Waiting for Master (BDSM Erotica) by J.A. Bailey

 
    Waiting
for Master
    Nestled in the heart of the
English countryside, Hartslow Hall dominated the
surrounding fields with its huge cream columns and large windows. The lawns
leading up to it were striped and lined with flowers, and Harriet imagined the gardens would be spectacular.
    “Are you coming, love?” her
mother called to her.
    With a sigh, Harriet followed after her mother. Catching up to her, she caught
that look again. The look that said ‘poor heartbroken
Harriet.’ Since the divorce everyone gave her
that look along with all the right sympathetic noises. She was sick to death of
it.
    Anyway, she wasn’t heartbroken. Will’s new girlfriend was welcome to him, along with his sulky moods
and terrible bedside manner. She should never have married him in the first
place. If only she’d not been so optimistic and
believed the sex would get better. What a waste of three years.
    Eyeing the grand house as they
neared, Harriet snorted. Well, it sure beat her parent’s farmhouse. Since Will
had somehow wrangled the house in the divorce, she was
living with her parents. It was pretty humiliating having to move back in with your parents at twenty-nine but seeing the grand
stately home filled her with determination.
    A fresh start, that’s what she needed. And a new man. Not
one for keeping though, just someone who could give her what she really wanted. She glanced at her mother’s kindly face as they climbed the steps to the front
door. Poor mum, if she really knew what I wanted from a man, she’d probably have a heart attack.
    Leaning forwards to press the
doorbell, Harriet and her mother jumped back as the bellow of chimes echoed
through the house. On cue, the door groaned open and a skinny grey-haired woman
in a sharp pinstriped suit stepped aside to let them through .
    “Mary,” she greeted her mother
with a smile. “And Harriet, it’s lovely to see you. My, you’ve grown since the
last time I saw you.”
    Harriet smiled stiffly back.
“Yes, all grown up now.”
    “Thank for showing us around,
Elaine. I’ve been wanting to see around Hartslow for
years and it’s good to get Harriet out of the house, especially after the—” her
mother paused and mouthed, “ divorce .”
    Harriet resisted the urge to roll
her eyes. She was fed up with people tip-toeing around
her.
    Elaine ushered them in and
Harriet’s mouth dropped open as she took in the surroundings. The hall was
massive with vaulted ceilings, a large rug and several mahogany console tables.
Two large marbled pillars stretched in front of her and a recess at the back
held a bust of a distinguished looking gentleman .
Family portraits hung from the walls, generations of men and woman all staring
down at her from their gilded frames.
    Making the appropriate noises,
Harriet and her mother followed Elaine through the house, admiring the grand
furniture and the portrait gallery. Harriet paused in front of the most recent
painting. The gentleman stood less formally than the
others, posing with a shaggy looking dog. He looked to be in his thirties, with
a handsome, rugged face and thick chestnut hair. His hands really captured her
attention though. They were strong and capable looking. Harriet licked at her
lips. The kind of hands that would know exactly how to give a
good spanking.
    “Harriet?” her mother called.
    Cheeks heating, Harriet scurried
after her. That’s what she needed, she decided. A man that could give her a hard spanking. Her ex had never
understood her need to be dominated . Just another
reason to be glad she was rid of him.
    Elaine led them into the
ballroom. It was no doubt impressive with painted ceilings and tall windows but it was not the furnishings that caught her eye .
Sidling over to the window, Harriet peeked past the curtain.
    Out on the
lawns stood the man from the portrait. Harriet’s mouth dried as she watched him. He was
topless and doing some form of martial arts, Tai Chi perhaps. His loose sports
trousers rode low