An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication www.ellorascave.com Summon the Masters ISBN # 9781419907616 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Interlude Copyright© 2007 Madeleine Oh The Cajun Copyright© 2007 Dominique Adair Life Sentence Copyright© 2007 Jennifer Dunne Edited by Mary Moran and Sue-Ellen Gower. Cover art by Syneca. Electronic book Publication: January 2007 This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310- 3502. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously. Content Advisory: S – ENSUOUS E – ROTIC X – TREME Ellora’s Cave Publishing offers three levels of Romantica™ reading entertainment: S (S-ensuous), E (E- rotic), and X (X-treme). The following material contains graphic sexual content meant for mature readers. This story has been rated E–rotic. S-ensuous love scenes are explicit and leave nothing to the imagination. E-rotic love scenes are explicit, leave nothing to the imagination, and are high in volume per the overall word count. E-rated titles might contain material that some readers find objectionable—in other words, almost anything goes, sexually. E-rated titles are the most graphic titles we carry in terms of both sexual language and descriptiveness in these works of literature. X-treme titles differ from E-rated titles only in plot premise and storyline execution. Stories designated with the letter X tend to contain difficult or controversial subject matter not for the faint of heart. S M UMMON THE ASTERS Interlude by Madeleine Oh The Cajun by Dominique Adair Life Sentence by Jennifer Dunne I NTERLUDE Madeleine Oh Trademarks Acknowledgement The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction: Fiat: Fiat S.p.A. Corporation Italy Magic Wand: Hitachi Sales Corporation The Chronicles of Narnia: C.S. Lewis (PTE) Ltd. Corporation Singapore Technicolor: Technicolor Videocassette B.V. Corporation Netherlands Madeleine Oh Chapter One “Wales? For six weeks! You’re going to miss me.” Alex looked into Tom’s blue eyes and barely managed to hold back the laugh. She would not miss Tom’s moods, pouts and manipulations. She would miss getting spanked regularly and, she had to acknowledge, his skill with bondage and incredible performance with oral sex, but Tom Hampton was one whiny Dom and she was not going to miss his complaining. “I promised my aunt. I can’t let her down.” She hadn’t shared with Tom that the said aunt would be in Tibet while Alex house sat. If he knew that, he’d want to tag along. “Have to run. It takes ages to get through security. Bye.” She kissed him goodbye—they had been lovers after all—and joined the end of the winding line. She was on her way. A day and a half and a transatlantic flight later, after a long drive fueled by several cups of coffee, Alex was actually standing in front of Aunt Maria’s cottage, assailed by second thoughts…and third ones. “That’s Dwr ffynnon,” Dai Hughes, her aunt’s lawyer, said as they stood in front of a stone cottage built right against the hillside. “De…what?” she asked, not understanding. He had a downright sexy smile. Nice eyes too. “Dwr ffynnon,” he repeated. “Spring Water in the English.” “It’s small!” she muttered. Heck, she’d seen bigger garages. “Not so small really,” Dai Hughes replied. She hadn’t realized she’d spoken aloud. “You’ll find it snug inside. Miss Abbott, well she likes her comfort.” Maybe, but did eccentric Aunt Maria’s idea of comfort match Alex’s? What the hell, she’d agreed. She couldn’t let Aunt Maria down. She’d stay and besides, watching Dai Hughes’ nice firm ass as he bent into his car to retrieve a bundle of keys was no hardship. If he was representative of the local talent, things couldn’t be too bad. “Here you are,” he said, handing over the keys. “I promised your aunt I’d take care of you. Anything you want, just let me know.” To see you naked. Better restrain herself. “I just need to move my things in and get settled. Thanks a bunch for coming up here. I’d never have found it on my own.” “Let me give you a hand.” He gave more than a hand. He willingly toted in her two suitcases and the numerous bags of groceries she’d picked up in the village. Unnecessarily as it turned out, he’d already stocked the ancient 6 Interlude fridge. He even had the thoughtfulness to strip off his sweater and give her a private viewing of his broad back and strong