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"Get out of the car, Laura." The tone of Ian's voice was cold and cruel, just as it always was.

"No."

Ian Kent never had much patience and the miniscule amount he did have was rapidly wearing very thin. The only thing preventing him from pushing her out of the vehicle was his intention to not cause a scene of any kind. Causing a scene was against the rules at

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and he knew all the rules. He kept his voice low but there was no mistaking his blood-chilling anger. "You agreed to this, now get out of the damned car. They're expecting us."

"I want to leave. I'm not staying, Ian. This wasn't what I agreed to. You lied to get me here. You lied just like you have since this whole thing started. I have limits, now take me home." She knew it was a losing battle but she had no intention of giving up without a fight.

"I don't give a damn about your limits. You always have to do things the hard way. That's fine with me. The next couple of days will change your mind about that." Ian flung the car door open on the driver's side. As he walked to the other side of the car, he yanked open the passenger door and gave her another order. "Get out of the car. Don't make me say it again."

"No."

Using both hands Ian grabbed her by the hair and her upper arm, virtually pulling Laura out of the vehicle even though her seat belt was still securely fastened.

She screamed at him. "You're hurting me! Let me go!" She tried to claw at his face, his hands, his arms, any part of him she could touch and hope to inflict an injury. Even with her attempts to break free, her strength was no match for his. Her only defense was her screams. "Let me go!"

Of course he didn't let her go. She knew he wouldn't. She also knew she was causing the scene he was so adamant about not causing as he dragged her, half stumbling and missing one shoe, toward the main door. Both of her feet were badly scraped on the roughly paved driveway and she would have fallen several times if he hadn't had his fingers tightly gripping her hair.

The

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structure was substantial in size and looked somewhat like a medieval fortress. The whole building appeared to be constructed of some type of cold, dark reddish-brown rock and the few windows looked small, very narrow and were covered with scrolled ironwork bars. There were a several steps leading to the heavy, roughly hewn wooden door that was trimmed with burnished metal hinges and handles. Nothing about it looked welcoming.

Never releasing his hold, Ian yanked Laura up the stone steps leading to the entry. As they approached the door she saw it opening.

A man stood there, silently watching everything. Laura noted that the man looked less than pleased to witness their arrival. He was nice looking in a cool, professional, almost detached way and casually attired in black denim jeans and a black button down shirt.

"Good evening, Mr. Kent." The man's tone of voice was as cold as Ian's. "Is there a problem with your guest? Perhaps you require some assistance?"

Ian pushed passed him, still dragging Laura by her hair. Once inside, he released her with such force she would have fallen if the other man hadn't reached out to prevent her from slamming into the stone floor. Laura looked up and gave the man a glance of gratitude as she slipped off her remaining shoe and did her best to regain her balance and dignity.

She looked around noting that the foyer they were standing in was made almost entirely of the same dark brown stone. The only furnishings were several benches made of wood and the area was virtually silent except for Ian's heavy breathing. It was all very cold and austere. Her insides shivered although she was fairly certain it wasn't only because of the cool room.

"Where the hell is Hale?" Ian's rage was on full display. "He was supposed to be here for my arrival. I'm paying for his services. Why isn't he here?"

The other man wasn't the slightest bit intimidated as he looked at Ian. The tone of his voice remained icy and commanding. "

MASTER

Hale had some urgent business and business takes precedence over everything. And may I remind you, Mr. Kent, you pay for accommodations and use of the facilities.

MASTER

Hale's services are granted solely at his discretion. They are never paid for. I strongly suggest you remember that if you intend to remain for the duration of your reservation."

Ian's arrogance prevented him from acknowledging the man's rebuke. "I know exactly what I'm paying for. Tell Hale I want to see him and show me my room. The modifications I requested had better be to my expectations. My bag is in the car. I expect it to be delivered. Promptly."

The man in black turned to Laura. "This way please." He started towards one of two corridors leading off the entry way. Ian grabbed her arm, not giving her the chance to refuse to follow. At least he wasn't yanking her by the hair as he so often did although she was certain her arm was going to be bruised by his iron-like grip.

