In the Heat of the Dungeon: Rules of Summer Read online

  Table of Contents

  Books by Samantha Cayto

  Title Page

  Legal Page

  Book Description

  Trademark Acknowledgements

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Read more from Samantha Cayto

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  About the Author

  Pride Publishing books by Samantha Cayto

  Single Books

  One Night in a Dungeon

  Man Candy

  Alien Slave Masters

  The Captain’s Pet

  The Rebellious Pet

  The Untamed Pet

  The Captive Pet

  The Inconvenient Pet

  The Undercover Pet

  Alien Blood Wars

  Blood Dance

  Dangerous Dance

  Slave Dance

  Star Dance

  Mating Dance

  Healing Dance

  Smoke Dance

  Final Dance: Part One

  Anthologies

  His Rules: Safeword

  Right Here, Right Now: Never the Groom

  Rules of Summer

  IN THE HEAT OF THE DUNGEON

  SAMANTHA CAYTO

  In the Heat of the Dungeon

  ISBN # 978-1-83943-055-8

  ©Copyright Samantha Cayto 2019

  Cover Art by Claire Siemaszkiewicz ©Copyright July 2020

  Interior text design by Claire Siemaszkiewicz

  Pride Publishing

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Pride Publishing.

  Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Pride Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

  The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

  Published in 2020 by Pride Publishing, United Kingdom.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the authors’ rights. Purchase only authorised copies.

  Pride Publishing is an imprint of Totally Entwined Group Limited.

  If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book”.

  Rules of Summer

  The hardest part of being a sub is giving your heart and body to the right Dom.

  Master Ford is a consummate Dom, always focused on giving a sub the most important gift of all—safety. When a friend leaves a sub in a dangerous situation, it is up to Ford to both rescue and care for the boy. What starts as duty swiftly turns to personal desire.

  Cody is new to the lifestyle, trusting and in need of protection and control. When his Master puts him in danger, he can only hope that the Dom sent to save him is worthy of it.

  Ford has rules, and one of them is no poaching on another Dom’s sub. But Cody is different. This boy needs to learn what it really means to put oneself under another’s control. Teaching him that valuable lesson, while bringing them both indescribable pleasure, becomes a temptation he cannot resist.

  Trademark Acknowledgements

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Cheerios: General Mills Inc.

  Bambi: Disney Enterprises Inc.

  Boston Red Sox: Boston Red Sox Baseball Club Limited Partnership

  Chapter One

  Boston was a great place to live if one enjoyed all the various types of weather that nature conjured up. From the frigid cold of the Klondike to the soupy heat of Miami, the city had it all and it could change on a dime. Ford didn’t mind. He preferred it, and the fact that he’d gone from wearing a light jacket only days ago to a tank top and cotton shorts right now didn’t faze him. Not much made him sweat, either, but racing into the emergency department to see a friend certainly did. From the moment he’d left his car, the oppressive humidity had caused his clothing to cling to his skin, emphasizing his physique. As he weaved through the usual crowd of patients waiting for help, however, he ignored the way a passing EMT checked him out. He was used to attracting attention. It was all part of being six foot three and jacked. Normally he’d appreciate the interest and possible new hunting ground for a sub, except that right now, finding out his friend’s condition was paramount.

  He pulled up short at the end of the line for the information desk and curbed his impatience. Gage had been able to speak over the phone, so his injuries couldn’t be too bad. It was the almost-panic in the man’s voice as he’d urged Ford to hurry over that made him uneasy. Something bad was happening, other than the man’s injuries. And whatever it was, Gage had been unwilling to say until he could do it in person. Ford forced himself to practice the patience he’d mastered as a Dom. Freaking out or getting pushy was not going to help the situation any.

  Finally, it was his turn. He stepped to the desk and—pretending he hadn’t noticed the once-over the middle-aged woman gave him—said, “I’m looking for Gage Johnson. He was admitted here a few hours ago from a traffic accident.”

  “Are you family?”

  “No, ma’am, but he called and asked me to come. He said it was urgent.” He added that last bit as a paraphrase of what his friend had actually said. ‘Get your ass over here like it’s on fire and I hold the only bucket of water in the world to put it out.’

  The woman’s expression turned kindly and sympathetic. She worked her computer screen before saying, “Your friend has already been moved to a room.” Then she gave the information about which one and how to get there.

  Ford gave a silent thanks to whoever had thought to install colored strips along the walls to lead people through the labyrinth of floors and corridors. When he reached the right nurses’ station, he repeated his request, again summarizing Gage’s summons. This time, the woman he spoke to raised her eyebrows.

  “I’ve been waiting for you, Mr. Williams. Mr. Johnson has been extremely agitated about your arrival.”

  Ford leaned into the counter between them. “How is he?”

