Page 11 of Her Royal Master
“What’s that?”
“That woman—Madison James—”
My eyes narrowed and my lip curled, all good humor fleeing.Now the little reporter comes out, sniffing for her story.The familiar feeling of being used turned my stomach.I stalked away to stand over a trashcan and spit out the olive pit with far more force than necessary.
“It was never assault, was it?Just BDSM?”
Smart cookie.I gave her the coldest look I could muster, the kind designed to wither fruit on a vine.“Keep up the questions, American, and I’ll put a ball-gag in that pretty mouth of yours.”
She stopped chewing, the color draining from her face.It appeared to take great effort for her to swallow.“I’m sorry, I—”
I gave a small but deliberate shake of my head, and she stopped speaking, like a good slave.She was a fucking natural.Too bad she had ulterior motives.
“Mention it again and I’ll punish you.Severely.”
She squirmed and the color returned to her face in a flush.I hoped she was imagining the most sordid forms of punishment possible.
My mood soured and I paced around the room, debating my next move.
As if she read my mind, Chelsea asked, “What are you going to do with me?”
I stopped and fixed her with an assessing stare.“It depends on you.”
She’d stopped eating, which I regretted, because I knew she was hungry.I walked over and took her chin, lifting her pretty face.
“Ready to tell me the truth?”
She shrank from my touch, but didn’t deliberately pull away.“I did tell you the truth.Allegra is my roommate.”
“Why are you here, Chelsea?”I kept my voice soft, but she shivered anyway.
She bit her lip, and her eyes slid to the side, unable to fully look away because I held her jaw.
“Don’t lie to me, baby.It’s one thing I won’t forgive.”
She lifted her gaze once more, boldness taking the place of doubt.“I won’t lie, then.”
I waited.
She said nothing more.
My temper flared.“I see.”I resisted the urge to pace again.“I think you underestimate the danger you’re in.If I tell Samson a reporter sneaked on board, he will destroy you.You see, Samson has underground connections all over the world.A few phone calls and he could ruin your career, your parents’ lives, anything you care about.”That was true, but I would ever actually hang her out to dry.It went against my very fiber.Protect.Pleasure.Train.Those urges couldn’t be ignored.The rest… the rest we’d figure out.
The pulse at her throat fluttered, and her breath had quickened, making those perky breasts rise and fall more rapidly.“Why didn’t you tell him already?”Her voice came out as no more than a whisper.Yep, smart cookie.
I blinked and turned away.Because my need to protect the female in my care trumps all else.Especially a woman like her.Despite her deceit, I saw a sweet innocence in Chelsea.The joy she’d taken with Shadow.The trust with which she’d given her body to me for pleasure and light punishment.They stood in contrast with the barriers she’d erected now, the stubborn ambition that drove her.
I swung around and pierced her with a glare.“You won’t be writing any story about my cousin.Not about this yacht, not about what you’ve seen.You will sign the NDA with your real name, or you won’t leaveSweet Surrender.Ever.Understand?”
She set her plate on the bed beside her with a trembling hand.“You’re going to just keep me here, forever?Don’t you think someone will come looking for me, eventually?”I saw from the flickers of fear on her face that no one would.
I made atskingsound.“Who did you tell you were coming on this yacht, Chelsea?”
She sucked on her lower lip, her breath shortening.“Allegra knows,” she said in a small voice.
“Yes, Allegra.You’re close, are you?”
Chelsea’s eyes darted around the room, and she swallowed again.“You won’t keep me prisoner here.”
