Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 63970 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 320(@200wpm)___ 256(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63970 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 320(@200wpm)___ 256(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
“I assure you she wasn’t listening,” the man to his right replied with a chuckle. “She’s known for following the shiny objects of this world. I think this whole exercise might have been tailored to force her to focus.”
“I can’t help it if I enjoy the beautiful things of life,” she protested. “And that’s the last time I save your shoulder blade, Master Jesse.”
Ah, so now he knew who his helper was. Jesse Murdoch. He’d met the man but hadn’t gotten close to him.
“Somehow I doubt that,” Murdoch replied, his tone low and soothing. “Princess here is known for being incredibly kind, though I do believe she could use someone willing to take responsibility for her. She can be a heinous brat.”
“I only vaguely resemble that remark,” Sarah shot back but she’d settled in again.
“For the next three nights, I’m responsible for you,” Jared replied. “At least while we’re playing I am.”
“I would like to…” she began.
He knew exactly where she was going. It was not the first time he’d heard this lecture. “You are a strong, individual female who can take care of herself in and out of the club, but we’re playing and we’re going to play like I’m responsible for you, like I’m here to do nothing more than care for you, ensure you’re safe. I’m going to pretend, while we’re in this club, like my whole job is to make you happy. Can you play with me like that?”
“Meow.” She laid her head against his chest.
“That means she agrees,” Murdoch explained. “She’s got some quirks, that one.”
“I resemble that, too,” she whispered.
He thought her quirks were utterly adorable. And their views of D/s had always seemed to align perfectly. They played in the club. They played when they agreed to it, but in real life, they were comfortable with more blurry lines when it came to their roles in the relationship. He didn’t want to have to hide himself from her. He wanted her to share his sorrow and his pain, his life in all its good and bad. She was strong enough. “Are you hungry?”
“It depends.”
On what he was going to feed her. “You have to take this part on faith.”
“I’m ready, Sir.”
“The plate is to your right,” Murdoch explained. “When you’re done with the first course, I’ll set out the second, and then the third. I’ll be close if you need me, but I’m going to be quiet now unless you need something else.”
“You’re going to be watching because you’re a pervy perv,” Sarah said, her sass coming out.
Murdoch laughed. “Probably. So do something interesting.”
That was not going to fly tonight. This was a formal session. The rules had been laid out. “Master Jesse, I apologize for my brat’s impoliteness.”
“She was just joking. It’s what we do,” Jesse replied.
“Not while I’m her Dom and we’re in a very formal setting.” He wasn’t about to let her treat this like a damn joke.
“I didn’t mean anything,” Sarah said quietly.
“Then you can apologize to the man helping us and then you can flip yourself over my lap and we can get the punishment out of the way.”
She went completely still. “You’re going to spank me?”
Was this how she got through life? Because she was soft and sweet and funny and everyone let her slide? He knew the plan well and knew that while it looked good on the surface, it had left him feeling alone, like no one cared enough to fight with him. Yes, he understood that life well. “You don’t need to sound so surprised. You’ve been in the lifestyle for a long time if you were invited to this party. I was told there were no newbies here. Was I misinformed? Are you a tourist?”
Oh, that got her to sit up straight. “I’ve been in the lifestyle for years, Sir. I’ve taken a spanking about a thousand times.”
“Excellent, then you know how to assume the position and how to handle this with grace. And before you try to get out of this by saying you didn’t know it was wrong to be impolite in a formal setting, it won’t fly with me. You’ve already told me you’re not interested in a relationship outside the club. You only want a brief D/s relationship. Well, this is what it looks like. Take the spanking and we can get back to the part where I indulge you on every level.”
“I have to think about it.” She gave him mere seconds before she spoke again. “Are you a hardass Dom?”
She didn’t need that, but she did need one who called her on her shit in the proper setting. She needed one who made her take this seriously from time to time. “No. I’m a Dom who thinks he knows what you need. I think everyone else gets the treats, don’t they? Those happy D/s couples, they get to play in a way we don’t. A Dom with a sub gets to spank her pretty ass because it belongs to him. A sub with a Dom never knows when he’s going to spank her so she can’t let her guard down. She has to know he’s always watching her, waiting to see if he can steal a chance to put his hands on her.”