Ye Olde Kinke Faire Page 14

  She wasn’t sure of the answer, but she now had hope. Besides, he didn’t know how she felt. She needed to let him know. Becca figured she had one night to hopefully put his mind at ease before he either ended their contract or she found out she had been mistaken about everything. Either way, she planned to make the most of it. The first order of business was to pick out the perfect outfit. And there was only one person she trusted to help her with that. Her phone was in her hand a moment later and she sent a text to Cassidy. Meet me back at the cabin. I need your help now.

  She took off at a run.

  Cassidy was there by the time she arrived, wearing the Kinky Kleaner outfit she’d created. “What’s up?” she asked, looking at Becca with concern.

  “I’m telling Kendrick I love him tonight. I need help picking out the outfit.”

  Surprise filled Cassidy’s eyes but then she nodded. “One killer outfit coming up.”

  By five, Becca was in line for dinner. Her outfit was gorgeous and she wished she’d thought of it first. Cassidy took one of her thigh-length, stretchy dresses and after having Becca get into it, cut strategic holes throughout. “The longer you wear it, the more the holes will open.” She grinned. “It will be a treat for him and in no time, he’ll be ripping it off you.”

  Becca could only hope he would do that instead of show her the door. Over the torn dress, she wore a simple coat buttoned all the way up so nobody would be aware of the dress. It was for Kendrick’s eyes only.

  Michaelo was busy, but a younger man, maybe in his mid-twenties, greeted her at the window. “Hello,” he said with a bright smile. “I’m Slate. You’ve got your choice of braised lamb chops, small red potatoes, and green beans or lasagna. Both come with blueberry crumble for dessert.”

  “I’ll take one of each to go,” she said. “They both sound wonderful and I don’t know which Kendrick would prefer.” Actually she was pretty sure he’d love the lasagna more, but she wanted him to have the option.

  “Righto.” Slate hummed as he put the dinners in to-go containers. He seemed like a happy man and she hoped she would be back to happy by the end of the day. “Here you go,” he said as he put everything in a bag.

  She thanked him and headed back toward their pod. The closer she got, the slower she walked. This was it. Would it be her last hurrah? Or the beginning of something more?

  Knowing he left his door unlocked, she opened it and stepped inside, surprised to find a fire burning in the fireplace. He was already here? Becca quickly put the bag on the small table and went to unbutton her coat.

  “Master, are you home?”

  It was like being doused in ice water. Becca stood there in horror as the blonde bounced down the stairs completely naked except for a thick piece of leather around her neck. Her eyes widened as she spotted Becca. “Oh. You’re not Master,” she said with a high-pitched giggle. “I’m Denise.” She held out her hand and as if her body was disconnected from her mind, Becca shook it. “Did Master send you?”

  There was no way to answer that. It wasn’t like she could say, “Yes, he did. We’re supposed to have dinner together. I’ve been his sub for weeks. Who the fuck are you?”

  “How long have you and Kendrick been together?” she asked instead, letting her fingers fall to her sides.

  “Ages,” Denise said with a wave of her hand. “I’m so glad he got this place started finally. I had to keep my job back in Texas until it was official and originally I was going to come in early August, but a girl just can’t be without her master, you know? So I quit early and came. He’s kind of peeved with me,” she said with a grimace. “But he’ll get over it. What is that wonderful aroma?”

  “Dinner,” Becca said on a whisper, the oomph she’d received from her afternoon epiphany crumbling to dust. They’d been master and sub for years. Denise was supposed to come at the beginning of August. Which was why their contract ended then. She’d been a royal fool. He’d made no promises and she couldn’t blame him. But she could leave. “I brought Kendrick his dinner but there’s a second meal in there you can have if you want.”

  “Oh thank you. I’m sure filling his belly will help temper any anger he has for me,” Denise said with another annoying giggle. “Thanks.” She picked up the bag and went into the dining room. It felt like Becca had been dismissed. Her body knew it before she did and she was out of the cabin and into her own before she knew what she was doing.

