by Qwillia Rain
Mattie had to swallow several times. She braced her hands against Bryce’s broad chest as she teetered nervously on her heels. “A-an-and what do you ha-have…ah, planned?”
“You have a decision to make.” Bryce smiled down at her, his hold on her tightening subtly.
Mattie’s heart thundered in her ears. She squeezed her eyes closed, willing herself not to be swayed by his words. She nodded. “So do you.”
“Me?” He seemed a bit surprised at her comment.
“I wasn’t the only one involved in this little test, Bryce.” Mattie stepped out of his hold and moved to sit on the cushioned bench.
“I had little doubt in your success, Lawrence.” Bryce reassured her as he released the button on his jacket, pushed the sides back, and slid his hands into his trouser pockets.
“True,” Mattie admitted, but she held his gaze. “But I sense there were moments when you weren’t quite sure…”
“Never.” His tone and stance communicated his irritation at her assumption.
At least that was how she interpreted the narrowed-eyed glare and tight expression. “I’m sure there were moments…”
“Let me make something abundantly clear, Lawrence.” He leaned over her, one hand slipping beneath the loose curls at her nape. “You were the one who wanted the trial period, not me. You wanted to be tested.”
Releasing her and stepping back, he continued, “If we had done things my way, you’d be well and thoroughly fucked by now, and we would have flown to Vegas to say ‘I do’ the afternoon you agreed to marry me.” Arms crossed over his chest, he demanded, “So what’s your decision?”
“About what, Halsey?” She was as annoyed as he’d ever made her. She stood facing him, hands on her hips. “You haven’t offered me anything.”
“You damned well know what, Lawrence.”
“Tell me again. Remind me why it’s such a great idea to submit to you when I’ll already be shackled to you for the next five years.” Mattie could have cursed her temper and the anger stirring it.
It had been this way for years. He would poke and prod until she exploded. At first she’d kept it inside, slinking away to her office to blow off steam, typing up her feelings, then deleting them. Until she’d learned that yelling back at him wouldn’t produce the beatings she’d gotten for contradicting her father. She learned it was okay to argue with Bryce as long as her defense was strong and she kept her words rational.
But this time it was different. This time it wasn’t about some business deal or donation to a charity. This time it was her future, her life she was talking about. In the week she’d spent discovering her sexual nature and the intensity of emotion and feeling to be found in surrendering control to him. Mattie had admitted to herself that Lyssa was right. She was in love with Bryce Halsey and probably had been since the first day she’d barged into his office. Marrying him was only part of her dream. Having him accept her as his submissive was the other. Some part of her, a niggling bit of doubt, whispered that she’d never see that dream realized.
“Why?” He seemed surprised at her question.
The very lack of emotion in his voice was frustrating to Mattie. The rest of his words merely reinforced her fears that his confidence in her might not be as strong as her own.
“Because you care about the company as much as I do. You don’t want to see Frieda and Lionel Makepeace tear it apart simply because I couldn’t assume my rightful place due to some misplaced fears and archaic perceptions on the board of directors’ part. You have the right image and confidence to reassure those undecided members of the board.” Bryce moved close, his breath washing over her lips. “And last but not least,” he growled, “you want my cock slamming into your tight, wet pussy so bad that if I bent you over in the middle of the ballroom and fucked you, you wouldn’t care who was watching.”
And the fact that what he said was true only made Mattie wonder how long she’d tolerate half a relationship with this man. Was she willing to set aside her dreams and hopes in order to see that his needs were fulfilled?
“It’s nice to know I’m good for something.”
Bryce didn’t take the bait. His eyes flashed a darker green for a moment, but it could have been a trick of the subdued lighting.
“I know you agreed to marry me on Saturday, Lawrence, but are you ready to finally announce it to the company?” Bryce asked.
The thought of standing before the ballroom full of board members and company employees had Mattie trembling. Saying yes to being his wife was one thing, but facing the assessing stares of everyone was something else entirely. But it had to be done. She nodded. “Yes, I’m ready.”
“Good.” Ever the decisive and well-prepared businessman, Bryce pulled a small black velvet ring box from his pocket and opened it. “You’ll need to put this on. We need to get back to our guests. We’ll make the announcement to the board and the department heads inside; then we can contact the newspapers in the morning. Have you already started on the arrangements?”
Mattie didn’t get a chance to see the ring before he slipped it onto the ring finger of her left hand and turned her back toward the party. She kept pace with him by taking two steps to his one, thankful Lyssa had cut the back of her skirt to allow for full strides. “No, I haven’t. I’ve had other things on my mind this past week.” Mattie winced at the sarcasm in her voice.
Bryce stopped, his grip on her waist tightening to keep her beside him. The sound of guests was still muted, the ballroom hidden by the garden’s vegetation. “Is there a problem, Lawrence?”
“No.”
Turning her to face him, Bryce secured Mattie’s attention by settling his hands at her waist beneath the beads again. He didn’t say anything for a moment, just scrutinized her face before speaking. “You don’t seem to understand something, Lawrence.”
“What am I not getting?” Mattie responded. “You’re marrying me because I know what your job is like, I know the business and your responsibilities, and because I reflect the perfect image to reassure the board that you’re settling down? Right?”
