From Sanctum with Love (Masters and Mercenaries #10)(3)

“He’s in a meeting,” Lydia said with a frown. “And I happen to know he told you he would talk to you when he got home. You’re going to get in trouble.” She leaned forward. “You’re going to get all of us in trouble.”

Lydia was the Master’s latest project. How long was she going to turn a blind eye to this shit? She’d been the one to help him with the screenplay that made his career. He’d been a hack B-movie director before she’d taken one of his shitty scripts and turned the horror genre on its head.

He’d given her a screenwriting credit and the best four hours of her life. The night they’d debuted and he’d been called the new king of horror, they’d spent hours playing. They’d gone to the club and he’d shown her off, and they’d even talked about getting married.

She’d found the pure beauty of sinking into complete submission. It had been a real high and she kept trying to get back there. It had worked for a while, but lately she couldn’t do it. There was no subspace for her anymore and she was worried it was because she’d lost all faith in the man she’d once cared for.

“I need to talk to him and I’m not waiting until he comes home.” Half the time he no longer came home. Not until the wee hours of the morning. He hadn’t brought any of his new submissives home. Not yet. He kept it to the club, but she couldn’t help but wonder at what point in time he was going to expect her to fall in line and accept other women in their house.

When had the lifestyle become a noose waiting to tighten around her neck?

“He should be done in a few minutes. He’s been in there for a while. He’s meeting with one of the actors who’s up for the Dart role.”

“I told him he should go with the kid from Seattle.” It was so obvious. Jared something. He’d had a few roles on cable shows, and he was both gorgeous and charismatic enough to take on the role of a comic book hero. She’d taken the preliminary meetings with him. He’d been funny and charming and he’d flirted the precise right amount. The boy knew who was in charge. He’d ignored the other women, including the assistant who’d made it plain she would spend some time in a broom closet with him. No. He’d smiled and then turned all that sexy charm on Kori. “He’s the only one for the role.”

Lydia shrugged. “The Master does what he wants. You know, you should think about how much he’s done for you over the years. You act like such a brat to him.”

Kori gave in to her bratty side and shot the woman her happy middle finger before turning away and pacing the lobby. Lydia only knew what the Master told her. She had no clue about the years Kori had spent propping him up and giving him ideas.

She stopped and looked at herself in the mirror. Years had passed and she could see the fine lines around her eyes.

Let me hook you up with the guy who did Lydia’s tits. You’re looking a little droopy there, Kori. I don’t like my slaves to droop.

Her hands twisted into fists and she was done. Years she’d wasted.

She turned and the door came open. She didn’t even look at the two men walking out. No, she only had eyes for the man in the suit.

Morgan King. Her first friend in LA. Her Master. Her lover. The man who had betrayed her utterly if the news was to be believed.

“Welcome to team Dart, Jared. I think this is going to be a wonderful show,” Morgan said, his producer smile on his face. Yes, she’d convinced him to do that, too. She’d been the one to convince him of how much money there was in producing. She’d come up with the business idea. “We’ll talk soon.”

Jared stopped in front of her, holding out his hand. “Hey, Kori. Good to see you. I look forward to working with you.” He squeezed her hand enough to let her feel how strong he was. “I hope we can work very closely together.”

Any other time and she might have wondered what he meant by that for more than a couple of seconds. Not today. Today, she simply pressed through, getting inside before Morgan could shut her out. When the door closed, she turned on him. “Tell me you didn’t take my f*cking script and put your name on it.”

There was no smile on his face now. “You wouldn’t know what to do with it anyway, Kori. I don’t understand what the issue is. You’ll get your proper payment.”

She shook her head. “I didn’t agree to this. That is my script. It’s my f*cking life, Morgan. This isn’t something we cooked up together. This is mine. I gave it to you to look at, not to steal.”

“And I’ll make sure it wins an Oscar. Like I said, I’ll give you story credit, but if you read the script now, you’ll find there are not many of your words left. I let Claudia have a look at it and she’s made it shine.” He moved toward her, his eyes not leaving her once. “We’re a team. All of us. You’re being quite selfish, pet. Is this more of your jealousy?”

God, she was so glad she’d stopped sleeping with him. Over the course of the last year, as he’d taken new subs, she’d moved into a separate bedroom and while they played together, she’d held back on being intimate. They’d become coworkers. Not even friends. She’d stayed because it was easier than leaving and because she’d put so damn much of herself into what she’d thought was their business. Now she could see it was really all his. He’d given her crumbs and not much else.