by Vonna Harper
When his cell phone rang, she left him to his conversation and slipped a little closer to the cage. Fortunately the tigress couldn’t get her paws through the space between the bars. The feline’s muscles were tightly bunched, and her nostrils splayed with every breath. If Callie was reading her right, the animal was furious and confused. Scared. Right now she couldn’t imagine the creature with cubs latched onto her, eyes closed in contentment, but she’d give a great deal for that to happen.
“You don’t know it,” she whispered, “but I’ve long hoped I’d be able to be near a creature that’s as close to no longer existing as you are. How I wish you were immortal.” She waited out a pain in her heart. “One thing, the man responsible for bringing you here will do his best to get you a mate. If that happens, I hope you do your part.”
The tigress stopped glaring and cocked her head as if interested in what the human was saying.
“I saw a jaguar mating once. It wasn’t pretty. No roses and chocolate. Please don’t hold out for courtship.”
A low rumble made Callie smile.
“What are you saying? That a girl deserves some TLC? I wish it was like that.”
“You’re asking for the impossible,” Mr. Dalton said from behind her.
“I know.”
“You’re also closer to her than I want you to be.”
“I’m sorry.” She back-stepped, stopping just in time to keep from running into him. “It’s, well, seeing her in the flesh is a miracle.”
“I don’t believe in miracles. Neither should you.”
“I deal in reality.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you do.”
Their relationship was a world away from a courtship. There wasn’t anything remotely resembling a romance between them. Hell, the only time they’d been in physical contact, he’d spanked her. He knew what her buttocks looked and felt like, the sounds she made when she was being disciplined. And aroused.
Not for the first time, she pondered what it would be like if things were different between them. Would he bring her flowers and take her out on his boat, if he had one? Would she be getting ready and then fixing him dinner? Would he reward her by carrying her to bed?
Ordering herself to get crazy thoughts out of her head, she asked if a wildlife vet had checked out the rare creature.
“Absolutely. Not only are there laws, I don’t dare bring an animal with a contagious disease here. That’s also why I won’t let anyone who might be sick near the ones already at the preserve.”
He’d insisted that she, and she suspected the other new hires, be subjected to full physicals before he allowed anyone on the property. Because she’d gone through the same thing prior to going to work at the zoo, she hadn’t needed an explanation.
“I take it you have my medical records,” she said.
“Of course. You’re healthy. No restrictions on your ability to fulfill every aspect of your position.”
Whatever softening of her mood where he was concerned she might be experiencing evaporated with his words. She supposed she should be grateful he hadn’t ordered her to see a vet. She was relieved when his phone rang again. Although she wanted to stay near the tigress, distancing herself from the impossible man was more important. Not bothering to explain, she left.
* * *
Hours later as she was trying to fall asleep, images of the rare animal rose in her mind’s eye. She sat up, followed by getting out of bed and walking to the window. The moon was nearly full. Was the tigress looking up at it? Callie couldn’t imagine her being able to rest and relax considering what she’d been through. Instead, with help from the moon, the tigress was exploring the space she’d been placed in. She’d smell the other animals, listen to strange sounds, try to make sense of what had happened and why.
Callie pulled her short nightgown over her head and tossed it on the bed. Naked, she picked up the shorts and shirt she’d been wearing today and put them back on. She finished by slipping into sandals.
After quietly closing the door behind her, she headed toward the path that would take her from employee housing to the preserve proper. Mr. Dalton had ordered her to keep her distance from the tiger but wouldn’t he appreciate it if she checked on the wellbeing of the newest resident? If he found out what she’d done, she’d explain she’d been prompted by a sense of responsibility. She’d say nothing about how her emotions were in charge.
Fortunately she had a decent sense of direction and had memorized how the compound was laid out. Otherwise, she might have spent the night wandering around various enclosures trying to find the right one. For the most part the predators ignored her, but Luna came close and made low growling sounds she recognized as welcome.
“I promise I’ll spend more time with you once things settle down. Once we get you a mate and you do your job, I’ll have reason to keep an eye on said mate. Hopefully that won’t take long.”
Outsiders, Mr. Dalton included, might be alarmed if they saw her extend her arm through the fencing. The jaguar she’d raised leaned his head toward her fingers. She scratched him between his ears.
“You’re a big baby,” she whispered. “Deadly body but gentle inside. You’re glad to see me, aren’t you?”
Luna’s rumble was almost a purr, prompting her to spend several minutes scratching where he loved to be touched, at least by her, before pulling herself away.
“I’ll be back. Maybe not tonight but soon.”
* * *
When she first reached the Malayan tiger’s cage, Callie couldn’t see her. She was tempted to enter the space and go looking, but of course she didn’t. Just because she loved everything the endangered animal represented didn’t make her an idiot. She tried to satisfy herself by reminding herself that she was near a creature only a handful of humans would ever see. She might be an Other, nothing special and certainly not someone who’d ever be in a position of power, but she’d become part of something important. If she did her job like Mr. Dalton expected her to, he might eventually decide she was worthy of a raise. More money would mean she could afford her own place, buy a few houseplants, have a small garden.
