It didn’t take Rex twelve days to tire of his Christmas present.

It wasn’t that the sexy elf left bound in red ribbon beneath his tree wasn’t responsive. It wasn’t that she wasn’t attractive. She was cute and impish, just like an elf, and while Rex preferred lush breasts, there was something to be said for novelty.

What Rex quickly realized was that she was amenable to anything he tried.

He couldn’t shock her. He couldn’t surprise her. She was ready and willing for anything.

And that stole much of the pleasure of mastering her.

Rex liked to discover the secrets of his slaves. He liked to find their psychological barriers. He liked to surprise them and push them a little farther than they might have gone by choice. He liked to astonish innocents with forbidden pleasure. He loved the little moan of mingled surprise and ecstasy – like the one Joanna characteristically made. He liked to make secret dreams come true.

By the second morning with his agreeable and enthusiastic blonde elf, Rex was certain she had no secret desires or dreams. She lived full out, chasing every idea as soon as she had it and making the most of whatever came her way. While such an appetite was admirable, it didn’t excite Rex.

She didn’t excite Rex.

It was time for her to leave his apartment.

He’d left her bound and blindfolded on the couch for the night. He hadn’t wanted her in his bedroom, hadn’t wanted to encourage a false intimacy, not once he’d realized that this interval would was doomed to end quickly. He checked on her in the morning and found her still sleeping.

He went to shower while he considered the question of how to evict her from his apartment. Should he take her back to the Plume? She’d evidently come from there, since she had been wearing the elf uniform made for the waitresses in the Plume’s bar this holiday season.

Funny Rex didn’t remember her. He stood under the stream of hot water and wondered at that. But then, the Plume had a large membership and each year, it became harder to remember every individual member. Still, it was a point of pride for him to know them all, and he felt as if he had slipped up. He should spend some more time with the files this week.

Maybe he should access the elf’s file at the Plume, find out where she lived and take her home. Her departure was complicated by the fact that the only clothing she had was the costume, which had been designed to reveal a woman’s assets. She couldn’t exactly take the bus home, not dressed like that.

Rex came out of the bathroom, a towel knotted around his waist, only to discover that his bound slave was gone from the couch.

She was sitting naked at his desk, clicking through images on his laptop.

His laptop.

His images.

His photographs.

Rex stifled his anger with an effort, telling himself that her mistake could be innocent.

But he doubted it.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he asked. His quiet tone, a hint that he was maintaining control with an effort, would have sent every soul at the Plume running for cover.

This woman smiled at him, untroubled. “I wriggled free. The bonds weren’t very tight last night.”

“I didn’t want to cut off your circulation.”

“I know. But I was tired of being on the couch.” Apparently oblivious to his anger, she clicked through the images at a rapid pace. “Are these yours?”

“You already know they are.”

“They’re great shots. You have a fantastic eye for composition. And the color. Wow.”

Even though Rex took great pride in his photography, even though he was always interested in hearing good comments, her opinion didn’t improve his mood. “You shouldn’t be looking at them.” He strode across the room, shut off the laptop and closed the lid.

“I was just curious,” she said, smiling up at him. “You should have a show. I know a gallery that would be thrilled to exhibit your work.” She nodded, obviously thinking. “We have that in common, you know, being artists. But you’re really gifted. I’d like to help you make this work. In fact, we could work together. Your photographs and my sculpture.” She spun in his chair, frowning slightly. “Josh would eat it up. That’s the gallery owner. And he’s said a bunch of times how he’d like to know more about the Plume. With everyone so curious, the show would be a huge hit...”

Rex braced his hands on the arms of the chair she occupied and leaned over her. “No.” He spoke with finality, hoping to silence her. “I’m not interested.”

“Well, you should be...”

“No!”

“Well, why not? You could make a fortune.” She looked longingly at the laptop. “They’re so good. It would be fabulous publicity, both for you and the Plume.”

“And for you.”

“Well, there is that.” She cast him an impish smile. “Come on! You can’t take pictures like this without wanting to have someone see them.”

The truth was that there was nothing Rex would have liked better than to have an exhibit of his work, but it couldn’t be these photographs. Showing these in public would betray the trust of the members of the Plume, and undermine their confidence in his integrity. Rex would never risk that.

“Let me just talk to Josh, see what he says. It can’t hurt to find out more...”

“Leave it!” Rex’s voice rose and the elf seemed to finally notice his annoyance. She fell silent and eyed him, a glimmer of uncertainty in her eyes. Rex gave her a hard look. “I thought you were the submissive.”

She sighed, blowing out her lips like a child. “If you say so.” She grinned again. “Master.” She tilted her head to regard him. “You never even asked my name, you know.”

“I figured I could look it up.”

She laughed. “Where?”

If she didn’t know about the Plume’s databases, Rex wasn’t going to tell her. He turned to stride toward his bedroom and get dressed.

“What’s the plan today?” He glanced back to find her spinning on his chair, her expression mischievous. She was persistent, he’d give her that. Rex returned to get his laptop, taking it into his bedroom with him.

“There is no plan,” he said flatly. “You’re going back to the Plume.” Rex hauled on a pair of jeans and grabbed a dark t-shirt.

She laughed again. “I can’t go back to somewhere I’ve never been.”

Rex paused on the threshold of his room, staring at her. “What do you mean?”

She smiled again, pulling up her knees and hugging them to her chest.
Her glistening sex was visible to him, but Rex felt only a weight in his gut. “I’ve never been there. I’d like to go, though. Is that where we’re going today?”

Rex spoke with care. “But you were wearing one of the costumes from the Plume.”

“Was I? Mike brought it for me and told me to put it on. I thought it was kind of cute.”

Rex’s anger began to boil. “Let me get this straight. You’ve never been to the Plume?”

She shook her head. “But let’s go. I’d love to see it.” She pointed after the laptop. “Some of these pictures must have been taken there. The decor looks great...”

She’d never been to the Plume.

Which meant she’d never signed a contract. She’d never seen the waivers and she’d never given permission to be enslaved. Rex felt sick. And now she’d been captive in his apartment for a day and a half, being used as his sex slave.

At least she didn’t know where the Plume was.