She slumped back against him, obviously exhausted. Julian picked up his slave, because he couldn’t think of her as anything less now.
“It’s all right, little one,” he whispered. All the bad thoughts seemed to have burned away now. He was left with nothing but a happy affection for the woman in his arms.
“He’s going to be okay?”
“I’ll make sure of it.” Julian made the promise. Danielle rested her head against his chest.
They would all be okay. He would make very, very sure of it.
Chapter Thirteen
Val woke up to sound of her cell phone chirping. She groaned as she reached out and flipped the phone open.
“What?” She wasn’t in a good mood. Sleep had been elusive. All she’d been able to see was Jeremy carrying that bag. She’d dreamed about the sound the snake had made before he’d slammed the door to Finn’s car closed.
“I’d like to know if you heard any news.” Jeremy’s voice was calm, as though requesting an update on the weather rather than whether or not his criminal activity had born fruit.
Now she was fully awake and sitting straight up in bed. She had to swallow twice before she could answer. “It got Finn.”
There was a silence on the line that Val could only construe as disapproval. As though she could control what a snake did.
“That is disappointing. I don’t suppose he’s dead.”
She’d been on the phone half the night getting updates from Cece, who had a friend at the hospital. “No, they got him there in plenty of time. You know not a lot of people actually die from snake bites.”
“I understand that, but sometimes it’s important to make a point. Julian Lodge should know that he’s not the only predator here. He might have money and power, but even something as small as a snake can be deadly if handled improperly.”
Val shivered. That snake hadn’t seemed small. She’d thought about how Dani would feel when she realized there was a snake in the car. She’d wondered if Dani would be the one to open the passenger side door and slide in only to find it already occupied. Val’s stomach turned. She’d done it anyway. She’d decided there was very little risk that Dani would actually die and maybe it would make her want to go with Finn back to Dallas.
Jeremy had been insistent, and the truth was, he scared her. His bucket was pretty full of crazy, but if he could help her get rid of Dani, she would go along with just about anything.
“I was told that this Julian guy stayed at the hospital with Dani.” She’d been a bit surprised at that.
“Yes, well, the Master always did take good care of his submissives. Until he was done with them, of course. Then they can rot for all he cares.” Jeremy’s voice took on that hint of gravel that Val now associated with his temper. Even after only one night with the man, she’d figured out his rage was directed at the billionaire. He was silky smooth when convincing her that he could help with her Dani problem, but his voice got slightly rough when he mentioned Julian Lodge’s name. Jeremy was a young man, but there was a hardness that let Val know he wasn’t to be messed with. Still, if he could scare her sister out of town, she’d be grateful. And very polite. She didn’t want to give him a reason to sneak a black market snake into the front seat of her sedan.
“So, what are you planning next?” Val would prefer to know so she didn’t step on his toes.
“I have a project I’m working on in Dallas. I won’t be back in town for a few days.” He sighed. “Look, it’s obvious to me that the Master is looking to take new slaves. He’s auditioning your sister, and possibly this Finn person.”
Val wasn’t sure about auditioning, but Dani sure seemed to be getting some from the man. Cece had gleefully spread the word that this Lodge guy and Dani had been seen sneaking out of the bathroom with their clothes mussed. What the hell did a guy that hot see in Dani? And what was Dani doing with such a total perv? If this Jeremy guy could be believed, Julian Lodge liked a lot of variety in sex partners. Val just couldn’t see her uptight sister doing kinky things.
“From what I understand, they’ve gone back out to the Barnes-Fleetwood ranch. I don’t think I would be welcome out there.”
“Just make sure they don’t leave Willow Fork.” There was a click as the other end of the line went dead.
Val let the phone drop as she slumped back against the bed. She thought about the offer she’d gotten on the place last week. Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars would buy her a whole new life. When she’d looked at that figure, she’d briefly thought about sharing it. A hundred and twenty-five thousand was a lot of money, but it didn’t seem fair she had to share it. Dani wouldn’t do anything interesting with it. She’d probably give it away, and damn it, Val just flat deserved it.
She thought about the humiliation she’d felt every day since she’d gotten out of college and been forced to come home with her tail between her legs. She couldn’t find a job. She hadn’t been able to keep up, and she’d hated the city. No one listened to her there or gave a damn that she’d been the homecoming queen. She’d been a tiny fish in an enormous pond. The years she’d spent in college had been some of the most miserable of her life.
Of course, here in Willow Fork she was a big fish, but poor. Sure she could get married, but all the offers had come from working-class men. She needed cash, or she would be stuck in this house or one just like it for the rest of her life. She felt bad about Dani, but some things just had to be done.
She sat in her bed for the longest time telling herself everything would be fine.
“That’s perfect, little one. That is exactly what I want. Finn, on the other hand, needs to work on his form.”
Dani kept her eyes down as she’d been instructed. She was kneeling with her hands on her thighs, palms up, and her legs were spread wide. With her back ramrod straight, there was no part of her that wasn’t on display. Her pussy was right out there for anyone to see, and yet she felt more confident than she could have imagined. Naked in Julian and Finn’s presence made her feel more powerful than she ever had before. Julian’s hand touched her head, stroking her as he considered Finn.
“Finn, your spine should be straight, your shoulders squared off, and your head lowered submissively. I thought Abigail and Samuel talked to you about this.”
Finn huffed. “They did. Sorry, it’s not very comfortable. And Dani’s had way more practice than me. You wouldn’t let me get out of bed until yesterday.”
They’d had words about it. Well, Finn had words about it. Julian had simply stared at him until he’d gotten back into bed. Dani had spent the last two days taking care of Finn and exploring the ranch with Julian when Finn rested. While Finn napped, Julian had taken Dani out to the barn and helped her saddle a horse. They’d ridden around with Jack and Sam, who showed them all over the seemingly endless ranch. Julian seemed to be perfectly comfortable with her. He’d openly held her hand and shown her great affection on their tour. At dinner, he’d pulled out her chair and made sure she had everything she could want. He’d treated her like a princess. It was far from how she had expected a slave be treated.
“You were bitten by a venomous snake, Finn. I believe a few days in bed are called for. Besides, I didn’t force you to sleep alone.”
“I was grateful for that, Sir.” There was a warmth in Finn’s voice that let Dani know he was thinking of the night before.
While Julian had insisted Finn remain in bed, he hadn’t left him unsatisfied. After dinner was done on the second night of Finn’s bed rest, Julian had led Dani back to the guesthouse and up to the big bed. He undressed her and gently worked a larger plug into her ass. Finn had watched as Julian lubed her anus and fucked her with the plug before settling it deep in her rectum. There had been no mistaking Finn’s interest. His cock had stood straight up.