Her Dom (Dominic Powers #1)

by A. D. Justice

  The dubious look Mom gives me in return doesn’t help matters. The dream is still at the forefront of my thoughts and sometimes I would swear my mom is a mind reader. She stares me down as she takes another sip of her coffee and part of me wants to laugh at her attempt to intimidate me. But she knows me better than anyone—she knows all of my deepest secrets and fears—so her concern is valid. She arches an eyebrow at me and no words are needed.

  “It’s too late, Mom,” I confess. “Don’t worry. I’m fine.”

  She sighs heavily and slowly nods her head as if she already knew and was just waiting for me to confirm it. “You know, Dominic, it really doesn’t matter how old you are. A mother never stops worrying about her children.”

  Mom gets up from the table and begins taking ingredients out of the refrigerator to make our breakfast. For as long as I can remember, Dad has offered to have our cook come early in the morning so Mom wouldn’t have to cook but she would never agree. There were very few things that she solidly put her foot down over, and this was one of those things, so Dad always indulged her. She wanted us to start every day as just a normal family. Breakfasts with my family are some of my favorite memories from my childhood.

  As I enter the bedroom, I faintly hear the water running in the bathroom and then a moment later, Sophia comes sweeping into the room. The aroma of jasmine, rose, and orchid drifts into the room in her wake. She’s dressed and ready for the day, looking beautiful as always, when she sees me staring. She stops walking and stares back at me for a second before her smile lights up her face.

  “Good morning, Dom,” she says sweetly as she walks to me and kisses me. “I missed you this morning. I hope I didn’t sleep too long.”

  “No, baby, you’re good. Dad hasn’t made it downstairs yet. Mom and I just had a cup of coffee together and she’s cooking breakfast now,” I say as I pull her into my arms.

  “How rude of me! I should go down and help her!” she exclaims as she frantically searches for her shoes.

  I calmly grasp her by the shoulders to get her attention, “No, baby, breakfast is her thing. She won’t let you—she likes doing this for us.”

  After I take a quick shower and get dressed, I join everyone downstairs in the kitchen. As I approach, I hear Mom, Dad, and Sophia talking and laughing together like old friends. Mom is putting the last of the breakfast foods on the table as I walk in the room.

  “Just in time,” Mom smiles at me.

  After a way too big breakfast, we spend the majority of the day with my parents, doing nothing and everything together. Sophia seems so much more at ease now and she’s enjoying this close family time. I notice, at times, she has a forlorn look on her face but she quickly rejoins us in the moment. I suspect she’s making comparisons again and feeling regrets of how her life could have been had circumstances been different. In the late afternoon, Sophia and I say our goodbyes and Tucker drives us back to the airport.

  “You look happy,” I comment to her as we ride in the backseat.

  “I am happy, Dom,” she replies. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “You seem happier now than when we first arrived.”

  “I feel closer to you now, after meeting your parents. I felt like I fit in with them, like they accepted me,” she says as her eyes drift off to gaze out the window past me.

  Taking her chin in my hand, I capture her attention and hold her gaze steady as I assure her. “They do accept you and you do fit in with my family. My parents understand how important you are to me. You don’t ever have to worry about that,” I state with finality.

  Her eyes dart from side to side as she gazes deeply into my eyes. She looks like she wants to say something that’s hard for her to express, but she withdraws into herself again. I keep reminding myself that I have to take baby steps with her, but the Dom in me is ready to start demanding all of her. He thinks maybe it’s time to remind her of the dynamics of our relationship and I’m inclined to agree with him.

  “Sophia,” I deepen my voice and steel my expression, “you are mine. I shouldn’t have to remind you of that again. Being mine means you don’t withhold from me when something is on your mind. If it’s important to you, then it’s important to me and I need to know what it is.”

  She swallows hard and nods her head in agreement. “It really isn’t anything—just the old insecurities I’m fighting. My mother always told me I was worthless and would never amount to anything. She said I didn’t fit in with anyone and I never would. I love my younger brother, but she’s tried to turn him against me, too. I don’t even know if he will speak to me now.

