by Linzi Basset
“I was only stating a fact, sir.” Her eyes did another foray to his feet and back up. Only this time, they were hijacked by the bulge at his crotch. “And I have personally witnessed that what they say about the size of a man’s feet is true.”
Jack ignored the snickering behind him like he’d ignored Lance Talbot and Richard Almar, two of his best friends, when they’d arrived to watch. He was having a hard time keeping his own face straight. Jordan Clark played the role of a brat with practiced expertise, but he had a suspicion it was all an act. At the same time, he couldn’t deny how her sassy nature excited him. She was the kind of woman who would offer the sweetest submission as a sub, while outside the club, she would be the challenge he’d always craved in a relationship.
Back the fuck up, Jack! A relationship? Where the devil did that thought come from?
“What do they say, sub?” he taunted.
“That the size of a man’s feet represents the size of his...” A red flush bloomed over her cheeks. Jack’s cock twitched as she blinked her eyes in the direction of his crotch. “You know,” she said pointedly.
“No, I’m afraid I don’t. Do enlighten us, Emerald.” Jack enjoyed her discomfort immensely. For once she was visibly squirming under his stare.
Jordan glanced around. She winced as she noticed the number of members gathered behind her.
She cleared her throat. “A man’s … tool,” she whispered.
The group of people watching burst out laughing. Jordan’s cheeks turned beet red.
Jack rocked back on his heels. He jammed his thumbs into his leather’s pockets, his smile became harder to suppress.
“A man’s tool? What tool would that be, my pet? His hammer? His saw? I personally own numerous … tools.”
It was refreshing to find a sub in the BDSM lifestyle who was too shy to utter the word cock. Most who frequented the club were bold and had no trouble verbalizing what they wanted.
Jack walked closer until they were toe to toe. Her breath hissed through her lips when her nipples brushed against his open leather vest. He leaned closer.
“Say it, sub.”
Jordan was mesmerized by the silver flare in the depths of his black eyes. It made them glitter like they’d been dusted with diamonds. She was overwhelmed by his closeness. The fresh ocean breeze scent of his cologne teased her nostrils, causing her loins to clench in reaction. She bit back a groan as her nipples beaded into hard stones.
Oh, hell ladies, not now! I’m sure he can feel you poking holes into his chest.
Jack couldn’t resist the temptation of her hard nipples pressing against him. He took a step back. The need to watch her sweet submission to his dominance was suddenly all-consuming. He teased the taut nubs with his palms, watching how her lips turned into a round, ‘oh’ of pleasure. He rolled the tips between his fingers and then he pinched them. Soft at first but increased the pleasure until she moaned in pain.
“I’m waiting.”
“Cock,” she finally panted. She was already on her toes but still, he continued the painful seduction.
“Ah, yes,” he said dolefully. His voice flowed through her. It soothed her frayed mind with soporific, velvety tones. He brushed his fingers over the red tint of her cheeks. “Finally, we have the truth.”
“What truth, Master Black?”
Jordan watched him warily. He was known for the unexpected. It was the first time she was the recipient of his sole attention. It was overwhelming and shattered her composure like a mirror under a sledgehammer. She wondered briefly if she would be able to walk away from this job unscathed. Her stupid heart, beating like a drum roll, told her otherwise. She never expected to be this affected by him but she should have known better. From the first day she’d looked into his dark, penetrating eyes, she’d been under his spell—without him even trying. She couldn’t resist the magnetism of his personality, his natural dominance, and his powerful presence.
I am fucked. Absolutely, totally, and royally fucked!
He leaned in. The heat of his breath teased her temple as he drawled, “That it’s my cock you’re after. No use denying it, Emerald. I’ve seen you drool when I fuck a sub in the dungeon. Your desire is there for all to see.”
Jordan’s eyes narrowed to slits as she detected the amusement in his gaze.
“You find my desire for you amusing, Sir?” she bit out in a cold voice.
