Protecting it All: Dark Romantic Suspense (Punishment Pit Book 6)
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Protecting it All
The Punishment Pit ~ Book Six
LIvia Grant
©2020 by Livia Grant
All rights reserved.
No part of the book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published by Black Collar Press
Protecting it All
Punishment Pit Series - Book Six
by Livia Grant
e-book ISBN: 978-1-947559-42-4
Print ISBN: 978-1-947559-43-1
Cover Art by Laura Hidalgo and Spellbinding Creations
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
First Electronic Publish Date, October 2020
First Print Publish Date, October 2020
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Epilogue
About the Author
Also by LIvia Grant
Black Collar Press
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Chapter One
Hannah
"I'll have a large latte, thanks." Hannah Martine ordered a cup of caffeine in hopes of counteracting the effects of the too many glasses of wine she'd downed with dinner. She'd hoped the alcohol would calm her nerves on her first official date with Jake Davenport, her potential new boss.
Jake had been pursuing her for weeks, but her women's intuition had picked up vibes she wasn't sure how to interpret from the handsome businessman. He said the right words, but had an edge to him she wasn't sure she liked. He'd finally worn her down with the promise of a potential new job.
She had hoped the reason for his hot pursuit of her might come to light during dinner at the five-star Angelini's, but hours later, while waiting for dessert to be delivered, she was as confused as ever about why the successful businessman had singled her out. He needed an accountant, but she'd just got her Associate's Degree. There had to be way more qualified people to be had for the opening.
"Throw a shot of Bailey's in that for the young lady, would you please, Mario?" The squeeze of Jake's hand on her knee under the table warned her not to argue.
"Of course, Mr. Davenport. I'll be right back with your after-dinner drinks." The portly waiter scuttled off, giving Hannah the impression, he was just as afraid to displease Jake Davenport as she was.
Why did I even come on this date? He makes me feel like I'm about to jump out of my skin.
"Now, Hannah, enough small talk. What's it going to take to get you to agree to come work for me?"
Despite the warning flags, she was tempted. The lure of a legitimate career was strong. She'd worked her ass off getting her degree while holding down one full and several part-time jobs, yet she was still barely scraping by. She was so tired; that kind of bone-tired that seeped into every nook and cranny of her body and soul, threatening to overwhelm her daily. She longed for a day when she wouldn't feel so overwhelmed by life's demands.
She hedged. "I'm thinking about it."
Jake smiled a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "And what can I do to persuade you to think faster? I have quite a backlog. My last accountant quit suddenly a few weeks ago. I've had my heart set on working with you, Hannah, but I'm afraid time is running out on the offer."
His hand was still on her thigh under the table, stroking her a bit too intimately for a boss. She reached for his palm, picking it up and returning it to his own lap with deliberation. "If you are serious about me working for you, I think we should keep our relationship professional, don't you?" She forced herself to meet his icy blue eyes. He had an intensity about him that made her want to lower her eyes to the floor to avoid being burned.
Jake's recently displaced hand reached out to cup her face instead. When she flinched to move away, his grip tightened. "I do not agree, Hannah. In fact, let me be clear. I don't allow many people into the inner circle of my business workings, but my accountant is one of those people I must trust explicitly. If you become my accountant, we will work long hours together. I will want you... available to me... at all times. Over the years, I've learned the exact type of accountant I like to work with."
She tried to read between the lines of his answer. "And what type of accountant is that?"
"Quite simply, you're perfect."
"Why me? I'm inexperienced." Why was she trying to talk herself out of a job?
Her question hung in the air while Mario delivered their coffees and baklava and then left them alone again.
Jake's hands dropped from her face to grab a fork and take a leisurely bite before he answered as if no time had passed. "Precisely. Nothing makes me happier than training a new employee and lover. It's my greatest joy."
Hannah had started to sip her coffee, but choked on the hot drink as she internalized his answer. He moved closer to pat her gently on her back, as if she were a young child.
It took her several long seconds to trust her own voice to answer. "Your lover?"
This time the grin on his handsome face was genuine. "Well, of course. You don't think I wine and dine every employee, do you? I want you in my bed, Hannah, among other places."
"Again. Why me? You can hire anyone you'd like."
"My answer is the same. Don't waste our time repeating questions." The smile was gone from his face, replaced with a dominance that set her heart pounding and her core contracting with a warmth she hadn't felt in a very long time. Jake was a dangerous man. A wolf dressed in a designer suit. In her mind, Hannah knew he was exactly the kind of man she should avoid at all costs. Unfortunately, the rest of her body was attracted to him like a magnet.
