Taming Me

by Alexandrea Weis

  He stooped down on his knees, holding my gaze. “Remember what I said about trusting me?”

  I warily bobbed my head.

  “Then you need to do it, now.” He picked me up and carried me to my bedroom.

  Being a romance writer, this was the part of the story when you knew what was going to happen next. With Garrett all bets were off. It was safe to say he was not taking me to bed for sex, especially since he’d just seen me retching my guts out earlier. I smelled, and was no one’s idea of a dream lover. So what exactly did he have in mind?

  When he deposited me in front of my bathroom door, he put his hand to my forehead. “Looks like your fever is gone, and your color has come back.”

  “Yeah, I feel better.” I waved into the bathroom. “What are we doing?”

  “Take off your clothes,” he ordered, gazing down my sweats.

  My eyebrows shot up. “Excuse me?”

  He towered over my figure, arching his shoulders toward me. “You’re going to take a shower with me. It’s time to get back to your training. This will show you that I can be trusted, no matter how vulnerable you may feel. And secondly,” he grinned, “you smell.”

  “I’m sick,” I argued, put off by his comment about my offensive odor.

  “You’re better.” He began to unbutton his white shirt.

  I waited, stunned into silence, as he undid his shirt and eased it from around his shoulders. His naked chest was more than I had expected with his well-defined shoulders, carved pecs, and ripped abs…definitely not a runner. He probably spent a lot of time in the gym.

  He motioned to my sweat suit. “Take off your top.”

  I stubbornly folded my arms over my chest. “Are you out of your mind?”

  Unzipping his pants, he glared at me. “Don’t you want to finish Taming Me?”

  My mouth dropped. “You son of a bitch. You read my book?” I backed out the bathroom door. I never liked to share my work with anyone, until it was finished. For him to go into my computer, and read the beginnings of my book, was even more of a violation than standing naked in front of him.

  “You have a great idea for a story, Lexie, even if you did name the main character Ralph.” He rested his hand on the wall next to me. “I could see the book coming alive after just the first chapter. It would be a shame to give up now.”

  He was right. I hated that he was right. The first chapter the night before had poured out of me. Until I had been overcome with nausea, the story had just flowed. I could only get so far with what I had learned from Garrett. I needed more. I needed to go deeper into his world.

  “If you want more to put in this book, then take off your clothes,” he commanded, reading my thoughts, yet again.

  Spitting nails, I glowered at him. This mind reading bullshit was getting on my nerves. I reached for the bottom of my sweatshirt, cursing my career choice. “Fine, but if you—”

  “If you trust me, Lexie, you’ll do as I say and never question.”

  Wrenching the sweatshirt over my head, the cool temperature of the bedroom hit my skin. His eyes were taking in my small breasts while I lowered my sweat pants and underwear to the floor. After stepping out of the pants, I walked into the bathroom.

  At my small shower stall, I was about to turn on the faucet when his hand reached out, stopping me. “I’ll do it.”

  Lowering my hand, I could feel his naked chest against my back. Slowly, he turned on the water and waited. We stood like that, his body pressing into me as the water warmed. He tested the temperature with his hand and then whispered, “Get in.”

  I stepped below the cascade of water and slowly pivoted around to Garrett. He was standing in the open glass door, unzipping his gray pants and watching me. I wanted to cover my naked body with my hands, but I fought back against my modesty and kept my hands at my sides. Methodically, his eyes took in every detail of my slim figure. From my throat, down over my firm breasts, to my slender waist, his eyes roamed. When he came to the triangle of dark hair between my legs, I felt self-conscious about not having shaved. Then again, I had not planned on taking a shower with anyone, let alone Garrett.

  When he was done examining me, he dropped his pants to the bathroom floor. I was convinced things were going to go too far. As I took in his body, I was surprised to find that he was not erect. I had always believed that even the sight of a naked woman would get a man hard, but not Garrett.

