“Welcome to my home,” Eagan began.
The baritone voice she remembered from the rehearsal hall reverberated ten times more now that he stood a few feet away from her. The boom of his voice and her nerves tickled her insides.
In a whispered response, Ananda and the ladies all said hello.
He turned to the host. “I’ll take it from here.”
Obediently, Tony stepped back beside the cameras.
“If you don’t know, my name is Eagan Morton. This show is about me finding that perfect woman to be my next submissive. My expectations are high. Is that understood?”
Again in unison, the women answered, “Yes.”
“During the show, while you’re in my house, you will address me as Master Eagan or Sir. I will not tolerate, nor will I accept, anything else besides those two addresses. Unlike shows like The Bachelor or any other romantic coupling show, I’m not looking for a wife.” He took a closer step to the woman at the end of the row. “I’m looking for a submissive.” He strolled down the line, making sure to keep his stare directly on them. “This challenge will be difficult, as I expect perfection. Some of you may wonder why you have to wear masks.” He stopped at the sixth woman. With both hands, he straightened out her mask. “I’m not looking for a beauty queen.”
Ananda jabbed Iona with her elbow. The woman screwed up her lips then turned back to their host.
“I’m looking for someone who will be devoted to me and learn to anticipate my every need.” He sauntered down the line. “Part of this experience will be training. All of you should have received literature on the BDSM Lifestyle and what is expected by both parties.” He stopped at the eighth woman in line. “You will be tested on this information.”
Shit, Ananda thought. She’d skimmed through the books and let Darnell read them, but she never really read them.
“First and foremost, understand that we will operate by the BDSM credo. Everything we do will be safe, sane, and consensual.” He scanned the women for their expressions. When no one uttered a sound, he continued. “The first half of the hour-long show, I will present you with either a task or an instructional tutorial. Whoever impresses me the most in that task will win a special prize. The second hour, you’ll be challenged. As I said before, I’m seeking perfection. Giving me less than your best will not impress me. The winner of the second task will win immunity, meaning you will not be eliminated for the next show.”
Ananda nodded, taking in everything Eagan said. It was evident that she would have to stay on her toes to last longer than a week.
“I will decide during elimination who performed the worst and ask that that woman to leave my house immediately.” Eagan reached the end and planted himself in front of Ananda.
She stared directly into his cool green eyes. Behind her mask, she saw a rugged yet polished man. Distinguished lines marked the corners of his eyes. A dimple dotted his chin. His lips parted, showing off the small gap between his two front teeth.
Ananda took in a deep breath. Besides the overwhelming scent of leather, she caught a light cologne scent that smelled like sandalwood and earth. As much as she hated to admit it to herself, Eagan Morton could take her right there and then in front of these women, the camera crew and the world. From the way he smiled, she figured he knew that as well.
“What does it mean to be collared?” he finally asked.
“What?” Ananda’s mind hadn’t registered that he was actually speaking to her. Then she had to think about the answer.
“Collared. What does it mean when a Dominant collars a submissive? Do you know?” He crossed his arms over his chest.
Shit! Shit! Shit! To collar a dog meant to put it on a leash. So did that mean he wanted to put them on leashes? Walk them around like pets in a park? Knowing Ego, that was exactly it. Ananda opened her mouth to answer when another woman cut her off.
“It means we belong to you. We are your submissives,” Number Seven answered.
Eagan cut his gaze away from Ananda long enough to acknowledge the other woman. “You’re right. Thank you for answering, although I wasn’t asking you. I was asking this one right here.” He nodded his head toward her. “I realize half of you have never really experienced this Lifestyle. I did that on purpose. I want those who have never had a Master to learn from those who have had one or been trained by one. No one has an advantage here. BDSM is more about learning than anything else. You’ll learn about yourself, your body, your pleasures, and your pain.” He turned to the young host. “Will you get Apple and Willow, please?”
Tony nodded and trotted off to a side room. Ananda and the other women stared at where Tony had gone to see who or what were Apple and Willow. Were they special names for his toys?
