by Naomi Niles
"I told you I was in security," he said with a cocky grin. He was younger than I was by at least ten years, a lot closer to her age than me.
"Yeah, but I thought you were a bouncer at a bar. I figured you had to be with the way you were always out all night and lifting weights during the day."
"Yeah, well, I used to be a private detective, but then I discovered doing private security is a lot nicer than sitting in dark cars all night trying to spy through windows; plus, bodyguards get paid a hell of a lot better. I've since moved out of that ratty apartment building and started my own company."
"Yeah, I moved out, too, after I got a job as a nanny." Rachelle blushed. She was acting like a shy schoolgirl with a crush, and I was finding it hard not to be jealous.
"And now, she's my girlfriend," I stated as I put my arm around her waist and held her close.
"You look fantastic," Blake complimented her, and her blush deepened. "I'm glad to see you're doing well. That dump was no place for a sweet girl like you."
"I'm just lucky," she said to him. "You've really worked hard to get where you are. You should be proud to be running your own business. I knew one day you'd be a success, and I was right."
It was more than I could stand, seeing her fawn over him.
Protectively, I squeezed her even closer to me, making it clear that she was mine. Looking at Blake, I said icily, "Well, we have a lot of work to do. What do you say we get down to business?"
For the rest of the morning, we went over all the details of Stuart Haynes – his employment for me, his relationship with my former nanny Rose Landon, and his murder of her. I gave him copies of the police reports and footage we had from security cameras.
It was humiliating having to explain how a man I had employed and trusted had slept with my lover, killed her, and then framed me for the crime. Worst still was having to talk about the subsequent times Stuart had broken into my home, attacked me, cut Emma, and threatened Rachelle.
It made me feel impotent not to have been able to stop Stuart, especially since I was talking to a man who was so virile and fit. Worse yet, Blake Barnes hand known my girlfriend before I did. He had lived right below her and had obviously flirted with her on numerous occasions. Hell, he was flirting with her now!
My hands wanted to clench into fists as we talked, and I had to force myself to seem confident and calm. It was a relief when we were finally able to move the conversation from tales of my humiliation and inadequacies and focus on my strong points: my wealth and resources.
"These are the architectural plans and schematics for the house, the garden, and the outbuildings. This is the file my bodyguard composed on my existing security measures and protocols. Finally, this is a list of my assets, so you can see what cars I own, my businesses he might try to sabotage, my bank accounts, and investments." I handed Barnes the sizeable stacks of paper with a sense of superiority. Let's see this poor boy from the slums compete with that.
Emma served us lunch, and we spent the afternoon going over vulnerabilities in my security and the ways in which Stuart might try to use them. Barnes had some innovative ideas for making them more secure. By the time we were done, I felt satisfied that I had picked the right man for the job.
"Don't worry about a thing. My team will take care of everything." Barnes shook my hand as he prepared to leave. Then he took both of Rachelle's hands in his own and kissed them. In a husky voice, he said to her, "You're in safe hands with me. You can count on me to protect you."
"I always could." She smiled at him, and I quickly cut between them to show him the way out.
I didn't like the fact that Barnes and Rachelle had known each other in the past. I'd never talked to her about past boyfriends, and it wasn't clear if they had ever dated or just flirted, but even that was enough to drive me crazy.
It had never occurred to me that something like this could happen. Still, I was committed now and to not hire Barnes just because he knew Rachelle would appear weak. I had to stick with him. I just hoped I didn't come to regret the decision.
Chapter Sixty-Five: Rachelle
"Well, that was rude." I glared at Tate when he returned back to his office from kicking Blake Barnes out the door. I'd never seen him rush somebody away like that before, and I couldn't help but think the fact that we knew each other had something to do with it.
Before the meeting, Tate had told me he'd hired the best man for the job, but the moment he discovered Blake and I used to be neighbors, his entire demeanor had changed. He was no longer the confident billionaire, but nothing more than a juvenile and jealous boyfriend, puffing his chest to defend his turf.
