Total pages in book: 157
Estimated words: 145088 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145088 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
“You haven’t collared him yet?” Cora asked, confusing Dex until he understood that Baby wasn’t the subject of the question.
Happy to play along, he grinned at Hammer, meeting his piercing gray eyes. “Exactly. Two years together, and I still have no collar.”
Hammer’s eyelid twitched, but he showed no other signs of annoyance. “It’s never been my thing, Cora. My style isn’t… structured, and you know that as well, boy,” he said, twisting his hand in the front of Dex’s top before bringing him close for a breathless moment of intimate proximity that made Dex believe he might be kissed.
He should have learned by now that Hammer was an excellent liar, but the butterflies in Dex’s stomach were too dumb to get the memo, still fluttering their wings and making his face overheat.
“I know, I know, but a boy can dream,” he said with a chuckle.
Cora shook her head and led them farther into the sprawling house. Wood covered almost every surface, making the interiors reminiscent of a woodland cabin with luxurious yet unpretentious furnishings. The puma followed them with interest, but then settled on a large leopard-print sofa in front of a massive TV, which their host clearly didn’t want to part with to obtain the money needed to pay off her creditors.
“Right, Mr. I-don’t-like-rules,” Cora teased Hammer, grabbing a set of keys off a marble kitchen island. “You always had to get your way. I’m surprised you decided to keep a sub of your own in the first place, never mind their gender.”
Oh, this was juicy. This Dex wanted to know more about. “It’s always his way or the highway. But what was he like back then?” Whenever then was.
Cora frowned, walking through the large open space in the middle of the house like a queen through her boudoir. Her bare feet sank into a plush Persian rug covering most of the floor on the way to a corridor watched over by the massive wooden statue of a grizzly.
“I’ve always known you like a brat, but if he were my sub, his ass would be as pink as his lips.”
Dex’s stomach twisted when Hammer’s big, warm hand moved along his shoulder and squeezed his nape in warning.
“Like a child, he likes to test the boundaries of new people.”
Dex was both offended and confused. For once, he decided to keep his mouth shut despite the alarm bells ringing in his head.
Cora flashed him a dangerous grin. “Shall we have a little tour of the implements you might use to celebrate your anniversary?” she asked, but the question wasn't meant for Dex.
“Oh, I’m curious what improvements you’ve made,” Hammer said, leading Dex past the bear, along a corridor smelling of incense. “Is there someone else in the house?”
“No one else lives here. I like to have my own space. My boys visit when they’re needed.”
“Wouldn’t they be useful if your creditors—”
“I do not need my puppies to defend me,” Cora said in a tone so sharp it could have skinned a man alive.
“Could have asked them for cash,” Hammer said as if it was the most normal thing in the world, but Cora shook her head.
“I know, but unfortunately, none of them is loaded. Most live pay check to pay check, and the one that actually earns more has kids to pay for. Can’t take money away from little girls and their college funds. Not easy to find a guy with cash to spend on you in this economy. All the good ones are either in the big cities or gay. And you know what I think of cities,” she said and opened a door, leading the way into a dark room smelling of musk and leather.
This time, Dex couldn’t bite his tongue. “Yeah, even with gay guys it’s really hard. I was lucky to find Hammer.” He glanced up with a smirk, but the smile died on his lips when Cora turned a few more lights on, revealing a large circular space filled with implements of torture, leather, wooden furniture of unknown use, and padding attached to the black walls to drown out any screams.
But the thing that stopped Dex from marveling at the sheer variety of threatening objects surrounding him like vultures was a massive picture of Cora facing him from the wall with her legs opened to reveal… everything.
Heating up with embarrassment, he lowered his gaze, but once he spotted the first picture, it was impossible not to notice more of them, showing her in elaborate latex and leather getups. Some even featured titles that looked suspiciously like porn movie titles.
Cruel Mistress.
The Lady in Charge.
Dommes in Business.
Bad Stepmoms.
Was that last one… a parody of a Hollywood movie?
One of the photos had Cora sitting on a throne made of naked men in masks.
“This is… nice,” Dex uttered, wondering if Hammer could sense the hairs bristling on his nape.