I picked up the still warm
animal and startled to find the Preacher standing right there. "Let's get something crystal clear, Bane." That ominous thunder was back in his tone, along with quick and certain death in his eyes. "God doesn't like whoremongers. Liars. And
cheaters.
"
I
remained silent, not acknowledging the jab, unable to resist one of my own, "And… are you God?"
His face went slowly hard.
"Blaspheme God, Bane, and I'll take you apart."
I nodded and shrugged.
"And what part of the commandments would that fall under?"
He moved in a
flash and my legs flew out from under me. I groaned and choked for air with his knee in my chest. "That would be commandment Number
ONE
. Thou shalt have no other Gods before me." He angled his head. "Got it?" Then tap-slapped my face several times as I fought to breathe around the massive weight he pushed down on my chest. "Got it, Bane? Or do I need to teach you a Bible lesson? Tie you to a slab, offer you up? Wait to see if the Lord will find you worthy? Maybe provide a pretty little sacrifice in the bushes named Tara, instead? Hmm? Didn't you go to Sunday School, son?" His tone sounded genuine and he suddenly got up and I gasped for air.
He grabbed my hand and yanked me to my feet like I w
eighed twenty pounds.
"
Let me tell you what's not going to happen here, Bane. You're not going to fuck this up."
"
You need me," I choked, glaring at him.
"
And you need me to not ask you to do something you're not willing to do. Right? I've watched the footage Bane. I know you better than you know yourself. And I won't hesitate to exploit that, got it?"
"
You'll lose too."
He chuckled a little, staring at me.
"If I lose…" he slowly grinned until he looked luridly insane. "Then God is a liar. And if God is a liar?" His arms spread wide. "What in the fuck is there to live for?"
I stared at him, a cold feeling
trickling along my spine at the realization he was dead serious. The idea that he would kill if I didn't comply wasn't all that far-fetched with him at this point. Religious nut running for a million dollars. "God said you'd win?"
He giggled and nodded with wide eyes, confirming my sick suspicion.
This dude thought he had a direct line to the Big Guy. Fucking great.
I nodded
for several silent seconds, pissed to the point of stupid. Words flooded my tongue until it danced restlessly in my mouth. "I broke the letter of the rules but there was something bigger at stake. The God I know wouldn't condemn that. And if He did?" I gave a huge
fuck it
shrug. "He can get in line with the rest of the world I don't give a shit about."
I waited for his sure retaliation, watched it brewing in his face. Then watched it slowly die away.
He turned back toward the camp, walking slowly. "The God
you
know, huh? The God you
know?"
I followed him finally as he began to laugh in deep chuckles until it grew to booming cackles around us.
My body trembled in fury as I stalked
after him, keeping a ten foot distance between us.
"
You don't
know
God," he finally said. "But don't worry, Bane. I've been chosen. Chosen to bring the truth to you. I had a dream about you Bane. A vision."
I quickened my pace to hear him better, to hear his insanity, know just how fucked my situation was.
"Do what it takes. That's what the dream said. Do what
ever
it takes to break Bane. Because I'm going to make him."
A familiar terror took hold of my muscles
at those words. I looked around at the forest, searching for anything unique to remember if we had to run. When we had to run. I'd run before, many times. My old man was good at surprising me with discipline. I'd learned to be ready to make a run for it. Escape for a while. My body interpreted the danger in this fucker's words as the same threat.
He turned to me then and pointed.
"Get ready Bane. To break like you've never broken before." He added a huge happy grin. "You're one blessed motherfucker. God must have some crazy shit planned for you, my brother. Because he went far, far off the beaten path for your ass." He tapped his chest. "And he sent me to do it. Two birds with one stone Bane. Two birds with one stone. I get the money." He turned a wicked looking pointer finger at me. "And you get the real treasure."
The outrageous threat kicked my stupidity into high gear and
I gave him my most direct stare, unblinking, knowing that my next words needed to matter, needed to convey I was just as crazy and not afraid to quit, no matter what. "Now that you got that off your chest, my turn." I closed the distance until I stood nearly toe to toe, eye to eye. "I don't mind being punished if I break the rules intentionally. But I won't allow Tara to be badly treated, and I won't allow anyone to subject her to sexual penalties. If and when that happens, I quit. We quit. Are we crystal clear?"
