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Somewhere along the line, Lilith had forgotten why she was there. No further thought of finding out who Hunter Sutton was or what Rocco was up to, filled her mind.
All that mattered was the intense connection she felt with Master Crow—the Dominant who had tormented the true submissive from deep inside her to now believe in the power she had over her own fate.
Chapter Eight
Hunter
“I don’t need to look at each Master’s evaluation report to know that sub Lillian passed the test.” Stone Rothman sipped on a Dalmore 62 Single Highland Malt Scotch, murmuring a groan of appreciation as the dark, richness of the drink settled low in his stomach.
“She did exceedingly well, considering she had a bad experience with edging in the past.” Hunter briefly explained what Lilith had told him. “Bastards like him don’t deserve the accolade of being a Dominant.”
“True, but at least we’re trying to correct the imbalance by offering proper, detailed training at your academy and ours at Castle Sin.”
Hunter chuckled. “Yeah, except Sensations Sub Academy doesn’t come close to what you offer. Who can compete with seven dungeons, seven Masters, and seven times the kink?”
Stone laughed with him. Castle Sin Training Academy was sought after far and wide, specifically because they offered on-site, live-in, and full-time training on every aspect of submission.
“If she’s not the one you select to sponsor for training at Castle Sin, I definitely will. She will be an asset to our academy.” Hunter’s broody expression sparked his curiosity. “Why do I get the feeling you don’t want her at Castle Sin?”
“I’m not sure I want her at Sensations Academy either, to be honest.” Hunter twirled his glass, staring at the amber liquid forming a vortex in the center. Somehow, it reflected his feelings.
There was no denying he was sexually attracted to Lillian Pringle. During the scene, she had managed to crack the veneer locking his emotions away and forced a connection with him he never expected. Knowing she was a fraud, to still find she had penetrated his inner sanctum pissed him off royally.
“Especially since I question whether she really is as green to BDSM as she claims.”
“Hmm, that doesn’t sound like you, Hunter. If you suspected she was lying on her application, why did you approve her to enter the parade?”
“That’s the kicker. I didn’t. I only realized she had managed to worm her way in when I watched the informal meet and greet of the entrants from the balcony. I didn’t recognize her and immediately knew something was amiss.”
“Yet, you allowed her to participate and ensured you were the one to scene with her.”
“Because I want to keep a close eye on her. I deliberately chose that scene to see just how far she was willing to go. As you witnessed yourself, she didn’t back down or falter… not once during the scene. In fact, her endurance is what makes me question her experience as a sub.”
“Then how did she get in?”
“Matilda is looking into it. The only way her name got on that pre-approved list was electronically. I believe we’ve been hacked.”
“Someone managed to crack Matilda’s firewall? Surely not?” Stone’s smile was grim. His brother Parker was an IT specialist and the one who ensured their network at Castle Sin remained impenetrable. He and Matilda had studied together. There was no way she would’ve left a gateway for a potential hacker.
“That’s the concern. All I can think of is that whoever got in had help from the inside.” Hunter took a sip of his drink. His eyes darkened perceptively. “If they managed to hack the club’s network, they might have found a path into Ground Zero’s system as well.”
“Are you thinking of corporate espionage?”
“It crossed my mind. I’m on the edge of a breakthrough with a new software program I developed for the United States Governing Communication Framework, covering all aspects of nationwide communication channels. If anyone gets hold of it, sells it to other countries, all the work I put in will be for nothing. Someone else will take the accolade, and our government will lose faith in the confidentiality and safety of the system designs we’ve developed for them over the years. Ground Zero will lose more than its reputation, Stone. I will lose everything.”
“Similar software programs hit the market all the time, Hunter. Why are you so concerned about this one?”
“It’s a massive project I’ve been working on for two years, and as a precaution, I built in a safety key that only I can unlock upon activation. It’s so deeply entrenched in code and algorithms, even the best software engineer won’t realize what it is. Once they activate it, not only will the program download a kill-and-destroy virus to the network it’s on, it will completely wipe out the entire area’s communication channels linked to that system. Once it’s in process, no one but me can deactivate it. You know what that means.”
“The stolen program could bring countries to their knees and make them vulnerable to spies and infiltration.” Stone leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. His expression turned pensive.
“Exactly… the exact opposite of what it was designed to do.”
“I’m sure Parker will be happy to assist Matilda. You know he’s an expert in finding every hidden agenda there is on the deep and dark web. If Lillian Pringle has something to hide, between the two of them, they’ll find it.”
“Parker’s help would be highly appreciated,” Matilda said from the door. “Sorry to barge in, Hunter.”
“What did you find?” Hunter’s radar went up at the frustrated look on her face.
