Her Master's Courtesan (29 page)

I nodded at her and she left the room without another word. She was upset with me – she knew what I was doing with the two girls. I didn’t need her approval and I knew that no matter what, she’d remain loyal.

I breathed out heavily, rolling my shoulders back before pulling down at the cuffs of my sleeves. I stood in the mirror that was hung on the wall and I straightened my tie before grabbing my suit jacket to slip it on. After smoothing back my hair, I rolled my neck to relax the muscles.

It was time to sell the courtesans to their new master.

Walking into the foyer, I was greeted by a large man who had an expansive belly that hung over his pants. He wore a tucked in, button up shirt, with a Stetson tie around his neck. A large cowboy hat sat proudly on his head. I looked down at his feet to see that he wore the boots to match. I shook my head at his attire and strode into the room.

When he looked at me, one eye looked larger than the other. He grinned lasciviously, obviously pleased to finally get his next fix. He looked like the psychopath I knew he was and I understood that killing was like a drug to these people – it was a high they could never receive from any other source. It was possible I was no different from him; however my methods involve destroying the personality instead of the body.

I held out my hand and he shook it, his large calloused fingers squeezing tight, but not enough to piss me off. He was attempting to intimidate me within the first few seconds of meeting me, and it made me hate him more.

I smiled. “Duke. It’s nice to finally meet you. Why don’t you come with me into the bar area? We can discuss business there while having a drink.”

He laughed a deep belly laugh and clapped me on the shoulder with his broad palm. I shook off the contact, annoyed that I would have to deal with this man for another hour or so. I had a deal to make – one that would make me a much richer man than I am now.

I had a rare jewel to show him – a courtesan never trained or created by any Master within the society before. He would want her just because of how exceptional she was.

“Aiden Oliver. It’s about fucking time you finished taming the bitch. I don’t know why you felt the need to perfect her. I could have handled that myself.” Another sick laugh and my skin broke out in chills. This man was vile. He reeked of something unholy and demented, but I would tolerate him for money.

Because that’s what this was all about: Money.

“I’m a professional, Duke. Regardless of what you intend to do with the courtesan; I won’t hand over a slave I’m not proud to say I trained. Your tastes are not my concern, but my reputation is.”

He clapped me on the shoulder again and I stepped away, attempting to remain out of reach without being obvious. Everything about this man made me want to throw up. However, I had to play the professional. I had to make him pay. He obviously had money to throw around and I wanted to make it mine.

“When I heard you were the best, I knew I had to hire you. I’m damn glad I did, I can’t wait to see what you’ve obtained for me.”

“She’s ready at any time. I thought it would be nice to have a drink first and I’d like to show you something as well. It’s not anything that I’m willing to give up, I just want to brag and I know you’ll appreciate what you see.”

His eyebrow arched and I grinned to know I’d peaked his interest. I led him into the bar and poured us both a glass of scotch. While I poured the drinks and returned the bottle, I fished for information.

“Based on your attire, is it safe for me to assume you’re from farther out west somewhere?”

He laughed again and I saw the yellow stain on his teeth.

“If you mean state-wise, no - but if you talking about a general direction, then yes. I own a ranch about 250 miles west of here.”

I nodded my head, making note of the information he gave me without appearing too interested in what he had to say. “A ranch? Must be nice to have so much land. I’m sure it’s useful.”

Grinning in response to my stab, he picked his drink up and took a sip. “You can never have too much land. So what is it you wanted to show me? I’m somewhat eager to take the courtesan back to my house. It’s been several weeks since my last one.”

Sighing loudly, I knew he was lying – that he had other women other than the courtesans he ordered, but I let it go and grabbed the remote control from the counter. “I want to show you my courtesan. A woman I trained a little differently than the rest. I think a man like you can appreciate my work. There isn’t another one like her.”

I hit play before he could respond and the large screen T.V. came to life. The video started with the first time I made Rebecca punish Kelsey. Duke’s eyes widened at the scene and when Rebecca lost it, when her rage filled her to a point where she beat the other girl without compassion or sympathy, Duke straightened in his chair.

The video continued on through several incidents that occurred over the weeks where Rebecca took part in the training. With each passing strike, her expression would grow more serene. The video ended and Duke looked up at me in confusion.

“You’re training a female to be a Master? I thought you said this was a courtesan.”

“It is. You need to continue watching.”

Flicking the button on the remote, I played the next video. It was scenes where I’d given Rebecca the pain she needed. It was times when I would punish her for no reason at all, and would refuse her the sexual release afterward. I hadn’t touched her since that night in the playroom. I’d left her needful and aching for a release each time. I took out my sexual frustration on Kelsey, but always with thought of Rebecca in my head.

I watched Duke as he viewed the different scenes. He shifted in his chair and I looked down to discover that he was hard beneath his pants. Looking away, my body shuddered from disgust, but I was pleased with his reaction. It meant he finally understood what I’d done.

The tape ended and he stared wide-eyed as the last image of Rebecca’s face – frozen on the screen – stuck in that one moment in time. After swallowing down the rest of his drink, he finally turned to me.