“On the contrary, my pet, I find it very refreshing but it contradicts what you said earlier—that you’re here for all the Doms. So, why single me out?”
Her eyelids fluttered to cover her eyes.
“Did I give you permission to lower your eyes, sub? In here, your eyes will always be on me. At all times. Is that clear?”
“As crystal, Sir.” Her voice clipped in his ear as she locked her eyes on him with her chin tilted back in a move of rebellion.
Jack was amused as much as he was drawn to her cheekiness. The same overwhelming desire to be the one to bask in her sweet submission flooded his mind. He determinedly pushed away the thought.
“Remind me to address these glares she’s been giving me later, Master Swinx,” Jack said to Lance, who stood smiling as he watched the scene unfurl.
Jack slowly began to circle her again. He traced the edge of the clapper on her skin as he walked.
“What are you doing?” he snapped when she turned along with every step he took.
“Keeping my eyes on you, Sir, just as you ordered. I don’t happen to have a rubber spine, so, unless I want to slip a disc in my neck—”
Her words were drowned by laughter that erupted from the group of people watching. A cheeky smile dimpled on her face in response.
“She’s got you there, mate,” Lance chuckled.
“Don’t move,” Jack ordered darkly. He went to stand behind her. Jordan was on the verge of swooning when he pressed his hard body flush against her soft curves. She could feel every ridge and muscle. It was difficult not to give in to temptation and rub her ass against the enticing bulge she could feel digging into her cheeks.
His arms circled her body.
No. Not again. Oh, shit, I’m gonna make a fool of myself!
Jordan bit into her lip as his fingers began to tug on her nipples, alternating with rolling the tips. Her breathing became labored. It was a heady feeling. To be this close to him and to be the object of his attention. Not for the purpose of being punished but to test her submission to him.
“Why me, Emerald?” he breathed into her ear. “Are you that desperate to feel my cock pounding your pussy?”
Jordan sucked in a deep breath. Mainly to ban the vision his words elicited to form in her mind, but also to concentrate on him. She had always tackled a challenge head-on. Jack Blackmore had become more than the subject of her job, he’d engrained his entire persona into her mind. Even at a distance, he’d slowly hustled his way into her heart.
Oh, please, Jordan. Get a life. You, of all people, don’t believe in love at first sight.
Nevertheless, she took a huge leap of faith and said the one thing she’d felt deep inside her soul from the first day they had met.
“I can’t deny that I want to feel your … to have sex with you, Master Black, but it’s more than that.”
She dared a glance over her shoulder. Heat surged to her cheeks at the dark look that spread over his face.
“Do enlighten me, my pet.”
Jordan moaned low in her throat as every nerve ending on her body came alive from the sensual brush of his tongue tracing the scallop of her ear. He pinched her nipples when she didn’t respond.
“I’m waiting, sub.”
“I do want you, Master Black, but I’m after more than your kisses, your touch, or your devilishly sexy body. I want your Dominance. I crave it with a lust that surpasses the desire to have you fuck me.”
Whatever Jack had expected, that was the last thing he’d thought she’d say. He was stumped, but his expression remained impassive. He’d learned long a
go not to trust words. Actions mattered and, so far, she had failed miserably.
Yet, it was the one thing he wanted to hear her say, or rather that he wanted to demand from her with expert Domination. He turned her around with his hands on her shoulders.
“Am I correct in the assumption that what you’re after is a Dom-sub relationship with me?”
Jordan tilted back her chin and offered him the full-on blast of her earnest stare.
“Yes, Master Black. That’s exactly what I want.”
“You do know I have no interest in an exclusive D/s relationship, Emerald. In actual fact, in entering any kind of relationship.”
“It has been brought to my attention, yes, Sir.”
“Yet, you’re still willing to pursue the possibility?”
Jordan returned his scrutiny with silent intensity as she weighed her response carefully.
“Yes, Master Black. My mother always told me that if you want something badly enough, you have to fight for it.”
