Page 30 of Magnum, Volume 1

I nodded, still catching my breath. Part of me was relieved to be free from the relentless squeezing pressure, the forced posture, and the plug I’d had to work around all morning. But another part of me already missed it. The cincher had been a constant, physical reminder of exactly where I stood with him. Without it, I felt… untethered.

I didn’t say any of that out loud. I just turned and headed for my room, completely flat-footed, and hyperaware of my nakedness when it hadn’t bothered me before.

I stepped into a royal blue cotton thong and topped it with leggings and a T-shirt, but I didn’t bother with a bra. I headed downstairs for the drinks, and he was already seated at the desk when I made it to the office, the computer going through the boot-up sequence from the USB.

“I figure we look harder for a second location,” I told him. “We have a list of corporations they use for their charities and businesses. Can you get back into the file at the electric company? We can do a search for those names. Can do the same with land records.”

He nodded. “Excellent idea. I want to look through the crypto trail more, too. We’ll do the land thing first.”

An hour later, we agreed the electric company was a dead end, and he stood and let me at the keyboard to research the land records. I appreciated that he realized I’d be better and faster at it than him without me having to point it out.

Also, I’d worried a little about the power dynamic getting us off track, but we worked nonstop without it being an issue.

Two hours later, I gave up on the property search and went downstairs to cut some fruit and cheese, and brought it back up with tea for both of us while he got started looking through the crypto again.

Forty minutes in, he found a medical purchase. We compared the cost to what we could find on the company’s online store, and agreed it’d possibly been a handheld ultrasound, and neither of us spoke aloud about the haunting implications. The fight organizers likely had a doctor on staff, and he’d need diagnostic tools.

What we couldn’t find, however, was a food vendor, and there had to be one, if not several. They were feeding a lot of fighters, plus they’d have to serve gourmet food to the uber-rich guests. If we could find a vendor, we should be able to figure out where it was being delivered, but after hours of searching, we came up empty.

“Decisions decisions,” Magnum said, leaning back in his chair, assessing me with his Dom gaze for the first time in hours. “I need some physical activity, but we can’t go for a run, and I need more than a swim. I have free weights out in the garage. What’s your preference for a workout?”

“I use weights some, but I’d rather stretch and move today. There are a few dance-things on YouTube I can do.”

He nodded. “Okay then, here’s the rest of the schedule you don’t know about yet — most days, the high-protocol session will begin in the evening and will end the following morning after your cleaning chores are finished and approved. Today, after we work out and shower, you’ll go back into your slave-gear. Most nights, you’ll sleep in a waist cincher without bones, and the regular one will go back on once you wake.”

My stomach somersaulted at the casual way he laid it out, reminding me it’d already been decided and I was simply being informed that this would now be part of my daily routine. The idea of being laced back into the cincher every single day sent a sharp pulse of heat between my legs, and I shifted in my chair to try to deal with my throbbing clit. This man didn’t do anything halfway, and fuck me, it was completely working for me.

“Also, since we’re done working, I think I’d like you naked the rest of the day. If you need an exercise bra to work out, you can, but then it comes off.”

“Can I wear a shirt while I cook, Sir?” I asked, somehow managing to keep my voice steady.

When he nodded, I added, “The exercise bra is appreciated. I’ll need at least forty minutes for my workout, if that’s okay.”

“It is. When you finish, go ahead and get started on dinner. I’ll likely be about an hour and fifteen minutes. I’m kind of in the mood for Mexican, unless you have a better idea?”

I’d seen refried beans, and I knew he had all the spices I’d need, plus beef and cheese. “Mexican sounds great. I’ll see what I can throw together.”

Chapter 14

Storm

Magnum came in through the back door while I was nearly done frying the meat. His shirt was off, skin damp with sweat, and the sight of him made my stomach flip even before he spoke.

“Smells good,” he said, moving in behind me. “I need a shower and I’ll be right back.” He kissed the side of my neck, and he was gone.

I’d grabbed a fast one after my workout, but I wouldn’t have actually minded sweaty, gross sex with this man.

When he returned, I was assembling the enchiladas, and he told me, “Go ahead and get them plated, and I’ll put it everything in the oven on warm.”

I did as he said, hyper-aware of him moving around the kitchen, setting the table, putting ingredients back in the fridge, wiping around the stove while it was still warm. When everything was in the oven, he popped me on the ass and said, “Stop in your bedroom to get rid of the shirt, and then go to the dungeon, slave.”

I made my way upstairs, my heart beating faster with every step.

Once in the dungeon, he nodded toward the chin-up bar. “Up, slave.”

I jumped and grabbed it, my insides fluttering with the knowledge of what was coming. My arms stretched overhead and my spine elongated. I thought of horses blowing themselves up so the saddle wouldn’t be as tight, and realized there was no way to do that when I hung from my arms.

I tried to steady my breathing while he moved behind me and laced me back into the tall, steel-boned cincher. He worked slowly, methodically, pulling the laces tighter in small increments. I focused on trying to pull air into my lungs while my waist was compressed and my ribs restricted, forcing my back into more of an arch. By the time he tied it off, every breath was shallower than the last.