  She rushed upstairs, wondering if the ferry would still be at the dock. If it was, she could escape now. Get to Seattle and deal with her emotions away from Elan Isle, away from the Faire, and away from the man she loved and, at the moment, hated.

  Becca barely paid attention to what she was doing. She grabbed handfuls of clothing and tossed them into her suitcase. They were so haphazard that they didn’t completely fit, but she forced the case closed. There were knick-knacks she’d brought to make the place homier, but she ignored those. Perhaps Cassidy could bring them with her when she came back to Seattle in September.

  “I’m sure she will.” Cassidy’s laugh and words floated up the stairs and Becca swore softly. She didn’t want to see anyone. “Maybe you can see her tomorrow,” she said as she climbed the stairs. “She—Becca! Why aren’t you—?” Silence rang through the air and Becca looked over at her. Cassidy was staring at her suitcase and then looked up. Instantly fury crossed her face. “What the fuck did he do?”

  “He didn’t do anything,” Becca said, trying to hold back the tears. “I need to get to the dock before the last ferry leaves. Please don’t ask anything. I have to go.”

  Several expressions crossed Cassidy’s face but before she could speak, more feet were on the stairs and to her surprise, someone she knew well stepped into her room. “Master Rob,” she said, a sob bursting from her lips. He held out his arms and she launched herself into them.

  “What’s wrong, Rebecca?” he asked in his deep, rumbling voice.

  “I need to go home,” she whispered in a hoarse voice. “I have to go now.”

  “Is someone after you?”

  She shook her head roughly. “My Dom has another sub…” Her lips pulled into a gross grimace. “Please, Master Rob, I can’t talk about it. I need to leave now.” Becca reached back and quickly removed the collar and dropped it on the bed. “Please.” The last word was so pitiful that she began to sob again.

  “All right. You’re in luck. The last boat has left but I brought my own. Come. I’ll take you back to Seattle where you’ll tell me everything.” His firm voice helped calm her and she nodded.

  He picked up her suitcase and they made their way quickly toward the dock. Becca glanced left and right, sure someone would spot her and ask what was going on, but most everyone was at the cafeteria for dinner. Luck was on her side. Until they reached the dock.

  “Becca!” Ryan’s voice sent a chill down her back. Someone saw her.

  “On the boat,” Master Rob said and she climbed aboard and huddled behind the seats. He put her suitcase in and turned to face Ryan who was running toward them. “Halt.” He held out his hand and Ryan stopped. “I don’t know who you are, but you won’t come any further.”

  “You can’t take Becca with you,” Ryan said, sounding worried. “She doesn’t belong to you.”

  Master Rob snorted. “She doesn’t belong to anyone, boy. Her former master fucked up and I’m taking her home. Don’t make a fool of yourself by making a scene.”

  Ryan tried to look past him. “Becca?” His voice was a lot more confused. “Are you okay?”

  More tears pricked her eyes but she forced herself to nod. “I have to go, Ryan. Goodbye.” Then the tears took over once more and she covered her face and sobbed. The roar of the engine was quickly followed by the boat racing across the water.

  Becca burst into huge gut-wrenching sobs and cried all the way back to Seattle.

  Chapter Twenty

  “They’re sending another one,” Kendrick said, tiredness making him cranky. “It will be here two
days before the Faire opens. I told them this one had better not be cracked.”

  “I’m just glad David found it,” Craig said with a grunt. “That could have caused some harm if anyone played on it.”

  Kendrick glanced at his watch. Just after six. “Well, I’ve got dinner and a nubile sub waiting for me at home. If anything else happens tonight, I’ve left the country.”

  David and Craig chuckled, but before Kendrick could walk away, he saw Ryan running toward him full out. That couldn’t be good. All three men watched as the younger man made a beeline right for them.

  “Kendrick,” Ryan said, panting a little, “Becca… boat… gone.”

  “Wait. What?” Kendrick put a hand on his shoulder. “Take a moment and repeat that.”

  Ryan took a couple breaths and nodded. “Becca left on a boat with some guy. I don’t know who he was but he said something about her former master screwing up and he was taking her home.”

  Dread cascaded through him. “He forced her to go?”

