Hero Undercover: 25 Breathtaking Bad Boys

by Annabel Joseph

  Realizing she would not be able to fall back to sleep, she began to inch from the bed. Instantly his hand fisted in her long hair.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” he asked, his voice deep and gravelly from sleep.

  “To the bathroom,” she replied quietly.

  He released her and sat up in one fluid motion.

  “Go on then. Wait, are you going to shower?”

  “I was.”

  “Then let me go first,” he said, rising and stretching. “I’ll only be a minute and I want to check your wounds before you get them wet.”

  Joy sat on the side of the bed and waited. She heard the toilet flush and the water running. When he returned, he knelt on the floor and pulled up her shirt without asking.

  “They look good,” he said. “I imagine the strips will come off in the shower but I’ll check them again to see if they need to be replaced when you get out. I’m going to make coffee,” he stated rising. “I’m locking the door behind me.”

  “Jay, you don’t need to do that. I won’t try to run again. I promise.”

  He looked at her, his eyes narrowed. Finally, he nodded and left the room. Seconds later he poked his head back in.

  “You do know I would find you and punish you,” he said clearly. “I can guarantee you’ll hate me after, at least for a few days.”

  “I know, and, Jay, we need to talk.”

  In the bathroom she found clean towels and turned on the water. She took her time, washing her hair and shaving with his razor. There was a new toothbrush in the drawer and she used that too. Once back in the bedroom she rummaged through the drawers until she came up with a football jersey that covered her to her knees.

  It took a while to get the tangles out of her hair with a comb, but she finally felt human and reasonably attractive, though why that should be a priority she didn’t fully understand. Softly, she padded down the hallway to the kitchen, following the scent of freshly brewed coffee.

  “Thanks,” she breathed when he handed her a cup. Going through to the living room, she curled up in a corner of the couch. Jay followed her.

  “There’s something you need to see,” he said, picking up the T.V. remote and hitting the play button.

  Chapter 6

  Joy watched mesmerized. There was John, standing in front of his palatial mansion speaking with the press. Behind him stood a bevy of guards.

  “It seems I was mistaken last night when I offered a reward for my missing fiancée, Joy Bradley,” John said sadly, looking directly into the cameras. “I assumed she’d been kidnapped and would have paid any price to have her returned safely to me. Now I’ve been informed that Miss Bradley has been secretly embezzling money from my company for weeks. The reward for her safe return has been withdrawn. I want this woman, this imposter brought to justice,” he said emphatically before walking away from the microphone. “No questions,” he barked as he made his way into the house.

  “That rat bastard,” Joy screamed, bolting upright. “How dare he accuse me of stealing?” Rising, she began to pace the room. “We need to find Mr. Thomas!” she snapped. “I’ll bet he knows a lot more about what’s been going on and that’s why he was fired. He was just another scapegoat for John.”

  “Mr. Thomas is no longer with us,” Jay said quietly.

  “Well can’t you find him? Isn’t that sort of what you do for a living?” she demanded.

  “He’s dead, Joy,” Jay replied watching her closely.

  “Dead? How can he be dead? What happened to him?” she gasped in shock.

  “It’s what we refer to as ‘assisted suicide,’ ” Jay explained.

  “I don’t understand,” she whispered.

  “When someone wants someone else gone, they often arrange a situation in which it looks as though a person has committed suicide. It’s actually murder.”

  “John had him murdered?” she asked, swaying slightly.

  “That would be my guess. Mr. Thomas had been with John’s organization a long time. More than likely he knew exactly what was going on but chose to keep quiet about it. In a dirty business, people like that are usually well rewarded. Then you came along and exposed the discrepancies forcing Barrows’ hand. Someone had to take the blame, this time it was Thomas.”

  “So it’s my fault he’s dead,” she croaked out weakly.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Jay barked, setting his coffee down and taking her shoulders in his hands. “Thomas knew exactly what he was doing and the risks involved. His wasn’t the first body to turn up with ties to Barrows.”

