Essential Master (Doms of Napa Valley) (9 page)

“Shit.” Raking his hand through his hair,
he paced back and forth between the door and the parking area outside the
house. In the distance he could see the roof of the club. If he didn’t get
himself under control, Davis and Ethan were going to have to haul his ass down
there and lock him in one of the cages. For a man used to being in control, his
edginess was pissing him off.

“Nicholaus?” The soft inquiry from behind
him had him turning. Standing in the open door behind him was Bella, Ethan’s
submissive. “Why are you out here?”

He smiled and tried to keep his voice
pleasant. It wouldn’t do to bite off the submissive’s head who belonged to one
of the men who controlled his time with Zebadiah. “Needed a breather and wanted
to stretch my legs.”

Pushing open the door, Bella joined him.
“And that’s not a hard-on I see stretching your pants all out of shape.” Even
as she said the words, a light pink blush graced her cheeks. “Come with me.”
She looped her arm through his and tugged him towards the duck pond. “I know
the limits set on you by Davis and Ethan are trying.”

He nodded, shortening his strides to match
hers. “They are but I’m not complaining.” The last thing he wanted was for her
to think he was complaining. It might get back to Ethan and he didn’t want to
give the man a reason to cut off his access to Zeb.

“You’re a Dom. I wouldn’t expect you to,
but nonetheless, here you are outside trying to walk off your frustration. It
shows how much you care, that you’re controlling yourself.”

They stopped by the bench where he’d found
Zebadiah the day before. Had it only been a day? It seemed like much more than
that. But then with the drama unfolding around the man he wanted, it wasn’t
surprising that it’d felt like longer.

“I’m trying. I almost kissed him, which is
why I hightailed it out here.”

“So?” She seemed intrigued. “Why would that
be a bad thing? You obviously find him desirable, so why shouldn’t you kiss
him?”

“Because I promised your Master I’d keep
domination out of our relationship until Zeb is ready.” He pulled away. “I
swore we’d be nothing more than friends.” He shoved his hands in his pockets.
“It’d be so much more simple if it was just me, but Steph and I come as a
pair.”

She smiled. “Of course you do. And I’m sure
Zeb realizes that. Which is why he’s willingly sitting in great room with her
by himself. He’s trying.” She picked up a rounded stone and skipped it off the
glassy surface of the water. “Zeb is much stronger than Ethan sometimes gives
him credit for.” She counted off the skips before the rock sank beneath the
surface. “In fact, I’ve gotten to know him quite well since he came to stay
with us. Zeb is much like this pond. Deep but still.”

He sighed, figuring this was merely going
to be a repeat of his conversation with Davis. “Is this where you warn me not
to hurt him? Or you’ll fuck my shit up?”

She gave him a tight smile. “Oh, no. This
isn’t one of those types of conversations. You don’t have to worry about me
threatening you.” She shook her head. “No, if you end up hurting Zeb, it’ll be
Zeb who’ll make you wish you never tangled with him. He’s anything but helpless
despite what happened to him.” She gave him another mysterious smile before
picking up another rock to skip.

Chapter
Eight

Zebadiah
and Ethan were just finishing a series of katas when Bella appeared in the
doorway. In the reflective surface of mirrored wall, he watched as she sank to
her knees. Flowing into the finishing moves, he idly wondered if he
’d ever be able to kneel like that again. His knee was healing,
but didn’t do well with that kind of pressure.

“Good set, Zebadiah. You’re getting back a
good deal of your flexibility.” Ethan grabbed two towels, using one to wipe off
his own face after tossing the second to Zebadiah.

Mimicking Ethan, Zeb used the terrycloth to
dry his face and neck. It’d felt good to work out again. It’d been nearly a
week since Allison’s attack, and Ethan had said the dojo was off limits until
he’d felt Zebadiah had recovered from the attack.

“It feels good,” he admitted, moving to the
small fridge on one side of the dojo. Grabbing a couple bottles of water, he
offered one to Ethan before twisting off the cap and guzzling half of his own
bottle.

“So how are things going with you,
Nicholaus and Steph? Are they as excited as you are about you opening your
bakery?” Ethan asked, bringing up the elephant in the room. In the week since
coming home, Zebadiah had spoken on the phone with one or the other every night
or sometimes both, but hadn’t had any face-to-face contact.

“It’s going good. I think Steph is more
excited than I am about it. In fact, she said she wanted to go with me when I
picked out the motif for the bakery. If Nicky hadn’t had to leave Wednesday for
some kind of writer’s conference in Vegas, we’d have gone already. I can’t
believe I let them talk me into opening my own shop.”

“Why not? You’re a wonderful baker. Both
Davis and I have been telling you that for months.”

He nodded, smiling sheepishly. “I know you
and Davis tried to convince me earlier, but I guess I just wasn’t ready. It’s
just that…Nicky and Steph have a way of making me think I can do anything.”

