by Vonna Harper
“Come on,” she whispered. “It’s me. You know me. A little late with dinner, but you’ll like it.”
Stopping, Luna issued a series of hoarse roars. She’d heard the eerie sound countless times but it still thrilled her. He extended his nose.
“What is it?” She waved her hand about. “You don’t like the smell?”
The predator opened his mouth, exposing powerful fangs.
“I know what the problem is. All those strange sounds coming from those trucks. And you’re smelling people you aren’t used to. Mostly you want to know what the hell this contraption I’m trying to get you to step into is about.”
As if he understood what she’d said, he smelled all around the opening.
“You aren’t used to the door to your enclosure being open. We’ll talk about it once your belly’s full.”
Luna shook his head and backed away. Disappointed, she racked her mind for something reassuring to tell him. Unfortunately, her elbow chose that moment to cramp. Groaning, she jerked her arm back. Luna took several more backward steps.
“I’m sorry,” she said as she massaged. “I didn’t mean—no, don’t leave.”
To her disappointment, the predator didn’t stop until he was back in familiar-to-him territory. Her teeth clenched against the ache in her elbow, she again extended her arm.
“I think you’ll like the seasoning. I tried not to make it too spicy. Probably should have warmed it more. Changing the subject, you’d really have a problem with what’s going on if you’d been born and raised wild.” She paused as her awareness of Mr. Dalton threatened to get between her and what she had to do.
“We can all use a few surprises,” she continued in a monotone. “I promise you’re going to like how today turns out.” She waved the red slab about. “About what I was saying, if you’d spent your life in the wild your mother would have taught you how to hunt. You’d know all about stalking and lunging, about using those incredible teeth and powerful jaws to sink a fang in something’s brain.”
One of the drawbacks about being interested in jaguars and other predators meant she’d learned a great deal about their killing techniques. She chanced a glance at Mr. Dalton to see if he’d reacted to what she’d said. Before she could make sense of his expression, Luna roared again. The jaguar’s tone was almost conversational.
“Well, yes,” she said, “that’s pretty much how I see it. I would have preferred to wait until December, but it’s hard what with everyone’s schedule.”
Luna didn’t know she was speaking nonsense. The words didn’t matter, just that she remained calm.
“I thought you were in charge of the agenda, but I don’t mind helping. Hmm. I think we should start with planning the menu. If we give them too much to eat, they’ll fall asleep, not pay attention to the presentation.”
His large head a bit to the side, Luna slunk toward her. Mentally moving with him, she kept talking about some imaginary meeting. She wished she didn’t have to speak so she could try to catch the whispering sound the jaguar’s big paws made. No matter how many times she’d watched Luna and the other predators, their stealth awed her.
When she ran out of things to say about the meeting’s agenda, she started humming. Her arm throbbed as did her head. Dry as her mouth was, she realized she hadn’t had anything to drink today.
Step after wary step, his head sometimes uplifted and sometimes low, Luna approached. She imagined the chain fencing fading in his consciousness until it no longer existed. She’d held the jaguar against her chest when it was a newborn, longed to be able to do it again.
“I want to trust you,” she whispered. “And I need you to trust me. Maybe, if we’d been able to spend all of our time together, we’d be totally comfortable in each other’s presence. You’d stop thinking of yourself when you’re around me. I’d tell you my secrets and know they’re safe with you.” It isn’t as if I have anyone to share with.
He was nearly to where he’d been when she’d startled him. Determined to do better this time, she forced herself not to think about her arm and everything else that ached.
“I don’t want you as a pet. You aren’t hardwired to be one, but I wish our relationship was different from what we have.” Her throat tightened, silencing her. Luna stopped.
“No, please don’t leave. I just—I was thinking things I shouldn’t have. You’re almost there. A few more steps and you can sink your teeth into this delicious piece of whatever this is.”
Luna extended his nose, sniffed, and to her relief continued to approach.
“There you go. That was a joke about you being my pet. A bad joke. You’d never let me do whatever I want to you, which is pretty much what happens with pets. At least I think that’s how it goes seeing as I’ve never had one. I can’t see you ever willingly surrendering to my commands.”
Sorry she’d brought this up, she went back to humming. She wanted to lift her arm so Luna would have a better view of his meal, but her elbow protested. The jaguar was all the way in the cage but not quite close enough to her to grab the hunk of protein. Behind Luna and to his left, Mr. Dalton approached the open cage door. It was designed to slide closed, but whoever did it needed to be fast and strong. Otherwise, Luna would escape. There might not be a second chance.
“I should have gotten more than one piece of meat,” she said. “Fortunately there’s more where this came from. Trust me, you’ll get full.”
Maybe her promise got through to the jaguar but more likely his belly was calling the shots. She was surprised he hadn’t sensed the man easing closer. She was running out of time.
“No, that’s all right. You can have the first piece. I’ll wait. What about more seasoning? I think you might like—”
Mr. Dalton fairly threw himself at the door and shoved it into place as Luna whirled and charged. The jaguar hit the bars with all his strength, but it didn’t give.