  “And then, there’s your family. Your parents just took me in and made me feel welcome, like I belonged there, and not like some outcast. Your mom let me set the table for breakfast and made me feel like I had a family. Your dad is just great—he’s so funny and thoughtful. I was also thinking about you, Dom. You’ve done more for me in the short time I’ve known you than everyone else in my life combined. I don’t deserve you,” she finishes on a whisper.

  “No one talks about My Angel like that,” I gently scold her. “I won’t let anyone disparage you. Not even you.”

  Tears escape her eyes and roll down her beautiful cheeks. I gently wipe the tears away and replace them with tender kisses. “You will have so much more love, My Angel,” I whisper, “than you’ve ever known. You’ll never question how much you mean to me. You’ll never doubt your worth again—I will remind you every day. I promise you this, you will never be sorry that you’re mine.”

  The sobs wrack her body as she climbs into my lap. I hold her in my arms, her body glued to mine with her fists holding on to my button-down shirt as she finally lets go of everything that’s been holding her back from giving herself to me. Every fear that’s reared its ugly head in her mind, telling her she’s not good enough for me, and reminding her of past failures, is fading away. Her sobs gradually diminish until she’s lying limp in my arms, cried out and ready to surrender all to me.

  “I want that so much, Dom. So much,” she whispers into my neck. “I want that with you.”

  “It’s yours, My Angel. It’s all yours,” I pledge. “No more hiding from me.”

  “No more, Dom. I’m yours and I want you to have all of me.”

  Tucker stops at the steps leading up to the plane. “Give us a minute, Tucker,” I instruct and he gives a single nod in response.

  I help Sophia collect herself as much as she can. Before we exit the car, I have an idea. “Sophia, once we take off, you and I are going to spend the rest of the flight in the bedroom. You need some time to regroup and we just need to spend some time alone.”

  “That sounds perfect, Dom,” she sighs in relief.

  Tucker has already loaded our luggage and taken his place on the plane when Sophia and I board. I lead her to a plush loveseat near the back of the plane, closest to the bedroom. Once we’re able to move around the cabin, we retreat behind closed doors. After helping her disrobe, we climb into bed and I take her in my arms as she lays her head on my chest. I love how it feels to be skin to skin with her.

  “I’ve waited so long for someone like you, Dom,” she says in her small, watery voice. “Why couldn’t I have met you first? Before anyone else put these wrong ideas in my head?”

  “Don’t worry, My Angel. No one else matters now. You’re connected to me now. Feel me. Hear my voice. I get all of you, all the time, in every way.”

  “My Dom,” she sighs with contentment as she snuggles in closer to me. Inhaling deeply, she says, “You always smell so good. I would say I should bottle your scent and sell it, but I don’t want anyone else to have you.”

  “I’m a one-woman man, love,” I kiss the top of her head. “You can rest now. You’ve had a busy week.”

  After another hour of flying, we’re in the backseat of the car with Tucker taking us back to Sophia’s apartment. She looks concerned but she hasn’t voiced anything. I watch her every move and wait patiently for her to confide in me.
She feels me staring, knows she’s being watched, and like my good girl should, she turns her body toward me and prepares to speak.

  “Dom,” she says tentatively, “a lot has happened over just a couple of days. It wasn’t just...what I mean is…it was more than just a…one-night stand. Wasn’t it?”

  I give her a reassuring smile and take her hand in mine. Some asshole has really done a number on her. “Sophia, I don’t take one-night stands home to meet my parents. I don’t take them as subs. And I sure as hell don’t let them call me ‘Dom.’ So, no, My Angel, this is far from a one-night stand. You are mine regardless of where we are or what we’re doing. Coming home doesn’t change that—it confirms it.”

  When we reach her condo, Tucker gets her luggage out of the trunk and I open her car door to help her out. She looks at her suitcase and then up at me. Her surprise is evident when she asks, “You’re not staying?”

