Arranged: A Masters and Mercenaries Novella

by Lexi Blake

  “Jamil had a daughter?” Kash stopped at the door.

  Naturally, the man had been sharing a Scotch before bed with Jamil for years, but he didn’t know about his servant’s family. In the few weeks she’d been living at the palace, she’d made it a point to learn about the family’s closest servants. They were men and women who had devoted themselves to the palace for years. They deserved some respect. She kept staring straight ahead. “Yes. He took care of his daughter and her two children. His son-in-law died two years ago and he’s the sole source of income while she’s taking classes at university. I would like to offer to pay her tuition and to keep up Jamil’s paychecks while she’s in school.”

  Kash worked his way back to his seat and slumped down. “Jamil is really dead.”

  McKay’s voice was the tiniest touch more sympathetic this time. “Yes, Kash. We wouldn’t have hauled you out of your country for anything but true worry for your life. And as far as your servant’s daughter knows, her father passed away of natural causes and the palace will take care of her. It’s best we keep this under wraps for now. The press would swarm the island if they knew.”

  Kash looked infinitely tired as he sat back in the chair that seemed almost too small for his enormous frame. “The press was all over my island already. How do you expect them not to notice that the king and queen have been taken away?”

  “I’ve set that plan in motion. Your yacht was seen launching last night after midnight for the Arabian Sea. Right now it’s being captained by a friend of mine, and every now and then two of my employees who look a bit similar to you will be seen cuddling on the deck or taking in the sunset. Believe me, they know how to sell this. As far as the press knows, you and your queen are on a private honeymoon cruise and you do not wish to be disturbed. Rumor has it you’ve packed enough food and drinks for a full two weeks at sea.”

  Kash’s hand tightened on the armrest. “Two weeks? You expect me to hide out here for two weeks?”

  “Hopefully by then Simon and Jesse will have figured out exactly what’s happening,” McKay continued. “They’ve already identified the man who delivered the Scotch. He’s being questioned right now, but he claims to know nothing.”

  “It will likely have been a young man named Gilad. I can’t imagine he’s an antimonarchist,” Kash muttered. “His father was once the head of security. He grew up around the palace.”

  “We’re gathering data,” McKay replied. “We’re going to figure out when the Scotch was poisoned and every single person who touched that bottle. When we know anything at all, we’ll let you know. Until then I want to offer you the safety of Sanctum. Kash, you’ve been here before. You know all the rules. I’ve closed the club down to everyone but actual McKay-Taggart employees and their partners. We’ve converted the privacy rooms into suites for your time here. You may use the club, or if you prefer, stay in your rooms. I want you to have some company, if you would like. There’s a full bar and a kitchen that will also be staffed while you’re here. I thought I would have someone go over how the club runs with your new bride.”

  “Oh, I’m sure she knows,” Kash said bitterly. “My bride is very familiar with all things BDSM. Does she not have a membership here? I’m surprised since she belongs to clubs all over Europe. Was the US too far to travel for your trips, my dear?”

  McKay looked between them as though just figuring out there was serious tension there. “No, she’s not a member, though she is welcome through your membership. Are you a member at another club, Your Majesty?”

  Well, the cat was out of the bag and had been beaten half to death, so she might as well not hold back. She sat up straight, unwilling to allow Kash’s sarcasm to bring her low. “I hold a membership at The Velvet Collar in Paris and a club in Berlin called The Tower.”

  McKay grinned. “Holy shit. Mistress Day.” He stood up and held out a hand with what seemed like genuine happiness. “I knew you looked familiar. We haven’t met, but I did attend one of your classes a few years back. My wife and I joined Ian and Charlotte Taggart on vacation and we spent a few days at The Velvet Collar. It was fascinating. You taught a brilliant class on suspension play. We use your techniques all the time. I’m so honored to host you.”

  She shook the man’s hand, grateful at least one person in the world didn’t think she was some kind of criminal for her desires. “And I am honored to be here. Rene at The Collar speaks highly of your club.”