Laura felt the icy chill of the floor under her bare feet. There was nothing decorating the dark stone walls as they walked down the dimly lit and narrow passage, stopping only when they reached an elevator. The man in black used an electronic card to summon the conveyance.

The modern elevator seemed out of place in the almost medieval looking structure. The doors slid open with barely a whisper of sound and the man stood aside motioning for Laura to enter. Instead, Ian stepped ahead, still dragging her by the arm and oblivious to the looks of contempt he was receiving from the man dressed in black. Laura attempted to pull her arm from Ian's grip but he just tightened his fingers.

The doors opened to another area made of stone. Laura saw four closed doors. Without a word, the other man led the way to the one marked with a number two.

"What the hell is this?" Ian demanded. "I told Hale I wanted room five."

"

MASTER

Hale has selected room two for your use this weekend. If it's not to your liking, Mr. Kent, you are welcome to leave at any time. Our policy ensures a fifty percent refund of your fees. Shall we return to your vehicle?" Ian glared angrily but said nothing. "I didn't think so," the man said smugly. "I'm sure room two will meet your needs.

MASTER

Hale doesn't make mistakes." The man pushed down on the handle and the door swung open.

Laura felt herself being flung into the room. She hadn't been sure what to expect considering the reputation of

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. It was quite large and, in keeping with the architecture of the building, styled like a bed chamber in a castle. The furnishings were dark, heavy and nearly ostentatious with deep claret colored, brocade coverings on the bed and at the windows. The chairs in the small seating area looked plush and comfortable. It looked like any typical hotel room, except for the iron rings embedded in the bedposts and the assortment of discipline devices hanging on one of the walls.

"Where's the cage?" Ian was roaring with outrage. "I gave Hale explicit instructions to provide a cage. What the hell is wrong with you people? Can't you get anything right? This is not the kind of service I expect for the rates you charge."

The man dressed in black gave Laura a long look before turning to Ian. "Mr. Kent," he was clearly showing his disdain for Ian's demands, "you are well aware of the rules and you also know the rules apply to everyone. The rooms do not have cages. If you and your guest wish to use a cage, they are located in the dungeon. Since nothing seems to be to your satisfaction, shall I escort you to your vehicle?" Again Ian glared with anger and again the man spoke with scorn. "I didn't think so." He turned to Laura. "Ms. Ellis,

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welcomes adults who wish to explore a variety of erotic activities in a strictly consensual environment. Is this consensual for you?"

"That's none of your damned business," Ian snarled.

Laura looked straight into the other man's eyes as she answered. "I guess that depends on your definition of consensual. I never agreed to being beaten or raped."

Ian reached out, clearly intending to grab her by the throat. She was too fast and he watched her scramble across the room. "Don't pretend you didn't agree to this, Laura. We both know you did."

She had no problem speaking up, the venom in her voice very obvious. "Go to hell, Ian. We both know exactly what I agreed to and your very loose interpretation of my agreement. And don't you pretend that you've been upfront about anything. It wasn't until we were about a mile from here when you finally decided to inform me that

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is an establishment for BDSM aficionados."

"Ms. Ellis?" The man dressed in black addressed Laura. She turned to look at him. "We only have one other guest room occupied this weekend so we have plenty of staff available for anything you need. If you require assistance during your stay, the employees of

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are very recognizable. Do not hesitate to approach any of them at any hour of the day or night."

"Thank you and how do you know my name?"

"It's a requirement. Before anyone can reserve our facilities, we request the full and accurate names of our guests. All the names are checked to be certain we have not been given any false information. If the names we receive prove to be inaccurate, all reservation privileges are revoked. It's for your protection and ours just in case of any unexpected emergencies."

"And may I know your name?" Laura asked.

"Yes, you may. If you need my assistance, just ask for Master Reed." He walked toward the door with a sneer directed at Ian. "And I'm also available any time of the day or night."

