“Where did you go to boarding school?” I asked, very eager to change the subject to something that hopefully, would be less gloomy. Every so often I detected a hint of a faint accent but I’d been struggling to identify it. And besides, discussing time spent abroad was a neutral enough topic, wasn’t it?
“All over, really…England, Italy, Norway…I spent a while in Ireland, too. After a year in France I returned to the United States.” Well, that explained why I’d had difficulty nailing down his subtle, yet sexy accent.
“You sure moved around a lot.”
He grinned. “I kept getting kicked out of schools.”
“Wow. What were you doing?” I couldn’t imagine being kicked out of one school never mind multiple schools. I’d never been in trouble a day in my life. In fact, I’d never even gotten a parking ticket!
“I’ll be able to answer much more concisely if I tell you what I wasn’t doing,” he replied with a wink. I got the impression he wasn’t remorseful in the least. In fact, he seemed rather proud of his transgressions. “It was just your typical teenage rebellion, I suppose. Well, that multiplied by ten.”
“You did it to punish your father?” I guessed.
“Yes.”
He admitted to it so readily that I was taken aback. I didn’t understand why a man of his age and status would be so boastful about something so juvenile. It was the sort of thing an adolescent might brag about, but a grown, successful man? Maybe he wasn’t very mature, I reasoned, struggling to make sense of things. That was the problem: it didn’t make sense.
The more I got to know Hayden, the more of a stranger he became. It was peculiar, that. And it was also disheartening. But he was like a highly addictive drug; once I’d had a taste I just had to keep coming back for more.
It wasn’t even about the sex anymore, at least not entirely. Sometimes, like tonight, it was about the intimacy. I enjoyed Hayden’s company, even if he was infuriatingly mysterious at times. He was like a riddle I couldn’t quite solve and, while it drove me batty, it also motivated me to delve deeper into his psyche.
“Taste this,” he said, bringing a wooden spoon to my lips. As he held his hand underneath it to prevent any drips from ruining my teal satin blouse and charcoal pencil skirt, I leaned forward and inhaled the aroma hungrily. The sauce tasted every bit as fantastic as it smelled – tomato-y with just the right combination of herbs and spices.
“Mmm,” I murmured my appreciation.
“You like it?”
“I love it. Where did you learn to cook like this?”
“Here, there, everywhere… The one good thing about moving around so much as a kid was that I got to experience the cuisines of many different countries,” he explained. “I took the richest, most satisfying blends of flavor from each culture and taught myself how to incorporate them into my cooking.”
It was plain to see how passionate he was about his craft. His eyes lit up when he spoke of it.
He plated what I knew would be a delicious meal and nodded toward the empty dining room he’d secured for us. “Shall we?”
Candles were lit and freshly cut roses were on the table in a crystal vase. For someone who wanted nothing more than a short term friends with benefits relationship, he’d sure gone to a lot of trouble. I wasn’t under any illusion that what we had would last, but it was nice for the moment. I couldn’t remember the last time a guy had made such a fuss over me…probably because no one had ever treated me the way Hayden did.
I reached for my water. “I see you’re wearing your bracelet,” Hayden observed as the diamonds caught the candlelight. “It looks good on you.”
“Thanks.” I paused, hesitating briefly, and then told him, “I love it, but you know, you don’t have to buy me expensive things to keep me around. I like spending time with you. To be perfectly honest, I much prefer you cooking me a meal like this than buying me designer clothes or jewellery.” I hoped I’d been tactful in getting my point across. I just hated the thought that Hayden thought he had to buy my affection – or that I could be bought.
“What if I want to buy you nice things?”
“Hayden…”
“My father is a billionaire, you know.”
“Yes, I know.”
He looked surprised. “You do?”
“Yeah…after I met him at the party I looked him up online,” I confessed. I’d been surprised to find out what a wealthy family Hayden came from, but as far as I was concerned it didn’t change anything. The size of Hayden’s bank account hadn’t mattered when I’d met him in the bar and it didn’t matter now.
“I should have known you’d do your research.”
“It sounds like he’s quite the celebrity in art circles.”
“The eccentric old jackass who values paintings over his own family,” Hayden nodded.
“If you despise him – and your job – as much as you say you do, then why don’t you walk away?” I questioned him. We’d had this conversation before, but Hayden’s explanations had always been incomplete and muddled. Even so, the dysfunctional relationship he had with his father was of such interest to me that I took the plunge and asked yet again.
He sighed wearily, his broad shoulders slumping forward ever so slightly.
“Remember I told you once that my father doesn’t care about anyone or anything but himself and his art collection? I wasn’t exaggerating. He’s made it clear that he’ll cut me off financially if I don’t do as he says,” Hayden replied, finally giving me a straight answer. “And he wants me to take over the business.”
“Oh.”
“Would you walk away from billions of dollars?” he asked, his eyes searching mine as though my opinion could influence his life choices.
“No, I suppose I wouldn’t,” I replied slowly. It was such an absurd amount of money that I couldn’t really wrap my head around it to begin with. “What will you even do with all that money?” I asked, expecting the typical answer about flashy cars, luxurious yachts and lavish mansions.
