Her Dom (Dominic Powers #1)

by A. D. Justice

  “Not that I haven’t enjoyed your company today, but I think I will just have room service and relax in my room tonight,” I say to Shadow.

  He nods, “Sounds good to me. That was boring as shit.”

  I throw my head back in laughter at his candor. “Hell yeah, it was! And this is my business!”

  “I don’t know how you do that every day. I’ve had to do a lot of different jobs as an undercover agent, but thankfully it was never anything like that. That was just pure torture,” Shadow laughs.

  “Only four more days of that,” I quip and he groans in frustration.

  We check into our hotel and Shadow checks my room first. Before leaving, he gives me strict instructions.

  “Don’t leave this room for any reason. When room service comes up, I will check it out and deliver it. If it’s not me at the door, don’t open it.”

  “Got it. Thanks, Shadow.” He gives a single nod in response and walks off to his room next door.

  Grabbing my cell, I immediately call Tucker. “How’s Sophia? Any problems today?”

  “She’s fine. No problems. She’s still working and I’m sitting outside her office waiting for her. It’s been a normal workday—nothing exciting and nothing suspicious,” Tucker advises.

  I’m instantly relieved at the good news. “Thanks, Tucker. Glad to hear it. I’ll give her a call and tell her it’s time to go home.”

  “Sounds good, boss,” Tucker says and we disconnect.

  I call Sophia’s work number and wait for her to answer, “DPS. This is Sophia Vasco. How can I help you?”

  “You can go home, take off all your clothes, and Face Time me,” I respond using my bedroom voice.

  “That is actually the best offer I’ve heard all day. I just may have to take you up on that.”

  “Then, do it. Get out of there. You’ve been working long enough. You need to eat and get ready for my call. I’m going to order room service and I’d like to have my cupcake for dessert.”

  “You are quite the tease, Mr. Powers. You know you’re not here to have dessert,” she says with her embarrassed laugh.

  “Surely you don’t still get embarrassed with me, Sophia.”

  “No. It’s just that I’ve never done this. I’m a little nervous about it.”

  “Neither have I, but it’ll be great. It’s with you, so there’s no other choice but great.”

  “I’m closing up shop now and heading home, Dom. I’ll talk to you soon,” she says seductively.

  “There’s my girl,” I say. “Be careful, love.”

  We say our goodbyes and I order my food from room service. What I really want is not on the menu. But it is on the agenda for tonight.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Two more long days of line-by-line contract analysis has my eyes crossed but my nights are filled with Face Time talks with Sophia. We’ve found new, inventive ways of passing the time and dealing with the forced abstinence. Last night, she put on a full strip tease for me, complete with music. She wore a provocative bustier that boosted her cleavage, thigh-high stockings trimmed with scalloped lace at the top, and my favorite stiletto heels. Watching her is a total turn-on for me and makes me want her so much more I can barely stand it.

  After the last two nights of watching her but not being able to have her, I’ve decided that phone sex, even visual phone sex, is just not enough. My craving and desire for her is much more than just physical attraction. She fulfills all of my senses—touching, smelling, tasting, seeing, and hearing—but I need them fulfilled in person. Otherwise, it just falls flat.

  It’s Wednesday evening and I call Tucker first, as usual, just to check on the events of the day. He answers on the first ring, “Tucker.”

  “How’s everything today, Tucker?” I ask, expecting to hear that everything is status quo.

  “Today has been interesting, Mr. Powers,” he answers matter-of-factly.

  On instant alert, I sit up straight as I grind out, “Interesting how?”

  “There was a break-in attempt earlier. The man entered the lobby and said he was a courier. He was carrying a package and signed in, so the guard allowed him up. Once he entered our floor, he attempted to enter your office when Dana and another employee happened to walk up on him. He took off down the back stairwell and out the back door. The police have scoured the security video and he obviously knew exactly where the cameras were because he kept his face hidden,” Tucker reports.