Ethan dropped a supportive hand on his shoulder.
“As they should. I know you’ve been talking with them a lot on the phone
lately. Does it mean you’re becoming more comfortable in Steph’s presence?”
Ethan asked, as they moved to where Bella had been patiently kneeling.

He nodded. “She’s sexy but smart and has a
quirky sense of humor. She actually gets my jokes if you can believe that.” He
downed the rest of his water. “If asked, I’d have to say she’s a great friend
to have. I’d love taking her to bed, but I just don’t know if I’m ready to
submit to her. She has a lot of the same qualities on the surface which
attracted me to Allison. I don’t know what I’d do if she turned on me like
Allison. It was like my submission was the trigger, and my Mistress turned into
someone I didn’t recognize.”

Ethan nodded. “I don’t think it had
anything to do with you personally, Zeb. The rumor around the scene is you’re
not the first submissive she’s pulled this with. One of the other clubs in
Vallejo said she’d been banned because of exactly such behavior. Another in
Santa Rosa did the same. The important thing here is you’re no longer her
submissive. She has no part in your life now.”

“You’re right.” Even though he said the
words, Zebadiah still had a hard time believing them. Allison had sworn a long
time ago she’d never let him go.

“I know you don’t believe it yet, but keep
repeating it. Eventually it’ll sink in that she has no control over you
anymore.” Ethan brushed his fingers over Bella’s hair. “What brings you into my
dojo, Sabella? I thought you were working out in the garden?”

She smiled up at him. “I was, Master. I
know you were training with Zebadiah, but there’s a messenger here for
Zebadiah. I didn’t mean to interrupt your training.”

“Nonsense, you weren’t interrupting
anything. Zeb and I just were finishing up. I would’ve been calling for you
shortly.” Ethan’s voice turned husky. “I feel the need to for a little
hoj
ō
jutsu
. So why don’t you ready the dojo, while Zeb and I go see what
this courier wants?”

A flush crossed Sabella’s face. “Of course,
Master.” Then she rose smoothly to her feet.

“Shall we?” Ethan gestured for Zebadiah to
precede him.

“Sure. Might as well get this out of the
way.” He moved down the hall towards the back door where a figure was barely
visible through the screen door.

“Yes.” Zebadiah pushed open the door.

A young pretty lady in a dark uniform
turned to face him. “Are you Zebadiah Pellegrino?”

He nodded. “Yes. Is there something I can
help you with?”

She pulled a sheaf of papers out of her
courier’s bag. “You’ve been served.” Pressing the papers into his chest, she
turned on her heel and left.

“What is it?” Ethan joined him on the
porch, watching as the courier went back to her car. Moments later she pulled
away, passing Davis as he pulled into the drive.

Zebadiah fumbled with the papers. “I have
no idea. I’ve never been served before.” He pried open the envelope. Finally
freeing the papers, he scanned them. His good mood disappeared as he read. A
low growl erupted from him. “Fucking bitch.” His fingers crinkled around the
documents.

“Who’s a bitch?” Davis asked, as he came up
the walk his briefcase in hand.

“Allison.” Zebadiah handed the papers to
Davis. “She’s suing me for the value of the contents in my safety deposit box.
I either give her ten grand or half of everything in the box including the
contract.”

“But that’s all of your savings!” Ethan
slammed his hand down on the porch railing. “There’s no way she can demand
that. The plans for your bakery…”

“Are gone if I have to pay her.” He sank
down on the stoop, cradling his head between his hands. “Perhaps it’s for the
best. There was no guarantee I’d have been able to make it a go and if I give
her the money, she’d at least be out of my life.”

“Whoa!” Davis held up his hand. “Paying her
off isn’t a surefire promise she’ll stay gone, Zeb. Let me look this over and
I’ll see what I can do. She’s just trying to intimidate you.”

He slowly stood. “But her name was on the
safety deposit box. In court there’ll be no way to prove she didn’t put the
money in there.”

Davis gazed at him steadily. “Was it her
money?”

Zeb shook his head. “No, it’s mine. I saved
every penny I had and put it in there. Allison never gave me any money. She
said it made submissives willful if they had access to money. I suppose it
does….”

“Like hell it does!”

Zebadiah stiffened. He’d never heard such a
tone come from Ethan. Glancing at his friend, a tendril of fear worked through
him. With his bare chest heaving, wearing only his loose white pants and his
dark eyes snapping, the man looked like an avenging angel bent on destruction.

“I’m sick and tired of you thinking what
that woman said about being a submissive is gospel. Each Dom is different, and
as long as the safety rules are obeyed, there’s no one true way. Her demands
were just another way to control you and keep you dependent on her.” Ethan
stepped closer until there was mere inches between them. “Have you ever seen me
treat Bella in such a fashion?”

Zebadiah quickly shook his head, reminding
himself this was his friend. He wouldn’t hurt him. “No…”

Ethan cut off his answer. “That’s because
I’d never dream of it. She has her own money, and we discuss all things
financial. To give total financial control over to another is foolish in
today’s age. If something would happen to the Master, the submissive is left
floundering. Hell, most Doms I know don’t want that responsibility; unless it’s
something their submissive particularly wants. Even then they discuss it or
make arrangements to have their sub taken care of if something would happen. I
can’t believe you’d honestly let Allison control the purse strings - you’re
smarter than that!”

