Derrick's Choice (Titan Security Book 1)

by Cynthia P. O'Neill

  His face became inflamed, and his fist came down hard on the arm of the sofa. “She did what? I had my team forbid her from entering.”

  “In their defense, sir, she was in disguise as a Domme—clad in leather and wearing a blue wig and half mask from her nose to the crown of her hair. How has she come in before?” I was curious if she’d changed up her demeanor, since no one had recognized her. Hell, I’d had trouble realizing who she was, until she’d made a couple nervous ticks I’d seen her do a lot over the past few weeks. It really didn’t matter how she dressed; I would have recognized that body no matter what.

  He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head, obviously frustrated by the news, muttering to himself, “She’s never been this bold before.” His eyes looked up to mine, “Did she get anywhere with anyone?”

  “She tried pulling a submissive male back into a secluded area to talk, but he shot her down. I could tell she didn’t know what she was doing or how to talk like a Domme.” Geez, how did I tell him that I’d played with her a bit, just to teach her a lesson?

  “Spit it out, man. I can tell you have something to tell me.” His hand clamped down on the sidearm of the couch. I could only imagine him calling his goons back to hold me down while he pummeled me.

  “No one would play with her. When I realized who she was, the other Masters were ready to kick her off the property.” Damn, I was more nervous than talking with my father. I found myself rubbing the back of my neck, not wanting to make eye contact with him. “Since I was to watch her, I asked her to stay and talk a bit. I was afraid she might try going to one of the other clubs in the area.” I swallowed hard, not wanting to admit what came next. “I called her on her crap and told her she was clearly a submissive, when she admitted that she wasn’t allowed in the club.”

  “And?” His eyes grew wide with alarm.

  “I don’t know what she’s done to not be allowed in, but I offered to take her into a room and show her why I thought she wasn’t a Domme, and, basically, I proved my point.”

  “You had sex with her? She saw your face?” His voice was raised, and I could see his knuckles turning white as the arm of the sofa started to yield to his strength. You could tell it was taking everything he had to control his temper.

  I wasn’t about to rattle the tiger’s cage by admitting I wanted to sleep with her and have been hard every time I keep watch over her. So I dialed it down. “Negative, sir. I tried to show her how a true Dom would command the room and control his sub. We did nothing more than kiss.” I’m not about to admit I wanted to tie her down, strip her bare, and have my fill of her. She wouldn’t have agreed anyway. That damn rule of hers. “Besides, she has a rule: no penetration.” I looked up to admit sheepishly, “I wouldn’t have even if she wanted to, sir. Especially since I’m not even sure who this person is to you.”

  His phone rang and our discussion was interrupted. “I need to take this.”

  I got up and walked to the other room to give him some privacy. I could tell the call was intense because he’d instantly become irritated with the person on the other line. “Don’t give me excuses, get me results. I need to know where the bastard is. You guys were supposed to keep me hidden. What the hell kind of… ”

  His conversation settled into the background as my mind drifted to the night I ran into Jesse at the BDSM club. One of my duties had included filling in for one of the Dungeon Masters at his club, since one of the employee’s wives just had a baby.

  I was thankful Mr. Tennison had insisted I wear a bandana style mask that covered from underneath my nose to the back of my neck, shielding my identity, with exception of my mouth, chin, and eyes, in the event any of the Pterodyne employees managed to stumble in. I hadn’t started work at Pterodyne yet, but didn’t need his employees making the connection that I worked at both places to keep “watch” over everyone and everything. He couldn’t rule out the possibility of the threat coming from his employees or club members.

  Never in my dreams did I expect Jesse to walk into Rapture a few nights back. Just the memory of how she looked trussed up in a black leather corset, thigh-high leather boots with spike heels, and that playful black leather skirt that emphasized her sensual curves and barely covered her ass. Damn, I was getting hard just thinking about her. She carried a flogger, as if that would make me believe she was a Domme—not likely. She didn’t have control of the implement, nor did she command the room with her presence. I don’t know who she thought she was fooling with her bobbed blue wig and black mask—I’d know her aquamarine colored eyes, pale luminous skin, the few scattering of freckles on her shoulders, and the sashay of her hips anywhere.

