Master Bits & Mercenary Bites (Masters and Mercenaries)

by Lexi Blake

  Remove from oven and allow to cool. Slice each shortcake in half. To assemble, place the bottom half of shortcake on a plate, top with 2 tablespoons of berries, 2 tablespoons of whipped cream, and top with the other half of shortcake, 2 tablespoons of berries and finish with 2 tablespoons of whipped cream. Repeat with the remaining shortcakes or store in an airtight container for later use.

  Grilled Peaches and Cream

  4 ripe peaches

  2 tablespoons olive oil

  1 (8 ounce) block cream cheese, softened

  1 (8 ounce) container whipped cream, thawed

  2 tablespoons powdered sugar

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  1 tablespoon cinnamon

  Candied pecans (click here)

  Heat grill to 350 degrees. Cut peaches in half and remove pits. Brush each peach halve with olive oil to cover and place, cut side down, directly on the grill. Cook for 5 minutes then flip and move to indirect heat or to a top shelf. Continue to cook for 8 minutes. Remove from heat and top with a foil tent until ready to serve.

  In a medium bowl, with a hand mixer, blend the cream cheese until fluffy. Add the whipped cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract and continue to mix with a hand mixer until well combined. This will take about 1-2 minutes. Place the peaches slice side up and top with cinnamon, whipped cream and candied pecans.

  Candied Pecans

  1 egg white

  1 tablespoon water

  1 pound pecan

  ½ cup brown sugar

  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Mix together the egg white and water until foamy with a hand mixer. Stir in remaining ingredients until coated and spread onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 1 hour, stirring halfway through.

  Sean and Grace - Chef’s Special

  Sean Taggart heard the door open and watched as his wife walked in. He’d been gone for a solid week and the sight of her made his heart light.

  For a moment.

  That was when he realized she wasn’t smiling. She set her purse down and stopped in front of the mirror. She stared for a moment, turning and putting a hand to her stomach as though she could still see the scars there.

  Three months and neither of them was quite back to normal. Three months since his blunder had nearly cost her everything.

  Was she still angry with him? Oh, she would never have once said she was angry, but he couldn’t imagine there wasn’t some lingering resentment in there. Had she hated him when everything had gone wrong and the doctor had put her under? Not to save their child, but to save her life. Had she cursed his mistake?

  She picked up the phone and dialed someone as she walked through their living room, her shoulders slumped. “Hi, Erin. I just wanted to call and check on the kids.”

  She paced while she talked. “I’m great. The doctor says I’m all healed up and now that we’re one hundred percent sure that pesky Taggart sperm can’t get me again, he thinks everything is fine. And hey, no more periods. That’s a plus. So I’ve got all the fun of one ovary and no monthly friend.”

  Her words didn’t match the blank look on her face. She was quiet for a moment, listening to whatever Erin was saying on the other end of the line.

  Could she possibly know how beautiful she was to him? How precious? The light hit her hair, bringing out all the colors there. The reds, the deep browns and lighter golds. Her hair was complex, like the woman herself. He could stare at her hair for hours, wrap it around his hand and simply consider how stunning the colors were.

  “Anyway, I wanted to let you know that I’m home and I’ll pick up Sean from the airport in an hour or so,” she continued. “We’ll be out to pick up Carys and Lucas as soon as we can.”

  She could promise Erin all she liked, but they would be late. He’d arranged it with Theo when he’d caught an earlier flight back.

  He needed time with her. There were things they hadn’t said in the months since Lucas had been born. Things they hadn’t done, and he intended to make that right tonight.

  He intended to make her smile again.

  “Well, I’m glad to hear they’re having fun. Thanks. I’ll see you in a while.”

  She hung up her phone and put it back down next to her purse. She smoothed back her hair and then her eyes strayed toward the window. She sighed and walked to it, staring out at the rambling backyard and the small guesthouse behind the pool.

  He knew what she was staring at because he found himself looking at it with longing, too. All the time.

  The guesthouse. Their private playroom. Their personal dungeon.

  They’d picked this house for its beauty, but they’d also wanted that pool house. They’d known exactly what they would do with it.

  Now it sat locked and unused for almost six months.

  She was tired and he was overworked, and it would be so easy to let it all go and take her out to dinner and pick up their kids.

  Not tonight. Tonight, he wasn’t going to be her husband. Tonight, he was going to be her Dom, and he would give her what she needed.

  “Hello, little one.”

  She started, a yell coming from her throat as she turned. “Damn it, Sean. What the hell?”

  Well, he knew he was going to surprise her. “I caught an early flight home. I wanted to see you.”

  She took a deep breath and walked toward him. “It’s good to see you. How was the meeting? Did you get a deal done?”

  “Yes.” He wasn’t the biggest fan of going on TV, but he understood how it helped both him and vets out. The Food Network was more than interested in doing a short series on how he trained and prepped a whole team of veterans to run a restaurant. He would allow cameras into Top for a ten-week show and he would do guest shots on other networks as promo. “We came to a deal that will keep Top running for a long time. The network also agreed to set up a scholarship program for disabled vets who want to learn the culinary arts. They were incredibly generous with both me and the vets.”

