EARNING HER KEEP [THE MASTERS' DUNGEON #1] Read online

  THE MASTERS' DUNGEON:

  Earning Her Keep

  CANDACE SMITH

  ISBN 9781615082148

  All rights reserved

  Copyright © 2010 Candace Smith

  This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission.

  Sizzler Editions

  http://SizzlerEditions.com

  A Renaissance E Books publication

  PRELUDE

  "Such a corrupt pet. I fear I must give up on you, Havoc." The sorceress gazed in sadness at the man on the end of the nose ring. She'd had to twist it harshly to get his attention.

  The beast's eyes flashed with desire at her mistreatment and a delightful heat stirred in his loins. He glanced at his caged brothers and noted their jealousy with satisfaction. Still, perhaps, he'd gone a little too far with his latest escapade.

  The royals' enchantress had created the three beasts for protection and to serve vile, personal interests. Havoc's games had once again caused the sorceress undue scrutiny from the hierarchy. His tongue roamed around the gag, wishing it was removed so he could explain.

  The beasts had been enchanted to grant wishes…only one per customer, please. His brothers, Ambition and Knowledge, became favorites of the royalty. Havoc seemed an unlikely beast, but the sorceress decided the hierarchy needed at least one to balance such greed. She'd misjudged his interpretations of their wishes, and was continuously subjected to meetings before the throne because of his actions.

  "The princess desired longer hair, my pet, but not to be grown all over her body. Her beard is envied by even the fiercest of warriors. I suppose I should have mentioned to the royalty there is a no reversal clause to the magic." The woman appeared to consider the thought. "I will certainly be summoned to discuss the princesses' predicament."

  She cupped her small hand under his chin and lifted his head to look into his black, mischievous eyes. The sorceress smiled. "Havoc, I don't care what your reasons were. You have once again disobeyed me. You refuse my control… and I just can't have that. I've decided you must be contained, my pet. Shelved, as it were."

  Havoc grinned around the gag. He'd been anticipating a titillating agony. This was not a terrible punishment. She'd certainly done worse than place him back in his cage for his contemptuous acts in the past. The enjoyment from his latest antic certainly deserved a little alone time. The princesses' shrieking, and the humiliating laughter of the court at her situation, should earn him the arousing taste of his creator's whip.

  The sorceress snapped on his leash and pulled him up. At over six feet, he towered over the woman. His dark, fathomless eyes widened with expectation, and his cock twitched with the possibility of the taste pain before she incarcerated him. Havoc's hopes raised further when she led him passed his brothers and towards the back rooms. They rattled their bars as the sorceress showed favor to the beast. "Calm, my pets. Your devotion is noted and I shall choose one of you to play with when I return."

  Havoc followed behind her with his bound hands bouncing on the flexing muscles of his bronzed ass as he walked. His shaft began to swell at the thought of whatever delicious torture she'd planned. As they neared the door of her playroom, she turned and gazed at his arousal. The nails on the hand not holding the leash scraped the underside of his cock. It rose to fullness and he quivered.

  She turned and they entered the room. "I think I shall miss you, my pet." The sorceress laughed at his confusion. She hooked the leash to a bolt imbedded in the stone wall and began a lengthy incantation.

  Havoc and his bindings began to shrink. He felt himself becoming smaller and whined in panic behind his gag. Smaller and smaller he became until the sorceress reached down and placed him in her palm. The tip of a nail flicked the cock that had withered in fear. "Yes, I shall miss you, Havoc."

  From her table of whips and clamps and other delightful respites, she picked up a decorative, wooden box. "Here you shall remain, my pet. A place where all your mischief will be only fanciful dreams." Her finger stroked his long hair as she placed him inside.

  Havoc's tears merely caused her to shake her head in sorrow that it had come to this. The room disappeared into darkness as the lid closed and he heard the finality of his sentence with the click of the lock as she turned the key. He felt the box being lifted. She did, in fact, place him on a shelf.