Thoughts of independence to say nothing of garnering her employer’s favor faded when she caught a soft sound. Because she’d heard them before, she had no doubt the sound came from an approaching predator. She’d brought along the cell phone that had been issued to her so her boss could always be in touch with her. Wouldn’t it be something if she was able to take a night picture!
Her now loud heartbeat made it harder to hear, and she had to wipe her hands on her shorts because her palms kept sweating. She tried to keep her movements to a minimum.
There it was, a familiar scent. The tigress was moving closer, hiding in the tall grasses. Callie imagined her with her multicolored body close to the ground, stalking what her brain told her might become a meal.
“Keep coming,” she whispered. “How I’d love to bond with you, for you to trust me as much as Luna does.”
Concerned her voice might startle the animal, she pressed her lips together. As she waited and hoped, she imagined the thrill of caring for one of the rare animal’s cubs. She’d tuck a squalling, struggling baby tiger under her arm and hold onto a bottle so it could nurse. If the tigress was capable of caring for her cubs, she wouldn’t be surprised if the male brought food to his mate. The males of some species of predators were known to kill their offspring but according to her research, a tiger never had. Of course the research was limited by the diminishing tiger population.
Frustrated because she didn’t have access to as much information about big cat behavior as she wanted, she wondered if Mr. Dalton knew more and would be willing to satisfy her curiosity. Of course that meant he’d have to devote some time to her but hadn’t she already witnessed proof of his willingness to educate his staff? Granted, where she was concerned, a spanking had been involved but—
A cough. So soft she might have missed it if she hadn’t been listening. The hairs on the back of he
r head lifted. Her hand unsteady, she pulled her cell out of her pocket and aimed it in the direction the sound had come from.
When the cough repeated, she was tempted to touch the camera icon, but that would engage the flash. She needed to wait for the right, fleeting moment.
“No reason to be wary of me,” she whispered. “I’m in awe of you. You’re special, so special.”
Her eyes burned from trying to make out the creature, but she kept staring. She was the only human in the world tonight, the endangered predator the only animal. If she spotted the tiger, it could be the highlight of her life.
I love you, more than you will ever understand. You and others like you are my life’s work. I know Mr. Dalton feels the same way.
She jumped, barely holding back a gasp when something landed on her shoulder. So startled she couldn’t breathe, she struggled to make sense of what had happened.
“Back away,” a man whispered in her ear. “Don’t make a damn sound.”
Although her legs barely knew how to respond to the command, she did as he’d ordered. When a good hundred feet separated them from the fence, he grabbed her wrist and hauled her after him. She didn’t resist. At one point he took the camera from her and put it in his pocket. He didn’t speak. Neither did she.
Her boss.
Not good. Not good at all.
“You disobeyed me,” Mr. Dalton ground out once he’d dragged her to the porch at his place. He sat in the chair he’d used when he’d spanked her earlier while she stood before him with her too-heavy arms at her sides.
“I’m sorry.”
Although he’d released her, she had no doubt he could and would seize her if she tried to leave. “You expect that to make me forgive you?”
“No.” She lacked the courage to meet his gaze.
“I don’t like wasting time any more than I do having to get up in the middle of the night. I suggest you try to plead your case while you can.”
She’d been a fool to let desire to see a rare animal get between her and what she was expected to do if she wanted to keep her job.
If she wanted to avoid another spanking.
“Ever—since I started working with wild animals...” Lightheaded, she tried to recall what she’d been going to say. “I’ve been fascinated about them, their place in today’s world. I hate knowing some, like that tigress, might be on borrowed time.”
“What does that have to do with tonight’s disobedience?”
If only he understood how deep her compulsion, her need to see the tiger had been! However, regardless of that powerful draw, she should have resisted. If she’d used her common sense to say nothing of her instinct for survival, she wouldn’t be standing here now.
“I’d gone to bed.” As if that would make a difference. “But I kept thinking about how bright the moon was. I, ah, I wanted to make sure she was all right.”
“That’s what the cameras are for.”
True, but she didn’t have access to them. Besides, she didn’t think they were on at night except in rare circumstances. “I’m sorry.”
“Stop.” He grabbed her forearms and forced her to stand between his splayed legs. “You are never to use the words ‘I’m sorry’ again.”
I don’t know if I can help myself.
“What do you want me to say?”
“Nothing. What you’ll do is listen.” His fingers pressed down on her wrists. “Obviously you didn’t when I made it clear how vital it is for the predators here to think of themselves as wild animals. We can’t change Luna’s mindset, but the Malayan remembers freedom. You went to her compound and talked to her. She smelled you just as she was getting used to feeling free. Hell, maybe she caught some of your emotion, which is the last thing I want.”
“I don’t understand.” Maybe she shouldn’t have spoken, but she couldn’t help it.
