Title: Master of No One
Author: Tricia Owens
Release Date: February 24, 2015
Publisher: Loose Id
Blurb:
Aleksander is short-tempered, antisocial and though he’s unaware of it,
wildly sexy. He’s also a naturally dominant shape-shifting monster who’s
sliding into madness. He needs a human ‘grounder’ to submit to him and
draw forth his protective human side. Instead he is given two humans:
Constance, a fledgling sub with a reckless streak whose intense desire
to serve has brought her nothing but heartache, and Kirk, a former NYPD
cop who's trying to subdue his own alpha instincts and play submissive
in order to fulfill a family debt.
But once these grounders meet their new master, they quickly discover that in order to save Aleksander from himself, they must alter their assigned roles and form a unique triad of domination and submission that goes against Aleksander’s very nature. Constance needs to convince Aleksander he can be gentle and protective, while Kirk wants to show him there is freedom in surrendering to another dominant. The task isn't easy, though: Aleksander fights them every step of the way, and a conspiracy surfaces which not even a creature as powerful as Aleksander may be able to overcome.
But once these grounders meet their new master, they quickly discover that in order to save Aleksander from himself, they must alter their assigned roles and form a unique triad of domination and submission that goes against Aleksander’s very nature. Constance needs to convince Aleksander he can be gentle and protective, while Kirk wants to show him there is freedom in surrendering to another dominant. The task isn't easy, though: Aleksander fights them every step of the way, and a conspiracy surfaces which not even a creature as powerful as Aleksander may be able to overcome.
Kirk needed sleep—in a bed, not in a chair—but lying down
and closing his eyes felt like an impossible feat while the sounds of Constance
and Aleksander together in the bathroom continued to ring in his ears. He’d
gotten up to take a piss and taken a peek down the hallway, just in case. The
sight of the open workroom door had led him to investigate, tracking sounds
that eventually led him to the master bathroom. There, he had stood, ear to
door, hand cupped over his groin, as he listened to something incredible.
He could have guessed that Constance would sound beautiful
in the midst of sex. There was a lushness about her and an openness in her
responses during conversation that had hinted she would be not only loud in
bed, but completely uninhibited. Standing against the door, shamelessly
eavesdropping, he’d been glad to be proven right. He hoped he’d get his chance
to coax those sounds from her too.
The surprise had been Aleksander. Even now, as he tiredly
dragged on a pair of jeans, Kirk didn’t know what to think about his reaction
to the noises the chimera had made. At first, he had convinced himself it was
Constance alone he was being turned on by. Kirk had watched plenty of porn and
learned to block out whatever the male star was doing and saying on screen and
focus on the woman. He thought he’d been doing that in this case, until
Aleksander emitted a desperate-sounding gasp, his voice nearly breaking, and
Kirk’s cock had twitched violently in his hand as if it were a striking snake.
After that he’d given up the pretense that he wasn’t listening to both of them,
and to his pleasure it had made the experience ten times better.
“So I get off on the sound of a guy having sex with a
beautiful woman,” he mused aloud. He shrugged, figuring as far as sexual
triggers went, there were worse.
But it was more than that, wasn’t it? When Constance had
emerged from the bathroom, flushed and fuckable, Kirk had wanted her, of
course, but he’d wanted something more. He’d heard the tell-tale sounds of a
blowjob and recognized Constance’s red, puffy lips for the evidence that they
were. A hunger had seized hold of Kirk to taste her, but he couldn’t deny that
when his tongue delved inside her mouth he’d gone looking for another taste as
well. Call it curiosity. And when he’d found that salty, slightly bitter tang
he’d felt a lightning bolt of forbidden lust strike him.
What did it all mean? Maybe something. Maybe nothing. Kirk
wasn’t one for self-analyzing. Actions spoke louder than thoughts in his world.
He’d let this one play out.
He scrubbed at his hair as he headed for the kitchen,
planning on a glass of milk before trying to hit the hay again. His body was
energized but gradually winding down, as if he’d just completed a long run. He
was going to sleep like the dead when he was finally able to shut his eyes and
relax.
It wouldn’t be that easy, he discovered upon entering the
kitchen.
Aleksander looked up from the tall glass that he’d been
contemplating. It appeared to contain a thick shake. His hair was damp. Worse,
he appeared to be naked save for the towel wrapped carelessly around his hips.
But he looked better, the best Kirk had seen him yet.
“Hey,” Kirk greeted him, pausing with the kitchen island
between them. He yawned for effect. “Just getting some milk before I hit the
sack.”
“Recent exertions tiring you?” Aleksander asked. There was
a wicked gleam in his eyes that Kirk found intriguing.
