Page 10 of Master Cordell

He proceeded to fill Mitch in on what had happened the day of the taste-test and how things had seemed off between him and Tiffany ever since. Apparently, he wasn’t doing a good job of it, because Mitch interrupted, “Hang on—you’re losing me. She’s having deeper feelings for you, and that’s not something you want? Or vice versa?”

“Vice versa. I’m falling for her, man—she’s the most incredible woman I’ve ever met—but she doesn’t feel the same way.”

“She said that?”

Cordell ran a hand down his face and sighed. “More or less, yeah. She made a big deal out of making sure I knew she was only excited about the assistant manager position when she blurted out I love you, and not that she actually loved me. And ever since, things have been weird between us. In some ways she’s fallen back on old slave habits, although we were able to correct a few things pretty quickly.

“Dante’s boyfriend and Dom, Reed Montgomery, invited Tiffany and I to join them in Miami next weekend and go as their guests to the lifestyle club they belong to. I just don’t know if it’s going to make matters worse. Before we left Vegas, she’d been doing really well in public D/s settings, knowing I was there to protect her, but the other night at Dante and Reed’s place, away from her management position, I could tell she was close to freaking out a few times whenever Reed, Jared, or Troy spoke to her. It was like she was waiting for them to start ordering her to do things she had no desire to do. I doubt I’m the Dom she wants to be with permanently, but she’s still not ready for me to find one for her. At this rate, she might never be.”

“Are you really sure it’s becauseshe’snot ready to be partnered with a new Dom or is ityou’renot ready to let her go?”

And that was the question he’d been trying to avoid answering. “Honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever be ready, but I can’t be selfish about it. She deserves a Dom who will treat her right and love her as much as she loves him.” Fuck, just the thought of her with someone else had his stomach wanting to revolt against the burger he’d eaten.

Mitch swallowed a mouthful of beer before nodding. “Okay, you wanted my advice—here it is. Stop treating her like a recovering sub and start treating her like she’syoursub—the one you’re falling in love with. Take her to the club but stake your claim there. Take her out on a date—like a real fucking date, with flowers, wine, and a long walk on the beach while you’re holding her hand. Hell, you’re in a fucking paradise down here, man. Use it to your advantage. And if she doesn’t fall head over heels in love with you, after all that, then it’s not meant to be. I think the problem you’re facing is that, despite the change in your contract, it’s possible she’s stuck on the fact you’re her temporary Dom. Why should she risk her heart when she knows you have plans to eventually hand her off to someone else?”

Staring at the other man, Cordell cocked his head to the side. Mitch was a fucking genius! Why hadn’t Cordell thought of dating Tiffany instead of just being her Dom? “I’m such an idiot.”

Mitch laughed boisterously, causing a few heads at the bar to turn their way. “I know how that feels, dude—I went through it with Ty. Sometimes a guy can have the best thing in the world staring him in the face and he’s still oblivious. Welcome to the club. Now get your head out of your ass and fix this shit between you and her before the grand opening. I don’t want anyone looking miserable that weekend—especially my staff.”

After Dante and Cooper joined them at the bar, Cordell couldn’t concentrate on the conversation the other two men got into because he was too busy planning his future, hopefully, with Tiffany in it forever.

* * *

Oh my God,this is insane!The closer Tiffany and Cordell got to the waiting helicopter, the more her legs shook. It was just after 1 p.m. on Saturday, and they were heading to Master Reed and Dante’s place in the city for the night. Although she was looking forward to going to Miami for the first time, she wasn’t exactly thrilled to be flying there in what she felt was the equivalent of an airborne death trap. She was fine traveling in planes—at least in those she could lower the window shades, use her noise-canceling headphones, play a game on her iPad, watch a movie, and go to the restroom. During the forty-minute flight today, however, there wouldn’t be much to distract her from the fact she was going to be in a metal and glass bubble a gazillion miles above the earth. Okay, that was a huge exaggeration, but there was a reason she preferred the aisle seats in airplanes. She hated takeoffs and landings, when her stomach dropped and the ground was so close yet so far, and she refused to look out the windows during those times.

When they’d first arrived at the small heliport in Marathon, and he’d realized how nervous she was, Sir had promised to hold her hand for the entire trip if she wanted him to. And, oh, how she wanted him to—and not just because she was scared. She loved the intimacy she felt when his fingers entwined with hers, and it didn’t happen often—at least, not until recently. She couldn’t quite figure it out, but something had changed between them during the past week. She didn’t know why, but Sir seemed to be happier lately—lighter and more affectionate. He’d touched her more often, for no apparent reason other than he wanted to, like when they’d prepared their meals together. If he needed something from a cabinet or drawer she was standing in front of, he’d grasped her hips and playfully shuffled her out of his way. But then after he’d retrieved what he’d been looking for, he’d moved her back to where she’d been before giving her a kiss on the top of her head and a swat on her behind. When she’d looked at him the first time he’d done it, she’d found herself giggling at his amused expression and the wink he’d given her.

Then there’d been the dancing last night. He’d set a timer for the pasta that’d been boiling on the stove top, then told Alexa to play some disco music. As the voices of the Bee Gees filled the air, he’d grabbed Tiffany’s hand and twirled her around the kitchen and dipped her until she’d been laughing so hard her stomach had hurt.