Jake filled the silence, staring into her eyes in a way that felt like he was reaching in to grab her soul. "I want to take care of you, Hannah. Is that so terrible? You've worked so hard for so many years, but you have to be getting tired. Working so many jobs while going to school. Wouldn't it be nice to have some help financially? How about some help growing your career in business?" He paused to make sure she was listening before finishing. "Help exploring your submissive desires—the ones you try to deny exist?"
The pounding of her pulse echoed in her ears. She didn't trust herself to respond and Jake took advantage of her silence, reaching into the pocket of his suit jacket and coming out with a small, wrapped present that looked suspiciously like a jewelry box.
"Open it. It's only the first of many gifts I look forward to giving you while you are under my... care." The way he hesitated made her wonder what word he had wanted to use instead of care.
She slowly ripped the silver wrapping paper off, uncovering the name of an exclusive West Coast jeweler. She peeked inside before slamming the hinged box closed and dropping the velvet-lined container to the table as if it were burning her fingers. It was too much.
Jake sigh
ed, reaching for the box and opening it wide to expose the four large sparkling diamonds inside. She had never seen such extravagant jewels in person before, let alone held them. She wasn't even sure what type of jewelry it was, but was pretty sure they were real diamonds. There were two small rings and two long posts. She only had her ears pierced once, so she couldn't wear them all together.
"Are they real?" Her voice sounded shaky.
It doesn't matter if they're real. You need to say no.
"Of course. Nothing but the best for you, Hannah."
"Why?"
His impatience at her questioning him shone in his eyes. His answer was clipped. "Because I can. Because I want you to wear them and think of me."
"But I only have my ears pierced. I can't even wear them all."
Jake's blue eyes danced with mischief, lightening the mood. He picked up one of the rings, holding it out for her to touch. Once she held it in her hand, he clarified. "This ring will be pierced through your left tit," he explained. "Its mate through your right nipple. I like to mark what's mine."
A gush of moisture escaped to her panties at his naughty promise. Her mind told her to jump up and run out of the restaurant, but her damn body sat frozen in her seat while she watched him pick up a curved post with the largest of all of the diamonds on it. He held it out to her and she silently took it from him. It felt heavy in her fingers.
"This diamond will pierce your belly button. It's the largest because it will be on display most often." He then lifted the smallest and only remaining diamond, holding it up for her inspection before leaning in to whisper intimately against her ear. "This one will pierce your clit hood and rub you throughout the day, keeping you on the edge so you're ready for me when I see you. I promise, it will bring us both great pleasure, Hannah."
She trembled so much, she dropped the nipple rings to the tabletop. Jake didn't seem to mind, reaching to pluck the expensive jewelry up and return it to the box it came in. He left the box open in front of her, not allowing her to shut it out.
The idea of being pierced for his pleasure was ludicrous. They barely knew each other. Her brain knew it, but her body was betraying her. It had been so long since she'd had anyone show any interest in her romantically. It felt good to be the center of this handsome, successful man's attention. It felt even better to think of Jake helping her professionally and, if she was honest with herself, personally as well.
Jake was good at reading body language and must have known how close she was to finally agreeing to take the next step with him. He upped the ante. "Why don't you give me one night? Let me take you to my home office where you can see where you'd be working most often. We can take the next step to making you mine, and you can decide if you like where things are headed before you close the door. Can't you give me a chance?"
She was unprepared for Jake to sound vulnerable, yet that was the word that came to mind. She knew in that minute that the ball was in her court, and she suspected the dominant man sitting across from her didn't allow that to happen often. He was asking for her to trust him. Surely, she could give him one chance, right?
"Okay. One night. I'd like to learn more about the work if I could," she said.
"You've made me a happy man, Hannah. Let's get out of here and go back to my place to iron out the details of your employment contract."
Hannah
Thirty minutes later, Hannah was zooming along the Pacific Coast Highway in Jake Davenport's Corvette Stingray. The plush leather interior of the sports car felt luxurious against her bare thighs, her short skirt exposing more skin than she should have allowed. The night was clear. The light of the full moon reflected off the ocean, bringing an eerie calm to the silent drive.
She'd tried to convince Jake to let her drive herself, but he wouldn't hear of it.
"You've had several drinks, Hannah. It's not safe for you to drink and drive. You'll ride with me. I'll bring you back for your car another day."
