The idea of Katy working on a Saturday afternoon in the very office where her partner would like be lurking about hitting on her made Rafe’s skin crawl.
But he didn’t own her, and besides it wouldn’t ever be reasonable to expect her to change her feelings about that particular law firm. It was her business what she was willing to tolerate professionally.
At seven o’clock sharp, Rafe arrived at the Italian restaurant he’d given her the address to and waited inside the front entrance for her to arrive. He wiped his sweaty palms on his pants and then ran a hand through his hair.
Katy entered minutes later with a smile on her face and the most fantastic dress molding her body. She took his breath away. He was convinced she could do that in ratty sweats and a holey T-shirt, but tonight’s dress was amazing.
Rafe took her hand and kissed her knuckles. “You look fabulous.”
“You don’t look so bad yourself,” she teased.
He set his hand on her lower back as she followed the hostess to their table. Her dress was a dark blue that matched his shirt as though they’d planned it. The skirt accentuated her fine ass and ended only a few inches lower. He wanted to know what she wore underneath so badly he had to lick his lips as she took her seat.
The upper section of the dress seemed suspended by two tiny straps that couldn’t possibly be meant to keep the clothing from slipping to the floor. He decided the swell of her breasts were keeping everything in place and the straps were for adornment.
A sheer, see-through, blue jacket of sorts complemented the outfit. It wasn’t going to keep her warm, but it did provide Rafe with plenty to imagine beneath the barely existent material.
Rafe was glad to sit across from her, relieved he hadn’t tripped over his own feet as he’d watched her bend at the waist, the hem of her skirt rising enough to make his mouth water.
He glanced away to compose himself briefly, wondering if she’d intentionally worn the dress to entice him to sleep with her. He stifled the urge to chuckle.
“How was the office?”
“Eh.” She shrugged. “I needed to grab a few files, so I spent some time looking over my emails while I was there.”
“Was anyone else working today?” Like your creepy boss.
She giggled. “No. Not who you’re thinking of anyway. A few other attorneys came and went, but not my favorite stalker.” She winked at him.
The waitress showed up and took their drink orders. Rafe barely glanced her direction. He couldn’t describe her if he had to. The woman seated across the table mesmerized him with her sexy laugh and teasing smile.
Every time he saw her he felt stronger about his desire to take their relationship to the next level. It had happened so fast, but he wasn’t one to question fate. If the stars aligned in his favor with this woman, he was one lucky man.
Of course what he really itched to do was dominate her. He could play the nice guy for only so long. He could wine and dine and date and go to movies, and had done so a number of times with a variety of women over the years. But when it came down to it, he needed to fess up and let Katy decide for herself what she was willing to open her mind up to.
Rafe had no doubt Katy had never stepped foot in a BDSM club. He seriously suspected no one had ever taken her under their thumb and controlled her, driving her arousal higher than she could imagine and forcing her to come on command.
Hell, Rafe had managed to extract an orgasm from her in a public bar under his direction. Of course he’d also been applying intense friction to her nipples and pussy at the time. But he’d nearly come inside his jeans himself as he watched the rapture on her face.
After they placed their orders, Katy leaned her chin on her palm and sipped her wine while she stared at him.
“What?” He ran a hand over his face. “Do I have something on me?”
“Nope.”
It should have unnerved him the way she looked at him, or at least scared his pants off. But the intensity of her stare didn’t rattle him. He liked it.
“How do you manage to look so suave and sexy and rough all at the same time?”
“Hmm. What does that mean?” He ran his fingers through his hair next. Maybe he should have looked in a mirror.
Katy giggled. “See. That.” She pointed at his hair. “The way you manage to make your hair lay like that’s your signature move.”
“Huh.”
“Any other man did that and he’d look a mess. On you, it seems as though you’ve intentionally scattered every hair to lie just so.”
“And this is a good thing?”
“Sexy. Yes.” She took another drink of her wine. She squirmed against her chair also, her gaze wandering toward the table for a moment. Her blunt words had made her nervous.
The same blunt manner had made Rafe hard as a rock. He yearned for her to dip her head as she was right now because he commanded it. He craved the idea of seeing her hair fall around her shoulders, curtaining her face in submission.
And he was a coward. The reality was he liked her so much he was afraid to face the truth. What if she didn’t want to see him again? It would devastate him. Instead he strung her along, hoping for some sort of miracle that would cause her to be so engrossed in him she would be willing to give his lifestyle a try.
It wasn’t fair, and he’d broken many of his own rules, but at least he hadn’t stripped her naked and taken her completely. At least not outside of his mind.
In his head he’d fucked her seven ways and then started over. Every time she was the perfect submissive. He swallowed his lingering fear that he was living a dream, a dream Katy Marks could never star in.
Rafe took her hand across the table with his and stroked her knuckles with his finger. “You’re good for my ego.” He waited for her to lift her gaze and then changed the subject. “Tell me about your job. What sort of clients do you work for?”
They chatted while they ate. The meal was slow and leisurely. First Katy explained everything she did in a normal week, and then Rafe did the same. They joked that neither job was particularly interesting when laid out for examination, but they both enjoyed their work and were pleased with their careers.
