Bunny and the Beast(Divine Creek Ranch 22)(8)

“We’ll continue this conversation inside when you’re done, Bunny. You will check in with me before you leave? I have something for you.”

“Sure, sure. You better hurry. Your subbie needs you. Maybe she’ll let you spank her since I won’t.” Gosh, shut up, girl!

“One of these days,” Joseph said, not quite masking the amusement in his tone as he backed away. “And she is not my submissive.”

“Neither am I.”

“As you said, every guy has to have a dream,” he repeated, his tone a little lighter as he strolled away.

That idea shouldn’t have as much appeal as it does. Not the spanking, beating, or getting tied up part, but being his?

She sighed as she unbuckled her harness and slipped it off. He was gone from view by the time she slung it over her shoulder and lugged her tool belt and bucket back to her truck. She still had work to do, and daydreams didn’t earn her a paycheck.





Chapter Three




Joseph’s palm itched as he imagined wrapping it around Bunny’s thick braid, the way her fiery windblown tresses would look framing her face as he tilted her head back and took her mouth.

Drawing a deep breath, he walked away from her across the lawn, back toward the house and the life he was comfortable with, and understood. Letting her go would undoubtedly be best for both of them.

“Master?” Jade said, waiting for him as he rounded the corner, where he knew she would be, ready to serve.

“Jade, I’ve told you before. You are not obligated to call me Master. Did you reply to the e-mails I forwarded to you?”

With eyes averted, Jade shook her head and then, remembering herself, said, “No, Mast—No, Sir.”

“Have you at least looked through them?”

“Yes, Sir. I have.” He heard the resistance in her tone. Persistent sub.

Bunny had the mistaken notion that subs were easy to push around. In Jade’s case, he almost wished that were true. She was unquestioningly obedient, playing with the Doms he introduced her to at the club, some of whom he had thought would be perfect for her, but she’d ultimately claimed incompatibility in each case. Of all the subs he’d seen enter the doors of Hazelle House, she was the one he was most concerned about.

“And?”

“I—um…”

“Yes, you, Jade. This is about what you want and what you need in a healthy relationship.”

Defeat rounded her shoulders. “I will look at them again, Sir. But that’s not why I came out here. Beckett is looking for you.”

“Did he say what he needed?”

She shook her head. “No, Sir. The last time I saw him, when he asked if I’d seen you, he was in the North Tower.”

“Thank you,” he said, patting her shoulder. “Have another look at those e-mails, and each Dom deserves a polite and honest reply to their inquiry. I’ll understand if you are not interested in meeting some of them, but if you refuse all of them, I will be disappointed.”

Jade glanced up at him, her eyes unfathomable green pools. No other sub shook his confidence in his abilities to match a sub with a Dom the way she did. A hard nut to crack, his father would’ve said.

“Sir?”

“Yes?” he asked as he walked toward the garden. He heard her soft steps directly behind him.

When he turned back, she had her eyes averted again. “That woman?” She pointed at the corner of the mansion, where he’d just come from.

“Miss Carrigan?”

She nodded, and he saw the way her brows drew together. “She was disrespectful, Sir.”

Joseph surprised himself by smiling. Jade didn’t know the half of it. “She isn’t a submissive, but she is very good at her job. Because of her, you’ll be able to send all of those e-mail replies I expect you to work on today.”

Jade seemed satisfied by his response and nodded. “I have a lead on an apartment in Morehead.”

“That’s good to hear. A fresh start will be beneficial for you.” Donald, her previous Dom, an older man she’d adored, had passed away of a massive heart attack. Being Donald’s friend, Joseph had let her know she could count on him for any help she might need as she grieved. As if that weren’t enough, the small house she’d been renting had been heavily water-damaged in a flash flood earlier in the summer. Without a Dom at the time, she’d faltered, and he’d stepped in. Questioning his better judgement, he’d extended the invitation for her to stay at the mansion while she got back on her feet and secured another place to live. In exchange, she performed simple administrative duties at the direction of his personal assistant, Beckett Herbold.