Master Me (10 page)

“Thank you. Maybe I’ll see you around.”

“I’m quite sure you will. I’m a very hands-on manager,” Lucas finished, smiling.

Elaina squared her shoulders and headed for the reception area. It was time to find out just what this place had to offer. Time to see if it held the answers to her questions about herself and her desires.

“Was that her?” Derrick Collins asked Lucas when the man joined him on the verandah outside his office.

“Yep. When I asked whether her Master would be joining her later, she hesitated for a second, then smoothly said she’d been sent to prepare their room.”

Derrick’s hands tightened on the railing. The rope lashing the joints together bit into his skin and he looked out to the ocean. “Reporter?”

Lucas joined Derrick at the railing. “I don’t think so. Her expressions were so open and genuine. I think she truly wants to be here, but maybe didn’t realise that this was a couples’ resort. What do you want to do with her?”

“Play it by ear. If she starts to snoop we’ll ship her off with the first high tide, but if…did you see the way the light hit that mahogany hair of hers? How her pale skin glimmered in the sun? Is it as soft as it looked?” Derrick asked softly.

Lucas smiled. “Oh yes. And she has the most incredible dove grey eyes you’ll ever see. So large you can read everything within their depths.”

“Hmmm. Then to blindfold them would be a shame. I wonder how that soft skin would mark?”

“Derrick? What are you thinking?”

“Nothing,” he responded, quickly.

“No, it’s something. Talk to me.”

He turned to face Lucas, his long-time friend and manager. “Well, we want to keep an eye on her, and we know she has no Master. I’m without a sub—”

Lucas crossed his arms and stared at Derrick. “And that’s the only reason?” He arched one eyebrow.

“Of course, what other reason would there be?”

“Maybe you like what you saw? Maybe you
want
to spend time with her? Ever since Caro—”

Derrick threw up his hand. “Don’t say it. I’m not looking for a permanent sub. We saw how that turned out last time. I’m content mingling with my guests and providing them with what they need.”

Lucas placed a hand on Derrick’s shoulder. “I don’t want you to spend your life content. I want you to be happy. We both know that you’ll never find that mingling among your guests. You need a sub of your own. You need someone to belong to you. Someone to fill the emptiness inside you.”

He shrugged off Lucas’ hand. “Have you been reading Hallmark cards online again? Besides, I don’t see you all worried about being alone. You’ve never had someone permanent.”

Lucas turned away and stared out at the horizon. “You know I want to live the lifestyle twenty-four/seven, and it’s more difficult to find the right person willing to be soul mate and slave all wrapped into one.” He leant against the wooden railing of the balcony. “So many slaves have come and gone from my life. Eventually, they each wanted to pursue a normal lifestyle and ended up leaving. I don’t begrudge them. Everyone needs to carve out the life that’s right for them. This doesn’t mean I’m not lonely, though.”

Derrick had never heard his friend talk about his needs in such a long stretch. The man portrayed the consummate playboy Dom with such aplomb that Derrick never realised Lucas was lonely. Living and working on this island didn’t help. All the guests who came here were already paired up. That was how they’d designed the resort. Derrick didn’t want this slice of heaven to become another meat market, but a haven for those of like-minded inclinations. Maybe this was Lucas’ chance? This Elaina person was without a Master, Lucas without a slave. Could it be fate?

“What about Ms. Roman?”

“What about her?”

“You said she’s beautiful, and we both know single.”

Lucas shook his head. “She’s stunning, no doubt, but not the right one. I’d love to play with her, but I can already tell she’s new to the scene. Maybe even searching for her identity as a sub. I sensed excitement and anxiety. I need someone who’s experienced, who’s comfortable in their skin as a slave.” Lucas turned his head to see Derrick standing beside him. “Besides, I think she already has her eye on someone, and I’d never willingly be a consolation prize.”

“Who?” Derrick growled.

Derrick ran his hand through the thick strands of his dark brown hair. He really should cut it in this heat but never quite found the time to take a trip to one of the bigger islands. Why the fact that Elaina already had her sights set on someone on the island bothered him, he had no idea. He’d never even met the woman. His only exposure was the registration questionnaire she’d submitted. That, and seeing her lithe body stroll down the boardwalk to his island, watching the gentle sway of her hips, her hair glinting in the sun. Derrick had frozen when their eyes had met for the briefest of seconds. She’d been standing beneath the verandah, looking up into the palms swaying above her head when her gaze had landed on him standing in this exact spot. The large almond-shaped lids had widened in surprise, then the moment had passed.