If Tate thought I hadn't picked up on the way he kept putting his arm around me, or the condescending way bragged about his assets, he was fooling himself. It was boorish, embarrassing... and strangely flattering.
For most of our relationship, Tate had decidedly had the upper hand. As a billionaire, he had all the money. As my boss, he had all the power. I lived in his home, where he dictated all the rules, even down to how I dressed. In the bedroom, he was the dominant, and I was required to submit to his wishes. Just because I liked it didn't change the fact that had all the power in our relationship.
Now, suddenly, here he was acting out like a jealous schoolboy just because another man knew me before he did. My past was an aspect of my life that Tate had absolutely no control over. When Blake hugged me, I thought Tate's eyes would pop right out of his head, and I took great delight in sharing stories with Blake about our flirtations in the apartment laundry room.
All our interactions had been harmless, of course. Blake had a girlfriend at the time, and I was too busy taking care of Mama to even think about dating. We were merely passing acquaintances who'd talked to each a couple of times. Still, I couldn't resist playing up our brief interactions in front of Tate as if they had been more. It was truly fun watching him squirm; but seeing him rush Blake out of the mansion made me realize that maybe I taken my fun a bit too far.
Men have fragile egos – even one as handsome, rich, and powerful as Tate. It didn't matter that he had everything going for him, including my love and devotion. He still needed reassurance that nothing could jeopardize my feelings for him and that's what I had to do now, even if I wanted to yell at him for embarrassing me in front of an old friend.
"It was getting late, and I wanted to tuck Halle into bed before she falls asleep; that's all," he said defensively.
"Are you sure maybe there wasn't any jealousy in there somewhere?" I wrapped my arms around Tate's strong torso and let my fingertips run down the front of his chest, emphasizing each word playfully.
"Maybe just a little," he confessed as he caught my hand and held it to his lips. "You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend in the building where you used to live."
"You said I was forbidden to talk about old boyfriends," I teased, kissing his mouth and biting his lower lip playfully.
"Actually, what I said was that according to the employment contract, you were forbidden to have other boyfriends," he corrected.
"You have nothing to worry about, though. Blake and I never went out together, but even if we had, he wouldn't stand a chance. You're the best boyfriend I ever had. I could never want anybody else." I pushed him down into his large leather desk chair and sat on his lap, straddling his waist with my legs folded up at his sides as I faced him.
"I'm sorry I acted like a jealous ass. I just love you so much, and I don't ever want to lose you." Tate buried his face in my neck, kissing along the slope all the way up to nibble seductively on my ear.
"You won't because I love you, too," I said as I loosened his tie and pulled it from his neck. Unbuttoning his shirt, I ran my fingernails over the muscles of his washboard abs and said, "Now, let me show you how much."
He ran his hands through my hair, holding my head locked to his as we took each other lovingly. Our mouths opened and our tongues sought each other out as the kiss deepened into one of intense fiery passio
n.
I pulled the tee-shirt up over my head and was about to toss it to the ground when a fun idea came to me. Spontaneously, I placed the cotton tee over Tate's eyes and secured it into place like a blindfold.
"What's this?" he asked, reaching out his hands and groping me playfully.
I took his hands and held them to my bare breasts. "I want tonight to be about the sensation of touch. I want you to concentrate on feeling how much I love you, so you never have to be jealous again."
I ground my hips seductively against his lap as I spoke, and I could feel his erection rubbing against the inside of my thigh. His hands closed over my full, round breasts, fondling them, and my nipples hardened against his palms in response.
"Do you feel that?" I asked, arching my back to press my breasts deeper into his palms as I ground my hips faster against his erection, dry-humping him in the chair.
"Yes, Mistress," he sighed with pleasure.
"Tonight, neither of us will play the dominant or the submissive," I corrected softly. "We are both equals, perfectly matched in power and our love for each other. Tonight is simply about connecting through the sensation of touch and reveling in the feel of each other."
