by Cynthia Dane
The meetings didn’t stop until four. James shook Ethan’s hand and was followed out to the main office. When Ethan returned, it was with a smirk bigger than Jasmine’s hair. He locked the door and told Nadia that he didn’t want to be disturbed for at least half an hour, unless it was an emergency.
Jasmine knew what that meant.
“Getting cramped?” Ethan held out his hand. “Why not stretch your legs?”
Jasmine accepted his help, her legs grateful to be used again. I didn’t realize how cramped I was until now. Ethan kissed her knuckles, gaze never leaving Jasmine’s flattered face.
“I hope you’re not too bored. We’re having dinner after we leave. An important dinner that Adrienne will be joining us on. It’s with some of her… business associates, shall we say.”
So, insufferable fuckheads ala Hyacinth Winchester. Jasmine was not excited by the prospect, but she wasn’t panicking… yet.
“I have a little time to spare with you, though.” Ethan drew her into his arms, her body encircled by Armani and tough, masculine Clive Christian cologne. “Only question is… how should we spend it?”
Jasmine clutched his jacket, feeling him tense beneath her touch. I know how I want to spend it. On her knees, over the desk, on the couch… there were so many ways for him to have his way with her right now.
Ethan played with the loose end of her diamond belt. “Do you like this? I thought of you the moment I saw it at the jeweler’s when I was having a watch fixed. I knew I wanted to see it around your waist, taunting me. And it has.”
He pulled harder. Jasmine’s eyes widened as the belt cinched tightly around her waist.
“After all this time, I still don’t think you know what you do to me. You don’t even have to speak or move. Looking at you has always made me a complete and utter fool. Remember, the first time I saw you downstairs that fateful day… I knew I had to have you. I needed you.”
Jasmine was lost against his chest, feeling him touch her sides, her hair, her collar around her neck. Touch me all over.
“It’s a rare woman who turns me into such a base creature.” Ethan tucked her hair back and fingered the earring he picked out for her. “You know how much I value my ability to control every aspect of my life, let alone my business.” The belt was as tight as it could get around her. Jasmine could still breathe – barely – but it was cutting it close. “So for you to come into my life and tear that all apart… it doesn’t matter how many times I punish you for it. It’s never enough, because the next day you’re doing it again. The worst part is you don’t even realize you’re doing it.” He snorted. “Most of the time. You know you’re doing it to me now, though, don’t you?”
Was that permission to speak? Jasmine’s fingers slipped against the softness of his suit, the rest of her also turning to jelly. Her knees had to stop wobbling. The more this scene continued, the more she wanted to make an utter fool of herself, like Ethan always claimed she made a fool out of him. “No, sir,” she whimpered. “I don’t mean to do anything. I’m wearing what you told me to wear.”
“You did your makeup and kept your hair this way.” Ethan combed it with his hand before clutching her ass and bringing her thigh to his. “Don’t deny it. I don’t want you to lie. Surely you know what a vixen you are, my flower.”
Only Ethan could make her feel like this. Like she was the most beautiful woman in the world. She had to be, to slay a tough dragon like him with one look. “I can’t help it,” she said, rubbing his tie. “You make me this way, sir. I’m just…”
His hand went under her short skirt and found her lingerie. Jasmine yelped, holding herself closed to him as he stimulated her through lace and silk. “You’re just the most beautiful, most irresistible woman in the world. You’re mine, aren’t you?”
“Yes, sir…”
“Yes, what?”
She gulped. “Yes, Master.” It was difficult for her to say that loudly and proudly. She had a feeling she wasn’t supposed to. “I’m all yours, to do with as you please.”
Although he continued to stare into her eyes, Ethan removed the belt from around her waist and pulled it up to her torso. Before Jasmine had the chance to beg for it, he tied her up in it, the diamonds pressing against her arms and digging into her breasts. “I know. I will use you as I please, I promise you.”
Jasmine still shook in her heels. Ethan was there to steady her, but he was also a diabolic wolf to her demure sheep. A force to be utterly reckoned with.