“That’s right,” Lucas said, smugly. “You, my friend, are her choice du jour. Now, she’s downstairs checking in as we speak. May I suggest you haul your ass down there and introduce yourself before some pair tries to wheedle her into a three-way.”

Derrick spun on the ball of his foot and raced through his office with the sound of Lucas’ laughter as his soundtrack. He leant over the balcony inside the reception area hoping to spot his prey. When he didn’t see the dark, brownish-red tresses he began to panic, until…there! A hint of bare leg flashed in his peripheral vision. He had no idea why he was convinced that particular leg belonged to Elaina, but some part of him knew only one person had skin so smooth and toned. He gathered his wits since it was unseemly for the top dog of a BDSM resort to appear so discombobulated over a potential sub.

He slowly walked down the wide-planked wooden steps then strode across the reception area in complete command. Several of his employees and one couple, who’d been repeat guests, nodded to him as he entered the open-air bar on the lower level. There, sitting at the bar with a look of dejection was the first woman who’d sparked something deep inside him in many years. Maybe Lucas was right—god forbid the man actually hear him say that—maybe it was time to move on. Time for him to find the
right
woman for whom he could be both a lover and Master.

Elaina Roman, could you be her

Elaina sat at the bar swirling her little pink umbrella around the edge of whatever alcohol-infused fruit drink the bartender had given her. The afternoon shadows slowly invaded the island. The sound of waves rolling up onto the shore mingled with soft guitar music being played in the corner by an artist. However, the beauty of her surroundings couldn’t dispel the insidious desolation taking over her body.

What was she supposed to do now? Her bags had been taken to the bungalow she and ‘her Master’ had been assigned. However, before she braved that nest she’d needed a little liquid fortification. The staff was under the impression that her Master would be joining her later, and everywhere she looked there were couples and quartets lounging around in various stages of dress and undress. A few of the outfits made her eyes bug out, as they seemed to be missing coverage in a few key places. One woman was kneeling on the floor beside a man sitting in a chair with nothing more than a few leather straps criss-crossing her skin. Apparently she and Anne had made one major error in their research. This particular resort was for couples only.

How they’d missed that she wasn’t too sure, but suspected it had something to do with the pitcher of margaritas they’d consumed while trolling the Internet. The whole idea to take this trip had been a whim. Elaina had known she was overdue for some vacation time from the sports medicine clinic where she worked as an orthopedist. With Mike no longer in the picture, it’d seemed like a good time to hightail it out of town.

Elaina had been excited the whole trip down from Miami. Not only was she getting a vacation in a tropical paradise, she’d also finally be allowed to explore the desires that had consumed the corners of her mind ever since reading that woman’s account of life with her Master. She’d pictured her ideal Master in her mind. Tall. She wanted him taller than her own six-foot height, which had always been a struggle in the dating pool. Even when she’d found a man who was over six feet, every time she slipped on her prized Manolo Blahnik’s, she’d tower above him. Not a dynamic she yearned for in a dominant lover. So, yes, most definitely tall. Strong. His strength should be of mind and body. To carry his height with animalistic grace, he would need firm muscles. Muscles anchored to strong, chiseled bones. No steroid freak, just pure masculine beauty. She imagined kneeling at his feet, like the woman at the other table, looking up into dark liquid eyes—eyes that could command her with a single glance.

Whatever the bartender had put in her drink must’ve be good stuff, because she could swear her fantasy man was walking towards her. He was tall enough that she had to tilt her head up—even perched on the high stool—to meet his bottomless dark gaze. She took another sip of her drink, wanting to prolong the hallucination. Each stride of his long legs spoke of quiet strength. Every person’s eyes in the bar followed his movements, as if by hypnotic command. As her fantasy man came closer, she realised that his image didn’t waver as a desert mirage but became decidedly more corporeal. The dark, tanned skin of his neck showed at the open collar of his dress shirt. In the midst of all the scantily clad patrons, his apparel stated business rather than pleasure. Maybe he was a bouncer of some kind, here to kick her off the island? Elaina swallowed hard as her living dream stopped right in front of her.

