Assumed Master

by Lila Munro

  "He said casual, anything you wanted, and advised me to send someone up if you needed your back checked and anything put on it."

  Twenty minutes later, Nicki stood behind her smearing lotion on the few places on her back that still stung.

  "Are you going to go home with your Master?" Nicki asked, helping Julie pull her t-shirt down.

  "Yes. Do you know where he went this morning?" Julie asked, pulling a brush through her hair then applying a healthy dollop of styling gel.

  "Yes, but I’m not supposed to tell." Nicki popped the red sucker she’d come up with back in her mouth and rolled it between her lips, making a loud smacking noise.

  "Then I suggest, unless you want your ass paddled, you heed the warning."

  A few minutes later Julie sat across from Allen at the bistro table in the kitchen. A plate of bacon and eggs awaited her, still steaming, and a big basket of fluffy biscuits sat in the middle of the table. The first thing she reached for was the orange juice. After a healthy gulp or two, she took a biscuit, broke it apart, and smeared a generous pat of sweet butter across its surface watching it steam and melt, sinking into all the tiny wells.

  "Your Master will be back late this afternoon. He asked that you be dressed for play and meet him in the great room at seven," Allen said while Nicki refilled his coffee cup then curled up on a cushion at his feet, laying her head on his thigh.

  "Did he say specifically what I should wear?" Julie asked between bites.

  It never occurred to her until that minute that she’d barely eaten yesterday. She missed breakfast and skipped her opportunity for lunch by being stubborn then picked at her dinner because she was too tired to feed herself. If she’d been a good girl, her Master might have helped her with that task, but as it were, he was busy feeding Blake while Julie watched with blind jealousy eating away at her insides.

  "Stockings, no shoes."

  "That’s it?"

  "That’s it."

  It sounded to her like he had more punishment planned. Would this hell never end? Would she ever pay enough for her offenses?

  At seven sharp, Julie descended the stairs and alit into the grand room in a pair of black stockings and nothing else as requested. She was stunned to find the room filled with people, Dante standing in the middle of the crowd that was formed in a semi-circle around him leaving her room to walk through. Blake was on his knees on a pillow on his left and Allen stood on his right, Nicki in a perfect pose behind him on the bare floor, her school girl uniform primly pressed.

  This was it. No more running.

  Swallowing all that was left of her blind pride, Julie walked through the silent montage, her eyes never leaving her destination. Dante was quite possibly the most beautiful man she’d ever laid eyes on dressed in his black leathers and black silky shirt unbuttoned half-way down to reveal his bronzed chest. Time had been good to Dante, only making him better looking in her humble opinion. It was in the moment before she sank to the floor before him that she knew, really knew, she was ready to surrender.

  Assuming a position she’d not taken in years, Julie opened her legs and laid her body prostrate between them, her arms extended over her head, her forehead on the cool tile.

  "Master, I am so very sorry I offended you in such a way and if you would only see fit to have mercy on my, your true and faithful servant, I promise to do everything I can day and night to never offend you so horribly again. I love you, Master. Please forgive me and let me come home," she said from her place of perfect submission.

  "Look at me," Dante answered.

  Julie slowly raised and looked up, but not directly at him. That would be disrespectful.

  "Does this mean you’re ready and you’ve decided?" he asked.

  "Yes, Master. I freely give myself to you. Completely."

  "I’m glad to hear that," he said, squatting in front of her, holding something in her path of sight.

  The supple leather had been rubbed to an almost suede quality, shiny, and from the center ring a sterling silver owl hung, its diamond eyes gleaming. Owned and well-loved.

  Owned.

  Not borrowed. Not given. Not temporary. Not part-time.

  Owned.

  "From now on, you’ll be called princess," Dante said, wrapping the collar around her throat and locking it in place. "And you will call me…"

  Dante went on to recite his rules, almost identical to the rules he’d put forth for Blake two decades prior. After Julie had agreed to them all, Blake stood and brought her a long black whip. He extended it and she gladly took it from him then offered it to her Master…

  And into my garden stole, when the night had veiled the pole. In the morning, glad I see. My foe outstretched beneath the tree…

  The End

  Coming next from Lila Munro...

