Priceless (Ruthless Doms 1)

“As my slave, nothing is up for negotiation,” I tell her. “You do what I say and when I say it, or suffer the consequences.”

“Yes, master.”

“That is the correct response, but for the remainder of your instruction I want you to nod.”

She nods obediently.

“Your job is to obey and serve me.”

A nod.

“You will eat when I tell you, kneel when commanded, and only wear clothing when in the presence of other men.”

Another nod.

“I will reward you when I see fit, when you’ve pleased me. And if you displease me, I will punish you.”

She nods again.

“Stand.”

She gets to her feet but keeps her eyes on the floor. I swing my legs over the side of the bed and sit up.

“Come here.”

Obediently, she walks over to me. I point wordlessly to the floor, and she drops back to her knees. I stifle a groan, my cock aching.

“Who do you serve?” I ask clearly.

“You, sir.”

“To whom do you answer?”

“You, sir.”

“Who has the privilege of punishing you if you disobey?”

“You, sir.”

I take her chin in my hand and bring her eyes to mine. “Who owns you?”

She doesn’t falter, holding my gaze as she swallows, then whispers. “You, sir.”

I lean down so my mouth is to her ear. “Are you ever to call me by name?”

A gentle shake of her head. “No, sir. Never, sir.”

“Well done.” I lean down and bring my mouth to her ear. “Until I tell you again, we will not talk of who you are or who I am. You will do exactly what I say, and I will protect you. But from here on out, every instruction I give you comes from Master Aleks. Do you understand?”

She draws in a deep breath, then lets it out slowly. “Yes, master.”

“We will be arriving in Boston soon, and I’m being admitted into the Boston Bratva.” I pause before I tell her the rest. “And you will be my tribute.”

She doesn’t respond.

I’m so fucking hard, it’s killing me to have her between my legs like this. In one second I could have her mouth wrapped around my cock and pass it off as part of her training. And Khristos, I want that.

“Do you know what has to happen tonight, slave?”

“Yes, sir,” she says. Wordlessly, she reaches for my hand and squeezes.

I brush a stray hair off her forehead. “Come with me to get ready for breakfast.” I feel my body tense, my spine stiffening at the thought of taking her out there. Where others can see her. Breathe the same air she does.

I have her kneel outside the bathroom while I get ready to shower. I won’t take my eyes off of her for a second, and it’s almost like the old days. My life’s purpose was to keep an eye on her. I failed her once, and I almost lost her forever. I will never make such a mistake again. I will spend the rest of my life devoting myself to her, making up for lost time.

A knock sounds. I look to the door, then back to her. She’s kept her eyes to the floor and hasn’t moved, but I don’t trust anyone. I check my weapon before I answer the door. Erik stands on the other side, his woman on a leash with her head bowed. I open the door.

“Good morning,” he says pleasantly, looking over my shoulder to where Marissa kneels. I lean against the doorway to stop myself from decking him.

“Morning,” I say less pleasantly, giving him a pointed look that says, what the fuck do you want?

“Going to breakfast?” he asks, like this is some sort of luxury vacation.

“Yeah. Where’s Yakov?”

“Already there. But I think Naomi would like to go with a friend.” His lips twitch. “A play date as it were.”

I feel Marissa wanting to get up from where she is, but if she fucking moves I’ll punish her. And if he’s insinuating that we’re sharing, I’ll kill him first.

Painfully.

“We’ll be there shortly.”

I shut the door in his face before I break his nose.

“You know, there’s a flip side to your obedience,” I tell her when I turn back to where she kneels.

“Yes, sir?”

“I’ll punish you if you misbehave, but you’ll be richly rewarded for obedience.”

I love how the faintest tinge of pink colors her cheeks. “I would like that, sir,” she says quietly. “May I speak?”

“You may.”

“I just want to tell you I don’t need much in the way of rewards, sir,” she says, her head still bowed. “Your pleasure is reward enough.”

She’s being such a good little girl. I’m so proud of her. I walk to her and bend to one knee, taking her chin in my hand.

“You please me very much,” I say, my voice thick with emotion.

Her eyes light up, luminescent and beautiful.

“Zvezda moya,” I murmur. My beautiful, radiant star. And for one brief moment I’m not sure if we’re role playing or sincere.