Deep Undercover
Part Six — So Very Deep Undercover
If you’ve ever woken up from a nightmare, you know the feeling. The way you snap back into the room, eyes flying open, lungs sucking in breath like you’ve been underwater for hours, wild electricity racing through your nervous system.
That’s what happens to me when I stop being Cassie and go back to being myself. It’s only happened twice. The first time was a false alarm, and I let myself sink back down into the depths of Cassie’s mind. This time? I have no idea what could have triggered it. I’m alone, in one of the zillion bedrooms inside Avery’s mansion. It’s quiet in the hall. Outside the window, there’s nothing but the drone of one of those annoying leaf blowers. There’s no reason for me to exist right now.
That probably means that something bad is happening. I’m only supposed to wake up if Cassie’s gotten herself into some serious shit. Better to deal with it now than to wait until Avery and his goons are swarming all over, looking for me.
I slide off the bed. I’m down to my underwear, but that’s not a surprise. From what I understand, Cassie and Avery spend a lot of time together. And while he’s been distracted by her hot body and her insatiable appetite for sex, I’ve been running around in the shadows creating all sorts of trouble. Sending evidence to Paul, planting false intel, pitting Avery and Frank against one another, and—most importantly at this particular moment—hiding a burner cell phone almost in plain sight, right here in this very room. I’m good.
The phone picks up on the first ring. Paul’s good, too. “Praxis Shipping Company,” he says, “How may I help you?”
“I’m alone and very lonely.“
A pause. “Are you safe? Where are you?”
“At the mansion. I don’t know what triggered this, but it can’t be good. I’m going to bluff my way out, tell the guards that I’m going to go for a quick drive. Meet me in Runyon Canyon in an hour or so. Our usual spot.”
“I’m on it.” Paul’s all business when he needs to be. “Stay on the trail until you can’t see our usual spot at all, then wait there. Just in case.”
“Okay.” I’m not okay, though. Just the thought of having to run out of Avery’s mansion has my stomach twisting into knots. If Avery’s on to me, I’m a dead woman. Or worse, he’ll turn me into another one of his brainwashed robots. “See you soon,” I finish, trying and failing to hide that growing sense of panic.
“Stay calm, Tara. It’ll be okay.”
<click>
Stay calm, yeah, right. I drop the phone on the dresser and open a couple of drawers. This must be Cassie’s bedroom, because most of her—my—stuff is here, neatly tucked away by the small army of maids that Avery employs. I grab a pair of pants and a sleeveless top and start hunting for socks. You’d think that they would be in the top drawer, right? They’re not. I’m thinking about going with shorts and a pair of sandals when the phone buzzes.
Shit. What the hell is Paul thinking? Just because I was alone a minute ago doesn’t mean that I’m alone and safe to answer calls now. I pick up the phone and prepare to give him a piece of my mind. “Hey, this isn’t—”
“It’s time to obey, Tara.”
Everything goes blank. I’m dimly aware of my mind sliding around inside my skull, quietly rearranging itself. It’s happened before, I think, but the feeling doesn’t last for long. Neither does the thinking.
“Yes, Master. I obey.”
“Feeling so calm and obedient.” His voice feels like silk. I feel my body loosen and relax as I sink into a deep, wonderful hypnotic trance.
“Remembering your obedience to me. Remembering how wonderful it feels to do as I say. Feeling nothing but bliss and arousal as you once again remember your true purpose.”
My eyes roll up into my head as I remember. “My purpose is to obey, Master.“
The phone call ends at some point, but I’ve already well on my way to forgetting both the call and the phone itself. I fold the pants and the top and neatly stack them on top of the dresser. Old Tara goes there, too. Master only allows me to wear her when I need to fool Paul and his friends. Now that I’ve done so, I can focus on more important things, like climbing back onto the bed. There’s a mirror across the room, and I use it to pose my body in just the perfect way. Time passes. Not that I notice, or care.
Master walks into the room, and my heart leaps into my throat. He’s so perfect. I would do anything for that man, even die for him. To think that my entire life has led to this very moment, ready to play my part in Master’s plan, ready to help him in any way he desires! It’s like a dream come true, and it’s a real struggle not to come on the spot. I try to behave as Master approaches the bed.
“Did he buy it?”
“Yes, Master.” My voice sounds awfully dull and empty, given how excited I am to have obeyed him. “I remembered my instructions and obeyed them. I’m going to meet Paul in an hour at Runyon Canyon. Not in our usual spot, but just up the trail.”
“Very good, Tara. Your submission deepens as you obey my commands.”
“Yes, Master. So very deep.”
He lays a nasty-looking snub nose pistol on the bed and sits next to it. I crawl over and throw my arms around him, burying my face in his neck. I can tell that he’s enjoying the soft kisses I’m planting as I press my tits against him. Missions can always wait. Master is always my immediate concern.
He’s looking into my eyes, and I melt a little inside. “Are you ready to kill for me, Tara?”
“Of course, Master. I will do anything you ask of me.”
“Good,” he says, and I melt a little more. “Because in about an hour, you’re going to.”
“Yes, Master.”
I will kill for him. I will kill for my Master.