“You can look forward to it all you want, but it isn’t happening.” Elena jerked away from him, setting her sights on Kennedy who had moved to their left. “May I have a word with you in private?”
“No,” Kennedy firmly stated. There were moments he loved that woman. “You came to me, Elena. I’m confident that Harrison and Grant can give you what you need. If you question my judgment at this juncture of the process, then please feel free to leave. Correct me if I’m wrong, but did you not just tell me you didn’t feel the need for a safe word?”
“What?” Harrison asked, stepping forward and coming to stand beside Grant. “You couldn’t survive without a safe word, Elena. We all know it’s just a matter of time before you use it.”
“Then why even bother? Wouldn’t you prefer someone else?”
Grant was surprised when his best friend shook his head. “No, I’m thinking now how I’d love to have you underneath my whip. We’ll start with my hand later on this evening as I explain how important respect is to us. I won’t be stopping until I’m sure you understand the concept.”
Grant watched as Elena’s pupils dilated and her rose-colored lips parted in response. Oh, this is going to be fun. For the past eight months, this wisp of a woman had been the focal point of his dreams. The fact that no other Dom could garner a response from her or she called a halt to a scene if it became too intense only made him want her more. She was a puzzle that needed solving…or was that spanking? Nothing he seemed to do dispelled the image of her on her knees in front of them, hands tied behind her back and her dark eyes looking up at them, seeking their approval. He needed to dominate her completely.
“That’s not fair,” Elena replied, her gaze shifting between the two of them. “I haven’t signed the contract that starts our trial run. You can’t punish me for something that I technically haven’t done.”
“So that means you are going to sign?” Grant asked, not even attempting to hide his smile. He could see the annoyance on her face, especially when her mouth tightened around the edges in irritation.
“I didn’t say that.”
“Master.”
Elena’s gaze whipped to Harrison. “What?”
“You are to call him Master Grant. I’m Sir Harrison, as I prefer the nobility of the title. Seeing as you forgot to use any title, we’ll make sure to enforce discipline. You do know the difference between discipline and punishment, do you not?”
“I haven’t signed the contract, damn it!”
“Then I suggest you do so, so that we may continue on with our day. I have a feeling you’ll understand the difference between the two relatively quickly.”
Grant knew if this verbal banter kept up, Elena might just walk out and they would lose this opportunity to claim her. Whatever her issues, Grant felt confident that he and Harrison could overcome them. They each brought to the table something different. Where Harrison loved bringing pleasure through the bite of his implements, Grant enjoyed bringing a woman to the heights of pleasure, only to see how long he could keep her teetering on that razor’s edge. The longer a woman was trained to hold off her pleasure during a scene, the more absolutely explosive it was when she finally reached that outlet. There was nothing more beautiful than a woman in the throes of passion when given the opportunity to come by her Master. It was obvious she was still clinging to the small amount of control that she still maintained. What would it take for her to hand it over to them?
“Elena, look at me.” He watched as she slowly pulled her eyes away from Harrison. Once he was certain that he had her complete attention, Grant reached up and tucked a silky strand of her hair behind her ear. He could hear the tiny gasp she emitted upon his touch. “You came to Kennedy, knowing that Safeword LLC could provide you with what you are looking for. We can give you what you need. Do you really want to lose everything because you didn’t have the courage to reach out for what you want?”
Grant threw out the subtle dare, as he was well aware of Elena’s competitive nature. She was a criminal defense attorney with a cutthroat reputation for doing everything she could to win a case. While she was in total control over her professional career, he had witnessed her necessity at the club for complete submission in her personal life. She just hadn’t found the right men she could do that with—until now.
“Are there no other men that you could place me with?” Elena had directed her question at Kennedy, as if Grant hadn’t spoken. The slight desperation he heard in her voice tugged at his heartstrings.
“Harrison and Grant are my choice for your placement,” Kennedy answered, walking back around her desk. She didn’t take her seat, yet picked up a pen and held it out for Elena. “You can either sign or walk away. The choice is yours. There will be no other options prearranged.”
* * * *
Elena had turned to face Ms. Van Camp as she stood behind her desk as if she were a judge behind her bench. The part of Elena that dealt with criminals, prosecutors, and judges wanted to tell her to take that pen and shove it up her tight royal ass, but Elena knew better than to let emotion overrule her professional judgment. This was her one and only opportunity to overcome her past and maybe give herself the future she always dreamed of. But why did it have to be at the hands of these two men?
It was then that Elena realized if Ms. Van Camp had placed her with any other men, she wouldn’t have lasted more than a day. How had the woman known that? Elena grabbed the pen and leaned over the desk. Could she do this? She stared at the line where she would give her consent to submit to the men standing behind her. She knew that if she signed they would take no less than her absolute surrender.
With trembling hands, Elena scrawled her signature on the bottom of the contract before she could change her mind. The hazy dream that she visualized as her two-month sabbatical fled from her conscious mind, while only panic and uncertainty filled the void. She stayed where she was a moment, waiting for the pages to become clear through her tears. She didn’t want them to see this weakness. What had Grant said? It took courage to take what one wanted. Drawing in a haggard breath that she hoped no one heard, Elena stood to her full height of five feet four inches and turned to face the men who would hopefully make her whole and trembled in anticipation.