  Jesse’s walk was burned into my mind from watching her for weeks now—making me want to bend her over the nearest flat surface and take her from behind. It took all I had not to push her when I’d taken her back into that room.

  I remember her looking like a deer caught in headlights when I’d approached her, grabbed her by the wrist, and said, “Follow me, sweetheart.”

  Her voice stuttered and she tried to dig her heels into the floor. I leaned forward and whispered in her ear, “I promise nothing will happen unless you beg for it. I just need to talk to you about why you’re here. We can either do this the easy way, where you come with me willingly, or we can do things my way, where I throw you over my shoulder and give you a good smack to your ass for refusing an actual Dom. I know I’d prefer the latter.”

  A small groan of desire came from the back of Jesse’s throat. The pulse point of her neck gave away her increased heart rate, and I could scent her arousal, which told me what I’d known all along: she was actually a submissive.

  “This way, sweetness.” I led her ‘round the corner to a room I knew was intense enough to make her squirm. I wanted her nervous and her focus on me, so I guided her through the open door, and she halted in her tracks.

  I almost laughed out loud recalling how quickly she turned around, eyes wide with fear, as she looked around the room and realized where we were. I’d picked the punishment room for the spanking bench, the St. Andrew’s Cross, and a table full of straps—any of these would help me keep her in place, if needed, while I questioned her intentions.

  She managed to squeak out, “What are you…?”

  I held my hands up in surrender after locking the door behind my back. “I’m only wanting to talk with you. I just need to know why you’re here and how you got in? Aren’t you on the no-entry list?” I ran my hand up and down in the air indicating her attire, “And why the hell are you dressed like a Domme when it’s obvious you’re a natural submissive?”

  Her lips poked up, making me want to bite then kiss them. She crossed her arms over her chest, I guess she was hoping to make a stand against me. However, all it did was make her cleavage come together and make her breasts look bigger, more desirable; I could see the peaks of her nipples hardened through the leather. She stomped her foot, making me want to force her up against the wall and kiss the hell out of her; I’ve been wondering what her mouth tasted like. “I have every right to be here. I only came once and was escorted off property within no time, for no reason. I don’t understand why I’m not allowed to explore my interests. If I can’t do it here, I can easily find another club willing to let me in.”

  Jesse’s eyes were full of fire and anger, just what I liked in a woman: someone who could challenge, yet bend to my needs. Her breathing was rapid, but she stood her ground. She and I both knew she was losing the battle though. I just leaned up against the door, arms crossed, with one foot lifted back against the door, at perfect ease with where we were. One way or another, I’d find out why she was here.

  Her eyes dropped to the ground and she finally answered in a low, husky voice, “I’m curious. My parents are part-owners of a similar, less intense club. I was too intimidated to play there knowing there were eyes on me, so I borrowed a friend’s driver’s license and wore the wig and mask so I could get in.” She looked up sheepishly, “I
don’t know where I fit in, but I feel it might be here, if I could only catch a break. Besides, who says I can’t be a Domme or maybe a switch?”

  She looked up at me—her eyes taking in my mask revealing only my eyes, lips, and chin. “Who are you?” She finally asked. “I feel like I’ve seen you before.”

  “I’m no one of importance, sweetness. For tonight, call me the Master of Your Dreams.” I smirked as I said it, because she had no clue she’d been starring in mine for a while now.

  Jesse quickly countered, “You’re not my Master, and there’s no way in hell I’m a full submissive. No one bosses me around. I’m too damn independent to let someone control me.”

  I pushed away from the door and walked right up to her, only inches separating us. I lifted my hand to rub my fingers across her cheek. At first she flinched, but then leaned into my touch as I ran my thumb over her lower lip. “I beg to differ, sweetness. How about a little wager?”