“Are you ready for me, Jasmine?” Growls littered his throat. His hips pushed his hardness against her stomach. Oh my God. This is happening. So much time together, and she still thought that. “Because there’s no way I can go to dinner until I’ve had you at least once. I crave you like the whole world craves the sun and rain both. You make me so happy. I take great delight in looking at you.” Jasmine knew he got her this dress because the bust was easy to manipulate, and yet she gasped to have him pull her front down and expose her bra. “But you also give me such a burning need that I want to both run from you and come to you. Do you understand? You have power over me, and you don’t even realize it.”
Jasmine whimpered from the chain digging into her body. It wasn’t painful. It wasn’t even erotic yet. It was definitely something. “I love you, Master. Any power I have over you is because I love you. I can’t help myself like you can’t.”
He kissed her, nearly knocking her off her feet if it weren’t for both him and the belt keeping her upright. But his hands! They mauled her, kneading the soft flesh of her breasts, clenching the firmness of her thighs, and pushing between her legs as if they belonged there.
“I know you can help yourself,” Ethan hissed in her ear. It made the blood quicken in Jasmine’s veins, her body giving over to the heat beating down her inhibitions. They had sex in his office countless times, both before and after being more than boss and employee. Yet this was different. This was a side of Ethan Jasmine rarely saw, and almost never in the office of a CEO worth more than a billion dollars. Ethan was losing control. He never lost control, even when sex was involved.
Okay. Rarely.
“You get off on watching me come undone. Admit it.”
“No, Master.”
He shoved her against his desk, pulling up her skirt and forcing aside her lingerie. Am I even ready for him? It didn’t matter. She would love it either way.
He was ready. That was all that mattered.
“It’s all you want,” Ethan insisted, his voice that raspy tone Jasmine only heard when they were deep in a scene like this. He fought with his zipper. “You show yourself off to me so I will lose who I am inside of you.”
“All right!” Jasmine didn’t know what was happening, but she would ride this wave. “I admit it. From the moment I first walked in this building and saw you, I only had my sights on becoming yours.”
“You succeeded, didn’t you?”
“Yes!”
This was a familiar position, although one Jasmine hadn’t indulged in for so long. Her, pinned against his desk, skirt up and his cock gunning for her. Jasmine cried out in blissful agony as he fucked her half-raw, her body only now catching up to how excited this scenario made her – how aroused she was by his incessant need for her.
Ethan pushed her farther back, one hand holding her leg out while the other clasped over her mouth. I’m making too much noise. The office was sound-proofed, as thoroughly tested by herself and previous assistants, but Ethan probably didn’t want to listen to her cries of pleasure as he drove himself into her. This wasn’t about her. This was about him and what he couldn’t control before their big business dinner. If Jasmine knew anything about her Master, it was that he loved a good purge in the middle of the workday.
How did he take care of it now that she wasn’t there half the time? She liked to imagine him having a moment, thinking of no one but her while he touched himself. I love watching him touch himself. She thought this as she braced against his cock thrusti
ng into her hard, raw. The only one making his cock do anything right now was her. It was her body stroking his shaft, driving his head crazy, and promising the rest of him the orgasm of his life. Jasmine had no idea what it felt like from his end. She could only imagine the immense relief of sinking a hard cock into a waiting cunt. Oh, shit, I’m thinking crass. That meant it was good. That meant what Ethan was doing was working. The more Jasmine’s mind slipped into forbidden words, the more she enjoyed their sex life.
“What about now?” Ethan asked, his hand leaving her mouth and pulling on her hair. Jasmine moaned, taking all of him so deep that she could hardly stand it. “Do you think you have control right now? Who is in control?”
“You are…”
“Who?”
“You are, Master!”
His hand went back to her mouth, muffling the words and other sounds spilling from it. Jasmine’s fingers clutched the edge of his desk as the rest of her shook against it, one hard thrust after another careening into her. Here she was, on the receiving end of a CEO’s control, right here in the office where billions of dollars were made every day.
