My Addiction

by Cassie Ryan

  My Addiction is a work of fiction. Names, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  A Loveswept Ebook Original

  Copyright © 2016 by Cassie Ryan

  Excerpt from Surrender to You by Shawntelle Madison copyright © 2016 by Shawntelle Madison

  All rights reserved.

  Published in the United States by Loveswept, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

  LOVESWEPT is a registered trademark and the LOVESWEPT colophon is a trademark of Penguin Random House LLC.

  This book contains an excerpt from the forthcoming book Surrender to You by Shawntelle Madison. This excerpt has been set for this edition only and may not reflect the final content of the forthcoming edition.

  Ebook ISBN 9781101968239

  Cover design: Caroline Teagle

  Cover image: © g-stockstudio/iStock

  randomhousebooks.com

  v4.1

  ep

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  By Cassie Ryan

  About the Author

  Excerpt from Surrender to You

  Chapter 1

  Thanks to Los Angeles rush hour traffic, Kate Fretwell walked into The Dungeon almost an hour after leaving home. She nearly lost her footing as she ran into Senator Balkins when he stepped into her path. He reached out to steady her, his fingers brushing the side of her breast in a clumsy and badly concealed “accident.”

  She swept her gaze over her surroundings, hoping to find an easy escape. She and Balkins stood just inside the large front doors in the lavish greeting area, filled with plush couches and people waiting to meet with the owner, Ed Ralston, or one of his assistants.

  “Kate. I’m sorry. I didn’t see you.” Balkins’s voice reminded her of a used car salesman and made her want to cringe.

  She scowled at his use of her name, as if they were longtime acquaintances, or even lovers. He had inferred and even asked her straight out several times to play. She’d started by demurring politely and moved on to flat-out refusing when he remained persistent. She didn’t know the man personally, and had no desire to.

  Her gut screamed for her to stay clear.

  Other than his continued unwelcome interest, she knew who Balkins was because of his voting record for bills that favored the super-rich—men like her father. According to scuttlebutt from the other subs, instead of being called “Master” during play, he liked to be addressed as “Senator.”

  When his hands lingered on her shoulders, she took a firm step back, annoyed when he didn’t relinquish his grip. “I’m sorry, Senator. I have somewhere I need to be.”

  He smiled, and the description that came to mind was “feral.” He was a few inches shorter than her five foot nine but attempted to look down his nose at her. She supposed it was in a vain effort to mitigate the difference in their heights. She wondered if he used that tactic in the Senate. If so, it was a wonder he had been reelected twice. Although that probably had more to do with money, and his willingness to bend to special interests, than anything else.

  She sure as hell hadn’t voted for him.

  He licked his lips, and the action made her cringe. “We have important business to discuss, Kate, and I’m afraid I must be leaving soon for a prior arrangement.”

  She frowned at his odd wording. Prior arrangement? He had a hard edge to his voice that reminded her of conversations with her father.

  Both men’s behaviors reeked of self-entitlement, and it made her wonder if it was just a wealthy generational thing—rich males of their era behaving in a certain manner. But she’d met other men of that age and socioeconomic status who acted nothing like either of them.

  She raised her chin and met Balkins’s gaze in what she hoped was a haughty manner. “I don’t know of any business we might have, Senator, and I have a prior engagement.” She emphasized the word slightly, but his bland expression showed he totally missed her reference.

  She tried to turn and duck away from his tight grip on her shoulders, but he surprised her and grabbed her upper arm with one hand, while he wrapped his other arm around her stomach and pulled her back tight against him.

  He was stronger than he looked.

  Anger pumped through her veins as she saw members and visitors watching them and doing nothing. Of course, there were strict rules against any touching without the other person’s permission. But here in The Dungeon they would assume this was nothing more than some rough play any woman would welcome from Balkins.

  I’m not any woman!

  Since most of her Doms were part of either the political or Hollywood A-list, likely no one thought it an odd pairing.

  “Relax, Kate,” he whispered against her hair. “You’re my gift for the night, and I intend to give you pleasures beyond your wildest dreams.”

  She stilled for a moment as his words crystalized inside her mind. “A gift from whom?” She pushed the words out through gritted teeth. She stood stiff and unrelenting in his firm grip as she waited for her suspicions to be confirmed.

  His hot breath feathered against her nape, and she shuddered. “Mr. Stanton was kind enough to give you to me for the evening. As I said, I must be going soon, but I’ll be back in a few hours, and we can pick up where we left off.”

  Her stomach clenched, and she balled her fingers into fists as she pictured punching Mark Stanton square in the family jewels. He was one of the richest men in the nation, and a popular Dom, more for the lavish gifts he gave his subs after play rather than during. But that didn’t impress Kate. No one owned her, and she would make sure Stanton knew that when she saw him next.

  After he finished rolling on the ground, cradling his injured balls.

