Chapter 29

Chapter

Twenty-Nine

Piper waves me over to her table the next morning. Weaving my way through a room filled with naked people enjoying a sumptuous buffet feels no less surreal than my first day on the island. I sit opposite her and greet everyone at the table, surprise lighting my face when my eyes fall on Marcus.

He grins at me, looking boyish and handsome. "We meet again."

"Hi, Marcus. Is trouble on your agenda today?"

I've seen Marcus either strung up, hobbled, or publicly punished over the last two days, time spent frustratingly apart from Darien courtesy of Madame Solara, who's hosting a retreat of sorts for all of the Masters on the island.

"Perhaps. The day is young." He winks and stabs a forkful of French toast. "You?"

I shrug. "Zed has me signed up for the garden until noon, but I managed to wrangle some time at the beach after that. I'm dying to swim in that water."

"You haven't swum yet? "

"No. I've been busy."

Every day until now has been spent with Darien or participating in any number of activities Zed devises for his amusement and my torture. It's not all bad unless you count the time my tennis racket left my hands and landed in the middle of Scarlett's picnic lunch. I tried explaining to my squire that the racket flew of its own accord, having watched the birds long enough, but he didn't buy it. Much to Scarlett's delight, I spent an hour pinioned to a pole under a tree outside the tennis courts.

"Maybe I'll see you there," he says, picking up a slice of cantaloupe.

I raise my fork in a salute. "I'll either be bobbing in the water or under a tree with a book."

Piper grabs my attention. "Did you hear about Jolene?"

I shake my head. Jolene and I haven't had the opportunity to connect, and I've only seen her a handful of times since arriving.

"She was caught bumping uglies with a Novice and got kicked out."

"Holy shit! Really?" I didn't know they kick you out for something like that. I guess I should've read the fine print of that contract.

"Oh, yeah," Marcus chimes in, pocketing a mouthful of bacon in his cheek. "They don't take that lightly here. Don't pass go. Don't collect two hundred dollars."

"I guess that means we have no future." I bat my eyes at him. "I'll have to settle for Darien. Woe is me."

Marcus sips his coffee. "Rules aren't as strict when we're Acolytes. "

"She's not interested, Marcus," Piper interjects. "I mean, have you seen Darien?"

He shrugs. "He's not bad."

I snort and dig into my spinach and cheese omelet.

Piper sighs. "You're delusional."

Their banter continues through breakfast. I excuse myself when I see Zed outside the dining room doors. He's got a pair of gardening gloves and an apron. Oh, goodie. Digging through the dirt with my ass in the air is just how I wanted to spend my morning.

When we arrive, there are six other Novices in the garden. According to Zed, tending to the garden is an easy pass compared to other ‘chores' to which Novices are assigned. He may be right, but the thought of sunburned buttcheeks as I pick weeds and ripe fruits and vegetables doesn't thrill me.

An attendant hands me a basket and directs me to a row of snap peas. I can handle snap peas. Some of them may even end up in the basket. Plucking and snacking my way through the first plant, I get into a rhythm and block out the world around me. It's very zen, which is a good thing until it isn't.

If I hadn't been in that peaceful place, I would've heard feet approaching. A snap pea is halfway to my mouth when I hear her.

"Is that Eden in the garden of Eden?"

It's hard to keep Damn-the-Consequences under lock and key when I'm taken by surprise. Using my best Gone with the Wind voice and a low rating on the snark scale, I reply, "Why, yes, Miss Scarlett. "

She laughs. It's an annoying, tittering sound. I keep picking.

Scarlett strolls to my row of peas and stands at the end, admiring me from my toes to the top of my head. I ignore her, waging an internal battle with Damn-the-Consequences, who wants to slap that smile off her fucking face.

"Darien was awfully tight-lipped at our retreat."

His name coming from her mouth is like nails on a chalkboard.

"He's such a glorious specimen, but you know all about that now, don't you?"

The drone. The camera. Of course, she saw my catamaran escapade. According to Zed, my fanbase quadrupled. Eden Banks is leveling up.

I make a noncommittal sound as she watches me continue plucking ripe snap peas. My basket is getting full.

"I think you're even more glorious." She comes closer, trailing her hand on the green leaves. "I asked him to share you, but he declined. He's so possessive."

It's hard to suppress my satisfied smile.

"You know, I've never seen him like this. The whole island knows he's never taken a Novice under his wing. You're the first. It must be nice to be his first in something."

Oh, it is, I want to tell her, but I clamp my mouth shut. Pluck, drop, reach. Pluck, drop, reach. I'm running out of snap pea plants.

"Of course, his claim on you can only go so far. It is, after all, an island of pleasures, and you, my dear, are subordinate to me."

My hand freezes. Reason says, fuck . I turn toward her and slowly set my basket on the ground. There's no point in wasting good food. "Excuse me?"

Scarlett gives me a wicked smile. "Kneel."

I fold my arms. "Fuck off."

"I was hoping you'd say that."

Hook. Line. Sinker. Dammit. I'm an easy fish to catch.

She signals to the line of squires, Zed included. They form a loose circle around the row of snap peas.

"Kneel," she says again.

My chin juts, hands balling into fists where they're tucked against my chest. Damn-the-Consequences cracks her proverbial knuckles. "Did I stutter? I said. Fuck. Off."

Scarlett grins. I'm playing her favorite game. "Bind her."

Squires swoop in. I try to bolt, lunging through the row of snap peas, but they're on me in moments. I'm like a hissing, spitting cat, flailing in their arms as they lift me and take me to the edge of the garden, where a device in the shape of an X sits under a banyan tree. My arms and legs are anchored to the frame in less than a minute.

Zed, head shaking, gags me as I shoot daggers at him. Muzzled and restrained, all I can do is watch Scarlett shoo the squires away and step toward the frame. She has a crop she magicked out of thin air in her right hand.

"I love your defiance." She trails the leather tip of the crop up my leg. "I love it so much; I want to explore its depths, see where it ends. Find the point at which you surrender."

Swat. Swat. The crop slaps softly against my breasts before tracing my nipples that grow hard because even though it's her, it feels good. The leather takes a stroll down my quivering belly to my crotch, where it dips and rubs along the lips of my pussy.

She sighs. "If only Darien would share you. What delights—" she hums, the crop smacking my mons.

I tell her to fuck off behind the gag. That Darien would never share me. But the reality is I don't want to share him .

Her face lights with pleasure at my continued defiance as she slaps the leather against my naughty bits. I try to remain still, but every strike makes me long for another hand to wield that wicked crop.

"Scarlett," Darien drawls, walking in that loose-hipped way of his.

I sag against my restraints.

"If my Novice needs punishment, you have only to tell me."

She pouts. "That's no fun. I want to play with her, too."

Darien takes the crop from her hands and faces me. "Did you defy a Master?"

I nod.

He smirks. "That's my girl." Slapslapslap .

Goddamn, that feels good!