by Stacey Lynn
Every step I took to my office, further from where I’d left her, moved me slower. Go back and calm her down. Leave her and give her space. As a Dom, even if I’d only been her Dom for one night, my job was to get to the heart of why she wanted to explore. That failure to do so was on me. Whatever had caused that emotional rant of hers was on me, and before I pushed her too far I needed to regroup.
Plus, once she used a safe word, my first job was to end everything. Clearly I’d thrown her for a wild loop and yeah, that hadn’t been my plan, either. But hell, Rebecca anywhere within twenty feet of me made me do messed up, insane things.
Like thinking I could ask her to be my partner, in both work and life.
“Some idea, asshole,” I muttered to myself. Blowing out a breath, I entered my office and closed the door. Once behind my desk, I pulled up business plan after business plan on my computer screen. I pulled up budgets, clicking like a confused and maimed animal with no sense of purpose. Everything blurred together until my eyes burned and I glanced at my clock.
Shit. I’d been in there for an hour and outside my office, there hadn’t been a single sound coming from Rebecca’s office. Odd.
I pushed from my desk, intent on investigating when I paused.
She didn’t want to see me. Well, too bad. I wasn’t leaving the office without setting things straight.
A light glared next to her phone line. At least she was there. After I pissed her off earlier, I wouldn’t have blamed her if she went back to her office and packed up her stuff, quitting on me without notice.
The very idea sent a pain to my chest and I rubbed the area.
I headed toward her office, stopping as I heard her quiet voice filtering through the doorway.
“No, Miranda. I appreciate it but a girls’ night isn’t exactly what I need tonight or any night.” Then, “I just want to forget all about it. Honestly, this isn’t something I want to relive ever again.”
Her eyes darted up and she gaped as she saw me, shoulder braced against the doorway. I hadn’t intentionally been trying to hide, but the way the blood drained from her face told me I’d surprised her all the same.
“I have to go. Call you later.” She hung up the phone, the receiver clinking on the base. “Can we not do this now?” she asked, turning back to her computer screen. Her hands froze on the keyboard before she glanced back to me. “Please? The day has been bad enough.”
I nodded toward the chair on the opposite side of her desk. “Can I come in and talk for a minute?”
“You can do anything you want; you’re the boss.”
Ah, at least I hadn’t killed her sass.
She hadn’t meant it but I took the opening and pushed off the doorway.
I folded into her comfortable leather chair and leaned forward, elbows on my knees, hands clasped together. “I owe you an apology.”
“Yeah, a few of them, I think, but what specifically are you talking about?”
“All of it,” I started. “Rebecca—”
She sliced a hand through the air. Flickers of her red painted nails slashed in a straight line. “Forgiven.”
A growl rose in my throat and I pushed it down. “For what?”
“All of it.”
Yeah, she wouldn’t be that easy, even though it’d be nice to get out of this. “I’m not sure I believe you.”
“Perceptive son of a bitch, aren’t you?”
She infuriated me like no one else. This was why I couldn’t get her out of my head. She pissed me off and turned me on and inside out at the same time.
“As your boss, Rebecca, I’d appreciate some respect—”
“You can’t be serious.”
“But as a man who’s been inside you, taught you things you hadn’t experienced, I’m asking for two minutes. That’s all. Can you please give me that?”
Silence settled between us. The heat clicked on, warm air fell from the ceiling, and wisps of her hair blew in the breeze before she collapsed back into her chair with a heavy sigh.
“Fine.” She pushed herself away from her desk, and in the most protective gesture ever, crossed her arms over her chest and her legs at a knee.
“A Dom’s first responsibility is always to take care of his sub, and I didn’t do that the other night. I promised you I’d answer any questions you had, but I didn’t ask you any questions that could affect our play.”
“You’re not my Dom.”
Nah, but I would be. Now that I had an inkling of understanding of why she was so hesitant to submission, I could finesse it. “You’re right. But that still doesn’t mean I shouldn’t have taken the time the other night to ask you a few questions or ask you what your concerns were. Based on what just happened in the conference room, I’m assuming you have some. Not digging deep enough was my error completely. And for that, I’m sorry.” I flashed her a lazy grin.
Her gazed dropped to my mouth and I had the urge to see if her nipples were hardening, or if her pulse was thumping a beat or two faster. Eyes on the prize, asshole. And in this case, it was her. “I was so excited to get my hands on your luscious ass, I lost my mind a bit.”
“I was beginning to feel sorry for being mean until you threw that out there, you know.”
“I do now.” Another grin. Shameless, I was. “Do we need to talk about that? You mentioned men using you.”
The very thought of her being with an abusive prick sent my blood burning white hot.
Her lips pressed together in a tight line and she shook her head once. “Nope. And no offense, I’ve given you the two minutes you requested, but now I have work to do, and since you’re not my Dom, it’s really none of your business, is it?” Her eyes gleamed. Wicked sexy vixen mixed with a challenge.
Game on, honey. “Not today it’s not.”
