Page 5 of Her Royal Master (Master Me #1)

D arius

A merican Beauty drifted immediately to sleep. It was unbelievably adorable, her light sighs slipping through swollen lips, flushed face relaxed. I didn’t want to disturb her. I managed to remove the condom and toss it in the trash next the bed, and then I simply laid beside her watching.

She’d yielded so easily. Just gave herself to me.

I hadn’t expected her to say yes. To docilely assume the position I suggested.

Thought I’d have to command her surrender, trick her into it, even.

I’d been ready for a worthy adversary in a battle of wills.

But she was a natural submissive, even though her mind resisted.

Her body had gone pliant, responded like it was made just for me.

For my fingers to play, my tongue to lick.

And that delicious ass… mmm. American booty—so firm and round. My handprints still glowed pink on her smooth skin, like art on a canvas. I wanted to fuck her again. Spank her again. Take her ass next time. Chain her up, and keep her as my prisoner for the rest of the trip.

Which, actually, would be necessary.

She was trouble, for sure. Almost certainly a reporter, though she hadn’t admitted it.

Young, but intelligent. She had nerve, showing up on this yacht.

I needed to find out her name, and who she worked for.

Mostly, I needed to keep her away from Kaspar.

If she was responsible for another lurid story being printed about my deviant ways, it was one thing, but I couldn’t allow our future king’s reputation to be sullied.

So, yeah. She’d be my prisoner, and I’d train her in the art of submission.

I stroked a lock of hair back from her face, wanting to study the delicate bone structure, deconstruct what made her so beautiful.

She made a faint humming sound, and her eyelids fluttered open. Just a cat nap. For one brief moment, her eyes rounded with innocent awe, like she couldn’t believe she’d woken beside me. Then the wariness snapped into place, and she pushed herself to sit.

“Well…” Her gaze darted around the room, and she lunged for the t-shirt I’d given her earlier.

I caught her wrist. “I didn’t say you could cover up.”

Her face flushed, and she tugged to free her hand, eyes locked on mine with more curiosity than fear. Damn if her sweet nipples didn’t pebble up again. Had that tight pussy grown damp for me, too?

Her stomach rumbled.

I raised a brow. “Are you hungry, slave?”

She cracked a smile, which flickered with uncertainty, then returned to full wattage. “It’s slave , now? Not American Thighs ?”

“It’s whatever I want to call you, even after you give me your real name. Which is…”

A resolute expression came over her face. “I’m going by Allegra here.”

I grabbed her other wrist and held both high in the air, lifting her pretty tits. With my free hand, I slapped her breast.

She gasped, her jaw dropping, eyes going wide. She’d probably never even heard of breast spanking.

I slapped the other one.

She struggled against my hold, panic creeping over her face.

I slapped each breast again. “Your name. Now. ”

Tears welled in her eyes, but I knew it wasn’t from pain—I wasn’t slapping hard. My guess was that it had more to do with the helplessness and general fear about her situation.

I made my face stern. “Do I need to get the collar?”

That flipped her. Her pupils shrank with terror and she rolled away from me, making it hard to keep my grasp on her wrists.

I leveraged my weight to haul her back, lifting her wrists high enough to stretch her arms taut, bring her shoulders up to her ears.

“One name. Just your first. Give it now, or I’ll get the collar.

” I wouldn’t. Not after I’d seen the real terror, but I’m not above a bluff.

“Ch-Chelsea!” The word came out in a rush, as if I had a choke chain on her and she was in danger of asphyxiation.

I released her wrists. “Good girl.” I stalked to the door like I was pissed. “Get in the shower and clean up.” I jerked my head toward the ensuite bathroom. “I’ll get some food.”

She rubbed her wrists and scrambled up to comply.

I opened the door, but turned back and pointed my finger at her. “Do not, under any circumstance, leave this room. If you do, I’ll whip you until you can’t sit. Understand, Chelsea?”

She nodded rapidly.

“Yes, sir,” I corrected.

Her nostrils flared and her jaw set, like that was the demand which had crossed a line for her. Funny what a girl’s limits were. Breast spanking was okay, but yes, sir was too much.

I waited, lifting both brows in expectation.

“Yes, sir,” she said sullenly.

I hid a smile. “Lock this door after me.” I held my ground until she came over to the door, wearing nothing but a pretty blush.

