Free Traded for Love by Michelle Hughes, Dahlia Salvatore Page A

oh well.
    What Emily didn't know, wouldn't hurt either of us .
    Fifteen minutes passed before I came to a stop in front of Julia's townhouse. All the windows were dark, except for the ones on either side of the door.
    She peered out the window, and the lights turned off. After stepping out and locking her door, she bounded down the front steps like a dog happy to see its owner.
    Moments like this made me wonder why I couldn't fall in love with her. Julia wasn't a bad looking girl. She'd styled her dirty-blonde hair with a deep part that swagged over her right eye and fell in gentle waves around her heart-shaped face. One of her more striking features was her heterochromia—that is, each of her eyes was a different color. The left was a pale blue, and the right a warm lavender.
    Tonight, she looked particularly fetching in a tight black dress. I'd made sure to get her a gym membership when I found her walking late at night using some old, thrift-store weights. While I didn't love her, I still felt responsible for her well-being. From the looks of the way the fabric fell over her curves, she'd been using the gym facilities often .
    Really, she was every Dom's dream, being that she was obedient to a fault. I'd realized long ago that it was her lack of fight which turned me off. Maybe I was just different from most Doms. I suppose I wanted a slave who would resist.
    Of course, that wouldn't explain why Emily frustrated me. Maybe it's because when I chose her to be my wife, I'd wanted to hide my deviant desires from her. Her innocence and purity had brought those desires out—with a vengeance.
    Julia slid into the passenger's seat. In perfect reverence, she dropped her gaze to the floor and waited to be addressed.
    “Are you wearing the belt?” I asked.
    Her cheeks turned red. “Yes, Master.”
    “Show me.”
    She lifted the brim of the dress' skirt to reveal the black leather and metal chastity belt I'd bought for her a year before. When she was locked up, the device ensured that nobody could access her pussy except me. She'd been in it for a week or so. I'd lost count of the days.
    I tugged on the lock to make sure it hadn't been tampered with. “Good. Lower your skirt.” I couldn't help but notice that though she was happy to see me, she was also tense. “Relax.”
    Her shoulders sank and she settled against the backrest. She turned her head and smiled warmly at me. “I missed you,” she moaned.
    I smirked at the road, put the car in drive, and rested my hand on her upper thigh. “I know.”

    We drove to the address Julia had given me. Even though we had to cross the bridge into the city, it was a quick trip.
    When we pulled up to the building, I couldn't help but stare.
    "Savage Sweets." I couldn't hide my incredulity. "This is a bakery ."
    "It's not what it looks like," Julia said, handing me a piece of paper. "We go here, then we go around to the back entrance and knock. They let you in."
    I laughed. "What's the secret password for this clubhouse? Are boys allowed?"
    "Actually, there is a password."
    I shook my head with a smile. "Where do we park?"
    "Around the back." She pointed to the parking lot entrance.
    The single-story bakery shared a building with two other outlets. One was available for lease and the other was occupied by a dry cleaners. The lot wrapped around the building. There was only a narrow alley around the back side of the place. Quite a few cars were parked near the back entrance. I managed to find a narrow spot and squeezed in beside a Hummer and a Maserati.
    "Do these people have money?" I asked.
    She shrugged. "I've never been here before. Apparently they meet once a week. There is usually a show of some kind, and a bar."
    That piqued my curiosity. "A show, hm? What kind of show?"
    "I heard that the owner and his girlfriend sometimes perform. I don't have a lot of details."
    I nodded. "I suppose it's worth a try."
    We got out and I offered her my arm as we walked. She virtually wrapped