In order to show her that I could respect her, that I valued her, I let her end the conversation without pushing as far as I would have liked to. We’d get to more later. I stood from the chair, brushing my hands down my thighs. I didn’t miss the way her gaze dropped to my movements before jumping back to my eyes either. She was pissed, but interested, at least in my body, but who could really blame her? I lifted and ran and swam whenever I could. I’d honed my body to perfection and I wouldn’t lie, it was for vanity. Screw the healthy lifestyle and clean eating. I actually wanted women to look at me like she was doing now.
Arrogant asshole, I might be, but I was a damn good looking one. “Someday soon it will be my business. Have a good night.”
* * *
I was an action man. I was also a planning kind of man. I didn’t do much without considering the pros and cons, a variety of potential “what-ifs” scenarios, along with their possible solutions. That’s where I’d gone wrong with Rebecca from the very beginning.
I wasn’t the asshole she assumed I was. I was particular. I knew what I liked and I expected it to be done according to my exact specifications. It’s what made me a beast at my job, and yeah, part of that was because my dad started the company and despite the fact my parents were living a life of luxury in a posh retirement community down in Boca Raton, I still lived with urgent need to have his approval.
Which he made clear to me I had, every quarter when his investment portfolio and stock in Ashby Enterprises increased yet again. Even in the down market, when everyone was struggling to build and construction companies were falling like Dominos, I’d kept the company on a steady course.
That was me. Steady. Confident. Set a goal and smash the hell out of the yellow tape as I crossed the finish line.
But Rebecca? She’d taken me by surprise, something that rarely happened. And since then, and looking back at her work record and employment history like I spent hours doing last night after she left the office, she continued to surprise the hell out of me.
Thi
s woman with the plush backside and curves that all but screamed “take me hard and do it all over again” was someone I no longer wanted working for me, but with me. At my side.
With a few rounds of hard fucking at night.
Now that I had a plan, a goal, nothing could stop me.
Which was probably why she’d been flashing curious and hesitant glares my way all day long. It started the moment I walked into her office, placed her favorite coffee drink on her desk again and murmured, “Good morning, Miss Morales,” and continued the rest of the morning until it was time for us to head to the ground-breaking ceremony.
I’d been pleasant, respectful, a friendly boss without crossing any lines, unless you counted when I placed my hand at her lower back and guided her toward the staged, ribbon set up area.
It was nearly impossible to be close to her and not touch her. Sue me. I wanted her and I’d get her, regardless of how long it took, but with the way she relaxed into my touch and not stiffened, I figured I wouldn’t have to wait long.
Plus, I hadn’t mentioned anything about our night together and I wouldn’t again.
Nope. My new plan was to woo her. Show her that she didn’t want some mindless, boring, safe metrosexual dude, but that she really wanted a man. Not just any man, either. Me.
“This way,” I said. My fingers pressed into her back and guided her around an uneven spot in the frozen grass. We’d had snow right before Christmas but since then, most of it had melted leaving slushy piles of snow and melting puddles of mud. But damn it was windy. We were in some sort of wind advisory. It was brutally cold as it slashed across my cheeks and nose.
My parents had it right. Get as far south as possible and live it up with shuffleboard and golf.
Bundled up in a puffy, gray coat, her curves were hidden and she could most likely not even feel my hand, but it wasn’t that that was bothering me as we grew nearer to where the builder of the Rolling Brooks development stood.
No, it was because she hadn’t spoken to me today other than responding, “Yes, Bennett.” “Certainly, Bennett.” “I’ll get to it as soon as I can, Bennett.” “Your last appointment on Monday cancelled, Bennett.”
Cute that she thought her compliance and lack of sass would deter me.
“You know,” I started, leaning in and talking so she could hear me through her hood and plaid scarf she’d wrapped around her throat at least a half dozen times. “Typically when people come to these events, knowing they were going to be photographed, they at least wanted their face visible.”
“It’s freaking cold out here,” she replied. She tugged on her hot pink mittens and shoved them into her coat pocket. “This sounded fun yesterday, but this wind is blasting right through me.”
Which meant hard nipples, pebbled skin, the need for hot bubble baths to warm up, and then after stripping flannel pajamas off her while I climbed into bed...
Shit.
I shook the visual out of my head and slid my hand from her back to her arm. “Stay close to me. Wouldn’t want you slipping on the ice.”
“How noble of you, Bennett.”
“It’d be bad business to have my employee break an ankle when the media’s around.”
She snickered and readjusted her scarf over her mouth. “Of course it would.”
I leaned in and tugged on her scarf. We were inches apart, far enough it would look like we were having a private, but professional conversation, close enough the puffs of breath that left our mouths mingled together in a light cloud. “Plus, if that happened, I’d have to carry you out of here, and I doubt that considering how much you hate me, you would want to be in my arms. Huh?”
“Of course I would.” Her nose wrinkled, from the cold or the idea of being in my arms didn’t matter. I got the reaction out of her I wanted, which was anything small.