When they finished, Katy glanced at her watch. “Wow. Time flies every time I’m with you.”
“Do you need to be somewhere else?”
“Nope. But I didn’t sleep much last night, and if I’m not at the park first thing tomorrow to meet Jenna for our run, she’ll kill me. Last week I overslept. Somebody kept me up too late.”
Rafe set his napkin on the table and scooted his chair back. “I don’t want to be the cause of the downfall of any female relationships.”
“Ha ha.” Katy stood with him.
“I’m pretty tired myself. Somebody had me reeling last night. Took me hours to relax my brain enough to close my eyes.”
She lifted her eyebrows. “Really?”
Rafe took her arm as they exited the restaurant. “Of course. Don’t doubt your appeal for a minute, baby.” He walked her to her car and leaned against her door.
She stepped into the space between his legs casually. He loved how forward she could be and how much she clearly found herself attracted to him. Was he wrong to doubt her ability to be lured into submission?
She set her hands on his shoulders and looked up at him. “You’ve only kissed me one time.”
“Well, technically, you kissed me.”
She blushed as her smile widened. “Yeah. I suppose I did. But I liked it. It seems so long ago. Do you think maybe we could do it again? After all, you did manage to bring me to orgasm in a crowded bar last night. The least you could do was kiss me goodnight.” She cocked her head to one side.
She was going to be the death of him with her brazenness. Fleetingly he considered that a woman who held her head as high as Katy with all the boldness of a lion tamer couldn’t possibly have a submissive bone in her body. But then he watched her lick her lips and slipped under her spell.
He grasped her face with bo
th hands, angled her head to one side, and dipped slowly toward her mouth until their lips touched.
The earth moved.
Yep. Bad idea. Kissing Katy made him want more. The tiny sounds she emitted while he delved between her lips and tangled his tongue with hers made his cock jump to attention. He’d been fighting with his lower head all evening while he stared at her sexy curves. But now… Lord have mercy. She rattled his brain with her soft lips, low tones, and the way she wrapped her small hands around his waist and flattened herself against him.
God he wanted her. He wanted to yank her to his truck, strap her in, and race back to his house to make love to her.
That’s what he wanted to do. Instead he pealed himself away from her lips and struggled to breathe. “You scramble my brain.”
“Good. That’s my plan.” She licked her lips again, making him groan.
“Get in your car before I embarrass us both in the parking lot.” He swatted her ass lightly as he spoke.
Katy squirmed against him, making matters worse.
Rafe righted her with both hands on her shoulders, gritting his teeth against what he’d rather be doing. He reached behind him to open her car door and pointed inside. “Go. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
She giggled as she entered.
He lifted his face toward the dark sky when she tucked the first leg under the steering wheel, leaving herself spread open before the other leg followed. If he’d given an attempt, he was certain he could have seen more than he should between her legs.
With a knowing grin, Katy wiggled her eyebrows as she shut the door and started the engine.
Rafe watched her, unable to move. He stood rooted to his spot as she pulled out of the lot. Still catching his breath, he tried to convince his feet to propel him forward.
Just as he finally regained control over his body, he jerked his gaze back to the restaurant entrance. The moment Katy turned right out of the parking lot, another car trailed her.
What the fuck? He would swear it was the same black car he’d seen at her apartment the other day, the Kia. It came out of nowhere. And it was tailing her away from the restaurant. No way was it a coincidence.
Adrenaline kicked into gear and Rafe ran hard to his own truck. He jumped into it and was pulling out of the lot almost before he shut the door. “Come on. Come on.” He tapped the steering wheel as he waited to turn right.
His tires squealed as he pulled away. Thank God he knew where Katy lived. He prayed he could catch up before she arrived. Was he imagining things?
He grabbed his cell phone, but immediately tossed it on the console. No way would Katy answer while driving, and he doubted she’d turned the volume back on after their date. In any case, he didn’t want to scare her to death.
Rafe turned left onto a busier street and changed lanes. He could see Katy’s car about six cars in front of him. The shiny red was easy to spot. The black Kia was still on her tail. And when she changed lanes, so did the Kia, way to close for comfort.
He grew more restless by the second. He tried in vain to catch up, but he never had the opportunity. Someone was blocking him at every turn.
When the gap grew larger, Rafe cussed under his breath. What did that jackass plan to do when he arrived? He couldn’t imagine she worked with someone that bold and relentless. He was pushing the legal limit when it came to stalking her. Fucking pervert. How much time did he spend following her every day?
Rafe felt violated. He shook. Had the guy seen them yesterday at the blues club? The thought someone had watched them dry hump against the wall or make out in the parking lot made his head pound.
Finally there was a break in the traffic and Rafe managed to pass several cars, weaving in and out of the right lane. He prayed he didn’t get pulled over. At this point there was no way he would stop even for a cop.
As he rounded the last corner to her condo, he saw Katy exiting her car and locking the door. The black sedan was parallel parking two car lengths from her.
Rafe pulled alongside the stalker and tried to see inside the driver’s window. All but the windshield were tinted, however. He slowed down and twisted his neck to see over his shoulder as he passed slowly. He didn’t give two fucks that he was obvious about it.
