Bondage Ranch 5: His Little Treasure (8 page)

“Didn’t have breakfast?” Diego asked.

“Um, oops. It kind of got lost in the shuffle.”

“They usually have doughnuts and bagels and the like in the dungeon until noon.” He reached for his pants. “C’mon, we’ll get something. You can come as you are.”

“Um, no, I can’t,” she said, picking up her panties from the floor.

He grabbed her hand and peeled them from her fingers.

“I am not going out there nude,” she insisted. She wasn’t, either. Whatever he thought. It was one thing to be doing it as part of a scene, another to just go in stark naked to get breakfast.

“You can wear your skirt and your blouse,” he said. “But not your panties. They’ll just be in the way later.”

“In the way of—oh.” She felt she must have blushed crimson. But going without underwear was something she thought she could do.

She picked her skirt up and slid it up her legs. It shouldn’t feel that different, but she was hyperaware of having nothing on underneath. Possibly because he knew. It wasn’t the first time she’d noticed that the world seemed so much more real to her when she shared her experiences with other people. Even though she loved to be alone reading or even playing games on the computer, other people validated her experiences—which was why she always preferred the kind of games involving lots of players connected online. The combination of being alone in her room, and yet with others, was perfect. Almost.

It could never stand in for what she’d done in the past twenty-four hours, and she knew it. Damn him.

She got her bra and looked over at him, afraid he’d say he couldn’t have that either. But the blouse was too filmy to be worn without one, and in any case, she liked the look of her breasts much better with some support. He just smiled and watched, saying nothing. She put on the blouse next. When she had her arms in it, he crossed the distance to her and started buttoning her up. She smiled at his unexpected tenderness.

“One more,” she said, when he stopped without quite covering the middle of her bra in the front. “Never mind. I’ll get it.”

“You’ll do no such thing,” he said.

How was she going to argue with him? She wanted the button closed, but he didn’t look like he was going to brook any dissent. It wasn’t worth saying a safe word over. Maybe.

He took her left hand in his left and wrapped his right arm behind her waist, steering her to the door.
I don’t have any choice, really
. The thought was surprisingly comforting. It was, after all, a nice bra, and if she could show off her underwear anywhere, it was at Bondage Ranch.

Chapter Four

Diego felt good. Emma looked fine on his arm. He took a sidelong peek and admired her cleavage but ended up looking at her face. Tender, innocent. He’d have to be careful with her.
I have to take care of her. She might be special.

He tried to shrug off the thought.
All women are special
. He believed that. Emma just seemed extra vulnerable somehow. He wanted to protect her. Most of all, he wanted to make her brave.

He saw Sue in the hallway. He always saw the domme dressed in fetish apparel, with full makeup, so for a moment, he didn’t recognize her wrapped in a towel, with another towel bunched over her head. But when she swore, her voice was recognizable, even if they weren’t the usual words he heard her say. She tugged at the doorknob and sighed.

As much as he wanted to get Emma some food, he couldn’t just walk past. “What’s up, Sue?” Emma stopped with him.

Sue turned. “That’s Mi— Never mind. Hi, Emma. I just forgot my key, that’s all, and I pushed the lock button to keep my stuff safe. I’ll go ask Alex to let me in. It’s just a wee bit embarrassing is all. I’m not dressed for the living room.”

He knew Sue cared a lot about keeping up appearances. He didn’t think she needed to. He was quite sure she could find subs who’d adore her with or without all the leather and vinyl. And if they didn’t, what was the point? But he could and would help, anyway. “Your key is in your room?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you mind a detour, Emma? I have a set of lockpicks in my truck, and I think I could get Sue’s door open for her without making her go bother Alex.”

Emma smiled. “Sue can hide out in my room while you do that.”

“Oh, thank you so much!” said Sue.

Good. Diego watched the two women go back into Emma’s room. He headed for the exit. One of the things about introverts he knew from personal experience was that life was much easier once they knew people, and he got the impression Emma didn’t know hardly anyone at Bondage Ranch. This was a good opportunity for her, a social situation more awkward for Sue than it was for Emma. With someone to take care of, it was likely Emma could put her shyness aside for a while. Sue knew a lot of people and could find the right contacts for Emma.

