“You’re not joking?”
“We’re looking at an electronics company. Been around a long time, was a blue chip at one point. Market has changed. They’re not as relevant as they were. They need an infusion of cash as well as vision and a team to manage strategy and tactics.” Across the darkened interior, he shot her a grin. “You don’t need to hear about it.”
“On the contrary. It’s fascinating.” The enthusiasm in his voice was contagious and she wondered how he had the mental adeptness to switch between projects. Taking over Newman was time-consuming, and yet he was already planning another acquisition.
“I’m happy to tell you about it, when we’re not focused on Donovan Logistics or personal matters. When we’re in private, I want you to be sure my attention is unwaveringly on you.”
She shivered a bit, even though she wasn’t cold.
“Back to my question.”
“I agree,” she said, unable to believe they were having this conversation. But she remembered his words from last night, about detaching a bit. So she approached it as she would a work conversation. “Courtesy is a must.”
“And willful disrespect? You’ll submit to my corporal punishment for it?”
“Can you be more specific?”
“Of course. I’d never use anything other than my hand or a belt on your ass and upper thighs. There’s no mistake, you’ll know you’ve been rude.”
“That’s not the way I usually act.”
“Not everyone annoys you the way I do, I suspect.”
“There’s some truth to that.” It wasn’t just because he was overbearing, overconfident, overwhelming at times. It was because the way she reacted scared her.
“Deliberate disobedience,” he went on. “Like arguing when I request something of you and you have no intention of using a safe word or having a discussion about it. I want you to use safe words, to discuss things with me. But for example, last night, when I said I could shave your pussy or you could have a Brazilian wax. Do you remember your response?”
“Hell no.”
“And it should have been…?”
“Can we discuss this, Mr. Donovan? Or, this scares me. Or, hell no, Sir.”
He laughed. “You think you’re safe because I’m behind the wheel with my seat belt on.”
A delicious threat was woven through his words. Damn it, she was already getting damp for him.
“So in that instance, I may take you to a salon on our lunch hour. Perhaps even to Andi’s place. I’m sure they have services there.”
And Lorean probably specialized in them. “Shaving is fine, Sir.”
“You’re a perfectly reasonable, compliant sub.”
“Never anything but,” she agreed happily.
In only a few minutes, they’d parked. After helping her out of the vehicle, he grabbed a bag from the back seat. She’d noticed it earlier, when she’d borrowed the car, and she’d wondered what it was for, but she hadn’t thought it might be for her.
She led the way inside. There was no rolling ball filled with Sinbad to slow them down. She slipped her key into the lock and wasn’t surprised when it didn’t function properly. At times it felt as she had to pay homage to the mechanism gods, standing on one foot, whispering to it, promising it would be taken care of one day, holding her tongue just right…
“Try this.” He held a key near her face.
“What’s that?”
“Your new key.”
She scowled.
“It works for the deadbolt, also.”
“Are you serious?”
“I met the locksmith after work.”
“You…”
“It matters to me that you’re safe, Kelsey.”
She accepted the key. “I don’t know what to say.”
“You can celebrate by turning the lock several times and cheering each time it works the way it should.”
The key went straight in and the tumblers worked perfectly. “I can’t believe this. How did you get in?”
“Is that a real question?”
“It was really that unsecure?”
“You were working harder to lock it than it was to unlock.”
“Then double thank you.”
Just then, Mr. Martinez’s door opened and Sinbad rolled over the threshold for his nightly walk.
The man crouched to guide the ball to the middle of the hallway.
“Let’s get out of the way,” Kelsey said. “Night, Mr. Martinez.”
He lifted a hand in a silent goodbye.
She effortlessly opened the second lock. Within seconds, she had them both sealed inside.
No one had taken care of her since she’d left home at age eighteen. Not necessarily because they wouldn’t, but rather because she didn’t want to be told what to do or encouraged to find a husband. Suddenly, though, she realized it might be nice to have some help.
“Extra keys are on the table,” he said, pointing. “Along with the locksmith’s card in the unlikely event something goes wrong. And I promise I didn’t invade your privacy. We didn’t take two steps into the room. Your Mr. Martinez conveniently decided to walk his hamster the whole time. Keeping an eye on us, I’m sure.”
“Did he really?” They’d hardly exchanged two dozen words in the time they’d been neighbors. It was nice to know he was looking out for her. “I’m not sure how to thank you,” she said to Nathan. “What do I owe you?”
“Your undying love and devotion.”
She dropped her bag on the floor. “Will you settle for a hundred dollars?”
“I was sure that’s what you’d say.” His grin was quick and easy.
“Were you actually teasing, Mr. Donovan?”
“I might have been, Ms. Lane. Then again, I might be deadly serious. Question is, how will you know?”
Not knowing quite what to say, she shrugged out of her jacket. He took it from her and hung it up.
“May I take yours?”
“Thank you.” First he put down his bag.
It surprised her to realize how much she liked helping him with his suit coat.