“That deserves a reward,” Grant said, right before leaning down and capturing her lips. His kiss caught her off guard, as it was so unexpected. The Doms at the club rarely kissed their subs, unless they were their permanent submissives. She personally had never allowed it either. His warm lips covered hers, while his moist tongue slipped in between her parted lips. The way his hand was tangled in her hair, she had no choice but to accept his subjugation. As his fingers tightened in the strands, she felt the stirrings of surrender shudder through her body. His confidence and control were her undoing, as she wanted nothing more than to fall to her knees and offer herself to him, but she couldn’t just yet. Grant pulled away too soon for her taste. She stared up into his hazel eyes, loving the tender affection that sparkled within. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. Just maybe, he would be the one to help her overcome her fear. “Remember, my sweet Elena, rewards come in all kinds of different forms. You’ll learn that quickly if you wish to please us.”
Grant then took the pen from her unsteady hands and stepped around her. Quickly and efficiently, he signed the document. Elena couldn’t bring herself to look at Harrison, afraid of his reaction. An image flashed through her mind of him wielding the whip, seeing it sail through the air with its precision to hit her tender flesh. His bicep had shifted with his movement, displaying his strength. His blue eyes had been focused on nothing but the sub he would bring pleasure and pain. As she’d been observing, her skin tingled at the thought of his whip making contact with her perspiring body. She’d been wearing one of her corsets, along with sheer panties that evening and could still remember how damp they had become. She gritted her teeth. How could she yearn for something that absolutely terrified her?
“Harrison?”
“Elena, use your safe word if you feel you need to. There is no judgment here. It’s my job to ensure that you’re provided every possible chance to find fulfillment through your submission. I take that duty very seriously.”
Elena couldn’t bring herself to speak, so she just nodded her head absently. Emotions were welling up inside of her, from relief at finally having the chance to truly be herself to terror that she wouldn’t have the depth of strength that Grant had said would be needed.
“Arrive no later than eight o’clock this evening,” Harrison said, finally breaking his silence. It startled her enough that she swung her gaze to his. His penetrating blue eyes seemed to take in everything she was feeling. No one had ever taken the time to observe her the way he was doing now. His gaze was that of a basilisk. It was disconcerting. “We’ve managed to set aside the rest of the week at our weekend home. While we do have some work to do, the majority of the time will be spent beginning your training. I suggest you wrap things up at your office and apartment, keep the spa appointment that Kennedy has arranged, and meet us at this address. Do you have any questions?”
Elena took the paper from his large hands, noticing how virile they appeared. They were nothing like…Elena shook her head, clearing any thoughts from her past. They weren’t welcome, especially after having come this far. She knew, after hearing about Safeword LLC and what Ms. Van Camp provided her submissives, that she would be able to provide a safe outlet for her to exorcise her demons. Elena just hoped she didn’t screw it up.
“Little blossom, I asked you a question. I expect an answer.”
Elena’s heart rate sped up at the tone of his voice. Shit. The contract was signed. Now wasn’t the time to push Harrison’s limits. “No, Sir. I have no questions, Sir.”
A knock at the door had the four of them swinging their gaze in that direction. Jenny’s voice yelled out right before a stunning blonde burst into the office. Elena knew right away who she was, as the woman’s picture was splashed all over the society pages. Lisa Winthrop-Zanier, the daughter of the CEO of a multimillion-dollar software company, was just as beautiful in person.
“Lisa?” Ms. Van Camp initially looked ashen, but then just as quickly became stony-faced.
“I’m so sorry, Ms. Van Camp,” Jenny said, stumbling in behind Lisa. “She just barged in.”
“It’s all right, Jenny.” Ms. Van Camp held up her hand and waved her assistant away. “I’ll handle this.”
“My father’s company has been targeted for a takeover,” Lisa blurted out, walking straight over to where the sitting area was located and threw her purse on the couch. “I need your help in finding out who is behind it.”
“We were just leaving,” Grant replied, placing his hand on the small of Elena’s back. He hesitated and pulled his fingers away. Grant reached into his suit jacket, pulling out a white envelope and tossing it down on Ms. Van Camp’s desk. “As per our agreement. We’ll give you two some privacy now.”
“I appreciate that, Grant. If any of you have any questions regarding the contract, please feel free to call me. Remember, no intercourse the first week. If all goes well, I’ll send over the annex to the agreement to proceed from there. And thank you for being so prompt with your remuneration.”
“As if I had a choice?” Grant asked with a laugh.
Elena was then ushered out into the hallway, where Grant turned and made sure Ms. Van Camp’s office door was securely closed. Any other time, she would have wondered about Lisa Winthrop-Zanier, but right now, she was too worried about herself to think of someone else. She hadn’t meant to crumple the paper that their address was written on, so she intentionally tried to relax her hand. She looked to see if they noticed and of course, Harrison was watching her meticulously, taking every little movement in. Elena couldn’t help but ask a question that had been on her mind.
