Daniel walked over and knelt. “Here, let me do that.” He placed her sneakered foot on his thigh and tied the lace into a perfect bow. Both shoes tied, he pushed himself between her legs and pulled her in for a kiss. A surprise expression crossed her face. “Come on, let’s go.” He secured her hand in his and led her from the bedroom.
Daniel pulled two water bottles from the fridge and handed one to Alyx. “Let’s hit the gym for thirty minutes, then we’ll go for a run. Do you need to eat something first?”
“No, if I eat before I work out, I’ll puke.”
Daniel grimaced. “Let’s try to avoid that. I’ve seen enough vomit to last a lifetime.”
“Sorry, I have a habit of being rather blunt sometimes.”
A blonde, older woman walked into the kitchen, shrugged off her jacket and hung it in the kitchen closet. She smiled brightly. “Good morning, Sir.”
“Good morning, Lydia, how are you today?”
“Very well, Sir, thank you.”
“Lydia, this is Alyx Cameron, the houseguest I mentioned.”
“Of course, so pleased to meet you, Miss Cameron.” Lydia extended her hand.
“Nice to meet you, Lydia,” Alyx said, shaking her hand.
Lydia wrapped an apron around her waist. “Breakfast, Sir?”
“A bit later.”
“Very well, Sir.”
Daniel ushered Alyx from the kitchen, down a hallway on the east end of the house, then through a dark paneled door to reveal a well-appointed gym. A Cybex circuit, including a leg press and a squat rack occupied the room’s right side. Weights stacked on a metal rack waited on the far wall and a large open area with bright red matting filled the center of the room. Black and yellow TRX ropes hung from the ceiling.
“My other torture room,” Daniel said, raising his eyebrows in amusement.
“Oh joy. I just crave torture, Sir.”
“Don’t tempt me. I could have you naked and trussed up in here before you knew what happened.”
“No, thank you, Sir.” Although the flush in her cheeks said differently. “I prefer to torture myself for the moment.”
“That could be breaking one of the rules I planned to outline at breakfast. No self-pleasuring.” For her, that is, he’d already jerked off twice since her arrival. Thankfully, that would change shortly as he planned to have his dick buried inside her before noon.
“Why would you make such a ridiculous rule?” she said sardonically.
“Because I want you frustrated and I want to control all your pleasure while you’re under my whip.”
“Fine, you’re the boss.” Alyx huffed and went to the squat rack, putting two twenty-pound plates on each side.
“That’s a lot of weight,” Daniel observed.
She ignored him, obviously displeased with his comment. “Is Lydia your housekeeper?”
Daniel stacked weights onto the leg press across from the squat rack. “Yes, Lydia’s married to Mason and they live in the cottage on the east end of the property. Lydia manages the inside of the house and Mason handles the outside and takes care of the cars. They’re both off duty by eight, with few exceptions.”
Daniel watched as she got into position, resting the bar low on her neck and then dropping her sweet ass toward the floor. Her thighs proved seriously muscular as she pressed them into service, although, at rest, and last night, he hadn’t noticed them to be overly large. Daniel couldn’t take his eyes off her. “I think tomorrow I’ll have you do that without your workout clothes.” Alyx gazed intensely at his image in the mirror. She did a set of twelve and he let her finish, not wanting to distract her further.
She clanked the bar back onto the hooks securing it and exhaled loudly. “Like hell,” she said to his image in the mirror.
“What did you say, little subbie? Need I remind you that other than between the hours of noon and four you are completely under my command?”
* * *
Well, she’d momentarily forgotten that. But no way in hell she’d be working out naked. How could she distract him from this thought? He loomed behind her, his expression angry. What had she said to make him mad? Then she noticed he wasn’t observing her image in the mirror, instead his worried eyes focused on her bare shoulder.
He touched the spot with his forefinger. “What’s this?” he demanded, his voice too harsh. Uh-oh. She’d forgotten about it because she really couldn’t see it unless she forced herself to look in the mirror. She bristled.