“Something like that,” Kirk said with a smirk. “You look
better.”
Aleksander’s expression washed neutral. “Constance told me
you entered my room without my permission again.”
“If you’re asking if I saved your life, the answer is yes.”
He earned a glare for that one, but it was worth it.
“I didn’t ask you to,” the chimera growled softly.
“Maybe not. But Constance would have been disappointed if
I’d let you die. Probably a lot of other people and creatures would be too.
You’re a popular guy.”
The comment appeared to irritate him, prompting Aleksander
to drink from his glass. “Thank you,” he mumbled against its rim.
“Just doing my job.”
Aleksander huffed. “That’s right. You told Michel you’re my
grounder. Interesting strategy putting yourself in an immediate position of
inferiority against him.”
“Is it inferior? I got the impression a grounder is the
only thing that’s going to keep you from falling apart.” Kirk smiled as the
other male clenched his jaw. “Seems like a pretty important role, if you ask
me.”
“And how do you
expect to fulfill your role?”
Kirk idly adjusted the fit of his jeans, hoping Aleksander
hadn’t noticed that they’d begun to grow tight in the crotch. Something about
Aleksander got him going. Maybe it was the attitude, which seemed to be a
prerequisite amongst chimera. It made Kirk want to take him down a peg and
stand over him after he’d fallen.
Nothing like some homoerotic imagery there, he chided
himself.
“I’m here to help,” he said.
Aleksander traced his tongue across his bottom lip. “As
Constance ‘helps’?”
Kirk resisted the impulse to laugh and play it off. It
would be a nervous tell and he wasn’t about to give Aleksander the
satisfaction. “I was thinking more along the lines of being a friend who helps
you let off steam. Physically.” When the chimera’s lips twitched, he quickly
added, “I mean like boxing. Or sports. Whatever it is you do to keep in shape.”
He motioned vaguely at the other male’s body. “Do you run, or workout or—”
“You couldn’t last with or against me, little human. You’re
no use to me in that way.” Aleksander panned down Kirk’s body. “Though you’re
fit and...large for your kind.” A crease appeared in his forehead and he
resumed staring into his glass.
Fit and large? If you
only knew, buddy.
Kirk sensed he’d gained some ground, even if it was only a
few inches. “I can hold my own against you, Aleksander. You’d just have to pull
your punches so you didn’t kill me. Maybe that’s what you need. Someone to help
you practice restraint.”
“I can control myself!” the chimera hissed.
“I don’t doubt it. You’re just out of practice, that’s
all.” Kirk spread his hands in offering. “That’s why I’m here. Come on,” he
cajoled when Aleksander didn’t respond, “don’t you want to hit me? Just a
little bit?”
A grudging smile played over Aleksander’s lips, quickly
wiped away. It was a victory. No one could convince Kirk otherwise.
“Then how about some wrestling? Mano a mano?”
Wow, that couldn’t be gayer, Kirk thought. But he glimpsed
interest on Aleksander’s face. Maybe the chimera was so old that wrestling was
as common to him as playing football or basketball was to Kirk.
“You wouldn’t stand a chance,” Aleksander muttered,
dismissively.
The chimera was talking smack? Kirk had to hold back a hoot
of triumph. He played it cool, crossing his arms and returning the other male’s
skepticism.
“I think you’re just saying that because you’re so weak
right now. You couldn’t stand on your own two feet not twelve hours ago.”
He knew that would motivate Aleksander like a cattle prod
up the ass.
“I think you heard exactly how weak I am,” Aleksander snarled, shoving back his chair and
standing. “You should have opened the door, little human, and added yourself to
the fray.”
Kirk’s face flushed. “Just because you’re a screamer
doesn’t mean you did any of the work. It was all Constance.”
Aleksander’s eyes actually bulged, making Kirk have a hard
time remembering that the other male wasn’t human even if he could look like
it.
“You want to suffer? It
will be my pleasure to indulge you.” Aleksander shoved past him, his bare
shoulder slamming into Kirk’s and knocking him back a couple of paces.
Author Info:
Buy Links:
Giveaway:
Tricia Owens is offering one winner a chance to own Master to No One. WOOP!!!! Make sure to enter the rafflecopter below. Contest will run until March 5th! Winner will be contacted via email so make sure to check your spam!
From the first sentence I was intrigued, two strong men hinting at naughty things is so hot. And throw in a beautiful woman.............
ReplyDeleteAnother one for my list--you're killing me here :)
ReplyDeleteNew to me author but the excerpt sounds so HOT!!
ReplyDelete