The click of Tony’s shoes on the floor matched Ananda’s racing heart. She didn’t hear another set of feet until he appeared in the room again. Then she heard a light smacking sound. Following behind him were two women. One looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties with blonde hair. In her see-through, spray-on dress, her curves were made apparent. Many of the larger women in the group blew out their breaths in a sigh of relief.
Next to the first woman was a younger Asian woman. Her dark hair framed her pixie face. Not really wanting to but feeling compelled to look down, Ananda noticed they both had on similar necklaces—well, if you could call them that. They looked more like chokers. Both wore slender black leather straps with what looked to be a diamond or some jewel in the front.
Her gaze fell down even further to see some strange contraption that didn’t look like panties or even a bathing suit bottom. When the first woman moved her arm, Ananda noticed a lock dangling from the side of hers. What the hell was it?
“These are my slaves, Apple and Willow. They are here to help you in the house. You can ask them any questions about the Lifestyle, however, they cannot help you with any task. If you ask them questions related to a specific task I’ve given you for immunity or reward, you will be asked to leave the house.”
A couple of the women nodded. Damn, there went Plan B for Ananda.
“After this taping, they will show you where you will be sleeping and lay down the ground rules of the house, like no cursing.”
Shit! She might get eliminated the first day. Ananda cursed so much, her mother wanted her to get tested for Tourette’s Syndrome. So if she was meant to last in this competition, Ananda would have to keep her mouth closed and do what she was told. Damn, that would be hard on both counts.
Eagan had Tony retrieve something in a large hutch. Tony returned to the group holding a tray of several slender, black velvet boxes.
“Tony, will you assist me, please?”
The former child star followed Eagan back to the first woman. He cracked open one box and pulled out what looked like a string of pearls except there were two rows of pearls with vertical strings of pearls connecting the two horizontal rows.
“During this competition, each of you will be collared by me. You will be my submissive until I release you.” He asked the first woman to turn around. When she did, he put on the short necklace that hugged her neck. “I like your black hair. From now on, you will be known as Lily.”
“Yes, Master Eagan,” Lily said when she turned back around.
Before moving onto the next contestant, he kissed her lightly.
He moved down to the next woman and did the same thing. “I like your yellow mask. You’ll be known as Daisy.” Then he kissed her.
Each woman, he renamed them with a name of a flower. Guess that was better than being called Submissive Number One or Hey You. Then he planted a small kiss.
The third woman jumped as soon as he opened his mouth to speak. “You are a skittish little thing. I’ll call you Poppy.”
“Thank you, sir!” She clasped her hands in front of her and jiggled around some more, probably for show. No one could be that happy about being a submissive.
Poppy barely stood still long enough for Eagan to kiss her.
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Eagan stroked his hand through the fourth one’s flaming red hair. “Of course. You would have to be Rose.” He wrapped her collar around her neck after she turned around.
“Thank you, Master Eagan.”
He gave Rose a peck and strolled to contestant number five. Ananda noticed he blinked and brought his face closer to the woman’s face before making a final naming decision. “You have the most striking blue eyes I’ve ever seen. I’ll call you Iris.” He collared her, kissed her, and she thanked him for the privilege.
To the one in the yellow dress whose strap kept falling off of her shoulder, he said, “I’ll call you Freesia.” After collaring her, he adjusted her dress strap onto her shoulder, then kissed her.
Interesting. Ananda would have thought Ego would have ripped the dress off of her body and made her stand in the buff. Guess she was wrong about him.
“While you’re in my house,” he said to the seventh contestant, “you’ll be called Sunny, short for sunflower.”
“I like that, Master Eagan. Thank you.” She bowed her head.
Sunny leaned forward for Eagan to kiss her.
As Ananda watched each woman, it was becoming apparent who was into the BDSM lifestyle and who wasn’t. Giggling Poppy had to be a newbie in the whole thing. However, Sunny came off like an old hat at this. Ananda hoped to be paired up in a bedroom with women who knew all about the Lifestyle and could teach her a thing or two…or three.