He walked through the Allisons’ living room, waving to people. There were a half-dozen kinksters there, but no Dylan or Alex. That was a shame because asking the Allisons for a spare key would be easier than trying to pick the lock, and if he asked, there wouldn’t be any embarrassment to Sue. He should have thought of that first, but he’d wanted to show off in front of Emma.

She’s not going to be that impressed that you can unlock doors, anyway
. Locksmith, handyman—useful skills and a decent living, but chicks didn’t dig that. They liked uniforms, or better yet doctors, lawyers, bankers. Wealth, and the promise of Caribbean vacations.
I can’t provide that. Haven’t even been back to Puerto Rico to see
Abuela
for a couple of years.

But Sue still needed her door opened, and he could do it. A moment earlier he’d been thinking that Sue shouldn’t care so much about appearances, and now he was wondering how he looked to Emma. It didn’t matter what people thought, as long as he did the right thing.

Emma is really getting to me.

He came back with the lockpicks in hand. There was a small crowd in the hallway now, and he recognized a few of them: John, one of the regular doms, and Ginger, a redheaded sub. He ignored them. He’d picked a lot of locks for people, and there were often people on the street who wondered what he was doing at their neighbor’s house. A few times, they’d called the cops, which is why he tried to have the owner right there with him whenever possible, but he’d found that if he looked like he had nothing to hide, most people accepted his presence. The whole point was to spare Sue the indignity of standing outside her door dressed in a towel.

As expected, Sue’s door was easy. He walked back to Emma’s door, across the hall and one door down, and opened it. Emma and Sue were sitting on the edge of Emma’s bed, talking.

“All clear, door’s open,” he said.

“Thank you, Diego!” Sue leaped up and grabbed her towel just in time to stop it from slipping. “Um, mind if I hug him?” she asked Emma.

“Maybe when you’re dressed?” said Emma doubtfully. She rose in less of a hurry.

Sue laughed. “Fair enough. Then hug him for me.”

Emma grinned and ran forward to hug Diego. “Thank you for helping out my friend Sue.”

Friend now, hmm?
Diego smiled. “A pleasure.”

Sue chuckled. “I’ll leave you two lovebirds in peace.” She skipped off through the door and down the hallway.

Diego was glad his face was over Emma’s shoulder, so she couldn’t see his expression.
Lovebirds
. They were having fun playing, but he wasn’t in love. Hadn’t been in love since Maria. Never would be. Sure, he loved every woman he played with, but that was a different matter. That was just decency, an ability to empathize with a woman he was doing wicked things to. People who didn’t let themselves love that much were dangerous.

A bunch of people came in to the hall, led by a fast-walking Alex Allison. Her heels clicked loudly on the floor. He let go of Emma to see what was going on. Alex was wearing a shiny golden minidress that hugged every curve, and her matching heels provided her some height, but neither of those were what gave the presence to get everyone’s attention. Behind her were John and Ginger. A few other people filtered in to the hallway, trying badly to look like they weren’t watching the drama. The only one of them he recognized was Laurie.

“What’s up?” he asked. Alex didn’t look happy.

Alex glanced at John. “Say what you said to me,” she said.

John nodded and then turned to glare at Diego. “We saw you break into Sue’s room.”

Diego looked back and forth between John and Alex. He could understand John thinking the worst; he barely knew the man. But he’d known Alex for years. Alex shouldn’t be jumping to conclusions.

Maybe it was a mistake, though, to think that Anglos would ever really get over their instinctive suspicion of him. He shrugged, slowly. “Sue locked her key in her room. I looked for you but couldn’t find you, so I helped her get back in.” He lifted the ring of lockpicks and dangled them. He had nothing to hide. “With these.” He glared at John, daring the man to suggest something was wrong with that, but it was Alex he was hurt by, and he moved his gaze quickly to look at her.

“Oh. Makes sense. Thanks, Diego.” She smiled. “You might want to not do that again for a bit, though, until we find Constance’s jewels. It makes people nervous.”

“Constance’s jewels?” Emma repeated.

“They were stolen from her room last night after she took them off. Real rubies and diamonds too. I would have thought they were glass, but apparently not.”