  “Oh my God,” Joy cried, her knees buckling and her cup falling from her hand.

  Jay scooped her up into his arms and took a seat on the couch. Gently he pressed her head to his chest. She was sobbing, her body shaking uncontrollably and he soothed her as best he could with soft words.

  “I know this is difficult for you, baby, but it’s very important you tell me everything you know about Barrows,” he encouraged, using his thumb to brush at her tears.

  “I’ll give you everything I have,” she cried, clutching his shirt.

  “I don’t mean just that, Joy. I need to know what he did to you,” Jay whispered.

  Instantly her body stiffened. She became a frozen little statue perched on his lap.

  “What he did to me?” she hedged, twisting his shirt in her hands and looking down.

  “You know what I mean,” Jay insisted. “That night he followed you to your room, what happened?”

  “Nothing, not really,” she lied. “He just roughed me up a little.”

  “Please don’t lie to me, baby,” Jay sighed. “I’ve watched you for weeks. Do you actually think I couldn’t tell something changed that night? He did something to you in your room that altered everything. What was it?”

  “Nothing, really, I—”

  “Joy, there are basically two reasons women gravitate to a man like Barrows. One, of course, is money. Great wealth will bring all sorts of pond scum to the surface. At first I thought that was you, a money grubbing little bitch willing to sell her soul to the devil in order to live in luxury.

  “The other thing that draws women is power. Barrows has that, lots of it and until you came along he thought he was pretty much untouchable. He employs lackeys willing to do his bidding and overlook any irregularities they find in his personal life and business practices.

  “I couldn’t figure you out. You’re smart, beautiful and honest, so honest you bypassed everyone else and went straight to the top with what you’d uncovered. You shocked him. He really didn’t know what to do with you, but he knew he had to keep you close, keep you from talking to other people. That’s why he had you moved into his house.

  “When I packed up your apartment I figured I had you pegged. It wasn’t the money; it was the power. You had a well-kept secret and I uncovered it in your books and internet history. You wanted to be dominated, spanked, and controlled. It made sense at the time and I planned to stay out of it, especially since I knew it wouldn’t be much longer before we made our move and took him down.” Smiling he brushed the hair from her face as she looked up at him without saying a word.

  “So the little girl wanted a touch of excitement in her life, wanted to be spanked and made to mind. What could it hurt, I asked myself. You wouldn’t be with him long enough for him to do any real damage and if you screamed we’d have been in there in minutes. But you didn’t scream. I had to assume you were okay with his actions.

  “Until the next morning,” he sighed, tightening his arm around her. “Then I knew the truth. I saw it in your eyes, the stiff way you moved. I felt the rage and even though it was directed at me, I knew it was just a ruse that allowed you to be in the same room with that man. He offered you more jewelry; you refused to go with him. It was obvious that whatever went on in your room was pretty horrific, yet I couldn’t question you, couldn’t beat the hell out of Barrows and demand he tell me. So you’ll tell me now, honey,” he insisted, holding he
r chin so she couldn’t avoid looking at him.

  Joy stared at him, her lips clamped tightly together. She’d stopped crying and he could feel the anger in her body radiating outward. He wasn’t sure she’d obey him and was fully prepared to encourage her with a few crisp swats to her bottom. This was important. Finally, her shoulders sagged and she began to speak.

  “He raped me,” she whispered. “You’re right, it was about power. I’ve always been attracted to strong men, always fantasized about a solid, loving man taking care of me. Not financially, I can support myself, but in all other ways. Looking out for me, making sure I’m safe, helping me make good decisions and holding me accountable when I screw up. I don’t know where this comes from, but it’s always been with me. John seemed powerful and strong and I guess I wanted to prove that I was more than a silly junior accountant. I wanted him to take me seriously.

  “I didn’t set out to investigate his accounting practices, but hell, even a novice couldn’t help but notice something was wrong. I figured maybe he’d see me as special. In the end, he did. He saw me as someone he could use, abuse and intimidate.

