Servicing the Target (Masters of the Shadowlands #10)(79)

His voice lowered, and he murmured something to her.

Feeling as if he were intruding, Ben concentrated on de-sanding his dog, then waved him under the table to join Ari for a nap.

As Bronx flattened out with a soft sigh, Kim returned from the house with a tray. She handed an opened Stump Knocker to Raoul, a Dos Equis to Ben, and took the glass of red wine for herself.

“I sampled your Brooklyn Lager at the Shadowlands,” Raoul said. “Dos Equis is as close to it as I have on hand.”

“Good choice.” Fuck knew he didn’t want Raoul’s favorite beer—the stuff was so malty it was almost black. He raised his bottle to both his hosts. “Thanks.”

Nodding in reply, Kim picked up a chair cushion, placed it on the ground, and with her drink in hand, gracefully settled at her Master’s feet.

As a slave would.

Ben frowned. Was that behavior what Anne expected of him? Even with guests present? If that was what she wanted, he’d do his best…but the idea made his skin crawl.

“This way you look…” Raoul drank some of his beer and set the bottle on the table. “This is what I wish to speak of.”

“You don’t like the way I look?” What the f*ck? Helping with the boys required good looks?

“No, no. You are frowning because my sumisita is here. At my feet.” When Raoul laid his hand on her shoulder, Kim rubbed her cheek against his wrist.

Ben straightened as the Dom’s intention became clear. Anne would be the topic of discussion. How could he politely refuse? “Listen—”

“My friend, I do not usually interfere in business not my own, but you are new to the lifestyle. I am…concerned…you might be in over your head. As I am familiar with Master/slave relationships, perhaps I can answer some questions?”

Was every Shadowlands Master going to butt into his affairs?

Ben took a drink, stalling for time. Because, maybe, Raoul had a point.

Over the last few days, Anne had kept him close. Because he’d…lied…to her, she was worried about him. He couldn’t object. Hell, even more than the sex, he got off on their long talks. She’d served as a Marine. Been deployed. She got what he was talking about.

Trouble was, she was his Mistress. He was her slave. And that…power exchange…never let up.

He was starting to wonder if he really could do that shit. Forever.

But some people could. He put his beer on the table and studied Kim.

She’d set the wine beside her and was still. As calm and peaceful as a person deep in meditation, yet she held herself ready for whatever Raoul wanted her to do.

She was a slave.

Was Ben willing to go as far as she had? His gut was saying no. “She do that all the time?” Ben nodded at Kim.

“Actually, no.” Raoul stroked her hair. “And yes. She enjoys the calmness of high protocol after events. And I wanted you to observe formal Master/slave dynamics in a home setting.”

“But normally you don’t do this…stuff. Sitting at your feet and not talking?” Anne got off on the formal protocol shit though.

“Kimberly is always under my command, Ben,” Raoul said gently. “At home, the rules are loosened for comfort, so she is free to speak, to sit, to dress as she wishes…unless I wish otherwise. I often wish otherwise. This is because, as with electricity, when the power between two poles is not equal, a sizzle is created.”

A sizzle, huh? Well, he and Anne enjoyed an excellent sizzle in the bedroom. But elsewhere?

Kim sat with her eyes closed, and as her Master petted her like a cat, her contentment was obvious.

Ben wasn’t sure he’d be as damned content.




Drifting, Kim tilted her head under her Master’s touch, feeling like the gatita—little kitten—that Master R often called her.

His big hands were powerful. Deadly. And ever so gentle with her.

His callused fingers trailed over her cheek and down to tug her collar slightly, letting her know she could rest against him.

She counted on that. Her Master was her anchor. Whether the ocean was peaceful or stormy, he was there for her. Although he’d reluctantly taken her as a slave to help bring down a human trafficking ring, neither of them had been willing to separate afterward. Master/slave was what worked for them both.

But now…now she was making him unhappy because he wanted to marry her.

Considering she was his slave, marrying him should be a no-brainer, right? But after a childhood of watching her mother suffer within matrimonial bonds, marriage looked too much like a trap. Being a wife was far scarier than being a slave.

But with Raoul, she was learning she could handle scary.

Sometime last month, he’d bought her a ring—a gorgeous, heart-stopping ring that she’d discovered by accident. Obviously not wanting to pressure her, he’d tucked it away in his dresser drawer. He was patiently waiting until she was ready.

No one had ever known her and loved her as well as her Master.

She shifted to lean against his leg, letting him take some of her weight as the men talked.

Ben sounded unhappy.

The Shadowlands’ security guard had scared her the first time she’d seen him. She’d thought he resembled some medieval torturer. But he’d been so pleased that Master R had found himself a woman that she couldn’t remain afraid. Ben had a big heart.