“Aroused already, Beth?” His smile was that of a hunter whose prey was firmly in his sights. A slow burn started in his dark eyes. “You’ll do very nicely. You can cover yourself up now. How are the shoes? Can you walk all right or shall I carry you down to the car?”
The sudden return to relative normality threw her for a second but as she smoothed the dress down over her thighs Beth regained her composure enough to react as if what had happened was nothing out of the ordinary.
“In that suit?” It had to be Savile Row’s finest. “Thank you, but I can manage to walk in flats.”
He looked pointedly at her feet. “You call those flats? No wonder you damn near broke your ankle.”
“These are flats compared to what I usually wear. What I usually have to wear to have any chance of not having a permanent crick in my neck when I’m in the office. Although I would need stilts to avoid the risk completely,” she added with a hint of mischief in her eyes, a distant part of her mind wondering why she was behaving so flirtatiously now when she’d been so scared and nervous a short while ago.
To make sure her point was hammered home, she took a step closer to him and in a clearly exaggerated manner, lifted her chin to look him in the face.
He raised his hands in mock surrender. “Enough, woman, it’s time to go. Let’s get your coat.”
Beth was expecting them to go down to the basement car park but instead they exited the lift in the lobby. It was all glass and marble and chrome and like Adam’s apartment, it screamed wealth. Not to mention security—closed-circuit television cameras were strategically placed and then there was the concierge, who looked more ex-Army than a concierge probably should.
“Adam? I thought we were going in your car?”
“We were,” he agreed amiably, “but then I thought ‘What the hell!’ and decided I wasn’t going to let you have all the fun tonight. Your carriage awaits, milady.”
He opened the door for her and there was a gleaming silver Rolls-Royce, complete with chauffeur, who came round to open the car door for them.
“Adam, you’re insane!” she whispered hoarsely, trying to climb as elegantly as she could into the back of the limousine while holding on to her companion’s hand.
“Only occasionally, Beth, only occasionally.”
And always around you.
The back of the Rolls-Royce, though spacious, was warm and intimate. And dressed in the clothes he’d bought for her, wearing the diamond collar he’d had made almost three years ago, Beth took his breath away. She made his heart race as if he were a teenager on his first date.
He’d lied when he’d implied that it wasn’t a collar—in an uncharacteristic moment of weakness, he’d got it out of the safe but had deliberately not let her look in a mirror. She might catch a glimpse of it in a reflection here or there but he was determined that she would only see how beautiful she looked in it once she fully accepted her place as his sub.
A vivid image came to mind. Beth, in his bed, wearing nothing but the diamond collar and waiting for him—for her Master—to accept the gift of control over her body and her pleasure. He was getting a hard-on just thinking about it. Probably best not to think of it too much— it would play merry hell with the line of his trousers.
Their destination was his favorite restaurant, his bolthole of serenity when he needed time away from day-to-day life. He’d only ever gone there alone, wanting to keep it for that special someone, intending that it should become their special place—unsullied by memories of time spent there with other women who had passed through his life.
Though in the heart of Mayfair, the restaurant itself was well off the beaten track—the mews location ensured that only those in the know would be aware of its existence. Adam had been a regular customer for more than five years now and was greeted warmly by a member of the front-of-house team.
“Mr. Granger, it’s a pleasure as always. And you have company this evening. Please come this way. Your usual table is ready.”
With her coat safely hanging in the cloakroom, Beth was extremely conscious of the heat of Adam’s hand on her back as they followed the host to Adam’s usual table. Once again she was thrown off balance by the fact that not only was there a whole side to Adam’s life of which she was completely unaware and that he had now chosen to share it with her.
So this was his favorite place to eat. She already knew Adam had taste but this place was in a different league—and it suited him perfectly. It had style, it was understated—it was a cocoon of refinement and elegance. The décor was an impressive blend of natural tones and shades, modern but timeless—and it offered a distinctive sense of tranquility.
Once seated at the table in a secluded part of the restaurant, Beth covertly studied her companion while she was perusing the menu and he was sipping a Scotch on the rocks. Whatever she’d thought she knew about him, she had a feeling that things were about to change beyond all recognition.
And how much did she know about herself? Here she was in a public place, all dressed up and without a shred of underwear, so maybe not as much as she’d thought. Forty-eight hours earlier she would never have imagined herself capable of doing something like this.
Lost in thought, she didn’t even realize that the waiter had arrived to take their order and couldn’t believe it when Adam ordered for her.
“And please let Mark know that we’ll have a bottle of whatever he recommends to complement the food.”
Beth waited until the waiter left, then turned her attention to the man opposite her.
“Tell me you would have chosen anything different, Beth,” he challenged her, his expression intense, daring her to argue. “I know your choices from the last three office Christmas parties and you are nothing if not a woman of habit. But don’t worry, I’ll teach you to be more adventurous outside the bedroom, as well as inside it.”
She deliberately ignored the provocative comment. “Who’s Mark?”
“The sommelier. What he doesn’t know about wine isn’t worth knowing. Nothing else to say, love?”