  “He was angry that night because I wanted to be part of the internal investigation. When he came upstairs, it was with one purpose, to humble me. I think he wanted to hurt me badly enough that I would never question his authority again. Once he realized I was frightened, he seemed to feed off it.” Looking down, she gave a shiver.

  “Go on, baby. Tell me all of it. I know it’s difficult but I need to know. God, I feel like such a fool for leaving you in that room alone with him.”

  “There was nothing you could have done to help me, Jay. He had me by the throat squeezing so hard I could barely breathe let alone scream,” she revealed. “He pushed me face forward down onto the bed and pulled my skirt and panties down. Then I heard him unzip his pants. For a moment I was afraid he was going to take me—”

  “Take you where?” Jay asked.

  “Take my ass,” Joy whispered, her face flaming. “I was almost grateful when I felt him pushing into my vagina. It hurt. I was dry and frozen with fear but mercifully it only took a couple of minutes and he was finished. I began to hate him from that moment on. I guess I took it out on you too. I saw you as his minion, just another dominant male watching every move I made.”

  “It’s all right, honey, but we need to be clear here. John Barrows is not a dominant male,” Jay growled in anger. “He’s an abusive, sadistic asshole who wouldn’t know the first thing about loving a submissive woman and the responsibility that entails.”

  “I don’t understand. If a woman is submissive doesn’t she give up all her rights to her man?”

  “No, she does not,” Jay stated firmly. “Yes, she should want to be obedient to him and allow him to lead the relationship, but that does not mean she has no voice. If she’s not treated fairly, or if the man is brutal, she needs to withdraw her consent immediately.”

  “What do you mean ‘withdraw her consent?’ ”

  “I mean no is no. Now that doesn’t mean she can change the rules in midstream. Once the perimeters are established, she is bound by them to some degree, until such time as there is a renegotiation.”

  Joy turned her blue eyes up to his and shook her head before resting it on his chest.

  “You still don’t understand do you?” he asked, kissing her hair.

  “No.”

  “Let me give you an example. Say you and I decided we cared deeply for each other and wanted to pursue a more intimate and loving relationship,” he said, his hand rubbing her back and bottom as she sat sideways on his lap. “We both agree to set some ground rules and discuss appropriate behavior and consequences. Maybe it’s something simple. I don’t like being sassed. In fact, I would consider it a spankable offense. Talking disrespectfully to me would put your sweet little ass in jeopardy, yet you do it anyway. In the beginning, while our relationship is new, I may warn you that you’re crossing the line.

  “Say you kept it up, maybe because you are in a bad mood yourself or maybe you’re trying to see if I mean what I say. In any case, once you went too far I would most certainly follow through and take you over my knees.”

  “You would?” she choked out.

  “Without question,” he whispered in her ear. “I would pull down your panties, although right now I can feel that you aren’t wearing any. I like that by the way. In fact, that might be one of my rules. When we are home I might insist that your bottom be bare whenever possible.”

  “Jay,” she moaned into his neck.

  He inched them both closer to the center of the couch.

  “To continue,” he said clearing his throat. “I would pull you over my knees and bare your bottom. Then, depending on the seriousness of the offense, I would administer a good spanking to my naughty girl. Sometimes it might only be a few swats to remind you who is in charge. Other times it might be much more difficult to accept, especially if you’ve been exceptionally disobedient. In those cases, it would take quite a while for me to believe you are truly repentant,” he breathed against her neck.

  “How long?” she squeaked, wiggling a bit on his lap.

  “There’s no way to tell, but a few promises to be good would not be enough. I would want genuine tears of remorse and a berry red bottom across my knees that felt hot to the touch.”

  “Is that all?”

  “Well, there’s always a chance of corner time when my girl has been defiant.”

  “Corner time, like a child?” she asked, her head popping up in surprise.