We were nearing Miles Ingram, the man who would be overseeing construction on the Rolling Heights neighborhood development when her hand slipped out of her pocket and she tugged on mine. “I don’t hate you, Bennett. I think now that I’ve had time to think, it’s clear we’d never work well together, that’s all.”
A gust of wind hit my chest, slamming into me through my wool pea coat and suit coat and then ripped the breath right out of me.
Recovering quickly, I tugged playfully on her hand. “Then I suppose it’s my new job to prove to you how wrong you are. Miles,” I called, letting go of Rebecca and outstretching my hand to him. “How you doing?”
He gripped my hand and slapped my shoulder with his opposite one. “Fantastic weather to break ground, huh?”
“We even going to be able to get the shovel in?”
“We found a muddy spot.” He winked at me. Miles was a good guy. A family man with four kids, two sets of twins, which blew my freaking mind every time we spoke. He bitched about his kids with the same smile and softness my own dad had done to me every time I’d done something majorly stupid. An attitude of “I’m going to whip your backside” with a dash of “Oh, isn’t that sweet.”
“Come on,” he said, waving out a hand and gestured for Rebecca to walk with us. “Let’s get this done, though. Barbara’s with me today and I promised her I’d get her out of the cold as soon as we can.”
See? Indulgent.
I dropped back a step as he said hello to Rebecca and then I followed them to the main area where a bright red ribbon was tied across a ten-foot span, attached to two poles. A shovel was plopped into the ground and he’d been right. The ground was muddy as hell all around it, but they’d laid out wood pallets so we didn’t sink.
“Oh good,” Rebecca said, clasping her hands together and rubbing. “They were able to get the pallets in. I requested them this morning but they weren’t certain.”
“Good thinking,” I said. “It’s even better considering you’re going to be the one cutting the ribbon and breaking the ground.”
Her jaw dropped like I figured it would. Beneath the fur rim of her coat’s hood, her eyes popped. “What?”
“See? Not always an asshole am I? You did good on this, put more effort into it than anyone else on the team and this small, but important idea you had today further proves it. No one deserves to break ground today more than you. Oh, and when you get back to the office, there’s a file folder on your desk chair from me. A proposition if you will.”
Her eyes bugged further. Instead of waiting to hear what she had to say, I squeezed her hand and headed toward the rest of the assembled crew. I’d give a short, barely three-minute speech about the neighborhood and our excitement for the project similar to every other project we did, and then we’d pose for pictures while Rebecca took care of the rest.
Then, we’d let the games begin.
Chapter Twelve
Rebecca
Bennett Ashby was as frustrating as trying to scoop out frozen ice cream straight from the container. Unfortunately, he was also just as appealing as the smooth, cold taste of that same ice cream sliding down your throat. After I’d shared too much on Thursday, gave him too large a glimpse into my life, I went home bound and determined to forget he was anything other than my employer.
He couldn’t charm me or tease me. He couldn’t affect me.
I was stronger than anything he could throw at me. Then Friday happened and he tossed me into a whirlwind. Actually, all he had to do was touch me to get my insides swirling in a massive ball of confusion and desire.
Hours after the ribbon cutting ceremony, where he’d thrown praise at me in a way I didn’t know he was capable of, and the brush of his fingers on my arm and hand still lingered.
Just like the scent of him remained on my sheets even though they’d been washed.
Perhaps he was simply unforgettable.
But a girl could try, and I was one determined woman. I was strong enough to esca
pe an abusive household and a manipulative mom. I could do this.
Then I’d walked into my office and picked up the file he left for me on my chair. Assuming it was just any file, any work he wanted me to do which would no doubt force me to stay late at the office, I cursed it before slapping it onto my desk and diving right in.
Only, it wasn’t a proposal or a request to review financials. It wasn’t anything work-related at all.
It was a contract, and not the kind of contractual agreement I’d signed when I was promoted.
Nope. Sexual Contract Between Parties was printed in giant bold font right across the top of the page just below two larger and glaringly bolded words “Dominant/submissive”
Of all the arrogant, self-centered, selfish—I growled, closed the file, and left the office like a pack of wolves was nipping at my heels.
That damn arrogant asshole thinking he could toss that on my desk without saying anything. But what could he say? My answer was unequivocally, absolutely, without hesitation, hell no.
So why’d you bring it home with you instead of throwing it out.
When I pulled into my driveway, another surprise slammed right into me.
Miranda jumped off her perch on my front stoop and met me at my car as I was exiting, file folder burning my fingertips.
“We’re going out. Girls’ night. No arguments. Shawn’s rack of lamb can wait awhile.”
“I want Netflix and sleep.” I headed toward my front door, her heels clicking on the cement.
“Too bad.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me toward my front door. “You’ve been moping all week and we’re kicking you out of your rut.” She took the file from me and flipped it open before I could stop her. Not that I could, Miranda was pretty much an unstoppable force when she had an idea in her head. “Ohhh, what’s this?”
Her eyes widened and she looked up at me, grinning.
I rolled my eyes and opened the door. “Bennett’s new, dumbass idea.”
“I like it.” She slapped the file closed and followed me into my house. “Did you sign it?”