She watched the door starting to close behind him and missed Ian making the grab for her neck he had missed earlier. "I'm warning you, Laura," his voice was vicious, "don't even think about embarrassing me. You know the terms of our agreement. I own you for one year and you will learn to serve me, no matter how you feel about it. The next two days are for my pleasure and I intend to use you however I wish including humiliating you and beating you until you're unconscious if I have to. Believe me when I say nothing would give me greater enjoyment. It's just your luck that there won't be many people around to watch me degrading you. Next time I'll have to plan better and make sure we have a larger audience." He squeezed her throat a little tighter, cutting off her air, laughing as she clawed at his hand. He flung her against the wall. "Now get undressed and kneel in that corner until I'm ready for you. Don't make me tell you again and don't bother telling me to go to hell because I'll have no problem making you wish you were already there."

She watched him walk into what she presumed was a bathroom and slam the door behind him. "It won't be much longer, Laura," she whispered to herself as she rubbed her neck and started to remove her clothing. "Just stay strong."

Reed took the elevator back to the ground floor and headed straight across the foyer and down the second corridor leading from the entry. At the far end, he used his electronic key card to gain access to a locked door. "Well?" he addressed the only other occupant of the office. "Is it the same Laura Ellis?"

Marc Hale looked up from a bank of security monitors. "It's her and he's already beating the shit out of her."

Reed walked over to look at what Marc was seeing. Laura was naked and tied face down across the back of one of the chairs, her arms and legs tightly stretched to the point of discomfort. Her ass and the backs of her thighs were already nearly the same color as the brocade decorating the room. Ian had removed his shirt and was sweating profusely as he wielded his disciplinary instrument of choice. Reed turned the volume control and they could hear her screams as Ian demanded her servitude while methodically and repeatedly slapping her with one of the thick but narrow leather straps that had been hanging on the wall.

SLAP

! "You will serve me."

SLAP

!

SLAP

! "Say it."

SLAP

!

"NO!"

SLAP

! "You will serve me."

SLAP

!

SLAP

! "Say it."

SLAP

!

"GO TO HELL, IAN!"

SLAP

! "You will serve me."

SLAP

!

SLAP

! "Say it."

SLAP

!

Reed turned off the sound as they continued to watch Laura's punishment. "I hope he's convincing himself because he certainly doesn't appear to be convincing her. She doesn't seem very willing to agree to any of his demands. I also listened outside their door for a minute. He threatened to humiliate her and beat her into unconsciousness. Are you planning to stop him?"

Marc's eyes never left the monitor. "I heard what he said and interfering isn't our policy."

"It also isn't our policy to cancel reservations and you already did that. We were supposed to have seven couples staying this weekend and now we only have two. Marc, we've been partners for a long time and I've known you even longer. I trust every business decision you've ever made including canceling reservations but I think I'm entitled to an explanation. Who is Laura Ellis and why are you watching that son of a bitch beating her?"

Marc continued watching the screen. "I told the cancellations we had technical issues that would prevent our usual standard of service and offered all of them a complimentary weekend. No one was disappointed and four out of the five have already re-booked. Business-wise, it looks like this is going to be our biggest year and customer satisfaction has never been better."

Reed wasn't accepting the response. "I'm not disputing that you're a business genius. If I could find someone else like you, I'd happily expand the operation.

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was my idea but partnering with you made it work which is ironic considering your lack of experience with the lifestyle. You have all the inclinations of a Dominant but don't seem to have any interest in dominating anything other than a ledger sheet. And you have not answered my question."

"From a business perspective, your idea was a good one, Reed." Marc continued watching the monitor. "There are BDSM clubs in plenty of cities but not many all-inclusive resorts catering to those with more exotic interests. We were lucky to find this monstrosity of a building in the middle of nowhere and making the necessary renovations to accommodate the clientele was easy. And I think you have experience enough for both of us although I agree about possibly finding another business genius. We have plenty of money to expand so

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might be a reality very soon and we could use the help. He finally stopped strapping her. She looks like she's in a fair amount of pain but judging from the look of fury on his face I don't think she agreed to his demands."

Reed turned to the monitor. "Considering that he yanked her out of the car and up the steps by her hair, I'd be very surprised if she would agree to anything except getting out of here and you still haven't answered the question. Who is Laura Ellis?"