He stared at me so long I started to worry he was having some sort of seizure.
Finally, his gaze flickered and he gave a grin, a deranged looking expression that sent ice shooting along my spine. "Cooperation isn't something I need or require of you Bane, because I will get it if I have to beat it out of you. That is my job here as your Dom. And your job as her Dom is to take whatever punishment she deserves. Because if she fails, it means you failed to train her." He poked my chest. "But just so you know. You go against God's plan, Bane, and I
will
be your worst nightmare come true."
"
Don't flatter yourself, preacher. I learned all about nightmares at the hands of a true master in the third fucking grade. You can make things difficult, even intolerable, for me. You can even break me, that's all fine and good. But you will
never
be my worst nightmare." Even as I said the words, I knew even though they were true in one sense, he knew my fucking weakness. Tara. And if he was sadistic enough, he could surpass my father.
He shook his head and stepped around me, dismissing me with a grunt. "You have no clue what a true master is, Bane. But you're about to learn. Be ready to sit down and talk strategy in fifteen minutes."
Chapter Five
I followed him into camp
and the Preacher went into the tent with his woman after issuing orders for us to "prepare dinner".
Steve
emerged from his own tent, drenched in sweat and triumphant, like he'd conquered all his demons in a tribal sweat lodge.
My stomach growled, reminding me it had been a long time since the sandwich I
'd eaten at the airport. Tara and I exchanged silent glances that amounted to her wanting to know what we'd talked about and me trying to reassure her all was fine as I worked quickly to skin and gut the rabbit, wash it, then thread it onto a skewer above the fire to cook. I guessed his woman had started a pot of the freeze dried vegetables and some rice. Unless Steve or Tara had, highly unlikely. At least I thought.
At the end of fifteen minutes,
the three of us sat on the log on our side of the fire and waited. "I'm not eating that poor rabbit," Tara whispered quietly. "The smell is
disgusting
."
"
Then don't," I whispered back.
The Preacher
and his woman had yet to make an appearance and resentment flared in my mind. I had better things to do than sit and wait for them while they no doubt got to indulge in one another. I still hadn't had a chance to actually talk with Tara, or even give her a real kiss. Every fiber of my being yearned for her.
Abruptly, I stood and began to pace. If they didn
't come out in a few minutes, I wasn't going to wait any longer.
Just my luck, they came out of their tent arm in arm, smiling at each other
like a couple of new lovers. Totally absorbed, they came over and took the same seats as earlier. "Shall we get started?" The deep voice sounded more relaxed than earlier but it clearly meant ready or not. Had they been forced into the same involuntary separation that had been imposed on me and Tara between every round? It would be only fair. Somehow I had failed to consider that other partners would be kept apart as well.
"
Tara, would you mind helping Becca serve?" I stared at the preacher, shocked at the respect in his tone. And relieved.
"
Oh, sure." Tara hopped up only to stand and rock from foot to foot. "I can get the drinks?"
The woman gave her a bright smile.
"I will serve the meal."
Steve stood too.
"I'll—"
"
Stay put," the preacher answered. "We need your brains for strategy."
He settled back down
in jerky resolution then grabbed his make shift paper fan and went back to swatting at his face.
"
You all need to sell every single one of those products in four days," the preacher said, "and then some."
I looked at him
. "Just us?"
"
My assignment forbids me to sell."
What the fuck.
"So, they want you to what?"
He looked at me like I was slow.
"See to it that
you
do it.
See
to it that I dominate seeing to you doing it. What are you not getting about this? You are here to learn how to submit to authority. I'm that authority. You are here to teach your sub to do the same. Comprende?"
"
So…" Steve began, "you help by…watching us sell pornographic paraphernalia."
T
he preacher eyed Steve for a few seconds. "Steve…" he began, his tone seeming extra careful, "Don't be a fucker. It's not pornographic paraphernalia until it's
used
for that. Got it?" His tone bit at the end with annoyance.