muscled arms. Not bad at all. “That’s it then,” he said looking around the kitchen. “Not as dreadful as you feared, eh?” He was right about that. Inside, the cottage was neat, clean and well-furnished. It was a little odd, having no rear windows as the cottage really was built into the hillside, but the kitchen was bright and airy and Dai—or someone—had already lit the vast kitchen stove. With the curtains drawn against the early dusk, it would be downright cozy. “Can I offer you a cup of tea?” Seemed a little more judicious than asking him to strip for her, and besides, much as her mind might lust after him, her jetlagged tired body just wasn’t up to it. Yet. His downright sexy smile held all sorts of invitations and promises. A smile like his was worth bottling up and keeping for times of abstinence. “Wish I could. I’d better get back down. It’s my turn to pick the sprogs up from school.” Great! She’d been lusting after a married man. A cast-iron no-no in her book. Might as well smile graciously as she wondered about the unknown female fortunate enough to have snagged this hunk. “Oh! Thanks for your help and I hope I haven’t made you late.” His dark curls ruffled as he shook his head. “Nah! I’ll be in plenty of time.” He turned toward the door. “You have the office number and my mobile, right? Call if you need anything but I think you’re all set.” He was gone, all six-feet, testosterone-laden hunk of him. Off to pick up the offspring and no doubt go home to fuck his wife. Leaving Alex alone in the middle of wild Wales in a house that rather redefined the adjective “quaint”. Damn! She should have pumped Dai Hughes for a little more info on Aunt Maria. The only comment he’d made was, “Always a smiling woman, your aunt.” And, Alex had to admit, the cottage did exude an air of peace and contentment. An hour or so later she’d unpacked and warmed up a can of soup for dinner. Not exactly gourmet fare but with half a bottle of elderflower wine left on the table, it wasn’t half bad sitting by the stove, sipping the tart wine, smiling to herself as she leaned back in the chair and listened to the humming. Humming? Or was it a distant faint roar? She sat up. No doubt about it. There was a steady noise nearby. Where? The next best thing to antique refrigerator? The stove? The vast copper water heater? It wasn’t a mechanical sound but not quite human either. It sounded…magical. What on earth was she thinking? She had had too much wine. Just as well she’d made up the bed when she unpacked. Better get upstairs and sleep it off. Except she 7 Madeleine Oh opened the wrong door. Instead of the door to the narrow stairway to the attic bedroom, Alex opened the basement door. Stone stairs led down into darkness. She was half inclined to shut the door and head on up to the attic bedroom but the cussed and curious half fumbled around for a light switch. After scraping her knuckles on the rough stone wall, she found a swinging cord with what felt like an empty cotton spool on the end. She pulled and a weak light bulb illuminated the spiral stone stairway. Darn good thing she hadn’t tried descending in the dark. The light didn’t penetrate much beyond the top of the stairs so Alex grabbed a good-sized flashlight and set off downward and found another light switch at the bottom of the stairs. As she flicked it on, bright fluorescent light lit up the low- ceilinged area. “Area” was the word for it. It had to be twice as big—at least—as the cottage above. Was it built on the ruin of a much larger house? She’d ask Aunt Maria when she got back. Meanwhile, might as well have a good look-see. The space nearest the stairs was set up as a pantry-wine cellar with enough supplies to outlast a siege or nuclear attack. Alex remembered Aunt Maria saying, “If you need to use any of my supplies, dear, feel free. Just promise to replace what you take.” There was also a well-stocked wine rack. Filled with a variety of homemade wine. Not that Alex needed any more to drink tonight. A large worktable filled the center of the room. Beyond that more shelves and cupboards, and at the far end, where the basement narrowed presumably into the side of the hill, was a heavy, dark, iron-banded door. On closer inspection, it looked like an old church door or something out of a castle, complete with black iron studs, vast hinges and a keyhole two inches high. And