If he was wrong, so be it. But if his instincts were correct, he wanted a good visual.
The second the man realized Rafe was staring at him, he shot into reverse, turned to look over his own shoulder, backed out of the spot, and peeled away.
“Fuck.” Rafe pulled into the space directly behind Katy and jumped out of his truck before she reached her front door. She was obviously completely oblivious to the fact someone had followed her. And that scared the daylight out of him. She wasn’t safe.
While he raced toward her, the Kia sped out of sight. “Katy,” he shouted as she unlocked her door.
She spun around, startled. “Rafe?”
He grabbed her with both arms and pulled her against him. “That jackass followed you,” he said as he loosened his grip. “I couldn’t catch up.”
“What?” She peered around him, gazing back and forth.
“He left when I pulled up next to him. Sped out of here in a hurry. That’s three times I’ve known him to follow you. That isn’t normal, Katy.”
“Are you sure? Maybe it’s a coincidence. Similar car?” She opened her door and stepped inside.
Rafe grabbed her arm and pulled her back out. “Let me look around first, okay?”
She gave him an evil eye, cocking her head. “Really? You think the partner at my office has planted someone here to grab me when I enter?”
Rafe nailed her with his own gaze. “Don’t move.” He pointed at the doorway. “Humor me. Please.” He entered and flipped on the lights, scanning around the room. Nothing appeared out of place. He quickly poked his head in every room and then returned to the front door. “I don’t see anything.”
“Of course you don’t.” She attempted to chuckle, but it came out strained. “Jonathan hasn’t spoken to me since last Saturday morning when I saw him in the office. I haven’t seen him all week. I really think he gave up when he saw us kissing in the parking lot.” She set her purse on the table next to the front door and kicked off her heels.
“So, his name is Jonathan, huh? What’s his last name?”
Katy stared at him for a second before she blew out a breath and answered. “Stewart. And just because I told you doesn’t mean I give you permission to confront him.” She narrowed her gaze at him.
Rafe hesitated, a new idea forming in his head. “I don’t think that’s who’s following you, Katy.”
“Why? Now I have two stalkers?” She wandered toward her kitchen area while Rafe closed the front door.
“The guy in that Kia out front was too young to be a law partner. He might have been twenty-five or thirty. And he had long greasy hair that almost covered his face.”
Katy scrunched up her face. “That’s not Jonathan then.” She stopped moving and stood still at the kitchen counter, dropping her shoes on the floor.
Good. He wanted her a bit more rattled than she let on. Someone was following her. It made him very nervous. “You aren’t safe.”
Katy’s shoulders slumped and she padded toward the couch where she collapsed onto the cushion. The dress he’d so admired earlier rode high on her thighs, but sex was the last thing on his mind now. “Don’t you think it could be a coincidence?”
Rafe shook his head and rounded her couch to stand in front of her. “Not anymore.” He crossed his arms. “I don’t think you should stay here.”
She jerked her gaze up. “Rafe, this is my home. I’m not leaving because you think some guy in a black car is following me.”
Rafe narrowed his gaze. If she were his, he would never give her this kind of choice. But she wasn’t his, and he had no right under the circumstances. The circumstances being that he hadn’t told her who he really was. A Dom.
No way in hell could he divulge that right now an
d then drag her out of her home. She’d freak out, and the freak out quota for the night had long since been reached.
Rafe took a deep breath. “Humor me again?”
Katy stood and stepped around him, nearly knocking into his arm. “No. Rafe, I’m a grown woman. I’m not leaving my house. Whoever it was is gone now. You saw him leave. If he believes you’re here with me, all the better. I’m sure it’s nothing. I’m not going to let some asshole run me from my home in fear.” She set her hands on her hips as she spoke.
Rafe paused for a moment, thinking. There was no way he was going to win this battle. And he hated it with a desperation. He couldn’t stand the idea of leaving Katy here alone. But he wasn’t her Dom. And she was no submissive.
In fact, she rolled her eyes while she watched him. Secretly he wanted to take her over his knee, lift that short dress of hers and make nice pink lines across her bare ass with his palm. What would she think of that?
That was the million dollar question.
He cleared his throat. Defeated, he crossed the room to the door. “Okay. But do me two favors. Lock this door. Check all the other entrances and lock them too. And sleep with your phone handy. At least if you hear a noise you can call 9-1-1.”
She nodded and followed him to the front. She set her hand on his arm. “I’ll be fine,” she whispered.
Rafe kissed her briefly, more of a brush of his lips across hers. “I’m counting on it. I know we’ve only known each other a week, but you’re growing on me,” he teased.
“And I feel the same about you. Now leave. I need sleep.” She shoved him toward the door.
Rafe left, but he hated it and prayed he wouldn’t later regret the decision.
Chapter Eight
At eight thirty the following morning, Katy pulled into the parking lot of the park where she met Jenna every Sunday.
Jenna was already leaning against her car, stretching her legs. “What? I don’t have to come drag your ass out of bed this week?” She laughed.
“Nope. I set the alarm this time.”
“And how is paradise? Is he still making your vibrator work overtime? Or has he taken matters into his own hands?”
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