“Correct.”
“So what do you think I’m missing?”
“This.” His hands pulled her close as his head dipped and his mouth captured hers.
It wasn’t a probing or tentative kiss. His firm lips demanded a response and her body gave it. His tongue traced the seam of her mouth before sliding past and exploring the moist confines within. He twined his tongue with hers, drawing a moan from somewhere deep inside.
Visions of her body wrapped around his, his cock sliding, thrusting into her in the same rhythm as his tongue, had Mattie’s breasts swelling, her nipples peaking, and her pussy plumping up and preparing itself for his attention. Remembering the feel of his lips against her naked mound, the advance and retreat of the vibrator and his fingers in her pussy, the press of the plug in her ass, Mattie wondered at the anger that refused to go away. She was getting what she wanted, wasn’t she?
Pulling away, Bryce watched her with a wry grin. “You’ve spent the last week sampling what I expect from you. Learning what is and isn’t allowed and experiencing the type of punishment disobedience can result in. What makes you think marriage to me is going to be any different?”
Mattie couldn’t think for a moment. The way she felt, she imagined her expression was passion dazed. A week earlier, his words would have had her lips opening and closing in stunned disbelief until she stammered her understanding even though she didn’t. Now, having felt his hand on her ass, his fingers preparing her for his cock, there was little about his sexual needs she didn’t know. And wasn’t eagerly looking forward to experiencing.
What she also wanted were his emotions, confidence that his commitment was as strong as her own. The cool Master Dom gazing down at her now was in no way the man she had come to know over the last eight years.
“Do you, Lawrence? Let me remind you the rules are still in effect.” Bryce again dipped his head, but instead of kissing
her, he settled his lips just below her left ear and whispered, “If you ever again go out in public sans panties or bra, without permission…”
Mattie could feel the warmth of his exhalation against her neck. Her breath stopped as a work-callused palm slipped beneath the draped edge of her gown. It settled on her naked bottom, then lightly squeezed.
“Last night’s punishment will seem like a walk in the park.”
His warning had anticipation stirring within her. The gush of sudden moisture flooding her pussy didn’t surprise her, considering how long it had taken her to calm down last night. The sensation increased as Bryce slid his fingers over her ass and between her thighs. Her face heated as two nimble digits explored the moisture coating her flesh while his thumb stroked over the base of the plug he’d inserted earlier, before Lyssa had arrived.
His darkening gaze held hers as he tested her body’s response to his promise. A white blond brow quirked up, and his lips lifted in an almost-sinister grin. “It excites you, doesn’t it?”
Understanding how a bird trapped in the mesmerizing stare of a snake felt, Mattie nodded.
His fingers dipped farther into her wetness, parting the lips of her pussy and rimming the entrance to her body. “I wonder how long you can wait before you have to climax? Were you up all last night? Did you ache, waiting for permission to come?”
She swallowed and nodded. Holding her breath waiting for his next comment or touch, Mattie wondered at the feasibility of her plan. The smell of night jasmine, moist earth, and her own arousal filled her senses. The rush of blood through her veins, the thrum of her heart, everything was registering but muted. All those feelings were so easily overridden by the sensation of his touch and the wicked glint in his eyes.
Damp fingertips drifted back, playing with the plug while moistening the flesh around the base with the juices collected from her body, before returning to the damp crease between her thighs. The pressure of his thumb against the toy had her arching farther into his arms, her eyes captured by his in the shadows surrounding them. The glint of his smile grew wicked as first one, then both fingers dipped into her pussy at the same time his thumb shifted the base, pressing against the taut ring of muscles.
“Hmmm,” he purred, his voice a rumble against her breasts, stimulating the already-hard peaks into even tighter beads. “You’re still so tight, Lawrence, but this ass…” He pulled her close. Holding her gaze, he stroked his digits in, then out, and then back in. “We don’t want it too stretched. Tight makes for a much better ride. For both of us.”
Chapter Twelve
The breeze blowing up from the ocean had helped keep the wedding guests cool beneath the warm Southern California sun. Despite being late spring, the heat had climbed to just below eighty degrees, making the formal wear uncomfortable until the breeze picked up. The tang of salt water had been refreshing.
Once they’d announced their engagement, things had rapidly fallen into place. With only a few family friends to invite, her dress to be finished, and the menu to approve, Mattie had had numerous tasks to occupy her time outside of the regular routine of the office. In the end, Jacob had stepped in to assist with the few items she’d been unable to complete. Bryce’s only contributions to the plans had been to recommend the gardens at Pirate’s Folly as the setting for the ceremony and to escort her to city hall to obtain their marriage license.
Ironically, just as Bryce had predicted, within hours of their engagement being announced in the newspapers, the phone calls, e-mails, and unwanted visitors had slowed to a trickle. The IT department was satisfied at the level of voice and e-mail traffic through the servers. Security had seen fewer visitors streaming into the building, so the increased personnel on each shift had been reduced. Tempers had cooled and numerous board members had seen their way to the office to congratulate her. She cringed to think of the number of times she’d been told she was perfect for Bryce. “Just the right calming influence, Miss Lawrence.” That was the favorite phrase of many of the board members and their spouses. After giving their opinion, their wives would admire her unique engagement ring.
