Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 104141 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104141 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
His lips were turning blue.
Tears leaked from the corners of his eyes. The veins in his neck pushed up the fabric.
I pulled the chain a fraction tighter. His hands clawed at the collar. Those fingers scrabbled uselessly against metal.
"But this is my Tiger." I sneered. "Don't fucking touch her anymore tonight. Not her leg. Not her hand. Not even the hem of her dress. You keep your eyes on the floor and your body three feet from hers at all times."
His mouth opened and closed.
No sound came out.
"And once this party is over, you let her know that you'll be someone else's slave. I don’t know the process. Request a transfer. Find another mistress. I don't fucking care how you frame it—gratitude, personal growth, a spiritual goddamn awakening—but you remove yourself from her service. Permanently."
I leaned even closer. Close enough that he could see the death that lived within my eyes.
The fire.
The bloodshed.
Him and his family burning and withering into smoke and dust.
And then I bared my teeth. "Nod if you understand."
He frantically nodded.
The chain rattled with the force of it.
Toma's voice cut through the room. "She's at the door trying to turn the knob."
I released the chain.
The slave crumpled forward, gasping, sucking air in raggedly, and wheezing.
The door handle loudly rattled as Toma held it still.
Hiro and the Claws melted back into position.
“Keep your mouth shut about what happened.” I stood smoothly, adjusting the leather leash in my hand as if I'd simply been holding it the entire time.
“Be a good little doggy.” Hiro winked at the slave and returned the knife to its place under the fur coat.
Daisuke resumed his relaxed lean against the wall, Hiro examined his cane. Reo picked at a nonexistent thread on his sleeve.
Toma let the handle go.
By the time the door handle turned, we were exactly as she'd left us.
Still, Nyomi stepped through with her brows creased. She looked at the handle, then back at us. "What was up with the door? I couldn't get it open for a second."
Reo shrugged. "Must be jammed. The island humidity makes the frames swell at times. I’ll make sure maintenance takes a look at it."
"Hmm." She scanned the room.
I witnessed the moment she went from playful Tiger to journalist mode. Those sharp, beautiful eyes swept across each face. She lingered on Toma's too-casual posture. On Hiro's sudden interest in his cane. On the way neither twin quite met her gaze.
Then she looked at me.
I gave her nothing. A slight smile. Warm eyes. The leash resting comfortably in my open palm.
She didn't buy it. I could see the gears turning behind her expression, the calculations running in real time. I was quickly learning that Nyomi could smell bullshit from three rooms away.
Then she looked down at the slave.
Although he was back in that pathetic doggy position, his whole body vibrated with fine, continuous shudders—the kind that came from adrenaline and oxygen deprivation and a terror so fresh it hadn't finished settling into his bones. His eyes were fixed on the floor. His hands were clasped tight in his lap to hide their shaking.
She looked back up at me and frowned. She knew something had happened. She knew my men were covering. But she was too classy to call it out in front of everyone.
Hmmm.
She strolled over and reached for the leash.
I handed it back to her.
Our fingers touched again.
This time, she whispered, “Naughty Dragon.”
And because she had my heart, soul, and body clenched within her little fists, my cock reacted, jerking in my pants and growing hard with each second.
I kept my voice low. “Punish me later, Tora.”
She blinked.
A wicked smirk spread across my face.
“Don’t worry. I will.” She stepped back and cleared her throat. "I hope you all enjoy this party."
Hiro gave her a bow. “We will.”
The Claws bowed too.
"We all worked very hard to give you a good time, so be extra nice to the staff."
The twins bobbed their heads.
“We’ll be good.” One twin pulled the trigger on his machine gun.
Bubbles spilled out at her.
Nyomi widened her eyes, laughed, and batted a few bubbles away. “Oh my God. Judging the contest is going to be so hard.”
Hiro quirked his brows. “Who else is judging?”
“You’ll see.” A sly smile curved her lips. "Also, since there's so much good food and drinks, I invited some of the single women on the island to help introduce the drinks and celebrate with us."
“Oh really?” Toma straightened.
Reo's mouth twitched.
Even Daisuke lifted an eyebrow with unmistakable interest. “Single women. Interesting.”
God, I love her.
"Let's go." She gestured toward the double doors.
The slave crawled on her left, giving her the three feet of space that I’d nicely requested of him.
On the right, I took her hand. Even though she might have been annoyed with me for whatever she thought I did to him, she threaded her fingers through mine.