#rhqstarter

“Oh, come on,” the submissive cajoled as she neared the carrriage. “It looks like so much fun! Would you really make me take a carriage ride by myself?” The look Camille threw over her should was equal parts pleading and pouting. “It’ll be nice and quiet, and we’ll be able to see the stars,” she added before looking back at the carriage. Going alone sounded far too lonely. Looking back at the other person, Camille let out a sigh. “It’ll be nice and relaxing,” she promised.

Andrei slipped into the balcony with a glass of scotch on the rocks on his hand and a sigh on his lips. He has never been one for parties. Costume parties even less so. But Andrei also knew that if he missed this party, he would deeply regret it. Especially if it’s the only thing people would care to talk about withing the next few days. Besides, he heard about the game in the woods. He definitely planned on joining that.

In complete honesty, having the whip at her side and the sword strapped to her back Wonder Woman-style really did wonders for her mood and her confidence. Neve was usually conservative in her clothing by choice, and as she’d been forced to acknowledge recently, she’d yet to find that sweet spot of confidence that would allow her to wear more revealing items without feeling like a toddler trying out mummy’s shoes. But being armed, even under the auspices of a costume? That seemed to do the trick. She’d have to remember that for later, she thought, as she slipped in and out of the crowds. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for, but she knew she ought to be keeping her eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary. No mean feat given that this whole festive gathering was out of the ordinary by her standards. Maybe it was time to start chatting people up, see if she could get a lead. “You ever been to one of these parties before?” she asked blithely, directing the question to the person next to her at the buffet, keeping her hands busy by slowly loading a plate up with hors d’oeuvres.

Settling down in one place for longer than a week or two at a time didn’t sit well with James. He went where the work took him, naturally, but extended stays at a private sex villa? Not what he was used to at all, certainly not what he preferred. Still: dealing in weapons and other illegal goods meant burrowing deep within the shadiest establishments he could find, Rosewood Manor just so happened to be target number one. Officially, he was staying as a guest, unofficially he’d even taken on an odd job as a handler to earn some extra cash. A couple weeks in, a couple weeks out, and he’d be on a chartered flight to Monaco to get his hands dirty the good old fashioned way. The way that he was used to and even preferred. 

He was in a mood to kill. 

Taking on a job as a sub-breaker at one of the most esteemed sex villas in the world was one thing, he was a man who excelled at following commands (when it suited him) and doling them out (especially when it suited him as well), but he’d purposely chosen Rosewood for one reason and one reason only: to finally bring an end to the chase around the world he’d been having with the estate’s heiress, one Sophia Wren. He’d fucked things up with her, that much he knew, but the absolute last thing he’d been expecting was to hear that she’d taken up a position as a courtesan at her daddy’s pleasure haven as a result of his actions. 

No. That didn’t sit well with the dom at all, not even an entire morning spent breaking in one of the new arrivals with a spreader bar and impressively snappy riding crop had been enough to soothe Yadriel’s risen hackles, and as he made his way out of the dungeons, he used one hand to drag through his hair as the other reached out and yanked onto the arm of the first person he came across.