Page 57 of His Master

“Please, Master,” I said blearily. “When this is all over, can we sleep for a long, long time?”

Victor huffed a tired laugh and said, “Absolutely. I might not let you out of bed for days. We’ll sleep, then I’ll fuck you into a puddle, then we’ll sleep again.”

I laughed softly. “I’d like that.”

Those warm, fuzzy, sexy thoughts were put aside entirely as we made the turn into the airport. Like a lot of small, regional airports, it wasn’t much to look at. There was a small parking lot, which currently had a limo parked off to one side, and a larger hanger. I could just make out a few private jets and smaller planes of the sort I imagined people took flying lessons in on the tarmac beyond.

Victor and I got out of the car and walked quickly to the door leading into the hanger’s small, surprisingly well-appointed lounge. Victor took my hand after holding the door for me, and as soon as I saw what was inside the lounge, I was glad.

“…don’t know what you expect me to do about it,” a tall, dark-haired, severe-looking woman in designer jeans and a blazer snapped into her phone. She wore an astounding amount of jewelry and vicious, three-inch, bright red heels with herjeans. She also resembled Victor. There was no mistaking Vivien Woodbury.

“Vivien,” Victor said quietly in greeting.

Vivien held up one manicured finger to silence Victor, then went on with her phone conversation. “The two of you have me seriously pissed off with this feud of yours,” she said, clearly speaking to her father. “No, I don’t care what he’s done that you disapprove of. He’s just trying to run Victory Holdings in a way that will create the most profit.”

She paused as, I assumed, Vincent made some sort of argument. As she listened, she looked at us, raking me with a gaze that said she didn’t think much of her cousin’s new toy.

“There’s more than one way to make a profit,” she went on, possibly interrupting her father. If she had the balls to do that, I desperately hoped she was on our side. “He’s not preventing the company from growing, he’s just taking a different tack than you are.”

There was another pause, during which I felt impatience from Victor.

“I don’t believe that for a second,” Vivien went on with a snort. “All I see is two alpha egos clashing. What you’re doing is dangerous. What Victor is doing is stubborn. I don’t see why the two of you can’t just hug it out and work together.”

Vivien pulled the phone away from her ear with a sour look, and I heard Vincent’s incredulous voice shouting.

“Enough of this,” Vivien said, ending her father’s rant. “I just arrived in Norwalk, and the limo I hired is here.” She paused, then said, “I told you, the flight was diverted due to weather or technical something-or-other, I don’t know. Now I have to make the long drive back to Barrington so I can put out the fires you and Victor have created. No, I don’t want to hear it. I’ll see you later this morning. I love you, bye.”

She ended the call with a huff as she lowered her phone. I had no idea what to think of anything I’d heard, and I still didn’t know if she was on our side or her father’s.

She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at Victor before saying, “You’d better have a great explanation for everything going on.”

“Oh, I do,” Victor said, stepping forward to greet her with a kiss to her cheek.

I was surprised when the two of them embraced and I felt genuine, if conflicted, feelings from Victor.

“Is this the omega you kidnapped?” Vivien asked, nodding to me, when she stepped back.

“I didn’t kidnap him,” Victor said, rolling his eyes, though the feeling I got from him didn’t match his impatient expression. “He’s my mate, my omega. We’ve bonded.”

“Good for you,” Vivien said. I couldn’t tell if she was being facetious or genuine. Especially when she smirked at me and said, “Nice collar. Are you sure you don’t need me to call the authorities?”

I figured there was nothing to lose in being completely honest with Victor’s family, so I said, “The nature of my and Victor’s relationship is none of your business. We’re together, that’s all you need to know.”

“Ooh!” Vivien glanced to Victor again with a sparkle in her eyes. “He’s feisty! I like that.” She glanced back to me again. “Why are you here, other than the fact that bonded pairs are disgustingly sweet and joined at the hip.”

Victor surprised me by saying, “Simon just happens to work for a law firm that deals in corporate law. He’s been advising me on everything Uncle Vincent has been doing and ways we might counter it.”

I thought his use of ‘we’ was clever, even though I wasn’t convinced Vivien was on our side, yet.

“Well, explain it all to me in the limo,” she said, marching past us toward the door, her dangerous heels clacking.

“I’ve borrowed a friend’s car,” Victor said, taking my hand and following her. “We should drive that back. Especially since it was damaged a bit in a high-speed car chase in the mountains.”

Vivien shook her head as soon as we were all outside and she saw Hayden and Mason’s SUV. “We’re taking the limo. You can send someone to fetch this car for your friends. Or if you’re so concerned about a few scratches, buy them a new one.”

Honestly, I was glad she insisted on the limo. I didn’t want Hayden and Mason involved in whatever was going on as much as possible. Vincent already knew we’d borrowed their car. I felt safer piling into the limo. Besides, the limo was far more comfortable, and I could sit on the seat with Victor, pressed right against him. I was even tempted to lie down with my head in his lap, but I needed to play a part in the explanation of what was going on.

“So get me up to speed,” Vivien said once she was seated and had a cup of coffee in her hands. I don’t know how she managed to have the driver give her fresh, hot coffee, but she didn’t offer one to Victor or me. “What the actual fuck is going on?”

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