Read Online Master's Flame by Annabel Joseph - Free Book Online Page A

dozen D-types at the Citadel if that’s what you’re into.”
    “That’s not true.”
    “It is true. I’ve seen the way they look at you.”
    Valentina tuned out his words because they meant nothing to her. No one else was like Michel Lemaitre, and they never would be. She barely noticed when Jason said goodbye and closed the door, because she realized she’d hit upon the answer. She only had to remake herself in the image of Maxim and Leonid. She had to be calm and clear-eyed, silent and utterly self-effacing. If he didn’t like her as she was, she would transform herself into his image of a perfect slave. She would pour herself out to make room for whatever Lemaitre wanted, and once he filled her up, she’d finally feel complete.
    She would practice being calm and sane while Mr. Lemaitre was away, and practice submission at the Citadel until she was great at taking pain, as great as Leonid and Maxim, then she’d win his regard when he returned to gauge
Élémental
’s progress. He wouldn’t be able to resist her when he saw how much she’d changed.
    It was so simple a solution. Thank God Jason had come by to open her eyes.
    *** *** ***
     
    Michel stayed away almost a month, until there was nothing else to do in Brussels and the Christmas holidays brought him home. The new year found him holed up in his office, concentrating on business. Margins were good. It was a perfect time to launch a new production and there were plenty of tasks to be done.
    Even sequestered in his office, he heard company news, but nothing of
La Vampa
aside from the usual status reports on the development of her act. He found this shocking—he had expected her to run rampant while he was away. He wondered if she still went to the Citadel, if she was still cutting a swath through all the sexually available men of the Cirque. He hoped so. He hoped she was having fun. He hoped it had not been too difficult for her to come to terms with his rejection. The way she had looked at him that night...like he was eviscerating her soul.
    If Valentina was not so central to the upcoming production, he might have sent her to some other show, only to free himself of temptation. As it was, he could not. By now all the acts were in place and proper rehearsals were underway, with new sets and equipment constructed by the art department. Huge stage pieces filled the Cirque’s workshops, and red, orange, and gold paint covered everything.
    He scheduled time in mid-January to see an overview of the show before they moved into the practice theater. The directors and coaches huddled around him as the performers demonstrated their progress and awaited his critique. Of course, nothing was ever perfect, not at this stage. Michel was as blunt as he could be without disrespecting his staff and performers. He shared many positives to balance the negatives, but Jason seemed strangely subdued as the order of acts led up to Valentina’s routine.
    “So, how is the hand-to-hand coming, now that you’ve added extra men?” asked Michel. Had he tried too hard to sound casual? He didn’t want to admit how anxious he was to see her perform, how many times his gaze had strayed to the side of the room where she stretched to stay warm.
    Jason’s expression gave nothing away. “The act is coming along. They’ve been very focused. Working hard.” He paused, looking up from the page of notes before him. “I understand the ‘twins’ have been put out to pasture.”
    “Is that what people are saying?”
    “It’s true, isn’t it? You sent them away.”
    “They were needed for the Los Angeles show.” Indeed, Maxim and Leonid had volunteered with just a little urging from his direction. “They have earned it, don’t you think?” he asked Jason. “If you stay too long in any one show, or any one situation, life grows stale.”
    “Hmm.” Jason made a non-committal sound as Valentina entered the performance area. The costumes were one of the last components to be