Page 7 of Cruel Master
Five minutes. That’s all.
The explosion of messages that greets me blows that idea out of the water. I stand, walk out into the quiet street, and work through the jumble. She got fired? What the hell? The new boss at Brightscape is an asshole, but I didn’t think he was a fool.
I scroll through frantic exchanges with her friends, who all try to cheer her up by promising alcohol-fueled nights or proposing revenge ideas against her ex-boss. Then one name catches my eye.
Alex.
A hard, bitter lump drops into my stomach. It’s been three months since I progressed from occasionally hacking into Juliet’s devices to having them all cloned and easily accessible. In that time, her online dating conversations have given me themost information, nauseating as it’s been to read her flirting with other men.
I’ve taken careful note of the things that keep her interested and the things that cause her to ghost. She usually only chats with one person at a time, and so far, they’ve all fizzled before getting to the stage of an actual meetup. This guy, though? I don’t like him.
He’s rougher, speaks down to her, and is more demanding than the others. And the worst about it is she seems to love it. I read through the newest messages and smack my hand into the quaint brick wall of the bar. No safe word? Going straight to his house without meeting in a public place?
What the hell is wrong with Juliet? It’s like she wants to end up on a true crime podcast.
I lower the phone and try to order my thoughts. Juliet is anything but stupid. She always had a wild streak, but not more than any normal twenty-something. A few times, I had to pick her up from parties drunk or from outside a bar because she lost her phone, but she never did anything I’d class as really dangerous.
This, though? It’s like she’s not herself. She’s ignoring all the glaring neon danger signs. And I know what I have to do.
She wants to be someone’s toy? She’ll be mine.
He’s not getting his filthy hands on her.
I hesitate for an instant, then race into the bar and grab Jacob’s shoulder. He reacts, spinning fast as a cat, knocking my hand away. I catch an instant of hard determination on his face before he sees me and lowers his hands slowly.
“Woah. Sorry, mate. Don’t sneak up on me like that.” His brows pull down. “You okay?”
“It has to be tomorrow.”
Jacob’s demeanor changes instantly, snapping into something businesslike and commanding. He gets to his feet. “What does? Tell me what’s happened.”
I take a deep breath. “My Ward. Things have changed. I need it to happen tomorrow.”
Jacob nods, then leans down to Quinn. “Tell Grandad some business came up.”
He straightens. “Let’s go and see Kendrick.”
Chapter Three
Juliet
Alex: Wear black stockings and a skirt. No bra under whatever you wear on top.
Me: Yes, Master.
I’mpracticallysquirmingonmy seat as I write the text. I shouldn’t be this excited, but it’s been a while. Alongwhile. I keep losing interest before I even get to the meetup stage since the last couple of actual meetups I had were so disappointing.
No matter what BDSM tricks they pulled out, I couldn’t get past the knowledge that it was all fake. I could stop it with a word, and even if I didn’t, once we were finished with the scene, we’d go back to normal life. So what is the point, really?
Alex feels different.
That’s because he is different. He’s ignoring all safety protocols and pushing you into an unsafe situation, you stupid bint.
The protective, red-flag-waving voice pipes up, but I do my best to ignore it. I can’t be unlucky enough to end up with two psychos. Alex is just a guy like me, but on the other end of the spectrum. Playtime isn’t enough for him.
I try to convince myself it’s true and squash my worries as I pack. At least it’s helping to distract me from my game.
By the time I made it home yesterday, I had a six-page email waiting for me from Brightscape’s legal team. They confirmed the end of my ceremonial employment, informed me I am now banned from their offices, and reminded me, in painful detail, of my contractual obligations.
