Read Online Mastered By Love by Tori Minard - Free Book Online Page B

you?”
    Her lips pressed together until they
almost disappeared. She turned her head without a word. Dario
slipped his fingers beneath one of the harness straps, checking for
moisture. It was still damp where it lay against her
skin.
    “ It’s not dry. We’ll have
to do it later.”
    She still said nothing,
giving no indication she’d even heard him. Ah, the silent
treatment. He smiled to himself. If she thought that kind of
behavior would affect him, she was in for a
disappointment.
    “ May I enter, milord?” Baso
said from outside the tent.
    “ Yes. Come in,” he
called.
    His aide pulled back the tent flap and
came inside. A slave named Lola came in after him, carrying a tray
heavy with food. She glanced at Dario with a demure smile before
standing, head bowed, waiting for orders while Baso grinned at
him.
    “ Settling in with the new
one, I see.”
    “ Thank you for bringing
lunch,” Dario said.
    “ Set the tray on the table,
Lola.”
    The girl instantly obeyed. With the
tray on the table, she once again assumed the attentive posture of
the properly trained slave, head bowed and hands clasped before
her. Her long, blond hair fell forward over her shoulders, the ends
just brushing her pale pink nipples. She wore a glossy red harness
and an ankle bracelet with tiny bells that chimed with every step
she took.
    “ I thought you might want
the services of a real woman after wrestling with a Concordian all
night long,” Baso said.
    Lola was one of the most
beautiful slaves belonging to the royal family and he’d been
privileged to bring her into the field with him. But now that he’d
had Tariza, he couldn’t seem to summon any enthusiasm for the other
blonde. He sat up with a sigh and shook his head.
    “ Lola is a very talented
slave, but I’m too busy with Tariza at present. Why don’t you make
use of her yourself, Baso?”
    Lola’s hands clenched
tightly. Had his words upset her? She flicked a narrow-eyed glance
at Tariza before realizing he was watching her. Brilliant color
flooded her face and she looked at her feet again. Odd. Normally
Lola was the most biddable of females.
    “ Thank you, milord. I don’t
mind if I do.” Baso snapped his fingers as he turned to leave the
tent. “Come, Lola.”
    Lola followed the man obediently as he
left the tent.
    Dario glanced at Tariza
sitting next to him in the bed. Her face was as hot and bright as
Lola’s, her eyes downcast, but her posture as far from submissive
as it was possible to be. Her hands were clasped tightly together,
so tightly her fingers had begun to turn white, as if she could
barely restrain herself from hitting something.
    He laid one of his hands
over both of hers. “She’s had a lifetime of training. Don’t compare
yourself to her.”
    Tariza gave him the most
poisonous glare he’d ever seen. “You think I’m envious of her?”
    “ Um –” He had thought that,
yes.
    “ I would never envy that –
that sorry excuse for a woman. She disgusts me.”
    Dario frowned. “She
disgusts you? That’s very harsh. She’s one of our most valued and
highly esteemed slaves.”
    “ Why am I not
surprised?”
    “ You would do well to
emulate Lola in every way. She’s an exemplary slave, and whether
you understand or not, similar behavior will be required of
you.”
    “ You will never succeed in
turning me into a creature like that.”
    At her vehemence, he
tightened his grip on her hands. “Do you want to be
beaten?”
    She shot him a tight-lipped
glance. “No. Of course not.”
    “ Then you’ll give every
appearance of being a properly submissive slave. Defiant women are
beaten.”
    “ Charming, Saturnios.
Really charming.”
    Dario grabbed her by her
shoulders. “I won’t be able to protect you all the time. You’ll be
expected to serve in the presence of other men who are much
stricter than I.”
    She widened her eyes. “By
the Goddess, are you worried on my behalf?” Her tone was sweetly
mocking.
    “ Yes, damn you.