  She gave him the first smile this afternoon that seemed genuine. “I’m so glad. I’m happy they recognize what amazing work you do.”

  He had some news for her. “Yeah, they won’t do it without you. They want my wife on camera. They say it’s not as interesting if we’re not together. I happen to agree.”

  Her jaw dropped. “Are you joking?”

  He shook his head. “Nope. It’s time, little one. It’s time for you to come and fully work for me. I’ve already thought of a replacement for you at McKay-Taggart. Your niece Sadie is looking for a job. You can take a few weeks to transition her and then concentrate full time on working as the manager of Top LLC. You’ll coordinate with Deena, my agent, and all of our suppliers. I’m going to give the kitchen all my energy.”

  She went still and for a moment he thought he might have made a terrible mistake. Did she want to stay as McKay-Taggart’s office manager? He’d been so certain she would jump at the chance to take over his business. She already did half of the work anyway.

  He stood in front of her. “Unless you don’t want the job.”

  She jumped up, her arms going around him. “You know I do. I love the restaurant, Sean. It’s ours. It’s our home.”

  He pulled her in close, feeling better than he had in weeks. “Only because you made it possible.”

  She took a step back, her obvious enthusiasm dimmed. “It’s all you, Sean. You’re the chef. You have the vision. I was very happy to keep us afloat those first few years, but you should take your credit.”

  This was what he needed to address. This was exactly the issue he’d allowed to hang around for far too long. “Grace, I want to talk to you tonight. I came home early because we have something to deal with and I won’t accept a ‘no’ on the conversation. You can opt out of how we’ll talk, but I want you to consider that we have our own language.”

  She frowned. “What do you mean?”

&
nbsp; That was how long he’d let it go. This was his fault. “I mean I’m taking you to the playroom tonight and we’re going to have a long talk about how we move on from here.”

  Her face fell and he was sure he’d misunderstood her, but there was no going back.

  “Sean, if you have something to say, just say it.”

  “Use your safe word and I’ll understand that this is a vanilla conversation. Please though, before you do that, understand I don’t want a vanilla talk with you. I want to get back to our core, to our base. I want you naked and trusting and I want to feel like the only man in the world who can give you what you need. I miss that, little one. I hunger for it. So think about that before you spit out your safe word.” Sometimes a Dom had to be vulnerable. Actually, when he thought about it, a Dom in love was always vulnerable. He hadn’t understood what it truly meant to be a Dom until he’d found his soul mate, his natural partner.

  Only Grace had ever truly moved him. Yin to his yang. Sub to his Dom.

  Her jaw tightened and he could see her insecurities worn on her face like a mask he needed to rip off. “You want to go to the playroom?”

  “I do. I want to strip us both down and figure out what’s happening because I love you, Grace, and I don’t think you know how much. I think I’ve allowed my guilt to come between us.”

  She softened, her whole body relaxing as she moved toward him. His Grace. She’d never once been able to keep a wall between them. Not even when he deserved it. “What are you talking about? What guilt?”

  He leaned over, placing his forehead against hers. “Please. I want to talk about it, but I need to do it in the playroom. I’ve thought about it for a solid month. I miss our play. I miss being your Dom. Can you talk to me as a D/s couple? I might not deserve it, but I’m asking for it.”

  “Sean, we don’t have anything to talk about,” she assured him. “Whatever you’re feeling guilty about, you don’t have to. It’s silly. You couldn’t have known what would happen.”

  He could have if he’d read the damn paperwork the doctor had given him. But this was about more than simply his guilt. There was something buried inside Grace, something she was holding on to, something that was coming between them even now. “I need to hear you say it, Grace. I asked you a question and you’re dodging it. I would like an answer to my question. Will you go to the playroom and work this out like a D/s couple? Or are you going to ignore my very reasonable request?”

  He held his breath, almost certain she was going to turn him down. He didn’t understand it, but he would have to honor it. He would cook dinner for her, go get their children with her, and try again in the morning. He might have to talk to Eve about a good therapist because he would feel adrift if they couldn’t get to the heart of whatever was bothering Grace.

  And then that gorgeous face settled into stubborn lines and he knew he had her.

  She turned and started for the backyard. This was the second home they’d owned together. After they’d learned they would have that second surprise child, Sean had moved them here. They were close to Top, but he could easily make it to the Fort Worth site. More than anything, though, he’d wanted her to have a pool. She enjoyed swimming, especially after a long day, and wearing absolutely no clothing.

  Watching her walk by their pool made him think about the one she’d had when they’d first met. He could still see her. She’d been a vision with her red hair slicked back and her skin like porcelain against the dark blue water. He hadn’t bothered to take off his clothes at all. He’d just jumped right in the minute he’d known she was naked because nothing was going to keep him from getting his hands on her. Not the job he’d been doing. Not his brother’s orders. Nothing.

  “Are you coming?” She was standing at the door to the pool house, her eyes on him.

