Savannah's Sentinel (Mountain Mastery Book 2) Read online

  The second punishment slap was harsher, but she’d barely registered it, telling him how deep she was sliding into the headspace where nothing existed but pleasure. He was thrilled he’d been able to push her far enough the line between pain and pleasure was becoming so blurred she couldn’t distinguish one from the other. It was a damned dangerous place if the sub had placed themselves in the wrong hands, because they often missed their body’s cues warning them it was time to safe word out.

  Sliding his fingers back into her sex, Landon was shocked to find her wetter than she’d been before. Fucking perfect. Savannah’s kinks seemed to be in line with his own, which would make it much easier to pull off the charade in Costa Rica. But he was beginning to worry it was going to make it very difficult to let her go when it was all over.

  “I don’t think spanking is going to be much of a punishment for you, Princess. Next time, I’ll have to remember to use something you don’t enjoy so much if I want to correct your behavior.” He felt her shudder, but he wasn’t sure if it was in response to his words or the slow slide of his fingers through the swollen folds of her sex. Using her slick syrup as lube, he began massaging the outer ring of her anus. When she clenched her muscles, he gave her a slap in warning. “What do you think was in that box on the table, Princess? Cupcakes?”

  “No, Sir. Cupcakes would have been set out for all to see. I assumed it was nipple clamps or a butt plug since the box had a Pink Cherry on the side.” Damn, the woman didn’t miss anything. Hell, even he hadn’t noticed the symbol for one of his favorite on-line retailers.

  Pulling the small plug from his pocket, he slid it between the wet lips of her pussy. Rotating the tip just inside her opening, he chuckled when she tried to thrust her hips back. “Don’t be greedy, Princess. The first time I fuck you won’t be with a piece of plastic.” It wouldn’t be in his damned office, either. He was already going to be haunted by the image over her spectacular ass draped over his lap. He wouldn’t have a chance in hell of erasing the memory of fucking her here, and he did have to work here when this was all said and done. Dammit, his business was already suffering from inattention.

  The decision to leave the Agency hadn’t been sudden, but he knew it was time. This was his last mission. He’d promised to help the Wests and Ledeks if they found themselves in a pinch, but he preferred staying in the background to advise. Once the thrill was gone, it wasn’t long before operatives became liabilities.

  Landon had never intended to devote so much time or effort to what had started out as an adrenaline fix. But his natural affinity for the work brought increasing numbers of assignments over the years. Unfortunately, it also meant his dad had been forced to carry too much of the business burden during Landon’s frequent absences. The small heart attack his dad had a couple months ago was the wake-up call Landon needed.

  “You are doing so well, Princess. Relax that pretty ass and push back into the plug. It’s small so you won’t have any trouble taking it.” He felt her draw in a deep breath and relax just as he began pushing the plug past the tight ring of muscles. “Push into it, pet. There you go. Perfect. We’ll leave this one in until after lunch and then replace it with the next larger one.”

  She shuddered as he stroked his hand over the heated flesh covering her ass. “We’re going to finish up your spanking.” When she stiffened, he gave her a quick slap. “You’re going to enjoy this part.” He shifted her forward enough to put her clit in line with the fabric of his jeans. The well-worn denim would provide the perfect amount of friction. He wanted to be sure she’d be more than willing to submit to another over the knee spanking. Damned if he wasn’t enjoying it nearly as much as she was going to. She was going to leave a wet spot on his jeans, and he planned to wear it like a badge of honor for the rest of the day. Fuck, I may never wash this pair of Levi’s again.

  Chapter Eleven

  Savannah floated in a quagmire of sensations so starkly different from each other she wasn’t sure if her body was experiencing pleasure or pain. The first slaps of Landon’s hand against the tender skin on her ass felt like fire raining down on her, but soon, the heat made its way to her sex, and everything changed in an instant. Her pussy flooded with moisture, and she lost herself in trying to make sense of everything she was feeling until Landon told her those were just warm-up swats. She’d almost panicked realizing the pain was going to get worse, but something had told her to ride it out.

