Devoted: A Masters and Mercenaries Novella

by Lexi Blake

  Bridget was a writer. She was expected to be emotional and flamboyant. Amy was expected to be controlled and sedate.

  Except she wasn’t with him. She let loose and gave him everything she had. She cried with him.

  “I’ve had some issues with spying,” Flynn admitted. It seemed like Miles kept things private. Perhaps he would make a good sounding board. He didn’t want Mitch involved any more than he already was. Will Daley was Mitch’s best friend and he didn’t want to cause them trouble. “Most of those can be traced back to Slaten.”

  “And now you’re worried she’s lying to you,” Miles summed up. “If it helps, both of your firms hide it quite well. There’s not a lot in the press about it unless you know how to read between the lines. It’s why it got past Kai and Wade. I didn’t pick up on it until after Hutch had sent the reports through. I’m going to give you some advice. Do you care about this woman?”

  That was easy. “Yes.”

  “Do you want to have a relationship with her that goes past the training period?”

  Again. No question about that. “I think I want her no matter what she’s done.”

  Miles whistled. “You have to talk to her. It doesn’t have to be today, but you better sit down and explain yourself before the course is over and you’re regularly around the rest of the club. They’ll figure it out and if she finds out from anyone other than you, you’re in serious trouble.”

  “And if she already knows?”

  “Then you’ll have to decide how to handle it. But I doubt that. She took the company from her father in order to change it, to make it better. Why would she do the same things her father had done?”

  “Because sometimes desperate people do desperate things.” He’d heard the rumor that her father was causing trouble, trying to get his stock back in a bid to oust Amy.

  Gaining access to a piece of software that could revolutionize the way they did business would go a long way to ensuring she kept her place at the company. He’d seen people do more for far less.

  He was stuck, but he had some time. They wouldn’t go to the club until the last week. He could figure this out.

  But tonight he just wanted to be close to her.

  “Good luck,” Miles said with a tip of his head. “Are you going to find your girl and teach her tonight’s lesson?”

  At least one thing could go right. “I think that would help us both.”

  He had to find a way to surprise her. And he would need a few props.

  His girl was coming home to a very stern teacher tonight.

  * * * *

  She had her plan in place. It was like a mantra in her head. Tomorrow she was going to meet with the Clannahan brothers. She’d managed to convince them there was still a chance she could change their minds. It played through the back of her head that they were likely using the meeting with her to get the best deal they could out of Glendale.

  But they didn’t know that she’d figured out their weakness.

  She was putting it all out there. Please work. It had to work.

  She had a brand new consultant. She prayed he had a job at the end of the day tomorrow. Oh, it was a side job for him, but she wasn’t going to tell the Clannahan brothers that.

  It was actually quite a desperate play, but she had no idea what else to do. Glendale seemed to know everything she had planned. They’d easily bested her best offer—but not by too much. It was as if they had an insider who knew exactly what they were doing.

  She wouldn’t put it past her father to do it, though he shouldn’t know what their bid was going to be. Hell, she couldn’t trust Glendale at all. The rumor was some of her former employees were being paid by Glendale to tell the company all about her.

  And then there was her father’s nasty plan to take back his position. She had to talk to Flynn. She’d put it off for a while, but she had to tell him and figure out if she was going to ruin his life, too.

  The elevator opened and she trudged down the hall. At this time of night, the hall was deserted. She’d missed him so much. She’d sat in her meeting going over and over what they would do tomorrow and Flynn had been there in the back of her mind. She’d wanted to be in his arms, sitting in his lap as they talked about whatever Wade had planned for them.

  She had to think about pulling out of the class. Val and the workers might not care, but her board would. She was very much aware of how light her control was. Even if she brought in Clannahan, if she lost two votes, her father could be right back at the head of the company and she would be out.

  Would Flynn still want to see her if she couldn’t go to Sanctum? Would he be all right with playing in private?

  The decision might have been made for her already. She’d missed two classes. Surely they were going to lose patience with her soon and she would be informed that she would need to take the class over again.

  Even if they gave her that option, she would decline because she couldn’t imagine another training Dom.

  She was in too deep with that man. Way too deep.

  With a weary sigh, she pressed her key in and unlocked the door. There had been a little hope in the back of her head that Flynn would show up at her building to take her out to a late dinner, but he hadn’t even texted her.

  He was likely losing patience with her, too.

  She stopped in the middle of the doorway because someone had moved her kitchen table and Flynn was sitting there, his big body in slacks, a dress shirt, and a sport coat. He looked up from the book in front of him.

  “Ms. Lyndon, it’s been brought to my attention that you’ve been skipping classes. Why don’t you come into my office and we’ll discuss how to fix this particular situation.”

  She felt her eyes widen. What the hell? “How did you get into my apartment?”

  A single brow rose over his dark eyes. “This is my office but if I were to lock myself out, a friend has a key and would be very happy to let me in. Especially if I need to meet with a wayward student and attempt to show her the discipline she needs to get back on track.”