  Havoc had no thoughts as to how long he remained in the darkness. He'd heard his brother's screams as they received their pleasure from the woman. With each talented crack from her whip, and arousing shrieks from his brothers, Havoc wished he'd been the one chained to the ceiling to amuse her. After many years, the unseen visits ended.

  Over time, the bindings that had strained his arms and held his wrists so tightly finally rotted. Havoc worked relentlessly as he felt the leather weaken and tear. At last, his hands were free and he removed the gag that had kept his pleas quietly contained in his mind. He stretched on his toes to the lid of the box. It would not move. Despair filled his thoughts as he sat in the gloom.

  Some years later, he felt a shifting as the bracket supporting the shelf began to disintegrate. The box began to slide. Havoc panicked, not knowing how high off the floor he'd been placed. He crouched against the side wall, willing the movement to stop. It did for a short while. Without warning, the bracket gave way and he felt himself falling in the blackness. As his box hit a sharp stone that had crumbled from the wall, it broke open.

  Havoc was jarred, but not injured. He crawled through the opening and stood in the dilapidated remains of the sorceress's castle. He stared up at the full moon shining down on the room through the missing roof, and realized he'd been contained for a long, long time.

  A tingling filled his body and he felt himself stretch. The rubble of the room seemed to shrink beside him as he regained his full form. He ran his fingers over his muscled chest in amazement that he'd finally been freed from the sorceress's enchantment.

  Havoc walked through the ruins. There was no sign of the cages, his brothers or the sorceress. Most of the walls had crumbled and he found himself standing on the lawn. His eyes glittered with thoughts of the mischief he could now create with no one to curb his ambition. Havoc was free.

  CHAPTER I

  "Shit!" Amy stared at the back of the bus as the blue exhaust belched onto the roadway and it moved towards the next assigned stop. She'd already chased it two blocks, and her comfortable shoes were not so comfortable at this point.

  She sat on the deserted bench and looked at her watch. "Damn, damn and double damn." Her appointment was in fifteen minutes. It was too far to run and the next bus would deliver her ten minutes too late. She'd auditioned with them before and knew they locked the doors at the precise time the meeting was to begin.

  Reluctantly admitting defeat, she headed home to her fifth floor efficiency. Between chasing the bus and climbing the stairs she was exhausted, and frustrated tears were threatening to spill when she entered her world. She had a small bathroom with a shower and another room that served as living room, bedroom, and kitchenette. After six months, she was tired of it.

  When she'd moved to L.A. from Idaho, she had expected her good looks to land her an acting job right away. She had, after all, been homecoming queen, head cheerleader and president of the drama club. What the fuck more do they want?

  She reached in her purse for her checkbook. The money she'd hoarded through high school and community college had dwindled to a paltry two hundred dollars. If she was careful, really careful, she could hold out another week.

  Amy couldn't face the thought of waiting tables again. No producer would give her serious consideration while she served him bac
on and eggs. She also couldn't go back home. Her callous remarks to her friends and family echoed in her mind. ‘Take a good look. Until you pay to watch me on the silver screen, this is the last you'll see.' She'd patted her curvaceous ass as she climbed on the bus and headed to California.

  The young woman wiped her eyes, recognizing another bout of depression setting in. The hell with this, she decided, and implied her sure fire solution. She undressed.

  She opened the curtains to the balcony to let in the light and stood naked before her full length mirror. She studied herself proudly, twisting and turning her body to reassure herself of her perfection. It always made her feel better to see the tight muscles in her legs, flat belly, tiny waist and best of all, her large 38Ds that were a completely natural phenomenon, thanks to her mother's side of the family. Her thick, long blonde hair shimmered in the sunlight, tickling her waist.

  Amy moved closer to the mirror. She studied the face looking back at her. The full lips were painted the perfect shade of rose, her nose was the perfect size and alignment, and her eyes were a perfect shade of innocent blue. What the fuck more do they want?

  A fist pounded on the door. "Amy, you home?"