  The steam from the hot water was rising up when he came under the shower. At first, I was too nervous to look him in the eye. Keeping my focus on his chest, I waited for him to tell me what to do.

  “Turn around,” he directed, running the water on his hands and then through his hair.

  I faced the wall behind me and closed my eyes as the water hit my face. His hands were on my shoulders, gliding down the length of my arms. “Relax for me,” he murmured in my ear, his body easing into my back. “Give in to me, Lexie.”

  As he lifted my hands I didn’t resist, and placed them on the tiled wall in front of me. Inclining my head forward, his hands went to my shoulders. He gently massaged the muscles in my neck, shoulders, and back. I would tighten up when he hit a tender spot, then he would remind me to relax and continue on with his gentle prodding.

  Between the warm water and the way his massage soothed my sore muscles, I was clinging to the shower wall with my eyes closed, trying to stay upright. As his fingers moved down my back, working out the stiffness as they went, I became more comfortable with his touch. His hands were like velvet next to my skin; soft, tender, yet determined. When he gripped my butt, all the tension in my body returned and my eyes flew open.

  “You’re tensing up. You have to believe that I will never hurt you when I touch you.” His mouth was right at my ear and his voice was hypnotic. “You will allow me to touch every inch of you and never doubt my intentions.” His hands kneaded my butt cheeks, hard. “Tell me you are mine to touch. Say it.”

  I swallowed back my nervousness. “I’m yours to touch,” I repeated in a shaky voice.

  “I didn’t hear you, Lexie.”

  “I’m yours to touch,” I firmly stated.

  “Anywhere?” he sighed into my ear.

  I reluctantly nodded. “Yes, anywhere, Garrett.”

  “Master. You must call me Master.”

  “Master,” I echoed.

  As soon as I said the word, his hand slipped between my legs and rubbed along my folds. “This is where I want to touch you.”

  I instantly tried to push his hand away.

  “No,” he declared behind me. “Don’t fight me. Never fight me.”

  He turned me around. When I stared into his face, I didn’t hide my anger. He had manipulated me, and in the process humiliated me.

  “Ah, now you’re angry with me. I can see it in your eyes, Lexie.”

  I wiped the water from my face. “That was dirty.”

  He let me go and stood back from me. “That was nothing compared to what is to come. You wanted access to my world, so you’d better get ready.”

  When he left the shower, I caught a glimpse of his erection. Manipulating me, making me call him master, had excited him, while my naked body had not. In that moment, I understood something about Garrett. For him it was not about sex, it was about control. Until he could control me completely, he would never take me as a lover. That was the one thing I knew I had to hold on to, my will.

  After quickly putting on my sweat suit, I found Garrett in my living room adjusting his blue tie. His wet hair was sleeked back and his always pressed clothes were now slightly wrinkled.

  “Tomorrow night I’m going to bring you to the De Sade Club,” he announced.

  Pulling back my wet hair, I leaned against the doorframe to my bedroom. “That soon? You think I’m ready?”

  “I prefer not to wait too long. Knowing Colin, he has already told the empress about you, and she will want to meet you.” He picked up his jacket from my sofa. “I think you can handle it.”

&
nbsp; “What else did fondling me in the shower prove, Garrett?”

  Slipping on the jacket, he glanced back at me, frowning. “That you’re comfortable with me.” He tugged at his right sleeve. “And I didn’t fondle you, Lexie. I was proving a point.”

  “What? That you’re my master?”

  Ignoring me, he picked some lint from his jacket. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow night at seven. Wear a simple black cocktail dress, no sequins, rhinestones, or bows, high black heels, and put your hair up, with very little makeup and only red lipstick.” He went to the door and turned back to me. “Tomorrow night, from the moment we leave this apartment until we come back, you had better call me Master.”

  “Or what, Garrett? Are you going to punish me?”

  “Only if you deserve it.” Grinning, he stepped into the hall. “Get some sleep. I’ll call you in the morning.” Then, he quietly shut the door.