  I knew I shouldn’t extend this offer, but she looked like sin on a stick. I loved how her ample breasts would be more than a handful for me, along with those killer hips and thighs—enough to hang on to and squeeze my waist while I plowed into her. STOP thinking with your dick, man! You have no idea who she is to Mr. Tennison. She could be the niece or stepdaughter he was talking about, or she could be his mistress, but either way, she’s off limits to you. I guess it’s a good thing I tend to ignore my conscience, because no one ever stirred me like this little package of perfection.

  Her eyes, once again, fell to the floor as she asked, “What did you have in mind?”

  I lifted her chin so our eyes met as I stepped even closer, our chests barely touching one another. “If I can get you tied up and to surrender to me in the next seven minutes, you’ll admit you’re a submissive, and you’ll let me bring you to orgasm—one of the best of your life—before you are escorted out of the club.” She started shaking her head, but I firmly held her chin to keep her focus on me. “If you resist me, then I’ll let you play out your Domme fantasy, and I’ll submit to your orders and let you do whatever your heart desires.”

  Her lips twisted in thought before she lifted her chin in defiance and allowed a smile to dance across her face, “Be prepared to lose.”

  “Do you have any hard limits?”

  She nodded, “Just one: no actual sex or penetration with your dick.” With a pink blush spreading up her neck and onto her face, she looked down toward her privates. “You know, down there, I’ll consider the possibility of an oral exchange.”

  Her words gave me a visual of doing exactly what she didn’t want: plowing into her with her shapely thighs holding tight to my waist. But I could deal, especially if it meant her smart mouth wrapped around my cock with those luscious lips; I couldn’t imagine anything more enticing. “That’s no problem, sweetness. I can bring you plenty of pleasure without my dick, but that’s your loss, not mine.”

  I leaned forward, wrapping one arm around her waist and settling my hand against her lower back, while I reached my other hand up underneath her wig to the nape of her neck. Teasing her lower lip with my tongue, “Are you ready to begin, Mistress Jesse?”

  She sucked in a breath by my knowledge of her name, so I took the opportunity and sealed my lips over hers, driving my tongue deep into her mouth. Jesse tasted as good as she looked—sweet as a Georgia peach—which had been my favorite thing to eat when I was stationed at an Air Force Base during my final commission with the military in Georgia. I wanted to consume her whole mouth, drawing the essence of her soul into me so I could possess her. Have you forgotten that she’s your charge, part of your assignment? Shut the fuck up, conscience…she feels so right and so wrong all at the same time.

  At first she wiggled in my grasp, but after a few seconds, her arms came up, wrapping around my neck as I pulled her tight to me. Her body instantly molded to mine, fitting my frame as though she were made just for me. She felt so right pressed up against every inch of my body. I slowly started guiding her backward toward the wall with the cross.

  I pressed her back against the hard surface as I lifted both of her hands over her head and held them there in one of mine, grinding myself into her center to see how she’d respond. The little minx pushed herself into me as her tongue crashed into my mouth, seeking more from me. It took every ounce of my control as a Dom to stay focused. She had my brain and my body rattled, and I’ve never been that way. While keeping her mind in a befuddled state of bliss, I slowly maneuvered one hand and secured it to the cross.

  A strong voice broke through my memory…”Derrick. Damn it, soldier, get your head out of your ass and let’s continue this. I don’t have all night.” Tennison huffed. How the hell could I forget he was here? I seriously need to get my shit together, because Jesse just might be the death of me. My thoughts will have to wait until later…

  I couldn’t wait any longer to know who she was to Tennison though. She’d captivated me from the first moment I’d seen her years earlier walking out of his office, having stolen, right out from under me, the job that was set to be mine. “I need to know who’s who here. Everyone’s last name and personnel file is blocked at work and classified as confidential. I figured Blaine is your stepson, but which one is your stepdaughter? Jesse or Cassidy?”

