Page 2 of Motivating Mira
I beamed. “One’s a surprise.”
“I need to see them,” he said and walked over to carry them into his office.
“Hello, artist Mira.” Master Wes said as we followed Master Derek into the office.
The tearing of paper was the only thing that tore my gaze from the gorgeous man. I grinned as soon as I saw Master Derek’s face explode into a huge smile.
Master Wes walked to stand at Master Derek’s side, and his eyes snapped to mine as he whistled. “This is brilliant.” He looked back at me. “Is this the original Ranch?”
I nodded.
“Mira, this is stunning,” Master Derek exclaimed. “And my grandfather and uncle.” He shook his head clearly in disbelief. “Absolutely stunning.”
Master Wes went down onto his haunches to take a closer look as Master Derek hugged me. “I knew you were good. But I didn’t expect this level of talent.” He glanced at the modern painting. “These are going to look fantastic in here.”
“Your portraits are really good,” Master Wes said, standing up.
Master Derek looked between us and then frowned as he glanced at the woman sitting outside. “Mira, would you mind showing Master Wes around a bit? He’s already seen the grounds, but I think he’s eager to see the Dungeon and the rest of our amenities. And I have something else to deal with.”
“Yes, Sir. I’d love to.” And I meant it right to my toes.
“I’ll come find you later. I’ll have these paintings put up and you can come see how they look. I’m so happy with them. Thank you so much.”
“You’re very welcome, Master Derek. It was my pleasure.”
My stomach wobbled at the way Master Wes’s eyes seem to flare heat at the word pleasure.
Master Derek ushered us toward the door and called to the woman in the waiting area. “Young lady, I’ll see you now.”
“I’d love to commission a piece for my office wall,” Wes said as we moved out of the office and passed Erika’s desk. “But I don’t want to impose.”
“It wouldn’t be an imposition at all,” I replied, and Master Wes hit me with a crooked half smile that might have magical powers the way it weakened my knees.
We started chatting, not even noticing that Master Derek and the other woman in the waiting room had left us. At least not until I heard the telltale sound of wood on flesh. I instantly straightened, looking at the door and swallowing hard.
“We should probably leave,” Master Wes said. My eyes left the door to find his filled with amusement. I licked my lips, nodding, my face suddenly hot.
“Not that I don’t enjoy the sound of a naughty submissive getting her comeuppance, but I’m a firm believer in giving people behind closed doors their privacy.”
I nodded and we walked to the elevators. “The guest rooms are soundproofed to ensure exactly that. However, it’s said that Master Derek purposefully left that out of his office plans with the belief that sound can be an effective deterrent. And, since I’ve sat on that very bench myself, I can assure you he was correct.” I paused to let him take that in and then grinned. “Come on, the really good stuff is on the lower level.”
When we got into the elevator and the doors shut, Master Wes spoke again. “I’d like the opinion of a submissive here. What do you think of the famous Rawhide Ranch, Miss Wilcox? I mean, by your work, you must hold it in high esteem, but what about on a more personal level.”
“It’s home,” I said, gathering a breath. “Not like as in my place of residence, although it is that too, but like the place I belong.”
“That’s an interesting way of putting it.”
“I don’t know if you ever felt like you didn’t quite fit anywhere, but that’s how I’ve felt my whole life… until now.”
“I understand. Out there”—he nodded to the window where the manicured lawns rolled out as far as I could see toward theroad—“you’re expected to be both feminine and submissive for men with frail egos, while also having enough masculine energy to be taken seriously in the work force so you can compete in a world men have owned for centuries. And all that requires you to wear a costume and perform a delicately balanced dance.”
“One that isn’t required here, right,” I added, nodding. “But it’s no better for male submissives out there, not with toxic masculinity running rampant.”
Master Wes smiled softly down at me. “You have a beautiful mind, Mira. At least as beautiful as the rest of you.”
My stomach flipped, and my face felt hot again.
The tour ended in the Dungeon and, by then, there was no denying I was smitten with Master Wes. I shivered from head to toe as if it were my body he was caressing as he ran his hand along the spanking bench I’d been strapped to the night before.
