The Claiming (3 page)

His mind finally registered that nothing was wrong with Sasha and what she'd been saying worked its way into his brain. Someone was outside? He couldn't fathom who would stop by to visit, but then again, word had gotten out that he'd bought the place. It could be anyone. Probably there were a good number of people living nearby who remembered him.

Damn stupid rotten timing. He wanted nothing more than to finish what he'd started with Sasha. He'd just send whoever it was away.

But from outside the barn came a familiar, “Yoo-hoo!” that made him moan.

“What?” Sasha asked. “Do you recognize their voice?”

“Cole?” asked the lady outside. “Are you down here? I thought I saw something.”

“Who is it?” Sasha sounded pissed. And he couldn't blame her. After all, he'd been minutes away from making her come so hard, she'd forget her name. Not to mention, the knees of her jeans were dirty, telling anyone who cared to look exactly what she'd been doing not too long ago.

He sighed heavily. “Mary Catherine.”

What the fuck?

Sasha knew she shouldn't be angry at Cole; there was no way he'd known she was going to show up and ruin what she knew would be an earth-shattering orgasm. But the fact was, she
was
angry and he was the closest person to her.

She put her hands on her hips. Sasha had been too hesitant and unsure to say anything when Cole's ex unexpectedly dropped by the morning after she and Cole had slept together for the first time. But that was then and this was now. And now she was not hesitant or unsure. “Is it like a game your ex-girlfriends have? Trying to see how many times they can cock-block us? Do they get bonus points if they see me naked?”

“Sasha,” Cole said.

“Hello!” the perky voice from outside said. “I hear voices.”

Sasha rolled her eyes.

Seconds later, a petite woman with gray-streaked strawberry blond hair appeared in the doorway. “I thought I saw someone in here.”

But the blonde didn't pay Sasha any attention. She had eyes only for Cole.

“Cole Johnson,” she said, obviously not caring about her cold reception. “I heard you'd bought this place and then I saw the strange car yesterday. I put two and two together and decided to come say hi.”

“Hi,” Sasha said, but Mary Catherine didn't even look her way.

“I tried the house and no one answered, but the car was still outside, so I took a chance you'd be down here.” She threw her hands up. “And here you are!”

“How are you, Mary Catherine?” Cole asked.

The blonde looked entirely too pleased to be the focus of his attention. Her cheeks actually flushed. “Good. I'm good. How are you?”

“I'm well, thank you.”

“I can't believe you're back. Are you here for good?”

He moved to stand by Sasha's side and slipped an arm around her shoulders. “No, actually. We're just here for a week or so. This is my Sasha. Sasha, this is Mary Catherine. We grew up together; she was the vicar's daughter.”

He spoke it all very calmly, giving no indication that he'd ever breathed a word about Mary Catherine before this introduction.

The woman still didn't look her way. “Married?”

Cole shook his head. “Not in so many words.”

She frowned at that. “In any words?”

“In the ones that matter.” Cole stroked Sasha's collar, perhaps to see if the other woman noticed and would have a clue to its meaning.

From all appearances, she didn't seem to. “I was married. We divorced last year.”

“I'm sorry to hear that.”

Mary Catherine laughed. “I'm sure as hell not. He was an arse and a bore. I was glad to get rid of him. Do you have any kids? I have three.”

“No. No, children.”

Now
she looked at Sasha. “That's too bad. Infertility?”

“Nothing of the sort. Just not ready to give up the hot-as-hell sex. Plus, I hear your boobs get flabby. And you have to deal with diapers and colic and driving and college. And did I mention I'm not ready to give up the hot-as-hell sex?”

Cole coughed, obviously trying to cover up his laugh. But in front of them, Mary Catherine's eyes blazed.

“I think that's just selfish,” she said.

Sasha shrugged. “That's because you've never had sex so good it lasts for days and an orgasm so intense you black out.” Her work here was done. She patted Cole's chest. “I'll leave you two old friends to catch up. I'll be waiting for you in the dining room, naked. We still have to christen the table.”

***

“She's lovely,” Mary Catherine said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

“She's incredible.” Cole watched Sasha's retreating backside with a combination of pride and desire. Holy hell, she was sexy as fuck when she put Mary Catherine in her place.

“Is that really what you look for in a woman?”

Cole bit back the angry reply and asked calmly, “Why are you here, Mary Catherine?”

“I told you, to welcome you back home.”

“This is not home. This is an investment property. Home is in the States, where I'll be returning in less than a week.”

