part0014

Now, with her intricate up-do escaping from the pins, her cheeks flushed with effort, and her delectable lips wrapped firmly around his throbbing erection, he thought she’d never been so precious to him.

There was so much he still wanted to do to and with her, but they were running out of time. Maybe he’d be able to talk her into coming back soon. Until then, he had to make the best of their last night together.

“Keep your hands behind your back,” he murmured, threading his fingers through her tousled curls to guide her movements—and knocking loose a few rosebuds in the process. “Suck Daddy’s cock like a good little girl…”

She usually hesitated for the briefest of seconds when he referred to himself that way, but to his astonishment, this time, she didn’t. Instead she let out a little groan—which went straight through him—and took him deeper into the hot velvet of her throat.

“Fuck,” he growled, fighting to retain control. He wouldn’t be able to last much longer unless they changed things up. Gently but firmly, he withdrew his slick, throbbing cock from her mouth and ordered her to get on the bed on all fours.

Once she had done so, he took a moment to admire the view of her heart-shaped ass, splayed open to frame the puffy lips of her labia. Shucking off the last of his costume, he prowled towards her and cupped her sex with his palm.

“Still so wet, naughty girl,” he said, sliding his hand back and forth, reveling in the way her clit felt hard as a tiny pebble amid the otherwise soft flesh.

She let out a guttural moan and buried her face in her arms.

“Sensitive, doll?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Good.” Two more liberal applications of Tiger Balm during dinner had worked their magic. Nayla’s face had been redder than her hair when he’d slicked her with it in full view of the other Masters and their dinner companions, but there was no mistaking the effect the balm had on her. She was soaking wet.

“Maybe I should give you another dose of balm,” he said conversationally, “right here.” He poked the tight, puckered hole between her buttocks. “Give you a good, hard paddling and fill your little asshole with Tiger Balm so your bottom is on fire inside and out.”

His words were met with another moan as she undulated her hips, grinding herself against his hand.

“You like that idea, huh?”

There was a long pause. Then a whispered, “Yes, Sir.”

“I can tell. You’re leaking all over my fingers. But you’re not going to come, are you? Not unless Daddy says you can.”

“Please.” She was writhing more openly now, practically humping his palm.

“Oh, I know you want to… I know your little clit is all hard and swollen and aching for me. I can feel it, covered in your juice, sliding up and down my hand.” He was rubbing her faster now, increasing the pressure just a tiny amount. She was trembling with the effort to hold back. Knowing she couldn’t see his face, Landon allowed himself a sadistic smile. “But you’re a good girl, aren’t you? You wouldn’t be a bad girl and orgasm without permission, because you know what would happen then. You know Daddy would put a big, fat plug deep into your tight little ass, and then he’d make you bend over and hold onto your ankles, and he would paddle your bare bottom until it was bright red and hot and sore, and you were crying and begging for him to stop, promising to be good—”

Nayla climaxed with a strangled moan, shaking with the force of it, her sex contracting so powerfully that she gushed into the palm of his hand. His cock straining toward his belly button, Landon ignored the urge to plunge himself deep inside her. Instead he coaxed every last pulse from her before bringing his slick hand down on her right cheek with a resounding slap. He’d forced her to come deliberately so he’d have an excuse to punish her.

“I should take the cane to you for that,” he said sternly, spanking her again and again. “Coming like some wanton, helpless little harlot when I explicitly told you not to. You’re lucky I don’t have any of my canes with me.” Not for the first time, he cursed the fact that they were in her room rather than his own, where he kept a much wider variety of implements than would fit in his toy bag.

“I have a cane,” Nayla said in a small voice. “In my suitcase.”

Landon’s heart skipped a beat. “You do?”

“Yes, Sir. Shall I go and get it?”

Landon considered. He hadn’t taken a cane to her yet. The thought of leaving deep, scarlet tramlines across her ass, of marking her as his for at least the next few days to come, of giving her a reminder of him when she went home, was worth the brief interruption to their scene. “Please do. Good girl for being so prepared—although you might regret having told me about it before I’m through with you.”

She scrambled off the bed and gave him a cheeky smile. “I doubt it, Sir.”

Wanting to be at least half dressed for what he had in mind—he was well aware of the psychological effect of being completely naked while being punished by someone who was clothed—Landon remembered he’d left his slacks in the bathroom. “Hurry up,” he said. “I’ll be right back.” The gladiator costume he’d worn earlier was too much of a hassle to put back on without any assistance.

It took him mere seconds to go into the bathroom, find his pants and put them on, but when he returned to the bedroom, Nayla was standing beside her suitcase, her phone in her hand, a tight, tense expression on her face.