I
fought the quirk in my lip, hating that he was fucking right. I didn't want him being right. About anything. "So what
will
you be doing?"
"
Making sure our team succeeds."
"
By…" I raised my brows in annoyed wonder.
"
By kicking your ass when you fuck up." Like that was the all-encompassing cure-all.
"
My
ass."
"
You're the Dom over your team. I'm the Dom over you. They fuck up, you pay. I fail to change your ways, then we all pay." His brow crimped with perplexity. "You've been in the lifestyle for how many years? And you don't have a handle on the chain of command?"
I
glared at him, pissed. Something about what he was saying chapped my balls. He talked about the D/s like it was some kind of military operation. "It's a lot more than just tactical procedures, preacher."
He stared back at me, a smiley face threatening.
"Oh, that it is. But fail to get the military aspects of it Bane, and you will not achieve a fucking thing. Mission failed."
"
Love doesn't work that way, it doesn't…it isn't confined to those kinds of rules."
More long staring and stupid laughter in his eyes.
"My brother..." added headshakes for many seconds, "love
made
those rules."
I sat there
, bound in a prison of strange confusion. The concept he'd just given was like a… tiger-snake-frog that I could only stare at with repulsed curiosity. Love made the military rules? I wasn't sure how, exactly, but that was ridiculous bullshit.
"
So…" Steve adjusted himself next to me. "You'll be teaching Lucian to dominate selling…dildos?"
"
How to
dominate
whatever the fuck assignment we have, Steve."
"
Which happens to be…selling dildos to toy stores."
Steve
's suicidal words ushered in a scary span of silence.
"
As stupid as that is…" the preacher drawled, "that's the assignment all of you will dominate. Three businesses. Three intelligent people, I pray. Three wins. Like a holy fucking trinity."
Steve gave a deplorable huff before muttering
under his breath, "Selling dildos."
I looked at Steve,
floored with his desire to die.
"
I'm not asking you to
use
them, Steve." But the preacher's tone said
he could
and
would
if he didn't correct his attitude.
Steve read the threat loud and clear.
"True. Very true."
"
What's your plan, Bane?" The preacher flicked a piece of whittled wood at the fire before angling his dark gaze at me. He obviously expected me to have one. Come up with one.
Ideas
crept in like slow dawning light in a nightmare. "Well, for starters, we'd need to know all we can about the businesses. Their employers and employees, current sales and marketing strategies, any and all pros and cons we can use for leverage." I rubbed my hands slowly along my legs, ideas gaining momentum. "We can find all that online."
H
e whittled again. "You see any online around here Bane?"
"
No, but we could… make a run into town and access internet services at a public facility."
"
Like a hotel!" Steve gave a bright idea clap of his hands.
Preacher eyed me directly as though trying to read my mind. I returned his stare with a cool one, mentally locking all doors around my thoughts, just in case he did have some crazy ability. He gave a slow grin.
"We'll have dinner and finish settling in, then head into town. You'll do your recon and we'll be back tonight where you'll put together a comprehensive plan and we'll begin executing it in the morning. Glad you're up for the hike."
Hike? Fuck, we didn
't have a ride. I tried to remember how long we'd driven from the last little town before we reached the campground. Long enough it would take hours to walk, no doubt. And now that I'd opened my mouth, the insane Preacher certainly wouldn't let me back out of it.
"
Sounds like a good plan." Steve was undeterred. As far as he was concerned, anywhere but here was the fairgrounds, with or without wheels.
There was nothing else to say at that point, nothing I could think to say, wanted to say. I just wanted to go in the tent and hold Tara. Make love to her. Think about all this other shit later. And eat. I was fucking starving for that rabbit sizzling on the fire.
We
ate "dinner" after the preacher said his sermon-on-the-mount-long grace with Steve mmhmming and amening with every-fucking-word. I mean how much thanks can you give in one sitting? Weren't there rules to that? Limits? Felt like testing God's divine patience if you asked me. Did he really think God needed or wanted all that shit? Was sitting on his throne with an audience of angels, collecting those precious words in vials of holy fire to set on a shelf of awe and glory? It was like being stoned to death slowly. With words.
