Checking “curious” under flogging and writing in the word “very” next to it, she squirmed and pressed her hips against the mattress, aching for some release.
Her mood changed, however, when she came across some of the things that Damien had used, and not in pleasant ways: the medieval-looking Wartenberg he’d brandished when she was tied up. Nipple clamps that bit into her skin so hard it brought on waves of nausea. The blindfold he used to make sure she stayed vulnerable and weak.
Lilly checked “dislike” for all of them, starring them to drive the point home. Then she starred blindfolds a second time.
The next heading was labeled “Edge Play”. There was a lot she wanted Jack to do to her, but choking her and using knives weren’t among them. She checked “hard limit” for the whole section. When the list was complete, she did one last read-through, and her pencil hovered above one item.
Sex.
It was the most basic thing on there, but it made her pause. She was already on birth control, preferring the regularity it provided, however that wasn’t the problem. It was because it was during those intimate moments when Damien was inside her that she’d fooled herself the most. If she and Jack had sex, would she believe this was more than it was?
It wasn’t a risk she was willing to take.
Erasing the check she’d put under “love”, she replaced it with one under “soft limit”. That category was defined as something the submissive has placed strict conditions on, but might still be up for discussion. Lilly knew what her answer in that discussion would be. She turned back to the final page, but her hand froze over the signature line. Putting her name down, actively signing her rights away, felt so…official.
Maybe she should sleep on it. It was late. She had a busy day ahead of her tomorrow, and things might seem clearer in the morning.
Lilly leaned over, dropped the papers on top of her briefcase and shut off the light.
“Have you found anything useful in those logs?” Cassie asked.
“Not yet.” Lilly climbed out of the company car and followed Cassie and Gabe down a broken sidewalk toward Holbrook Laboratories. The cold bit through her stockings. It hadn’t been such a brilliant idea to wear a thin skirt and sweater when it was freezing outside, but it was the best option she had when she’d rushed to get ready that morning. She’d overslept after an even more fitful night’s sleep than usual. “I did, however, find an entry from June that implies Simon came up with the formula while he worked for the Giordanos.”
“That won’t help us.” Gabe stopped in front of a dilapidated storefront and checked it against the address on his phone. “How discounted a rate is Forrester giving this guy?”
Cassie peered around the side of the building. “Maybe he’s paying us in livestock. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a chicken coop back there.”
Gabe snorted and yanked open the door. A few minutes later, they were seated in Simon Holbrook’s office. It was a dark, cramped space with a red shag carpet that probably hadn’t been replaced since the seventies, and Simon looked as disheveled as the room. The frayed edges of a button-down shirt hung loosely over his worn corduroy pants. He sat at his desk and tugged on his thinning hair, the lines above his bushy eyebrows bunching up on his forehead.
“Why don’t you start at the beginning?” Cassie suggested. “The facts from your point of view.”
Simon pushed up his large glasses over an even larger nose. “For five years I was the Giordanos’ chief scientist. They were extremely paranoid. Everyone had to make daily logs in their database, chronicling every detail of the day’s work.”
As Simon continued to talk, Lilly reached into her briefcase and retrieved a printout of the database file. A few papers slipped out with it. She leaned over to grab them, only to realize they were Jack’s checklist and contract, most likely thrown into her bag in her haste to get ready that morning.
Panicked, she snatched them off the ground and shoved them back into her briefcase. Gabe and Cassie were too involved in what their client was saying to notice.
“I hated their business practices and the way they intimidated their employees, so I left,” Simon continued. “I opened this lab last summer and finally developed my new formula.”
“Our opponents have a different story,” Gabe said. “They say you created the formula in their lab and took your research with you. They even have a log entry to prove it.”
“They’re lying!”
“We know you’re upset, Mr. Holbrook,” Cassie said calmly. “But we need to figure out what happened.”
“Yeah, or I’m going to get whacked.”
Gabe stifled a chuckle, covering it with a very overt clearing of his throat.
“You won’t get whacked,” Cassie insisted. “But they might be able to put you out of business. Can you think of any reason why your former employers would accuse you of stealing?”
Simon sighed. “Because of Jacqui.”
Gabe glanced at his notes. “I assume you mean Jacqueline Broussard. The Giordanos’ current chief scientist?”
“She was my lead project scientist and friend,” Simon explained. “She was promoted after I left, but she didn’t belong there. When I made my discovery, I invited her to lunch and offered her a job. I thought she’d jump at the chance, but I was wrong. She needed money. Her mother is sick and the Giordanos pay her more than I can.”
“Do you have a receipt from that lunch?”
“Somewhere.”
He pulled open a drawer and searched, throwing pieces of paper on the floor and rummaging deeper.
Cassie wrinkled her nose as she watched him. “Do you have any logs of your own notating the creation of the new formula?”
“I do, but it’s a hand-dated notebook.” Simon stopped hunting. “Please don’t let them put me out of business. This is my life’s work.”