Marc leaned back and sighed. "I met her about three years ago, about two years after you and I started working together. I can't say we had a relationship because we only went out for a couple of months but I liked her although I doubt if she ever worked at much of anything besides getting regular pedicures. She seemed like a nice, polite, naïve, sheltered, spoiled little rich girl.

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was just starting to take off and I didn't think she'd approve of my choice of career. I stopped calling her."

"And she's the one that got away?" Reed questioned.

"More like she's the one that got pushed away. She definitely has class, though. She left a brief but really sweet message on my voice mail about three weeks after I last saw her. No tears. No demands. No guilt. She simply said she didn't understand why I hadn't called because she really liked me and she was sorry things hadn't worked out. Never heard from her again and after her message I always felt bad for just cutting it off without an explanation. A couple of times I wondered whatever happened to her and then I saw her name on the reservation and checked her out. Can't believe she'd hook up with Ian Kent. We both know the guy is less than scum."

"I'm not convinced 'hook up' is the right definition of their relationship. Room two is the only guest room we monitor and we only put troublemakers in there. I was sure you'd be watching so you must have heard her say she never agreed to be beaten or raped."

"I also heard him say he owned her for a year," Marc responded. "Guess I didn't know her very well but I never thought of her as submissive. By the way, after this weekend, I'm banning him permanently. Considering how many problems he caused during his last visit, I didn't think you'd object. Ian Kent isn't the kind of guest you want at

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. He's not a Master or a Dominant. He's arrogant and abusive, plain and simple and it looks like he's abusing Laura but it also looks like he's doing it with her permission which I don't understand. I know he demanded room five but I put him in two so we could keep track of him. I put Damon and Katrina in room five. They do the whole Dom/sub thing the right way and Damon hates Ian's pseudo-Dom personality. He'll look out for Laura."

"And will Master Hale be making an appearance?" Reed wanted to know. "I have to say my ego takes a hit every time you decide to show up. The mysterious and silent Master Hale appears in the dungeon, hardly ever shows any expression except for nodding his approval or glaring his disapproval and all assembled act as if they've been blessed by your presence." He gestured to the screen and reached over to turn up the volume. "Looks like she's arguing with him."

Laura's voice could be clearly heard. "Go to hell, Ian. If you want your feet licked, you'd better figure out how to shove your foot in your own mouth. And stop threatening me. I know what I agreed to and this wasn't it."

"I'm warning you, Laura," Ian spoke menacingly. "This place has every means of discipline known and I won't hesitate to use all of them if I have to. We have a deal and you will respect me for the rest of our year together."

"The rest of our year together?" she mocked his words. "You're the most unethical bastard on the face of the earth. You demanded occasional sex as payback. You never once mentioned any of your personal shortcomings or trying to turn me into chattel but concealing things seems to be a regular pattern of yours. And no one can demand respect. It has to be earned and that's something you'll never get from me. Let go of me!"

"Your attitude is exactly why I demanded a cage in the room but they couldn't even get that right. This place is full of incompetents. They charge exorbitant amounts of money and talk about the outstanding service they provide. They're a bunch of frauds."

"They're frauds? HA! Takes one to know one, doesn't it Ian? Let go of me!"

"We're going to pay a little visit to the dungeon. Maybe locking you up in a cage, like an animal, will change your demeanor," he snarled at her.

"You're barking up the wrong tree, Ian," she said with disdain. "Woof! Woof!"

They watched him dragging Laura from the room. "She's not exactly a model of submission,"

Reed turned off the volume, "but that was interesting. Occasional sex as payback? Wonder what she owes him? And why? I guess they're headed to the dungeon. Damon and Katrina are probably already down there. Damon's going to be just thrilled to see Ian." Reed was rubbing his temples as though he was attempting to push away stress. "Damon is probably the most even-tempered Dominant I've ever known but before this weekend is over, Ian Kent might be hanging by his balls while Damon plays his happy little 'Hit the Piñata' game with him. Actually, I wouldn't mind taking a whack or two at Ian. Katrina can make her world famous Margaritas and we can turn it into a fiesta. Maybe we can start having theme nights."