She took a slow deep breath. “I suppose you do know that these days, women are perfectly capable of making their own choices when it comes to eating out? Lots of other things too.”
He raised his eyebrows, his expression one of consideration of her statement. “It doesn’t alter the fact that you’re here, in the outfit I chose for you. And while you are making the politically correct point every woman should, you haven’t exactly screamed blue murder about it.”
She couldn’t argue with that. “Well, you have given me a lot to think about today, including why you brought me here.” She gestured toward their surroundings. “It’s not every day your boss tells you he’s a Dom and he thinks you’d make a good sub.”
Smiling, he shook his head. “You need to stop thinking of me just as your boss, Beth. In fact that role doesn’t even matter anymore. And no, not that you would make a good sub—you are a sub. Need I remind you that you’re not wearing panties—you’ve already given me your obedience and made yourself sexually available to me in public?
“Shall I tell you what I see in you? A warm, witty, intelligent, caring woman with a submissive side to your nature that you haven’t yet decided to let into your life. If you acknowledge your inner submissive and let her into your life, I can teach her all that’s good about what she is. She’s an essential part of you, Beth. You’ll be no less of a woman if you never let her in but you’ll always wonder how good it might have been.”
She was already wondering—had been for a long time. She’d read about Domination and submission, devoured books on the subject and was trying to deal with her secret desires by writing about them. Writing was safe. Her heroine’s Dom was Beth’s fantasy man and while he only existed on her computer screen, he could do nothing to hurt her.
But the man seated opposite her was real. He was flesh and blood, he desired her and he wanted to be her guide on the road to submission. And he was the model for her fan
tasy man. Oh, she had to be insane for even thinking—
“Beth, I brought you here to spend a pleasant evening with you. Whatever’s going through your mind, put it to one side—leave it for tomorrow. Tonight we are going to have a delicious meal and get to know each other a little better.”
He was right—the food was delicious and so was the wine chosen by the sommelier. It complemented the meal perfectly and when the time came to return to Adam’s apartment, Beth was distinctly lightheaded. Seated in the back of the Rolls-Royce again, she glared at Adam, who gave every sign of being stone-cold sober.
“So,” he said lazily, “what do you think of the restaurant?”
“I can understand why it’s your favorite, Adam. I’ve never been anywhere like that before.”
“But you enjoyed the food?”
She chuckled softly. “How could I not? I’ve never tasted anything like it—sheer heaven.”
“And the wine?”
At that question, she looked a little sheepish. “I know absolutely nothing about wine, but what we had really suited the food.”
“Mark does know his subject,” Adam agreed. “I know what I like but it doesn’t always go with what I’m eating. That’s why he’s the sommelier and I’m not. And now for the killer question—what about the company?”
The company of the man with whom she was now having a relationship. The evening might have gotten off to a slightly prickly start but thinking about it, Beth realized that she’d had a wonderful time with a devastatingly attractive man—the kind of man she’d never imagined being part of her personal life but always dreamed about.
Earlier she’d wondered how long it would take her to get used to the idea of being Adam’s…Adam’s what? Or just Adam’s? The answer was next to no time at all.
“Adam,” she said, linking her arm through his, “I have had a wonderful evening and I have enjoyed your company very, very much.”
“Then you’ll have no objection to repeating the experience. And next time I’m taking you dancing.”
It was a statement not a question—she was mentally alert enough to work that one out, so she didn’t reply. Instead she leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes, imagining what it would be like to be held in his arms as they swayed to a slow, romantic ballad. He’d hold her close…her head would rest against his shoulder. If she had that, she would need nothing more in life.
Her sigh was one of pure contentment.
Adam glanced at the woman nestled against him, and felt a tightening of his body that had been absent for six long months. What the hell was it about her that had turned him into the arrogant boor who had decided that he knew what she was going to have for dinner?
He was a sexual Dominant, not a lifestyle Dom. He took control when it came to sex and physical intimacy and that was it. Except with Beth his usual feelings toward a sub—feelings of possessiveness, the desire to protect—seemed to be magnified beyond all reason.
Putting the thought to one side, he smiled to himself. It had been a good evening, one he’d truly enjoyed and his decision to share his favorite restaurant with his woman had been totally justified. The perfect end to the evening would have been knowing that he was taking Beth back home to make love to her but as much as he wanted her, he knew that it would have to wait.
It was important, he realized, that he find out the true extent of her interest in Domination and submission. He’d pushed her far enough to begin with by instructing her to go without panties for their visit to the restaurant. Had she shown any real sign of distress he would have produced the bag of silky lingerie he’d also purchased at the boutique.
Adam wasn’t comfortable with the thought of being a lifestyle Dom—outside the bedroom he wanted a woman who could think for herself, a woman who would stimulate him mentally, not a slave who looked to him for direction in every aspect of her life. He’d met enough subs like that to know that it wasn’t for him—he enjoyed the contrast of having a confident, independent woman on his arm outside the bedroom and having that same woman kneel before him in the bedroom and lose all control in his arms.
He wanted that woman to be Beth.