  “No, love, not tonight. I have some things at home I need to see to before work tomorrow,” I explain as I take her suitcase from Tucker and guide her to the elevators.

  She nods slowly. She’s not happy, but not upset, either, “Alright. I understand.”

  “Hey,” I say as I gently take her chin in my hand. “We will spend nights together, days together, weekends altogether—all kinds of time together. Being apart sometimes doesn’t change how important you are to me.”

  “You’re right. I’m sorry, I’m not usually this clingy,” she laughs. Shaking her head, she asks rhetorically, “What is wrong with me?”

  “Not a thing,” I reply genially as we exit the elevator. Opening her door, I enter first and check her apartment before leaving her alone.

  “I’ll see you in the morning, My Angel,” I murmur against her lips before kissing her good night. “Dream of me.”

  “I definitely will, Dom.”

  “Don’t forget tomorrow is Thursday.”

  She smiles seductively, “How could I forget that?”

  “There’s my girl,” I praise her. “Goodnight, love.”

  I’m in my office early in the morning, pouring over the top-secret contract again. Line by line, I’ve been reading this for hours and my eyes are starting to cross. Sitting back, I rub my eyes and lean my head back against my chair. My office door opens, and without opening my eyes, I know that it’s Sophia. My body comes alive, humming with electricity that involuntarily jolts my eyes open.

  As our eyes clash and I take in her choice of attire for the day, the bulge in my pants quickly becomes uncomfortable. The hunger in my eyes must be palpable because she stops, leans against the door, and quietly locks it. My Angel immediately knows what I want from just a look. She’s learning me quickly and her response tells me she feels the same.

  I sit motionless as she slinks across the office toward me and drops her purse in the chair across from me. She’s wearing a short, flowing skirt with a tastefully tight, dressy shirt. Her heels are just shy of being considered stilettos, and her long, reddish brown hair is styled with an intentionally sexy, wind-blown look. When she reaches my chair, she turns it so that I’m facing her.

  “What can I do for you today, Mr. Powers?” she asks coyly as she moves to stand between my legs, waiting for me to state my wishes.

  I give her my cocky half-smile as I run my fingers up and down her smooth, bare legs. Looking up at her, I move one hand higher up her inner thigh while the other grips her ass, holding her close to me. Her breathing increases, the rise and fall of her chest quickens, and her skin flushes from my touch. Higher still, my fingers slowly roam as she waits for them to find their mark. She grips my shoulders in anticipation of what she knows is coming at any moment. I intentionally take my time, first circling around behind her and lightly stroking the back of her thigh.

  Withholding my chuckle at her groan of frustration, I suddenly slip my other hand under her skirt and directly into her wetness. “Fuck, I love a moist cupcake. Nothing better for breakfast,” I say as I swing her around and she sits on the edge of my desk in front of me.

  Pushing her skirt up, I pierce her with my hungry gaze and commend her, “My good girl, you remembered no panties on Thursdays.”

  She nods and smiles knowingly as she grips the edge of my desk until her knuckles turn white. I spread her legs wider as I lean in, lightly licking and teasing her when I barely graze her clit with my tongue. It’s driving her wild and I know she’s about to lose control. She lifts her hand and starts to extend it toward me, but I pull back and slowly shake my head back and forth at her.

  Understanding her place, she puts her hand back on the desk and waits for me to continue. After several more seconds of making her wait for her pleasure, I decide she’s been good enough. Once more, I lean in, take her clit in my mouth, and nimbly suck it through my teeth, letting them gently graze her and enhance the feeling. My tongue delves deep into her wetness and she can’t contain her sexy moans.

  Gripping her hips, I hold her tightly to my mouth and devour her, stopping only to say, “I’m ready for my icing now, My Angel. If I have to wait for it, you will be waiting all day to finish this.” Taking my position between her legs again, I eagerly lick, suck, and nip at her before inserting my finger and sending her over the edge. After finishing her off, I sit up and she watches me intently as I lick her essence off my finger.