“Someone got into her locked room last night,” said John, taking a step forward. “Somehow. I wonder how?” The man’s gaze was a challenge; his voice an accusation.

“They are pretty easy locks to pick,” said Diego. “Took me about ten seconds. Even an amateur could do it in a few minutes.” He didn’t dare look at Emma. What she thought mattered.

“Let’s stop playing amateur detectives. James and Selena are trying to figure out what happened, and they’ll do a much better job than any of us.” Alex made shooing gestures toward the onlookers.

“But—” Emma said.

John shot Emma a look. “Don’t try to alibi him. I saw him leave last night in his truck.”

“Maybe,” Ginger said so softly that Diego could barely hear, “they are in it together.”

Diego glanced at Emma, who looked uncomfortable. He looked around at the other people, and with the exception of John, whose gaze held only hostility, none of them looked him in the eye. Just like that, he was the other, no longer part of the group.
I don’t belong here
. And yet he knew that in a way he belonged here the way he did nowhere else. Bondage Ranch was a place where his kinky, perverted self was accepted. Just not, apparently, his Latino handyman self.

He barely heard Alex tell John to back down.

“If Alex or Dylan would like to search me or my truck, they are welcome to. Otherwise, I’m heading into town. Do you want to come too?” He addressed the last to Emma.

“I don’t know,” said Emma, looking even worse.

Diego wanted to protect Emma from the suspicions Ginger had thrown on her. He just wasn’t sure quite how. Especially when Emma seemed to think he might have stolen the jewels, just like everyone else.

“Would you like to be searched, Diego?” asked Alex.

“If you have any doubts about me, then yes.”

“I don’t. But I’d like to put those doubts to rest with everyone else.”

“He could have easily ditched the jewels by now, since he drove off last night,” protested John.

“Drove off when?”

“Around midnight.”

“The jewels were on Constance until at least one,” said Alex. “So Diego wasn’t even around.”

It was good of Alex to say, but of course he could have doubled back. Consuela could give him an alibi, but would anyone but Alex believe her?

Sue opened her door and glanced around, obviously surprised to see everyone gathered in the hall. She’d dressed in a long-line leather dress, with a bustier that enhanced her bosom, and a red and black feather fascinator in her hair. She plucked her keys from her cleavage and wiggled them at Diego. “Thanks for letting me in. Got ‘em.”

“Glad you found them,” said Diego.
And boy do I wish you hadn’t ever lost them.

“You’re looking hot, Mistress Sue,” said Alex.

“Indeed,” said John.

Diego stepped back and chuckled.
Never underestimate the ability of breasts to create a distraction
. He put his arm around Emma. He didn’t know what she thought, but until she said something, he might as well act confident. Her shoulders twitched when he touched her, but she didn’t move away. There wasn’t any point of slipping out while everyone was admiring Sue, however. The problem would still remain. “I’m going to get some breakfast with Emma. If you want to search me or have Dylan search my truck, by all means do so, Alex.”

“And you can search my room too,” Emma offered.

“May I get James or Selena to do it?” Alex asked.

Diego didn’t know either very well, although he’d seen them around. He knew they usually avoided public play and hung out in the Allisons’ living room or outside more often than in the dungeon. He’d heard that James was a cop, so it was natural that he was helping look for Constance’s missing nipple jewelry. “If you trust them, then that’s good enough for me.”

“I trust them,” said Alex.

“Then go ahead.” It irked him that Emma had gotten caught up in all this, but there wasn’t a lot he could do about it. The first step was to get her some breakfast.

The onlookers seemed to melt away, heading back to their rooms or to the living room. A few headed toward the dungeon, behind Emma and Diego, and he was aware that Alex was among them. The reason why became apparent when Alex made a beeline to where James, a big dom, and his tall, redheaded sub, Selena, were talking to Constance and Aidan, Constance’s tall blond master. Constance was a bit more covered today, wearing a white dress that was fully opaque. If that was Aidan’s idea, it was a good one. Having something stolen from one’s room was bound to make anyone feel vulnerable, and as delicious as Constance had looked the day before, this was the time to make her feel safe and protected.

And it was time to get his sub fed. Did he have a right to think of her as
his
sub, just because of a couple of play sessions? It didn’t matter. He felt responsible for her
now.