“Don’t you?” He jerked her closer. “Humans deliver food and water, nothing else. They come, do their job then leave the big cats in peace. Wild.”
As much as she didn’t want to, she understood what he was getting at. Today had been traumatic for the Malayan tiger, but things had settled down once it got dark. Helped by the moon, the predator could start to explore her new home in private. Start to remember what life had been like before everything fell apart.
Instead of letting that mindset grow, she’d shattered the creature’s newfound sense of peace.
“I’m—I won’t do it again.”
“I can’t believe you.”
On the brink of arguing with him, she closed her mouth. Her wrists throbbed but that was nothing compared to her awareness of how close she was to his cock.
“Nothing to say?” he demanded.
“I don’t know what it would be. You see things your way.” She knew she shouldn’t have said what she had.
“You’re right about that. And since I own and manage this place, mine is the only opinion that counts.”
She couldn’t argue. In truth, she longed to apologize even more than she had. “It won’t happen again. Unless there’s an emergency, I’ll only observe from a distance. I promise.”
“A promise isn’t enough. There’s too much at stake.”
He was going to fire her, which meant it would be nearly impossible for her to find another job, at least not one she could do with her clothes on.
“I have several options,” he said as he turned her away and brought her hands behind her. He held them against the small of her back with a single hand. The other pushed between her legs. Shocked, she struggled to keep her balance. An unwanted heat whispered to life where his hand rested.
“One is to spank you again. Unfortunately, you’ve demonstrated your unwillingness or inability to let a single correction suffice. My suspicion is a repeat lesson will fade as soon as your ass recovers.”
Trying to deny the inevitable made concentrating difficult. The only thing she could be reasonably sure of was that he wasn’t going to simply spank her again. She certainly didn’t deserve his fingers in her pussy.
“The other is more multi-faceted and, I hope, something you won’t soon forget. My goal is to leave you with no doubt that I’m in charge. My word is law.” He lifted her trapped hands, forcing her to bend over a little. “Only what I want matters, got it?”
“Yes, Sir.” She couldn’t summon another word.
“Sir is right. In fact, from now until I tell you different, you are to call me Master.”
“What are you going to do, Master?” she asked before she lost her courage.
Having her arms pushed up hurt and she’d had to widen her stance. As a result, their legs pressed against each other. Thanks to the porch light and moon, he probably had a clear view of her buttocks.
“Make you into my pet.”
“Your—why?”
“So you’ll understand the difference between a domestic and wild animal. And because it pleases me to do so.”
Despite her turmoil, she couldn’t help but appreciate his honesty. He was determined to punish her all right but not because he was cruel.
“What’s going to happen?”
Chuckling, he let her straighten but kept hold of her wrists. “What would be the purpose of telling you? Does a master explain to his dog why he’s taking him to an obedience facility? Of course not. He expects the owner of that facility will teach the dog to obey. Maybe learn some tricks. Are you capable of that?”
“Tricks?”
“Like walking at a master’s side, waiting to take treats until permission is given, crawling into a cage when commanded to.”
“A cage?”
He released her. Because he hadn’t given her permission to move, she stayed as she was.
“I can tell by how you presented your question that I have your full attention. In fact I have so much of it that you’re having trouble speaking. I like that. Shows you’re trying to learn.”
She hated hearing him say that. Damn it, she wasn’t his pet.
Neit
her was she free.
“It’s late,” he said. “And I have a long day ahead of me. Both of us do. I’m tempted to leave you out here, but because I need you in a mindset to learn, I’ve decided to let you return to your place and get some sleep. If you’re unable to do that, I suggest you spend the time thinking about the various ways masters get their pets to obey.”
Chapter Six
Mr. Dalton had made it clear she was to present herself at his front door a little after dawn. Feeling hungover after a few fitful hours of sleep, she’d taken a shower and put on one of her newer blouses. Thinking he might make good on his threat to order her onto her hands and knees, she opted for jeans so her knees would be somewhat protected. However he might command her to strip.
Of course he would, she told herself as she forced down a piece of dry toast. He intended for both of them to see her as his pet.
For her to call him Master.
It took more courage than she wanted to admit to ring the doorbell. After a short wait, he opened the door.
“The pets in this house enter from the back,” he said, his expression grim. “I’m surprised I have to spell that out to you.”
It didn’t have to be this way! No matter how heartfelt her rationale for why she’d done what she had, she understood the ramifications of disobeying him. Unfortunately, she was certain he still wasn’t in a mood to listen to her apology.
“Yes, Master.”
When he closed the door, she clenched her fingers and mustered the courage to do as he’d demanded. Randy and Gordon, who were on their way to one of the storage sheds, waved. She managed a wave in return. They might be the new employees along with her, but given the strength of gossip, they’d probably heard how she’d run afoul of Mr. Dalton. Maybe she should be grateful Mr. Dalton—Master—intended to discipline her inside, but he might change his mind.
