Chapter 2

"Please stepout of the car, Miss." The guard said after opening the back door. "Your driver will get your bags for you."

"What? Why?" Dolly looked from the guard to her driver and back again.

After staying at a bed and breakfast in Porter's Corner the night before, she accepted a ride from her host's son who was headed out this way to meet some friends.

"Daniel knows he's not allowed on the Ranch property, but he keeps trying," the guard, whose nametag read Murray, said as he offered her a hand to help her from the vehicle.

The name seemed to fit with the tall, dark, handsome man with the brooding countenance and aura of a man who was always in charge and Dolly began making mental notes. Murray would be a great name for an alpha male in a future book.

"He's not? Why not?" Ignoring his hand, Dolly grabbed her carryall from the seat beside her and climbed out.

"He's only seventeen, and knows he is too young to be allowed on Ranch property."

Only after Daniel pulled her huge suitcase from the trunk and set it in the grass just off the road did she get a closer look at him.

Then she understood what Mr. Murray meant when he refused the young man entrance. The Ranch was an adults-only space, and her driver was clearly still a year or more from such status.

Daniel was red-faced when he met her gaze and shrugged. "Sorry, Miss."

With a quick, almost fearful, glance in the guard's direction, Daniel climbed back into his car. He backed away quickly and once he reached the main road, he drove away with a squeal of tires on the asphalt.

Taking a deep breath, Dolly turned to face the man beside her. "So, what now?"

"I'll call and see if someone can come fetch you," he said. "That is, unless you want to walk. It's only about three-quarters of a mile."

Afraid she would find a way to hurt herself if she tried, Dolly sighed. "No, thanks. You better call."

"Yes, Miss?" His words came out as a question.

He was obviously trying to determine her identity to make sure she was actually a guest and not just trying to sneak onto the Ranch property in a move similar to her Uber driver.

"Carter. Dolly Carter."

After stepping into the guardhouse and checking a clipboard, he picked up the phone. "Hey, Erika, it's Tiago at the front gate. Miss Dolly Carter is here and needs a ride in. Thanks, hon."

After hanging up, he turned to her with a conciliatory smile. "It's going to be a few minutes. Erika isn't sure where Moses is, and Sadie isn't allowed to drive guests in the golf cart anymore. Follow me, please."

Dolly nodded though she did not know any of the people Tiago mentioned. Trailing along behind her suitcase that Tiago was pulling through the gate, she only tripped once on an uneven spot. She moved off the driveway as another car slowed to a stop at the gatehouse.

She could not help but study the car. Was this a member of the staff or another guest arriving? The silver mid-size sedan appeared to be an airport rental. Must be a guest.

She did not hear what the guard said, but both men looked in her direction before the driver nodded and said something in return.

"Miss Carter, if you don't want to wait for Moses, Mr. Nelson would be happy to give you a ride," Tiago said.

Dolly debated the wisdom of riding with a stranger only a moment before mentally shrugging. "Okay, sure."

After all, it was less than a mile to their final destination. What could this Mr. Nelson do in two or three minutes they would be in car together? Besides, how dangerous could it be if the guard didn't seem to think it was a problem.

The driver pulled closer to where she was standing and parked. When he climbed out of the driver's seat, Dolly forgot how to breathe for a moment. Mr. Nelson was gorgeous. Like book cover-model gorgeous. She wondered if he would be interested in adding modeling to whatever other career he had because she would love to put him on the cover of one of her books.

The midday sun glinted off dark ginger hair, causing it to glow like red fire. Though his hair was cut military short, his cheeks were covered with several days of ginger scruff, making her curious as to whether he was in the military or not. He was at least a half foot taller than her own five and a half feet with broad shoulders, long powerful legs, and a well-built body. He appeared unrumpled in his short-sleeved Henley shirt and tan cargo shorts with bright orange sneakers. How did men do that?

By comparison, she felt rumpled and travel-weary though she had only traveled twenty minutes from town that morning. But as usual, a night spent in a different bed meant she had only dozed throughout the night, managing just an hour or two of real sleep. She hoped tonight would be different but doubted it. After all, she would be in another new place. This was one of many reasons she did not do much traveling.

Since Tiago—and wasn't that yet another fabulous name to add to her future alpha character list—still had a clipboard in his hands and was on the phone, she grabbed the telescoping handle of her suitcase and began dragging it toward the car, earning frowns from both men. When Mr. Nelson took her suitcase away from her, Dolly had to fight the urge to insist she deal with her own luggage.

"Go ahead and climb in the car. I'll put your bag in the backseat," he instructed with a deep voice that sent shivers through her.

"I can get it."

"A lady doesn't wrestle luggage while I'm around," he said with just enough of a smile that his face turned from gorgeous to breathtaking.

Dolly drew in a breath, but her mind was blank. She could not find an argument to deny him. But she also could not seem to release the suitcase handle until he peeled her fingers off of it.

"Go on, Miss Carter. Climb in the front seat," he said, this time with a thread of power in his tone that told Dolly he would not be denied.

Mr. Nelson was obviously a Dominant and used to getting his way which was fine with her, at least for this moment.

"Thank you," she said, stepping back before making her way around the car.

