door. He jumped out of the bed, walking to the laptop on the desk. He fired it up and all the screens came to life. He watched Sadie turn into the lounge. He stood shaking his head; he still couldn’t believe that she was finally here with him. He couldn’t screw this up. He still needed to finalize the details of the deal before they got to Jamaica.
He picked up the file Caleb had left, thumbing through the papers and photos which detailed the history of Richard Arcola, financial profile, and last known location. He had rented a house by a pretty popular tourist attraction in Sting Ray City.
He checked his emails; that bastard Arcola was taking his sweet time in replying to the contract Cameron proposed. Once that was signed and in the hands of his lawyer, his fate would be sealed. If things went the way he planned, by the end of this cruise Cameron would have the perfect sub, and his parents would be able to rest in peace. However, if they didn’t go as planned; he would be left with nothing. He closed the folder and put it away in a drawer.
He looked at the camera screens and saw Dimitri heading into the gym. He needed to tell him what he had set in motion, but not until he the signed document, which included any conditions and final terms Arcola had. He needed that in his hands. He also needed to keep it to himself a little while longer. Knowing Dimitri, he would just try and talk him out of it.
Cameron powered down the computer and screens, grabbed his gym bag from the closet, and headed to the gym. He had missed the last two days of training, Harley was going to be pissed, and that meant a torturing work-out for Cameron.
Harley was Cameron’s boxing coach. He was retired, but had agreed to train with him under the premise he would supervise the gym for just this cruise. Cameron had told Dimitri that Harley was using this cruise as a test drive, to see if he might want the position permanently.
Cameron hesitated by the doors of the Master’s Lounge, listening to Sadie sing. He knew if he looked in, he would see her lost in the song. She finished the song and the crowd began clapping. Cameron turned and continued on to the gym at the other end of the deck.
It was early afternoon, and the gym wasn’t that busy. Cameron found Dimitri right away on the universal. Harley was spotting Nicolas on the bench. When he saw Cameron, he leaned down to Nick.
Cameron couldn’t hear what he was saying, but figured it had to be along the lines that they were done. Nick didn’t seem to mind. He put the barbell in the catch and sat up, taking the towel from Harley’s hand. While wiping his face, he looked to Cameron and stood. “You can have him; he kicked my ass today!”
“Great! You warmed him up for me, I’ll remember that, Nick,” Cameron teased, shaking Nick’s extended hand. “Any more news on the storm?”
“No, I was waiting for Josh to show up, but things must be hairy up on the bridge. Hey, Payton said you paid a lot of money for a new sub last night at the charity. Was she worth it? You don’t normally need to pay for them.”
“Sadie is different, and don’t make it sound so cheap,” Cameron said to Nick. “She was everything I knew she would be.”
Dimitri came walking over. “Any news on the weather?”
“No, we were just waiting to hear from Joshua,” Nick answered. “Heard you spent a good penny last night too!”
Cameron was about to jump down Nicks throat, when the captain walked into the gym. “We’re going to have to miss Haiti tomorrow. The storm’s not moving as fast as I’d like, and I don’t want to take any chances,” Captain Joshua stated.
“I’m sure the passengers will understand. We can make the announcement during dinner, and I’ll also have Caleb put a bulletin in the computer to come up on all screens.” Dimitri continued, “We knew it was a possibility. I’ll let Gabriel know so he can keep the passengers entertained tomorrow.”
“That would be a good idea. I’ve already set our course for Jamaica. Now I’m going to work out some of this stress. See you all at dinner.” Captain Joshua turned and headed for the locker room.
“I never understood why you wanted to go to Haiti in the first place,” Nick blurted out.
“What bug crawled up your ass today, Payton cut you off or something?” Cameron grunted at Nick.
Nick hung his head. “You guys have no
clue, she has been so moody lately, and no punishment I give her works. She just gets weepy. I never know which way is up and which is down. I didn’t mean to rag on you guys, I just wish I knew what was up with her lately. I was going to pop the question last night, but she was already sleeping when I got back to the cabin.”
“She seemed fine at dinner last night. She knew you would be working, and that this wasn’t a pleasure cruise for you didn’t she?” Dimitri asked him.