Gabe gave him an understanding smile. “We’ll do our best.”
They headed out, telling him they’d be in touch. Once they were back in the car, Cassie grumbled, “This is looking better every day.”
Lilly tried to focus, to discuss the case and brainstorm ideas, but she couldn’t stop thinking about Jack’s offer, waiting for her signature in her briefcase. When the driver let them out in front of their building, she paused on the sidewalk.
“I’m going to grab some lunch.”
Gabe turned around, eyebrows skyrocketing to his hairline in shock. “You haven’t taken a lunch break since you were hired.”
Cassie took a step toward her. “You want some company?”
“Nah, I’m just going to look over the files someplace else. See if it helps me think.”
She backed away and crossed the street before either of them could say another word. Once she was settled at a café a few blocks away, Lilly took the contract out and read over it again. It seemed less menacing in the light of day, but she still hesitated over signing it.
Pulling her phone from her bag, Lilly thumbed over the screen to unlock it and brought up Jack’s Facebook profile. As soon as she saw his photo, her body instantly reacted, limbs softening at the memory of his touch. The warmth of his breath. His kiss.
“I will respect your limits, Lilly. Even if your answer is no.”
Did she want to say no?
There was only one way she’d be able to decide.
Chapter Fourteen
Jack glanced at the clock in the back of the classroom.
“Looks like it’s time to wrap up,” he said. His students began gathering their things. “I’m sure none of you need the reminder about next week’s reading. I’ll be expecting some lively analysis. If you have questions, you know when my office hours are.”
Although he wished they weren’t today.
Almost twenty-four hours had gone by since he’d seen Lilly, and the strain of waiting for her a
nswer was driving him crazy.
He collected his laptop and the text he’d been reading from, then left the room and walked down the hall toward his office. The department secretary stopped him before he reached it.
“You’ve got someone waiting,” she told him.
“Already?”
He’d hoped to have a few minutes to himself before the parade of students arrived. He rounded the corner and froze. Lilly was standing outside his office. She was pacing, one hand tugging on a braid that spilled over her shoulder. Concern for her gripped Jack like a vise.
She went stock still when she saw him. Jack neared her and murmured, “This is a surprise.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I looked up your office hours online. I thought you might be free, and I…needed to talk.”
“Is everything all right?” Lilly nodded but said nothing else. “Let’s go inside.”
He opened the door and ushered her inside. Heat sputtered from the faintly hissing radiator, glare from the snow-glistening campus shining in through the windows. Jack placed his things on a small table by the door.
“You can put your bag here,” he told her. “Let me take your coat.”
She put down her bag, took off her coat and handed it to him. She’d been dressed for work—both professional and sexy as hell in a soft cotton sweater, stockings, a skirt and heels. He hung her coat on the back of the door, closed it behind him and locked it.
“What did you need to talk about?”
“I want to. I think—” Lilly blurted out, then winced. “The contract, I mean. I want to. With you.”
His cock pulsed, but Jack ignored his body’s reaction. He needed to focus on Lilly. “You think, or you know?”
There was a difference, one she had to be sure of.
She fingered her braid again, twisting it even tighter. That nervous habit of hers was out in full force. Jack wondered what it would be like to coil that silky rope around his own fingers, then beat the image back. She was anxious, and needed comforting right now.
He lifted a hand and stroked her cheek with his thumb. “Relax.”
“I’m sorry. I’m not sure how to process everything.” She took a breath and released her hair. “It’s hard to believe you’re giving me so much freedom. My ex never did.”
“I’m not him,” he said simply.
She searched his eyes for a long moment. “I know.”
Jack encouraged her to take a deep breath, then another. When she finally seemed calmer, he lowered his hand.
“You read everything I gave you?” he asked. Lilly nodded. “Did you bring the checklist?”
“I did.”
“Good girl.”
She smiled briefly, a tiny curve of her lips. He put that smile on her face, and he wanted to keep it there. She liked being praised. He’d have to remember that.
Jack held out his hand. “Let me see it.”
Lilly went back to the door and retrieved the papers from her bag. When he took them from her, he let his fingers brush along hers, his touch lingering until she blushed.
“Have a seat,” he told her, and Lilly sank into a chair.
Checklist in hand, he strode toward the window and flipped the blinds shut. He started at the last page, scanning through some of the riskier stuff, relieved to see she’d put hard limits on all edge play. That had never been his thing. He continued flipping backward, his eyes drawn to the items he most wanted to read. She’d checked “curious” for flogging. Good. He’d love to introduce her to that, to hear her startled gasp at the heavy thump of the tails. It seemed she liked being restrained too, and he relished the image of her shackled in his cuffs.
Corralling his concentration, Jack scanned through the rest, noting her dislikes and limits. He stopped short, though, when he reached the first page.
She’d put a soft limit on sex?