“I want to build orphanages and hospitals in third world countries,” he explained. “My father doesn’t do anything to help others. He’s selfish and hoards his fortune, using it only to buy things that please him. I hate that about him. Well, I hate a lot of things about him,” Hayden corrected himself with a grim smile. “But nothing would make me happier than giving his fortune away to those who can actually benefit from it.”
“That’s really generous of you.”
He waved his hand dismissively. “It isn’t,” he insisted bashfully, too modest to accept my praise. “I promise you that at the end of the day I’m a self-indulgent, arrogant asshole. I mean, was there ever any doubt? Just look at who my father is! I was pretty much guaranteed to wind up a terrible human being. Now, would you like more wine?”
At last, I was beginning to peel back the many layers of Hayden Slate. I’d been afraid I might not like what I uncovered, but the more I probed, the more I came to think that at his core, he was just a lonely, fractured soul with a kind heart and fear of being vulnerable.
With his cold, detached upbringing in boarding schools and history of abandonment, I could sort of understand how he’d ended up that way, though I sensed there were still more blanks to fill in. My heart went out to him.
I wasn’t sure if I could put the fragments of him back together again but I knew I had to try. The more I got to know him, the more I could see that his was a soul worth saving.
Chapter 09
“You seem different.”
No one could confuse and antagonize me the way Hayden did. There I was, spread out and tied to the bed wearing only a sheer negligee and instead of ravishing me, he was seated in a chair across from me studying my face intently.
Hayden had remained in Burlington for three weeks now, and every day when I was done at the college, we’d spend time together. Sometimes that meant kinky, nasty, dirty sex. Other times it meant candlelight dinners and romantic walks in the park. The one thing t
hat remained constant was Hayden’s ability to surprise me. He was an unpredictable man, especially when it came to his interactions with me.
“Are you going to fuck me or what?” I demanded impatiently.
“Maybe, if you’re good. But first you’re going to tell me what’s on your mind. Tonight we went on a scenic drive and dined at a five star restaurant, yet you seemed distracted and distant the entire time. Something’s going on with you. Now that you’re tied to the bed, you have to tell me what’s on your mind.”
I glared at Hayden, furious that he’d put me in such a position. “That’s not fair. When you tied me up I thought it was for sex, not interrogation!”
“That was your first mistake,” he advised. “Our relationship isn’t about sex, Daniella. It’s about power. It’s about desire. It’s about submitting your mind and body to me. I won’t have one without the other. I want to know your every desire, thought, what makes you tick...” He cleared his throat. “You’re free to use your safeword any time you like, of course, but I’d rather you just let me in.”
“What was my second mistake?”
A slow smile spread over his handsome face and he leaned in close to whisper in my ear. His hot breath against my skin tickled. “Your second mistake,” he informed me, “was questioning me. You’re going to be punished for that, Daniella. I’m going to take you over my knee and spank you. Would you like that?”
The question was rhetorical, I knew. He didn’t care if I’d like it. That wasn’t the point. Punishment was all about reminding me who was in charge. But the threat of being spanked made my pussy tingle in longing.
I knew I wouldn’t get any relief until I answered Hayden’s questions.
“It will ruin the mood,” I cautioned.
“Tell me anyway.”
“Fine,” I sighed. “Today at work the head of the department called me into his office,” I confessed. “Mark evaluated my work one day a while back after observing me in the classroom. It was one of the best classes I’ve ever taught – the students really seemed to get what I was saying, you know?”
“But…?”
“But apparently Mark gave me a scathing review. I was warned today that I’m on probation and, if my next peer review doesn’t show improvement, I may not be hired back next year.”
Hayden’s face clouded over. “He’s trying to sabotage you, you know. You’re both applying for the same teaching position and he’s doing everything in his power to make sure you won’t get it. He’s threatened by you, the coward.”
I nodded. “I see that now. I wonder…” Choking back tears of humiliation, I confessed, “Sometimes I wonder if he was using me all along, flirting with me to try to get ahead. You know what they say: keep your friends close and your enemies closer. I’m so stupid. I didn’t even know we were enemies. I didn’t even see it coming.”
“First of all, you’re far from stupid,” Hayden insisted vehemently. “I don’t rearrange my life and endure my father’s scorn just to spend time with stupid women. Secondly,” he continued with jealousy in his eyes, “does it even matter now what Mark’s motives may or may not have been? You don’t care about him, do you?”
“No,” I replied immediately and the relief on Hayden’s face was visible.
When we’d met, I hadn’t taken Hayden for the jealous type. But it seemed he couldn’t stand the thought of me having feelings for anyone else. He cared about me. I could see it in his eyes and feel it in his touch. Whether he was tender or rough, there was a certain regard for me in his actions that spoke far louder than words ever could.
And after three weeks, I was finally beginning to let my guard down. Hayden, it seemed, was in no hurry to go anywhere. Against my better judgment, I’d even begun to imagine us having a future together.
“Quit your job,” Hayden suggested. “As long as I keep my father happy, I have access to his business accounts. I can pay you a salary and write it off as a business expense. My father will never suspect a thing, and he can certainly afford to part with the money.”