  Day 5

  Tired, but feeling much stronger, I spent the day at home working on my book. I kept thinking back to our shower. The entire incident had left me more confused about Garrett than comfortable. Seemingly overnight, a relationship I had thought to be businesslike and platonic had become muddled by the question of sex. Yes, he was sexy as hell, and there was some kind of chemistry between us. Yet, the way he kept his distance from me, and his aversion to being touched, baffled me.

  The only thing that had not suffered from our time together was my book. The words were flying out of me. I could not type fast enough, and felt inspired by what I was learning about Garrett’s strange world. I had already written two more chapters, and was well on the way to creating the sexual tension needed between my hero and heroine, when my noisy stomach insisted I take a break.

  Heading to my tiny kitchen, I opened the refrigerator to see what I could put together for lunch when I was greeted by a welcomed surprise. I remembered Garrett saying he had gone to the grocery store for me. Until that moment, I had not realized the extent of his shopping. The refrigerator was crammed full with an assortment of fruits, vegetables, cold cuts, cheeses, and even a pint of chocolate Hagan-Daz ice cream in the freezer. I was stunned by the gesture. Here I thought I was just some experiment to him. The contents of my refrigerator made me feel like I was something more.

  After finding the loaf of sourdough bread Garrett had placed in my microwave oven, I celebrated my virtual cornucopia of food by sampling a bit of everything. As I ate I felt my strength returning, and the last remnants of whatever virus that had struck me vanished from my insides. I even had a few bites of ice cream to top off my meal.

  My stomach full, I turned my eyes to my laptop in the living room, keen to get back to my book. Getting comfortable at my desk, I was just about to start another chapter when my cell’s Jay Z ringtone broke through the air. Reaching for my phone, Garrett’s name flashed before me. I thought about not answering his call, but a pang of guilt won out over my anger, and I edged my finger across the iPhone screen.

  “Hello, Garrett.”

  “How are you feeling today?”

  His voice sounded the same way his hands had felt caressing my skin. I forced my concentration back to the call. “Better, much better. I, ah, want to thank you for yesterday. I found all the food you bought for me a little while ago. You really didn’t have to do that.”

  “You need to eat better. All you had in your fridge was an old wheel of cheese and leftover Chinese food.”

  “Well, I don’t shop much.”

  “Why not?” he probed.

  “What I buy depends on how big my royalty check is. Plus, I was never a big eater.” I squirmed in my chair, as the sound of his voice kept bringing me back to our time together in my shower.

  “You need to take better care of yourself, Lexie.”

  My eyes returned to my manuscript. I needed to get back to my book. “Are we still on for tonight?” I quickly asked, changing the subject.

  “Yes. Do you remember what I told you to wear?” He was sounding sarcastic again.

  I rolled my eyes. “I’m not deaf, Garrett. I remember.”

  “Do you own a simple black cocktail dress, or should I bring one with me?”

  The question surprised me. “Where would you get such a dress?”

  “I frequently buy clothes for my subs. From my estimate, you’re about a size two, petite. I can bring something with me if you need it.”

  My grip on the phone tightened, as I pictured his eyes going-over my naked body. “I have a dress.”

  “Be ready at seven. I don’t like to be kept waiting.” He hung up, and the cold indifference in his voice stayed with me.

  I stared at my phone, mulling over the man’s mood swings. There were times when he could be so gentle and caring, and then times he could be a real son of a bitch. I wasn’t sure which one I liked more. The son of a bitch I could keep at a distance. The caring, gentle Garrett was starting to grow on me.

  “The book, Lexie,” I muttered, putting down my phone. “Just stay focused on the book.”

  * * *

  At seven on the dot, while I was pacing the hardwood floors of my living room, the downstairs doorbell scared the life out of me. Clasping my chest, I took a moment to calm down. After a deep breath, my hands ran nervously down the front of my sleeveless, black satin cocktail dress. A little dated, but simple with an oval neckline and high hemline, it was neither flashy nor overstated. I only hoped it would meet Garrett’s standards; otherwise, this was going to be a long night. Shaking my head at the level I had sunk to just to get a story, I went to the speaker by my door and buzzed him in.