To the eighth woman, he didn’t hesitate before he blurted, “Magnolia. That’s who you’ll be.”
“Fits me to a T, sir.” She curtsied like a good southern belle. Damn showoff. He kissed the back of her hand like a southern gentleman.
Longer than he’d stared at Iris, Eagan looked over contestant Nine thoroughly. Obviously the heaviest of the bunch, the woman started wringing her hands together. Then, she crossed her arms over her chest. Eagan took her hand and brought it down to the side of her body. “The name I’ll give you is Meadow.”
The woman spat out an indignant chuckle. “Is that because I’m as big as one? Why don’t I get the single flower names like everyone else?”
A few of the ladies gasped at Meadow’s daring to question the great and powerful Eagan.
Good for Meadow, Ananda thought. At least the woman showed she was no pushover.
“I named you Meadow because in you I see all of the great qualities I look for in a woman.”
Meadow’s shoulders relaxed. She reached under her mask to wipe away a few tears. “I’m sorry. It’s just that it’s hard looking like—”
He shook his head and moved closer to her. “Never apologize for expressing your true feelings. I respect your viewpoints and opinions. I’m glad to see you being assertive.” Eagan attempted to collar her until she stopped him.
Meadow shook her head. “If you got the same type of necklace for me that you gave to the other ladies here, mine won’t fit. My neck is too big.”
Eagan placed his index finger over her lips and smiled. Now with him, that move exuded sexiness. Tony had better be taking notes.
“One thing you and all of the other women here will learn about me…” Eagan twirled his finger in the air to get Meadow to turn around. After a big huff, she did so, obliging Eagan. “I’m always prepared.” He slipped on the necklace that fit her perfectly.
Meadow turned back to him and touched it as though not believing the jeweled piece could fit her.
“It’s the reason I had you all weighed and measured before coming on the show.” Eagan adjusted it so that it sat to his specifications. “I took the liberty of having one specially made for you. I know no two women are alike, so I knew not to make all of the collars the same.”
Meadow nodded. “Thank you.”
Ananda wasn’t sure if it was for show or if he truly appreciated Meadow, but he gave her two quick pecks before moving on to the next woman.
At contestant Ten, Ananda’s heart started racing. He was so close to her, she could smell him.
“I’ll call you Pansy.”
“Beautiful name, sir.”
Actually, the name sucked. Except for Meadow, no one here seemed willing to upset the apple cart. He kissed her and moved over to Iona.
At Iona, he scanned her from the top of the points on her mask, down to her four-inch stiletto heels. “I have a feeling you know how to ensnare men.” Eagan pulled out a necklace from the box. “For that reason, I’m calling you Venus, after the Venus Flytrap.”
A wide grin exposed all of Iona’s chemically bleached teeth. “You already know me so well, Master Eagan.”
When he held up her necklace, she hesitated before turning around. Eagan stared at her.
“Turn around,” he demanded.
Ananda didn’t want to look, but Iona stood next to her. She stole quick glances. From the throbbing in Iona’s neck, the woman seemed scared about something.
“I’d like to face my Master when he collars me,” she said.
“Nice to know, however, you’re already forgetting rule number one about this whole thing. This is about what I want. I’ve asked you to turn around. The next step is that I’ll tell you to leave. Your choice.”
“Sorry, Master Eagan.” Iona turned around.
Eagan raised his hands while holding the necklace, but stopped midway. He was probably staring at that hideous tattoo on the back of Iona’s neck. Ananda had noticed it, too, but didn’t want to say anything. She just assumed the woman had done time in prison to have that greenish blob mar her pale skin.
He closed the clasp on the necklace and waited for her to turn around so he could kiss her before he moved on to Ananda, the last one in line.
“And last but not least, I have you.”
