Dom Wars - Round Four Read Online Free PDF Page B

place made me feel smothered with the anxiety it inspired.
    The trunk closed, drawing my attention back to Steve. He nodded to the guy that had helped him load up, then turned and walked to the front of the car with military precision. A man I 'd never seen before stood there waiting for Steve to approach. The guy loomed over Steve's nearly six foot height, and his impeccably tailored charcoal grey suit made him even more imposing.
    I couldn 't help being a little proud of our Steve, though. He walked right up to the man with a direct gaze, hand outstretched. The man shook Steve's hand and smiled, then spoke.
    Steve 's whole demeanor changed for an instant and he suddenly looked nervous. What the hell? Just as quickly, he shook his head and his expression cleared. He smiled and spoke briefly, then the man nodded and shook his hand again. As Steve turned away, the man lifted a hand toward us and gave a sort of mock salute.
    In a move that was quintessentially Steve, he took a polishing cloth from his pocket and wiped over the front of the car before opening his door and climbing in. "How are my two favorite Dom Warriors? Ready to move on to Round Four?" He didn't wait for a reply. "Good! Good! I have a good feeling about this Round." He started the car, then turned in his seat. "Remember to switch on your wrist cameras, and remember, you will not remove these for the duration of the Round." He passed us each a cell phone, the same as in Round Three, and held up his own. "I believe you're both familiar with these?"
    Lucian reached up and grabbed his, then passed mine to me. "A little too familiar."
    Steve nodded and gave his sympathetic frown. "I know, Lucian. And you won't like this any better." He took an envelope from an inner pocket and passed it back. "The directive."
    Lu cian's face settled into a stony mask, and I could have sworn his hand held a faint tremor when he accepted the envelope. Surely he couldn't be that nervous? After all, he'd had a relatively normal childhood.
    He opened the envelope and took out the paper, read it, and put it back without a word. His hands were remarkably steady as he folded the whole thing precisely into thirds and slid it into his hip pocket.
    Settling back into the seat, he met Steve's puzzled frown. "What are we waiting for? Let's get on the road. The sooner I dominate these fucking demons, the sooner we move to the next Round."
    Steve stared for exactly one second. "Yes, sir. On the road." He turned back to the front and put the car in gear. As we started rolling forward, a faint hum accompanied the raising of the black privacy panel the separated us from the driver's compartment.
    I just looked at Lucian for a moment. It wasn 't like him to be so cold toward Steve. Before, he'd treated the driver with friendly respect, and earned a loyal ally in the process. And we could sure use all of those we could get.
     
    ****
    I t was like a recurring living nightmare with her. I would have this fantastic dream and wake up to find it really wasn't true.
    Tara suddenly took hold of my hand, lifted it to her lips and kissed it. Then set it back down in her lap. Holy shit. She didn't make eye contact but that was definitely progress. Hope filled me to bursting job. That was all I needed. All I needed to see, to know, that I was headed in the right direction.
    T he dominance in me set my course at full speed ahead. Continue to dominate Tara's fears and free her to love me. No more guilt. No more shame. No more whatever the hell happened in that pretty sweet head of hers.
    The worry that had started eating my guts the moment Round Three was over just died. I'd managed to hold it at bay somewhat during the break, but the moment I climbed in Steve's limo, it took on a life of its own. And now I watched it take its dying breath. Sure, I still didn't look forward to confronting certain moments of my past, but the worry no longer sat on my shoulder like a fucking monster ready to devour me. Now I knew,