Boss (28 page)

Memories of the previous evening seeped in, and she remembered him cuffing her to the spanking bench, flogging her, giving her one solid spank with the paddle then fucking her. Heat made her flush anew when she recalled the way he’d taken out the plug.

But he was so matter-of-fact about things that he didn’t tolerate embarrassment. And because of the courage she’d gathered, she’d been the one to initiate sex after the shower. Until him, she hadn’t been capable of that kind of behavior.

And afterward… She didn’t remember anything after he’d fucked her in his bed.

She often slept badly, sometimes struggling with insomnia. She always woke up at least twice, but last night, she’d slept through, so soundly she didn’t know whether or not he’d even come to bed.

Except… He had. She knew it. Somewhere in the deepest recesses of her mind, she recalled him wrapping himself around her, protecting her, giving her the comfort to rest peacefully.

The scent of coffee teased her. The room was dark from the heavy shades, and she had no idea what time it was. She looked around for a clock but didn’t find one, and she’d left her purse on the kitchen counter.

Curious, she climbed from the bed.

Nathan had hung the white fluffy robe from the footboard on her side of the bed, and she put it on, tying the belt around her as she left the room.

A light was on in his office, and she knocked on the doorframe before entering.

The television was on, the volume low, and he was on the exercise bike, slowly pedaling. He wore shorts and no shirt. Perspiration dampened his hair and he looked devilishly handsome.

“Come in,” he said, smile wide, inviting.

A cup of coffee sat on his desk, abandoned.

“You can have it.” He obviously noted her forlorn expression. “But there’s a fresh pot downstairs that may appeal to you more.”

It seemed bizarre, waking up in her boss’s house, talking about coffee in her robe.

“How did you sleep?”

“I woke up nude.”

“That’s unusual, I take it?” He grinned. The bike beeped, and he pedaled even slower, obviously cooling down. “Can’t say that I’m sorry you slept so well.”

“Are you taking credit for it?”

“Total and complete,” he said shamelessly.

She picked up his cup and sat in his chair. The coffee was tepid, but strong and rich. “What time is it?”

“A little after five,” he said.

The machine beeped again, and he pushed a button to stop it before dismounting. “I need to do a couple of things before I shower,” he said, coming closer to her.

She nodded and stood. “I’ll grab a fresh cup then get ready to go.”

“Bring me a cup back?”

“So you’ll give me a crappy cup of coffee but you won’t drink it?”

He touched her nose and emotion cascaded through her. Damn, she liked his gentle teasing almost as much as she appreciated the fact he’d gotten up early enough to make coffee, which was something she rarely managed.

Downstairs, she fished her phone from her purse and dropped it in the deep robe pocket. He’d he set out a cup for her. She liked the way he always seemed to be thinking about her, but she told herself not to get too accustomed to it.

After rinsing his cup, she filled both. She found an unopened container of cream in the refrigerator. She knew he didn’t drink it, which meant he’d taken time to pick it up for her.

Cups ready, she climbed the stairs and heard music coming from his office.

He was sitting at his desk, and he had his wrist cocked as he looked at it.

“What are you watching?”

“Nothing yet. It’s the way the watch starts up when you turn it on.”

“It sounds like the score from a movie or something.”

“It’s Julien Bonds’ theme music.”

“I had no idea.” It probably shouldn’t surprise her, but it did.

She extended Nathan’s cup to him, and he accepted with a smile.

“I found the cream in the fridge,” she said.

“I suspected you were resourceful enough to do that.”

The words “
Good morning, Nathan!
” blasted from the watch as the theme music faded.

She watched, stunned, as a small image of Julien Bonds floated above the screen. “Hologram?”

Nathan nodded and sipped.

“Is it real time? I mean, are you interacting with it?”

“No. You might as well enjoy it. There’s no way to make him shut up once he starts.”

“Your software update is complete. Do I look better? Sound better? Tell the watch what you think about the new voice synthesizer. It will relay it to me. Don’t worry about hurting my feelings. I want to be perfect more than I want you to stroke my ego.”