* * * * *
When they arrived back at the apartment Beth let Adam take her coat. The lightheaded feeling had now given way to a desire for sleep. Part of her wanted to head straight for bed but good manners dictated otherwise. She slipped off her shoes and limped toward one of the large, comfortable sofas, wondering if Adam would join her. No, not if—when. She sat down with her legs curled under her.
“Hey, sleepyhead, time for a nightcap. How’s your ankle?”
Dear Lord, if he’d been attractive before he was a thousand times more potent now. Her brain could only produce a babbled response to his inquiry about her injury, while her eyes were fully occupied in gorging themselves on the man himself. Devilishly handsome with his dark hair softly ruffled, he’d shed his jacket, waistcoat and bow tie and unfastened the top buttons of his shirt.
In the dimmed lighting, he scored a direct hit on her pussy. Remembering that she was still without underwear she winced, hoping that any evidence of her arousal would not soak her dress. She took the offered brandy snifter in both hands, swirling the glass to warm the measure of cognac.
She took a careful sip. The fine spirit burned its way down her throat and settled in a puddle of molten fire in her stomach. For a moment or two she stared into the amber depths of the glass, aware of Adam’s gaze upon her. His posture was as relaxed as her own—she would only need to lift her head slightly for her eyes to lock with his and under the influence of fine food and wine and her own raging feelings and desires, it wouldn’t take much for her to agree to anything he might suggest.
And it was just as much a mistake to focus on his legs, the fabric of his trousers pulled taut over his muscular thighs—and what looked like a substantial erection.
“Are you blushing, Beth?” His amusement was evident in his voice. “That’s the effect you have on me, but you needn’t worry—tonight is not the night. You need to sleep and then you need to think about what we’ve discussed. We’ll talk more tomorrow.
“Now I want you to take your drink and go and get yourself into bed. I’ll be out here. You have nothing to worry about.”
Nothing to worry about, he said. She peered at the clock again. It was 3 a.m., precisely seventeen minutes since she’d last checked the time.
Beth had managed to get some sleep since Adam had ushered her off to the bedroom but once she’d woken up about an hour earlier—feeling sober even if legally she wasn’t—she hadn’t been able to find sleep again due to thinking about the things Adam had said to her and what it had been like to go out with him.
What it felt like to be his woman.
All of a sudden Beth knew what was wrong—she needed to take a look at Adam just to reassure herself that this wasn’t all a dream, one of her erotic fantasies come to life. She could sneak out there for a quick peek without waking him.
What she didn’t expect was to see him standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows on the far side of the room, just standing there looking out over the city. With no lights on he was in silhouette against the backdrop of the city lights but she could still just make out the scars on his back in the subdued light. All of a sudden she just wanted to be with him. She’d only taken a step or two when he turned toward her. At that moment, she realized that he was completely naked.
“Beth.”
His voice was little more than a hoarse whisper and as she drew closer Beth caught a glimpse of the harrowed expression on his face, an expression she guessed she wasn’t supposed to see judging by how quickly he turned away from her. Questions tumbled through her mind.
“Adam, what’s wrong?” She laid her hand on his arm. In spite of the ambient warmth his skin felt chilly.
“It’s nothing. Go back to bed, Beth.” His tone told her that he expected immediate obedience. “I mean it.”
If he expected bli
nd subservience every time he gave her an order he was in for a big surprise. She wasn’t having any of it—not this time. They weren’t in the office and she was sure that any sub would rebel when it came to her Master’s welfare, never mind a novice like her.
“No. You’re going to talk to me, Adam. Tell me what’s going on.”
“Beth. Bed. Now.”
She pulled herself up to her full height. No match for him of course, but it gave her the confidence to face him down—or at least try to. “Adam Granger, something’s not right and I am not going to waltz off to bed and leave you like this.”
“Then take me with you,” came the direct, husky challenge.
Oh God. “If that’s what it takes.”
Although shaking with nerves inside Beth offered him her hand, her eyes locked with his. Whatever would be, would be.
“Beth, no. It’s the alcohol talking and I am not taking advantage of that.” He looked away from her again.
That was the honorable man she’d always seen at the office. “I may well fail a breath test Adam but I’m sober enough to know what I’m doing with you.” Again, she offered her hand, determined that he wouldn’t brush her off. “You’re not sleeping alone tonight.”
The haunted look became slightly less intense. “Beth Harrison, a sub isn’t supposed to be bossy.”
She raised an eyebrow at him, feeling bolder by the second. “So spank me. A Dom should have more sense. I’ve done a lot of reading and as far as I can see it’s part of a sub’s role to take care of her Master. And even if it isn’t I’m making it part of my role in your life.”
Fire flared in his eyes. “You do realize what you’ve just admitted?”
Beth nodded. The words had come out without conscious thought—if ever there was a case of fools rush in this was it.
Still he resisted. “And you want to share a bed with a naked Dom?”
“You don’t have to be naked but I wouldn’t have any objections,” she said brazenly, almost drooling at the thought of being close to that magnificent body. She pushed that thought to one side. Right now whatever was bothering Adam so much had to take priority. “It’s a large bed—I’m sure we can avoid one another completely if that’s what you want?”
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