  He took a deep breath in and nodded his head almost imperceptibly. “Cassidy would be my stepdaughter.”

  I blurted out, “Who is Jesse to you?” Please say she’s not your niece or your mistress.

  He glanced up, looking pale, like he’d seen a ghost. “She’s my namesake, my niece, Jesse Bradford.” His eyes looked past me off into the distance as if he were seeing another time, another place… “I never expected my old life to find me here. You can imagine my surprise when she walked into my office, having bypassed all my security measures, and demanding five minutes of my time, before locking the door and slapping her resume down on my desk.”

  He smiled and laughed to himself. “She’d tried applying to my company several times, including an internship while she was in school. I’d been able to thwart her efforts, but, somehow, she’d managed to find a weak spot within my security and gained entry with a food service company hired to cater our managers meeting that day.”

  I was curious, “Didn’t you know who she was?”

  He shook his head and smiled. “She seemed familiar, but I hadn’t seen a picture of her since high school, and with her new hair coloring, I didn’t recognize her.”

  His hand came up to rub a tight spot on the back of his neck as he continued. “She must’ve suspected we were avoiding her because her resume lacked her name. I couldn’t refuse her brashness, since she’d eluded my security team. So I gave her my time, talked with her as I looked over her resume, and was impressed with her knowledge.”

  He looked up at me with a bit of sadness in his eyes. “I fully intended to give you the job that day. But I was afraid I’d never get her to leave my office if I didn’t give her an offer. I put the salary range below what I thought she’d take; you can imagine my surprise when she accepted.”

  “You should know that’s why I requested you on this assignment; I wanted to try and make up for my failure to follow through with an offer to work at Pterodyne Systems. I was just thankful that Alexander Prescott called to ask me if I knew any top-notch security personnel. That’s how I managed to get you a job with him. Knowing your background as an operative, thanks to your dad, I knew you’d be a great fit.” He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes for a moment, letting silence surround us.

  I processed all the information and suddenly realized, “Wait a minute! You said Jesse’s last name is Bradford?” I had a sudden flash of seeing her face, not only when she left his office years earlier, but could’ve sworn I’d imagined someone looking similar to her at a couple of the weddings held at the Prescott estate. That meant…“She’s Kent and Carol Bradford’s daughter? The co-owners of The Shanty in Orlando?”

  He nodded.

 
My mind played through the files I’d read about everyone surrounding the Prescott family when I first started working for them. I had background information on everyone, including the Bradfords. I looked up to see Mr. Tennison now watching me. I took a closer look at his face, imagining him with strawberry blonde hair and no beard instead of the dark brown hair he now sported. “You’re supposed to be dead. How is this possible?”

  I pushed back in my chair wondering how in the hell I was talking with a ghost. You’d think I’d be used to people being someone other than who they say they are, especially after working with Mr. Prescott for so long, but never in my wildest…Jesse Bradford. Holy hell!

  With mouth agape, I was struggling to find the right words to say and questions to ask. All I could manage were, “How?” and “Why?” Mr. Tennison held up his hands in an attempt to calm me.

  “Almost thirty years ago, I was known as Jesse Bradford. My last assignment was successful, but, to me, an error of epic proportions. The research done to prepare us for our mission was outdated, and it grossly underestimated the amount of military presence in the small village where the king had hidden his most treasured secret: plans for a weapon ahead of our current technology.”

  “Are the details still classified?” I wondered.

  He shook his head. “That’s one of the reasons I was out of the state. I was actually in D.C., at the Pentagon, to talk to an old contact and see what I could find out. The information about the mission was declassified a few months back, around the same time I started having strange things happen in my personal life and at work.”

  I took a deep breath in, leaning forward in my seat and settling in to listen. I realized there’s more here than meets the eye. I needed to be brought up to speed, so I asked, “Why don’t we start with what happened on your mission that caused you to end up in witness protection and finish with why I’m here?”