She didn't appear to give his remark any thought. Instead, she walked around the barn, looking over everything. “Lots of memories here. Do you remember?”

“Of course.” He needed her to leave; he had a hot date waiting in the dining room. “Come on. Let me walk you to your car.”

“Don't I even get a hug? For old time's sake?”

“No, I'm afraid not.” He started walking to the barn door.

“She doesn't let you touch other women? Is she afraid she'll lose you?”

That was enough. He stopped dead in his tracks, turned around, and gave her the look that had earned him the nickname
Badass Brit
. Mary Catherine's eyes grew wide with shock.

He spoke slowly, “If you were a bloke, you'd already be knocked out on the floor for being so disrespectful toward Sasha. She is the best thing that ever happened to me and no one—I repeat,
no one—
will disrespect her. The best thing you can do is go back to your house and your children, and leave her alone. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm needed in my dining room.”

He left her standing there, and didn't look back to see if she stayed or left herself. Good Lord, he could have slapped his thirteen-year-old self. He used to fancy
that
? With a renewed purpose, he quickened his stride and made his way to the house. Once inside, he made a beeline to the dining room, only to find it empty.

What the hell?

“Sasha?” he called. Where was she? He went to the morning room, where he'd found her earlier, but she wasn't there. Nor was she in their bedroom. He stood near the window, trying to think of where she might be. A movement outside caught his attention.

The greenhouse.

He made it there in record time, and she gasped when he pushed the door open. She caught herself on her hands before she fell over into the pot of dirt she was mixing.

“You're back sooner than I anticipated,” she finally said.

“Yes, and you're not in the dining room and you're not naked.” He crossed his arms and gave her the same look he'd given Mary Catherine moments before.

“I thought—”

He held up his hand to stop her. “I don't care what you thought. I'm going to be in the dining room in three minutes and you better be in there, completely naked.”

She opened her mouth as if she was going to say something, but apparently thought better of it. She stood up, brushed her knees off, and hurried out the door.

He waited for thirty seconds and then followed. He had a table to christen.

Cole waited outside the front doors as the car holding their guests for the week pulled up. Sasha watched him from her place off to the side of the door. She brushed her hands over the uniform Cole set out for her, and they trembled just a bit in excitement.

The week Cole had planned for them all was so unlike anything she'd ever done and she couldn't imagine any of the players had done anything similar, either. He hadn't told her much, just to expect a little bit of role play. She rather liked being dressed up in the servant's outfit Cole had selected specifically today for everyone's arrival. Especially wearing Cole's collar. It wasn't exactly like when he trained her in slave service for two weeks, but it was close enough.

Since that time, she'd done everything she could to get to the root of why she liked being Cole's so much. In fact, she'd filled half a notebook with thoughts. On one hand, she felt like she shouldn't like it. After all, she was a small business owner. She was intelligent and self-sufficient. So why did she get off on serving Cole?

She'd never questioned her submissive nature before, but once she'd experimented as his slave, she couldn't help but question the way that experience made her feel. She'd found everything about serving him twenty-four/seven made her feel at peace and content. Even though he'd told her that they weren't going to be in a Master/slave relationship at this point in time, her belly still quivered with excitement simply thinking about it.

Maybe that was why she had so looked forward to this week. No, it wasn't exactly like being a slave, but it was pretty close. Already she could see Cole's eyes grow dark with lust and wanting when he looked at her in the uniform. Even though it was only for role play. Of course, he probably also liked the fact that she didn't have anything on underneath her short skirt.

“When you least expect it, I'm going to push you against a wall, lift your skirt, and fuck you good and hard,” he'd told her when he set out the uniform.

“Yes, Sir. Please and thank you and can you do it now?” she'd asked, but he just laughed, gave her backside a swat, and told her to be patient.

Cole opened the car door and let Abby and Julie out. The two women had their heads together looking over the huge house. The driver of the car let Daniel and Nathaniel out and then got the bags from the back. Cole motioned her forward.

Game on.

She scurried down the stairs to where Cole stood, talking with the foursome. “Ah,” he said when he saw her. “Here's my servant girl, Ms. Blake. Ms. Blake, will you take the ladies up to their quarters? I'm sure they would like to refresh themselves after such a long journey. The gentlemen and I would like drinks in the library in thirty minutes.”

Thirty minutes. She hid her smile. Even though it was a role play, he was giving her time to chat with her friends. “Yes, my lord.” She curtsied and didn't miss his wink as she stood. “Mrs. West, Ms. Masterson, if you don't mind following me.”