  “Why the hell did the guard just let him up without calling to confirm someone was there to meet him at the elevator?” My blood pressure is sky high, I’m sure, at just the thought of Sophia being there in the same building with whoever is after me.

  “He’s a new guy—just started today. The guy he was working with had gone to take a piss. He chewed the poor newbie out pretty badly when he came back. We think the intruder must have been watching and waiting for the right moment. He also made the new kid believe this was an urgent delivery for you and that you would fire him if you didn’t get it on time. He dropped the box when he ran off but it was empty. There are no prints on it since he was wearing gloves,” Tucker informs me.

  “Is Sophia okay?” I quickly ask.

  “She’s fine. She wasn’t anywhere near him when all this happened. Did you talk to her earlier today, boss?” Tucker asks, although I can tell he already knows the answer.

  “No, I haven’t. I’ve been stuck inside a military-guarded compound all day and they take my cell phone on the way in every morning,” I answer dryly. “Why do you ask?”

  “She went out for lunch today and, of course, I tailed her. She received a phone call that very obviously upset her on the way to the restaurant. At first, she was talking while walking, but then came to an abrupt stop with a shocked and pissed off look on her face. She didn’t talk long, and never mentioned it to me, but I thought you’d want to know,” Tucker says.

  “Yeah, I’ll wait and see if she says anything about it. I know her mother and her brother give her a hard time on the rare occasions when she talks to them.” In my mind, I’m thinking that if they are trying to cause trouble for my Sophia, I will have their asses in a sling.

  “Family can definitely suck the life out of you,” Tucker sympathizes. “Right now, everything is calm and she’s still working. The police have canvassed the area and are looking into pulling traffic camera data to review, maybe see which way he went or if he showed his face anywhere.”

  “I know I don’t have to tell you to thoroughly check everything—the garage, the car, the house. Make sure nothing happens to her,” I demand.

  “On it, boss. I won’t let you down,” Tucker responds confidently.

  “Thanks, Tucker. I don’t say it enough, but I do appreciate everything you do for me.” He has been such a loyal employee and friend, conveying my gratitude is the least I can do.

  “It’s my pleasure, Mr. Powers. Working for you is not a hardship at all.”

  We hang up and I dial Sophia’s office number. She answers with her standard greeting and I try to make small talk even though the events Tucker described are looming in the forefront of my mind.

  “How’s my girl?”

  “Better now that I hear your voice. I miss you during the day, especially since I can’t even talk to you at all.”

  “Same here, love. Not much longer now and I’ll be home,” I say. “Anything exciting happen today?”

  “Let’s see. I finalized the deal to completely refurbish the operating systems at TexCare Health Insurance. The terms are great and we will really reap some benefits from this one. I also have an appointment with another major insurance company,” she replies excitedly.

  “That’s great, babe. You’re really doing very well at negotiating these contracts,” I compliment her. “What else?”

  “Hmm…that’s about it. Nothing else really exciting,” she claims. “Oh, unless you think that someone getting in illegally and then trying to break into your office is exciting.”

/>   “Oh, you think you’re cute, don’t you?”

  She laughs, “Come on, Dominic. I know Tucker already told you. You don’t need to hear it from me again.”

  “Fair enough. I just want to know that you’re okay, love. Anything else that I should know?”

  She sighs deeply and says, “My mom called me today. She said she wants to meet you but I told her no. It’s a really, really bad idea, Dom.” Her tone tells me she knows the final decision is mine, but she’s trying to dissuade me without going overboard.

  “We’ll talk about it when I get home, love,” I tell her, glad that she confided in me. “Are you almost finished working for today?”

  “Yes, I’m closing up shop now. Call you when I get home?”

  “Definitely, love. I love you.”

  Her voice becomes lower, more sensual, and loving at the same time, “I love you, too, Dom. I miss you. Hurry back home.”

