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But the moment was lost, the spell broken as Hannah pulled away and wriggled from Mason’s arms, her face blazing.
“If this is a bad time,” Anthony said with a chuckle, “I can always come back later.”
Chapter 18
Hannah tugged at the hem of her dress as she struggled to catch her breath. What had just happened? How had she let it happen?
That was no ordinary kiss. It wasn’t soft or searching. It had been a claiming, wild and unchecked, and it had unleashed something inside her, something she wasn’t yet ready to face.
She glanced at Mason, who was tugging at his own shirt, though it did little to hide the bulging erection in his jeans. Her inner thighs were wet with her own juices, her nipples aching. What would have happened if they hadn’t been interrupted?
Cheeks flaming, she turned toward Anthony, wondering how much he’d seen. Belatedly, she processed his words. “If this is a bad time…”Bad time for what?
Before she could ask, Mason replied gruffly, “No, it’s fine.” Clearing his throat, he added, “You want coffee before we get started? There’s grilled ham, blueberry muffins, and fresh sliced fruit.”
“I’ll have some fruit,” Anthony said, moving toward the counter to help himself. Hannah now noticed he had his laptop under one arm. He set it down as he filled a bowl with fresh peaches, blueberries and watermelon. “Let’s go out to the veranda so we aren’t interrupted by breakfast stragglers.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Mason agreed.
Anthony turned to Hannah, who was still trying to get her bearings. “Shall we?”
Finally finding her tongue, Hannah blurted, “Shall we what? I’m notfollowing.”
Anthony looked at Mason. “You haven’t talked to her yet?” He lifted a brow, his mouth quirking upward. Hannah could almost hear the words he was telegraphing toward them.You were too busy making out like teenagers?
“Not yet,” Mason said, flashing a grin. He, unlike Hannah, appeared to be fully back in control.
“But you still feel as you did last night?” Anthony said, addressing Mason. “Now that you’ve had a chance to sleep on it?”
Sleep onwhat? What was going on?
“I’m more convinced than ever,” Mason affirmed.
“I’m sorry,” Hannah said, trying to keep the frustration out of her tone. “I have no idea what you guys are talking about.”
“If you do take her on,” Anthony said, ignoring Hannah as he spoke to Mason, “the first thing you’ll need to do is teach her proper manners.” Turning back to Hannah, he said, “You seem to have completely forgotten trainee protocol this morning. When in this house, all subs, even temporary ones, are expected to address their Doms with the proper respect.”
Oh, shit. Would an apology be enough, or were they going to call in Lawrence to punish her again? It was Mason’s fault. He’d thrown her completely off-balance with that kiss.
“My apologies, Master Anthony,” she said quickly. She turned to Mason, who still had that shit-eating grin on his face, and forced herself to add, “Please excuse me, Master Mason, Sir.”
“We’ll see,” he said, his eyes dancing.
Wildly curious what this was all about, Hannah followed the men outside. As Mason slid into a chair at one of the round tables, Anthony, the consummate gentleman, pulled out a chair for Hannah. She sank into it, not sure whether whatever was coming was a good thing or a bad one. Anthony sat on her other side.
Anthony speared a square of watermelon with his fork and popped it into his mouth. Finally, he turned to Hannah. “Mason has come to me with an interesting proposal. We haven’t hashed out the details yet. We wanted to get your input first. This is about your trainee contract,” he added, as if in afterthought. “You’ve done well with the modified impact play and positions training, and you comport yourself well as an observer during more intensive scenes.”
Hannah smiled, pleased by the praise, though still uncertain what was being asked of her, if anything.
“But that only goes so far,” Anthony continued, selecting a slice of ripe peach. “The contract you and I first negotiated basically gives you an out any time you feel uncomfortable. But, after observing you, talking it over with Lucia and discussing it with those Doms you’ve trained with, I’ve come to the conclusion that you aren’t being challenged in the way necessary to really tap into your masochistic and submissive core.”
Hannah wasn’t sure what to say to this. She sure as hell had felt plenty challenged over the past week, thank you. At the same time, she couldn’t deny that there was some truth in what he was saying. She did get to pick and choose which sessions she participated in, and to what degree. Not that that was necessarily a bad thing. After all, she wasn’t interested in a 24/7 Master/slave lifestyle, even if she did find it absolutely fascinating to observe.
“Master Mason came to me last night with an interesting proposal that we both believe would offer you a more rewarding, if challenging, experience.” He nodded toward Mason. “You want to take it from here?”
Mason cleared his throat. “Okay. First, I want to address the elephant in the room, as it were. That kiss. I didn’t plan it, and I apologize if I overstepped.”
Hannah felt herself blushing yet again as she glanced from Mason to Anthony. Anthony smiled faintly but said nothing. She looked back at Mason. “Oh, um. That’s okay,” she said, her fingers floating up to touch her lips before she could stop them.