“I explained all that to her, but she still thought I would have more time for her, but with us out running the storm, I’ve spent a lot of time on the bridge.”
“Is she pregnant?” Cameron questioned.
Dimitri and Nick looked at Cameron like he was crazy. “What? I’ve heard women get moody when they get pregnant.”
The color drained from Nicolas’s face, he staggered to the bench and sat down bewildered. He wiped his hands down his face. “It’s possible, but we’ve been careful.” He glanced up at then with hooded eyes. “I’d be a good dad. Wow! I could be a dad.” He stood from the bench. “Why didn’t she tell me?”
“Dude, slow down, it was just a joke. I was just teasing you,” Cameron exclaimed holding his hands up in a stopping motion.
“Yeah, but it could be true. I need to find her. I’ll talk to you guys tonight.” Nick practically ran out of the gym.
“What the fuck just happened? He went from getting married, to wanting to be a dad, in zero seconds. Maybe it’s not Payton, maybe it’s him,” Dimitri said laughing.
Cameron thought about what Nick had said, he would like to be a dad some day. Right now though he had to focus on helping Sadie realize she was his, and finishing Arcola.
“I won’t be at dinner. I’m planning something special for Sadie tonight. I’ll try to be at the after party but I’m not promising anything.”
“I have to admit I was a little skeptical in hiring your latest sub for our headliner, but you were right, she is pretty awesome. Hey, who was the ass in the back last night trying to out bid us? I didn’t get a good look at him, did you?” Dimitri asked.
“No, I was wondering the same thing. Ask Caleb to see if he can pull up last night’s footage. I’d like to get a closer look at him. Things went well with Madison last night, I presume?”
Dimitri was headed for the treadmill. “Things started out well, but then she kind of had a meltdown. I had her take today and rest. I just left her sleeping. Isabella replaced her today in the Piano Bar; she’ll also do the strip tease in tonight’s performance. I might need Marco later if she doesn’t snap out of it.”
“Have a good work out, I’ll check in with you later. Maybe I’ll have Sadie stop in to check on her when she’s done in the lounge.” Cameron turned and headed over to where Harley was waiting for him.
“You’ve missed two days. If you were my sub you’d be on your knees begging for mercy, but since you are not, we’ll start with a hundred push ups. You have three days before we get to Grand Cayman. You should be making every second count,” Harley blasted Cameron. “Have you told Dimitri what you are planning to do?”
“No, I will as soon as I have the signed contract from that cheating bastard.” Cameron had told Harley what his plan was only because Harley wouldn’t train him without knowing the details.
“When do you expect to have that? I would like to fine tune your training.”
Cameron was down in the push up position. “I should have all the details by later today. His deadline is 10:00 pm tonight.” He began doing the push-ups, his focus now on his training and nothing else.
Chapter Nine
Cameron was physically exhausted; he had spent most of the afternoon training with Harley. Back in the cabin, he called Chef Isaac to arrange a private dinner on the balcony, then jumped in the shower.
He looked at his reflection in the mirror, his hair curling just under his ears. His beard was trimmed tight to his chin, his goatee trimmed to his mouth.
The high collar of his royal blue shirt looked tight on his neck. His black jacket cut perfect over his shoulders, down to his trim waist. His slacks ran the length of his legs, down to his black wing tip shoes. He jerked the lapels of his jacket and headed for the door. Looking at the cabin before he left, he hoped Sadie liked the changes he had made.
He arrived at the doors to the lounge just as a redhead and blonde were leaving; he held the door for them. He was passing to go in when the red head stepped in his way stopping him short. “Hi, Cameron, I’ve been looking to introduce myself, I’m Queenie, this is Yvonne,” she said, throwing her thumb over her shoulder.
“Nice to meet you, if you will excuse me, I have some place to be,” he replied, trying again to get around her. He heard the applause from inside the room and knew Sadie would be looking for him.
Queenie placed her hand in the middle of Cameron’s chest. “Maybe we could meet later for a night cap?”
Cameron looked down at the hand in the middle of his chest, and then raised his eyes to hers. Her voice sounded familiar, but he didn’t recognize her face. “Remove your hand now, sub!” Cameron’s voice was traced with anger.