“It’s all right,” she called out, her tone forceful. “Believe me, this is going to turn out all right. Pay no attention to what that crazy human is doing. Here. Dinner time.” She tossed the raw meat in Luna’s direction.
Snarling, the big cat pounced on the meat. The way he was going at it, he’d soon be done so she dug into the pail for more. Ignoring the activity around her, she concentrated on giving the jaguar what he deserved.
“You and I are going to talk,” Mr. Dalton said when she was done. “Not today because I don’t have the time but tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” He was making her nervous along with a bunch of other emotions.
“That’s right. At the preserve. I want you there by nine.”
“Nine? What about my job here?”
“The only thing you need to concern yourself with is obeying a simple order. You can do that, can’t you?”
No doubt about it, he was angry. Did he blame her for the cramp that played a role in delaying getting the big cat into the cage? She knew better than to go toe to toe with him, but darn it, didn’t he owe it to her to hear her explanation?
“I’ll be there.” She deliberately didn’t look into his eyes.
“One of my men will give you the directions. In the meantime...” He beckoned for the others. “Let’s get the jag on the road.”
The way the men worked together to drag the cage with a snarling Luna in it up a ramp and onto the truck, she surmised they’d done this before. Instead of attacking the bars like she thought he’d do, Luna stared at the humans surrounding him.
“You put something in his meat, didn’t you?” she asked Mr. Dalton. “A tranquilizer?”
“I had no choice...”
What he’d done made sense but she wished he’d told her. She knew the jaguar far better than he did.
It doesn’t matter. What does is making sure you’re at the preserve when he expects you.
Chapter Three
Callie had no preconceived notions about what the preserve would look like. The twelve-foot-high heavy gage chain-link fencing that extende
d in all directions didn’t surprise her. Neither did what she could see of expansive separate enclosures obviously designed to keep the predators apart. What she hadn’t expected was the ornate black metal gate that swung open after she punched a series of numbers into a box. When the gate halves parted, she eased her old pickup in. The metal closed behind her.
Feeling trapped, she drove to a large house at the top of a rise. From the looks of it, the white structure with expansive windows, a dark gray slate roof, and red trim was new or nearly so. Had it been built for Mr. Dalton? Did he live here and did he share it with anyone—a woman?
Trying to shake off the question she had no business asking, she exited her vehicle and stepped onto an oversized wraparound porch. He hadn’t said anything about where he’d be, and she knew better than to wander over what had to be dozens if not hundreds of acres looking for him.
Wishing she could calm her nerves, she rang the doorbell. Too soon it opened, and she looked up into the arresting brown eyes of the man she’d dreamed about last night. He had on a white collared pullover shirt and jeans. Both garments clung to him. As he stepped outside, something inside her twitched.
“You’re on time.” He closed the door behind him, making it clear he wasn’t inviting her in. Not that she expected him to.
She clasped her hands in front so she wouldn’t make the mistake of shoving them in her back pockets like she’d done the other day. “There wasn’t much traffic.”
“There seldom is.”
Uncomfortable with the silence, she told him she hadn’t expected the preserve to be so remote. “It isn’t marked.”
“Hopefully you understand why,” he said as he sat in a sturdy, armless wooden chair.
Because he hadn’t indicated she could sit, she stood before him. She was used to Elites treating her like she was beneath them. What she didn’t understand was why things were like this in the world known as the Society.
Judging by her interactions with Elites, she didn’t believe they were any more intelligent than Others. Maybe their superior attitude was their way of keeping Others in place so they wouldn’t have to acknowledge how similar the classes were. If there was one lesson her mostly absent parents had made sure their children got it was to never forget their place in the scheme of things. If they didn’t, they risked having any hope of security taken from them.
“You said something about not anticipating much in the way of visitors.” Hopefully this was a safe direction for the conversation to take.
“Are you surprised?”
“No, not at all. I’m just used to being at a zoo where paying visitors are necessary.”
“It’s different here. People wandering around is the last thing we want if the preserve’s goal is to be achieved.”
When he cupped his hand over a lump in his front pocket, she concluded his cell phone was vibrating. She’d have no choice but to wait if he decided to answer it. Instead, he kept his unrelenting gaze fixed on her. She wondered if he was aware of her reaction to him. Maybe he understood it better than she did.
“I didn’t have you come here so we can chat,” he said after a silence that went on too long for her peace of mind. “My time’s too precious for that. Getting to what happened when we were trying to load the jaguar, why did why you allow him to evade capture?”
“Allow? Evade? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t you?” His stare intensified. “The only thing I required of you was to offer meat to him. Instead of drawing him into the cage, which should have been easy, you dropped your arm. You startled the beast, which caused him to take off. My crew wasted a precious hour.”
She was sure it hadn’t been that long. “I’m sorry, Mr. Dalton. I was tired. My arm cramped. I didn’t mean—”
“Why were you tired?”