I lightly touched her throat in one hand and fisted her hair in the other, so I had her immobilized, but without any actual squeeze on her neck.

I knew the throat was a trigger for her and wanted to help her, through domination, ease some of its intensity.

“And, baby, don’t make me knock twice or you’ll spend the rest of your time here in solitary confinement. ”

Even though I wasn’t squeezing at all, she must have thought she was choking, because she clutched at my hands with a desperation that made me regret the move. But now that I’d started, I needed to go on.

I leaned close to her face but made my voice soft, soothing. “Be still, baby. You’re okay. You’re not choking. Eyes on me.”

She panted, digging her nails into my hand, but she did meet my eyes.

I didn’t move, just held her in that position, locked in my gaze.

Desperation flitted over her face, but after a long moment, her breathing slowed and the big brown Bambi eyes swam with unshed tears. “What?” There was hurt accusation in her tone.

“You’re okay, princess. I’m not going to hurt you. Not your throat, anyway. You can tolerate my touch.”

After two more breaths, the fight drained out of her. The expression in her eyes changed from fear to submission—a waiting for the next command from my master look. One that nearly took my breath away.

I stroked my thumb ever-so-lightly along her fluttering pulse. “Good girl. Lock the door now.” I released her and slipped out of the room.

“Yes, sir.” Her hoarse voice followed me, hitting me like a blow to the gut.

I liked her. Way too damn much.

Unfortunately, I already knew how this one ended. My name in mud as a result of yet another woman looking to profit from my family’s wealth and fame.

It would be just like Madison James all over again.

~.~

C helsea

M y legs wobbled as I stumbled to the shower, rubbing my neck. He hadn’t even squeezed it. Yes, I’d felt like I was choking, but when I looked in the mirror, there weren’t even fingerprints on my throat. My brain just immediately went to strangulation.

But what kind of perverse mind fuck was that? He purposely put in me in a position he knew would scare the shit out of me and then pulled me back from the ledge. Soothed me. Or was that just showing me he was the boss? That he had my number and could dial it at any time?

No. Well, yes, but no. Not quite. Because why tell me I’m okay? It was some sort of dominant trust exercise. That was my best guess. I knew exactly zero about BDSM, but it sort of made sense. He wanted me nervous, not scared.

I turned on the shower water, infinitely grateful he’d given this order. The water felt wonderful—a little too hot on my spanked ass—but still blissful. I stood under the spray, sorting through my thoughts.

Despite all Darius’ threats and even the way he’d manhandled me—spanked me and slapped my breasts—he’d been a gentleman, too.

He’d rescued me from the collar, tossed me his t-shirt.

Had waited for my consent to have sex, even though I’d come in the guise of a prostitute paid to do whatever he wanted.

And now he’d gone to get me food. So yeah.

You could make a dom out of the royal, but you couldn’t take the royalty—or in this case, chivalry—out of the dom.

I went still, struck by a realization that I should’ve seen sooner. Darius Halsburg wasn’t a violent abuser of women; he was a dominant.

He never assaulted his girlfriend.

Or rather, whatever ‘assault’ occurred had been sex play. The woman who’d pressed charges—what was her name again? Madison something—had used the ol’ Monica Lewinsky trick. Seduce a public figure and powerful man, collect the evidence and use it to destroy him.

Or in Madison’s case, receive an enormous payoff to shut up and drop the case. But not before the duke’s name had been disgraced.

Bitch.

Her ploy had worked because he had a history of violence—when he was in his early twenties he’d pulled a Sean Penn and punched a camera man.

Goosebumps rose on my arms.

In that case, it had been in defense of a woman. He’d been protecting his girlfriend at the time from being hounded. Yes, all the clues still pointed to Darius being a gentleman. A rough-around-the-edges one, but a gentleman, nonetheless.

I suddenly wanted nothing more than to write the exposé on Madison .

Her manipulation of what must have been a consensual BDSM arrangement.

Because I was sure, now, it had been exactly that.

If the duke asked and waited for my permission to have sex—a girl who had boarded the yacht as a call girl —I couldn’t believe he would abuse a partner.

Fearing I’d been in the shower too long and would miss Darius’ knock, I shut off the water and quickly dried with a soft towel.

The luxury of it brought back my mind-blowing situation with a bang.

I was on a two-hundred-million-dollar yacht with the Halsburg royals of Austrinia. I just had sex with Darius Halsburg!