  “Yes, like a child. I would put your cute little nose in the corner and you would stay put, displaying your well-spanked bottom for me to admire.”

  “What would there be to admire about my red butt?” she asked in all seriousness.

  “Are you kidding? It’s a beautiful ass for sure, but it’s also symbolic of your submission to me,” he stated. “But to get back to what I meant, that is not the time to try and change the rules. When you have a spanking coming, you will get it and there is no way out, not at that point. Later, when order has been restored and you’ve been forgiven, we can always discuss our options and you will be free to voice your opinion. That does not mean I will change my mind, but I will take what you have to say into consideration. Do you understand?”

  “I think so.”

  “Good and I’m about to make it very clear to you,” Jay said, carefully lifting her and placing her beside him on the couch. Before she could anticipate his intentions, he gently pulled her over his knees. Slowly he lifted the jersey, exposing her naked cheeks.

  “Remember yesterday when you tried to run away from me and I said you were going to be sorry?”

  “Yes,” she gasped, looking at him over her shoulder.

  “Well, prepare to be repentant,” he said. “I was angry then, but not nearly as angry as I am now that I know the extent of what Barrows did to you. How could you be so foolish as to run and risk being found by him or his henchmen? It was remarkably shortsighted and highly dangerous. Unfortunately, that is the one thing that really rocks my boat,” he pointed out sadly.

  “What is?”

  “Something that puts you in danger and you will nearly always be punished for that, baby.”

  “Jay, please,” she whimpered, hiding her face.

  “Here’s my issue,” Jay said, rubbing her bottom briskly. “I think we both know you’ve wanted to experience this for a long time and we both know that if I gave you a nice slow spanking you would be mine. I want that, by the way. I want you to be mine. I want to love you and hold you and spank you when you’re a naughty girl for years to come. I want to fuck you until you’re begging me to let you come and then I want to allow it while my cock is buried deep inside your snug little pussy, but I can’t in good conscience do that,” he sighed, giving her bottom a few swats.

  “Oh, Jay, why? Why can’t you do that?” she pleaded, arching her bottom into his hand.

  “Because it would give you the
wrong idea about spankings,” he explained. “You wouldn’t take them seriously. To you they would be sexy little bits of foreplay instead of the punishment they are meant to be. It wouldn’t be fair to let you think it was all fun and games when some spankings are serious business.”

  “I know that, Jay, really I do, but why can’t this one be foreplay? God, I need you so bad. I have been burning since you touched me last night. Please, Jay. Can’t this one be just for fun?” she begged.

  Jay slid his hand down her leg and brought it back up between them. He felt her heat before he ever cupped her pussy and groaned out loud.

  “God, Joy, you’re not going to make this easy for me, are you?” he said hungrily.

  “Not if I can help it,” she hissed back, wiggling her bottom.

  In a flash he came to his senses. This was a preview of what this woman could do to him. If he wasn’t careful, his need for her would have him dancing to her tune in no time. And what happened when the time came that he could no longer refrain from giving her what she deserved? Would it be too much for her? Would she cut and run when she experienced a real blistering from his hand?

  No, he couldn’t risk it. Better to know now than to chance losing any more of his heart to her. If she was a submissive only in her fantasies she was not the woman for him. It would never work, for he truly believed the man was the head of the household and he could not settle for a woman who did not share those beliefs. Their lives would be miserable.

  Tucking her close with an arm around her waist, he held her firmly. He did not speak; instead he let his broad flat palm do the talking. When she began to fight him, he smacked her several times high on her thighs.

  “Do not give me a hard time,” he ordered. “You have this coming and you will accept it like a good girl. The next few days are going to be especially dangerous and I have to know you will listen to me and do exactly as I tell you.”

  He ignored her cries and wiggles, easily keeping her in place while he administered a pretty thorough spanking to her defenseless bottom. The number of swats didn’t matter to him. He judged their effect by the rising color of her fair skin and the escalating pitch of her cries.