by Linzi Basset
“Point made.”
Shona shook her head. “No, Mitch. We’re still very involved with the entire process. Both of us spend two to three days a week at the warehouse or the factory.”
“Why? Don’t you trust the people you’ve appointed to run it? Come on, Shona. You have a marketing team, a sales team, and a very competent manager in charge of the production team. Why do you waste so much time there and not on what you’re good at? Designing.”
“Because it’s our baby. We’ve built it up from the ground and—”
“You’re scared to let go, I know. Whether or not either of you will admit it—because of that your design range and expansion plans are suffering. When did you last release a new collection?”
Shona frowned as she let her mind wander. He must’ve done a very detailed check into their business to know so much. “It’s been a while,” she admitted.
“One year, to be exact, Shona. And the drop in your sales is because of that, not because your team is dropping the ball or you expanded to Canada too early. You and Chloe are so invested in keeping an eye on your ‘baby’, you’re the ones not putting in the same effort that you did in the beginning.”
“Look, Mitch, I appreciate your candor but with all due respect, it’s our business. We know what we’re doing. What do you know about fashion?”
He shrugged. “I’m no fashionista, Shona, but I am a very shrewd businessman and that’s something I do know. I offered you some free advice. What you do with it is your concern, but that has no bearing on why we’re here.”
He got out and walked around the car to open the door. “Let’s go, love.”
“Why bother? I have no intention of giving up on my dream and chase after the three of you to the middle of nowhere.”
“Who said anything about you giving up on your dream? Hell, you’ll have three of the best business minds at your disposal. All I’m saying, Shona, is that you can design anywhere and the rest? Well, if you’re prepared to give up on micromanaging your staff, we could work something out. We’re willing to adapt to your schedule, love, but within reason.”
Shona opened her mouth to respond but closed it again. She had no desire to swap the bright lights of San Francisco for a farm in Tucson, but that didn’t mean she was stupid enough to say no to an exciting experience awaiting her on the top floor. Once done, she would just inform them of her decision.
Yep, easy peasy, Shona.
Shona should’ve remembered that none of her beliefs came to fruition the previous night. This was another one that would come back to bite her in the ass.
“Come here,” Mitch ordered as soon as the elevator began ascending.
Shona stared at him where he was leaning negligently against the back panel. She didn’t think twice and stepped into his embrace.
“Did I mention how beautiful you look, tonight?” He asked. His eyes roamed over her face, almost like he was committing her features to his memory.
“Not that I recall, but seeing as you just did, you’re forgiven.”
The lopsided smile that curved his lips gave him a rakish look. It stole Shona’s breath away.
Gawd, he makes all my womanly bits tingle without even trying. He’s so damn panty-wetting sexy!
“You have something to rectify as well, love.”
“I do?”
He tapped his lips. “Yeah. I can’t recall receiving a kiss when I picked you up.”
“Well, then . . .” She stretched to drag his head closer. “Let me see to it, immediately.”
Their lips met. Bliss! Oh, he tastes like heaven. Shona racked her brain but couldn’t remember if any man had ever affected her so much with only a kiss. Their lips met and their breaths mingled like a soft breeze, before he deepened the kiss.
She knotted her fists in his shirt, pressing harder against him. He growled softly, low in his throat and then his arms circled her, gathering her closer against him. Her body ached like there was hollow emptiness inside her. She was more conscious of Mitch than she’d ever been of anyone else in her life. How his gray eyes shone beneath his half-closed lids; or the five o’ clock shadow on his jaw which added to his attractiveness; and of course, his crescent-shaped mouth—the slight dent in the center of his bottom lip, that she licked over and over.
“You taste like the sweetest honey, Shona. Do you taste like this all over, I wonder?” He murmured before he nuzzled his lips on her throat. “Hmm, yeah, here you do, what about . . . here?” He asked, gently licking a trail of fire down the center of her chest, between her breasts until her low cut dress stopped his course.
Shona was mesmerized by him as he pressed his lips against hers, transporting her to another world. She could hear her ragged breathing like it was a song playing in the background. Their tongues danced in fiery heat that exploded between them. In that moment, she wished away the rest of the world. Desire ignited inside her as she became lost in the sea of lust and the need he awakened. It was a spicy, powerful combination that sent waves of passion crashing over her. His kisses grew more urgent—rushed, and she orbited her hips against his in a desperate attempt to ease the ache in her pulsing loins.
Suddenly a loud ‘ping’ shattered the silence as the elevator rocked to a stop. Their lips pulled apart, her breathing came out in short, desperate gasps. She blinked a few times to bring the world around them back into focus.
His eyes glimmered like polished silver. There was tension in his body and his rigid jaw as he slowly pushed her away.
She stepped back but couldn’t take her eyes off him. He looked like a Viking on the verge of charging into a lustful orgy. Then he blinked and it was gone, making her wonder if it had been her imagination; that he too, had been about to lose control. His words shattered her fanciful imagination to smithereens.
“This was the only time I allowed you to move as much as you did during a kiss, my pet. I am the one who will manipulate your body into where I want it to go in future. Remember that.”