By the time she reached the passenger side door, he had stowed her suitcase in the back seat and was sliding behind the wheel.

Without further comment, she secured her seatbelt. She pressed her thighs together and wrapped her arms around her messenger bag as her panties grew damp. Mr. Nelson was just the kind of man she wrote about. The kind she dreamt of. Strong in body and spirit. A true Dominant.

"Are you a Little, or just submissive?" he asked after putting the car in gear.

His assumption had her taking a breath. "What makes you think I'm either? Maybe I'm a Domme coming to beat on some submissive men for fun."

Quincy Nelson had to fight down a chuckle at the pretty submissive's statement. He glanced over and saw her pale skin with a smattering of freckles over her nose and cheeks take on a rosy glow with her lie. When she caught him looking her way, she turned her head to look out the side window and he was left staring at beautiful jet-black hair that trailed in a long braid over her left shoulder. With her bangs and clear ivory skin, she reminded him of a pale, freckled, modern-day Cleopatra.

"I've been in the lifestyle for a lot of years, and you don't give off the vibe of a Domme. My guess is that you're a newbie who couldn't find what you were looking for back home and decided to dive headfirst into the lifestyle with a stay here."

From her sharp inhalation, he could tell his words were spot on. He was not sure if his accurate observation came from being a Dominant for most of his adult life, or from being a newly retired Army physician and learning to read past the walls people put up when they came into his office. Military service members especially never wanted to admit when they were injured, sick, or otherwise impaired. His job was to read the nuances of their bodies and then convince them to open up so he could help them heal.

Coming to Rawhide Ranch for his fourth visit was a retirement gift he was giving himself. He hoped to find a sweet and slightly bratty, submissive to play with while he figured out the next phase of his life. Where he wanted to live was the first decision he needed to make. After that came the decision of whether he wanted to continue practicing medicine in the civilian world, teach at a medical school, or move into some other career field for the next forty or fifty years of his life.

He smiled when the resort came into view and his passenger gasped. "Oh, my," she breathed.

"It is something, isn't it?"

"It's amazing."

The road circled around in front of the three-story main building. He eased the car forward, stopping in front of the six steps that led to the front porch that ran the width of the building. Several seating areas with large basket chairs, rockers, and swings called for him to come and rest under the slowly moving ceiling fans overhead. After twenty years of being in near constant motion, Quincy wondered if he could manage sitting and rocking for even ten minutes. Maybe he would start with five and work up to ten and then maybe even twenty during his time here.

Not forgetting that she'd never actually answered his original question, he gave it another try. "You don't have to answer, but if you are a straight subbie looking for a play partner, I'll be here for the week and would be happy to teach you anything you want to learn."

That offer earned him another sharp inhalation as she whipped her head around to stare at him. "Thank you, I think, but I'm not sure things work that way here."

She opened her door and tried to climb out but forgot about the safety belt and ended up slamming herself back into her seat. She dropped her head forward and muttered something as he reached between the seats to unclip her harness.

"There you go, you're free now."

"Thank you," she said.

After a deep breath, she climbed out of the car and eased the door closed behind her.

Quincy popped the trunk before climbing out. A young man wearing a T-shirt with the Ranch's logo on the front was coming around the hood of the car. "I'll be happy to move your car and make sure your bags get to your room, Sir."

"Thank you," Quincy handed over the keys after grabbing his briefcase out of the trunk.

He sighed when he saw Dolly struggling to pull her suitcase out of the back seat. Though he wanted to order her to let him or the bellman deal with the luggage, he held his tongue.

She was not his submissive, or his woman.

Yet.

And she seemed determined to be self-reliant even though BDSM did not encourage such a mindset in a submissive. Sadly, while BDSM encouraged women to lean on a man, twenty-first century society did not. Quincy would love to teach her differently… but she would first have to agree to be his. She seemed to be just what he was looking for in a play partner and submissive.

All he had to do was convince her that they would be a good fit.

Rounding the back of the car, he shook his head. So much for holding his tongue. He couldn't continue to watch her struggling when it was totally unnecessary. He approached her slowly, using his Dom tone as he asked, "Didn't I tell you that you don't schlep luggage while I'm around?"

Dolly jumped and spun around, losing her balance as she somehow fell over her suitcase. Quincy was close enough to catch her, pulling her into his arms before she could hit the ground.

The electricity that zinged between them had them both sucking in sharp breaths. The lovely woman dropped her head back and looked up at him. Her ice blue eyes with a thin circle of dark gray around the irises went wide and she appeared shocked.

"Thanks," she whispered.

She felt so good in his arms that he hesitated before setting her on her feet. It might be safer if he carried her, even if they were strangers.

"Everything all right?" A deep voice called from the porch.

"Oh, yes," Dolly said, squirming in his hold. "I'm fine."

Reluctantly, Quincy set her down, but took custody of her suitcase before she could reach for it. Tucking his briefcase under the arm holding her suitcase, he held out his now free hand.

She stared at him with wide eyes before placing her hand on top of his, so their palms touched, and their fingers interlaced. The energy sizzled between them once again, and he was not surprised when his cock responded more than it had to any other female in quite a while. Question now was how to convince her to spend time with him to see if they would be a good match, in the Dungeon as well as everywhere else on the Ranch.