Jack’s eyes glimmered like warm onyx in the dimly lit room.
“Why would I burden myself with a brat like you, Emerald? You forget I’ve been called to punish you more times than I care to remember in a relatively short period of time. You’re not the kind of submissive that interests me.”
Yeah, right. Like that’s even remotely close to the truth, dickhead.
Jack’s face remained impassive, however, and didn’t reflect any of his thoughts.
“How about a trial, Master Black?” Jordan cooed in a sultry voice.
“A trial?”
“Yes, you know, a tryout or experiment to—”
“I know what the word means, sub,” Jack cut her short. The look in his eyes warned her not to push his buttons.
She flashed him a cheeky smile. “I’m offering a test run, Sir, for at least eight weeks. If at the end of that period, I’m not the kind of sub you desire, I’ll willingly admit defeat.”
Jordan’s heart hammered against her chest as he considered her with dark and expressionless eyes that awakened a rush of heat inside her.
Jack’s gaze sharpened on the woman who held him prisoner with a directness that startled him. It brought a memory he’d forgotten to mind—of a woman who had a similar direct stare. Selina Parker, the woman who had taught him a very painful lesson not to trust in sweetly offered words that promised what it could never deliver. Honesty, truth, and commitment. He’d come to learn since then, women were frivolous.
His expression turned grim.
Women made a man believe they were good enough to keep him satisfied. They used sex as a bargaining chip; believed that after a couple of good fucks, they owned you. Only to throw your trust and devotion back in your face.
Yeah, I learned the hard way. Trust and monogamy are overrated.
Now, he used sex as a game and so skillfully, they kept coming back for more. He only had one interest in the game of sex. It was like a checkerboard game. He only had the desire to assert his power and domination over them. Pleasure was just an added bonus that fulfilled his carnal desires. He didn’t want or need anything more.
Nothing else.
Ever.
“You want a test run,” he mused. His eyes were on his finger that traced her quivering bottom lip. He exalted in the obvious effect his touch had on her. “You’re willing to follow every instruction I give you?”
“Yes, Sir, except if it’s a hard limit for me.”
“That goes without saying.” He tapped the crop against his leathers. The rhythmic sound was hypnotizing in the background but, at the moment, Jack was only aware of the green eyes that turned smoky under his regard. “You do realize I will push your boundaries, Emerald? Hard. Just because I can.”
Jordan swallowed. She had a suspicion he would use it as a tool to push her away. She squared her shoulders. This was a battle she had no intention of losing. No matter what he threw at her.
“I don’t expect anything less, Master Black.”
“And this … trial, starts now?”
“Yes, Sir. Eight weeks to the day.”
Jack watched her speculatively. He was surprised at how badly he wanted it. Even the knowledge that there was something suspicious about Jordan Clark couldn’t dampen the desire to call her his sub.
“Four. I’ll give you four weeks.”
“That’s hardly enough—”
“Take it or leave it.”
Jordan dragged in an excited breath. It was a victory, although not the one she’d wanted. She would just have to make sure he extended the trial.
“I’ll take it.”
Jack turned to face the crowd of people watching them animatedly.
“From this moment, for a trial period of four weeks, I take the sub, Emerald, as my submissive in a non-exclusive relationship.”
Damn him! He had to go and spoil the moment by voicing that stipulation publicly.
Her entire strategy was dependent on him focusing all his attention on her. She just had to make sure he didn’t have the energy to turn to all the other subs who constantly fawned over him.
“Let’s not delay, Emerald. I have the need for a devoted pet at my feet the rest of the evening.”
Jack saw her flinch. He’d gone through her application and limit list earlier that evening. Humiliation was one of her soft boundaries.
Let’s see how far she’s going to let this go before she crumbles and tells me the truth.
If there was one thing he was good at, it was reading people. Her desire for him was forefront in her eyes, even her body tensed and trembled when he was near, but none of that could hide the brief flicker in the depths of her eyes. Jordan Clark wasn’t who she claimed to be. One way or the other, Jack was going to find out what it was she was really after.