Even she had to admit, if given a choice, she would have selected it. It was intricately carved, and though small, the details were stunning. Set in the center of the petals of a rose in full bloom, a dragon’s claw held a black fire opal that shimmered when the light hit it. She assumed Jacob must have picked the platinum ring, since knowing Bryce as she did, she couldn’t see him selecting such a fanciful design.
What she had missed this past week were the heated interludes Bryce had arranged when she’d been determined to find out if she could submit to his Dominant nature. It seemed as if the same intensity of attraction that would result in sweaty sheets and limbs tangled in Bryce’s bed on the night they announced their engagement was just as easily turned to anger when she’d demanded a prenuptial agreement. The cold-shoulder routine had begun once he heard her demands.
“Ridiculous,” he’d snapped, glaring across the desk at her as they settled in his office after the last of the employees and guests had gone and the caterers had packed away the dishes.
“Why? Because I’m willing to look at this from a logical perspective?”
“Because Makepeace will wave the damned prenup at the board, and they’ll demand I step down the instant your five-year deadline is revealed.”
“There is nothing in my request that says we have to divorce in five years, Halsey. Just that we reevaluate our relationship at that time and determine our next step.” Mattie fought the need to back down. Hell, she hated the thought of examining the marriage after any amount of time, but it only made good sense. “Think about it,” she urged him, leaning forward in her chair and bracing her clasped hands on the table. The ring on her finger felt odd, foreign, but she tried to ignore it as she worked to make the stubborn man understand. “In the eight years I’ve known you, Bryce, not one of your relationships has lasted longer than nine months. A year at the most, if you and the woman were traveling and more apart than together.”
“What about us, Lawrence?” He motioned between the two of them. “Explain how our relationship has survived for eight years?” The green of his eyes blazed with repressed irritation and anger.
“No sex.”
“What do you call the last week? You wanted a test. I gave it to you. Now you want limitations and checkpoints.” Rising from his seat, he leaned forward, bracing his hands on the table, daring her to argue. “What next, Lawrence? A timetable as to when I can fuck you and where?”
Swallowing her own irritation and the hurt his derisive tone shafted through her, Mattie shook her head and leaned back in her chair, arms crossed over her chest. She was glad she’d removed the gown and replaced it with the slacks and blouse she’d worn to work. The more casual business clothes afforded her a sense of objectivity. “No—”
Bryce interrupted her. “Wanting to take on the role of Domme now, babe?”
Unwilling to let him badger her, she shoved out of her chair and met him head-on. “Get over yourself, Halsey. If you’d take one blasted second to listen to what I have to say, you’d realize I’m just trying to save us a lot of pain when you get bored and want out.”
That seemed to take him aback. Mattie watched confusion suffuse his features, but it was quickly wiped clear of any emotion. “Bored?” Shoving his hands into his pockets, he shook his head. “I didn’t realize you had such a low opinion of me, Lawrence.”
Not wanting to read any more into his lack of expression, Mattie closed her eyes and rubbed at the ache building behind them. Her other hand rose to rub at the tension knotting the muscles in her neck. “Listen, Bryce. I’m tired. It’s been a long day. Let’s just table this discussion—”
The firm clasp of his hand around her upper arm had her looking up at him. “One more thing we should discuss before we table our conversation.” His eyes held hers as he pulled her closer.
“Wha-what’s that?” she stammered, not sure if it was
his gaze or his touch, but the words that he spoke next sent ice cascading through her body.
“Kids.”
Wrenching her arm out of his grasp, she moved away from him. “No.” There was no yielding in her tone. Just the thought of bringing a child into an unstable relationship had her belly in knots.
“What do you mean no? No, you don’t want any? No, you can’t have any?”
If there was one thing she desperately wanted and dreamed of most, it was carrying his child, but there was no way she was going to risk having a baby without knowing if she could trust in a future with this man.
“I’m almost forty-one, Lawrence.” His eyes studied her as he made it clear what he wanted. “I intend to be involved and able to enjoy my children’s growing up. This company will need someone to take over after I’ve retired, just as I’m taking over for my father. Can you give me some clue as to what exactly you mean by no kids?”
Shaking her head, she told him, “Not in the first two years. Maybe…” She swallowed, her arms wrapped around herself to fight the chill brought on by memories. The screams, the dark, cramped closet she couldn’t get out of, the accusations. Drawing a deep breath, she forced them back into the corner of her mind and focused on remaining calm.
“Maybe, what? You will or you won’t, or you can or you can’t? Give me some clarification here,” he snapped, stepping close, holding her gaze.
“I—” Mattie ran her tongue over her dry lips before finishing. “I can have children. And I do want to have your baby. I just want to wait. I want to be sure.”
Something in her face must have warned him not to push the issue. And he hadn’t. Every other issue and suggestion she’d made, yes, but not her decision that children should wait. Now, a week later, the deed was done. The vows had been spoken, and she and her husband—oh my God… She took a deep breath to still the nerves in her stomach. She and Bryce had said their good-byes to the guests.