Queenie removed her hand and lowered her eyes. “Sorry, Sir, I just wanted a chance to let you know how much we’re enjoying ourselves.”
“You could have written a comment in the suggestion area on the ship’s computer. Do not touch me again without permission! Now excuse me.” Cameron walked passed them into the lounge, anger rolling off him.
Cameron stood inside the doorway his eyes searched for Sadie. She was standing at the end of the piano, talking with a group of people. She looked very focused on whatever the woman in the red dress was saying. She then raised her head, scanning the room, till her eyes locked on his.
She smiled at him, and began excusing herself. Cameron returned her smile, the anger melting away. His eyes locked on her as he moved into the lounge, meeting her at the bar. She couldn’t take her eyes off him, and neither could half the women in the room, but Cameron only saw Sadie.
“Hello, you are finished for the day here? Yes?”
“Yes.”
Still smiling at her, he asked, “Are you ready to leave?”
Sadie turned, looking over her shoulder at the group she had just left, turning back to Cameron with a grin on her face she answered. “Yes.”
Cameron looked around Sadie, there were still a few people lingering around the piano. He noticed Todd Phillips, a music producer among the few. He looked back down at Sadie. “You’re sure?”
“Ready when you are, Sir.” She lowered her head waiting for him.
He gazed around the room, Doms nodding their heads in approval, and subs craving to be Sadie. He moved so he could place his hand at the small of her back, and moved her towards the door.
***
Neither of them noticed the man sitting at the end of the bar; he watched the exchange between Sadie and Cameron. He also watched as Queenie, who had walked back in after Cameron, ripped apart the napkin she had been holding.
Her eyes followed them as they left. He watched her face go from, hopeful to hateful, in no time flat. An idea began to form in his head. If she is into that “asshole,” she might be persuaded into helping him get what he wanted, and in return, she could have what remained of the “asshole”.
She had a dark look to her, and appeared to be his type, plus with that anger, she’d be easy to persuade.
If he played his cards right, he’d get to fuck her, and use her as the decoy in his plan. It would be so easy he thought as he made his way over to her. He would begin her training right away. He had a grin on his face when he arrived right behind her. He sidled up to her and whispered in her ear; “You should really hide your disdain for someone till they’ve left the room.”
Queenie whipped her head around to see who was talking to her and, what she found, was very pleasant to look at. He was tall with Italian features. “I’m normally much better at it.” She looked into eyes that mirrored her hate,
she felt a moment of fear, but shook it off.
“Are you with a Mistress or a Dom? I see no collar.” She shook her head no. “Let’s go to the bar and you can tell me all about it.”
Queenie thought for a minute, she wasn’t making any progress with Cameron on her own, maybe this could work. She turned her head and watched Cameron escort Sadie from the lounge. Through gritted teeth she seethed, “Yes, let’s go and have a drink.”
Facing him again reaching her hand out, she said, “Hi, I’m Queenie, I’d like to hear your story also.” Putting a fake smile on her face she said, “I have feeling we are going to be a great team.”
“I believe you may be right, now let’s just see how far you’re willing to take it.” Shaking her hand, he added, “You can call me Master!” He moved aside so she could walk in front of him to the bar. Her ass drew his eyes as she passed; he had always loved a nice firm ass. Thinking to himself, a grin on his face, “A little pleasure along with some pain, a few suggestions, and he would have his answer.”
***
Sadie walked next to Cameron back to the cabin. They didn’t have far to go, and she wondered why he had come to the lounge to get her. Not that she was complaining, in fact, Sadie liked it. A lot!
While she had been in the lounge talking, she had seen the redhead talking to Cameron. Thinking back to the conversation she had overheard last night, it seemed like she had known him. Sadie wondered if he knew her also. “I saw you talking to a red headed woman before you came into the lounge.” She paused looking up at him. “Do you know her?”
Cameron cocked his head to the right. “Jealous?”
Sadie’s shoe stuttered on the carpet, making her teeter. Cameron wrapped his arms around her pulling to his body. “Are you all right?”