  How dare that asshole think he can treat me like his property?

  Balkins tightened his grip. “I’ve been admiring you for quite a while. You have a strength of spirit even when being dominated that I would love to mold and guide. That’s rare in a sub.” He ground his erection against her, and she tightened her fists until her nails dug into her palms, to ward off the temptation to kick his ass before she heard the rest.

  After that, all bets are off.

  Balkins cleared his throat and pressed a kiss against her hair. “I’m sure whoever you were meeting will gladly defer to me for the evening. I know you’re intimidated by who I am, which is why you have refused my offers. Once our play is concluded, I’m confident you’ll never want to sub for any other Dom.”

  Rage boiled like acid inside Kate’s veins, and she slouched a bit, hoping to even out their heights. Going still in his arms, she dropped her head forward until her chin rested against her chest, waiting for him to straighten so his face was directly behind her head. He did, and she clenched her teeth against the impact that would come whe
n she slammed her skull back against his.

  “Kate. I’m so glad I found you.”

  The voice of Ed Ralston, the owner of The Dungeon, startled her, and she reluctantly unclenched her teeth and slowly raised her head.

  She sucked in a breath when instead of Master Ralston, her gaze traveled up the body of a very well-built man wearing leather pants and a black sleeveless T-shirt. She had only a moment to register the smooth, deep sienna-colored skin of his muscled arms. She did love great arms on a man. Winding rose tattoos formed a half sleeve on each of his arms that made the view even better. Slowly, her gaze continued up…and up…and up. He had close-cropped black hair and a clean-shaven jaw that brought her attention to his full, sensual lips.

  Kate didn’t think she had ever met anyone as tall as this well-built masterpiece of a man. His gorgeous brown gaze captured hers, and she swore he could ferret out her every secret desire.

  She grew wet between her thighs, which had nothing to do with Senator Balkins’s tight grip around her waist, or his erection still pressed against her ass.

  It was the man in front of her who made her instantly ache.

  “Kate.” Master Ralston’s voice pulled her attention away from the hunky Dom in front of her. She had no doubt that’s exactly what this man was. He exuded “Dom” like a heady cologne, and damn if it wasn’t sexy as hell.

  She turned her head toward Master Ralston, as he liked to be called, since “Master Ed” fell a bit flat. “Yes, sir.”

  “I’ve been looking for you.” He hesitated a moment before continuing with the blatant lie. “We arranged this meeting so I can introduce you to our newest Dom, Master Dex.” He gestured toward the man who had so thoroughly captured Kate’s attention, and her nipples hardened to tight points at the thought of playing a scene, any scene, with this man.

  “I’m sorry, Ed,” Balkins said from behind her, his grip still tight around her middle. “Kate is mine for the evening, and I’m sure the new Dom can find plenty of other playthings for the night.”

  “ ‘Playthings’?” the large man in front of her demanded, his deep voice intense as he stared down at Balkins.

  Kate’s gaze snapped to Master Dex’s face, and she watched as he visibly controlled his anger. When his features smoothed, they became even more devastatingly handsome, and her heartbeat kicked up a notch as she tried not to drool.

  “Subs are not playthings to be used and discarded. And objectifying a sub who is not yours is disrespectful.” The Dom’s dark gaze drilled into Balkins with searing intensity. “As for Kate, she is spoken for this evening. I don’t go back on agreements I’ve made with my subs.”

  Kate let the emphasis on the word my slide by, knowing he had used the possessive to put Balkins in his place, but she couldn’t help but wish it were true.

  The new Dom’s presence filled the room. Kate was certain everyone in the waiting area had stopped to stare, but she didn’t want to take her eyes off him to find out. She stayed as quiet as possible, so as not to interrupt the wonderful drama unfolding around her. Master Dex cleared his throat, and she felt Balkins flinch behind her.

  “I’m sure you can appreciate, Senator, I must insist Kate keeps our appointment.”

  After a long moment of tense silence, where Kate thought Balkins might actually refuse, his grip around her middle loosened. She immediately slid out of his hold and stepped toward Master Ralston, surprised Balkins had backed down.

  Balkins had been involved in several large political gaffes over his derogatory remarks about minorities, especially African Americans. So conceding in this situation seemed very out of character for him.

  Kate was damn glad Balkins had. She glanced over at the senator as he took a breath to speak. “For one night I can be the bigger man and allow Kate to show you what a true submissive can be. She and I will have plenty of other nights to explore together.”

  It took a Herculean effort not to make retching sounds as she watched Balkins straighten as tall as he could, glancing up now and then at the imposing new Dom. She supposed he thought that would make everyone forget how short and small he was. Next to this Adonis, Balkins looked like a garden gnome.

  The senator stuck out his hand in what looked like an overly practiced gesture. Unfortunately, his outstretched palm was now level with the new Dom’s crotch.

