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  He’d realized early into this morning that she had called him out in the same way he had done to her. He wasn’t thinking enough of himself. Perhaps he’d lost too much in his life in a short time and had become unable to depend on others. He wanted to change that.

  Dmitri didn’t want to be the reasonable Dom acting out of duty; he wanted to claim his submissive. He wanted Presley under his mastery. He wanted to think only of her, always of her. He wanted to be cared for by her, because she, with that sweet soul, knew how to love him.

  Without realizing it, she knew exactly what he needed, as she bluntly had told him last night. He didn’t want to train any other submissives or worry over anyone else. He wanted to mold one submissive, and he wanted only one woman kneeling at his feet and understanding his desires.

  Presley had it completely right; he was tired of being lonely and always doing the right thing. Perhaps with all the death that had surrounded his life, he’d overcontrolled things. He couldn’t handle more change, so he’d altered the world around him, keeping everything the same and safe, but then a little sweet submissive had come and muddled it all up.

  He liked it muddled.

  Leaving his thoughts behind, he stepped farther into the edgy restaurant with the modern design. Amusement slid through him at the memory of when he’d brought Kyler to this restaurant and had to listen to his friend’s snide remarks about how the portion sizes looked small enough for a five-year-old. That had been the last time he’d attended a fancy restaurant on a personal level. Now he came to these establishments only for business, but maybe he’d bring Presley, too. He could see how this place would impress her. The thought of knowing he would spend his days surprising her and even spoiling her made him smile.

  As he reached the table, his smiled extended to the woman with the piercing blue eyes. Katherine had been a beautiful woman when she was in her twenties. Now in her early thirties, she looked even lovelier. Her brown hair flowed down the sides of her neck, her cheeks were rosy from her blush, and her nose was slender, as was the rest of her. She’d had an elegant air even in her younger years, and that hadn’t changed. Her skin had remained that enchanting fair color, and Dmitri remembered how stunning she looked in black lingerie.

  Her eyes twinkled, and her bright red lips curved. “Hi.”

  “Hello, Katherine,” he replied.

  Martin, a CEO of a bank out of New York, glanced up at Dmitri as he sat across from Katherine. He offered his hand, his dark hair fell over his brow, and his near-black eyes creased at the corners. “Good to see you, Dmitri. We were surprised to receive your phone call. It’s five months early.”

  Martin wasn’t wrong—the visit had come early, which of course was for a good reason, which he hadn’t explained when he’d called Martin this morning. The first six months of Katherine and Martin’s relationship, Dmitri saw her monthly. After that, the visits extended to every year and included Martin. Even if these visits weren’t to catch up, they were personal, because Dmitri checked in on Katherine.

  Katherine had entered into a Master-and-slave relationship in which her servitude was twenty-four/seven. While Dmitri knew she desired that lifestyle, he didn’t know Martin enough to trust that he’d protect her and not abuse the gift.

  Their introduction had come because Kyler had known Martin from a BDSM club in New York that Kyler played at when he traveled there. When Dmitri went looking for a Dom who wanted a slave, Kyler had given Martin a high recommendation, partly because Kyler had known Katherine almost as well as Dmitri and thought the two would get along nicely. Kyler hadn’t been wrong.

  Dmitri shook Martin’s hand and took a seat at the head of the table. “I apologize for the short notice. Thank you for coming.” Not a second later, the waiter approached, and Dmitri ordered, “Glass of chardonnay.”

  “Right away, sir.”

  The man scurried off to fetch his drink, and Katherine laughed in that soft way Dmitri remembered. “It’s amusing how everyone seems to call you that even if they have no idea what’s going on in that naughty home of yours.”

  Dmitri smiled. “You look well, Katherine.”

  “Thank you.” Her gaze swept to Martin, and tenderness filled her features. “Things have been good.”

  Dmitri looked at Martin, too, and saw the man staring at Katherine as if no other woman should live on this earth, because only one existed to him. Their relationship had started out based purely on a Master-and-slave agreement, but it became obvious after the first couple of months that Katherine was starting to care for Martin. Once Martin was included in the visits, it became even more obvious to Dmitri that Martin loved her, too. It pleased him to see that they were still deeply in love.