Not yet, Ananda wanted to say. Instead, she turned around and allowed him to place the necklace on her.
“You’ll be Begonia.”
Ananda blinked at the name. It wasn’t as romantic as Rose. And it certainly didn’t have a deeper meaning like Meadow.
As he put the necklace on her, he whispered in her ear, “Miss another question, and you’ll be gone.”
Oh, now she got it. Begonia. Be gone, you.
“I won’t let you down.” She had to dig deep to come up with an appropriate response, one that that made it seem like she wanted to be there in the game.
He seemed to accept her answer. He smiled and moved in for his kiss. Ananda kept her eyes open as their lips connected. Then something happened. She felt a spark when their lips touched. Then, Eagan pressed his lips on her harder.
Ananda’s knees buckled. He backed away from her. Maybe their kiss lasted as long as the others. In her mind, they had kissed the longest. Was she the only one who felt like he just made love to her using only his mouth? All at once a feeling of satisfaction and exhaustion consumed her. Christ, what had she gotten herself into?
Ananda touched her necklace. She couldn’t wait to go back to her room to take a better look at it.
“I will hold an elimination challenge and offer a reward today. One of you will have to give up your collar and leave.” He reached into his black bag. “Tonight, you will learn more about me. At the end of the night, you’ll be tested. If you fail, you leave.” He pulled out a long whip. “Ready to get started?”
Iris fainted. The games had officially started.
Chapter Four
“Oh, my God!” Freesia, one of the other African-American contestants screamed.
Eagan crouched down next to Iris as soon as he saw the woman go down. “Can you hear me?” He patted the back of her hand, in between rubbing her arm. Outside sounds nearly disappeared behind the beating of his heart that echoed in his head.
“Jesus Christ!”
Eagan heard Phil curse behind the camera. Considering they were on live TV and the fainting came as a surprise, Eagan would have thought the shot would have made Phil happy.
Within seconds, another man squeezed his way through the crowd of women.
“Took you
long enough, Sergio,” Eagan said in a whisper.
“I expected to be used once you started doing your thing on them, not from just showing off your toys. Who knew?”
Eagan couldn’t fault his close friend and doctor for being a little slow on the draw. For as many years as he has been involved in the scene, he had never had one faint before play.
Sergio waved something under Iris’s nose that stirred her.
“She’s responding, which is a good sign,” he announced. “I’ll take her to the back to check her out.”
Eagan held her face steady to stare into her eyes. He wanted to see some clarity in her eyes before she got whisked away.
As though emerging from underwater, Iris blinked several times and even gasped for air. Her hands grasped at Eagan’s jacket. He allowed her to steady herself while he held her head still.
“Are you okay?” he asked in a soft tone.
“The whip! The whip!” Iris muttered other things that came out incoherently, but what was clear was her focus and fear on his toy.
“You fainted,” Eagan said as though the woman wouldn’t have remembered what had happened. “Doctor Veruccio is going to check you out. I’ll stay with you.”
A hand immediately clamped his shoulder. Eagan turned around, looking at the hand first, before gazing up to see Phil standing on the wrong side of the camera.
“Let me help her to the back bedroom,” Phil said as he got down next to Eagan. Then in a hoarse whisper said, “And then you have to go on taping. The show is live, remember?”
Eagan peered over his shoulder at the cameras and the crews all standing by. When he turned back around, he caught the stunned expression in the gazes of the remaining contestants. The one that made him do a double-take was Begonia.
Going down the line of women, Begonia was the only one who made his heart stutter. There was something about her eyes that drew him into her. Without a word, she seduced him.
Her gaze held a warmth and a compassion that could have only existed deep down inside of her. And the kiss they shared still rocked him.
He hadn’t meant for his kiss to be longer than any of the kisses he’d planted on the other contestants. As soon as his lips touched her soft set, he didn’t want to stop. That was a bad sign. He didn’t want nor need another submissive that made him forget everything except for sex. He had to make this about more than just a physical connection.
Love My Way Page 6