  “I’ll be thrilled to introduce you around,” McKay said, warmth in his voice. He let go of her hand and then turned to Kash. “And if I didn’t say it before, congratulations on the wedding. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it, but we’ve traveled so much lately. Ian and Charlotte were sorry to send their regrets as well, but the wedding happened so fast.”

  “You didn’t miss anything at all,” Kash replied.

  “I’m sure it was lovely.” McKay frowned but moved toward the door of the office anyway. “I’m going to make sure the rooms are ready. I can imagine you’re tired. I’ll be back in a moment.”

  The door closed and silence hung in the small office.

  “Would you like to explain why you’re so angry with me?” She had to ask. She didn’t understand what had really happened.

  He stared straight ahead. “You lied to me.”

  “I never lied to you. I never told you I was a virgin or that I didn’t have a past.”

  “You also didn’t mention that past included being a dominatrix. You didn’t think that would be a problem? You didn’t think that would open us all up to ridicule? The queen of Loa Mali wears leather and likes to spank naughty men. Some press statement that will make. It’s a nightmare and you’ve brought this down on our heads because you were selfish and manipulative.”

  “They were private clubs, Kashmir. You’ve been to them too. It’s all right for you to frequent clubs, but not me, is that correct? I would like for you to state your hypocrisy so I can understand its depths.” Weariness was starting to be brushed aside in favor of a righteous anger. “Would the playboy of the Western world like to condemn me as a whore?”

  He waved her off. “No one cares what I do. They will care about you, and that’s merely me being realistic. It’s already bitten us in the ass. We’ve already had our first blackmail attempt. How many more? How many times will I have to threaten or bribe some man you used to punish so he won’t out you? My mother is sick. This could push her over the edge.”

  At least she could answer that particular fear of his. “Your mother knows. I brought it up to her in the beginning. I should have brought it up to you, but honestly, I didn’t want to hear about your past. I was letting it go and moving into the future. I thought you would give me the same courtesy.”

  He finally turned. “My mother knows?”

  “Yes, I told her, but she explained that she already knew.”

  He ran a hand over his hair, messing it up further. “And yet you didn’t think to explain to me that you preferred feminine men? You merely decided to change me into one?”

  Change him? Was that what he was worried about? “I’m not trying to change you in any way. I like the way you are. There’s nothing at all wrong with it. You can be strong and still need to submit. It doesn’t make you less of a man.”

  His jaw tensed, anger making his whole body rigid. “I do not submit. Not to you. Not to anyone. I’m the king.”

  “I never said you weren’t the king. What we do in the privacy of our bedroom, it doesn’t change who you are outside of it. And there’s no weakness in submitting sexually to a partner who understands your needs and supports you. This is about finding one place in the world where you can give up control, where you know you’re safe because your Mistress would never harm you.”

  He threw back his head and laughed, a terribly bitter sound. “Safe? You don’t make me safe, Mistress Day. You want to make me weak and you’ve already placed my whole kingdom at risk.”

  Perhaps it was how tired she was or the fact that she’d h
eard it before exactly how wrong she was for being comfortable with herself and her needs, but she was ready to give him what he wanted. She stood and faced him. Blissful numbness had overtaken her and she couldn’t work up the will to cry. She wasn’t strong enough at that moment. It would come later, but for now she stared at the man she’d loved since she was nineteen years old. She wasn’t strong enough to lie to herself anymore. It had always been Kash, from the moment he’d grinned at her in class and winked her way. Back then, he’d been the one who’d made it all right to be who she was, glasses and impulses and all. The funny thing was she would never have walked into a club, never have studied up on dominance and submission, had it not been for Kash. He’d given her the strength to accept herself and now he hated her for it.

  “I’ll contact a lawyer after I’ve had some sleep.” There wasn’t anything else she could do. She wasn’t going to stay when it was so clear she was unwelcome.