Hadn’t she already explained? “I hadn’t slept much the night before because Luna kept complaining about not getting fed. I wanted to make sure he was all right.”
“Even though I’d left explicit instructions about not altering the routine.”
She wasn’t going to win this argument so why did she feel compelled to explain herself? Maybe because she didn’t want him thinking she was stupid. Maybe because she had little experience when it came to assessing relationships.
“I was concerned Luna might injure himself. That would have been a disaster.”
“And how would he hurt himself?”
The longer they talked, the more convinced she became that he’d fault everything she said. She hated being on the wrong side of such a self-assured and domineering man, a man whose body kept challenging hers. “By, ah, by trying to climb out.”
“Has he ever come close to escaping?”
“No, but he wasn’t the only hungry and agitated predator that night. I was concerned the others you’d selected for the transfer would feed off each other’s mood, do something dangerous.”
“Did you check on them?”
“No.” Was that the wrong thing to say? She could only be honest.
“Why not?”
Darn it, she’d known the question was coming. Maybe there was no way she could get out of this conversation without having her shortcomings forcefully brought to her attention. Her initial assessment of Mr. Dalton had led her to conclude he was a hard man. Today his forceful personality surrounded her. Threatened to drown her.
“Luna is special to me. I’d like to believe he feels the same way toward me.”
“He’s a predator, not a pet.”
“I know.”
“I doubt that.” He leaned forward. “You have promise, but you’re a long way from my trusting you here.”
Here? What was he talking about?
“I’m in charge.” He planted large hands on his knees. “What I say is law. I don’t care whether you understand or approve of my orders, I expect you to obey them, not because I’m an SOB but because the preserve’s success depends in part on easing investors’ concerns about safety. They need to believe I’m in charge, which I am.”
“Yes, Sir.” Hopefully treating him with respect would get her out of trouble. Playing her role wouldn’t be so hard if there wasn’t so much male to him. “It turned out all right.” It had, hadn’t it?
“That’s for me to conclude. Your inability or refusal to do your assigned task resulted in the day’s schedule being thrown off. It was nearly midnight before the cheetah arrived. More time was spent unloading and settling her into her new enclosure. All three of the animals I took from the zoo are still getting used to the change. I’d counted on more progress being made and had told the investors so.”
She didn’t see how a few hours made much difference. “I’m sorry.”
“That’s a less than sincere apology and one I can’t accept for reasons I’m sure you understand.” He spread his fingers. “Do I have to spell out what’s going to happen?”
Oh, no! “Here? In the open like—”
“Yes.”
“But people will see.”
“I suspect they will. Even if it’s only one, word will spread, which falls in with my plans. This isn’t some factory where not meeting a quota has limited consequences. A great deal is at stake here. The goals are non-negotiable. I will succeed.”
But what does this have to do with me?
Unwilling to risk more punishment, she kept her mouth shut while glancing around. She spotted a couple of men on a motorized cart heading toward might be the middle of the preserve. Unfortunately they were close enough to see what took place on the porch. Judging by how slowly they were going and the direction their heads were turned, they might think a discipline session was about to begin.
If only she’d been able to stay at the zoo today.
“Down with your jeans,” he ordered. “I want them around your ankles. When you’re done, do the same with your panties. I trust you’re wearing some.”
Her cheeks flushed and her breathing became ragged. She willed her hands to
stop shaking. Her ass already felt hot. She had no doubt that what was about to happen would hurt more than the few spankings she’d received.
“Now!”
Startled, she reached for the snap at her waist. She’d chosen one of her newest tops and a pair of jeans she’d bought a few months ago because she’d wanted to impress him with her professionalism. At least that’s what she’d told herself was behind her selection. No way was she interested in him seeing her as a woman.
Her numb fingers fumbled to accomplish something they’d done countless times. Despite her attempt to take her mind far from what was about to happen, it remained locked not so much in fear as anticipation. She didn’t want to hurt. No one did. This wouldn’t be the same as a cougar cub’s scratches or any of the multitude of bangs and bruises that went with her job. She was about to be spanked by a man who had every right to do so.
The pain would be deliberate.
“Were your parents proponents of physical punishment?” he asked.
“No, not really.”
“What do you mean?”
She couldn’t recall the past with the present like an enveloping fog. “They, ah, they weren’t particularly involved.”
“In your upbringing?”
“No, Sir.”
“Interesting and perhaps a subject for another time.”
I don’t want to. I just want now to be over.
“Tell me,” he said as she worked to free her hips from the snug denim, “how many times have you been spanked as an adult?”
“I, ah, I’m not sure what happened qualifies.”
“You aren’t sure?”
Grateful for the brief respite, she paused. “No, Sir.”
“Then you haven’t been.” His eyes narrowed. “Keep going.”
Nothing in Mr. Dalton’s expression gave away what he was thinking or feeling. Unlike her and her near nudity, he kept everything about himself private.
