Widowed Countess Daphne Redmond demands perfect obedience from the collared man at her feet. Fletcher Taggart, once a gentleman and now her houseboy, offers his willing surrender in the dim library, where the click of the buckle seals more than his service.

Her fingers linger at his neck as the distant cousin watches from the doorway. The leash waits in her hand, the key rests against her breast, and the estate's debts press closer with every stolen moment of control. She needs his devotion without naming the hunger it feeds, but one slip will cost her title and the fragile attachment she refuses to lose.

How long can she keep her pet leashed before the ton discovers what she hides in the winter conservatory?