“Go to Master Wade’s office and request that he dress you as my pet kitten. Don’t dally, sub. I’ve got club monitor duty in five minutes.”
“Yes, Sir,” Jordan mumbled and walked toward the stairs.
Jack smirked as he watched her drag her feet all the way to the stairs leading to the offices on the mezzanine level.
Chapter Two
Max Shaw, Jack’s best friend and his sister’s fiancé, stared in bemusement after the disappearing sub. His glance swung back to search Jack’s expression.
He, more than any of their friends, knew how against relationships Jack was, especially D/s ones, which were solely based on mutual trust. He had been the one to pick up the pieces when Jack’s heart had been broken. Not that he’d done a good job at the time because Jack had come away from that a changed man.
Hardened. Brooding and seemingly with a lack of emotional interest toward the opposite sex.
Max experienced a surge of excitement at the thought that maybe Jack had finally met someone who might manage to breach the chiseled layer of steel chains he’d shackled around his heart for years.
“Did I hear correctly, mate?” Max asked with masked amusement in his voice. “You, the Master who vehemently shuns any kind of relationship, just committed to a D/s relationship?”
“Don’t go and chase the monkeys up the aisle yet, mate,” Jack snorted. His gaze turned pensive. “There’s something about her that triggers my suspicion, Max.” Jack shrugged with disinterest and his eyes glinted knowingly as he read Max’s expression. “You know the saying, keep your enemies close…”
Max knew Jack too well to laugh away his concerns. Jack had the inept skill to read situations as well as he could read people.
“I want you to do an in-depth background check on her, Max. I want to know every detail of her life. Even what she has for breakfast.”
“Will do. Just be careful. The Syndicate got rid of their frontman, Brad Flint—the fucking traitorous bastard—because he knew too much. They knew Joanne would be able to identify him as the asshole who had her abducted. We have no idea just who or what means they’d use to get inside our ranks. What they did to Jo, is proof of the lengths they’re prepared to
go to hinder our investigation to shut them down for good.”
“Don’t worry about me, mate. I know she’s up to no good and I’ll be the one calling the shots.”
Jack questioned whether that would hold fast as he watched Jordan walk toward him. The green corset and thong she’d worn had been replaced by a red leather lingerie harness that pulled taut her large breasts. He could feel the drool fill his mouth as he watched her firm tits bob and jiggle with every step she took. He followed the strips of leather that crisscrossed over her stomach and were connected with silver loops under her belly-button. From there they disappeared between her legs in strappy panties.
The expression on her face was one of annoyance. She kept tugging on the furry ears that were tied around her chin. Jack’s grin widened. He didn’t bother to hide his mirth when she stopped in front of him. He did a swirling motion with his finger to which she retaliated with a sharp-edged glare but obediently turned in a circle.
“Oh!” she gasped as Jack tugged on the tail that swung from the butt plug in her ass.
Jack held out his hand when she faced him again. She stubbornly ignored the order.
“If this is how you obey me, we’re not off to a good start, Emerald.” There was a chilled warning in Jack’s voice.
Jordan slapped the red leather collar and chain into his palm.
“That’s better.”
He strapped the collar around her throat, all the while staring into her eyes. His grin returned when she flinched at the click of the chain he locked into the loop at the front. “There, now we’re ready to go.”
He pointed to the spot at his feet. “On all fours, my pet. You will follow me like the good kitty you are.”
“You,” Jordan pointed to the floor, “expect me to crawl after you?” Her voice was laced with disbelief.
“A kitty only has two places in here, my pet. Either in her Master’s arms or by his feet. Seeing as I’m on my way to do CM duty, you will be at my heels.” His eyebrows formed a lazy arch toward his hairline. “Surely, you’re only too keen to please me as your Dom? Or have I mistaken your request, Emerald?”