“Please. You’re a surgeon, I’m sure you know full well what it is.” She guessed he hadn’t noticed it last night under the rec room’s dim lights. Or perhaps he’d been too involved with other things. Her belly clenched in that weird way just thinking about their evening session. On the trip here she’d tried to distract herself with music and mundane thoughts, and although she’d never admit it to anyone, she’d been downright terrified. But then he’d been so gracious, a gentleman—offering her wine and talking with her like he actually cared about how she felt. The whole night had been filled with the forbidden. And then, in his playroom, the first lesson in being a submissive, well, off the charts hot! And that amazing orgasm! And she’d thought she’d have to fake it.
Alyx released the bar from the safety rack again and let it fall onto her shoulders, but Daniel grabbed it, returning it to the metal latches. He put his warm finger on the mark again and pressed.
“Of course, I know what this is,” he snapped. “What I really want to know is how you got it?”
Alyx sighed. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Was I not clear about the honesty issue between a Dom and sub?”
“Well, Daniel, I’m not really your sub now, am I?” her voice too loud. “We’re just playing some kind of sordid game, aren’t we?” The pain darkening his face hit her like a club to the solar plexus. Holy shit, she’d hurt his feelings. He pulled his finger away from her shoulder as if he’d touched a hot stove. Their gazes met in the mirror. “My bad,” she said. “I didn’t mean for that to sound the way it did. I-I, just, well, after this week we’ll both go back to our lives and this whole thing will fade. You’ll probably have a huge laugh about it with your buddies at the club.”
He reached out and turned her to face him, the cold metal bar between them. “Is that what you think? That I don’t give a shit about what we’re doing? I take this stuff seriously, even if you don’t.”
She might as well be adrift at sea with no way of finding her way to dry land. “Daniel, we’ve only known each other for one day. Most people wouldn’t even consider us acquaintances.” He didn’t respond, not that she’d actually asked him a question. Silence hung between them.
“Alyx, it’s not like we simply bumped into each other at a coffee shop and struck up a conversation about the weather. I think the quality of the time we’ve spent together in the last twenty-four hours moves us up a few rungs on the friendship ladder, don’t you?”
Alyx knew he was right. How had she gotten herself into such an uncomfortable situation? Daniel had been nothing but wonderful to her and she had to confess that, so far, the sex had been absolutely mind-blowing. She’d miss it when the week ended, well, maybe not the anal stuff, they hadn’t gotten to that yet, and she still hadn’t figured out a way to avoid it.
“You’re right, Daniel. I didn’t mean any of that. I guess, when this whole assignment is over, I’d be glad to consider you a friend.” Geez, now, maybe she’d gone too far? What if he misunderstood and thought she liked him as husband material or something? She presumed him to be commitment phobic, being still single at his age, which she guessed had to be mid-thirties, and if he felt her closing in on him he might freak out. Good God. Why was she having this conversation in her head? She’d only just met the guy.
Daniel sighed and ran his fingers through his hair in obvious frustration. “Are you going to tell me how you got shot, or not?” His dark brown eyes were sad and emotion welled up inside her. He reached underneath the bar separ
ating them and pulled her into his chest. “Please, Alyx,” he mumbled into her hair, “tell me.”
She cringed inwardly before pushing away from his embrace. He held onto her shoulders, refusing to let go. “It was a huge fuck-up and got my partner killed,” she said quietly. Gathering her emotions into a tight wad, she tamped them back into her gut. “A raid, sort of like Waco, only on a smaller scale. We closed in on a skinhead gang and things quickly got out of control. There had to be at least twenty agents involved and even with our body armor we lost an agent. Four of us got hit. My partner took a bullet in the side, under his vest and it pierced a lung and lodged in his heart. I ran for him and took three shots myself. If not for my vest, I would have taken two bullets square in the chest. The third one bit my shoulder.”
Daniel clutched her tight. “It’s out? The bullet? It’s not still in there?”
“They got it out.”
“Fuck, Alyx, the thought of you injured is ripping out my guts.”
