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“I swear that bitch Rebecca totally planned that,” Tessa mutters to me under her breath as we walk back toward the clearing.“She’s wanted you off the show since day one because of your connection to Emmett, and she and Megan are friends.I bet they totally set that up.Rebecca’s been in first place for the past two events; she didn’t need the extra points.”
I feel like crying, but I’ve got to keep it together.Hardship and disappointment are old friends of mine, and I’ll survive this just like I’ve survived everything else.I focus on putting one foot in front of the other.
“We can’t prove it,” I say glumly.“Logan never said you couldn’t try to trick the opposing team.I was just dumb enough to fall for it.”
“You weren’t dumb,” Rose interjects loyally.“I believed her too.Besides, neither one of us had a good shot.Rebecca, on the other hand, could have shot her point-blank, but she didn’t.”
We continue walking in silence, and I steal a glance at Roman.His face is impassive as he focuses intently, his eyes trained on the path in front of him.
We’re the last group to reach the clearing, and we barely have a chance to catch our breath before Logan starts talking.
“Well, this game turned out to be way more exciting than I’d anticipated,” he says.“Apparently, both captains were shot just before the heat ended, so we don’t have a clear-cut winner or loser.”
I search for Sabrina and am shocked to see a splat of blue paint on her back.Emmett catches my eye and winks.I may have been shot, but Emmett made sure the other captain was too.I smile back at him wanly.While I appreciate his effort, it’s not much of a consolation that both teams are probably leaving now instead of just me and Roman.
“Since it’s a tie, we’re going to leave it up to the audience, and of course our panel of official judges that consists of several Doms and submissives and a few key Helix Hotel personnel, to decide whether Shawn and Sabrina or Roman and Ava stay.”
There’s a murmur of relief, but I notice the glance that passes between Rebecca and Megan.Tessa was right.They’d set the whole thing up, and Rebecca’s not pleased that her plan to get me eliminated was foiled.Roman’s standing next to me, and he grabs my hand, squeezing it reassuringly.I look up at him and smile tentatively.He smiles back, but his eyes are somber, and I can tell by the set of his jaw that he’s still not too happy.
“Moving on, our last game, Sub Hunt, is a predator/prey form of tag,” Logan announces.
I swallow hard.Prey?But rather than sending shivers of dread up my spine, the word sends a little jolt of excitement.
“Doms will hunt their own submissives.If a sub is hit, she’s considered captured and must stop.Doms will secure their submissives however they see fit and bring them back to the clearing.As you can see, we have posts set up here.Captured submissives will be secured to the posts until the heat ends.At that time, the Dom may claim the bounty of his choice from his submissive, within her limits, of course.He can claim it here publicly, on camera in a private scene later, or off camera.”He looks from Roman to Shawn.“If our Doms who are in jeopardy play their cards right, this could be a great opportunity to tilt the audience vote in their favor.”
Logan gives us time to remove our various accessories.The blood rushes back into my engorged nipples as Roman removes the clamps.I hiss.
“Shh, baby,” he says, rubbing my back comfortingly as he pulls me to him so my breasts are crushed against the flat, hard expanse of his chest, his chin resting on my head.His bare chest feels cool against my flushed and impossibly heavy breasts, and even though the coarse hairs on his chest abrade my overly sensitive nipples, I can’t bring myself to move out of his embrace.After a few minutes he pulls back and lifts my chin with his finger, searching my face.
“Are you okay?”he asks softly.
I nod, undone by his unexpected gentleness.I don’t have long to fully enjoy Roman’s sudden lapse in character, because Logan announces that the third and final game is about to begin.The air horn sounds, and the submissives once again start running.
Although I don’t have a burning desire to be cuffed to a pole in the wilderness, neither do I have a burning desire to escape Roman.This is most likely our last day together, and I want to give him whatever he wants, whatever he demands this one last time.
Primitive instinct has me running for about five minutes, but my heart’s not in it, and I’m almost relieved when I feel the slight sting of the paintball on the back of my thigh.The world tilts as Roman scoops me up like I’m a sack of flour and tosses me over his shoulder.
“You can put me down,” I protest.“I’m not going to run away.”
“I’m not sure of that after the last few days,” he says darkly.“Besides, this satisfies my caveman instincts.There’s nothing more alpha male than slinging a woman over your shoulder and dragging her off to have your way with her.”
I snicker, and he whacks my bottom.“Show some respect,” he instructs, but I can hear the laughter in his voice.
Five minutes later, I’m cuffed to a post, and a finger of dread creeps up my spine as I realize I have no idea what bounty Roman intends to claim.For all I know he plans to whip me or use some other diabolical implement of torture I don’t even know about but unwittingly agreed to when I’d so innocently and stupidly filled out my hard-and-soft-limits work sheet.
My heart beats erratically as he comes to stand next to me, the toy bag dangling from his fingertips as he runs his hand possessively down my back and over the curve of my ass, squeezing it roughly.The wicked glint in his eyes does not ease my mind.
Logan starts at the end where Desiree is cuffed, Stefan standing next to her.“What will you claim from your submissive?”Logan asks Stefan.
The burly Dom smacks Desiree’s round bottom.“I’m going to claim what I shot first today—her delectable ass.”Desiree stiffens, but I can see she’s turned on by the way she’s trying to clench her thighs together.He nudges her feet apart, chastising her good-naturedly to be patient.“But I’ll wait to claim that until we’re back in our suite,” he adds, and she sags with relief.
Logan moves on to Luke, who pulls out a small whip similar to the one that had been used on me during Western Night and says with his eyes gleaming, “I believe I’ll play with my prey right here.”
He trails the leather strands across Tessa’s back, and I almost hyperventilate.I struggle against the restraints, some primitive instinct compelling me to go save her.Roman presses his hand firmly against my back, stilling me.The authoritative action somehow halts my panic, and I watch Luke almost lovingly whip Tessa’s body, each lick of the leather strands sending her up on her toes as her breathing becomes faster and her eyes glaze over.Tessa, whom I’m starting to realize is as uninhibited as I am inhibited, revels in it, her head thrown back as Luke brings her to orgasm with nothing but the implement.Huh.How is that possible?Although the flogger terrifies me, I wonder if it’s possible that it could actually feel good.Doubtful.But, I think with a tiny pang of regret, I’ll probably never find out.
Then it’s our turn, and I’m sucking air into my lungs, reminding myself that I can handle whatever Roman decides.
“What do you want from your submissive?”Logan asks.
Roman fists his hand in my hair, turning my head so our eyes meet.
“The truth.Off camera.”