When Ethan moved forward, his face a mask
of anger, Zebadiah flinched and stumbled backwards. If it hadn’t been for
Davis, he’d have tumbled down the steps.

“Ethan!” Davis stepped between them, his
huge body separating them. “You’re scaring him. Knock it off! He fucked up and
knows it. You’re not making this better.”

Ethan stilled, then horror filled his eyes.
“I…shit…I didn’t mean to…” Stepping around Davis, he slowly approached
Zebadiah.

Biting his lip, Zebadiah stood his ground.

“Look, Zeb. I didn’t mean to blow up at
you.” He tucked one of his dreadlocks behind his ear. “It’s just…I’ve met more
than one submissive who gave that kind of control over to a Dom, and then later
fell apart when the Dom dumped them or heaven forbid, the Dom died. They’re
devastated because their masters are gone, and then to make matters worse they
have no money….and it pisses me off. I understand the need to submit but to do
so in such a manner …it just seems self-destructive to me.”

Zebadiah forced himself to relax. “It is. I
might’ve been a fool, but I wasn’t that stupid. I’m a submissive, not a
doormat, Ethan, and there are few things I’ve always demanded and that’s one of
them. No matter who I serve, I’m not about to give up my financial independence
to anyone.” Pressing the heels of his palms to his eyes and suddenly feeling
exhausted, he moved back to the door. “Don’t worry about it, Ethan. No harm, no
foul. I’m going to go lay down. My head is aching again.”

Entering the house, he wandered down the
hall towards his bedroom. He was so tired of dealing with issues resulting from
Allison’s crap, and Ethan’s blow up was only the final straw. If he thought it
would do any good, he’d just walk away from Napa and never return. But his
heart protested the idea. Nicky and Steph were here. Did he want to give up
what he might have with them just because Allison was being a bitch, and he was
under stress?

* * * *

Pushing
through the crowd, Steph carried two bottles of icy water back to the table
where Nicky was signing books. He
’d
been at it more than an hour, but he still had a ready smile on his face for
each reader as they stepped up to talk to him for a few minutes. Even as much
as she loved watching him work, she couldn’t wait until the awards dinner was
over tonight, and they were able to go back to their room. Then they could make
their nightly call to Zebadiah. It’d become a ritual of sorts since the attack.
Every night, either she or Nicky would call and they’d talk for an hour or so,
sometimes even longer if Nicky didn’t have an early engagement. They’d never
gotten to know a third this way, becoming his friend first, but even as hard as
it made Nicky, and as wet as it made her, she was enjoying the process.
Especially since Nicky tosses me to the bed
and fucks my brains out after every conversation.

“Excuse me, are you Stephanie McKeown?”

The voice came from her left, and drew
Steph out of her thoughts. No one, other than the staff at the conference hall,
knew her full name. Turning to face the woman, she pasted a pleasant smile on
her face as she took in the petite little blonde dressed in casual summer
weight dress. “Yes, I’m Stephanie.”

“Good, then you’ve been served.” She handed
Stephanie an envelope, before disappearing back into the crowd.

How weird. It wasn’t the first time she’d
ever been served, but since she’d gone private to be Nicky’s full time guard,
it had been rare. Tucking the envelope into the over-sized pocket on her
blazer, she returned to the signing table, setting one of the bottles at
Nicky’s elbow before resuming her position behind him, scanning the crowd to
keep an eye out for threats. Not that she expected any, but past experience had
taught her normal women could turn into lust-stricken harlots when confronted
with their favorite erotic romance author - especially if said author happened
to be male. More than once she’d had to rescue Nicky or part of his person from
some fan who just had to have a souvenir.

 
A
few minutes later, the production assistant for the conference stepped out of
the crowd and approached her. As Elizebetta stopped next to her, Steph smiled
at the spunky brunette. They’d worked more than one conference together and the
woman’s no nonsense approach appealed to Steph’s own ‘no fuss, no muss’
approach to security.

“Elizebetta. Staying out of trouble?” She
kept her voice low as the woman joined her.

The brunette chuckled and raised an
eyebrow. “Trouble? Hell, I swear it follows me around.” Elizebetta pulled a
piece of paper off her clipboard and handed it to Steph. “Here’s your itinerary
for tonight. I had to juggle a few of the other authors coming on before
Nicholaus.”

“Thanks.” She accepted the paper. Last
minute changes at these things were the norm. “I’ll be sure to let Nicky know.”
She glanced down at the schedule and was happy to see the new schedule gave
them a longer break before the final night’s dinner. Time enough to call Zeb if
they choose and not be rushed to dress for the banquet awards.

“Speaking of him, he looks like he’s got
another great turn out. I swear these women eat him up each time he makes an
appearance. I could be mistaken, but there’s more here tonight than last time.”