Jasmine realized she was one of the most special women in the world. Every time something like this happened, she was reminded of it.
Unfortunately, she didn’t have the chance to come. Ethan wouldn’t allow that so early in the day. She had to cling to what pleasure she got right now, because once again, it wasn’t about her and her pleasure. It was about Ethan’s purge, and he got that the moment Jasmine’s inner walls unexpectedly clenched on his cock and made him swell inside of her.
His satisfied grunt of climax coincided with the sensations flooding Jasmine. She may not have an orgasm of her own yet, but she reveled in feeling Ethan fill her with that pesky essence that turned him into a crazed lunatic only a few minutes ago. My fiancé is too virile for his own good. It’s only natural that I help him out. What did the Taoists believe? Too much yang. Too much yin. Yup. That was them. Jasmine was a walking shadow who knew not what she did to the men around her. Then there was Ethan, who was so masculine that he fell right into her trap. The only way they could balance each other out was through bouts of this depraved game.
His thrusts came to a gradual stop, the man taking his time to savor how she felt around him. Jasmine closed her eyes and leaned back. Everything was a blur, as she was so hyped up on her unsated lust that she could barely concentrate on the world around her. There’s no way that he’ll let me…
Ethan freed her from the diamond belt and slowly pulled out of her. “I should be over you already, but I still want you, even though I can’t physically do anything more right now.”
Imagine how she felt!
“Touch yourself for me. I want to see you come and push it all out.”
Jasmine’s eyes snapped open. Here? On his desk?
Yet there Ethan was, not even bothering to put himself away as he leaned back and observed her as if she were a fine painting hanging up in a museum. Was she that intoxicating to look at?
Why was she already humoring him?
“We’re in a hurry, my flower. Faster.”
Jasmine’s hand dipped between her legs and stroked the one thing that had been abandoned in that fervent lovemaking. Ethan was right: it took an all of ten seconds of bathing her fingertips in her wetness and staring into that stoic visage. As climax claimed her, Jasmine jerked back on the desk and unleashed everything she held inside. Which was a damn fucking lot.
“Shit,” she muttered, lowering her feet to the floor and pulling her dress back into position. “It got… everywhere.”
“It sure did.” Ethan looked like he desperately needed a smoke. Too bad he didn’t ever partake. Instead, he went to his office wet bar and poured himself a shot of whiskey. “As soon as you’re done cleaning both it and yourself up, we can go to dinner.”
Jasmine shot him a hasty look. So much for basking in her orgasm. She had to do what now?
“Oh,” Ethan continued, finishing his drink and leaving the glass on the bar. “I have one last request for you. Give me your underwear.”
Chapter 16
It didn’t matter how Ethan made her feel in his office. Both good and not so good disappeared as they entered one of the most high-class restaurants they could ask to visit. We don’t come here much. French food. Ethan wasn’t that much into it and Jasmine hadn’t sampled enough yet to say whether or not she cared. Adrienne had insisted that they should have their business dinner here, however, because of the prestige the place carried and it was a guest’s favorite restaurant.
As was customary, they passed the main gallery, electing to take a private hall as they followed the maître d’ into a back room. The mahogany panels on the wall evoked a rustic European charm. The tablecloth lace, both delicate and firm enough to withstand the abuse of diners, also carried an Old World feeling. It briefly reminded Jasmine of her gaffe at Lady Winchester’s, and she swallowed so hard that Ethan asked her if she was all right.
No, because I have no damn panties on. They were stuffed in Ethan’s inner pocket. For some reason, he wanted Jasmine prancing around completely naked beneath her skirt. Was it a power thing? Or was there some other ulterior motive?
Adrienne was already there, fussing with the maître d’ over whether or not the tea light candles should already be lit. She was stag, which surprised Jasmine. It further surprised her to quickly find out that Ms. Adrienne Thomas was single, having fired/dumped her assistant. Ethan said she was using a middle-aged woman in the interim. “I don’t know what happened between them,” he said in the back of the limo, shrugging. “None of my business. Now, let me see what you look like between those gorgeous thighs again.”