  “Believe me, I’m going as fast as I can with this contract. Be safe and I’ll talk to you soon,” I tell her and we hang up.

  While waiting for my room service to be delivered, I can’t help but consider that Sophia’s mother called her so soon after an attempt was made on my life. Since I don’t believe in coincidences, I’m immediately suspicious of her family’s intentions. Was she calling to see if the attempt succeeded? Did she want to see if we suspected them?

  Shadow and Tucker are both running their checks on Sophia’s family members and exactly how they’re tied in with anything illegal. I cringe at what the implications of my relationship with Sophia could have on this contract with the Department of Energy if her family is involved with a criminal organization. It’s my job to make sure everything is secure in this venture, and even though I love her, I need a plan of action in the event this all blows up in my face.

  The knock on my door tells me Shadow is outside with my food. He hasn’t let one hotel employee in my room with me unless he is also here. It’s a little comical to me that, with his size and demeanor, no one has been brave enough to argue with him over it. When I open the door, he brings the tray in and I prepare myself for what I have to ask him to do next.

  “Shadow, I need you to look into someone else while you’re at it with Sophia’s family,” I reluctantly tell him.

  “Sure thing. Who?” Shadow casually responds.

  “Sophia,” comes my somber reply.

  “Already working on that, Mr. Powers,” Shadow says with a smirk. “I wouldn’t be much of a security asset if I didn’t validate everyone that has access to you, now would I?”

  “When did you start researching her?”

  “As soon as I was contacted by Tucker. I have plenty of sources, Mr. Powers. We’re gathering intelligence on everyone associated with you—known acquaintances, family members, and any suspicious ties. If anyone is hiding something, we will find it,” Shadow says assuredly. “You should also know that I’m looking into your background. It could be someone with an old vendetta just now making their move.”

  Hold the fuck up. I’m being investigated, too?

  “What. Did. You. Just. Say?” I punctuate each word, emphasizing my annoyance with the intrusion into my life, especially without being told. Something in the back of my conscience points out that I just asked him to do the same thing to Sophia, but I quickly squash it to make it shut the hell up.

  Shadow’s steely glare is the only visible sign that he’s less than pleased with me. His voice is even and controlled as he speaks, “Mr. Powers, you hired me to do a job and I don’t do anything half-ass. I don’t care what you’ve done in the past. I will look at every angle to identify anything that may bite us in the ass. If you can’t handle that, I will pack my stuff and leave now.”

  He’s right and I know it. I’m just on edge and irritated with the whole situation. I’m mad at myself for even questioning Sophia but simultaneously feel foolish for not doing it when I hired her.

  “You’re right, you’re right,” I concede. “I shouldn’t have questioned your techniques. I hired your firm because you’re the best in the industry. Do what you need to do.”

  Shadow nods, “Ten-four.” Leaving me to eat alone, I decide to call Sophia earlier than usual. When she answers her Face Time video call, she’s just taken a bite of her food and mumbles her greeting, “You’re early, Dom.”

  “I thought we’d have dinner together tonight,” I say as I remove the lid from my plate.

  “What a great idea!” she says more clearly. “I’m so glad you thought of this! I’ve missed having meals with you.”

  “I’ve missed having you,” I reply suggestively.

  “Keep talking like that and neither of us will be able to finish our dinner,” she playfully chides. “When will you be home?”

  “Still looks like it’ll be Friday. We should finish the word-by-word contract review tomorrow. Friday morning, we are scheduled to run a test simulation with one of our programs. It’s their version of a pop quiz,” I deadpan.

  “Well, I have no doubt in your capabilities, Mr. Powers,” Sophia coos. “You’ll knock them dead!”

  “Don’t say that around weapons-grade enriched uranium storage,” I joke and Sophia throws her head back in laughter.

  “Fine! You’ll knock their socks off! Better?” she asks while still laughing.

  “Much,” I smile in return.