  “Best icing ever,” I declare. “I could bottle it and sell it, but no one else gets to taste what’s mine. Ever.”

  “I take it you’re pleased with me then?” she asks genuinely as she stands and adjusts her skirt.

  “I’m very pleased with you. Instead of ‘Casual Friday,’ we should promote ‘Titillating Thursday.’ Or, on second thought, maybe that would be ‘Clitillating Thursday’ instead,” I quip and we both laugh at my stupid attempt at a joke. “Next time, I think I’ll just bend you over my desk and have my wicked way with you.”

  The real world calls and the rest of our plans will have to wait until later. Sophia kisses me goodbye before she goes to her office and I sit back down to review this infuriating contract once again. At least my mood has improved since Sophia walked in. She is My Angel.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Reflecting back over the past month, I’m pleased with how Sophia and I have grown so much closer. We’re more comfortable in our relationship, and the trust between us has strengthened over this time. Others in the office have seen us standing closer than normal co-workers would. We’re not trying to hide our relationship, but we’re not flaunting it in front of others, either. We both have jobs to do and it’s still important for us to be professional.

  “Dana, have you made arrangements for my trip yet?” I ask as she enters my office, bearing coffee.

  “I have, Mr. Powers. You’ll arrive in Knoxville, Tennessee, and then it’s just a short drive to Oak Ridge. Will Miss Vasco be joining you?” Dana asks in her usual business tone.

  “No, not this time.”

  “Is there anything else you need, Mr. Powers?”

  “No. Thank you, Dana,” I reply as she takes her leave.

  A nagging apprehension plays in the back of my mind at the thought of being away from Sophia for any length of time. When I think back to the week I introduced her to my parents, I realize there has been a pattern with her moodiness. The night I dropped her off at her condo, she wasn’t entirely happy that I didn’t stay with her, but she said she understood. We talked more about it the following day, after our first sexual encounter in the office. On my desk.

  “I missed you last night, Dom,” she admitted. “I’m surprised how quickly I’ve gotten used to having you with me at night.”

  “You did use my pillow as my substitute one time, as I recall,” I teased and she laughed.

  “You’ve spoiled me! It’s your fault!” she played back with me.

  “I didn’t want to leave you, Sophia. I hope you know that,” I tried to calm her fears. “It’s early for us and we’re not ready to just move in together yet. That doesn’t mean we can�
�t spend nights together, though.”

  “I know. I thought about it after you left and you’re right. For now, I’d like to ask to have Sunday nights at my condo,” she stated cautiously, eying me for any indication that I disapproved.

  “Why Sunday nights?” I asked. My curiosity was piqued at her very specific request.

  She looked away when she answered, “It just gives me some time to adjust for the work week. Time to get prepared, get my things ready, and unwind for a little bit…just a little time to myself.”

  “Alright, Sophia,” I replied, intentionally using her name, “I will agree to that for now.”

  She looked relieved that I agreed to her request. I’ve noticed that every Monday morning after that discussion, she is moody and distant. It takes a little while each time for her to readjust to our relationship and our arrangement. While I watch her, study her reactions, and consider all the possibilities, I still give her the benefit of the doubt that she is simply passively-aggressively acting out at me for insisting on keeping separate places.

  Today, travel plans have been made that will take me away for a week and Sophia won’t be joining me. There will be more of these trips as I finalize the confidential contract with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The plant is highly classified, highly protected, and a limited number of people are allowed in or around the facility. I’ve already been through extensive background checks and given temporary security clearance that has been months in the making just to be able to conduct business onsite. There’s no way Sophia would have time to meet all the security requirements to attend it with me.

  My concern is centered more on what her behavior will be after being away from me for that long. I have three weeks to introduce my more formal method of behavior modification, show her what I expect, and watch her willingly submit to my requests. It’s time for Sophia to spend the night at my house for the first time. I haven’t brought her over because I know that before I do, our relationship must be in the right place.