  “A lawyer? I’ve already taken care of it,” Kash insisted. “This time. But there will be a next. I’m sure of it. My god, even Ian Taggart knows who you are.”

  She sighed as she walked to the door. “I didn’t mean to take care of your ex-girlfriend. I meant to file for a divorce. Or annulment perhaps. We haven’t actually consummated the marriage, so it might be possible.”

  “Divorce?” He said the word like he’d never heard it before.

  What exactly did he want from her if he didn’t want to end the marriage? “Yes, Kash. Divorce. You’re so horrified by the fact that I like to take control during sex. You’re horrified that my whorish past might come up, and despite the fact that you’ve slept with every woman on the planet, somehow this will make you less of a man. You’re horrified by me personally. So the simple way to fix the problem is for the two of us to get a divorce. Since I handle everything anyway, I might as well be the one who files. Oh, you can tell everyone it was you, but we both know you’ll be far too lazy to call a lawyer yourself.”

  Before she could open the door, he put a hand on it, holding it closed. “Lazy, am I?”

  She shouldn’t have said that, but her defenses were down. She shook her head. “We shouldn’t talk anymore until we’ve had some sleep. If Mr. McKay has set us up with only one bed, I’ll take the couch.”

  “Shouldn’t the Mistress have the bed? Shouldn’t I sleep on the floor like the good lap dog I am?” He seemed determined to see the worst in everything.

  “I never asked you to do that, Kash.”

  “But you would have at some point. You were preparing me to be your boy. I believe the term is grooming. You were grooming me to accept being your slave.”

  Naturally he would see it that way. “I was trying to bring you comfort.”

  “I cannot be what you want me to be.”

  “Hence the divorce. Then you can go back to your delicate flowers and leave your manly wife behind. Perhaps they’ll make you feel more like a man with their simpering neediness.”

  “Or I can go back to them anyway, keep my marriage and my crown, and turn you into what I need you to be,” he shot back. “Have you thought of that? I can bend you to my will and then you’ll know who the Master is.”

  There was no way she was taking that. “Or I could save us both an enormous amount of trouble and cut your balls off while you’re sleeping and stuff them down your throat so you never threaten me like that again. If you lay a single hand on me, you’ll find out how strong I can be.”

  That seemed to throw him. He stepped back, his hands up. “I wasn’t going to hit you, Day. I would never hit you. I…god, I didn’t mean it that way.”

  At least he wasn’t about to become an abusive prick. He was simply feeling the stresses of the past few days, the same way she was. “I’m going to find a place to sleep. I can’t talk about this anymore today.”

  He reached out, this time his hold on her arm gentle. “Dayita, I would never hit you. I’m sorry I made you feel that way. But you should have told me before we married that you need something I can’t give you.”

  “You don’t know what I need at all. I need to play in the bedroom. I never would have asked you to defer to me outside of there. I thought you needed someplace where you didn’t have to be the king, where you could relax and let someone you trust take over. That was all I ever wanted. I wanted for us to explore and find what works for us. I wasn’t ashamed of my past. If it gets out, I don’t care. I didn’t think you would either. I thought you loved me more than you loved your own image. A silly thing to think since this was an arranged marriage.”

  “We’re not divorcing, Day,” he said, but his tone was low and weary. “Royals don’t divorce.”

  “Tell that to Charles and Diana,” she replied. “Somehow the British monarchy is still around.”

  She walked out, closing the door behind her, and stepped out into the hallway. Naturally she had no idea where to go.

  “Sometimes it’s hard to accept the things we need.” Alex McKay stood at the bottom of the stairs leading up to what she suspected was the dungeon portion of the club. “Especially those things that run counter to what we’ve been taught we should need.”

  “Why do you think I was gently working him toward a light form of submission?” She asked the question with the weary tone of a woman who knew she was about to be judged and found lacking.