There’d been a lot of other things he’d done during the week that’d surprised her too—like inviting her for walks along the beach after dinner. He’d held her hand as they strolled and talked about things they never had before. She’d found out more about his family, his childhood, his career in law enforcement, and his likes and dislikes in the last week than in the entire year she’d known him. It’d been surreal, but she’d loved it until she’d remembered her time with him would eventually come to an end. Knowing more about him had her falling deeper in love with him and would make it a hundred times harder to leave him when he said it was time. For now, though, she’d treasure those moments with him and store them in her heart for when he moved onto another “project.”

It was going to suck so bad when that happened. Even though she’d be with a new Dom before Sir took on a new submissive, Tiffany knew it would break her every time she saw them together. The only way to avoid them would be to leave the Master Key Resort altogether, and she didn’t want to do that any more than she wanted to leave Sir.

When they reached the helicopter, he handed their overnight bags to a man dressed in black pants, a white, button-down shirt, a red tie, and dark sunglasses, who introduced himself as their copilot, Kairo Torres. Sir then helped Tiffany through the open door into the back seat. A woman, with long, brown hair pulled up into a ponytail and dressed similarly to Kairo, minus the sunglasses, turned in her seat and held out her hand for both to shake. She appeared to be in her midthirties and had a beautiful smile and bright, hazel eyes. Tiffany liked her immediately as she greeted them. “Good morning, Mr. Roberts, Ms. Armstrong. I’m your pilot—Serenity Warren. Mr. Montgomery told us to give you the tourist treatment today. We’ll take the scenic route—if that’s okay with you—and show you some of the local sites from a different perspective. It’ll add about twenty minutes or so to our flight time.”

“That sounds great, Ms. Warren, thank you,” Cordell said.

“Please, feel free to call me Serenity.” Her gaze shifted back to Tiffany. “Ms. Armstrong, are you okay? You look a little pale. Is this your first time in a helicopter?”

She nodded more times than necessary. “Yes, it is. Please tell me you have a lot of experience flying this ... this contraption.” On their way to the heliport, Sir had tried to reassure her that everything would be fine—he’d flown in helicopters several times during his law enforcement career—but she was still nervous as hell.

The woman chuckled as the copilot climbed into his seat next to her. At least she didn’t seem offended by Tiffany’s inquiry when she replied, “Yes, ma’am. I’ve been flying helos for over fourteen years now—starting in the Marines. I’ve been Mr. Montgomery’s personal pilot for the last four years. Kairo flew in the Air Force and has been my copilot for about eighteen months now. We work very well together, and our baby here is in great condition and gets routine maintenance. We’ll get you to Miami safe and sound, and I’ll do my best to give you a smooth flight. We’ve already done the preflight checklist, so if you’ll both strap yourselves in and put on those headsets that are right over your shoulders, we’ll let the tower know we’re ready to take off.”

Sir helped Tiffany with her headset before putting on his own. He also double-checked her seat belt and then took her hand in his, resting both on his thigh. After donning a pair of sunglasses, Serenity flipped a bunch of switches and turned some dials as her copilot spoke to someone in the tower. The rotors above them started to spin slowly at first before picking up speed. A high-pitched whine got louder by the second before it turned into aflap-flap-flap. The helicopter began to vibrate, and Tiffany reached over with her free hand and clutched Sir’s arm. Suddenly the aircraft lifted off the ground. Tiffany squeaked, slammed her eyes shut, and buried her face into Sir’s shoulder. She could feel more than hear his chuckle as he switched her hand he’d been holding to his other before putting his arm around her shoulders and tucking her into his side as best he could.

His voice came through her headphones. “It’s okay, Pet. I’ve got you.”

It was a good five minutes after the helicopter had leveled off before Tiffany’s stomach seemed to settle a bit. She took a deep, cleansing breath and let it out slowly before lifting her eyelids. It took a little longer before she pushed herself off Sir’s shoulder and sat back in her seat. She was grateful he kept his promise and didn’t let go of her hand. When she finally found the courage, she peered out the window to her right, and there was the Florida Keys Scenic Highway and the islands it connected on its 106 miles from the mainland to Key West. To her left, out Sir’s window, was teal-blue water glistening in the sun all the way out to the horizon.

It took her a moment to realize they were going west, not east. She was just about to ask why, when Serenity said, “We’re taking a little side trip to Grassy Key before heading east. If you look out the right window, we’re coming up on the Dolphin Research Center. My cousin works there, and they rescue injured or sick dolphins and either rehab them to be released or keep them if they can’t be returned to the wild. Great place to visit.”

The helicopter dropped altitude a little and hovered over a dock were it looked like a woman was talking to a dozen or so tourists, many of them children. In the water, two dolphins were bobbing up and down near the dock. The area they were in was surrounded by a large pen to keep them from swimming far out into the ocean. The woman glanced up at the helicopter and waved. She must have said something to her group because many of them looked up and waved too.

“That’s my cousin Trisha down there. I usually rock us back and forth to say hello, but I don’t think your stomach would be happy with that, Ms. Armstrong.” She glanced back at them. “You’re just starting to get the color back in your cheeks, and I don’t want you going pale on me again.”

Tiffany couldn’t help but laugh. “I appreciate that, Serenity. Thank you, and please call me Tiffany.” She pointed out the window as the helicopter climbed again. “I read about this place and have been meaning to check it out. I love dolphins.” That and the Turtle Hospital in Marathon were on her list of places to visit when she got a chance. She was hoping there would be time before the grand opening to go do some more sightseeing. Sir had taken her a few times when they’d first arrived in Florida. He’d also signed her up for the scuba class he’d offered to treat her to, so they could go diving together after she passed. It started next month and was on Mondays which would be her scheduled days off along with Tuesdays.

“On the return flight, I’ll bring you some free passes Trisha lets me have to hand out to people.”

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