“Is everything all right?” he asked.

She was staring at the screen. “So many missed calls,” she muttered.

“Your family? Has there been some kind of accident?” Landon went to her but when he tried to put his arms around her, she stepped aside. It felt like a punch to his gut.

“Work,” she said absently. “Sorry, I have to check my emails.”

“No, you don’t. Unless any of those missed calls are from friends or family, you do not need to check your emails.”

It was as if she hadn’t heard him. “What time is it?”

Landon clenched his fists, resisting the urge to shake her. “I’m not sure. Ten-thirty? Eleven?”

He could see her calculating a time difference in her mind as clearly as if she were speaking out loud. “I’ll see what it’s about,” she said to herself, “then I’ll call them back if I have to. Although it is pretty late over there…”

“Nayla,” he said, fighting to keep his tone even, “it’s late. You’re on vacation. It’s our last evening. You do not need to be thinking about work right now.” His head was pounding and he forced himself to take a deep breath, praying she would mind him, hoping beyond hope she would toss that fucking phone back into the suitcase, dig out the cane, and let them get on with their last night together.

When she reached back into her suitcase and pulled out her laptop instead of any kind of implement, something inside him snapped.

“I swear to fucking Christ, if you turn that thing on, I will be leaving,” he snarled.

At least his threat got her to look at him for the first time since he’d re-entered the room. “Easy for you to say,” she said in an icy tone, “as caning me is your job . And fucking me afterward, too, for all I know. But tomorrow, I have to go back to the real world, and deal with the consequences of what I do—or don’t do—right now. I don’t have the luxury of living and working in a fucking castle. I’ve worked incredibly hard to get to where I am, and believe me, I wouldn’t have umpteen missed calls unless it was an emergency. You can either wait a few minutes while I sort this out, or you can leave. But I’m not risking my livelihood—not for you, not for anyone.” Without waiting for a reply, she carted her laptop to the bed, sat down, and opened the lid.

Landon stared at her in disbelief, his mind racing, his fists still clenching and unclenching by his sides. “All right,” he said slowly, “I see how it is. Thanks for letting me know where I stand.” With slow, deliberate movements, he picked up his shirt and shoes and went to the door before turning to look at her.

She was sitting on the bed, engrossed in whatever was on her screen.

Resisting the urge to scream at her, to tear the fucking computer from her hands and fling it out the window, Landon swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat, and left.

There was a bottle of Scotch in his room with his name on it.

The clients, being exceptionally wealthy, worked long and often crazy hours, which meant Nayla had to, too.

Besides, she had meant what she’d said to Landon. It was easy for him to tell her to simply forget about her work while she was at the Castle—he didn’t have to worry about losing his job and everything he’d worked for by spending time with her, as that was his job.

Swallowing her anger and hurt, wishing there was a minibar in her room, she settled herself back against the pillows and got to work.

The first fingers of dawn were already lightening the sky when she awoke with a start, wondering for a moment where she was. She must have dozed off—the laptop was still open beside her. She was still naked, so she slipped off the bed and went to her suitcase to get her robe.

Her favorite cane rolled out from under some clothing as she rummaged for her dressing gown, and she stared at the implement for several seconds, fighting back the tears. If only he’d cared enough about her to wait. If only he’d accepted her situation and explanation and spent the night with her anyway, even if that meant he had to read or otherwise occupy himself while she worked. If only…

Blinking furiously, she shoved the robe back into the suitcase and tugged out some panties, yoga pants, a sweater, and shoes instead. She was leaving, there was no point in pretending otherwise.

All good things have to come to an end , she told herself ruefully, pulling on her clothes and marching into the bathroom to pack her toiletries and drag a comb through her hair. Under different circumstances, things might have ended differently, but wasn’t that always the case?

At the end of the day, she and Landon had had a nice time together—a great time, she conceded—but it was never going to go anywhere. She didn’t have time for any kind of serious relationship, and besides, they had never really discussed feelings. Don’t forget you were assigned to him , she told herself for the millionth time. You’re a client for him, nothing more. Later on today, he’ll probably go into Master Marshall’s office and be assigned to the next girl. Or he’ll go back to the Nursery and take care of the Littles there .

The pangs of jealousy deep in her tummy at the mere thought of that were something she decided to ignore as she picked up the phone and dialed Marshall’s office.

It wasn’t until she heard it ring that she realized how early it still was. But then a soft, female voice answered, “Hello, Kaylee speaking.”

“Hi Kaylee, it’s Nayla—sorry, Una Greaves in room Eleven-eleven.”