  With a wince, Ryan shook his head. “Didn’t look like it. She was crying but told me she had to go.”

  Fuck. He took a step forward but Craig grabbed his arm. “Hold it. It’ll be quicker if I can get Cassidy on the phone. Maybe she knows what happened.”

  He turned his phone on speaker and dialed a number.

  “Hello?” Cassidy sounded pissed.

  “Cassidy, it’s Craig. Do you know what happened with Becca?”

  A loud shriek came through the phone that made all of them wince. “What happened? What happened is your friend Kendrick is a two-timing asshole. That’s what happened. Brought his other sub to the Faire and then expected Becca to deal with it? Fuck that, Craig. She deserves better.”

  “Stop,” Kendrick said firmly. “I’m not two-timing anyone. Becca is my only sub. Where did you get the idea I was?”

  “Becca said so. She was too distraught to talk about it and so Master Rob took her back to Seattle with him.” There was a pause and then she spoke a little calmer. “Are you saying she was wrong? She was really upset and so I thought…”

  Master Rob. Kendrick remembered her talking about him—one of the Doms who had trained her.

  “So who’s this sub you’ve supposedly been two-timing with?” David asked with a frown. “Who’s been telling her lies?”

  Kendrick met Craig’s gaze and he was sure his expression mirrored the fury on Craig’s. “Denise,” they both spat out at the same time.

  “Cassidy, are you in your cabin?” Kendrick asked, keeping his voice calm when he wanted to bellow and go rip Denise a new one.

  “Yes.”

  “Stay there. I have the feeling Denise could be somewhere close and I want her surprised when I find her.”

  “Who’s Denise?” she asked but he ignored the question and disconnected the call.

  “David,” he said, “can you go to Garrett’s cabin and see if she’s there? She’s about five eight, blonde, and has a very pronounced figure. If you find her, bring her back to my cabin for the dressing down of her life.”

  Craig snorted. “Bring her to the discipline stage instead. Just a few hours ago I spelled out exactly what would happen if she disrupted anything here. If she’s pulled something, I’m going to tan her hide until she can’t sit down for days.”

  David jogged off.

  “What can I do?” Ryan asked. “Becca looked awful.”

  “I’m sure she did,” Kendrick said with a shake of his head, imagining the kind of pain his poor little sub was suffering from. “Once the Denise problem is dealt with, I’ll need to head to Seattle. There I’ll have the talk I was going to have with her tonight. If she agrees, she comes back with a permanent collar. If she doesn’t, then I’ll return alone.” And that sounded so awful that it left a bad taste in his mouth.

  Ryan followed Kendrick and Craig to Kendrick’s cabin and as they approached the door, Kendrick had an inkling of what he might find. He wasn’t even sure why he knew, but it just seemed something a spoiled rotten, bratty girl who liked to act like a sub would do to get attention.

  Kendrick opened the door and stepped inside. A huge fire was in the hearth and standing next to the dining table with the fakest, most smug smile, was Denise O’Holloran. Fury filled him and he looked at Craig. If he acted, he might accidentally harm Denise and he would never want to do that. Scare the fuck out her, maybe. But he never wanted to harm anyone.

  A look of calm satisfaction crossed his friend’s face and he nodded. Craig turned toward Denise and she blanched behind her fake tan. “I thought I’d bring you dinner,” she said and stared directly at Kendrick.

  “Did you?” Craig said. He turned toward Ryan and lowered his voice so only the three of them could hear. “Could you go to the cafeteria and see if Becca was there and picked up meals for her and Kendrick?”

  Ryan nodded and darted out the door.

  Craig turned back toward Denise and crossed his arms across his chest. It made him look big and she fidgeted a little, her eyes darting between him and Kendrick.

  “Maybe this is a bad time,” she murmured and took a step forward.

  “Halt,” Craig snapped and she froze. “You aren’t leaving until we get to the bottom of what you’re doing here and what you’ve done.”

  Her eyes narrowed and she took a step back. She crossed her own arms and Kendrick managed not to grimace at the picture of a pouty, spoiled brat. Her father would have done well to spank her ass when she was a child. Instead he’d coddled her and she expected the world to bow to her command. “You can’t force me to do anything.”