  Holy shit. He’d gotten her spare key from Will and Bridget’s place. Had he explained that he intended to turn her living room into a professor’s office?

  Her whole body flushed at the thought. He looked so very stern.

  Still, they had more important things to talk about. “Flynn, I think we should…”

  “Professor Flynn,” he corrected, his eyes narrowing on her. “And there’s nothing more important than talking about the recent downturn in your normally excellent work. Tonight’s lesson was on role-playing and I believe you need a private tutoring session. Everything else can wait. I’m here for the evening because I am dedicated to ensuring your proper education. So you should lock the door behind you and put away your things. We need to discuss how to deal with your disciplinary issues.”

  His hand moved across the desk to a ruler. His fingers played along it.

  Her heart skipped a beat. Was he planning on using that on her? There was so much going on, but he was offering her a few hours of respite. The day’s stress had taken its toll, but he could give her relief in the form of some ridiculously nasty sex.

  “And we’ll talk afterward?”

  He stood and strode over to her, his eyes softening. “We can talk during the play, baby. That’s what this is for. You can tell me everything that went wrong with your day and why you’re pulling away from me, and you can do all of it while we’re playing. Or I can take off this silly coat and put your table back and we’ll sit down and simply talk.”

  Ah, the choice. He was offering her a chance to talk, but also a different way to talk about it. If she sat down with him, she would be academic, unemotional. It was hard to switch gears and she’d had days of forcing herself to be logical and methodical.

  But play was different. It gave her a layer of protection and she could let go.

  Her father’s voice played through her head. She was a pervert to need this. It was wrong. Normal people
didn’t have to get spanked and tied down to talk about their issues. Normal people didn’t pretend to be a schoolgirl so they could fucking cry.

  “Don’t,” he said, cupping her face and forcing her to look at him. “I don’t know where you’re going in your head, but don’t leave me. This is you and me and no one else.”

  That was what she needed. No one else but him. He was her safe place and she was so scared of losing him. She’d been able to be herself with this man, in a way she’d never been able to with any other person. With her sister she had a role to play. With Frankie there was and always would be the distance of not being physically engaged. No friend or lover had ever made her feel the way Flynn did.

  And what the fuck was normal? Her family certainly wasn’t. They were awful and judgmental when they had zero right to be. There was nothing wrong with what she and Flynn were doing and she wasn’t going to give it up. If they thought for a single second they could bully her, they were wrong.

  “I’m so sorry, Professor Flynn. I got caught at the library and I lost track of time. I’m afraid I missed your class, but I did have good reasons. The other professors are loading me down with work.” Work was a bitch in other words, but then she’d never been open with him about how difficult her job could be. Maybe this was a way she could broach the subject. “You know I’m an honors student.”

  His lips curled up slightly in the sexiest of smirks, as though he’d known he would get his way. Arrogant, gorgeous man. “You won’t be an honor student for long if you can’t pass my class. Do as I asked and lock the door. I wouldn’t want other students interrupting our time together.”

  She did as he asked and when she turned he was back at his desk, gesturing for her to join him.

  Some of the tension of the day slid away from her. They had hours to play. Tomorrow she would meet with Clannahan and roll the dice, but tonight, she didn’t have to think about it anymore.

  Tonight she could focus on pleasing her horny professor.

  She put her laptop bag and her purse down. “Please, Professor Flynn. You know I can’t let my grade point average slip. I might lose my scholarship. I can’t possibly disappoint my parents like that.”

  “I might be able to let you make up the class you missed, but you have to understand that I can’t allow it to go without punishment.”

  Yeah, she was totally counting on his punishment. Her nipples were already hard. “What kind of punishment, Sir? Should I help you rearrange your books? Or perhaps you need an assistant with your lower level classes.”

  He studied her. “Perhaps, but first we should deal with the issue of your absence in class this evening. I’m afraid I’m a bit of an old-school professor.”

  Yes, he was. And his hand was right back on that ruler again. Her lips suddenly seemed so dry. She had to lick them, the way she would likely end up licking him. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make up for my mistake, Professor.”

  She sat down in front of him and wished she’d been able to put on a little skirt and white shirt and put her hair up in pigtails. The full Britney. But she could make the fantasy happen with what she had to work with. She unbuttoned the first button of her blouse, and then a second and a third until she was sure he could see the tops of her breasts.

  “Has it gotten hot in here, Ms. Lyndon?”

  Time for some truth. “I’d prefer Ms. Slaten, Professor. I’m afraid when I signed up for your class I was still going by my married name.”

  Something happened to Flynn. He went still and just for a moment she thought he was going to break character. “Slaten, is it?”

  “I’ve always hated the name so when I had the chance to change it, I did.” She’d actually changed it because there was a clause in Frankie’s company bylaws that stated family stock could only be held by wives who legally changed their names.

  Yeah, they’d taken over Frankie’s company, too, and he’d already changed that backward rule.

  He paused for a moment and then there was something soft about his tone. “Ms. Slaten. I don’t mind it. It suits you.”