That was a surprise, but then again, how much did he really know about her? No matter what she’d admitted in the diner, he was pretty sure he’d only heard a small part of her story.
Jack turned back to face her.
“I’m proud of how thoroughly you’ve gone through this, and I want you to know how brave I think you are.” He moved to a spot between where she was sitting and his desk, leaning against it. “Would you mind explaining the reasons for some of your dislikes?”
“Which ones?”
He glanced at the list. “The nipple clamps, for example.”
The color drained from her face. “They hurt a lot when my ex used them. The Wartenberg wheel too.”
“Did he use them for punishment?”
“No. I think he just liked hurting me.” She laughed softly. “In a multitude of ways.”
It was obvious there was more to it than that, but he didn’t want to push. “What about blindfolds?”
“I just haven’t had good experiences with them.” Her shoulders curled inward. She took a shaky breath. “I don’t like being in the dark like that.”
The look on her face was so heartbreaking that Jack wanted to pull her into his arms.
“And the limit on sex?”
She cringed. “I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry about. I just want to know why.”
“I didn’t think it was a good idea, since this isn’t a relationship.”
“Hmm.” That wasn’t quite an answer. “Is there something you’re not telling me? Did your ex ever force you?”
“No, Damien did a lot of horrible things, but he never raped me.”
Damien. What a perfect name for someone who sounded so evil.
She picked at her skirt. “I understand if it makes you not want to do this.”
Jack put the paperwork down and reached for her hands. He pulled her up to stand and looked her in the eye.
“I want to.”
She awarded him with another tiny smile. “I can get you the results of my last STD test. But you should know I left a few things blank on the contract.”
“Like what?”
“I didn’t pick someone for a safety call,” she said. “I think I’d rather keep this between us.”
That was a relief. He’d have given her the option if she needed it, but telling someone would make this a hell of a lot more complicated.
“Me too.” Jack rubbed his thumbs over the tops of her hands. “What else did you leave blank?”
She shifted her weight and looked at the floor again. “The safeword. I didn’t know what to write.”
A deep V had formed between her brows, a frown on her lips that spoke of shame. Jack slid his hands up her forearms and stroked her shoulders, her hair, the sides of her neck. Cupping her cheek, he moved in close and kissed her softly. Slowly. So slowly that when he pulled away, Lilly’s eyes were still closed, her mouth open, her body leaning into him for more.
“Let’s figure one out for you then.”
She opened her eyes and smiled, big and wide and bright, hope like a ray of light on her face. The sight did things to him that it shouldn’t have, tugged at an empty space inside him.
He put that thought aside.
“Colors are commonly used,” he explained. “Green to tell me you’re okay and you like what I’m doing. Yellow to tell me you’re nearing your limit. Red for stopping the scene entirely. Do those work?”
“I like that.”
“Good. I also think it’s important we don’t use our names in my playroom. It will help to keep us in the right frame of mind. I liked calling you little girl. Are you comfortable with that, and with calling me Sir?”
A tiny tremble was coupled with a quickened breath. A rush of pink colored her cheeks. “I’m comfortable.”
Jack grinned, enjoying the high he got from her reaction. Now that she felt more secure, it was time to push her a little. To make her hungry with ant
icipation. He needed her desperate, not only to be in his playroom, but to crave giving over power to him.
“Do you want to put a date on the contract?” he asked.
“Sure…I guess? I mean, when did you want to do this?”
“As soon as you’re ready. Because you know what it means when you are, don’t you?”
Lilly hesitated, an even deeper blush covering the freckles on her cheeks. He’d love to see where else those adorable little marks ran across her flesh.
“What does it mean?”
He brought his lips to her ear and whispered, “It means for one day, your body will be mine. Your skin, your moans, your scent, your taste. They’re all mine.”
Lilly inhaled sharply. Seeing her so turned on was a delicious image, one he wanted to savor. But there was something he needed to take care of first.
Jack clasped his hands behind his back and began walking around her.
“First, however, we have to discuss the error you made.”
That startled her. She turned back to look at him, her brows high and pressed together. Jack raised his chin and pointed to the floor. Her gaze obediently fell to the carpet.
Perfect.
“Do you want to tell me what you think your mistake was?”
“I—” She halted. Jack watched her closely as he continued to circle her. Underneath the soft fabric of her sweater, her nipples had stiffened. She was confused but not scared, turned on even in her uncertainty.
To help her understand, he grabbed her braid and tugged her head back. “I don’t like surprises, Lilly.”
She gasped when he let her go. “I came to your office without contacting you first.”
He let that sit for a beat. “And why might that be a problem?”
“You could’ve been busy. Students could’ve been here.”
She knew the answer now but didn’t realize he was simply testing her, employing the same method of questioning he used with his students—another question for an answer. Only with her, the game was much more fun.
His Contract: Legally Bound, Book 1 Page 9