Prince of Darkness vs Prom Queen 02

None of that mattered at the moment. For right now, he was going to enjoy his evening. Tomorrow he would be in Texas and was going to resume his dominant persona of Master Donovan. After that he'd visit three of his properties. Victor might have been right when he said Donovan owned more houses than he needed, but he usually visited all of them at least once a year. He liked not being stuck in one place. Stone Edge. Somewhat isolated on the top of a hill, it would be perfect for a training facility and he had plenty of ideas for what he could do. Stone Edge was perfect. Maybe he'd consider selling Golden Ridge. He'd never really liked that place as much as the others. He'd think about it later. For right now, he just wanted to relax and play with Laci. He might have to spank her for skipping out on breakfast. It was, after all, the most important meal of the day and part of the routine.

It was later than usual so she should be back from work. She didn't meet him at the door the way she sometimes did. That was understandable since he had not arrived at the usual time.

The study. Maybe she heard him coming and went to prepare his drink. She was always available to do little things like that for him, but not today. The study was empty.

The kitchen. She was probably helping Victor with dinner. Laci and Victor got along like they had known each other for years. She understood him and he seemed to understand her, which made Donovan's life much easier, but it also annoyed the hell out of him, since most of the time, he didn't understand either of them. He could smell dinner cooking, but the kitchen was empty.

The garden. Maybe she was waiting for him there. She knew how much he liked to sit and enjoy a relaxing bit of time after working. She always asked how his day was and about his business dealings. She really listened to his answers. He knew, because she asked wonderful questions. He was always surprised at how quickly she grasped the different concepts of what he was doing, sometimes better and faster than the people working for him. There was no one in the garden.

Maybe she was working late. Must be busy at the magazine if she went in early and was working late. Marian Corbett was a tough boss and she worked long hours, although she had mentioned several times how much easier her job had become since Laci was around. That must be it. She was working late.

Victor was in the kitchen when Donovan returned to the house. "What time will Laci be home from work?" he asked Victor.

Victor gave him a strange look, which wasn't at all unusual. Victor seemed to give him a lot of strange looks these days. "Umm...it's Friday."

"Thank you for the update, Victor, but I usually know what day it is. What time will Laci be back?"

"Sunday."

"Sunday? What do you mean Sunday?" Donovan was nearly shouting.

"She drove up to the ranch." Victor remained calm.

"Why'd she drive up to the ranch? She's spending more and more time at that fucking ranch. I'm leaving in the morning. I wanted her here tonight."

"Did you tell her? She probably would have changed her plans if you'd told her you wanted her to stay. Unless...."

"Unless what?"

Victor looked at him with exasperation. "You forgot she was going up there, didn't you? She told you on Monday and you either forgot or weren't listening to her again. She probably figured it didn't matter as long as you were leaving, so the only one you should be irritated with is yourself. Girl's not a fucking mind reader."

'You're both fucking mind readers and neither of you seem to have any fucking trouble reading my fucking mind when it suits your purposes, but whenever I need to have my mind read, you both manage to fucking become totally illiterate."

Victor's strange look was back. "Do you hear yourself? Maybe it's good you're planning to get away for a while. You seem very stressed."

The day started great, then Laci walked out of the room and nothing had gone the way it was supposed to. "Yes, I'm stressed. I had business deals falling apart left and right and I was looking forward to a few relaxing hours here tonight. I know what's going on. She's mad because I'm going to Texas without her. That's why she went to the ranch, isn't it? I'm right, aren't I?"

"Donovan, are you okay? I mean....you're not really making sense. Monday, Laci told you she was driving to the ranch after work on Friday. Earlier you said you told Laci about Texas this morning, so how do you figure she's mad for something you told her today when she already told you her plans four days ago? And what makes you think she wants to go to Texas? She has a job she loves. She's not just going to walk away from it. She has no interest in training slaves. You're imagining things.

"Then why'd she leave and go to that damned ranch, again?"

Victor had become accustomed to seeing his boss pout. It was always interesting to watch Donovan's reactions when Laci did something unexpected.