Both ladies bid the men good-bye and walked behind Sasha as they all made their way to the entrance. They kept the roles up until they crossed the threshold and the heavy wooden doors closed behind them.

“Girl, look at you,” Julie said. “You look hot dressed like a maid.”

Abby nodded. “I have got to get me one of those uniforms. Nathaniel would die.”

“It has definitely fueled a few fantasies,” Sasha said, tugging at the short skirt. “I'd be lying if I said otherwise.”

“And look at this house.” Julie walked around the foyer. “It's huge. How old is it, anyway?”

“I think Cole said at least a couple hundred years. It's been renovated a few times.” Sasha motioned the women to follow her. “Come on upstairs. Let me show you your rooms.”

“Definitely won't find anything like this Stateside,” Abby said. “It's stunning.”

“Wait until you see the gardens. I think we're doing something out there tomorrow. Cole won't tell me all of his plans.”

Was it her imagination or did a look pass between Julie and Abby?

They didn't say anything else, so she led them upstairs to the massive bedrooms. She stopped at the first one on the right. “Abby, you and Nathaniel will be in here.” She pointed across the hall. “Julie, you and Daniel are in there.”

Julie's eyes danced with merriment. “And where do you sleep?”

“Servant's quarters are up another flight of stairs.”

“Avoiding the question?” Abby asked.

The front door opened down the stairs and the sound of masculine laughter filled the air.

“Master Johnson sometimes requests assistance in the night, so he's asked me to sleep in his chamber,” she said, trying to keep a straight face as she fell back into role. “But he wouldn't want such scandalous information to get out. So you will keep that to yourself, yes?”

“Of course,” Abby said.

“So if you hear anyone walking the halls in the middle of the night, it's probably me. No need to check.” Sasha tapped her lips as if in thought. “And if you hear any screams, or moans, or anything like that, it's just me providing the assistance Master Johnson requires. He told me I have to try to be quieter, but sometimes I can't help it.”

Julie didn't even try to contain her laughter. “Deal. As long as you ignore it if there are any strange noises coming from our room.”

They shook on it.

Abby trailed her finger along the doorframe to her room. “I don't feel like refreshing myself in my room. I want to see more of this place. Can you show us around a bit?”

***

Shit. Shit. Shit.
Sasha ran down the hall to the library. Or as quickly as she could move while carrying a tray of drinks. The tour she gave the women had taken longer than she planned and she was ten minutes late bringing the drinks to the men.

Coming to a stop outside the door, she took a deep breath and knocked.

“Enter,” Cole said from inside.

She pushed the door open just a crack. Cole stood near the fireplace. She couldn't see the other two men.

“Today, if you please, Ms. Blake. I believe you've kept us waiting long enough.”

Shit.

She pushed the door all the way open and stepped inside.

“Put the tray on the table to your right and then come kneel before me,” Cole said in a voice so chilling she shivered.

She hurried to do as he asked, still uttering curses in her head as she went to her knees in front of him.

“When did I tell you to have drinks here?” he asked.

“Thirty minutes after you bid me to take the ladies to their quarters.”

“I see, so you did understand?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“And was I not being generous in allowing you time to talk with the ladies?”

“Yes, Sir. Very generous.”

“And yet you thank me by disrespecting my guests here in the library.”

“I meant no disrespect, Sir.”

“Whether you meant it or not is inconsequential to this discussion. You were given a command, you did not follow it, and now there will be consequences.”

Damn it all to hell. This was not how she pictured the first day going.

“I asked Master West and Master Covington if they would like to assist in your correction. However, due to the relationships they have with the ladies upstairs, they have passed.”

She allowed herself a sigh of relief. How embarrassing would that have been? Bad enough for Cole to punish her, but for someone else as well?

“Heir Brose arrived twenty minutes ago, though, and he has no issue with helping me.”

Suddenly, there weren't enough curse words to mutter in her head. Heir Brose was the man who had mentored Cole years ago. People thought Cole was a hard ass, but that was only because they'd never met Heir Brose.

“I've decided that since you were ten minutes late, you will get ten strokes. Five from me with my cane and five from Heir Brose with his belt. You will then apologize for being late. Do you have any questions?”

“No, Sir.”

“Tell me why you're being punished.”

“Because I failed to obey your command to serve drinks in the library within thirty minutes.”

“Very good. Come lean against the mantel and get ready. I'm not requiring you to be naked since there are others present.”

Wasn't that strange? For the first time since she could remember, other people seeing her scars had not entered her mind. That was very interesting. She wondered if it meant she was almost 100 percent better.

