When he entered the apartment, he was greeted by music playing on the sound system. Of Beth there was no sign—until he realized that in addition to the music, he could hear the soft but distinctive sounds of a woman pleasuring herself. As he went further into the room, he saw first her toes, her feet and then her gorgeous legs, twisting and writhing under the sensations generated by—he took another silent step—the hand between her thighs. With the t-shirt bunched up around her waist, the sight of her smooth, delicious pussy fucking her hand was absolutely breathtaking.
He’d give anything to know what was going through her mind right now, what fantasies she was creating in that fertile imagination—and if by any chance he figured in any of them. Had she ever picked up on the Dominant traits he’d shown around the office?
The enchanting sounds she was making were becoming slightly wilder now, less controlled as she began to approach the point of orgasm and the erection in his jeans was getting even more uncomfortable.
Adam had always prided himself on being a good Dom, taking care of his subs’ needs, respecting their limits while at the same time testing those limits within reason—and trying to teach his subs self-control, among other things. Perhaps Miss Harrison could do with one such lesson. His lips curved into a roguish grin.
As stealthily as he’d entered—funny how military training could come in handy in civilian life—he moved slowly backward, to the point where he could pretend that he’d only just arrived. In silence, he opened the front door again, then slammed it shut while at the same time yelling out, “Beth, I’m back—you’d better be decent!” with a wickedly playful tone to his voice.
And lo and behold there she was, sitting up and looking like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth…although Adam reflected that he might. He decided he would make no comment about the warm, delightful scent of aroused female that he detected in the air. He’d put money on the fact that he’d managed to prevent her achieving her climax and if he had, then she would be one frustrated woman.
“I’ve got your laptop so that should keep you out of mischief,” he said, feigning complete innocence as he placed the computer bag beside her on the sofa, “and I’ll just take your clothes into the bedroom. Would you like me to clear some drawer space for you?”
The play of emotions across her face when she looked around at that comment was interesting. She was a little flushed—which was hardly surprising—and her expression spoke volumes about trying to work out what her answer should be.
“Umm, no, it’s okay, thanks. I mean it’s not like I’ll be here long, is it?”
If she wanted to think that, he wasn’t going to argue the point—for the time being. She’d need time to adjust to his new position in her life, as well as her position in his. “Give me a few minutes, and then you can get changed into something less comfortable—if you like.”
When Adam emerged from the bedroom, his guest was busily typing away. From the speed at which she was typing and the lack of any pauses for thought, she was clearly deep in concentration. He hoped she was working on her manuscript. Sneaking up behind her for a look over her shoulder would be easy.
His eyes narrowed as he scanned the screen. She really did write very well. Her prose was fluid and descriptive and clearly came from the heart, even if it wasn’t entirely accurate. Now that was something he could help her with.
“You write beautifully, Beth, and while what you’ve written could happen, owned subs would never indulge like that without their Doms’ permission—not unless they were bratting and actively seeking to be disciplined. And depending on their Doms’ moods, the form of that discipline may end up not being what they were hoping for.”
As he stepped over the back of the sofa to slide into position by her side, Beth slammed down the lid of her laptop, her face drained of color. The waves of tension emanating from her body were off the scale.
“Beth,” he said quietly, “don’t shut me out and don’t be ashamed. Talk to me.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.” Her knuckles were white where she was gripping the laptop. “It’s rubbish, just…stupid rubbish.”
“It isn’t.” Adam very carefully sat back, his posture as non-threatening as he could make it. “Do you know what I am?”
“Of course I do. My employer, and now…“ Her voice trailed off and she was staring straight ahead. Even the least observant person in the world would see her stress levels were rising with each passing second and at any moment she could bolt for the refuge of the bedroom with its lockable door.
“Beth. My woman. Am I going to have to put you over my knee and administer a sound spanking?”
Now that got her attention—and the color flooding back into her cheeks. Her eyes were wide, her mouth frozen with the sharp intake of breath. Even so, Adam could see the truth dawning in her eyes. She knew.
He hadn’t intended to have this conversation hot on the heels of what they’d discussed just a couple of hours ago but it was looking like he had no choice. Submission was the elephant in the room for many people—most would ignore it, some would flirt with it but very few would embrace it.
Well, it wasn’t quite as bad as the scene his imagination had conjured up a week earlier—but on the other hand, he hadn’t exactly wined her and dined her…not yet at any rate. That would come later. Now he had to tell her the truth about himself and in a way that wouldn’t make her any more skittish than she was already.
“Yes, Beth,” he said, with the gentle authority he wanted her to accept. “I’m a Dom and when I call you my woman I mean it. I’m going to teach you all about the beauty of submission to your Master and you’re going to teach me all about you.”
Chapter Five
While her stomach performed Olympic-standard gymnastics, in her subconscious mind Beth had always suspected it, from the first day she’d gone to work for him—and it explained why he’d provided the perfect model for the hero in her novel.
“Beth? Look at me. I know this is a daunting conversation to have. I’ve already thrown a lot at you today but if you’ll let me, I can help you to accept what I see in your eyes. Don’t be afraid.”