  "Hold on a sec." Amy grabbed her robe off the hook on the back of the bathroom door. "I thought you had to work this morning," she called as she crossed the small room.

  Penny showed up with two diet cola's and they sat on the sofa bed. "They sprayed for bugs last night, so they're not opening until lunch. I thought you had an audition."

  "The damn bus came early and I missed it."

  "Jeeze, sorry Amy. I thought you'd be good for that part." Penny had been in L.A. for almost two years. She rarely auditioned anymore and never went on one that would mean missing a shift at the diner. "Want to go out tonight? We can go down to Finnegan's for a couple of beers."

  Amy thought about her finances. Still, there was a better chance of running into a person of influence at the bar, and she could dress up to show off her assets. That was much more appealing than hoping she was discovered with her beautiful blonde hair pinned up and wearing a greasy waitress uniform. "I guess. What time?"

  She spent the afternoon combing the trade papers for opportunities and sighed at the meager offerings. Glancing at her watch, she rose to prepare to meet Penny.

  Once more gazing into her mirror, Amy studied her reflection. Makeup, perfect. Low–cut black clingy dress… Amy adjusted her cleavage, perfect. Strappy heels, perfect. Come on Mister Right. I need money.

  Amy located Penny at a back booth where she was already coddling up to her boyfriend. "Hey guys. How have you been, Mark?"

  "Doin' good, Amer."

  Amy cringed inside. She hated when he used the nickname that had followed her through high school, reminding her of her humble life in the small Idaho town.

  "Amy, my name is Amy." She carefully placed her long blonde hair over one shoulder where it could be seen and not hide her other attributes.

  Mark rolled his eyes. "Well, Amy, we got you an extra glass." Mark poured from the pitcher in the middle of the table. He couldn't figure out why Penny liked the vain bitch.

  As the night wore on, the pitcher emptied. Amy looked at the patrons and decided there was no one there that was worth the extra three dollars it would cost her to get another beer, and no one worth approaching for a distracting evening of sex. "I'm heading home. I don't foresee any action here tonight."

  Mark wanted to throttle her. Penny told him she'd invited Amy to their night out and explained she knew the girl was running low on cash. She asked if he minded if they covered her drinks. After all of Penny's thoughtfulness, she'd only come here to be ‘discovered' instead of enjoying a night out with her friend. Good riddance.

  Amy slowly walked the two blocks back to the efficiency, trying to figure out a way to get money. If she could only get her hands on some cash, she could wait out getting a job until she was ‘discovered'. A car door slammed in front of her, bringing her out of her musings.

  Amy stared at the expensive black sports car. The owner had his back to her. She could tell he was tall and the view from the back was certainly pleasing. Okay, this could be interesting. When he turned around, her breath caught. The guy was gorgeous. He had long dark hair and eyes so black they actually glittered. The cashmere sweater showed off marvelous muscles and the jeans fit like a second skin.

  Amy adjusted her walk from a stroll to a seductive wander, looking in the windows of the closed shops and making sure her hair swayed enough to be noticed, but not enough to get messed up.

  "Excuse me, miss?"

  Amy was already past him and trying to figure out how to get his attention when he called out to her. She ran her tongue over her teeth to make sure they would shine and turned to smile at him. "Yes?"

  "I'm looking for a place called Finnegan's." He looked at the building in front of him and the scrap of paper he'd pulled from a tight pocket. "It's supposed to be here. Are you familiar with the place?"

  His husky, deep voice matched his looks and made her think of possibilities. It had been awhile since she felt anyone worth the effort to date and her little thong panties were getting wet. "I just came from there. It's up one more block."

  "Damn, I'm already an hour late. I bet they're gone. It took me fifteen minutes just to get this parking space."

  "I'll walk up there with you, if you'd like. Maybe they waited." Amy couldn't imagine anyone not waiting for the hunk. She stood straighter when she noticed him study her. Chances were he was meeting some wannabe starlet and he was comparing his choices.

  "I'd love the company." He held out an arm and they headed back up the street.