“Ms. Roman, my name is Derrick Collins. I’m the owner of
Placeres del Paraiso
. I believe you met my manager Lucas when you arrived.”

Elaina shivered, the vibrations from Derrick’s deep voice resonating throughout her body. They landed and lingered in her already damp pussy. She tried to answer, only to have her breath strangle in her throat, her eyes locked on Derrick’s full lips as arousal took over her body. She wanted to lean forward and lick the dark skin at the hollow of his throat. She ached to latch onto his strong arms, and feel the vitality beneath the trappings of his office. She clenched her legs together to appease the pulsating throbs demanding this man’s possession. What was wrong with her? She’d never reacted to the presence of a male like this before. Maybe it was the drink—some type of super aphrodisiac mixed in with the succulent fruit. Heat flashed up from her core and landed in her cheeks. How much more obvious and idiotic could she appear?

“Elaina.” Derrick whispered, stepping forward to support her neck from behind as he tilted her head up to meet his gaze.

“Yes, Sir?”
How did that come out so easily?

“You’re alone on my island. We can’t allow that here. You have two choices. Either you leave now, or you become mine for the duration of your stay.”

“Yours, Sir?”

“Mine, Elaina. My submissive. My slave to pleasure. I’ll take you higher than you’ve ever been. I’ll feed your soul with every desire you could imagine, and some you’ve never dared dream of. You’ll leave my island with the knowledge of who you truly are. No more wondering if there could ever be more. No more wandering lost, seeking that, which can fulfil you.”

“Oh god.”

Elaina’s heart beat so fast she was sure it would jump from her chest. This larger than life man
wanted
to bring forth every dark fantasy she’d ever had. She stared into his eyes. So dark, there was no definition between his pupil and iris. He had hypnotic eyes, a deep commanding voice and the heat of his hand on her neck branded her skin. His touch was both arousing and secure.

“What’s it to be, Elaina?”

There really was no choice. The chance to experience everything she’d ever dreamt, or a frustrated boat ride back to Key West and a long, self-recriminating drive back home.

“Yes.”

“Yes, what?”

“I’ll stay. I’ll be yours.”

Derrick placed a butterfly-soft kiss against her lips. The tender connection startled her. She’d expected him to overpower her, dominate her, claim her, but this felt more like a greeting between lovers. His lips lingered, their breath mingled. Elaina tilted her head closer—wanting a stronger connection—but Derrick backed away before she could increase the pressure.

“In time, I promise. That was to seal our agreement. When the time is right, I’ll give you what you need. You’ll be tied to my bed, your legs spread, my fingers buried deep in your dripping wet cunt. God, I can smell you, Elaina. I can smell how much you need. You’re close, aren’t you? I bet one little touch could set you off right now. One slide of my finger through your silky wet folds and you’d explode for me. Your body craves what I can give it. It craves to feel my hard cock buried deep inside you. It craves to hear my words commanding you.”

Elaina’s body shook from the force of her arousal. Derrick was right. One touch and she’d come. Probably harder than she’d ever done so in her life. His sexy voice ratcheted up her need with each syllable that passed his lips. She tried to rub her legs harder together to assuage some of the desire consuming her. Her clit pulsed and her nipples ached, pushing against the fabric of her camisole seeking sensation. She gasped when Derrick pulled her legs apart, firmly. Her short, khaki skirt rose high, nearly to her hips, as Derrick stepped between her spread thighs. Now, even she detected the scent of her arousal in the humid tropical air.

“No,” he growled. “You will not cheat me. You may not touch yourself, unless I order it. When we fuck, you will not come unless I expressly allow it. I said you would be mine, and I meant completely.”

She sat there in a public bar with her legs willingly spread for the most gorgeous man her imagination could have conjured. Other guests and staff sat idly by. Whether they watched her and Derrick she didn’t know, and for some reason, didn’t care. Elaina had never been one for voyeurism but now the thought that some of the other couples waited with bated breath to see what Derrick would do to her next, forced more slickness to seep from her pussy lips. She was so wet, so needy. Derrick’s hands had slid up her thighs to her hips. He pulled her to the edge of the seat. One large hand splayed across her lower back, the other buried in the mass of hair at her nape.