Page 29 of Rebellion

He chuckled but didn’t answer and even with the mask, I could tell he was smiling.

Those eyes. So familiar, if they hadn’t been such a brilliant green, I would have sworn they were Gray’s. I studied them for any sign he wore contacts but couldn’t tell.

The familiarity of his scent, his build, his eyes, I wanted this man to be Grayson.

It wasn’t though.

Unless Gray had been in some sort of accident that damaged his voice and skin and suddenly flown to Texas and been a long-time member of The Red Ranch, it simply wasn’t him.

Anon Dom tipped his head and studied my face. His whole being seemed focused on me which was both flattering and disconcerting. He’d been examining me the same as I had him, not on the surface, and I didn’t like feeling he could see more of me than what I’d chosen to show tonight.

He reached up and stroked the back of a finger down my cheek and then grabbed a loose curl, twining it around his finger. “That was a whole lot of gears turning in your mind. Did you come to a conclusion?”

His skin on mine was warm, searing even. Dammit if I wasn’t attracted to him and his proposal. I stepped back like any smart person would when burned by a flame. “I have a few questions first.”

The fabric around his mouth moved as his grin widened. “Ask anything if it will help you trust me. I am an open book.”

Yeah, a leather-bound one. If we were going to establish a D/s relationship I needed him to be open and willing to discuss anything. I started with what was on my mind, even though it wasn’t couth to ask. “What damaged you?”

His body went rigid and still. Only his chest moved as he breathed. “A horrible mistake.” His already craggy voice cracked and a darkness veiled his eyes.

Okay, I wasn’t asking more about that, for now. At least he had answered somewhat truthfully. “What will happen to my harem if I agree to be your submissive?”

The tension across his shoulders released and he closed the space I’d put between us until there was nothing but air. “Hmm. I think you’d like to involve them in our play, but only because you’re relaxed with them. I want you far outside your comfort zone, so they will be off-limits.”

I bit one side of my lip trying my best to ignore the fact that with each word he pushed all the right buttons. It didn’t help that his gaze fell to my lips and stayed fixed there. Or maybe it did. I’d take any advantage I could, because I had a feeling these moments would be few and far between. “That’s not fair to them.”

He cupped my chin and his thumb grazed my bottom lip. “They are important to you. While I won’t sway on my decision, I can have Tate assist them with finding play partners while we train.”

“That’s not what they signed up for.” Was that my voice all Marylin Monroe breathy? Couldn’t be. “What else you got?”

His hand moved from my face down my neck and to my bare chest. He skimmed the tops of my breasts. “We’ll ask them what they’d like then. I’m sure your Ilario will do whatever you ask him to and have fun doing it. I have an idea for Dominic.”

He’d done his research on me and my guys. But when and where? There were only a handful of people in my life he could have wheedled information out of and three were here in this room, one I wasn’t talking to, and the other was a total dickhead. It either had to be Tate or Foster. I didn’t want anything to do with Anon Dom if Foster had sent him. “How do you know what Ilario, or Dominic, or I would like? Did Foster send you?”

“Suspicious, are you? Foster Bennett is a sycophant, a personal foe of mine, and I would never do his bidding. Ever.”

For a second, I thought he’d start spewing fire like an angry dragon. Okay then, he wasn’t Foster’s minion. “Then how do you know all this about me and why would you want to train me?”

“All in good time, but as for the training, Tate may be suave, but he’s not qualified to train you.”

I already understood that. I could tell simply by his demeanor, the sexual appeal he had, and the tension building between us that Anon Dom was the right teacher for me.

If he could handle me, that is. “And you are? How did you even get involved?”

“The kink community isn’t that big. Word travels fast.”

I had no problem being the gossip du jour, and Anon Dom made it through my Spanish Inquisition, so with trepidation, I was going to do this. “What do I call you?”

Without hesitation, he said, “Master.”

“Uh. No.” Blech. Master? Seriously?

He laughed.

My feminist wiles were getting offended. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” he tempered his laughter and cleared his throat. “If not Master, then you can call me Sir.”

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