Page 138 of Deep Cover

23

Cole

Valentine's Day was coming up fast. Annie asked for permission to call Mark that day, prettily phrased and kneeling with her gaze down, her hands laced behind her back. I considered making her work for it, but the work in the lab was going well and I had other things on my mind. I allowed her the phone call, gave her a generous hour, and was interested in the somewhat sterile phone call and the fact that it ended before the hour was up.

She didn't seem upset by this. Maybe such communications between them were normal. Or maybe he was on shift at the hospital. Apparently Annie's fiancé was as tied to his job as she was to hers.

Among the things on my mind was the annual Valentine's Day party a handful of us threw in the valley. Generally held at the home of Dr. Andrew and his wife Cecile, two of the richest in the valley. Their master/slave relationship was more than a decade old and Cecile was lovely, in her late twenties now. He'd bought her the day she turned eighteen, a runaway on the street in danger of overdosing or being strangled by some john who wanted more than a hand job in the backseat. Dr. Andrew, on the other hand, was a huge, rangy man with a homely face, and fifty if he was a year. I'd never had a girl with him, never heard all the details of what he liked to do, but there were rumors.

The other three couples were million- and billionaires, a club of us, and our slaves or significant others. All male Masters. All female slaves. Very traditional. There were two things I was uncomfortable about this year. I had no problem with Annie being resistant. Most slaves are at the beginning and in the terms of such relationships, we were still very new. She hadn't come to this from the lifestyle, as Claude V's wife, Chloe had.

What I was worried about was that at Dr. Andrew's home, Dr. Andrew's rules were upheld. A master still held ultimate control over his slave and his rules were followed by the girl. But if she did something out of line, if there was a problem, Dr. Andrew reserved the right to correct the problem – and the girl – himself.

That would be difficult with Annie.

The other problem was that Vincent would be there. I didn't trust the man. He was more than a sexual sadist. I didn't believe he'd ever killed anyone. It didn't seem to be that sort of a situation. But his cruelty went beyond what my comfort level allowed.

Making my girls scream. Fucking them hard. Fucking them up. I loved to leave marks. I loved to elicit screams. I loved to change the direction of lives. I loved to see the hurt in their eyes and mouths and the fear there, too.

There was something about Vincent that I didn't trust. His extreme cruelty. His ability to hone in on the newest girl and bid to make her his. In the fall at the annual auction and dinner party a group of us had in the valley, to raise money to fight sexual trafficking, he had bid for and won Annie.

I had refused to let him walk away with her. She'd been bound naked to a post, tied lewdly to it, her terror so complete I couldn't let her leave with him. I didn't want her hurt by anyone else. I didn't want him to have her.

He still had a claim.

And he would be at the dinner party, the last of the couples, now with a new woman, a gorgeous Italian woman I'd met at an event only a month or two before.

I'd told Vincent later. Or not at all. I'd told him she wasn't ready and that he was a junior member of our group and that if he fought me on this, I wouldn't let him have her at all.

I'd meant it. But at Dr. Andrew's, it might be harder to stop him from taking her.

The Valentine's Day party wasn't an auction. It was fancy dress, elegant food, good conversation between men who shared the best of things. The women were there to be seen, dressed beautifully, quiet, demure, and at the end of the meal, after a cool down period of movies and talk, there was an orgy.

Old fashioned, honest to god orgy.

I was both appalled at the idea of how Annie would handle such a thing - And eager to see her try.

"Dr. Andrew's residence, this is Cecile."

"Cece."

Her voice was warm at once. "Cole St. Martin. Where have you been hiding, sir? It's been much too long since we saw you."

"I've been in Rio, for a while, and then running numbers and scams."

She laughed. "Right. Your cons are well known. The charities tremble when you come near."

"Well, I'm glad someone is trembling." It was hard to believe it wasn't Cecile. One of the last times I saw her Dr. Andrew had allowed me to switch her with bundles of flexible branches that had been soaking in brine. That she even wanted to talk to me showed how very well Dr. Andrew had chosen.

Her giggle was girlish. "You're on the phone, sir. I'm safe from you. And I've learned to run very fast in the last several months."

"Yes, but in heels and a gown? Our St. V's party is fast approaching."

"I hear you've got your own slave, sir. I'm hoping she can distract you." Definitely laughter in her voice.

"She can. Very well. But all men like a bit of variety."

I imagined I could hear her shiver over the phone. In due course I got the particulars for the night from her, then spoke with Andrew, asking him for a few favors for Annie, ways we could perhaps both stretch her and protect her.

"I imagine you're concerned that Vincent will be present."

I sighed. "I wanted to speak with you about that in particular. I won't let Annie go with him. Is that going to be a problem?"

"Not from me. Maybe from Vincent. Or even Kie."

Kie was Vincent's newest conquest. She was dark haired and ivory skinned and about twenty-three, slim, lean and hard with high, tight breasts I longed to whip. But not if it brought Annie to their attention.

Shit, who was I kidding? Just having her there would make them aware of her. I couldn't go on hiding and protecting her forever. There were so many games I wanted to play with her.

This was just one more.

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