It was an order, not a suggestion, making her uneasy. She had of course noticed Jake's tendency to take control and, in some ways, it was a relief. As he had astutely pointed out at dinner, she was weary of having to plan ahead, of being the responsible one. Would it hurt to just let him take care of her for a bit? He'd been pursuing her for weeks and he'd succeeded at wearing her down, quieting that inner voice that had been shouting he wasn't what he portrayed himself as.
She had let herself be led to the car and buckled in by Jake, and before she knew it, they were pulling up in front of a large, brick, ranch-style home that somehow seemed too domesticated for Jake Davenport. It looked like the kind of house a family with 2.5 kids and a dog would live in. Maybe she had read him wrong and he was more than a playboy bachelor? Hope blossomed.
When she reached for the latch to the car door, Jake corrected her. "Ladies don't open their own doors. Sit."
Another order, albeit encompassing a polite gesture.
She watched him exit and walk around the front of the car to open her door, reaching in to assist her out like a gentleman. The walk up the front path was quiet, yet her sixth sense was getting louder with each step she took, shouting at her not to go inside. It was so strong, she dragged Jake to a stop a few feet before they reached the front door.
"I... think... I need more time. I'd like to go home now and think about the offer some more," she said.
Jake's left hand squeezed her arm just above her elbow, pulling her close to his body. Impatience and anger threaded through his words. "There is no backing out now, Hannah. We've come all this way. We're going inside."
The pinch of his fingers kept tightening until it hurt so badly she cried out, turning her eyes to his to question how far he would take this. She met a brick wall. A full-body shiver thundered through her, giving Jake the chance to pull her along towards the front door.
She was flustered and only partly aware of the elaborate security measures he used to get inside the middle-class home in suburban Palo Alto. Alarm bells continued to go off as she recognized the retinal identification followed by the pin-pad, where Jake punched in a long entry code. It felt like they had been thrown into the plot of a spy movie.
Only after passing through several layers of high-tech security did the front door unlock to allow them entry. He still held her by the arm, pulling her across the threshold and shutting the door with a thud. The sound of the door locking automatically surprised her. She longed to reach out to test if she'd be allowed to leave, but Jake didn't give her time.
The house was dark save a few recessed lights that gave the space a shadowy feel, upping her nervousness. Hannah took deliberate deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself as she was led silently across the foyer, through a dining room, and into a large living room sporting a full-length bar illuminated by several neon signs.
She wasn't exactly sure what her imagination had thought she'd find inside his home, but she began to relax, berating herself for being so skittish when, truly, Jake had been nothing but a gentleman so far, albeit a bossy one.
Jake deposited her in a tall bar stool, placing his hands on her hips and lifting her effortlessly to sit in the high chair. At five foot one, Hannah was petite. Her legs barely reached the rung of the stool as he swung it to face the bar. The mirrored back wall was lined with top-shelf liquors of all kinds. It was like being at her part-time job as bartender at the Four Seasons.
"This place is like a fortress," she said. "Why all the security?"
He looked at her for a long moment. "It's a hobby of mine. There's nothing I don't know about the latest high-tech security measures and gadgets." Then, with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes he added, "In fact, it's the only thing I do better than fuck."
His obscene observation got her pulse racing faster.
Jake moved around the bar as she watched him pour himself a brandy and her a white Russian. She didn't want to examine how he'd figured out her favorite drink without asking.
Only when he placed the glass on a c
ocktail napkin in front of her did he lean forward, his elbows on the bar so his face was only inches away from hers. There was just enough light in the room to see the flicker of anger in his icy blue eyes as he finally broke the uneasy silence.
"Now, I think it's fair to tell you my patience is running thin, Hannah. I feel I've been more than patient with you these past few weeks and, more importantly, I know that what I'm offering is a dream come true for a girl like you. Part of what attracted me to you in the first place was your mix of sweet innocence and worldly experience. Having said that, this holier-than-thou routine needs to stop right now. I know you're not the innocent you portray yourself as being."
The edge in his voice was sharp, putting her on defense. "I never said I was an innocent."
"Not in so many words, but your reluctance to go out with me or take what is a very attractive job offer I've given you is getting tedious. Effective immediately, you're employed by me. Drink your drink and then I'll show you where you'll work. We'll go through the employment contract that lays out your responsibilities, the rules, and the consequences for less than stellar performance."
"Consequences, Jake?"
"Consequences, Sir. When we are in this house or at one of my other business locations you're working out of, you will call me 'Sir'."
"But... I thought you said... well, what about us dating? Isn't calling you 'Sir' a bit formal?"