  Navigating the strange fog made her feel like she was trapped in some sort of unearthly purgatory where she was caught between torment and ecstasy. Nothing seemed as important as her body’s need for release. Every slap brought more heat and increased need until she couldn’t even comprehend Landon’s words. She knew he was talking to her, but nothing made sense. Her body wasn’t interacting with her brain to process the information, but he was whispering soft words of praise against her ear, so she wasn’t going to expend the energy trying to figure it out.

  She’d used butt plugs before, trying them for her own pleasure. Savannah relaxed, pressing back into the plug. Knowing he’d use a larger plug after their lunch sent a fresh wave of moisture from her sex. Imagining him bending her over the table in front of his staff had her sending up a silent prayer for an early lunch. “You love this, don’t you, Princess? You were made to be draped naked over your Master’s knees, your bare pussy begging for his touch.”

  Landon’s voice was fading in and out, the words a disconnected jumble as her body neared implosion. She could hear him talking, but the roar of blood in her ears was louder than anything he was saying. The only words she heard were “Come when you’re ready.” Is he kidding? She’d been ready since ten minutes after she walked in his front door.

  He gave her a couple of light swats between soft caresses, but it was only enough to push her higher. She knew he could sense her need, and he hadn’t seemed in any hurry to give her what she needed until his palm landed a heavy slap directly atop her aching sex. That one perfectly-placed heated caress was all it took. Wave after wave of the most intense pleasure she’d ever experienced crashed over her like a tsunami. The power may have surprised her, but the intensity devastated her.

  Gasping for breath as the last tremors faded away, Savannah sagged over Landon’s lap like a limp rag. She couldn’t have moved if her life had depended on it. Mortal danger? No problem I’ll just lay here…naked over the lap of the man who rejected me, awaiting my fate and trying to find any remaining pieces of my dignity.

  She was shocked when he gently turned her over so she was cradled in his lap. He pushed the loose strands of her hair away from her face and kissed away the tears she hadn’t even realized wet her cheeks. The trembling in her muscles didn’t abate, and the longer the involuntary contractions continued the more exhausted she became. “Come on, Princess. We need to get you some juice and a blanket.”

  “Can’t…don’t think I can…later.” Laughing, he pulled a soft blanket from the end of the sofa and tucked it around her before standing up with her in his arms. “No. Too heavy.” Her words were slurred, but she knew he’d understood what she meant when he chuckled.

  “I don’t think so, Princess. You’re a very petite woman. A very beautiful, petite woman. I enjoy feeling you so sweet and complaint in my arms.” He set her on the walnut bar, but kept one hand on her as he reached into the glass-fronted refrigerator to pull out a small bottle of orange juice. Holding it up for her, he said, “Drink.” She was grateful he was holding the bottle, because her hands were still shaking and she had worried she’d splatter juice all over them both. When she took a small sip, he shook his head. “No, drink it all. It will help the adrenaline crash. I’m going to have to be very careful with you in Costa Rica. Having you this incapacitated would be too dangerous. It’s good for my Dom-ego, but not safe for the mission.”

  She nodded because she understood, but that didn’t mean she didn’t feel like she’d let him down. “Fuck.” He picked her up again and made his way back to the so
fa. Landon settled her on his lap, but turned her enough she was forced to look directly into his eyes. When she felt the hard length of his erection pressing against her thigh, Savannah gasped. He gave her a tight smile. “Yes, I’m hard. Hell, I’m about to burst. But I control my cock, not the other way around.”

  The sting of his rejection shouldn’t have hurt…dammit, it wasn’t like it was the first time. But she was still feeling the effects of an earth-shattering orgasm and the residual vulnerability. He grasped her chin and returned her focus to his face. “Don’t think for a minute I don’t want you, Princess. You are testing my control in ways no other woman ever has. But we’re doing this on my timeline, not yours—and certainly not according to my cock’s selfish demands.”