“Could’ve been worse. I was out of the hospital in a few days. The rehab was a bitch, however.” Daniel squeezed her so hard she couldn’t breathe and she finally pushed herself away from his warmth. “My boss was pissed. Not only did he lose an agent, but he reamed me for breaking protocol.” She hesitated. “You probably find that ironic.” She peered up into his face. “At least he didn’t spank me,” she said trying to lighten the mood.
“Perhaps I’m doing Agent Scarborough a favor then. Look at how disciplined you’ll be when I send you back to him.” Turning her back around, he slapped her hard on the ass and pushed her back under the bar. “All right, little subbie, enough talk, back to work.”
They finished their workout and then headed out into the bright fall sunshine. The unseasonably warm weather portended another beautiful day and Alyx inhaled the briny ocean air and sighed. “I love the ocean. I forget how much I love it sometimes.”
“I feel exactly the same. Sometimes I spend so many hours in the hospital I don’t get a chance to breathe fresh air enough. Coming home to the ocean refreshes my spirit.”
“Couldn’t agree more.”
They headed east on Dune Road, passing the occasional biker or runner waving a friendly hello. Their footsteps pounded the macadam and Alyx had to run at a faster pace than usual to match Daniel’s long-legged stride.
Back in the kitchen, the wonderful aroma of coffee greeted her. Lydia was setting the outdoor table. Daniel led Alyx onto the deck and pulled a chair out for her. “A true gentleman,” she said, seating herself under the umbrella. Daniel sat beside her, picked up the coffee carafe and poured Alyx a steaming cup. “Oh,” she chirped, pouring the hazelnut concoction into her coffee. “My favorite creamer.”
Lydia asked Alyx what she would like for breakfast and she settled on peach Greek yogurt with granola, her favorite. Daniel had scrambled eggs and dry whole-wheat toast. They both had fresh squeezed orange juice.
“Everything to your liking?” Daniel said as they dug in.
“Perfect. I can’t believe you have all my favorites.”
“You see, Agent Cameron, like you, I do my homework.” Daniel flashed her a mischievous grin.
She narrowed her eyes. What did that mean? Her thoughts drifted to the rec room last night, had it merely been coincidence that he played her favorite music? And now the yogurt and creamer?
“What do you mean, homework? You found out my favorite foods? And what about the music? Was that part of your spying, too?”
“Yes, I confess to it all.”
“But how?”
“Your boss put me in touch with Matt. He sent me these…” Daniel picked up his phone, scrolled through the screens and handed it to Alyx. Photos of the inside of her refrigerator clearly showed hazelnut creamer, yogurt and granola. The next photos included images of her iPhone playlist. Top 25 Played had its own photo. “He also told me you wear the same size as his wife, which he knew from the time you fell in their pool and she lent you clothing.”
Daniel winked and disappeared behind the newspaper. The same image she had of him on arrival. Alyx grabbed the top of the paper and pulled it down, forcing him to pay attention.
“Are you fucking kidding me? You sent Matt on a 007 mission? That’s pretty bold, Mr. Hot-shot Detective.”
“Dr. Hot-shot Detective, if you please,” he corrected her playfully.
So, Alyx thought, Matt had visited her house that afternoon under the guise of being concerned, when in truth, he’d embarked on a sleuthing mission for the illustrious and bossy doc. Wait until she got hold of Matt, she’d kick his adorable little ass all the way down 9th Avenue. But her anger quickly faded and she glowed inwardly. She knew Matt really had been worried about her and this gave him an excuse to check on her. She should be flattered Daniel had gone to these lengths to assuage her.
Daniel reached for the chair beside him and retrieved a gift-wrapped box. “Here, for you.”
Alyx accepted the package and stared at Daniel, open-mouthed. “What in the world?”
“Open it.”
She untied the pink ribbon and tore at the paper imprinted with fuchsia rosebuds. Carefully unfolding the delicate paper, her eyes fell on a scanty red bikini.