She stood up and walked to the mantel. It was rather low, so she could rest her head on her arms on top of it. She didn't look to see if Daniel and Nathaniel remained in the room. She assumed they were, since she was to apologize to them later.

There was some faint murmuring behind her. She realized that this would be the first time a Dom other than Cole touched her. She waited for the panic to set in. Looked for signs of the terror clawing her throat or the sweats that she remembered so well. But there was nothing.

She didn't have time to rejoice in the newfound knowledge, however, because someone stepped up behind her. A familiar hand lifted the hem of her skirt and tucked it in her waistband.

“Hard and fast,” Cole said. “No need to count.”

She only had time to nod before the first one fell. She sucked in a deep breath and braced herself for the second. True to his word, the next four fell swiftly. When he was finished, though, he didn't move away. Instead, he moved up to stand near her shoulder. To be close to her in case she needed him, she supposed.

She jerked briefly when Fritz ran a hand over her backside. But Cole placed a hand on her shoulder, and she knew she'd be okay.

“Okay to continue?” Cole asked.

She felt Fritz step away, probably waiting for Cole to indicate he could proceed. She could lie. It would be easy and Cole would never know. No one would. But it was more than deceiving Cole that stopped her from doing so. She wanted to prove that she could have another man touch her. That she had grown even further in her healing process with Cole. And she couldn't do that if she lied now.

“Yes, Sir.”

The air behind her moved as Fritz got back in place. “Counting is not necessary.”

Like Cole, his strokes were hard and fast. And though she wasn't crying, a few tears had escaped her eyes. She had the feeling Fritz went a bit light on her.

Cole pulled her dress back into place. “Go say your apologies and serve the drinks to the men.”

Sniffling just a bit, she moved gingerly to the table in front of where the men sat. Oh so carefully, she moved to her knees and bowed her head. “Please forgive me for my tardiness. I meant no disrespect.”

“All is forgiven,” Daniel said.

Nathaniel added, “Agreed, think of it no more.”

She rose to her feet and served each man a drink. It was crazy, but she didn't feel self-conscious at all. When everyone was served, she put the tray back down. Cole hadn't sat down yet and he'd shaken his head when she offered him a drink. It actually worked out better that way, because she was able to give his glass to Fritz.

Before she could wonder what to do next, Cole came up beside her and scooped her into his arms. “Gentlemen,” he said. “If you'll excuse us.”

She didn't hear if the men answered. Her attention was on how good it felt to be in his arms, his smell, the movement of his chest as he spoke, the beating of his heart, just him in general. They left the library and he carried her into a small sitting room nearby, where he sat on a couch with her in his lap.

“Are you okay?” he asked, stroking her hair and pressing a kiss against her forehead.

“Yes, Sir.” She could stay in his arms forever; there was nowhere else she'd rather be. She always felt so protected and secure in his embrace. And not just physically, but emotionally as well, for she knew she could bare her soul and he would guard it with his life.

“I wasn't sure how you'd feel about Fritz being involved.”

“It wasn't until he stepped behind me that I realized it would be another Dom for the first time since you.”

“That thought did cross my mind.” She heard the smile in his voice.

Which is why he stood by her shoulder, she realized.

“Any signs of panic?” he asked.

She took her time in responding. Mentally, she checked for signs that she knew would be a precursor to a panic attack. But there was nothing. She almost felt giddy at the thought. She pulled back and looked at him. “There's nothing, Sir. It's almost as if the panic never was never there to begin with.”

“But we both know it was,” he said. “So you'll forgive me if I remain rather close by your side today. Just in case.”

He had just caned her. And in addition he had asked another Dom to use a belt on her. Though her backside was sore, her heart was full. Because he had just proven how diligent he was in his care of her.

She snuggled deeper into his embrace. “Thank you, Sir.”

“Did Abby and Julie get settled?” he asked.

“I believe so. When I left them, they were planning to go outside.” She turned a bit so she could face him. “And I
am
sorry I was late.”

“Hush.” He pressed a finger over her lips. “It has been dealt with. There is no need to bring it back up.”

Sometimes she had a hard time understanding how he could wipe it away so quickly. After all, she still remembered. But she knew she shouldn't dwell on it. Instead, she should remember it only for the lesson it taught her. A very interesting topic. Perhaps that would be the subject for tonight's journal session.

“Damn,” Cole said. “There's no water or ointment in here.”

“I'm fine to sit here by myself.”

“Perhaps you're fine with it, but I'm not.” He was silent for couple seconds. “I'll carry you up to our room. I believe everything I need is in there.”