“Why did you call me blossom?” Harrison raised an eyebrow. Shit! She knew better than to forget a title. “Sir.”
“As Grant mentioned earlier, we like to reward our sub when she’s earned it. We’ll see how well you do this evening and just maybe, I’ll tell you. Your assignment before you arrive tonight is to know the difference between discipline and punishment.”
“Yes, Sir,” Elena answered, this time remembering his title.
Was there a difference between the two? He’d mentioned it earlier, but she’d been too preoccupied to think about it. Discipline and punishment seemed so synonymous. She snuck a glance toward Grant and saw the smirk on his face. She heard rustling and realized she’d crumpled the paper again. Damn. How was she ever going to make it through this without using her safe word?
Chapter Four
Elena was sitting in the backseat and trying her damnedest not to look at the man driving the vehicle in the rearview mirror. After leaving Safeword LLC, she’d headed to her office and wrapped things up for her leave of absence. Ms. Van Camp had warned her a couple weeks ago that she could be placed at any time, so Elena had made sure to clear her workload. Any cases that were still ongoing, she’d scattered about between colleagues. They all wondered where or what she was doing with her leave of absence but knew better than to ask. It was better grist for the mill to leave the possibilities open for conjecture. Sometimes being the daughter of Judge Collins worked to her advantage, but then again…
After that, Elena had headed over to the spa, where a woman by the name of Janet removed practically every hair on her body. It wasn’t pleasant, although she should be grateful they’d left the hair on her head. Elena was well aware that certain Doms liked their women bare and essentially enjoyed the sensation herself once the depilation was complete in whatever form. As they say, there are many ways to skin a cat. The afternoon had gone well, if she discounted the fact she was on the verge of a panic attack. It was the arrival of James Calihan at the spa that took her by surprise.
“Their weekend home is about a few miles up the road. I’m going to give you my cell phone number. I’d like you to program it into your phone.”
James had asked that she call him by his first name upon picking her up at the spa. That was her second surprise of the day. Well, technically three if she counted the fact that Ms. Van Camp had placed her with two intense Doms, but that was more of a major shock. Elena had just nodded her consent and permitted him to lead her to his town car. He had weaved them in and out of rush hour traffic, which was a little worse than normal due to the light snowfall falling from the dark sky. They hadn’t spoken since his initial greeting and it was now going on seven thirty.
“I appreciate the gesture, but if it doesn’t work out, I’ll call the office line and let Ms. Van Camp know.”
“You’ll do as I said and program my cell number into your phone, Ms. Conti.”
Elena didn’t dare to argue with him, so she pulled her cell out of her purse. It was the only thing she’d been allowed to bring. As for clothes or toiletries, apparently those were to be provided for her. She didn’t like that, considering they had no idea what type of makeup she wore, but then again, they might not allow her to wear any at all. He rattled off his number. Once she had it saved, Elena tucked her phone back into her bag with a furtive glace at the rearview mirror.
“Did Kennedy mention that I updated your file this morning?”
Elena tensed. There was no possible way that he knew what had happened. He was just trying to bait her. “No. She neglected to tell me that.”
“You must have missed the question where you were supposed to list previous relationships.”
She bit her lip. Elena had been upfront with Ms. Van Camp regarding her dating history as much as she could. In high school, who would want to date a judge
’s daughter? Once she changed her last name to her mother’s maiden name, it had become easier to stay anonymous at college, but she’d been too busy to even think of dating at the time. It wasn’t until graduation when some classmates had talked her into going to a nearby bar that they’d scored an invitation to a social gathering at a BDSM club. It was there that her life had taken a turn to the dark side. To feel that you met the person you were meant to be with forever, only to have them turn into someone else had been very disheartening.
“I didn’t miss anything of importance that I’m aware of.” Elena pulled the long dress coat she’d been given at the spa upon leaving over her knee. Her business suit had been taken away while she’d been being prepared and replaced with nothing but high heels and a black lace corset which lacked material to cover her breasts, pussy or ass. They’d not even allowed her a garter belt and stockings. She’d been grateful upon seeing the long black dress coat with its two whole buttons of security as it kept her lack of clothing hidden, but at that precise moment, she was feeling very vulnerable. She didn’t like it. “As I told Ms. Van Camp, I’ve not been in enough of a serious relationship to have listed any.”
“So your relationship with Mr. Adam Nichols was casual?”
Elena knew her face had paled. It was suddenly chilly in the rear of the town car. She struggled to get air into her lungs. There was no way in hell that James Calihan knew about her relationship with Adam. He might have been given a breadcrumb, but there was no trail for him to follow. He was baiting her, that was all.
“You mean the Adam Nichols that died five years ago?” Elena asked nonchalantly, even though her coat was now gathered tightly in her fist. “I knew him, of course, considering some of my friends were acquaintances of his. It’s a shame what happened to him.”
“Car accident, wasn’t it?” James asked, although Elena had no doubt he knew exactly how Adam Nichols had died. At least there was no record of what really happened. “Shame he died at such a young age.”
Dare to Submit [Safeword LLC 2] (Siren Publishing Sensations) Page 3