  Assumed Service

  Turning loose of the pixie of a woman he held in his arms, Allen Bourke hurried across his dungeon just in time to catch his friend as he fell to the floor in front of his slave. Julie, sagging between the heavy wooden beams she was chained to, was currently so far in subspace her glazed over eyes didn’t take note that her Master had exhausted himself taking her to task.

  "Dante, can you hear me?" Allen asked, easing the man to the floor. He lay limp, his whip falling from his hand, his eyes closed. Damn it. "Dante!"

  When he failed to answer, Allen knew within reason the man had pushed himself to the point of Dom drop. Out cold, he was unresponsive, his skin clammy. He glanced around to find Nicki, the woman who was quite possibly afraid of her own shadow, still huddled in the corner. Her complexion had gone ashen her eyes were even bigger than they were when she’d first realized what Dante intended to do to Julie in an effort to mark his territory against what he considered a foreign invader, one Keegan D’Amato. Blake, Dante’s second slave of almost twenty years, was on his way to his Master’s side, as was the culprit who spurred Dante’s display of power, the Coast Guard rescue swimmer himself.

  "Blake, take Nicki up to my bedroom," Allen told the man who didn’t seem at all surprised by Dante’s condition.

  "Yes, Master Allen," he said, clearly trusting Allen enough to enact what needed to be done and do as he was asked without question.

  "Nicki, go with Blake," Allen told the young girl who was now visibly shaking.

  If her keeper, Linn Dabney, had any sense at all, he’d have trained her rather than used her for arm candy and the occasional fuck. Apparently Linn was the complete opposite of his brother, Layne, who was one of the most compassionate and understanding Doms Allen knew. Training his wife, Shelby, had been no easy feat and he was sure Layne’s patience had been stretched thin on more than one occasion, but no one would have ever guessed it.

  "He won’t hurt you, doll. Go on." Nicki seemed hesitant, but upon Allen summoning his in charge voice, she nodded, took Blake’s offered hand, and toddled off behind him, looking over her shoulder the entire time. "When she’s settled, come back. We’re going to need some help. Everyone else out. You can stay and play anywhere else in the house you want, but for now get the hell out of here," Allen announced, looking around at the completely silent assemblage.

  As the party attendants dispersed, Allen left Dante to Keegan’s care as the man was a certified paramedic and knew what he was doing. Allen went to work getting Julie down from between the posts where she was still lashed. He first un-cuffed her ankles then the chains holding her arms stiffly over her head which sent a metallic rasp into the air as he released them from their eye bolts. Just as she started to go limp, Allen caught her around her middle, holding her aloft.

  "Julie, can you hear me sweetheart?" he asked, scooping her up, trying to be mindful of the angry red welts covering her legs, back, and breasts. Dante had surely done a number on her and she’d taken it, every stripe.

  Rather than answer, Julie squeezed the only thing she could get purchase of, his bicep. Well, she was in there. She was just so high on her bodies own chemistry he was certain she had no
idea which end was up. And he sure didn’t want to bring her back too soon or he’d have two guests that felt like they’d been run down by a train in the morning. It was the rare occasion he witnessed what had happened to Dante. Allen imagined the man was wrung out to start with. For several months now Dante had worked hard at earning and maintaining Julie’s trust after her being left in his care by her former Master, who’d passed away. It had been no bed of roses. Then Keegan managed to exacerbate the situation by flirting with the woman. It was a bad move on his part and rude of any player, particularly when they knew a sub was spoken for. Allen made a mental note to address that with the newcomer in the near future.

  Just as Allen was sinking into a chair at the edge of the play floor, Blake hurried back into the room. Dante was coming around as Keegan was waving a tiny vial of ammonia under his nose, which he’d located in the first aid kit Allen kept in the toy closet. Seeing that was under control, Blake came to Allen’s side.

  "What can I do?" Gone was the perfectly obedient slave, replaced by the no-nonsense man that lurked just below his surface.

  "Julie needs water and a blanket. As soon as she’s warm enough, you can take her upstairs and stay with her until I can get Dante up and into bed and check on Nicki." Allen pointed toward a white canister in the corner which resembled a trash can.

  "Okay…" Blake moved toward the contraption and lifted the lid discovering what Allen was vying for, a preheated cotton throw.

  "Be sure to put another in to replace it," Allen instructed as he draped the soft cotton cocoon around Julie and tucked in the corners. He then took the bottle of Powerade Blake offered. "Thank you." He snapped the top and forced it to Julie’s trembling lips.