  “I’m afraid I can’t give out that information, but you can see for yourself.” She pointed to the room nearby where Gage was located.

  “Thank you, ma’am.”

  Pushing off, Ford hurried to the door and didn’t bother knocking. He found his friend lying in the first bed of a double room, although he was the only occupant. He hesitated a moment before fully entering because—Holy Christ!—his friend was beat to hell, with most of his exposed body covered in bandages, while tubes invaded his arms and machines whirred nearby. It was like a hospital scene from every medical drama he’d ever watched, except this was real, and if he hadn’t already spoken to Gage himself, he would be worried that this was ‘the end’ for his friend.

 
Gage opened his eyes before Ford made it to the side of the bed. “Thank fuck!”

  “Jesus, Gage.” Up close, his friend looked even worse. It was obvious that among other things, much of the skin on his arms had been scraped raw. “Weren’t you wearing your leathers?”

  The man wheezed out a laugh. “In this heat?”

  Ford didn’t bother to argue the point. They’d had this disagreement before. Being motorcycle enthusiasts as well as long-time Doms, they’d often debated safety standards. Ford never took the risk of a spill without wearing protective clothing. That was why he’d driven his SUV to the hospital. Leather in this heat would be stifling, but the risk of having an accident and ending in exactly the condition Gage was in wasn’t one he was willing to take. Gage had always felt different, and now he was paying the price. His recovery was going to be long and painful.

  “You’re going to be fine,” he blurted out, because he wanted his friend to have the reassurance. Surely if his injuries had been worse, he’d be in ICU.

  Gage rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I know. The doctors say there’s nothing broken, but I ruptured my spleen, so I’m here for a few days while they keep an eye on it.” He grimaced. “Stupid fucker in a pick-up truck ran a stop sign. He walked away okay, last I saw.”

  “How can I help you? Do you need me to go by your house and get a few things, or—”

  “Forget my stuff.” Gage tried to grab Ford’s hand, but he couldn’t lift his arm. “I need you to go to my place and take care of my boy.”

  An image popped into Ford’s head—one of a pretty boy with longish, wavy blond hair paired with unusually brown eyes. He was Gage’s new sub, for maybe a few months now—new to the scene, young and vulnerable-looking. Ford looked around the room as if the boy must be there. “You didn’t call him? He doesn’t know yet?”

  The machine showing Gage’s heart rate spiked suddenly. “He doesn’t know because I can’t call him. I left him restrained in my home dungeon.”

  “What?” Ford didn’t even try to modulate his voice. “You left him unattended? What the fuck were you thinking?”

  Gage’s expression turned mulish. “I was only going for a quick trip to buy something for dinner. How was I supposed to know I’d get into an accident a few blocks from my house?”

  Ford threw up his hands. “I don’t know, maybe because most accidents happen close to where the victim lives. Christ, Gage, you know how dangerous that is. You’ve been a Dom for years. You learned the rules from the same Dom I did. How long has he been alone?”

  His friend flicked his gaze toward the clock on the wall. “About five hours, closer to six.”

  “Holy fuck!”

  “Do you still have the key I gave you?”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Ford was already turning away from the bed, fishing his hand in his pocket to pull out his own keyring, where he kept Gage’s, as well as a couple of other friends’ and family members’ keys, as if that would shave a few seconds off his journey. He took a second at the door, though, to look back at his friend. “When this is over, I’m going to beat the shit out of you.”

  “Fair enough,” his friend replied, but Ford barely heard because he was already out of the room.

  He let the door close behind him, not even caring if it did or not. He raced past the nursing station, bolted for the stairs to save time and once he was out of the hospital, ran to his SUV. Now he was sweating buckets, although the heat was only partly to blame. All he could think of was that Gage’s boy had been confined for hours without being monitored. No matter how careful Gage had been in whatever restraints he’d used, there was always the possibility for something to go wrong. Not leaving a sub alone was a cardinal rule. His friend’s breaking of it had come as a complete surprise—except no, maybe not. Hadn’t Gage always pushed the envelope in all things, whether it was riding without proper gear or playing without a contract or rule-setting of any kind? Hadn’t they had plenty of arguments over the years about what and what not to do? This had been a problem hiding in plain sight. If Ford had only taken it more seriously… No, he wasn’t responsible for his friend’s actions, but he was the only one in a position to handle this shit-show now.

  The real issue was whether to call the police or take of it himself. There was no way of knowing whether the boy—Cody was his name—was actually in danger or merely bored, waiting for his Master to return and release him. The vanilla world struggled as it was to accept the BDSM lifestyle as legitimate and not criminal. If the police barged into the home to release the sub, there would be hell to pay, even if Cody was fine. And it wasn’t Gage’s reputation or sensibilities that Ford worried about. No, it was the boy’s. At a minimum, he would be humiliated in front of strangers finding him undoubtedly naked or nearly so and trussed in a manner that brought joy to the kid but was frowned upon by almost everyone else. What he remembered of the sub was that he was shy, skittish and a complete novice. Gage had said something about Cody being a street kid, someone kicked out of his home. Ford was willing to bet the sight of cops would disturb the poor boy. And yet, if he was in trouble, minutes mattered.

