Page 23 of Married to My Master

“Can I check in with work? The conference should be over by now, which means they'll be expecting me soon, sir.”

She was right, he reasoned. If they expected her back tomorrow, they'd start looking for her if she didn't show up. They needed to head that off at the pass. “Yes, you can call when we get back in. Edward again?”

A look crossed her face as she shook her head. “No, sir,” she said. “Definitely not Edward. My assistant who you met at my office, Jas.”

“Well,” Dane said, as he looked around at the backyard. “Sun's about to be down anyway. We won't be able to see if we're pulling up tomatoes or dandelions soon.” He stood up, chain leash in hand, and dusted off his knees. “Come on, let's go in.”

She stood, her eyes sweeping over the backyard. “Yes, sir,” she said.

They went back up to the porch. Standing out there, soaking in the last of the day's warmth, Dane pulled out her phone and opened it up. He pulled up the contacts list and scrolled through it. “You said Jas, right?”

“Yes, sir,” she said again, her hands folded in front of her like a prim and proper woman.

He found Jas and hit call, then handed the phone over to her.

Emily put the phone to her ear. After a moment, her eyes brightened and she smiled a little. “Hello? Jas? Hi, it's Emily.”

She nodded along to the phone conversation.

“I need you to do something for me, Jas. Can you let everyone know that I'm having to take a little bit of unexpected time off and won't be as reachable for a short while?”

She shook her head, and Dane could just barely hear Jas ask about the car accident lie Emily had fed to Edward. “No, no,” she said, laughing a little, her laugh like a songbird to him. “I'm fine.”

A pause. Jas asked about coming over, Dane thought. Emily's eyes flickered up to his, and Dane shook his head, his brow furrowed. “No,” Emily said, not too forcefully. “You definitely don't need to do that, Jas. In fact, I met someone. We're just getting to know each other, and we need our privacy. That's all.”

Emily smiled a little. “Oh, believe me,” she said. “It's as big a surprise to me.”

She needed to cut this conversation short. But, still, he was surprised at her change of heart. She seemed to be really coming along on her journey, and finally coming to accept that she could only get what she needed from him.

He didn't want to startle her, though, by suddenly forcing her off the phone. Jas might catch wind of what was going on and try to put a stop to his plan. Dane smiled at Emily. He crossed his arms across his chest, tugging at her leash a little as he did, and turned around, hoping to give her a moment's privacy so she could finish up with her employee.

“No, he's just a guy,” Emily said behind him, the smile coming through in her voice.

As he listened to her laughing with Jas and trying to get off the phone, his eyes continued to search the backyard, just taking it all in. He pictured other projects that might liven up the space.

He almost started to believe that he'd changed her, and that she was really beginning to come around. Those thoughts didn't last long, though.

Because that was when he saw the security camera pointed at the garden.

Chapter Nine

Dane

Dane whirled on Emily, his face twisted in rage. “What the fuck is this shit?” he yelled.

She recoiled, surprised at his sudden outburst. “What are you talking about, sir?”

Rage filled his mind, clouding his senses. After all the time and effort he'd put into this, after his feeding her and carrying her to the bathroom, after the pleasure he'd given her, this was how she betrayed him? He ripped the phone out of her hand and stuffed it in his back pocket as he yanked the chain leash towards him. “This,” he growled, as he turned and began to drag her protesting form off the patio and over to the security camera.

“You-you're hurting me!” she complained, as she scrambled to catch up with him.

“Shut up, bitch!” he snapped, as he yanked harder, causing her to stumble into the grass and fall. He didn't slow down when she fell. Instead, he dragged her across the soft, gentle green of the lawn, not giving her a moment to get to her feet.

She managed to find some purchase, and shakily rose from all fours. “What, sir?” she asked again. “I don't understand!”

He dragged her to a stop beneath the security camera and turned back to her. He stabbed at the piece of surveillance equipment with his finger. “That! Why didn't you tell me this was back here?”

Her eyes spun wildly around in her head, like she was desperately searching for an answer. “I – I – I didn't think about it. I really didn't. I completely forgot there was even one outside!”

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