Free The Claiming by Tara Sue Me Page A

I open now or wait?” She balanced it in her hands, then held it up to her ear and shook it.
    â€œI think now,” Nathaniel said.
    With an excitement that dispelled any notion she wasn’t looking forward to seeing what she’d picked, Abby tore through the paper and pulled out a blindfold.
    â€œA blindfold.” She held it up. “Kind of boring. You had all morning yesterday and the best you could come up with was a blindfold?”
    â€œReally?” Nathaniel asked.
    â€œYes,” Abby kept on, much to everyone’s surprise. “You’d think someone with all your experience could do better than that.”
    â€œIs that a challenge?” Nathaniel asked. “For me to come up with a not-boring way to put the blindfold to use through all my years of experience?”
    Abby realized what she’d said and started stammering, “No, uh, I didn’t mean boring. Did I say boring? What I meant was, uh, oh crap . . . bewitching. Yes! A blindfold. How bewitching.”
    â€œBewitching?” Nathaniel was obviously having fun at his wife’s discomfort. “I’m not sure I’ve ever heard you use that word before.”
    â€œIt was on my Word-of-the-Day calendar.”
    â€œNow you’re just digging yourself a deeper hole. You don’t have a Word-of-the-Day calendar.”
    But Abby was undeterred. “It could be on my phone.”
    â€œIs it?”
    Finally caught, Abby took a deep breath and admitted defeat. “No.”
    Her husband didn’t move, didn’t say anything; he simply waited.
    â€œNo, Master,” Abby eventually said.
    â€œYes,” Nathaniel said. “I’ll definitely have to think up a very non-boring, but utterly bewitching way to use the blindfold tonight. Especially since there was very little usage of the word
Master
in your entire exchange.”
    Abby wisely didn’t say anything else.
    Julie was the next to pick from the box. She wasn’t quite as enthusiastic as Abby had been and the fact that she pulled out a pair of nipple clamps didn’t help.
    â€œI hate these things,” she said.
    Daniel was the exact opposite. “I was hoping you’d pick those.”
    Julie crossed her arms across her chest. “I don’t feel so good. I think I’m coming down with the stomach flu.”
    â€œYou forget, I’m the one who came up with that ruse.”
    It must have been an inside joke, because Julie broke out into giggles. “Shh, you’re giving away our secrets.”
    â€œMe?” Daniel asked. “You’re the one who brought it up.”
    Cole looked over at Sasha, who’d yet to draw anything from the box. “I think we should add a penalty if you don’t get the ball through the wicket within a certain number of strokes.”
    â€œBut that’s not in the rules,” Sasha said, irritated Cole had picked up on her strategy so quickly.
    â€œIt’s Dom Rules Croquet, and as I’m a Dom, I’m adding the rule.”
    â€œI can’t help it that I’m athletically challenged.”
    â€œToo bad. Get the ball through on your next turn or you’ll pick two items from the box.”
    â€œYou know, girls.” Abby tapped her lips. She was thinking hard about something and from the look in her eyes, it was going to be epic. “There are three of us and three of them. I say we overthrow this dictatorship and do our own thing.”
    â€œYou’re right,” Julie said. “This game blows. I’m not playing, and I’m not wearing nipple clamps.”
    â€œYes, you are,” Daniel said, moving toward her.
    â€œYou have to catch me first.” And with that, Julie took off running toward the maze. Abby motioned for Sasha to join her and sprinted to catch up.
    Sasha watched her departing friends and took a quick glance back the three men. She shrugged. “Sorry, Sir. Girls have to stick together.”