  We finish our dinner, and as much as I hate to have this conversation via video chat, I have no other choice under the circumstances.

  “Sophia, I need to ask you some questions about your family. You have to be completely honest with me,” I warn with my stern tone.

  She nods and swallows hard. Scrunching her face up like she just bit into something sour, she’s obviously dreading this conversation, but reluctantly nods in agreement. “What do you need to know?”

  “What happened to cause your separation from them?”

  She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth and looks away as she prepares to answer. Sighing she says, “It wasn’t just one thing—it was a culmination of many things over the years. When my dad lost his job, he became a completely different man. My mother was depressed and my brother was hanging around some bad people and started getting into trouble. I hated what our family had become and I just wanted to get out and away from them.”

  “Tell me what happened, Sophia.” There’s no need for me to elaborate. She knows exactly what I mean. She knows both sides of her Dom—the loving, affectionate man, and the relentless, unyielding disciplinarian man. She lowers her eyes in submission and nods.

  “I was really young, so I don’t know all the details of what happened with my dad, but I know somehow he lost his job. They were both very stressed, especially since my mom didn’t work, so money was more than tight. One day, my dad just started bringing home large bundles of cash.

  “My parents fought all the time at first, but they tried to keep it from us kids. I overheard my mom telling my dad that it was wrong and it would come back on all of us one day. I never knew what ‘it’ was, but my dad had changed so much I didn’t even recognize him as the man I’d known all my life. He started staying gone for long periods of time and was mean when he did come home, so we all just tried to avoid him.

  “This went on for several years. At first, I thought my mom just cried at the drop of a hat, but one day I noticed a pattern. Every time the news reported about an assassination-style murder, she would cry and wring her hands. Then she would go into a deep depression for several days, never getting out of bed. I had to feed and take care of my little brother and get us both to school. It’s like she forgot us both when my dad disappeared.

  “Then, one day, he just came home. He just walked in like he hadn’t been gone forever…like we’d never gone hungry because he forgot to send money or bring us groceries. Mom just took him back with no questions asked, no demands, and no expectations. It was hard to deal with, honestly. I spent so much time wishing he would come back and make everything go back to the
way it was. When he came back, I was so resentful of everything, I couldn’t stand being around him.

  “So, I ran away. I left them all behind and that’s when I met…m-my Sir,” she stutters as she’s unsure of what to call him.

  “You can call him your ‘ex’ now, Sophia. I don’t like hearing you refer to another man with that title,” I reply dryly.

  “Yes, Dom. That’s when I met my ex. I was hungry, dirty, and sleeping in an abandoned building. He saw me on the street, begging for change, and took me in. I thought he was my savior, but he turned out to be so much worse than what I’d run from at home,” she says sorrowfully.

  “We can finish talking about him later. Tell me how he plays into your family issues,” I say. This is bad enough without having to picture that fucker hurting her.

  “I had secretly kept in touch with my brother because I was worried about him. I love him so much and felt so bad leaving him behind. Then, my ex and I ran into my family out at the farmer’s market one day. When I introduced them, he insisted that I tell them what he was to me, so I did. My family looked absolutely horrified. My father started a fight with him and the police had to separate them. One of the policemen recognized my father and instantly let him go and gave my ex a warning not to mess with my father again.

  “When the police left, my ex and I were walking away when my father approached us from behind. He said I had embarrassed and dishonored him and to never come around them again. I tried to call my brother again after that, but he told me the same thing. I’ve tried to talk to him a few times since then, but he would just hang up on me. He knew I was the one calling him. He answered just so he could hang up in my face.

  “I haven’t heard a word from any of them since then until my mother called today, wanting to meet you. I don’t even know how she knows about you, Dom. Is this causing trouble for you? Is that why you asked about my family?” she asks remorsefully.

  “I just need to know what could come up, Sophia, especially with this government contract on thin ice. If you had to guess, how do you think they would know about me?”