“For our swim later,” Daniel said. “The ocean’s still warm in September. I know how much you enjoy swimming in the big blue. I believe you had to cancel a certain outing with friends this weekend.”
And how did he know that? Alyx shook her head. She didn’t want to know who else in her inner circle had spied for Daniel. Alyx didn’t know what to say. She’d never had a boyfriend who moved heaven and earth to please her like this. And he wasn’t even her significant other. As a matter of fact, this whole thing had gotten weird and way too personal, something she hadn’t anticipated at all. She wanted to ask him why-why-why, but didn’t know how to phrase it without coming off like a bitch.
“Thank you, it’s lovely,” she said through tight lips. They finished breakfast and Lydia cleared their dishes.
“Okay,” Daniel said, folding the newspaper in half. “I said at breakfast I’d outline my other expectations and protocols. So, let’s get that taken care of.”
Alyx swallowed the last of her orange juice, when the lump lodged in her throat. She gripped her coffee mug and leaned back in her chair, pulling her knees into her chest. Perhaps last night had been a ruse to lull her into a false sense of security. And things were about to take a severe left turn toward Painville.
“I promised we’d work on your attitude about anal sex,” his expression serious, scary even.
“But,” began Alyx.
“Exactly, your delectable butt. We need to get to work on that right away if you’re going to be ready by Saturday.” Daniel crossed his arms over his muscular pecs and his heated glare made her insides somersault.
“I don’t think I want, what I mean is there are limits to what I can…”
Daniel interrupted her whiny plea. “Let me pay you the favor of being blunt. You have no idea how dangerous this could be for you if you go into this decoy situation unprepared. Have you ever seen the results of anal rape?”
Actually she had, what a horrible sight. She mumbled, “Only once. The guy was dead.”
“In some ways that might be a blessing. The amount of damage done by forcible anal rape is devastating. And the surgery to repair the damage is worse. Anyone who’s had rectal surgery will attest to the fact that it’s about the worst pain imaginable. My mother had a simple rectocele repaired during her hysterectomy and she was screaming and biting towels in the bathroom for a week. There wasn’t enough pain medication I could give her to thwart that kind of pain without totally knocking her unconscious.”
Alyx winced at Daniel’s words. This wasn’t doing much to get her interested in letting him shove anything up her ass. The blood drained from her face.
“I didn’t tell you this to frighten you.”
“Yeah, well I’d hate to hear what you’d say if you wanted to scare me,”
she snapped.
“I want you to think past this moment. You plan to put yourself in the clutches of some serious sadists. I don’t think the club will be much of a problem unless you’re there for an extended period. But the minute those slavers have you, you’ll be at their mercy. There’s no preventing them from assaulting you the minute they have you. And if you’re not prepared you’re going to get seriously injured.”
Alyx remained silent, still unconvinced.
“Okay, let’s move off that tack and head in a different direction. We’ll take it slow and I’ll bet you a hundred bucks that by the end of the week you’ll be singing a different tune. Trust me, in my capable hands you’ll find it much more pleasurable than you imagine.”
“Well, it’s not like I have much of a choice now, do I?”
“Finally seeing the light,” he said, rising from his chair and extending his hand, “it’s only eleven, that’s one more hour on my time and I intend to make good use of it. Let’s go.”
Daniel tugged Alyx by the hand and up the stairs to the second floor. “I’d prefer to take a shower before we…”
“No shower,” he said cutting off her attempt to stall. “We’ll take a swim after, that’s if you want to. By then, we’ll be on your time so it’s up to you. We’ll shower after that.”
We’ll shower? He didn’t plan on showering with her, did he? That certainly shouldn’t be part of the required training. This whole situation confused the hell out of her. She hadn’t anticipated all this personal stuff. She thought she’d just have to submit to his torturous attentions in the playroom, but then he’d go about his business and she’d be left alone. She’d downloaded a bunch of books on her e-reader and figured she’d catch up on her reading. It was Sunday, so by tomorrow that would most likely be the case. He’d be off to work and all this weird uncomfortable attention would vanish.
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