  "I'm Amy." And Mister, what the fuck more could you want?

  "I guess I copied it down wrong." He frowned at the note and tossed it in a trash can while they walked. "I'm Havoc."

  "What an unusual name." Amy couldn't ever recall hearing it. Of course, she was from Idaho. Maybe it was an acting name.

  "It suits me, though." The man gave a little chuckle. "You might say that I was created for that name."

  They sat at the bar and he ordered her an imported dark draft, instead of the domestic stuff that was on special. He looked around the bar and shrugged. "I guess they left."

  Penny saw Amy return and walked up to her. Her mouth almost dropped open at the sight of the handsome man her friend had returned with. "Would you like to join us at the table?"

  Amy wanted to kill Penny in her oversized sweater and patched jeans. The man would get a serious misinterpretation as to the quality of friends Amy felt she deserved. Amy quickly blew her off. "I think we'll just hang at the bar for awhile. Thanks, though." She didn't even bother to introduce her.

  Havoc loved L.A., he decided. Everyone pretended to be someone else and they had delicious, greedy wishes to keep him busy. Finding playthings was easier than it had been with the royals… with no consequences. Tonight he'd just been cruising, seeing what mischief was out and about.

  When he saw the pretty girl exit the bar and walk towards him, he almost let her pass. Obviously, she wouldn't wish for beauty. At first, he thought she'd found her riches and would not need money. He glanced down and noticed the slightly worn heel on her shoe. An actress. Havoc was excited. He loved playing with them. Would she want a lead role in a movie? Oh, the things he could make her do for the part… or the lead role he could get her to play.

  The dark thoughts had Havoc already hardening as she sat next to him. When she dismissed her friend so rudely, he almost trembled with her cruelty. His mind flashed on the sorceress and his cock swelled more. It took control to keep his voice steady. "So, Amy, what brings you to L.A.?"

  "I'm an actress. What do you do, Havoc?"

  Havoc almost laughed at her attempt at wide eyed innocence. The scheming behind those eyes was evident to him. "I grant wishes."

  Amy thought about the strange answer. "You grant wishes? What do you mean?"

  "Think of me as a rich purveyor of w
ishes. I like to help people realize their greatest desire."

  The young woman laughed. "Really? Well, aren't you generous!"

  He moved closer and bent down inches from her face. He gazed into her blue eyes. "If you had one wish, only one, what would it be?"

  Amy found herself actually considering his question. Her immediate reaction was to say she wanted to be an actress. It stalled on her lips as she found herself wondering if she would end up in commercials that way. If she said a lead actress, she could end up doing a lousy job and never hired again. If she said a good lead actress… all of it seemed like it could trap her.

  Why was this so difficult? It didn't really make a difference what she answered. It was just polite conversation, wasn't it? She found herself weighing her options even more carefully. Ultimately, she wanted fame and money. He said she could only have one wish. Well, fame didn't necessarily mean money, but money could always buy fame.

  "To make lots of money, I guess. Sorry to disappoint you. I'm not selfless enough to wish for world peace," she laughed.

  "Your wish would be to make lots of money?" Havoc was thrilled. Oh, this would be fun.

  "Yes, I figure that would take care of everything else."

  "Well thought out." Havoc placed his hand on hers and stared into her eyes. "You, Amy, shall make lots of money."

  Amy laughed nervously at the joke. "Well, Havoc, thank you. It will be nice for a change. When, exactly, will this happen? My rent is due in two days, and if I'm going to be able to change my living standards, I'd just a soon save the cash."

  Havoc was delighted. Such an anxious little pet. He leaned forward and confided, "I wouldn't hurry to waste that cash, Amy. I see your living arrangements changing quickly." He sat straighter to release the confining strain on his crotch. "Tonight, if you'd like. I can arrange the audition immediately."

  Amy's ears picked up on that one. "An audition?" Oh god, maybe this guy has connections. She'd read the trade magazines and knew people caught breaks in unusual situations. This was her chance… she just knew this man would change her life.