  Parting the blanket, Landon shook his head as he took in her body’s obvious signs of arousal. “You never cease to surprise, Princess.” She cocked her head to the side in unspoken question. He grinned. “I didn’t think you had a submissive bone in your body, Savannah. Quite frankly, when this mission came up I wasn’t convinced you’d submit to any man. And I certainly didn’t expect you to trust me after the way I treated you two years ago.”

  When she started to shift from his lap, Landon tightened his arms around her. “No, Princess. You do not have permission to move. I want to make sure we’re clear on a couple of things. First, I will fuck you.” His blunt words should have turned her off. Instead, they sent a strange hint of desire coursing through her blood. “Don’t think I’ve missed the resignation in your expression. You are still feeling the effects of the train wreck conversation twenty-four months ago, but telling you that your timing sucked didn’t mean I didn’t want you. Hell, it took everything I had to walk away from you. If you’re honest with yourself, you’ll admit you weren’t ready for any of this.”

  Savannah drew in a deep breath and slowly nodded. “You’re right. I’ve changed a lot in the past two years. I’ve done a lot of research into Dominance and submission since then. And I think you’re probably right. It wouldn’t have ended well.”

  “Probably? No, Princess. It would have ruined any chance we had of ever working together again. Remember, the brain is a very complex organ. It stores every detail to memory, but only recalls those with the strongest emotions attached, so your memory of our conversation that night is undoubtedly very tainted by the bruising your ego took.”

  Dammit all to hell. She knew it had been easier to be angry than embarrassed. And she’d been mortified when he’d seen through her sophomoric attempts at seduction and gently explained why it was a bad idea. Her head understood, but her heart had gotten a heavily redacted memo.

  “Second, I want you to explain what triggered your reaction to Carter.” He held up his hand when she started to speak. “Not yet. I want you to carefully consider your answer because he’s slated to travel with us to Costa Rica.” When she gave him a look she was certain he wouldn’t misinterpret, he raised a brow in question. “As a side point, staring at your Master as if he’s dumber than a box of rocks isn’t a good idea—ever.”

  “I’ve been wondering how long it would be before you told me he was going.” She started to roll her eyes, but remembered her stinging backside and stopped herself.

  “Good save, Princess. See? Negative reinforcement is an effective behavior modifier.”

  Freaking dandy.

  “It only stood to reason that a man with enough money to have already purchased one sex slave and who is in the market for another would also have a full-time security detail. Your concession to Alvarez’s protest would be to only bring one member of your personal protection team to the resort. The other members of your detail…our team…will be at a nearby hotel in case their boss needs additional help.” Savannah wanted to laugh when he didn’t respond. Seeing Landon Nixon speechless went a long way to soothing her bruised ego. It was always fun to throw a dart into people’s perceptions of her as a dim-witted blonde and watching them burst like a balloon. Yes, very satisfying indeed.

  Landon couldn’t decide whether to throw his hands up in frustration or laugh at his own stupidity. I swear the Universe hates me. Why else would it surround me with women who are similar in so many ways? He’d long marveled at how much Tally reminded him of his mother. Both women were underestimated because of their appearance and because they’d married powerful men. Both were brilliant and deserved respect for their own accomplishments, yet people often discounted them, assuming their credentials or any recognition they earned was simply by virtue of the men they loved.

  He couldn’t begin to estimate how many times he’d seen his mother all but patted on the head by his father’s business associates. Those same men soon learned Ariel Nixon was a force of nature and his father’s most trusted advisor. Amazed he’d made the same mistake, Landon smiled at Savannah. “I’m impressed, even though I shouldn’t be. You’re a trained operative, and you’ve made reasonable assumptions based on training and experience. And you did it without reading the case file, which we’ll review together over dinner.”

  “If you’ll make a copy, I’d like to study it thoroughly. I don’t want to miss any details.” She’d never liked working through meals. It was one of the few etiquette lessons from her childhood Savannah’s mother had actually made stick.

  Landon shook his head and grinned. “No, I have plans for you this evening. We’ll be going to the club to play.” He watched her eyes widen and her cheeks flush the pretty pink shade he was beginning to recognize as arousal rather than embarrassment.