From the first time Victor started working for Donovan, he was always impressed at how controlled his boss was. Donovan Corbett was a brilliant man. His instincts about people were unmatchable. Victor had never seen anyone able to manipulate and maneuver the way Donovan could. He carried facts and figures in his head and had a memory like a computer. With the strength of an iron-willed puppeteer, he commanded everyone and everything in his presence, and truly was Master Donovan in both his traditional business world and in his world as a dominant.

Of course it was amusing how useless Donovan was with the mundane tasks of life, considering his incredible business sense, but it was understandable. He'd always had others to do those tasks for him, never had to bother himself with things that didn't interest him, and was genuinely appreciative others had the skills he lacked. He was in absolute control of everything that mattered most to him. Until Laci came along.

Laci was a mystery. Donovan had never known anyone like her, maybe because there weren't many people around like her. She had been on her own for years, set goals for herself and followed through with them. Both he and Donovan admired how hard she had worked making sure she graduated high school, putting herself through college, throwing herself 100% into everything she did.

Laci could have turned out to be a very different kind of person. She could have been angry and bitter at the curves thrown into her world, but she wasn't. She was almost always cheerful and agreeable. She was also mostly unmanageable, which constantly threw curves into Donovan Corbett's world. Donovan liked order, routine, and complete control. Laci followed her own rules.

"Well, why'd she go to the ranch again? She spends more time there than she spends here."

Victor stopped what he was doing and looked at his boss with concern. "Donovan, seriously, what's going on with you? She loves the ranch, you know she thinks of it as home, and she only goes up there about once a month. Don't you think you're over reacting?"

Instead of answering, Donovan glowered and stomped out of the room. He'd make his own drink. He wasn't that helpless. Then he'd sit in his garden and unwind, sorting through the day's trials by himself. If he had turned around, he would have seen Victor's lips twitching, trying to conceal a smile.

Chapter 3 Tying Privileges part I

"Donny is actually thinking about leaving Georgia?" Marian sounded shocked.

Donovan had been in Texas for nearly a month, and Victor was enjoying his time off. He was also enjoying dinner with his two favorite ladies in the entire world: Laci and Marian Corbett.

Marian Corbett had grown up with her cousin and understood the life he came from and the life he created for himself, perhaps because she also craved a certain amount of control. Many of her needs were channeled into her business. While not as large as Donovan's enterprises, she ran her world with the same iron-fisted will, and she carried just as many facts and figures in her own computer-like brain. She believed her decision to hire Laci was one of the smartest she'd ever made, but she was almost as mystified by her blue-eyed writer as her cousin Donny was. What did Laci see in Donny Dominant?

Laci had volunteered to clean up after dinner, leaving Victor and Marian alone in the garden. The two had noticed each other years before, but Donovan's infrequent trips to his house in Georgia and his desired to remain unsettled, had kept them from doing anything about their interest until eight months ago. Now they were together as much as possible – a fact not lost on Laci.

Victor sighed his usual trying to be gruff sigh, "Honey, I'm not sure what he's thinking. How can I know when he doesn't even know what he's thinking? The guy's got houses all over the world, and not one single place he calls home."

"That's a very profound and insightful statement," Marian responded.

Victor gave her his usual lopsided grin. "High praise coming from the lady journalist, but it also happens to be true. When he set up his training facility in the manor, he was there more than most of his other places, but that was only because he was conducting business. We'd be there for a few weeks, he'd do his training, then we'd be off to one of the other places. When he needed to, he'd go back. I know you don't condone his alternate business, but he's a damn good trainer. Master Donovan gets quick and lasting results, which is why he's got the reputation he does. Of course, as soon as he would finish with the current batch of slaves, he was always ready to move on."

"I still can't believe Laci's ex-boss wanted Donny to train her as a sex slave. I also can't believe he set fire to Donny's house. Whatever happened to that horrible man?"

"Not exactly sure," Victor answered, mostly truthfully, "but considering who Donovan turned him over to, I'm sure we've seen the last of him."