  Seconds later, I heard heavy footsteps trotting up the staircase. When I opened my front door, he was standing before me like a Greek statue. Attired in a black suit with a crisp white shirt and perfectly knotted gray tie, he radiated confidence. The dark suit deepened his sculpted features, accentuating his deep brown eyes, chiseled cheekbones, and square jaw. Damn, he looked good.

  Hovering outside of my door, he scanned my outfit, and his wide brow crinkled when he came to my low-heeled black shoes. “Do you have another pair of black heels, higher than those?”

  I was about to tell him that the high heels would hurt like hell after twenty minutes, but I bit my tongue. I had learned enough about the man to know that there was no point in arguing.

  “Sure, let me go and get them.”

  He followed me inside, shutting the door behind him. “I like the dress,” he complemented, as I reached my bedroom door.

  “It’s not too old-fashioned?”

  “No.” His eyes felt as if they were looking through my dress and not at it. “It’s perfect…for a submissive,” he coyly added.

  After switching to the stiletto-heeled black pumps I had saved for a special occasion, I returned to the living room.

  “Much better,” he asserted with a nod. He came across my small living room to my side and pulled something from his jacket pocket. “Put this on.”

  In his hand was a white leather collar. The buckle was silver, and there were silver D-rings attached to it. Staring at the collar, I thought he was joking.

  “You’ve got to be nuts, Garrett. I’m not putting that on.” I pointed to the offensive object, snorting slightly.

  “If you don’t put this on, you will not be allowed in the club as my sub. In addition, not being connected to a Dom like me could be very dangerous for you,” he protested.

  “Dangerous how?”

  “Lexie, I don’t think you realize how hard core these people are. They take submission very seriously. If they think you’re not mine, they will….” He held up the collar to me. “Just put it on.”

  I snatched the collar from his hand. “What kind of club is this, Garrett?”

  “A very exclusive club that took a hell of a lot of pull to get into. I can’t risk anything going wrong.”

  I fit the collar about my neck. “Why not? Can’t you find another club?”

  He stepped behind me and helped fix the buckle. �
��Not like this one. Many of the members are very affluent and politically connected. In this town, to get anywhere in business, you need their help.”

  I turned to him. “So this all comes down to business connections for you. It’s not about the submission, is it? It’s about money.”

  “Everything comes down to sex or money, Lexie, especially where men are concerned.” He lowered his hands to his sides. “Some of the things that go on in the club, I don’t necessarily agree with. I’m there because I’m a businessman who also happens to love the art of seduction.”

  I had a new insight into his character, and I didn’t like what I was seeing.

  “That suits you.” He motioned to the collar.

  I raised my hand to the snug fitting strap of leather. “It’s uncomfortable.”

  He took my arm. “It’s only for tonight.”

  Guiding me toward the apartment entrance, he reached for my black satin handbag waiting on the bench by the door. I removed my keys from the lock and waited, as he opened the door for me. Just when I was about to step out into the hall, he placed his arm across the threshold.

  “From now on, until we return to this apartment, I’m to be called Master or Sir. You are never to call me by my given name in front of these people. The slightest misstep and they will be suspicious of you. I cannot allow you to jeopardize what I have spent months building. Do you understand?”

  I pushed his arm out of the way. “I’ve got it, Master.”

  He moved aside, smiling at me. “I like the way you say it.”

  “Yeah? Well, don’t get too used to it, because after tonight, I’m hoping I have everything I need for my book.” I shut my door and set the deadbolt.

  “We’ll see, Lexie.” He waited as I dropped my keys into my purse. “I have a feeling there is much more to come for us.”

  I refrained from telling him what I thought of his feeling. I was to be his sub for the evening, and figured I had better start playing my part. Once our evening had concluded, however, I would make sure I took off my little white collar and told him exactly where to shove it.