She couldn’t help herself—she had to obey him and the look she saw in his eyes was like a laser beam searing the depths of her soul.
“You can’t be a Dom.” It was just too ridiculous for words. And too coincidental. The man on whom she’d modeled her fictional Dom turning out to be one in real life? One who wanted her? It just didn’t happen like that. “You can’t be.”
“Why not, Beth? You’ve clearly done some research. You know D/s exists. And for it to exist there must be practitioners of it. Is it so difficult to believe that I’m one of them?”
Beth set her laptop down on the coffee table. She really needed to go and get dressed properly. If she did that sanity would surely return to this conversation.
“Where are you going, sweetheart? Don’t run away.” He caught hold of her wrist. “Tell me what you want.”
She closed her eyes, trying to shut out that insistent but gentle understanding voice. It wasn’t just his tone, it wasn’t just his words—there was an additional level that was communicating with her in a way that she felt rather than heard, and it was so hard to resist. Standing in front of him, she had to try just one more time to stop the juggernaut—even if it meant their personal relationship was over before it had a chance to begin.
“Adam, I’m not what you want,” she said, not sure who she was trying to convince more, him or herself. “I’m not glamorous, I’m not skinny, I’m not beautiful. Look at me!”
“Since you insist.”
And with that Adam made her straddle his lap, grasped the hem of her t-shirt and in one swift movement removed it from her body and flung it to one side.
She was incredible. Her body was as gloriously, gorgeously imperfect as he’d hoped. Her breasts were soft and natural curves, just like the gentle swells of her belly and hips. Her nipples, hard and tight, invited a man�
�s mouth to take them. It didn’t take much to imagine how she’d look with the adornments of bondage. She was so wrong—she was beautiful. He would teach her just how beautiful she was.
Her face told a different story. Her expression was stricken as she tried to cover her breasts and pussy. With the utmost care, Adam took hold of her wrists and held her arms away from her body. Her head fell forward, a luxurious brown cascade covering her shoulders and breasts.
“Don’t, please. I should be—“
“You should be who you are, no more, no less,” Adam cut in, his voice calm but firm. He pressed a kiss against the inside of each pale wrist. “Do you know what I see when I look at you, Beth? I see femininity, I see beauty—and I see a woman who has been in conflict with herself for a very long time.”
He studied her face for a moment. “I can take that conflict away and give you something that will let you be at ease with who you really are. I would consider it a privilege if you would allow me to do that. I know what a sensual, sexual being you are already. It’s there in your writing, in the way you were enjoying your body before I came back—“
“Oh, God, no!” Clearly horrified, she struggled against the hold he had on her.
“Beth, stop it.” His voice held a warning he knew she couldn’t ignore. “What I saw was exquisite. I wanted to watch you bring yourself to orgasm and one day I will.”
Her pussy was still wet when he slipped a hand between her legs—his gaze never leaving her face as he eased his fingers between her labia, stroking her still-swollen clit. The play of emotions that she was experiencing was plain to see. She was torn between wanting what he was doing to her, wanting to listen to him and wanting to fight everything.
He knew what was going through her mind—that nice girls weren’t supposed to let strangers do things like this to them, nice girls weren’t supposed to actually want or even like sex at all. He’d seen it all before, heard it all before—but this time, because it was Beth, it was different. He wanted so much more for her—for both of them.
“Why are you doing this to me, Adam?” she whispered, trying to move her pussy away from his hand.
“Because you’re mine. Tell me how you feel. Right now, Beth. Tell me.”
Her eyes were haunted in the moment before she turned away from him. “Ashamed. I feel ashamed.”
Adam swore under his breath. “That was never my intention, love. No one should be ashamed of their desires, their needs. I can teach you never to be ashamed again.”
“Train me, you mean?” Now she was defensive.
“I’ve used that word, yes, but it’s not the way I work. Oh, some Doms do, but I prefer to think of it as teaching because it’s as much about you teaching me as it is about me teaching you. For example, I would need to learn your limits, both soft and hard—the things you won’t do now but might do in the future and the things you’ll never do.
“Now—when was the last time you had a lover? When did you last have a man do this to you?” He tapped her clit, felt her body tremble in response.
She clearly wasn’t expecting that question either and Adam felt almost primitively pleased that there was no instant response. He was even more pleased when she admitted that the brief relationship had both started and ended in the two months before she’d come to work for him.
“And you dumped him, didn’t you?”
She went still. Adam could tell by her expression that he was right. His Beth needed a strong man to give her what she really needed from a relationship.
“And no lovers since,” he concluded thoughtfully. “Does masturbation satisfy you or do you miss having a cock inside you?”
He could see that the bluntness of the question shocked her—she also had to learn that clear communication would be an intrinsic part of their relationship. He started to stroke her pussy again, noting that she was wetter than she had been a minute or two ago. On the face of it, it would appear that she did need a cock—his cock—to satisfy her hunger.