I pulled the lever on the side of his leather chair, and the back suddenly reclined, sending Tate leaning back at a deep angle. Leaning against him, we kissed passionately, and I could feel myself getting wet. Quickly, I stripped away my shoes and jeans so I was completely naked and then did the same to Tate, peeling away his Italian leather shoes, then his black socks, and finally the trousers of his fine suit, taking my time and caressing his strong body as his flesh was slowly exposed.
Sitting naked in the chair with my tee-shirt blindfold as his only clothing, Tate's huge erection stood magnificently at attention. It was more than I could resist, and I knelt before him to bring my mouth to it.
I administered the blowjob slowly with thoughtful workings of my lips, tongue, and mouth, relishing the feel of his hot, throbbing cock as it pulsed and twinged in my mouth, desperate to explode his load of hot come down my throat, but somehow managing to stave it off. When I could tell he was getting too close, I'd back off and kiss his chest or play with his hard nipples for a few moments until he cooled down, and then began my ministrations again, tantalizing and teasing him with my tongue while he moaned and writhed in the chair with passionate pleasure.
"That feels so good when you do that," he moaned aloud as I caressed my fingertip around the base of his balls while I deep-throated his dick.
Pulling my mouth away, I straddled him on the chair again and whispered, "You think that feels good, wait until you feel what comes next."
Then I lowered myself on top of his dick, enveloping him slowly with my slick wet folds as he arched up his hips and groaned with pleasure. "Oh, yes. Fuck me with your tight pussy," he moaned, running his hands up and down my body hungrily.
I took him in deeply, all the way to the hilt, and then stopped, not thrusting or grinding, just perfectly still, teasing him. "Not yet," I whispered. "Not until you kiss my tits all over."
Blindly, Tate searched with his lips, found my breasts, and kissed them all over. My breathing grew rapid as I arched my back, panting for more. When his mouth found my nipples and he suckled them hotly, I moaned so loudly, I feared it would wake Halle. I stuffed my hand in my mouth to muffle the noise.
"Naughty girl. You should get a spanking for that." Tate pulled the blindfold from his eyes and smacked my bare ass with it stingingly, deepening my arousal.
Despite my pleasure, I caught the shirt and clucked my tongue admonishingly. "No, no. This isn't a night of punishments and dominations – just purely touching and pleasuring."
"Yes, but pain isn't always punishment. Sometimes it's purely pleasure." He bit down on my nipple, and as the shock of pain radiated through my body, my clitoris returned the electrical signal back to my brain as pleasure, and I gasped aloud. He bit me again, and once more, I felt the intensity of an orgasm rising within me, and by the third bite, there was no stopping it. I was climaxing on top of his dick as he bit my sensitive nipples, and I convulsed uncontrollably with rapture.
"Don't fight it; just let yourself feel it," he advised. I realized he was right. I gave myself up to the sensation and allowed the pleasure to overtake me, coming loudly on top of him as he held my breasts to his mouth and nibbled them hungrily.
"I wanted you to feel how much I love you," I apologized, feeling guilty for taking my pleasure ahead of his.
"I do, especially when we play together. You don't just indulge my kinky fetishes; you share my passion and pleasure for them. It brings us closer together and makes me feel truly loved and accepted by you."
"Good, then fuck me so we can feel how much you love me," I moaned. Tate lifted me off his lap and turned me around. Standing behind me, he caressed my bare ass and said, "Bend over the chair."
When I complied, he pushed me lower until my face was pressed down against the leather seat. As he rubbed my ass, his fingers moved between my legs to the wet folds of my pussy, and began to caress me there. In and out of my tight slot, Tate fucked me with his fingers, brushing against my clitoris with each stroke, stimulating me closer and closer to another orgasm.
"Spank me," I cried out, leaning my hips back against him.
"You said tonight wasn't about punishment," he teased.
"You said pain wasn't always about punishment but pleasure," I repeated his words back at him and was rewarded by the feel of a sharp smack on the ass. Ripples of pure pleasure radiated through my body, and I leaned back, begging for more.