  In the end, he arrived at Gage’s duplex as he weighed his options. Thank God, it was the height of summer. The students were gone and many people were on vacation. Traffic was light because it was a Sunday, as well. And bonus point… Gage had a driveway, so there was no need to hunt for a parking space. Ford hopped out of his vehicle and, as he hurried to the front door, his heart pounded and sweat rolled down his back. There was more than worry causing the physiological reaction. He’d suppressed his reaction to Cody the first time he’d met him because he was Gage’s boy, and Ford didn’t poach. That undeniable draw to the fetching new submissive would have led to problems that were not in anyone’s best interest. There were plenty of subs to choose from if one knew the scene well—and Ford did. He never lacked for someone to play with for long. But at the moment, he was unpaired and his stupid dick had ideas of its own. The thought of seeing Cody, being with him, helping him maybe while Gage remained in the hospital, became less about being a good friend and more about an opportunity.

  He did his best to shut down that whole train of thought. “Not going there,” he admonished himself.

  As soon as he opened the front door, he easily shut off his prurient ideas because it was like a sauna inside. Gage’s old home didn’t have central air conditioning and the working-class guy was as frugal as they came. The window unit in the living room was obviously off. Kicking himself for not calling in emergency help, he raced for the kitchen and the entrance to the basement where Gage kept his dungeon. Having played together with their respective subs, Ford was familiar with the layout. He found the door locked and cursed a blue streak as he hunted for the key in a kitchen drawer. Damn… Gage always worried about the wrong thing, like someone would break in and steal his boy, instead of worrying that he’d trapped the sub.

  After finding what he needed, Ford wasted no time opening the door. He took a deep breath as he turned the knob and hoped like hell that what he found down there would be a pissed-off sub and not a hurt one. At least there was an immediate drop in temperature, the basement being below ground level. That was something, he supposed, although it was still very warm and humid. He made himself slow down so that he wouldn’t startle the boy by charging into the dungeon. First, though, he had to turn on the overhead light. He hoped that Gage had blindfolded the kid, otherwise the sudden brightness would be just one more thing to hurt him.

  “Cody?” he called out as he descended. “It’s all right. It’s Master Ford. I’m here to help. Master Gage sent me,” he added.

  Cody forced his eyes open. He immediately blinked hard against the salty sweat that dripped from his forehead, as well as against the light shining into his eyes, before shutting them again. The Master had demanded he be good and keep them closed, and he didn’t want to disappoint the man. This confinement had been a test of his trust and fortitude. Even a small failure, which he would be compe
lled to admit, would mean that he hadn’t learned his lesson. Will I ever be good enough for the Master? Right at the moment, it didn’t seem like it. He wanted to shout out his safeword, except the Master had said that was only for the extreme situation in which he felt he couldn’t go on as his submissive. It would mean the end to everything, and nothing frightened Cody more than the idea of being kicked out once again from a home he cherished.

  A whimper tried to escape him. He was hot and achy and…scared. For the first time since giving himself to his Master, he was truly afraid. Something was wrong. His time strapped to the Saint Andrew’s Cross had been too long. He’d been bad and was being punished as he’d never been before. That was the only explanation his foggy brain could come up with. His hearing must be playing tricks on him, too. That voice coming down the stairs, the name it spoke, that couldn’t possibly be true. Master never shared him with anyone, and yet some other Dom was thudding his way into the dungeon.

  From where he hung, Cody couldn’t see anything other than a wall covered with the things Master used to discipline him with. That was even if he tried again to open his eyes, which he didn’t. Must be strong. Master knows best. He reminded himself of these things as the sound of the heavy footsteps got closer. His body began to tremble, although from fear or fatigue, he couldn’t say. It didn’t matter. To his way of thinking, it was a show of weakness.

  “I’m sorry,” he breathed out, while stifling another sob.

  “Easy.” The low, soothing voice had an instant effect on him. A large hand gently cupped the side of his face. “Do you understand who I am? Nod if you do. No talking is necessary.”

  Cody licked his lower lip before complying. It was Master Ford. He knew that voice. Why the man was here confused him, but it wasn’t his job to worry about such things. He simply had to obey. The touch and tone reassured him. They also sent dangerous signals to his dick. It tried to harden, despite the cage in which it was trapped. He was embarrassed by his lack of control, but too many other things plagued him to worry about it overly much.