  He wouldn’t say that if he knew her father. “How can I fix things, Professor? And yes, it’s rather hot in here.”

  “Then you should take off that shirt. I wouldn’t want you uncomfortable.”

  She eased out of her shirt. It wasn’t at all hot in her apartment. In fact, it was a little cool, and she shivered as the air hit her skin, her nipples puckering.

  “That undergarment looks uncomfortable,” Flynn said in a deep voice. “I’m afraid I’ll have to insist you take that off as well. This isn’t your first infraction. I’ve been indulgent, but now I have to move past notes and verbal warnings.”

  She undid her bra and folded it with her top. “I’m willing to do anything to make up the class, Professor.”

  He reached over and opened a box. “I’m a strict disciplinarian. I’m going to give you something to think about. Do you know what these are?”

  He pulled out two little clamps.

  She gasped and something twisted deep inside her body, an anticipation of pleasure. “Those are clamps, Sir.”

  “Yes, very good. Do you know where I’m going to place them?”

  She had a good idea and it made her skin tingle. “On my nipples.”

  “I’m going to need you to get them ready. Proper preparation is required for this course. You haven’t shown me that yet. Show me you can prepare yourself, Ms. Slaten.”

  Nipple clamps. She’d read about them in Bridget’s books and they’d been some of the toys shown to them during demos. She’d watched the other subs in her group play around with them. Even Regina, who was so tough, had laughed and played with Jolie and Lucy. Only she had sat back.

  Had she ever simply played around? Did there always have to be purpose to what she did?

  She cupped her breasts, letting herself feel the weight of them in her hands.

  “Tell me how they feel to you. Consider it an oral essay. Tell me what you like about touching your breasts.” Flynn commanded her with a dark tone. Her Dom had relaxed. It was easy to see by the set of his shoulders, how he sat back in the chair as though certain he would get an excellent show.

  Had he been nervous? Had he worried she would reject him or not want this type of play?

  She took a deep breath and let the moment wash over her. “I like how smooth my skin is. It’s cool to the touch, but that’s only on the outside.”

  “And inside?”

  “I’m warming up nicely, Sir.” That was an understatement. She’d never considered her own body before. Not like this. She’d bemoaned it, cursed it. Sometimes she’d felt some accomplishment in it. But she’d never simply run her hands over it and reveled in how it reacted, how well it had been made. “I like the contrast of smooth skin and hard nipples. Though they’re not truly hard. They’re ready.”

  “Oh, I doubt that,” he replied. “I think I need to see this up close. You know professors are curious animals. We need to study a subject carefully. Come here, Ms. Slaten. Let me take a look and see if you’re truly ready for the beginning of my lesson.”

  She stood, still in her heels. Her feet ached, but she wasn’t getting out of them. Flynn liked her in heels. He would sometimes keep her in heels and nothing else. She moved around the table and wondered briefly if she would ever be able to sit at it again without see Flynn. He remained seated, looking like a decadent gift.

  Amy offered her breasts up. “See. They’re perfectly rigid. All you have to do is ease the clamps on.”

  They would be little jewels on her nipples, making her breasts a gift to her Master.

  It was getting harder and harder to think of him as anything less. He was the man who’d taught her she could let go, be safe with him. He was the one who’d truly taken her out of her former mindset and allowed her to savor what it meant to be one with a man.

  He sat up and suddenly his hands were on her hips, right at the waistband of her skirt. “I don’t know.
They look like they need a little something more. Sometimes it’s better to show than tell. I’m going to need you to clasp your hands behind your back.”

  She did as he asked, the motion forcing her breasts out, thrusting them toward him. “Like that?”

  “Exactly like that.” He reached up and let a single fingertip trace the areola of her right breast. “You have lovely breasts.”

  “I’ve always worried they were too small,” she admitted. Holding her hands behind her back made her vulnerable to him, on display for all to see, though there was only Flynn. In the club if he did this, she would be visible to everyone, but she rather thought it would be the same. Only he would matter. “I’m afraid my sister got the big boobs in our family.”

  He rolled the nipple between his thumb and forefinger. “These are beautifully formed and you’re right. The skin is perfect. I would give these an A plus, but you’re not ready for what I have to give you. Not quite yet.”

  He leaned forward and licked her right nipple, sending a wave of sensation through her body. He drew her in, between his legs. His big arms wrapped around her and he set his mouth on her nipple. He sucked and licked and laved it with affection. She had to force herself to remain still or she would have squirmed against him.

  Gingerly, he slipped the clamp on, the little teeth biting into her sensitized nipple. That’s what the bastard had been doing. He’d licked and sucked her so she would feel every one of those nasty teeth. She gasped as the jewel attached weighed her nipple down.

  There was pain and yet it made her wet and ready. She couldn’t think of anything beyond the fact that he was holding her tight, capturing her left nipple with those sensual lips of his and bringing it to life.

  He engaged the second clamp and sat back, looking at his handiwork. “Yes, I believe that will do, Ms. Slaten. Now I’m going to have to ask you a very important question. Do you remember the rules of this class?”