  “You don’t swim anymore. I bought this place so you could swim.”

  She softened slightly. “By the time we moved in, I was six months pregnant, Sean. And you were working late hours. I haven’t had time yet. I don’t know if it would be the same.”

  Yes, this was what he was worried about. “It doesn’t have to be the same. It just has to be you and me.”

  “And Carys and Lucas,” she reminded him. “And two jobs and a whole show that’s going to take up your time.”

  “I can cancel the contract,” he offered. It would be a terrible business move, but she was far more important than money, than his career. She was the only reason he had one in the first place.

  She shook her head. “No. We’re not doing this here. You were right. I’m being a coward. We need to do this in the playroom, Master. Nothing between us. God, Sean, I need some pleasure in my life. I need to know I can still feel it. Please.”

  He pulled out the key and opened the door to their private palace. He’d built it for her, carefully selecting every item he’d placed in here. He held the door open for her. As she walked through, he touched her arm, needing her to understand how sacred this place was to him. “Do you have any idea how much I wanted to see you in here? To be here with you?”

  She looked up at him. “Oh, Sean, I want that, too. I’ve missed this part of us, but I’m so worried that I’ve changed and this won’t work anymore.”

  “Let’s find out.” He leaned over and brushed his lips against hers. “Now go and find your position. If you’ve forgotten the rules, I’ll be more than happy to remind you of them.”

  She walked in and proved she remembered the first rule. Her hands immediately went to the buttons of her blouse as she began to undress. She kicked off her shoes and hung the blouse and bra in the armoire on the side of the room. It contained a place for her day clothes and an assortment of the fet wear she’d collected over the years. She would wear those gorgeous corsets and thongs in a club or at a play party, but here and alone he wanted her in nothing but her own stunning skin. She was silent as she pushed the skirt over her hips and drew the silky panties she wore off her legs. She put away her clothes carefully.

  “I suspect we don’t have to worry about picking up the children for a while,” she mused as she let her hair down so it tumbled around her shoulders and down her back.

  Damn, but that woman took his breath away. It took great control to not simply shove his slacks down and try to get between her legs. He needed her, but she needed more than a quick fuck. She needed something long and slow, something that showed her how precious she was. “No. Theo and Erin will watch them until ten. We’ve got hours to work on this, little one.”

  She shook her head as she sank to her knees.

  “I wouldn’t like what went through your head just then, would I?”

  She moved forward, finding her submissive position. It was a ritual that began their play and had nothing really to do with her place in the world. She was the queen and he served her needs. This was all mere play to serve their own sexual needs and to make it easier on them both to be open and honest. He hoped. He prayed it still worked for her.

  He needed it to work for her.

  “Very likely not, Master,” she replied, but there was a calm to her tone that hadn’t been there before. Her shoulders settled back and she took a long, steady breath, as though a bit of peace was settling over her. Her hands flipped over on her thighs and she sighed. “How is it we have never actually played in here before, but it feels like an old friend?”

  He put a hand on her head, accepting her for the amazing woman she was. “Because it doesn’t matter where we play. When we’re alone and we decide to put aside everything but the two of us, we’re home. I love our children, but you’re the base of my life, Grace. They exist because we love each other. Well, Lucas exists because his father was a dipshit.”

  Her head came up, her eyes flashing fire. “If you ever say that around our son, you’ll find yourself on the wrong end of the cane. I mean it, Sean. He can’t ever hear a word that makes him think he wasn’t wanted.”

  Was this part of the problem? “Grace, I wasn’t talking abou
t loving Lucas. I was talking about the fact that I screwed up. I had the vasectomy and I didn’t wait for the reports to come back before I took you. I was careless of your health and well-being and I’m having a hard time forgiving myself for it. I love Lucas, but I can’t help but feel bad about what his birth put you through.”

  “I don’t like the fact that you’re dressed.” She stared away from him, cutting off the connection they’d briefly had. “Can you change into leathers?”

  “Do you forget who’s in charge here? Or are you trying to push me?”

  Her lips curved up slightly. “I do prefer my Dom to be a bit more masterful. Also, I like looking at you.”

  “So we’re going to start by topping from the bottom, are we?” He knew exactly what she was doing and he was going to give her what she was asking for. She needed a warm-up? He could do that for her. “Are you going to be comfortable on your hands and knees?”

  It had been three months, but he still worried.

  She leaned forward, getting into position with ease. “I’m fine, Master.”

  There was nothing as beautiful as the sight of his sub waiting for him. The play would ease them both. He brought his hand up and back, making first contact with the fleshy part of that lovely ass. The sound smacked through the room, but he’d gone easy on her. This was only a warm-up. He spanked her ass four times in rapid succession, watching her body for signs.

  She was still tense, her spine too straight and muscles locked.

  He rubbed where he’d struck. “Are you all right?”

  She sniffled a little. “It’s fine. I’m green.”

  Red, yellow, green. She was telling him he could move on, but he was worried. He didn’t want her to be fine. He wanted her to relax.

  “Are you having pain?”