Jasmine shed her coat and let the maître d’ walk away with it. Adrienne looked Jasmine up and down with a light whistle. “Aren’t you a sight?” she said. “Richard Blake is going to go nuts for you. Ah…” she winked at Ethan. “That’s your plan, isn’t it? Shilling your poor woman to woo over the Blakes.”
“You’re on to me, Adrienne.”
“I know how you work.”
She left them, chasing down the maître d’ again because the tea lights were the wrong shade of rose. When they had this moment to themselves, Ethan pulled out a chair for Jasmine to take, his lips lowering to her ear and saying, “Remember what I said about you serving me today? About the world seeing what a beautiful wife I will have… and an obedient one? Don’t make me look like a liar, Jasmine. When you’re serving me…” his hands massaged her shoulders, but all she felt was more tension inside her, “you’re serving those around me as well.”
“I’m not sure what you mean, sir.”
“You’ll figure it out soon enough.” Ethan took the chair to her left as the maître d’ returned with new tea lights… and the Blakes.
Jasmine instantly recognized Francesca Blake, the queen bee from Monica’s garden party over a month ago. They exchanged a tentative look while Ethan rose to greet them. Richard Blake – who was not actually the musical actor, much to Jasmine’s disappointment – sat next to Jasmine while the others filled in the gaps around the table. Francesca continued to glance at her. The only thing keeping someone’s pride in check was that, well, as Ethan had promised, Jasmine didn’t have to speak or do anything since she was there to be his gorgeous trophy wife.
Maybe I should fucking own it.
Francesca Blake was suspect #1 in the world of calling Jasmine Bliss a trophy wife wannabe. She probably whispered with her other good-breeding friends that one day young and socially naïve Ethan would realize his mistake of marrying a low-class fuckup like Jasmine and divorce her ass. Hopefully he wouldn’t lose too much of his fortune in the process, but hey, he could always make more, and it would be a valuable life lesson. Somehow Jasmine managed to keep her face passive while she read this tremendous piece of bullshit on Francesca’s recently botoxed countenance.
Introductions went around for Jasmine’s benefit, even though she wasn’t al
lowed to speak. Once again, Ethan explained that her voice was not up to par that day and she was resting it. Pretty soon half the city would think she had laryngitis.
A sommelier brought them the wine Adrienne already ordered. It was a ridiculous vintage that Jasmine couldn’t even fathom, of course, but she didn’t say a word as the sommelier left them the bottle to fetch something else Adrienne requested.
“He didn’t even bother to pour us…” Francesca scoffed, or at least Jasmine thought she did. Hard to tell when her face barely moved. I can read derision, but not actual muscle movement.
Ethan patted her knee. “Now would be a great time to show off your skills, my love.”
My… skills? Excuse him, she was not going to crawl under the table and blow…
…Oh. He didn’t mean that.
Jasmine got up from her chair, one hand draping across Ethan’s arm as she delicately turned around and faced the bottle of wine. Everyone, including Adrienne, looked at her as if she had lost her damned mind when she picked up the opened bottle and began to fill the glasses around the table.
After all, if she had to serve her Master, she had to serve everybody. Adrienne gaped at her as Jasmine filled her glass first. “Well, this is very kind of you,” she said, attempting to save grace. “Thank you, Jasmine.”
She was fine until she got to the Blakes, namely Francesca, who came up first.
Don’t fuck up. Don’t fuck up. Jasmine had images of her spilling this wine not only all over the tablecloth, but Mrs. Blake’s lap as well. She was wearing Versace, and not any Versace. Vintage Versace, the kind that always stayed in style and only increased in value and prestige as the years went on. In other words, it was irreplaceable, and to stain it would end Jasmine’s life.
She couldn’t think about that. She had to focus on something else…
Jasmine caught a sly smile from Ethan across the table. “Focus on me,” it said. “You’re not here to impress them. Impress me. I’m easy to impress when it comes to you.”