“Remember to get the nipple clamps,” he told her.
She bent to get them out, and he offered a hand up. Just like last night, now that he had expectations, she was nervous.
After putting the set in his outstretched hand, she asked. “Something to drink?”
“Water, if you have it.”
She went into the kitchen and returned with two bottles. Then, because she couldn’t tolerate not knowing, she asked, “What’s in your bag?”
“Why don’t you have a look?”
She didn’t need to ask whether or not he meant it. “Where? Here? In the bedroom?”
“Your table is fine.”
This was reminiscent of last night where she’d shown him the items in her drawer, but it was ten times more disturbing.
He carried the bag to the table then stepped back while she unzipped it.
Her hand shook as she pulled out the first item, a box of condoms. “Uhm…” She turned her head to the side. “Does this mean we’re finally going to have sex?”
“It’s not an expectation,” he reminded her.
She’d never been involved in a relationship that was this direct. Generally she sort of let things happen. But she preferred it this way. There would be no misunderstandings. “It’s something I want.”
“I haven’t thought about much else.”
As she put the box down, she noted that they were size extra-large. Her fingers seemed nerveless. It shouldn’t surprise her—she’d felt him though his pants. But the idea of having him in her made anticipation crawl around, making her skittish. “We could skip everything else and go to bed.”
“We could.” He paused. “But we’re not going to.”
She wasn’t sure she could wait.
“See what else is in there,” he encouraged.
Hardly able to concentrate, she pulled out a thick, black leather choker. It had a lar
ge metal D-ring attached to it, and a line of small, red embroidered hearts softened the austerity making it somewhat feminine.
“I’ll put it on you later and every time we play. I’d like you to wear it Saturday night to the club.”
She ran her finger over it. The leather was softer than it appeared, and the inside seemed to be lined with some sort of fur. The idea of wearing it outside the house alternately chilled and intrigued her.
Kelsey placed the collar on the tabletop, and he laid the nipple clamps alongside it.
The next thing she pulled out was a long leash. Her stomach plunged. Dozens of images seized her. Her on all fours, the leather strip in his hand as he held her in place and spanked her. Him leading her through a room, half-dressed, or worse, naked. She shuddered and looked at him. “This might be hell no.”
“Okay.” He shrugged.
Prepared for an argument, she blinked. “Okay?”
“I won’t force you to do anything. As I said last night, I’d like it if you tried things you’re merely uncomfortable with. If you refuse, I’m fine with it. There are plenty of other toys we can play with.”
“You’d really be fine with me saying no?”
“Perfectly.”
“Really?”
“I might show you the way you look in it, my reaction. But the decision is yours. Aren’t you in the least bit curious?”
“It’s too controlling.”
“How so?”
She gave him her best killer stare. “Can you be any more obtuse?”
A smile flirted with his lips in a way that made it impossible for her to be annoyed with him. “I promise you, Kelsey. I’m not. And I’d like to make a note of the fact this is the first time in my life I’ve been called obtuse.”
“Noted,” came a voice from his watch.
“That’s creepy,” she said.
“This thing may go back to Bonds.” He touched the lower right hand corner of the screen. “You were telling me how it’s too controlling.”
“I couldn’t move more than a few feet away from you,” Kelsey protested.
“And?”
“Hey, watch, please note this is the second time Nathan Donovan has been called obtuse.”
“Noted.”
This time, he scowled as he pushed and held a flashing icon on the screen.
“I’m kind of liking the thing,” she said.
“I’m sure you are.” He put his cuff back in place. “Where were we?”
“Me objecting to the leash.” Even as she said the words, she realized he knew exactly where they were.
“Come here.”
It was phrased more as a request than command, seductive and compelling. She was lost to this man. She took a couple of steps toward him and tipped her head back to look at him.
“Lift your hair for me.”
Obediently, she did.
He fastened the collar around her throat.
It was thrilling and overwhelming at the same time.
He checked the fit by putting his fingers between it and her throat. “Maybe one more notch.” He tightened it then asked, “How’s that?”
Hell. How would she ever have the courage to tell him the truth? She settled for, “Fine.”
When he raised his eyebrows, she added, “Sir. Fine, Sir.”
“That respect, Kelsey. It does it for me.”
Him saying he was pleased made her want to please him more.
He threaded his finger through the D-ring and gently brought her toward him.
She sucked in a hot, needy breath.
He captured her lips with his then devoured her mouth, leaving her breathless.
“Woman, you would destroy a lesser man.”
“I’m only interested in one.”
He grabbed her hand, moved it to his cock. She needed no encouragement to stroke him. “Tonight, I want you, Nathan. Don’t make me wait any longer.”
“I think it can be arranged.” He released the D-ring and picked up the leash. “Trust me? We never have to do this again if you hate it. Try it?”
Almost everything in her rebelled. But there was a tiny piece that was willing to go along, simply because it mattered to him.
