Three Strikes (Desire Island 3)

“Thank you, Sir,” Abbie replied, a shy, happy smile on her pretty face. “That means a lot to me.”

“And if I’m being completely honest,” he continued, “I’ve always been more than a little attracted to you. Add that attraction to our very real friendship, and it’s no surprise our connection was as intense as it was. I think that’s where I fucked up,” he admitted with a rueful laugh. “I tried to play it last night as if we were just engaging in a casual scene. But there was—there is—definitely something more going on between us.”

He leaned forward, fixing her with an earnest gaze. “It’s been a while since I’ve been in a serious BDSM relationship. The woman I connect with needs to understand what’s involved. I require a slave girl who is willing to give herself completely to me—heart, body and soul. I require every aspect of the BDSM acronym—bondage, dominance, discipline, submission and sadomasochism. She needs to be willing to give me everything she’s got. And then a little more.”

He held his breath. Had he gone too far? They’d shared one private scene, for god’s sake, and here he was, talking about a total power exchange.

Abbie had grown very still as he spoke, her expression hard to read. Her lips were softly parted, her eyes wide and fixed on his face. It seemed she had stopped breathing.

“Abbie?” he asked, a little worried. Reaching over, he took her hand, the sudden skin-on-skin contact sending another electric jolt of desire through his system. “What is it? Are you okay?”

She swallowed, seeming to come back to herself. “Me,” she whispered.

Ryan’s heart leaped at the single-word declaration but he held himself in check. Maybe he’d misunderstood. “I’m sorry. What?”

Abbie slipped from the chair to the carpet in a graceful, fluid movement. She knelt up, back straight, arms behind her back. In a quiet but clear voice, she repeated, “Me, Sir. I’m that slave girl. I’ve always longed for the all-encompassing power of those four letters. It’s why I came to Desire Island, Sir. It’s been a long-held fantasy I’ve never quite had the courage to pursue. And, if we’re both being completely honest here”—color creeped up her throat and splashed her face—“you, Sir, have been the object of that fantasy.”

She lifted her chin and met his gaze unflinchingly, though she continued to blush. “I share your vision, Sir. It’s been my dream all my life to give myself completely and without reservation to another. I’ve spent the last year honing my submissive skills and hoping to prove myself worthy.”

Tears filled her eyes and rolled down her cheeks, though her smile was luminous. Without wiping them away, she lowered herself over his shoe and kissed it. Lifting her head, she said softly, “Please, Master Ryan. Give me that chance. I won’t let you down.”

Chapter 3

“So, then what happened?” Kendra asked breathlessly.

They were sitting on Abbie’s bed after dinner, their first chance to be alone since her meeting with Master Ryan. “He didn’t say anything for a long time,” Abbie replied. “He just stared at me while I tried to remember how to breathe. Then he stood up from the chair and held out his hand to me. I took it and he pulled me into a standing position. Then he put his hands on my shoulders and looked directly into my soul.”

“Oh, my god,” Kendra breathed. “It’s like a movie. Did he take you into his arms and kiss you while the soundtrack soared in the background?”

Abbie smiled ruefully at the imagery. “If only.” She brightened a little. “He did say that he’s always admired my submissive grace. He said he hadn’t realized I was seeking a Master/slave relationship. He thought I was more of a service slave for the island at large.”

“And what did you say to that?”

“I said that I’d always thought he was more of a Master for the island at large,” she replied with a grin.

“Ha. How’d he handle that?”

“He laughed and said, ‘Touché.’ Then he said he wasn’t at all averse to the idea of us exploring this together one-on-one, but that it was a serious undertaking and not something I should decide on the spur of the moment.”

“And you said, ‘This isn’t spur of the moment. I’ve been thinking about it and dreaming about it my whole fucking life?’” Kendra asked with a smirk.

“Something like that,” Abbie agreed with an answering grin. “I made it pretty clear it was the main reason I’d come to the island, but that I’d never found the right opportunity. Or the right man…”

“Way cool,” Kendra said approvingly. “So what’s next? Is he going to take you on for intensive one-on-one slave training?”

“He said we should both take a day or so to think it over. It’s a really big step for both of us. He suggested I talk to Maya, and Skylar, too, to get their perspectives.”