  The waiter returned, and Dmitri sipped at the fine wine and nodded approvingly.“Would you like to order now?” the waiter asked.

  Dmitri shook his head. “Drinks only, thank you.”

  After the waiter left, Dmitri settled into his seat and examined Katherine. She seemed strong. He didn’t see any darkness under her eyes, indicating exhaustion, and her weight looked good.

  His study of her drifted lower to the diamond necklace around her neck, but the jewelry didn’t hold his focus long. There was a deep red mark just above the necklace, looking much like a rope burn. With a jerk of his chin, he gestured to the mark on her skin. “Care to explain that?”

  Martin’s eyebrows furrowed before he followed Dmitri’s direction, then his features lightened with understanding. “We’ve dabbled in breath play.”

  Breath play had never been an interest of Katherine’s. In fact, it once was a hard limit, which Dmitri approved of. Even Doms had limits, and that had always been one of his. Safe, to him, didn’t involve cutting off a submissive’s air supply. He ran his finger over the rim of his glass and asked, “For how long?”

  “Oh, we added it to our scenes a few months ago.” Katherine held Dmitri’s stare dead-on, while before, she never would have done so. Dmitri had no doubt if she looked at Martin now, and spoke to him freely, it was because she had asked permission before they came. She’d always been a needy submissive and thrived off of living that role. The three years they’d been together, she’d spent most of that time kneeling at his feet loving the rules he had in place for her. Even though Katherine was a powerful defense attorney, while not at work, she wanted no control at all.

  Dmitri had tried to be the Dom she needed, but after a while, Katherine grew to require different needs, ones that he couldn’t fulfill. That rope burn on her skin was a simple reminder to him of how different their desires were. Katherine needed a Dom with a firmer hand, one who enforced strict rules and who treated her as his slave, not a sexual submissive. Dmitri didn’t want that life.

  Katherine caressed her fingers across the mark on her neck, and her shiver was visible, as was the smolder in her eyes as she watched Martin. “People change, Dmitri.”

  He took another drink of his wine, and its sweetness rushed down his throat. “You’re right. They do.” For a couple of years after Dmitri ended their relationship, he’d held a strong connection to Katherine. He’d experienced it every time he saw her at visits for him to check in, though none of that existed now.

  “All right,” Martin said, and sipped his red wine but kept a stern gaze on Dmitri. “Why did you request to see us so soon?”

  Dmitri snorted softly at the challenge in his eyes. Hadn’t the roles been reversed? That challenge once was in Dmitri’s eyes as Martin proved himself. At the same time, Dmitri wondered how to put into words why he’d called for this visit, and discovered he was at a bit of a loss.

  “Well, well, well,” Katherine mused. “The bachelor has finally fallen in love.”

  Martin gave Dmitri a thump on his back. “Ah, so that’s what this is all about.” He leaned back in his seat and grinned. “I take it you’ve come to say goodbye to my Katherine.”

  Didn’t that sum it up quite well? The matter of ending these visits was, in fact, between Dmitri and
Katherine, not him and Martin. While Martin owned her, and Dmitri had released her to him, Martin needed only Dmitri’s word that these meetings were over. Dmitri could’ve given that over the telephone. He and Katherine had history that needed the goodbye it deserved. With her now living in New York with Martin, Dmitri could only assume this would probably be the last time he saw Katherine.

  “It’s that time, yes.” He stood, hearing the forks and knives clanging against the plate at the table behind them, and he settled in next to Katherine. He looked at Martin. “May I touch her?”

  Martin nodded.

  Dmitri placed a finger under Katherine’s chin, lifting her head, and stared into warm eyes. He inhaled the fragrance of roses she always wore; even if some things changed, some things never did. Then he went through the same questions he had asked her over the past four years, the questions that, after this moment, he’d never ask again. “Are you playing safe, Katherine?”

  “Perfectly safe.”