So where did he go from here? He could take her into the bedroom and begin to prove to her that she was a natural sub, or he could keep her by…letting her go. In one fluid movement, he released the wrist he was still holding and stood up, setting her back on her feet. Before she could say anything, he’d also replaced the t-shirt but before he spoke, there was one thing he had to do. He lowered his mouth to hers and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.
“Go and have a shower now, love, and dress up. I’m taking you out for dinner. Think about what I said, and we’ll talk about it again tomorrow.”
Beth was almost shaking as she stood under the shower. This wasn’t her life. There’d been a terrible mistake and somehow she’d been transported into someone else’s life by accident. Otherwise she’d have to consider all the things Adam had just said and done to her and none of that could possibly be true.
He’d said he was taking her out for dinner. At that precise moment, there wouldn’t be much point—because the thought of food made her want to throw up.
Once she’d showered and dried her hair, Beth delved into the bag Adam had left for her, expecting to find the clothes she’d asked him to collect from her flat. They were there all right—along with some things she didn’t recognize, a cocktail dress in teal satin with a black lace yoke and long black lace sleeves, a pair of stylish peep-toe black heels and a matching evening bag.
He obviously meant her to wear the dress for their dinner date.
Dinner date. Beth wondered how long it was going to take her to get used to the idea that she was Adam Granger’s latest conquest.
“Now you’re getting silly!” she muttered under her breath. Conquest, indeed.
She could be stubborn and uncooperative about it, she supposed, and put on the jeans and baggy top that she’d also found in the bag. But the truth was she didn’t want to be stubborn and uncooperative. She wanted to please him.
It was just a pity he hadn’t thought about underwear as well.
“You don’t need it, Beth,” came his amused voice from the direction of the door, in response to her mumbled comment. “The bodice will support your breasts and the panties stay off—as my woman, you’ll only wear underwear when I give you permission to do so. Now get ready. You’ll wear the dress, the thigh-highs and the shoes. And don’t overdo the makeup.”
With that he walked past her without a backward glance, heading for the bathroom.
Beth stared after him. All of a sudden a strange feeling came over her, as if her skin didn’t quite fit right anymore. This was an Adam she’d never seen before and she didn’t quite know what to make of him. Was this the side of him that all his previous girlfriends had seen? Was this a glimpse of Master Adam? She suspected it was and the shiver that went through her was one of excitement, rather than fear.
She wasn’t used to going without underwear and the feel of the fine fabric on her skin was almost sinful. Adam was right about the bodice—it was almost like a corset, while the skirt had just enough material in it to allow her to walk comfortably. Well, comfortably enough—she certainly wouldn’t be going anywhere in a hurry in this dress!
With just a touch of lipstick and a quick flick of mascara, she ran the brush through her hair, and took in her appearance in the full-length mirror. It was like looking at a total stranger but instead of being shocked by the transition, Beth felt…complete.
Having left the bedroom to Adam, she was in the main living area looking out of the huge windows when she heard movement behind her. If she was dressed up to the nines, would he be similarly attired? He’d scrubbed up quite well for the office Christmas parties, she remembered, even though he’d never stayed long.
Talk about suited and booted. Quite simply, he was stunning. All of a sudden her ideas about this dinner date ratcheted up several notches on the casual to formal scale. The man could surely make simple black and white look like the sexiest fashion combo on the planet—three-piece black dinner suit, the quality unmistakable, crisp snow-whit
e shirt and a black bow tie with gleaming black leather shoes. With his height and build and the commanding air that he wore like a second skin, he couldn’t help but attract attention. He certainly had hers as he made his way toward her.
“So, where are you taking me?” Beth asked, trying not to stare too much.
“A little place I know.”
She shook her head. “Adam, you might as well tell me. I’ve booked tables for you at all your favorite restaurants for the last three years.”
“Not this one you haven’t.” She could hear the superior smile in his voice as well as see it on his face. “Turn around.”
“Why?”
A look was all it took to make her obey him.
“I have something for you.”
It was metal and it was cold—and it had the close fit of a choker rather than a necklace. “What is it?”
His hands were warm on her shoulders. “Not what you’re thinking, sweetheart. We’re a long way from that. And when it happens, if it happens, you’ll know exactly what I’m doing to you.” She felt his lips brush her temple. “Now let me look at you.”
Beth performed a slow pivot in front of him, coming to a stop when she faced him. Close up, he was even more beautiful and overwhelmingly masculine. She found herself wanting him to kiss her. “Well? Will I do?”
He looked at her in silence and with each passing moment Beth felt her level of anxiety rise. It went off the scale when he spoke, his tone affecting her every bit as much as his words.
“Lift your skirt and stand with your legs apart.”
With trembling hands, she lifted the hem of her dress to mid-thigh, her stance as wide as she dared. Her heart was racing as she met his gaze. She thought it might stop altogether when she saw the dark disapproval there.
“All the way, Beth,” he said gravely. “I want to see that you’ve obeyed me. And keep your eyes open.”
Her face flamed as she exposed herself to him. Her breath hitched when he swiped a determined finger through her moist folds, raised it to his mouth and very deliberately tasted it. Tasted her.
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