“I wonder about that,” Nathan said.

“You may want to amp up the workout a bit today, Nathan.”
Bonds flexed his arm.
“It doesn’t appear you walked your suggested ten thousand steps yesterday.”

Nathan pulled her into his lap and she had to readjust quickly to avoid spilling her coffee.

“And we’re unsure whether or not you got enough sleep.”

“Who’s we?” she asked. “Does he mean the royal we?”

“It could mean his engineers or the program. Or you could be right. It might be the royal we.”

“As a reminder, for this to be as effective as we want, please wear your watch in the evenings, even when you sleep. In fact…you took it off around eight-thirty last night. Were you doing something you don’t want us knowing about? At any rate, as for business… Press reports for Donovan Logistics have been mostly complimentary. I’ve attached all relevant search results from the past twenty-four hours to an email and they’re flagged in suggested-read order. I’ve included a rumor from an online source that states OneTech is being acquired. They quoted an anonymous source. And Donovan Worldwide was not named in the piece. Be sure to eat right today. Pizza is not a sustainable choice. At least order a vegetarian one.”
The image gave a little wave before vanishing. Then screen went blank.

“Impressive and intrusive,” she said.

“Isn’t that the conundrum? It’s so fucking useful, though, that I leave it on most of the time. His search filters are beyond anything we’ve seen so far, as if he’s applied artificial intelligence to it. The news updates are cross-referenced. Info on all of our companies and those we’re interested in, as well as relevant market updates, show up twice a day, generally around noon after the European workday is done and then again at the end of business in Houston. I didn’t access it last night, so it was waiting for me this morning.”

Her phone chimed, and she scooped it out of her pocket.

“More intrusive technology?” he asked.

“The worst.” She swiped the screen to silence the reminder. “This is an alarm that tells me to get moving so I’m not late to work. I don’t want to piss off my new boss.”

“See that you don’t.”

She scooted off his lap and he snagged her wrist to prevent her from escaping. Before she knew what was happening, he’d plucked her coffee from her, slid it on the desk then turned her over his knee.

Kelsey yelped as she put down her hands to prevent herself from falling.

He exposed her rear, and before she was ready, he brought his hand down on her buttocks, setting her skin on fire.

When he did it a second time, she screamed. Even as she protested, heat seeped into her pussy.

“For the record, Ms. Lane, a scream is not a safe word.”

He gave her a few more spanks, leaving her desperate and needy.

“Don’t be late,” he told her, helping her to stand. He straightened her robe and handed her the coffee.

“What was that for?”

“Kelsey, if you think you can sit your squirmy little ass in my lap without me noticing, you’re wrong. Tease the wolf, you’re going to get eaten.”

“Is that supposed to scare me?”

“I don’t know. Do you want to get eaten?”

She pressed her legs together, trying to ignore the heat in her pussy.

“Half an hour, Kelsey. Be ready to go. Or else.”

Chapter Thirteen

Kelsey flirted with his words while she dressed. The
or else
part of his order was making it impossible to think about anything other than him taking her back to bed.

And the look in his eyes when she came out of the closet wearing a form-fitting black dress almost made her melt.

Today he wore a blue pinstriped suit with an equally dark necktie. As always, he was scrumptious. Right now, she didn’t care whether they went to work or not.

“You managed to get ready in twenty-six minutes,” he said after glancing at his watch.

“Could we pretend it was thirty-one?” She licked her lower lip.

“Get on the counter.”

An unholy thrill zinged through her.

He removed his suit coat and hung it from the doorknob.

While she was still trying to figure out the best way to climb onto the chilly granite, he grabbed her by the waist and lifted her from the floor.

She did some fancy moves to get the dress up past her hips. But her underwear was still in the way. Obviously impatient, he grabbed a pair of scissors from a drawer and snipped her thong from her. “Nathan!”

“You were warned.”

“I didn’t know
or else
meant you were going to destroy my underwear.” Even though she was protesting, she was breathless from the forbidden thrill.

“You took the risk.”

