Wednesday 11 June 2014

There may be trouble ahead #MidWeekTease #asmsg Should I change this?

Happy Hump Day and welcome back to Mid-Week Tease hosted by the lovely Sandra Bunino in which we share teasers from our works-in-progress or published works.

This week I'm continuing with a teaser from my WIP, Scores. In this scene, Ben and Selina have arrived in South Africa, in Ben's home town. They are staying at The Ranch which is part family home / part resort. I wonder if you can tell what kind of resort it is. LOL

As usual, it is first draft and unedited. And while you're reading consider this please--do you think this scene will have more impact if it was in Benjamin's POV? I'd love to know what you think. Enjoy.

***


"Welcome home, Master Benjamin."
Selina turned her head to see a dark-haired woman with blonde streaks dressed in black leather corset and trousers, prostrate on the floor in the hallway.
What the hell was going on? Selina stiffened.
"Margo?" Ben asked, the tone of his voice and raised-brow expression conveying his surprise.
"At your service," the woman replied with an incline of her head.
Ben appeared dumbstruck as he contemplated the woman at his feet.
"Margo, I wasn't expecting to see you here at The Ranch."
"Master, where else would I be but where you left me?" Margo didn't move, her body poised in elegant submission but no one watching could miss the slight uplift of her lips and the invitation in her emerald eyes.
Okay! Selina clenched her teeth, tired of the woman referring to Ben as Master. And what did she mean by 'where you left me'? Had she drifted off to sleep and fallen down the rabbit hole or something?
"May I kiss your boots, Master?"
A monster, dark, green and envious, reared its head within Selina. She sat up, ready to voice her protest.
"Go ahead," he replied before she could open her mouth, his grip on her body tightening.
Jealousy sliced through Selina as Margo lowered her lips onto Ben's tan leather Chelsea boots.
 "Put me down, Ben," she said muttered through clenched teeth and wriggled in his arms.
"Be still, Lina." His tone was assured and low, just for her hearing. To Margo he said more loudly, "On your feet."
The woman rose, her movement confident and gracefully lithe like a cat.
Selina's skin flushed, her breath ragged and fast as if she'd run a marathon as she eyed the woman suspiciously. It didn't help that she'd never been able to achieve that much grace rising from her knees.
At her full height, the mixed-race woman was even more glamorous especially with the fuck-me leather stilettos she was wearing and make-up, her hair swept back into a loose chignon and the leather collar with a D-ring around her throat.
"This is my wife, Selina."
The woman finally looked at Selina with a smile on her face. "It's nice to meet you."
She said it with as much cheeriness as a hotel receptionist greeting a guest. Selina couldn’t tell if it was genuine or not.
"Thank you," she said in reply.
"Let me show you to your suite. Your luggage has already been taken up."
Ben nodded and the woman swivelling, walking off.
"Ben you can put me down now," Selina said feeling embarrassed that Ben was still carrying her like a baby.
"Not yet," he replied and strode off behind Margo who was about three strides ahead.
"Ben—"
He pinched her hard on the thigh. Selina gasped from the shock and pain and clamped her mouth shut
Margo led the way up the wide gilded staircase and down a hallway covered in paintings and sculptures. The house had the grandeur of a stately home and the opulence of a five-star resort.
At the end of the hallway she opened a door and stepped back, allowing Ben to go in first.
The room was light and airy and as Ben let Selina slide to her feet, she noticed the vaulted ceiling an skylight letting in sunlight and a view of clear cerulean sky. Her breath hitched as her gaze took in the rest of the space. The grandeur extended into the loft-like suite with its openness—tan sofas and chairs at one end, aluminum and granite surfaced kitchen adjacent and at the other end a Japanese style screen hid what she assumed to be the sleeping area. Their suitcases stood against dark wood tall cabinets. From the silhouette she could see through the screen the bed must be massive and four-posted.
"Do you like it?"

She turned back to face Ben whose grey eyes gleamed and a corner of his lips curled up.
"All I can say is wow...it is breath-taking. I wasn't expecting this."
Taking a step toward him, she clutched at his shirt and stood on her tiptoes.
"I'm glad you like it." His words fanned her face before their lips connected in a chaste kiss—a gentle brush of soft lips, a tame nibble and a quick swipe of tongue that lingered but didn't delve further despite the invitation of her open mouth.
"What would you like me to do?"
Ben lifted his head and Selina saw Margo standing just inside the shut door an expectant look in her eyes. She'd already forgotten about the woman.
"That'll be all, Margo." Ben said.
But the woman remained there. "Master?"
"Is there a problem?"
"It's just that I was assigned to serve you for the duration of your stay at The Ranch." Margo lifted her hands revealing a brown leather leash.
"I appreciate your loyalty, Margo but I don't need a slave." After a few heartbeats he added. "I have Selina."
Take that, bitch. Selina eyed the woman balefully.
Margo looked disappointed and blinked several times as if at the point of tears at Ben's rejection. "But it never stopped you before, Master. Have I done something to offend you?"
Ben sighed. "No, Margo you haven't upset me."
At the blink of an eye the woman was back on her knees, prostrated and pleading. "Don't send me away, please Master." There was a panicky edge to her plea, even Selina could sense her desperation.
Ben walked toward her. "Look at me," he commanded.
Margo lifted her head, her eyes wide with fright.
"What is going on?"he asked sternly.
Margo's gaze flicked to the floor and she didn't say anything.
"Well, if you're not going to talk you can leave now."
Margo's throat worked as she swallowed hard.
"If I don't convince you to let me serve you, I will be put into the box. And I don't want to go back in there, Master."
Copyright (c) Kiru Taye 2014

I hope you enjoyed it. What do you think? Should I rewrite it in Ben's POV. Leave me a comment please.
Remember to check out the other mid-week teasers

 



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