Aye aye, cap’n! Right you are.
She almost snorted in disdain but turned as the doors slid open silently behind her. “Yeah, but will you enjoy it as much as you did this time, I wonder. Guess, I’ll just have to weather the storm and find out.”
“Ah, of course, little miss know-it-all,” he said softly. His warm breath drifted over her nape as he followed her into the foyer of the penthouse. “But be warned; for punishment comes with every act of insubordination. And I love nothing more than to watch my two friends mete it out.”
She blinked at him over her shoulder. “At your order, I imagine.”
“Of course. How else?”
His deep voice sounded pleasant enough but the warning was clear. Whenever he spoke, his voice trilled deep inside her like he was secretly strumming her emotions for his pleasure. This time, the edge to every syllable caused a delicious shiver to trail down her spine. He’d kept his dominance hidden from her—until last night. Then, he’d unleashed the power of his nature full blast and she had no defense. Not even at the very beginning, when he’d merely toyed with her.
She’d noticed the difference in the dynamics of the trio’s relationship the night before to that of Diana’s husbands, who exerted equal power over her all the time. Among these three, Mitch Cooper, was the alpha. They were a pack of wolves. He was the one who controlled their power, their dominance and they followed, but with as much control over their own desires.
Oh fuck! That’s what he meant. Complete submission.
To him.
Through them.
He’s gonna play me like a marionette. Making me beg—him! Damn it to blazes, he’s gonna stay away until I crawl like a puppy for his pleasure.
She glanced back at him over her shoulder. He was broodingly scanning the den they’d just entered. But the glint in his eyes confirmed her suspicions. He was the Dominant over them. Herself included. Instead of high-tailing out of there, her stomach roiled in excitement at the prospect of what lay ahead.
Jesus, Shona. What are you thinking? He’ll eat you and spit you out. Don’t you remember your own warning?
“Did the penny finally drop?” He whispered in her hair. “Do you have the resilience to give me what I want and need from you, or are you preparing to run, Shona, my pet?”
Well, Chloe and Diana always did say she was a Hotspur when it came to a challenge. She never backed away from one.
“Now, why would I wanna do that, my darling? Or are you worried that you might not have what it takes to please me? To give me what I want and need?”
She flashed him a wide-eyed look and was vexed when she noticed the satisfied look on his face.
Fuck. How can he know me so well already?
But, somehow he did, and he had played the trump card Shona would never walk away from. Now, she was trapped in a penthouse with three men who wanted to debauch her—in ways she couldn’t even begin to imagine.
Chapter Six
“Are we alone?”
Once seated on the sofa next to Mitch, Shona looked around. The sofas were luxurious and made from the softest leather she’d ever touched. It was a large open area with low coffee tables; contrasting ottomans and the biggest wall-mounted TV she’d ever seen. The decor and rugs were artful, in muted autumn colors, and colorful paintings added to the ambience.
“No. Sam and Jason are prepping the dungeon room.”
Hold the fuck on! Rewind that!
Well, that just caused her heart to almost catapult out of her chest. The slight twist of his lips attested to his amusement. Her eyes—which she was relatively sure were the size of saucers—gazed at him.
“D-dungeon room?” She managed to stammer.
He didn’t respond, just scrutinized her reaction silently. Shona was mesmerized by the sharp intelligence that exuded from his gaze, the way he didn’t miss anything. Not her accelerated breathing or the hammering of her heart or the excitement that surged through her body. He knew exactly what she was feeling, even before she did.
It unsettled her, to say the least.
Then why aren’t you running out the door, woman?
Because, maybe this is what I’ve been searching for my entire life. This man, who excites me beyond anything I’ve ever experienced.
Good god, woman! Don’t tell me you’ve fallen in love with him already? You hardly know the man!
Shona was startled by her silent soliloquy. Was that it? Has her crush on him turned into love this quickly? Or has it been more than a mere infatuation she’d been cherishing the past year?
“What happened to your previous sub? I assume you had one?” Shona squared her shoulders. A little more information about their previous relationship might set her mind at ease.
He remained quiet for so long that Shona didn’t think he was going to answer.
“Why do you ask?”
She looked at him in surprise. “I’m a woman, first and foremost, Mitch. We’re curious by nature and secondly, you’re aiming to turn me into your submissive. Surely you can understand why I’d like to know more about her. It might help me to . . . you know?” She ended lamely, not sure how to articulate her need to know more about her predecessor.
She silenced her nagging subconscious mind, which told her that it didn’t really matter; especially as she intended to walk away from them at the end of the evening.
“She died.”
His response was abrupt, his gaze had turned glacial. He rose and walked over to the bar.
“White wine?” He queried; to which she nodded. She was numb. Whatever she’d expected, that wasn’t it. How could she continue with the line of questioning now? It was clearly a sore point if his closed expression was anything to go by. And she’d come to know him well enough over the past year to know he wouldn’t volunteer any information.
She opted for an easier question. “How long ago?” Her voice was soft, the empathy she felt for him rang across the silent room.
“Almost two years.”
He handed her a glass of wine and moved to stand in front of the window, gazing out over the ocean.