  Dmitri had known he’d been her safety net; it was scary for a submissive to enter such ownership, in which she’d lose her voice and choices. Katherine had never refused his visits, and she’d depended on him to help if she needed a way out. Now Dmitri ended that last strand of dependence. Presley deserved all of Dmitri’s attention, and he’d give her nothing less. “Is Martin treating you fairly?”

  She smiled softly. “Of course, Dmitri.”

  He paused, regarded her, and asked one final question. “Are you getting what you need from him?”

  Tears filled her eyes. “He gives me more.”

  Dmitri understood her show of emotion. While they hadn’t been lovers in years, the bond between a Dom and a former sub remained special even if broken, and this was goodbye. “Be well, Katherine.”

  * * *

  Each second seemed like a minute long. Presley watched Steven finally lean away from her and start to close the truck’s door. The world around her had slowed. Yet her thoughts raced. Thoughts of her family finding out about her BDSM lifestyle held heavy on her mind.

  The old Presley would’ve had her seat belt on and listened to him in a second flat. She would’ve not only feared his threat but also been so ashamed at the thought of her parents finding out about her kinky sex that she would’ve overlooked what she wanted.

  She wasn’t that woman anymore. The type of woman who said nothing and did nothing, or the woman who allowed a man to make her believe she was somehow in the wrong. Her new lifestyle wasn’t wrong, as he suggested. It was right, because it was what she needed.

  Why was she allowing Steven to threaten her? Why did she care if they fought at her office? Hadn’t she already decided to find a new job? Besides, he was the asshole in this equation. Her boss and fellow employees would have her back.

  More so, why did she think her parents would believe him? First, they knew Steven had cheated on her. Second, since she’d always been a good girl, her parents would never believe such a tale of a dark and sensual lifestyle.

  Now a slow but delicious strength slid through her veins, and just as Steven was about to close her door, she grabbed the handle and stopped him. “You’re wrong. Everything you said, you’re wrong, Steven.” She attempted to exit the truck, but Steven grabbed her shoulder and pinned her to the seat. Ripping herself away from his hold, she returned the glare that she hoped portrayed all of her hatred for him. “You have no right to tell me anything. You didn’t give a shit about me when you thought with your cock and fucked another woman.”

  Steven’s eyes widened, and his face went beet red. “You say cock? Is that a word a lady uses? See, look what this has done to you. You’ve been corrupted. No wonder you wouldn’t call me back; you’re seriously mentally sick. Do you not see the person you’ve become?”

  Perhaps the conversation was long overdue. Steven had crossed a bad line. Leaning forward, she got up in his face and poured all of her hatred for him, for what he’d done to her, for the pain he’d caused. “You never saw me for the person I was. That fault belongs to you. You were lucky to have me. I picked up my life and moved here to be with you, for you, and I gave you eight years of my life.”

  His lips parted, and the vein on his head enlarged, but she wasn’t nearly done. “You’re a sad, pathetic excuse for a man, do you know that? Your affair wasn’t about your need for more, or whatever stupid reason you told me, it’s because you have an empty, dark soul, and that has nothing to do with me.”

  Steven seethed with rage as he said through clenched teeth, “Regardless of that nonsense you just spat out, you’re going home. Enough is fucking enough. I’m done talking about this.” He flicked the child lock on the door and tried to close it on her.

  Presley pushed out with her other hand against his chest, trying to get him away from the door, but her struggles were useless. His physical strength overpowered her small frame. “Let me out!”

  “No.” Gripping both of her arms, he used his size and muscles against her, shoving her into the seat. “I’m taking you home so you can return to your parents and be a normal person again—a normal person who doesn’t go to fucking sex clubs!”

  “No, I don’t want this. I don’t want to go home!” She raised her legs, kicked out, and connected with his knees. Oh, God, they weren’t in private, someone had to hear her screaming at him. Why was no one coming to help?

  Steven grunted from her hard hit. “That’s it, Presley.” He reached into his pocket and took out his cell phone. “I’m calling your—”

  Then Steven wasn’t blocking her way anymore.