“If you want me to take it off, say yellow or red. I will remove it instantly. No questions.”
“Because it pleases you.”
“Oh, Kelsey…” He kissed her forehead.
In that moment, she wondered if she were capable of refusing him anything.
She looked up at him as he attached the clip.
Her hands fisted at her sides, she waited for the flash of panic that she expected. But there was none. Instead, desire streaked through her.
“Come with me.”
Surprisingly, he didn’t tug on her. He walked a fraction of a step ahead of her, as they might in public.
He stopped in front of the mirror above the entrance table. “See what I see.”
Kelsey stared at a woman she barely recognized.
The leather was wrapped tautly around his hand, and he held it near her shoulder. And the sight of it with the collar… It felt erotic, but it looked ten times more so—thick, unyielding, possessive. The harshness of the collar, though, was softened by her hair, the addition of femininity. “I like it,” she confessed. Her eyes were wide as she met his, whiskey-shot hazel mixing with molten green fire. His pupils flared with desire, hers tightened in response.
The way he looked at her made the world tilt. He communicated passion and possession, and both collided, claiming her.
“You understand, don’t you?”
“Yes,” she whispered. None of this, wearing his color or leash, meant that he controlled her. It meant he wanted to protect and keep her near.
She traced the silver metal buckle and knew she was safe with this man. She felt it in every nerve ending.
“This is only the beginning, Kelsey. Only the beginning.”
Chapter Nine
She saw what he did, the power of her surrender, the trust, the hunger. Nathan wasn’t sure he’d ever been with a woman he desired more. “Do you want me to remove it?” He tilted his head.
“No,” she said softly.
His balls drew up. “So fucking hot and sexy, woman.”
“For you.” She said it like a vow.
Her words slayed him.
It took all his powers of self-control not to yank up her skirt and plow his throbbing dick into her. He had a plan for the evening, and he was going to stick with it no matter the cost. It was a good thing he’d masturbated before leaving for work this morning. “I want you to see what else is in the bag.”
Slowly she nodded.
He held his hand with his palm up, indicating she should walk in front of him.
Looking somewhat nervous, she bit her lower lip.
He kept enough slack in the leash that she didn’t strain against it, and he stayed close to her.
“If anyone had told me a week ago that I’d be leashed… Heck, fifteen minutes ago,” she corrected.
“Don’t think about what anyone else might think. Your opinion—and mine—are the only ones that matter. And I don’t think it unusual in the least, and even if it was, it’s so God damn sexy that I’d be convinced.”
When they were back at the table, she pulled out a detestable small butt plug that made her scowl.
He laughed. “There’s more in there.”
She removed the remaining items—a razor with a package of fresh blades and a travel-size can of shaving cream.
“I was hoping you forgot.”
“The thought of doing it kept me awake last night.”
She sucked in a small breath.
“There’s one more thing.”
She shook the bag to locate it then pulled it out. “A candle? That seems a bit romantic for you, Nathan.”
“We won’t be having dinner by candlelight, if that’s what you mean.”
“No?” She frowned. “For the bedroom? Ambiance?”
“Then…?”
“I’m going to drip the hot wax all over your naked body. Your nipples. Your belly. Your shaved pussy.”
She shivered. “That sounds painful.”
“I’ll make sure it’s only painful in the best possible way.”
“Fuck nuts,” she whispered as she rolled the bright-blue tapered candle between her palms. “I know you’re serious.”
“I promised you I was going to wash you and give you a shave.” He plucked the candle from her hands before unfastening the leash and removing the collar.
He liked the way she ran her fingers across her throat as if missing the strip of leather. She couldn’t know how sexy that was to him. “Please undress,” he said.
“Here?”
Nathan raised his eyebrows.
“Now?”
“Unless you’re planning to use a safe word, get on with it. Delay might earn you a few stripes of my belt.”
She flicked a quick, hot glance to his waist.
Oh, yeah. He intended to lay leather to her ass. If he did it right, they would both benefit from it.
Unexpectedly, she stalled, and he was taken aback. His little sub was deliberately provoking him.
He had never wanted her more than he did in that moment.
She kicked off each shoe, making her instantly a few inches shorter, fueling his protective impulses.
Then she went into a strip-tease, moving her hips back and forth as she reached behind her to lower the zipper. She exaggerated the motions a little more as she shimmied out of the skirt.
She bent to scoop it from the floor and tossed it onto his head.
In future, he’d have to be more careful what he asked her to do.
“Twelve is my favorite number, Sir.”
“As in stripes from my belt?”
Her cheeks were stained scarlet, so he knew she wasn’t as comfortable with this as she seemed. He schooled his features so he didn’t show how stupidly happy she made him. His Kelsey was way outside her comfort zone and seeking his reassurance. “I’ll do my part,” he told her. “But I may have a different number tonight.”
Her blush deepened and spread.
Nathan wondered if he’d be capable of going back to a professional relationship after Saturday night.
She grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it up and off.
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