"And Laci saved both of you from him with her whip skills, for which I'm quite grateful, although I was shocked when she showed me what she could do with that thing. Who would ever believe she could handle a weapon like that, someone as tiny as she is?"

Victor chuckled at Marian's statement. "Should've seen the look on Donovan's face when he saw it. Wish I'd had a damn camera that day. Actually, now that I think about it, I could probably take a picture of him just about any time. He gets that same look on his face every time he sees her. Maybe if I took a picture and showed it to him, he'd see what we see."

"You mean that he's crazy about her?"

"Or crazy in general. Haven't figured it out for myself yet. Look, Marian, I know he's your cousin and all, but he's the biggest contradiction I've ever seen. He loves the power and control when he's working or training. He needs that. I get it. But then she comes within 100 yards of him and his dominant side starts doing battle with his desire to please her, only she never wants very much and he's always at a loss. He's dominantly submissive and submissively dominant at the same time and he can't handle it. The poor guy's brain is going to explode one of these days from dealing with all the opposing forces."

"Laci is never going to be submissive."

"You're mostly right about that, and he knows it, too. I mean she submits to him, but she has her limits. I hear them talking and she doesn't really agree with his choice to be a trainer, but she accepts it and handles him as well as she handles one of her whips. He'll go on and on, trying to justify what he does and why he does it. She sits quietly, respectfully, listens to him, then she says 'okay' and goes about her business. She's pretty smart. She knows it's a waste of time to argue with him or try to change his mind, so she just agrees without really agreeing. Drives him bat-shit crazy. Gotta love her for that."

"If he goes through with building a new training facility, would you go with him?"

"Not sure. Don't really want to, especially now that you and I have developed our own 'Dom-of-the-day' relationship. Donovan has no idea that creative dominance runs in the family, although I'm pretty sure Laci has it figured out. She never says anything, but I get that look from her sometimes. Hell, I like it when you tie me to the bed and have your way with me. Donovan doesn't know what he's missing."

Marian leaned over for a kiss. "Well, I like it even more when you tie me to the bed and do the things you do. You've obviously been paying close attention to Donny's training techniques. You haven't answered my question, though. Would you go with him?"

"Honestly, honey, I'm not sure. Until he came here, the longest he's ever stayed in one place was about two months. When he hit the sixth month mark here in Georgia, I thought he'd finally found what he's been looking for."

"You mean Laci?"

"Partially Laci, but also some contentment. He's told me what it was like when the two of you were growing up, and how he never really felt like he had a home because of all the servants. I'm sure one of the reasons he's got houses everywhere is because he's trying to find a home. I think he's found it here, but he's not ready to see it. He doesn't realize how much in common he has with Laci, or how lucky he is to have found her. She looks like spun sugar on the outside, but she's tougher than nails on the inside, and she deals with him as well as I do. She doesn't always agree with him, but she gets him, and she tolerates his idiosyncrasies and his idiocy. She's pretty special. I have a feeling he would be lost without her. I know he'd be lost without me." Victor looked at her thoughtfully. "You know, I just might be able to use that to our advantage. I'll have to give it some thought, but for the moment, I'm thinking about a little creative domination of our own. First one to the bedroom gets tying privileges."

"We both know you're going to do everything you can to lose that race."

He leaned over for a kiss of his own. "We both know you're right."

In the kitchen, Laci had been able to eavesdrop on most of their conversation. She was smiling when she heard them discussing their relationship. She had been pretty sure Victor and Marian indulged in plenty of creative domination, and hearing them talking about it made it clear how happy they were. Donovan didn't seem to have any idea, although that wasn't a surprise. She doubted he'd be thinking of his cousin in any type of sexual situation. That would be too weird even for Master Donovan.

Master Donovan. That just wasn't going to happen. She was too self-reliant to be submissive. It just wasn't in her nature, not that her playtimes with him weren't fun. She didn't even mind the paddle he used, although she liked it better when he used his hand. It was more personal and intimate, although she wasn't sure he felt that way. He also probably didn't realize how the many years of riding horses at the ranch, had made her ass hard and muscular. It hardly ever hurt at all when he spanked her, and he was always so sweet and caring after, so if it gave him the feeling of control he seemed to need, she could deal with it.