  Presley gasped, jumped out of the truck, and discovered that Dmitri had Steven pinned up against the truck by his throat. The blue tinge of Steven’s face looked good on him, but she shook her head to refocus and said in a strong voice, “Dmitri, put him down.”

  “No,” he growled. Dmitri had always been so calm, even when he’d punched Steven, and he’d always been in control. Now he wasn’t.

  Closing the distance between them, she placed her hand on his arm and felt hard tremors rocking him. “Let Steven go,” she said softly.

  Dmitri never looked at her; in fact, he tightened his fingers around Steven’s throat, deepening the blue in his face. “Dmitri,” she snapped. “Let go!”

  Not a second later, he released a coughing Steven, then he turned to her with eyes blazing. “Remove him from my sight. I suggest you do it now.”

  Presley reached for Dmitri’s hand and tugged, forcing him to take a couple of steps back to put distance between them and Steven. Then she turned to her ex-boyfriend. “Go home, Steven.”

  “You’re fucking stupid, Presley, to stay with him,” Steven wheezed.

  Dmitri growled something fierce and took a step forward, but Presley pulled him back and gripped his hand with both of hers. “That’s enough, for Christ’s sake!” She huffed a frustrated breath, and to Steven, she said, “If you come near me again or contact my parents, I’ll have you arrested.” She paused, considering his offenses. “I’ll get a restraining order against you because you’re harassing me. Do you want a criminal record?”

  Steven’s lips pursed as he rubbed his throat.

  Turning to Dmitri, she said more softly, “Calm down. I’m right here, and I’m not hurt. Beating the hell out of him is only going to get you arrested.”

  “While I like all of what just came out of your mouth and the way you delivered your message to this fucker—” Dmitri lifted an eyebrow; the hot flickers in his gaze hadn’t dimmed. “Aidan is a lawyer. Kyler is a cop. They’ll get me off.”

  “Okay, you’re probably right. They seem very efficient.” She squeezed his hand in hopes that he’d understand. “But I don’t want this. I want Steven to go away. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

  Dmitri stared at her for a long moment before he exhaled. To Steven, he said, “If you come within a foot of her, you’ll regret it.”

  Steven glared at Presley, continued to rub at his neck, then finally snorted. “Fine, you want to fuc
k up your life and become some whore, go right ahead.”

  Dmitri pulled against her hands, but Presley dug her heels into the ground to stop him. She was relieved when he obliged her. She was even happier when Steven strode around the front of his truck.

  “Steven,” Dmitri called, and when Steven turned, he added, “I have power in Vegas. With that power comes a means to destroy lives. If you enjoy your life and your job, stay clear of Presley and her family.”

  Steven paled, opened the door to his truck, jumped in, and with a squeal of his tires, drove off. Presley watched the truck hightail down the street as adrenaline rushed through her veins. Her hands trembled and her insides jumped, then, without any warning, a bubble of laughter rose from her throat.

  Dmitri’s eyebrow slowly arched. “I don’t pretend to understand what you find amusing about this situation.”

  She noticed how he looked at her, with no dominant fury now that Steven had left, and she couldn’t fight off her smile. “That felt good. Telling him off like that. Really good.”

  Dmitri blew out a loud breath, shaking his head at her. “Doll, I prefer to make you feel good in other ways, which don’t include seeing your ex-boyfriend trying to force you into his truck while you’re screaming at him.” Wicked heat passed in the air between them as he grinned, full of arrogance, so classic Dmitri. “Like this way . . .” He closed the distance, then he sealed his mouth over hers in a kiss of pure possession. His lips were firm, his tongue thrusting roughly into her mouth. He didn’t sweep her away with his kiss, but he issued a stern order that his lips belonged on her mouth.

  She liked his way better, too.

  He did make her feel good.

  Really, really good.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Only a minute after Master Dmitri left Presley standing in the foyer of the mansion, a loud squeal erupted around her. She saw Cora running toward her at full speed, her breasts jiggling as she made a beeline straight for her through the long hallway. Presley laughed, which turned into a yelp as Cora smashed her very naked body against her.