  “Play? Oh, boy.” When she started twisting her fingers together in her lap, he covered her hands with his own, stilling the nervous gesture.

  “A little trepidation is a good thing, but fear isn’t warranted, Princess. I want you to be comfortable in a group of like-minded people. A Master wouldn’t allow his slave to be nervous in front of others. She would trust him to care for her in all ways. Her life is literally in his hands. Her entire focus is on him. That is the part I think will be the most challenging for you, because you are trained to be cognizant of your surroundings. And in this instance, it’s going to require a lot of finesse on your part because you’ll be playing the role of a trusting slave solely focused on pleasing her Master. But, as a member of the team, you’ll need to stay alert for any potential dangers to yourself, your team, or Amaryllis.”

  Fucking hell, it was a wonder he hadn’t been struck by lightning for lying. Well, he hadn’t actually lied when he’d said he thought it would be a challenge, but it was damned well one of the biggest understatements he’d ever made. More accurately, he thought it was going to be closer to impossible to pull off. She’d had almost three years of training as an agent, but was only going to have two weeks to train as a slave. He’d already let some of his created back-story leak, knowing it would get back to Alvarez. But he still worried the man was going to realize Savannah was completely new to the lifestyle.

  Nate and Taz were equally concerned and had helped him set up tonight’s visit to the club. The Dungeon Monitors and a few of the club’s most trusted members had been briefed and would be observing her carefully for any signs that would tip them off. The more eyes on her tonight the better. Their feedback would go a long way to help Landon see things he might easily miss while topping her.

  Extra eyes-on had been the Ledek brothers’ suggestion based on their own experience with sharing women. Landon had heard similar stories from others in polyamorous relationships, and he’d agreed any additional insight would be helpful. Setting Savannah on her feet, he stood and pulled the blanket from her. “It’s like unwrapping a delectable gift. Come. I’ll catch up on a few calls while you swim.”

  “I’ll be fine. You should stay and work. I’ve wasted enough of your time this morning.” Landon had a feeling she’d revealed more with those few words than she’d intended, but that was a conversation for later.

  “I don’t want you swimming alone, Savannah. It’s a matter of safety. I suppose I could get one of th
e gardeners to lifeguard if you’d prefer.” Damn, when did he start thinking a woman was sexy when she blushed? There wasn’t a chance in hell he was going to let his landscaper ogle her. The sudden heated wave of possessiveness surprised him, but he carefully blanked his expression.

  He paused at his desk before picking up the file folders he’d need to make his calls. “What’s it going to be, Princess? Am I going to watch your lovely scarlet ass swim laps or would you rather show off those paddled cheeks to a stranger?”

  “You. Please. Sir.” She added each word as she remembered. It wasn’t perfect, but he hadn’t needed to remind her, so he was counting it as a win. Nodding, he shifted everything into one hand, leaving the other free to wrap around her small hand. As they entered the hall, she stopped and turned to him. “Am I…oh, umm… Permission to speak, Sir?”

  “Well done, pet. What would you like to say?” If she belonged to him, there would be far fewer restrictions, particularly when it came to conversation. He’d always thought having a twenty-four-seven slave would be a pain in the ass, and it was. But he couldn’t deny how much he enjoyed knowing Savannah was in the house. Even when he couldn’t see her, he could feel her presence.

  “Am I supposed to walk behind you?”

  “No, pet. I want you beside me where I can keep you safe. If Alvarez or one of his many minions mentions it, that is exactly what I’m going to tell them. Each Master has his own way of doing things, and I would never have a slave or submissive trailing behind me.” Reaching up, he stroked the pads of his fingers over the soft skin of her cheek. “Princess, I am going to rewrite a few of the rules, because there are some things I’m not willing to compromise on. I’m going to keep saying this until your heart hears it. My priority is seeing to your safety, and part of that protection is making sure you aren’t damaged emotionally by this experience.” And he was convinced that subjecting her to what she would feel was degrading treatment would hurt her.