She often asked him about both professions, and he told her quite willingly. He was proud of what he had accomplished in the world of business, and how little he thought of his useless relatives who did almost nothing with their time. Donovan wasn't exactly the type to be close to someone, so she supposed his affection for Marian stemmed from the fact she was almost as driven as he was, and he admired that drive and her tenacity.

He also never tried to hide what his life as a dominant was all about. While it wasn't a way of life she could relate to, she found his stories fascinating. Nothing about it shocked her. Having spent so many years on a ranch, the only girl with a group of rough and tumble cowboys, there wasn't much that shocked her. The night, eight months ago, when they sat together on the beach on his private island, and he told her he was attracted to her was probably the most shocking thing he'd ever said. Of course he was pretty shocked, as well, when she indicated the attraction was mutual.

Now, eight months later, she was sort of living with him, and sort of not. If she was being honest with herself, she couldn't really define what type of arrangement they had, other than it was entirely of Donovan's choosing. They had 'encounters'. He made all the rules, because that's what he always did. He took all the control because that's what made him most comfortable. Donovan Corbett lived his life by his own standards and routine, not all of which were agreeable to Laci.

The eight months she had spent with him had been good months. He was the best looking, sexiest, and most spoiled man with whom she had ever been involved. His ego was enormous, and it was shot to hell every time he realized she could do something he couldn't. Did it really matter if she could make coffee without blowing up the kitchen? Did it really matter if she could get dressed faster than he could? Did it really matter if she could throw some ingredients in a bowl and end up with chocolate chip cookies? It sure mattered to Donovan Corbett. The most insignificant things bothered him, but she was, who she was, and she'd been through too much in her life to change for him or anyone else.

Maybe it was time to move on with her own life, out of Donovan's guesthouse, and out of his life. If he wanted to build a new training facility and start training again, she would be spending a lot more time on her own anyway. She wasn't ever going to be submissive and that was what he needed and wanted. She knew she wasn't going to miss that damned paddle of his, but she was a little surprised to realize how much she'd miss him.

In Texas, the training session was complete. He'd accomplished amazing things with his client's slaves in record time. The client was beyond happy and the slaves had learned a new level of respect, so Donovan was feeling quite pleased with himself. There was no doubt in his mind; he was born to be a dominant and trainer. Too bad he couldn't train Victor as easily as he trained slaves. He'd been calling for the last few hours and the phone had not been answered. Where the hell was he? He was probably with Marian. It wasn't as if they tried to hide their mutual attraction, but what Victor and Marian did when they were alone wasn't something Donovan needed to know, or even think about. Marian was like a sister and Victor was almost like a brother, so they could keep their quasi-incestuous relationship to themselves. Laci would probably know what was going on with them. Maybe he'd ask her.

He hadn't spoken to her since the morning before he'd gone to Texas. He started the trip angry at her for going to the ranch. That was not proper behavior for a submissive and he would have to have a very long and serious discussion with her. Maybe he would even have to punish her. For starters, he decided not to speak to her the entire time he was in Texas. That would teach her a lesson. Now that he was feeling good about himself as a trainer, it was about time she started to understand who was in control of their relationship. Damn. Did they even have a relationship? He was still trying to figure it out.

His weeks of training others had not enlightened him about Laci. She was as much of a mystery as ever, and what he expected from her was an even bigger mystery. He wanted her to be submissive, yet he didn't. He liked her the way she was. He liked talking to her and telling her about his life and business. He liked that she used her brain and wasn't some damned robot. He liked having her around, helping to take care of him and his needs. All his needs. Whatever Victor and Marian were doing in their bedroom couldn't compare to what he and Laci did in theirs. No. That was wrong. It wasn't their bedroom. It was his bedroom. She had her own over at the guesthouse. Maybe he should tell her to move to the main house. Right. Like she was going to listen to him and just do that. Sure she would. Maybe when there were fucking pigs flying over blue moons and snowballs in hell.