He spread her thighs with his large hands. She was caught a little off balance, and she arched back, putting her hands behind her, both of which gave him greater access to her already-damp pussy.

“You’re wet and ready for me, aren’t you?” he asked, pressing a finger into her.

She cried out from the pleasure.

He removed his finger and placed it against her lip. “Lick it.”

Gaze locked with his, she did as he instructed, tasting her juices, knowing he’d aroused her.

“Tell me to eat you.”

“Please,” she begged, wishing she could grab hold of his face and drag it toward her pussy.

He took his time lowering his head. Then he flicked his tongue rapidly across her engorged clit. She tilted her pelvis toward him, asking for more.

Nathan parted her labia and pulled back the hood as he’d made her do the night he’d dripped hot wax on her. Maybe it was her imagination, but she still felt sensitized from that, and it took less time than usual for her to teeter on the precipice of an orgasm.

“Nathan!” She tightened her muscles, suddenly worried he wouldn’t let her come.

Instead, he used juices from her pussy to insert a finger into her ass.

She groaned and scooted even closer to him.

“I’ll give you thirty seconds,” he said against her cunt. “Or you’ll wait until I’m feeling generous again.”

The ticking time element sharpened her response, and Kelsey pressed weight onto her hands and lifted her hips from the counter, shamelessly grinding her shaved pussy against his face. She was certain the sensations were more heightened than ever.

He jiggled the finger that was in her ass and plunged his tongue into her heated depths before returning to suck her clit. Him changing what he was doing, coupled with the pressure on her clit, made an orgasm knife through her.

Pumping her hips, humping his face, she cried out.

He continued to lave his attentions on her until the last ripple shook her.

Then, only then, did he move away from her and draw out his finger.

She liked his version of
or else
.

He washed his hands and face then helped her from the countertop, holding her waist while she slipped back into a shoe she hadn’t realized she’d lost.

“I need another couple of minutes to put myself back together. Well, and find a new pair of panties.” Which she’d already packed in her bag.

“We’re late. Skip them.”

“I don’t go without underwear, Mr. Donovan,” she protested.

“You do now. Part of the
or else
.”

“Hold on,” she said, looking up at him. “How many things am I going to have to do?”

“As many as I say.”

His hands were still on her, imprisoning her and simultaneously making her feel cherished. Since his tie was askew from their early-morning face-fuck, she straightened it for him.

Slowly he released her then scooped up her ruined thong and dumped the remnants in the trash.

He carried her bag downstairs, and she hurried through smoothing her hair and adjusting her dress.

She felt awkward without underwear. Though she knew it was ridiculous, she was sure every person she saw would know.

“Ready?” he asked when she stepped off the bottom stair.

For a moment, she wondered what the hell she was doing.

Nathan Donovan wasn’t her lover. He was her boss. The lines were blurring for her, and she couldn’t allow that to happen.

Surely she could manage for another couple of days.

But as he opened the back door and she breezed past him, inhaling the subtle scent of his spicy soap and remembering the taste of his dick, she suddenly doubted her own determination.

“I’m planning to take you shopping after work,” he said once they were on the road.

“To replace my underwear?”

“That, as well as getting you an outfit that will look great when I have you strapped to the Punishment Pole.”

Kelsey glanced across the vehicle’s interior at Nathan. Since it was still before sunrise, his face was in shadows, making it difficult to read his expression.

“For the outfit you’ll wear on Saturday,” he reminded her. “We discussed it earlier in the week.”

She remembered scribbling notes as he’d been talking, and she recalled circling the word Thursday.

“If we don’t find anything tonight, we’ll have tomorrow as a backup. Unless you have something in mind already?”

“I have some shoes that might work, and I was thinking of wearing a skirt and a long-sleeved shirt.”

“We can swing by your house before we go, have a look at your closet.” He glanced across at her. “I have an idea of what I’d like to see you in.”

“And I’m thinking it’s not something I might wear to the office.”

The background music cut out and the screen in front of them showed an incoming call from Lawrence.