  “So you were being sneaky about it? You know he’s been in this club a few times. He always tries to play the Dom, but it was obvious to me his heart wasn’t in it. I actually suggested he scene with one of our Dommes. I suggested that he should do it because every Dom should know what it feels like to be the one on bottom. Most of my tops eagerly embrace the experience because they know it will make them a better Master or Mistress. Not Kash. He utterly refused, and when I insisted I couldn’t give him Master rights without it, he left and hasn’t come back until today. Oh, he’s friendly enough, but I knew then I’d hit a tender nerve. But you did get him to submit, didn’t you?”

  Had she been wrong to lead him the way she had? She’d never demanded that he do anything. She’d simply gone on instinct. Should she have turned it all into a long lesson about what she wanted from him that would have ended in a contract signed by the two of them? “I don’t know that I would say that. I don’t need his pure submission. I was only trying to give him what I thought he needed. He’s not capable of telling me. You’re right about that. It’s why I did what I did.”

  “He has to be able to look himself in the mirror.” McKay leaned against the railing of the stairs.

  “He did nothing that he should be ashamed of.” How could Kash even think that?

  “I know that. You know that. I don’t think he understands that at all. Sometimes the best play a top can make is to be patient and show some kindness to his or her submissive. Even when they don’t really deserve it.” McKay gestured to the stairs above. “Your rooms are on the third floor. I opened the connecting doors between rooms two and three to make a suite. My wife, Eve, stocked the rooms with toiletries and clothes. You made her day because that woman loves to buy clothes. There are two beds if you need them, but I would advise you not to make decisions today. I know he’s a douchebag, but sleep on it before you dump him. I think he needs time. Two weeks isn’t a lot of time to adjust to getting married and to changing his view of himself.”

  “I don’t know that patience will win this war, but I will definitely sleep before I do anything,” she replied.

  “You’d be surprised how patience can be rewarded. I should know. I wouldn’t be married to the most beautiful woman in the world without it. And her kindness. Goodnight, Your Majesty.” He nodded her way before he walked back toward the office.

  Day started up the stairs, McKay’s words playing through her head.

  * * * *

  Kash sank into the chair despite the fact that his every instinct told him to go after his wife and beg her forgiveness. He wasn’t going to do that. He didn’t need to apologize. She’d taken what he’d said
in the wrong context. He would never hurt her physically.

  So what exactly had he meant? Fuck. He had no bloody idea. He didn’t even recognize himself anymore.

  Here he was married for less than forty-eight hours and his wife was already talking about divorce.

  How had he gotten here? Not two weeks before he’d been perfectly happy. He’d been carefree. He’d had everything he could possibly want.

  He’d hated his life.

  The door opened and Kash forced himself to sit up straight. He wasn’t about to lose it in front of Alex McKay. He’d known the man for a few years, but only in a friendly acquaintance fashion.

  This man had known more about his wife than he had.

  Anger burned through him at her betrayal.

  “So everything is set up,” McKay explained as he sank back into the chair. “The only people who will be in and out of the club for the next forty-eight hours will be the Dom-in-residence, myself, and your bodyguards. I’ll have Michael and Boomer on the daytime shift, and then Remy Guidry will take over the nighttime shift. I’ve left you dossiers on Wade Rycroft and Remy, so hopefully you’ll feel comfortable. While Wade serves as the caretaker for Sanctum, he’s also a former Green Beret. He’ll back up Remy at night. Then we’ll have the club open for select members the day after that. Unless your majesty would prefer to be alone, and then we’ll close Sanctum for the full two weeks.”

  Kash shook his head. He would go crazy if he were stuck here with only his wife. He’d woken up the morning of his wedding certain that two weeks alone and naked with his wife was exactly what he needed. Two weeks where he didn’t have to worry about anything but pleasing his queen.

  Two weeks where he would have fallen further and further under her spell.

  “No, I don’t want that. Please tell Mr. Taggart that he should go on as though everything is perfectly normal. I’ll be crawling the walls in a few days.” Or he would be signing divorce papers.