  By this time, Dante was arguing in garbled nonsense with Keegan about feeling well enough to stand and check on Julie.

  "Master, listen. Please," Blake begged, going to his knees beside Dante and pushing him back gently. "I promise you Jules is fine. Master Allen has her. She’s out of it, but she’s fine. You need to focus on yourself right now."

  Squeezing his eyes open and shut a few times, Dante finally seemed to focus on where Allen sat. He took a deep breath in obvious concentration then relented, collapsing back against the soft mat on the floor.

  "Where would you like him?" Keegan asked, finding his footing and lifting Dante up and over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry.

  "They’re staying in the east wing," Allen said, giving up possession of Julie to Blake’s eager arms which lifted her with the utmost care, love radiating from his every pore. "The two rooms at the end of the hall on the left. I’ll be there as soon as I check on Nicki. I think she’s past shaken."

  Allen sat a minute gathering his own wits, and watched them troupe from the room. He’d always lived by the notion it wasn’t a party until something got broken, he just never considered that something could be people. Running his hands through his short, spikey hair, he rose and headed toward the stairs to see how badly damaged the tiny woman whom Julie had rescued earlier really was. At first Nicki had been quite interested in watching her first whipping, but the further it went, the harder she shook against him as he held her, whispering in her ear as to the nature of what was occurring, telling her Julie wanted what her Master offered and it was nothing to be frightened of. It wasn’t until he brushed his hand across her chest he realized part of her fear stemmed from the fact her nipples were rock hard. She was as turned on from what she saw as Julie was from participating. He was sure Nicki’s confusion meter was pegged and her view of herself was skewed as was the norm for those who entered the lifestyle on a wing and a prayer. One minute she was an innocent and the next she was introduced to things through one of the harshest things a Master could inflict, a merciless whipping.

  Bracing himself for a long night, Allen rose from his seat and made his way up the stairs. He looked right as he made the landing to see Blake taking Julie into their room and Keegan going into the room directly next door. Allen turned left and walked the long hall of the west wing toward his suites. When he’d told Dante he’d put them at the opposite end of the house from his suite for their stay because he might decide to entertain an overnight guest, he had no idea that guest might come in the form of a woman at least half his age, maybe younger. He had no intention of touching and every intention of sending on her away as soon as he was absolutely certain she was okay to go.

  Easing the door open, he found only one lamp burned in the far corner of the room and Nicki in the middle of his mahogany four-poster King. She looked like a scared little girl who'd just witnessed the boogey man coming out of her closet as she sat against the heavy headboard with the manacles imbedded on either end, her knees drawn to her chest, her chin atop them. Rivulets of blackened tears ran down her cheeks as she looked at him through the bluest eyes Allen had ever seen. Dark hair hung in long wavy curls around her shoulders and her pouty, coral lips were parted as almost indiscernible whimpers escaped from between them. God help him, but she had to go at the earliest possible moment because truth be told, something was snapping inside him. Something that hadn't snapped in a long time. At that moment all he really wanted to do was gather her up and comfort her then turn her over his knees and give her what he gave best, a good old-fashioned spanking.

  About the Author

  Lila Munro currently resides on the coast of North Carolina with her husband and their two four-legged kids. She’s a military wife with an empty nest and takes much of her inspiration for her heroes from the marines she’s lived around for the past fifteen years. Coining the term realmantica, she strives to produce quality romance in a realistic setting. Her genre of choice is contemporary romance that spans everything from the sensual to BDSM and ménage. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading everything she can get her hands on, trips to the museum and aquarium, taking field research trips, and soaking up the sun on the nearby beaches. Her works include The Executive Officer’s Wife, Bound By Trust, Destiny’s Fire, Salvation, Three for Keeps, the Force Recon series, the Slower Lower series, and the Identity series. She’s a member in good standing of RWA and Passionate Ink. Currently she’s working on sequels to several series to be released throughout 2012. And has a brand new line scheduled for winter 2012-13.

  Ms. Munro loves to hear from her readers and can be contacted via her website http://realmanticmoments.blogspot.com Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Lila_Munro Pinterest at https://pinterest.com/lilamunro/ Goodreads at http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4200524.Lila_Munro You can also contact her via email at lilasromance@gmail.com