no key in sight. She was curious, and when she put her ear to the door, she’d swear the humming, buzz, roar, whatever, was coming from the other side. A generator perhaps? Why lock it up? Curiosity got the better of Alex. She ran, grabbed the ring of a handle, turned and pulled, but it wouldn’t budge. No use trying the modern front door key, it would probably fall right though and get lost in whatever was the other side. Alex looked under a couple of nearby boxes for a hidden key but no luck. She thumped on the door with her fist. No use of course, but it did make a satisfyingly solid thud. She’d have to go to bed, curiosity unsatisfied. She’d ask Dai Hughes in the morning. After she had a good night’s sleep. And the odds of a good night’s sleep would be greatly increased after a little self- loving. Thanks to her trusty Magic Wand and the adapter and transformer she’d had the forethought to bring, Alex was all set for a self-induced thrill or two. It wasn’t quite the same as getting chained to the bedpost and spread-eagled but she could spread her own legs and grasping the brass bedhead with her free hand and a 8 Interlude little imagination would get her humming. Literally. As Alex caressed her breasts with the dildo, the sound echoed in her ears, like the soft, persistent hum of the generator downstairs. She closed her eyes to better concentrate on the sensations in her body. The gentle vibrations rippled through her and her nipples went hard as pleasure flowed from her breasts down to her cunt. Waves of goose bumps skittered over her arms and back as she slowly eased the head of the vibrator over her belly and down toward her clit. She stopped just above, wanting the pleasure of the diffuse sensation spread all over her pussy. She was wet now, really wet, anticipating the thrill of climax, but wanting to extend the buildup as long as possible. “You’ve been bad!” she thought to herself, trying hard to adopt the tone and cadence of Tom’s voice when they were playing. “Very bad. Don’t you agree?” “Yes,” she whispered. “I have. I’m sorry.” “Sorry isn’t good enough,” the Dom in her head paused, waiting. “Is it?” “No,” she whimpered. Her voice faltering as wild thrills poured into her cunt, leaving her wetter and hornier than ever. “It isn’t.” She pressed the head of her dildo harder against her flesh, upping the sensation and the anticipation. “Only one thing for it,” her imaginary lover replied. “Discipline is what you need, my girl. Good, hard discipline you won’t ever forget. You agree, don’t you?” “Yes!” she whispered in her mind. “Right! Roll over and don’t keep me waiting. Your ass needs to feel the flat of my hand.” She flipped onto her belly, letting go of her grasp of the bed and slipping the dildo between her cunt lips. Shutting her eyes to imagine the hand descending, the slap of flesh on flesh and the sting of impact, she counted—one…two…three. She drove her hips into the mattress as if responding to the impact and came in a crashing, blinding climax. Heart racing, she eased the dildo away and flicked the switch off then indulged herself in lying limp between the sheets as wild sensation washed over her. Slowly she moved, picking up the dildo and slipping it into a drawer in the bedside table then pulling the sheets up to her chin and curling on her side as the slow-fading after-ripples skimmed across her sated body. She felt incredible—relaxed, stimulated and satisfied. No, she was not going to miss Tom. Not much anyway. Of course if it had been sexy Dai Hughes chastising her or tying her to the bed with soft cords, she wouldn’t complain. Or better still, feeling the sting of the wide leather belt that held up his pants. Well damn, she was not going there. That pleasure was no doubt reserved for Mrs. Hughes, lucky woman. Besides, what were the odds he was just a vanilla lover anyway? Better to imagine him the kinky master of her dreams. Nothing like a wild fantasy 9 Madeleine Oh sex life to keep her happy and it wouldn’t entail poaching in another woman’s bed. Even if she did fancy Dai Hughes naked, hard and in her bed. And with that thought, she drifted off into a deep, relaxed sleep. * * * * * Something woke her. A night sound in an unfamiliar house? A movement in the dark? The moon shining though a gap in the curtains? A shadow moved in the dark and the mattress shifted as if someone were… 10