Page 43 of Married to My Master

Jas sighed and looked away, then turned back to her water and finished it. “Fine, I'll go. But, just so you know, it's under protest. And, if you guys are going to completely destroy the company or something, could you at least give me a heads-up?”

Dane nodded. “Yeah, of course.”

“Jas,” Emily said, “I wouldn't leave you out in the cold. You know that.”

She nodded. “Yeah,” she said, a little downcast. “I know.”

That done, Dane followed her back into the living room so she could get her purse, then he and Emily escorted her back to the front door to say their goodbyes.

When she was safely out the front door, Emily turned back to Dane. “What now?” she asked.

Dane's thoughts turned inwards, to the plans he'd been making as they were convincing Jas she needed to leave. With Emily still in his hands, he had leverage. Lots of leverage, and more than one way to get the information out.

He could ask for the ransom money, just like he'd planned earlier.

No, that had been a dark path, one that he'd pushed aside in favor of working with her. And, up until now, that had seemed to be working. He thought back to her threat from the first day, about how he'd end up in a cell with Benton at the end of all this. If he kept going down this ill-conceived road of self-destruction, beside Benton was right where he'd end up.

But, on the other hand, this was the closest he'd come to helping his brother since the murders. His pursuit of vengeance, while not necessarily healthy, had gotten him this far. Hadn't it? He had the evidence in hand—proof of BioSphere's conspiracies.

At what cost, though? Besides just having a date with prison, what kind of man was he becoming? The drinking, the violence, the things he'd almost been willing to do to Jas. All because of what? His desire for revenge?

He shook his head and, without saying a word, went back into Emily's study.

“Dane?” Emily asked in a concerned voice, as she followed behind him. “Are you okay?”

If he dropped this quest for justice, no matter how sick it was, it would be like he was abandoning Benton. Sure, Dane could probably walk away from this a free man. But what about his brother? He'd rot for another few years, until his appeals ran out, then he'd be in the gas chamber, or at the end of a needle.

He couldn't abandon him. Not his brother! He was the only one who'd ever stood by Dane through all these years. How could he even consider that?

No, he needed to hold onto Emily. And he needed to hold onto the evidence. If he had one, and not the other, he was just going to end up with a losing hand at the end of this bizarre game.

Yes, he'd have to keep her. She was still going to have to be his.

Besides, how could he abandon her, especially when they were so close to making a real breakthrough?

“Dane?” Emily asked again, gently touching his back. “Sir?”

His hand went down to his belt, and he began to unbuckle it. He slid it out of the loops, with a hiss of leather on wool.

“Sir?” she asked, her voice a trembling whisper as he turned around and looked down into her eyes. Her blue gaze held fear. Fear and . . . something else, Dane realized, as she bit her shaking lip.

It was anticipation.

Chapter Nineteen

Dane

“What did I go to deserve punishment this time, sir?” she whispered, as she lowered her eyes a little.

He took the belt in his hands and gripped it tightly in both hands. He folded it over into a leather strap and stroked it down her cheek. “This isn't a punishment,” he whispered, his voice already filled with lust and need. “It's a reward.”

She shivered and closed her eyes, a little sigh escaping her lips as the belt passed over her smooth, porcelain skin. She bit her lip, still shivering, and held as still as possible. She was waiting for his first command, he knew.

“Strip,” he said, walking around behind her.

She slowly began to strip out of her clothes. Soon, she stood on bare feet in the middle of the office, naked as the day she was born. Naked as the day he'd brought her home.

Dane stroked the end of the folded belt over her firm ass, loving the way she groaned at its touch.

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