“I suppose you’ve mourned her long enough and are now looking for a new sub?”
“We didn’t mourn her,” he said coldly. His tone warned her that he was at the end of his tether. “We’ve had other short-term subs since. But none of them could offer me what I need from a sub.”
“Complete submission.”
He turned. Shona couldn’t hold back the gasp. Suddenly, he scared her. She pressed her back deeper into the posh sofa.
“Tell me, Shona, what do you understand about submission?”
“Hold on a minute here, Mitch. Are you telling me that you’re not just looking for a sub like Diana has with Kade, you know . . . sexual submission, but one . . . fuck me. You’re looking for a slave? Someone to be at your beck and call all the time. Who would shrivel and beg for the tiniest crumb of attention. I’m right, aren’t I?”
She stood up and slammed the wineglass on the coffee table.
“What in god’s name made you think, even for one minute, that I’m the kind of woman who would give up my self-esteem to become an extension of you? I might have the makings of a sexual submissive, Mitch Cooper, but a slave? No, thank you. That. Is. Not. For. Me!”
His expression didn’t change. She watched in amazement as he coolly swallowed his drink before he walked closer. This time, she didn’t remain pat, she retreated. Step for step, until she felt the wall against her back.
“Mitch—”
“I’m not looking for a slave, Shona. God forbid that I need to be responsible for your every move or decision. It would drive me crazy and you . . .” he dragged his tongue with sensual intent down her cheek to lick her lips, “would wither and die if you had to suppress your fiery nature.”
“Is that what happened to her? She died because—”
“She died because that was what she craved. We refused to give in to her demands to make her our slave. We’d been together for two years by then and the change in her . . . it took us by surprise. Shook us, to be honest and that’s when I realized I had made a mistake with her. Ultimately, her death was my fault. I thought she was strong enough to be what we needed in a relationship such as ours. But, the longer we were together, the more dependent she became on me . . . only me and ignored Sam and Jason. She wanted me to lay out her entire life for her. Instruction by instruction. When I refused, she began playing games with her life, trying to force my hand. I didn’t budge. In fact, we were already making arrangements to set her up for life, financially, when she died.”
“How . . . how did she die?” Shona watched his eyes. It was the first time she could discern emotion in their depths, however fleeting.
“She thought if she performed the ultimate act of trust, I would finally give in. I wouldn’t have. But . . . fuck!”
He stalked back to the window. Shona followed him slowly. She laid her hand on his shoulder. He was as tense as an iron board.
“I was caught in traffic due to torrential rain. She didn’t factor that in. Sam and Jason were in Tucson that week. She followed me here.”
Shona looked around. “She died here? In this penthouse?”
He shook his head. “No, we bought this one after her death. We couldn’t stay in . . . she thought I would arrive in time to save her. If not for the traffic, I would’ve been there. Not that it would’ve changed our minds, but she had lost all common sense by then.”
He didn’t move and she could see he was struggling with the memories.
“She choked herself.”
Shona stopped breathing. She’d done some Google research on Domination and submission; for that matter, on the BDSM lifestyle as well. Asphyxiation was an act some people in this lifestyle indulged in. She cringed, just thinking about it. Erotic asphyxiation was a sexual act that involved suffocation. She’d seen videos where some couples used rope, some their hands, and some used bags―all to achieve the desired euphoric effect. For s
ome, it was about the thrill of being dominated with a hand on the throat, but mostly it seemed it was the sensation of oxygen being cut off from the brain to heighten the intensity of an orgasm. She could never indulge in something that dangerous.
It shattered her composure to think they were into the hardcore BDSM stuff. The ones where she’d muttered, “Not on your fucking life!”
“You . . . is it something you usually did with her?”
He glanced at her over his shoulder, his gaze condescending. “I would never play with another person’s life like that, Shona. Not even under the guise of pleasure or arousal.”
“Then why would she go to such an extreme?”
“Because she wasn’t strong enough to be her own person; to understand that our domination—my control over her, was limited to sexual indulgence. She came to crave it all the time.”
“Your control . . . that’s just it, isn’t it? You’re in control of everyone. Sam and Jason included. She became jealous, is that it?”
“I guess, in a way, she did.”
He turned around to face her. His look was brooding.
“So, let me spell this out for you, Shona. I am the alpha male in this relationship. Sam and Jason will always follow my lead. I decide who does what and to what extent. But here’s the catch, Shona, and that’s what others have failed to understand. I need you to want me. Desire me with so much passion that you would do anything I ask of you without question. And let me make this abundantly clear—sexually only—and accept it when I still deny you. If you are the right one, love, you will find the way to break my resolve to feed off your wants and desires.”
“And that’s what you’re gonna test tonight? To see if I can make you want me?”
“Oh, I want you, my pet, make no mistake about that. No, Shona, I want to see if you have what it takes to accept that you might not get me until I am ready to take you.”
“Not even if I beg?”
His grin turned evil. “Oh, I expect you to beg, love. A lot.”
She tilted her chin back and looked down her nose at him; which was quite a fete, especially as he towered over her.