"Spank me again, harder," I cried out, and Tate gave me just what I wanted, spanking me with the open palm of his right hand while he fucked me with the fingers of his left.
"I'm coming!" I screamed aloud, as my body seized with pleasure, and my spine flexed like a cat's.
"Good, I like watching you come." He moved me from where I was bent over the chair onto his desk, where he hoisted me up onto the wood surface. He gazed down at me, soaking me in, and I leaned back seductively, bracing my hands behind me.
"This is where we first had sex." I smiled fondly at the memory of the night that now seemed so long ago.
I had been nothing more than his newly-hired nanny back then, timid and shy, unsure of myself and my place in the mansion. Tate had been so handsome and mysterious, so charismatic and wonderfully kind to me. I'd been attracted to him from the start, with no idea he expected me to fuck him as part of my contract. I'd heard him in his office and gone to him, feeling completely spellbound as he pulled me into his arms and kissed me, and then brought me to this very desk where we fucked for the first time. It had been incredible, and I'd never come so hard.
Now, here we were, all this time later, and he still had that same magical power over me – perhaps even more so because now we were both in love. Who knows, maybe we always were. Perhaps we had always destined to be together, even then.
We did all the things we'd done that night, moving from the desk to the floor, where he plunged his dick into me, and we orgasmed together as one. Then, he carried me naked in his arms from the office to my bed, only now it was no longer the little bed in the nanny's quarters next to the nursery, but the king-sized bed in the master suite we now shared together.
Lying on the soft mattress, Tate and I lay side-by-side, tenderly kissing and caressing each other as if trying to memorize every inch of the other's body. When he entered me again, I spread my thighs wide, lifting my hips to meet him, welcoming him home where he belonged. He plunged deep, filling my insides so I sighed with satisfaction, as if the one thing that had always been missing were now there to make me complete.
His hands meshed with mine, and our fingers entwined, moving together as one. My round breasts crushed against his hard chest as his hips thrust to meet my own, driving himself into me with increasing frenzy as I crashed down into the rapturous depths of lust.
This was heaven; this was love. I felt it in
every cell of my body, and I knew he did, too. There could be no more jealousy or fear in our lives – there was only room for joy.
Holding each other close, I could feel the beating of his heart in synchronization with my own as we drifted off to sleep together, finally at peace. Nothing could ruin our happiness. Or so I thought.
Chapter Sixty-Six: Tate
"Do you have to go?" Rachelle pressed her body to mine seductively, trying to entice me to stay. Reluctantly, I pulled away from her embrace and continued putting on my favorite light gray suit.
"We talked about this. The new security detail has been in place long enough for Halle to have adjusted. There's been no trouble around the house, and Detective Miller says there haven't been any sightings of Stuart in the city all month. It's time for me to return to working in my downtown office like I used to. You said you were okay with it."
"I know, but that was when it was just talk. Now that you're actually leaving, I don't want you to go. Can't you put it off until tomorrow? Or even next week? There must be some way I can convince you." She ran her hands over her body tauntingly, and I was almost drawn back in.
Forcing myself to stay strong, I grabbed a blue silk tie from my drawer and put it on. "No. The meetings with all my CEOs are all scheduled for today. It would be unprofessional for me not to be there."
"I suppose." She seemed unconvinced. "I've just never had to say goodbye to you in the morning before. I'll get used to it; I just wish I knew why you can't keep working from home like you always did before."
I realized that ever since I'd met Rachelle, I'd worked exclusively from home. If I had a meeting or a conference, I did it by phone or video link. For her, my going to the downtown office was a complete change, not returning back to the way it used to be. It was no wonder she was taking it so hard.
"I love being home with you and Halle, but going to work has always been what fueled me. I love the rush of adrenaline I get from closing a deal and the excitement of launching a new product. Speaking to a crowd at a conference is energizing in a way I can't explain. I've really missed that in my life, and I want to have it back. Besides, being away from you all day will give me a chance to miss you."