“Is everything all right?” The concern in Kaylee’s voice was unmistakable.

“Yeah… well, no, not really. Look, I’ve had an emergency come up and I need to leave as soon as possible. I’d rather not wait for the bus back to Granger. Is there any way I can get a cab, or an Uber or anything?” As she said it, Nayla realized how desperate she was to get away and held her breath, hoping against hope that she wouldn’t have to spend several more hours waiting for the daily bus.

“I can drive you into Granger, if you like,” Kaylee said.

“Seriously?” Nayla could hardly believe her ears. “Look, I don’t want to inconvenience you. I really don’t mind getting a taxi or whatever, but I’m not really sure of the address here, and—”

“Trust me, it won’t be any trouble. And we can’t really call a cab, not to come here…” Kaylee trailed off. “How soon do you want to go?”

“As soon as you can. I’m all packed.”

“If you’re sure. Meet me outside Marshall’s office in ten minutes, okay?”

“Thank you so, so much.” Hanging up, Nayla blinked back a fresh onslaught of tears. It was better this way, surely. If she waited around for the bus, she might run into Landon again, and she really wanted to avoid that. Besides, the sooner she got home, the sooner she could smooth things over with her boss.

True to her word, Kaylee was waiting outside the double doors leading to Master Marshall’s office when Nayla arrived with her suitcase. The petite brunette was stunning, her curly hair tumbling over her shoulders and her grey eyes full of concern. “Is there anything I can do?” she asked as soon as Nayla was within hearing distance. “Is it a family emergency?”

“Something like that,” Nayla muttered, suddenly unwilling to go into any detail. “You’re already doing me the biggest favor by driving me. I so appreciate it.”

Kaylee smiled. “You’re welcome. Just follow me.”

They headed down the stairs and out of a back entrance into a parking lot Nayla hadn’t even known existed. “It’s interesting to see behind the scenes of the illusion,” she said, the wheels of her case crunching over the gravel. “I guess it’s easy to forget that the people who live and work here have lives and needs too, errands to run, that kind of thing.”

“That we do,” Kaylee said, unlocking the car and opening the trunk. “D’you need a hand lifting that?”

“No, I’ve got it.” Nayla hefted her case into the trunk and got into the passenger seat.

There was an awkward silence as Kaylee closed the trunk, got into the car, started the engine and set off, navigating her way onto the main road with the deft ease of someone who had driven the route a thousand times. “Did you enjoy your stay?” she said at length.

Nayla bit her lip and stared at the open fields as they sped past. “Most of it.”

“How did you find Master Landon?”

The question took Nayla completely by surprise. “How did you know I was with him?”

Kaylee shot her a rueful smile. “It’s my job to know things like that. Marshall likes to let everyone believe that he’s the only one running the operation but you know what they say: behind every great man is a woman—”

“Rolling her eyes,” Nayla finished for her, and they both giggled. “Master Landon was…” kind, funny, intelligent, gorgeous, the perfect combination of sweet and sadistic, able to turn me on with just a raised eyebrow , “nice.”

“I’m glad. It’s good for Sam, too, to have his brother under the same roof.”

Nayla thought about what awaited her upon her return: a stark, cold office, mountains of paperwork, and no thanks or appreciation other than numbers on her bank statement. “It must be amazing to live and work at a place like the Castle,” she said wistfully.

“It has its moments,” Kaylee said, “but no, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. You’re in accounting, aren’t you?”

“I am. So let me know if you ever have any positions available.” Nayla realized she was only half-joking.

“Actually, we could do with some help in that department,” Kaylee said, “but I doubt we’d be able to afford you.” She smiled.

Sure she was only being kind, Nayla smiled back. A couple of times over the course of the last few days, she’d indulged in the fantasy of picturing herself as a Castle employee, working and living in that gorgeous, opulent building where people went to escape reality for a while. Not to mention coming home to Landon every evening, seeing the way his eyes lit up when she took off her clothes, the feel of his chest against her cheek when he pulled her close, the husky tone of his voice when he said, “Brat,” and ruffled her hair…

No, it wasn’t meant to be. Swallowing hard, she dashed the sudden tears from her eyes and noticed the black bracelet still on her wrist. Tugging it off, she held it out to Kaylee. “Before I forget to give this back, here.”

“Thanks.” Kaylee slipped it into her jacket pocket. “We’re nearly there. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

Even as Nayla shook her head and expressed her thanks yet again, she couldn’t ignore the first thought that popped into her head: Tell Landon I’m sorry. And that I’m going to miss him more than I can say.