  Kate swallowed a giggle.

  “I’m Senator Balkins, one of the premier Doms at The Dungeon. I do hope you’ll come to me if you need any tips or guidance.” His condescending tone and words set Kate’s teeth on edge.

  She noticed Master Ralston’s expression of disgust at the word premier before she looked to see Master Dex’s reaction. Other than a tightly clenched jaw, he gave no outward sign he had registered anything the idiot senator had said or implied.

  The new Dom leaned down just far enough to accentuate the height difference further and grasped Balkins’s hand in his much larger one. “I’m Master Dex.” He shook it gently, almost as if trying hard not to break something frail. An obvious message to Balkins, if the jerk was smart enough to catch it. “I’ll keep your welcome in mind as I settle in.” As soon as the last word left his mouth, he dropped Balkins’s hand, dismissing him, and turned to Kate.

  His heated gaze enveloped her, and she felt it all the way to her toes. He held out his hand for hers, palm up in a gallant gesture she had read about in historical romance novels but didn’t think actually ever happened.

  It was an invitation, but the slight spark of amusement in his eyes told her it was also a challenge. One he hoped she would accept.

  She smiled as her heart pounded and her clit throbbed. She’d never wanted to take on a challenge so badly. “I’m Kate.” She laid her hand in his, cocking her head to the side and looking up at him from under her lashes. She felt like a lady in a ballroom in the eighteenth century, rather than a woman standing in a kinky BDSM club wearing jeans.

  The strength and the warmth from his touch spilled through her and ignited every nerve ending along the way. She had to resist giving in to the urge to throw herself against him and feel all that hard muscle.

  “It’s an honor to meet you, Kate.” When he raised her hand to his lips to brush a light kiss across the backs of her fingers, her core clenched.

  She felt Master Dex’s heavy gaze and realized she had fallen silent. A quick glance showed he watched her with open interest, as if cataloguing her for later study. A trait she admired and understood, since people often told her she did the same thing to everyone and everything around her.

  “Would you like a cup of coffee in the lounge while you tell me all about The Dungeon?” His beautiful lips curved into a very potent smile she should probably be ashamed to admit made her knees a little weak. “Master Ralston said you would be the perfect sub to show me the ropes, pun intended.”

  Heat flared through Kate’s body and settled in her cheeks as she tried not to swoon.

  You can tie me up anytime.

  She glanced at Master Ralston, noting in her peripheral vision that Balkins lurked just far enough away to not be considered part of their little group, yet close enough to hear what was being said.

  She stood as straight as she could, tipping her head back to meet Master Dex’s gaze. “I’d love to.” She turned to the owner of The Dungeon. “Thank you for suggesting me, Master Ralston.”

  The club owner nodded and moved toward Balkins. “You’re very welcome, Kate.”

  She turned her attention back to Master Dex, and her breath caught in her throat. This day had just gotten a whole lot more promising.

  Chapter 2

  When Kate and Master Dex entered the lounge hand in hand, conversations stopped, and heads turned. Kate knew she was attractive, but this reaction was because the gorgeous man next to her exuded sex, power, and just a touch of danger.

  As if oblivious to his effect on those in the room, he leaned close to her ear and said just loud enough for her to hear, “Where would you like to sit?”
<
br />   In your lap.

  She stopped short, hoping she hadn’t said that out loud.

  Since when did a Dom ever ask her anything? They all told her. She motioned toward the back corner of the lounge and led him to the VIP area, where they had large U-shaped booths with tables that could be pushed out farther if more room was needed. She bit her bottom lip as she realized she actually could sit on his lap back there if the opportunity arose.

  Because she was most often in the company of a high-ranking Dom, she had gained an unspoken pass to the VIP area.

  Since Master Dex was a new Dom, introduced to her directly by Master Ralston, she doubted it would be thought odd. Actually, she doubted anyone would ever question a man like Master Dex. He radiated complete confidence and authority with every movement. Not narcissism like a lot of the Doms here, but a self-assurance he looked like he knew he could back up.

  That was one of the things that drew her to him like a magnet sliding too close to a large chunk of metal. Now if she could avoid plastering her body against his, and embarrassing herself.

  She slid into the booth at the far back corner. There was more privacy here, to talk—and for other things.

  Regardless of the chivalry Master Dex had shown so far, she was sure he would move on to those other things now. She couldn’t wait, which surprised her. Many times in the past she had been angry or annoyed with Doms who moved too fast, expected too much, and didn’t take her wishes into account when setting the schedule or the curriculum for their play. Now she just wanted to hit the full-throttle button.

  A pretty blond waitress came to the booth, running a hungry gaze over Dex and sparing Kate only a dismissive glance. The snub didn’t surprise her. Kate wasn’t someone “important,” famous, or openly rich like most of the clientele. Many of the employees saved their A-game for those types.