The only satisfaction I derived was being able to hold Tara
's hand through it. I made love to her palm with my thumb, silently praying alongside the preacher that he'd hurry the fuck up so we could eat and I could have Tara.
Finally,
miraculously, that time came and wild rabbit filled my mouth to the brim. The meat was tender on the inside once I managed to gnaw through the outer layer. My jaws ached by the time I finished my third bite, but otherwise, it was pretty fucking tasty. And that pot of freeze dried vegetables and rice had turned into a thick savory stew.
There was something about eating outdoors for me, like survival instincts kicked in and had me devouring every mors
el like it might be my last. I became aware of Tara's eyes on me and looked at her, finding her gaze narrowed in concern. I leaned and kissed her on the nose to assure her I was fine, then downed my drink in loud gulps.
As soon as Tara finished
I stood and drew her up. "I'm taking Tara for a walk to the stream. Everything okay here?"
The preacher sucked loudly on a bone and grinned without looking at me.
"Everything is
dandy
. Don't get lost. Back here in thirty minutes. I wouldn't want to have to hunt you down, tie you up, and haul your ass back to camp where you'll spend the entire night in the elements without bug repellent."
I stared at him, fully aware he was outlining the discipline should we try to escape.
"I'm not running," I said, matter-of-factly. Not now. Not yet.
"
Good."
Steve stood.
"Guess I'll…"
"
Clean the dishes," the preacher helped in an ominous tone.
"
Yeah. Clean the dishes."
"
Maybe you can sing us a song when we get back?" Tara's soft words came with a quick rub along his upper arm as she nodded at him.
Steve
nodded back, looking suddenly grief-stricken.
"But…I thought we were going into town?"
"
Yes, we are," I said. "So…get those dishes done."
He grinned, back to thrilled.
"Yes sir." He even gave a salute.
I led Tara into the woods,
angling toward the noise of the stream. I knew I was going too fast, practically dragging her, but I couldn't force myself to slow down. As soon as I was sure we were way out of earshot, I turned and caught her in my embrace, lifting her off the ground in a tight hug. She let out a huge gasp and wrapped her legs around my hips and her arms around my neck, pulling my hair, her breaths shuddering hard with her own need. I let her hold on to me and held her face, diving on her mouth, tasting as fast and as much as I could.
"
I need you," she gasped around my desperate feasting.
"
Fuck, me too."
"
Where… where can we…" she fought to speak while I made passionate love to her mouth. "…do it."
I reluctantly set her down and
half ran toward that stream. The ground sloped steeply downward, strewn with small boulders waiting to break an unwary ankle, and forced us to slow a little. We finally reached a more level area, and the trees thinned to allow us a glimpse of a broad creek tumbling over rocks and boulders on its way to lower ground. We drew closer and I made out a deeper, still pool a few yards downstream, even as the water churned almost angrily in front of us.
Pausing to drag in breath,
I looked around for some form of privacy while she ripped her clothes off. When she stood before me nude, I gasped. The sight of her stole every bit of sense from me. "Jesus, fuck." I shook my head, my eyes devouring her like I hadn't seen her only a week ago. She slowly drew her arms over her breasts and I shot my gaze to hers, walking to her. "How can you be so fucking beautiful? I don't get it, it's…" I scanned her body, dumbfounded. "It's not fair."
"
Fair?"
I lowered her arms and stared
at her breasts in torment. "Your tits fucking drive me nuts. My mouth waters when I see these perfect fucking nipples." I slid my fingers across the rigid peaks. "And then you make that fucking sound. Love, do you know what you do to me? What you mean to me? I'm fucking crazy for you." I barely got the words out of my mouth before her breast filled it. I sucked and licked like a crazy man, plunging my middle finger deep inside her, growling on her, nipping the tip. "So fucking wet." I sucked her essence off my finger and kissed her while fighting to get my pants off.