“Pay me a salary for what?” I demanded. “I’m not your whore, Hayden.” The irony of being tied to the bed in lingerie while making that proclamation wasn’t lost on me. I was sure it wasn’t lost on Hayden either, but he had the good sense to keep that observation to himself.
“That’s not what I meant,” he quickly assured me. “I just meant that you don’t have to be a slave to your job. You have options. I’ll look after you.”
“I don’t want to quit my job,” I retorted at once. “I want to be in the classroom. I want to make a difference. I haven’t spent the past decade of my life with my nose buried in books just to walk away now. Quitting isn’t an option.”
“Okay, fine. Tell me what you want, then.”
“I want to be a full-fledged professor and get all the respect that comes along with it,” I told him. “I want to feel like my work matters…like it’s important. I want to publish articles that change the way people view the world around them. I want to teach upper year classes where the students are actually engaged and there because they genuinely want to learn.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yes. I’ll make it happen.”
“What? No!” I exclaimed in indignation. I hadn’t gotten to where I was with the help of a man. I’d done it myself. It was my brains, my sacrifices and my perseverance that had landed me a contract at the college. “I want to do it on my own,” I insisted. “Otherwise it won’t mean anything. Don’t meddle in my professional life.”
Hayden shrugged. “I’m just trying to help, but alright.”
“Would you really do all that for me?” I asked tentatively. Even though I was strongly opposed to what he’d suggested, the fact that Hayden had been willing to go to such extraordinary lengths for me spoke volumes.
“Daniella, I’d move mountains for you.”
“Will you untie me?” I asked hopefully.
“Why?”
“I really want to hug you right now.”
His demeanor instantly softened and he let me up. I immediately wrapped my arms around him. I never wanted to let him go. “You’re a good man,” I whispered as I clung to him. I could hear his heart beating in his chest and, when his arms encircled me, it felt like coming home.
“I’m not.”
“You’re good to me,” I insisted.
“You bring something out in me,” he murmured into my hair. “You make me better.” I felt him kiss the top of my head gently.
Then, just as quickly as his tenderness had appeared, it vanished. “Don’t think that being sweet is going to get you out of your punishment,” he cautioned. “You still have a spanking coming.” He cupped my ass with his hand as he spoke for emphasis, squeezing the soft flesh possessively.
“You can do whatever you want to me,” I said boldly. “Anything.”
He chuckled at that. “Careful,” he warned me. “I just might.” His hands explored the rounded curve of my ass for a minute longer, gripping my cheeks tightly and spreading them apart just to remind me of the command he had over my body. I could feel my pussy dripping. Then, with a sharp smack, he informed me, “It’s time for your punishment. Get over my knee.”
As I obediently draped my body across Hayden’s lap with my ass pointing in the air, a shiver of anticipation ran through me. I’d never been spanked before. Until I’d met him, I’d never even entertained the notion that I might enjoy being spanked. But as I stretched out, my fingers and toes touching the floor and my breasts dangling, I noticed how hard my nipples were through the sheer fabric of the negligee. I noticed how fast my heart was beating. I noticed how heavily I was breathing.
I wanted this. No, I needed it.
When Hayden unceremoniously yanked my sheer panties down, I gulped. Just like that, I was completely exposed, bare bottomed and at his mercy. It was a sobering feeling. And then, with no warning, his hand came crashing down.
“Ow!” I screeched
, nearly tumbling off his lap. I hadn’t expected him to smack me so hard and I wasn’t prepared for it. He wrapped an arm around my waist to hold me in place and then continued to spank me, delivering one blow after another. I thrashed and squirmed as he turned my backside red.
As the spanking continued, I realized it wasn’t the pain that had thrown me for a loop as much as the surprise. Once I got used to it, it wasn’t so bad. It was just humiliating to be spanked over his lap – and arousing. Hayden’s knee was positioned between my legs and without even noticing, I’d started to grind against him.
“You’re enjoying this too much,” he laughed, rubbing my burning flesh affectionately. Pretty soon his hand crept down to the cleft between my thighs and his fingers began to explore my slick feminine folds. “Mmm, you’re so wet,” he said with approval.
Moaning, I rocked back and forth, my clit rubbing against his thigh as he slipped two fingers inside me. They pressed against the front wall of my pussy, searching out that extra sensitive area that was hidden away. When I inhaled sharply, my body jerking, he knew he’d found it and began to push his fingers against that sweet spot harder.
“Ah!” I cried out as I felt the pressure building deep within me. He always knew how to touch me to make me come alive…and, well, to make me come.
There was something liberating about surrendering to Hayden. I’d carefully managed my personal life, making sure to maintain an upstanding reputation for the sake of my career. I constantly had to be in control whether it was in the classroom with rowdy students or with my colleagues, who were outwardly supportive but inwardly vindictive. But with Hayden, I didn’t have to worry about any of that. I could just let go. So I did.
I came with a shriek, gushing all over Hayden’s talented fingers. It was yet another earth-shattering release, all thanks to him. He rocked my world, sometimes almost literally. As I shakily climbed to my feet, he had to support me so my legs wouldn’t give out.
“We should do this more often. You look so cute with your ass bright red like that,” he teased.
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