Free Uncharted Territory (The Compass Series Book 3) by Tamsen Parker Page B

Hunter’s side, this time with my hands clasped behind my back. It makes me wonder what is the most shocking thing she’s seen in Hunter Vaughn’s service. And, should this go the way I’m hoping it will, if I’ll be involved the next time she assesses her mental rankings.
    The boys are talking about me, and Hunter periodically offers me a bite from his plate. It feels unexpectedly comfortable to be taking morsels from between his fingers—bread, nuts, cheese, and now a forkful of pear with some kind of maple dressing. After all the horribly awkward meals at my family’s over-large dining room table, this feels like how a meal is supposed to be. I feel comfortable in a way I never have. Gratitude to Hunter for allowing me to be this way, for wanting me to be this way, courses through me. I let myself relax and enjoy. I feel beloved, protected, treasured.
    Rey and I have talked this to death over the past week after my dinner with Hunter, so I trust him to negotiate on my behalf. Rey’s more conservative than I would be anyhow, but it’s easier for him to see straight when Hunter’s nearby. Not like me, who’s literally eating out of the palm of his hand. I like the extra layer of illusion, too, that this process is anything other than completely under my control.
    “I’ll pay for her training.”
    “That’s not necessary. It’s been taken care of.”
    Rey’s been adamant I not pay him for his services, even though I know he makes good money from the other couple of clients I’ve learned he has. He’d said, “You’re not my client, India, you’re my friend. I’m giving this to you because you need it, just like I’d give you a ride to the airport. I’m not always going to treat you like a client because I don’t want to, so you’re not always going to treat me like your trainer. End of discussion.”
    “Besides, I’d feel bad taking your money. I’m not going to train her to your specifications. You’ll have to do that. You know I’m thorough, though. There shouldn’t be much for you to do.”
    “Can we have a contract while you’re training her?”
    “I don’t see why not. I’ll review it with her.”
    “Will she wear my collar or yours?”
    “I think for now it’s best for her if she only wears mine.”
    From the way Hunter stiffens, he’s not pleased, but he’s not going to argue. I suspect he realizes he’ll get his way soon enough. By the time they’ve hashed everything out—hard and soft limits, protocols, grooming requirements, and what seems an awful lot like a custody agreement including Rey’s insistence that, yes, I’ll be remaining a full-time student—Hunter’s offering me the sweetest berries I’ve ever had from his manicured hand. After a particularly delectable raspberry, he tips my chin up. “Look at me.”
    I look at him through my lashes, and I’m embarrassed for the first time because he knows how much I’ve liked this. What if he’s been fucking with me and actually thinks I’m ridiculous? But the faintest of smiles curling the firm line of his mouth at the corner tells me that’s not true.
    “Such a dainty little thing with such nice manners. Did you like that, sweetheart?”
    “Yes, sir.”
    His thumb brushes the blood under the surface of my cheek as if to wipe my discomfiture away. He’s so sure, I could imagine it actually working purely because he wills it to. “There’s no need to be embarrassed, you’ve pleased me so much. Don’t feel bad about this. Everyone here understands you. You do color nicely, though. Did you have enough to eat?”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “Well, we’ve had our dinner. Now it’s time for a show.”
    *
    Hunter’s stripped me to my undies and shoes and laced me into a dark green—correction, hunter green—corset. I’m feeling light-headed. Not just from the satin and stays snug around my torso. No, those are keeping me on my feet. But isn’t it normal to feel breathless when your fantasies are coming