EXTRACT FOR
Mastered 1 - 3
(Daisy Rose)

Excerpt From "Fighter's Experiment":



"I never thought I'd desire a woman the way I want you until I saw you in the fighting ring, Clarice," he said.



My fingers whitened as I gripped the glass and brought it to my lips. I remembered belatedly that I finished the drink already. "You saw me fight?" I asked, my voice a breathless whimper.



His eyes hardened as his eyes met mine through the empty glass.



"I was present at all your fights." He leaned forward and moved the glass out of the way. "I would you to indulge me in a little... test of mine and then decide if you would like to go out with me.



The air conditioning in the car must've been at full blast. I shivered. My tongue was thick. I struggled to swallow.



"What makes you think I would... indulge you?"



He grasped my hand in his and squeezed my cold fingers. Then, he drew them to his lips and brushed a light kiss across my knuckles. "You aren't one to back down from a fight."



I gave a small smile. That was true. "What would I gain from it?" I asked idly. I rarely back down for fights since I was getting paid regardless of the outcome. But this- this was a fight I didn't think I could win.



He looked down at me, surprise evident in his eyes. "Apart from pleasure?" he asked indulgently. He frowned, then poured himself another glass. We were doing a lot of drinking before sunset.



"I could always get pleasure elsewhere," I said idly, trying to adopt the same nonchalance he had and failing miserably. I didn't even believe my own words.



"The fact that you haven't said no more about you than you care to admit," he said.



He was right. It probably said something about me that I enjoyed his control over me. I liked how painful his grip on my arm was when he pulled me into the car, or how he didn't let my protests deter him.



"Would you like money, Clarice?" he asked.



"No," I answered almost immediately. "I'd like... I'd like your word that you aren't doing this because it's a game to you."



"This is a game, Clarice," he interrupted. His smile deepened. "But it isn't one that will end with either of us losing."



I had no idea what he was going on about. I resisted the urge to walk away. The car was still moving. "Where are we going?"



He named a French place I always drove past but never went into. It looked expensive, even on the outside.



"But that's not open in the afternoon."



He grinned. "My dear, everything opens for me."