  Craig stepped forward, pulled out a chair, and sat down in front of her. “The contract you signed this afternoon gives me every right, Denise. And you’re in so much trouble, if I were you, I’d tell all my sins now and get it over with. If we have to dig for the information, your punishment’s just going to be ten times worse.”

  Denise screwed up her lips, looking as though she’d just sucked on a lemon, and turned toward Kendrick. “Are you going to let him speak to me this way?”

  He cocked a brow. “He’s in charge of discipline here. The only person I discipline is my own sub.” She flinched.

  “So, ready to fess up?” Craig asked as he crossed an ankle over his right knee.

  She raised her chin and glared at Craig. “I did nothing.”

  “Except strip and enter Kendrick’s cabin without his permission,” Craig spat back.

  Red flooded up her neck to her ears, a pure sign she was pissed. “You don’t know what permissions he gave me,” she said.

  “Actually I do,” he said. “Kendrick only gives carte blanche to his personal space to five individuals. Me. Neil. Alice. Joseph.” Craig left a long pause and finally added, “And his sub, Becca.”

  “I’m his sub,” she snapped and Kendrick fisted his hands. “Or I should be,” she added as though realizing what she’d said. “We belong together.”

  Craig snorted. “Denise, I’ve told you this so many times it should be emblazoned on your brain. And this is the final time. You aren’t a sub. You don’t have a submissive bone in your body. You like to play at it and you enjoyed the scene Kendrick did with you five years ago. But you would never make a good companion for him as he is a Dom and needs a submissive partner. Your lies and subterfuge automatically would have disqualified you even if you were submissive, but since you’re not, you’re out.” He leaned forward. “Now tell me what you said to Becca.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said and looked down at her manicured nails. They hung out a couple inches from the edges of her fingers and were painted a bright, sparkly pink. Just another thing Kendrick liked about Becca. She didn’t go in for gaudy decoration. Unless he dressed her up that way.

  Thinking about her brought an ache to his chest. She must have gone crazy after coming face to face with Denise. She would have come to the conclusion that Kendrick lied to her and that she was just some sort of short-term repl
acement until Denise showed up. He narrowed his eyes at the woman standing defiantly in the spot where Becca usually knelt.

  “Move,” he said coldly.

  She blinked at him in surprise. Whether it was because he spoke or the fact he’d never been so cold to her, he didn’t know. “Move away from that spot. It’s not yours.”

  Once again, she flinched.

  Craig didn’t wait. He grasped her arm and yanked her to the side. “That’s his sub’s spot, Denise. Bitchy girls don’t belong there.”

  “Fuck off,” she spat. “He’s mine.”

  The door opened and Ryan came in, closely followed by David and Alice. The moment Alice saw Denise, her lips drew into a thin line.

  Craig waved Ryan forward. “Well?”

  “Slate said Becca came by about five thirty. She ordered one each of the two meals they had. I described Denise and he hadn’t seen anyone who fit her description.”

  “Garrett is staying in his cabin,” David said and at the mention of his name, Denise took a step back. “He was shocked to find out she knew you, but then grumbled about that must be why she jumped at the opportunity when he told her about the place and who was running it.”

  “You have fifteen seconds to start talking, Denise,” Craig said. “Or I’m marching you down to the discipline ring, tying you up, and using my single tail to leave a trail you won’t soon forget.”

  “You touch me and I’ll sue,” she snapped.

  “You sue us and we’ll countersue,” Craig responded. “And your daddy won’t like all the publicity about what a slut his sweet little girl is, will he?”

  She glowered, but didn’t say anything.

  Alice stepped forward. “Are you the one who upset Becca?” she asked in a voice seething with anger.

  Denise tossed her head back and shrugged. “I don’t know a Becca.”

  David pointed toward the table. “Who brought the meals, Denise?”

  She blew out a breath, sounding exasperating. “The sub Kendrick has do his menial chores. She brought two meals and left. Not very pretty,” she added and flicked her fingers as if to say the whole subject was below her notice.