“You’ve trained a courtesan to take part in the abuse? To not only take part – but to enjoy it? How the fuck did you pull that off?”

I laughed, spinning my glass on the bar top, watching the cyclone of brown liquid speed with the motion of my hand.

“It’s like you were told; I’m the best.” I slammed back the rest of my drink and grinned. “She’s one of a kind. It takes a certain type of personality to create a woman such as her, and to be honest with you, I’m not sure I could do it again.”

“How much do you want for her?”

I eyed him, my brows rising on my forehead. “She’s not for sale.”

“I’ll give you $3,000,000 for her. I’ll call my accountant and have it wired into your account right now.”

I chuckled. “You’re insane – that’s only 3 times the going rate for a courtesan. And she’s not worth selling off at such a low price only to be killed. I don’t care what you do with the courtesan I sell you today – but this one is worth far more, especially with what you have planned for her.”

“$10,000,000.”

I liked where he was going, but I felt I could still push him further.

“Offer me $100,000,000 and you have yourself a deal. I’ve looked into your wealth, Duke. You’re famous for the amount of money your businesses bring in. You’ve been touted as one of the wealthiest men in this region. I know you can afford the price. Being that she is one of a kind, I believe the price is reasonable.”

“Done.” He was on the phone instantly with his accountant. Once I received notification on my phone that the money had been transferred, I reached out to shake his hand. “I’ll go get the ladies for you. Please wait in the foyer.”

Strolling out of the bar, I turned down the corridor that led to Rebecca’s room. I unlocked it and walked in to find her sleeping on the bed. She didn’t stir when I entered and I shut the door softly behind me. The latched clicked behind me and I walked to her bed and sat down on the edge. The curtains diffused the light coming in from the windows and her skin glowed. She looked peaceful when she slept, all the pain and heartache of her life erased when she was lost to dreams. She moaned softly and moved her body in such a way that it made me wonder if it was me she was seeing behind the closed lids of her eyes.

I swept my hand along her cheek and she smiled, turning her face into my touch. I ran my other hand down along her stomach, eventually working my way up to cup her breast for the final time. She moaned again and I smiled. She was always so damn responsive.

It’s a shame I had to deny her for the last weeks that I had her.

But she’d brought that on herself by trying to manipulate me and force my hand – by trying to pretend she was something she was not.

“Wake up, pet. You need to get dressed and follow me.”

I continued massaging her breast with my hand, my fingers playing at the tip, enticing it to harden and pebble. She gasped and I leaned down to brush my mouth against hers. Even though I was angry with her for playing the games she had, I respected her for being one of the strongest minds I’d ever fought. No matter what I did, she never let go of hope. She was depressed, and she was in pain – but she always held on to the belief that something would change – that I wouldn’t do what I was doing now. I could always see that small spark of rebellion in her stare. Deep down, I knew I would miss it when she was gone.

Finally, her eyes blinked open and she smiled up at me, not fully awake and cognizant of what was about to happen. She moved her cheek against my hand, and shifted her body to roll closer to where I sat. My hand moved from her breast up to the back of her head. I gripped her cheeks with my other hand, forcing her mouth open and I leaned down to kiss her goodbye.

She sighed into my mouth, blissfully happy for me to finally touch her again. I could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks and heating her skin. Our tongues ran over each other and our lips moved – hungrily at first, but eventually changing into a slow, unhurried rhythm. Her hands moved up into my hair and her fingernails raked over the back of my neck.

I pulled away from her when it started to get heavy again. It would be easy for me to throw her down and fuck her – but she was no longer mine to take. The money was in my account and she was now the courtesan to another man.

Clearing my throat, I repeated, “You need to get dressed and follow me. It’s a big day for you.” I stood up from the bed and crossed the room to lean up against the door. My eyes took in the beauty of her body for the last time. A nagging voice kept telling me what a waste it would be to let go of a woman as rare as Rebecca, but the deal was complete and she had to leave.

She moved quickly into the closet, selecting one of the many robes from the bureau.

“No, pet. You need something more attractive.” I walked in behind her and grabbed an emerald green teddy. The jewel tone that matched her eyes.

She took it from me without a word and put it on. I smiled at her when I saw her peek up at me in the mirror.

“I will miss your rebellion, pet.”

She turned and looked at me with wide-eyes.

“What do you mean, you’ll miss me?”

Folding my hands together behind my back, I looked at her feet and let my eyes travel the length of her body until my stare locked with hers.

“Your new owner is here. Finally, we’ve reached a point where we are saying goodbye.”

~ Rebecca ~

If a knife had been twisted in my gut, it wouldn’t have hurt worse than what he just told me. I stood staring at his reflection in the mirror, searching his expression for any sign that he wasn’t serious. As usual, his expression was impassive – cold and cruel. A smirk peeked out at the corner of his lips and my heart sank into my stomach. After everything I’d done for him over the past weeks, after abusing another woman and listening to him fuck her instead of me, after not complaining and simply doing as I was told – he was going to sell me anyway.

I spun on my heel, facing him with every bit of rebellion I had left in me. “You can’t do this. I won’t go.”