Semi-Hard by Candace Smith Page B

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    Dillon’s mouth dropped open when he saw Tiana, beautiful blue eyes filling, cheeks covered with the red rose of humiliation at being displayed in front of all the men, and bound in Viktor’s estate restraints with Dillon’s ownership marked on the collar.   She knelt at his feet, and he managed to say, “Ya’ll shouldn’t of done all that.”
    The drawl let Viktor know how pleased the cowboy was.   “You weren’t finished training her, so it seemed unfair to leave her behind.”
    Dillon looked down at his little slave.   “You belong to me?”
    “Yes, Master Dillon,” Tiana trembled.   Still, there was the unmistakable feeling of an aching void being filled within her.
    “I took the liberty of having the cage in your room cleaned out,” Viktor said.   He merely had Mikhail move the girl quivering inside it to the cage in his own room.   “You can, of course, put your slave in general quarters, but I thought it might be intriguing to see the results of a companion slave you trained for your specific desires.”
    “It seems your generosity has no limits,” Dillon toasted him.   “Thank you, Viktor.”
    Tiana remained kneeling for the rest of the hour it took the men to finish their discussions.   She thought she had detected a note of impatience in Dillon’s answers as Viktor’s questions became mundane and were an obvious an attempt to keep Dillon from dragging Tiana to his room.   Tiana was shuffling slightly in nervous anticipation, and Viktor enjoyed the battle between panic and arousal behind her frightened blue eyes.   As generous as Viktor could be, his sadistic streak was his most outstanding attribute.
    At last the final toast was made, and Dillon had Tiana rise and follow him downstairs.   Dillon’s quarters were in the lower level, but they were as opulent as the guest quarters off the upstairs hall.   Mikhail had quarters on the opposite end of the basement.   Tiana began to shake as they neared the door, and the instinct to flee was causing her legs to quiver.   She felt Dillon’s hand on the small of her back and the odd, almost forgotten sensation of his calming touch worked to still her trembling.
    “Come, sweetheart.”   Tiana followed him into the large room.   There was a minor assortment of the erotic devices she remembered from the trailer, spread throughout the room.   Dillon sent her to use the restroom while he picked up the phone.
    Tiana was kneeling by a chair while Dillon pulled off his boots.   There was a knock on the door, and he returned with a small tray.   He smiled… the first real smile Tiana had ever seen on his face… as he lifted the lid to a dinner of a small steak, potato and salad.   “Your stomach was rumbling upstairs, so I figured that Viktor and Mikhail did not think to feed you.”
    “Thank you, Master Dillon,” Tiana answered nervously.   She was, in fact, starving.   Dillon let her use her hands, even allowing her use of the fork and steak knife.   The thought of using the blade as a weapon never crossed her mind.   The meal was delicious, but it worked to make her tired.   The drug-induced sleep had not relieved her exhaustion.
    Dillon stripped and climbed into bed.   “Come here, Tiana.”   He pulled her up onto his chest, and Tiana thought she would be too frightened to sleep.   His steady breathing and warmth, the familiar smell and strong arm embracing her and holding her close, served to ensure she was sleeping within minutes.   Meanwhile, Dillon lay staring into the darkness and wondering why he did not put her into the cage, which had been his original intention.
    Tiana was dreaming of her time in the rig, with the cowboy’s dark eyes flashing intently while he nipped across her body with the whip.   She flinched when it kissed her with precision, leaving small red marks wherever it lashed.   It was one of her most erotic scenarios, because it was the first time that she had understood Dillon was as