Boss (17 page)

In one of the forums she’d been following online, a sub talked about a Dom withholding orgasms as a way to ensure good behavior. Another had said her Master liked to leave her horny so that she came fast later in the day. They’d all sounded slightly sexy until she was the unlucky recipient, with hormones rushing through her blood and an unsatisfied pussy. “Thank you, Sir,” she said without a note of gratitude.

“Pull up your underwear.” He smacked her ass, hard.

She couldn’t believe he’d actually leave her this way. It would be at least thirteen hours, probably fourteen, until he took her home this evening.

After she pulled up her thong, he lowered her skirt into place.

“Thank you, Sir,” he prompted.

“Thank you, Nathan.” Her tone was laced with more than a little sarcasm.

“That will cost you.”

“But we haven’t had a discussion about punishment,” she protested quickly.
Damn it.

“But I did inform you I wouldn’t tolerate disrespect and that corporal punishment is my preferred form of correction.”

He waited.

“Thank you, Sir.”

“Is one of those coffees for me?”

She wanted to tell him no. And now she was tempted to drink his. Instead she replied, “Drip of the day. Black.”

“You remembered. Thank you.” He picked up the cup without the word mocha on the side.

She flushed and looked away.

“Won’t convince me to overlook the other, but this is appreciated.” He took a long, appreciative drink. “Marvin’s?”

“It’s one of my favorite places for morning coffee.”

Flustering her, he took a seat near her desk. “What’s on your agenda?”

How could he go from D/s to boss/employee so fast? She picked up her mocha and sat behind her desk then moved her mouse to wake up her computer and pull up her calendar.

“Please give me access to that,” he said.

She knew she had no right to refuse, especially since he’d shared his with her. “I’ve got a nine o’clock with Zoe McBride. Encore Events. Do you want to sit in?”

“If I’m free, I’ll say hello, but I trust you to handle it.”

“I’ll need a budget.”

He shook his head. “I want you to bring me one, and I’ll sign off on it. Make every penny count and be prepared to make a reasonable case for the expenditures.”

As always, he made her shift uncomfortably. “At lunchtime, I’ll be seeing Mr. Newman.”

He nodded.

“Then happy hour with Andi.”

“And…?”

Her pussy moistened from the way he regarded her. “Whatever pleases you.”

“Specifically?” He took a drink. “What would that be?”

She uncrossed her legs then recrossed them in the opposite direction. “Putting the clamps on my nipples.”

“Very, very good.” He picked up the clamps and hung them from his index finger.

Kelsey took them from him and dropped them into her tote.

“Are your evening plans on the calendar?”

“Since they’re private, no.”

“Where are you going?”

“You don’t need to pick me up,” she told him again, even though she suspected he wouldn’t listen to any arguments.

Silence hung between them. He let it drag until she could no longer tolerate it.

“Friscos.” She gave him the address.

“Alcohol and scenes don’t mix well, so you’ll want to limit yourself if you want to scene. If you just want to go have fun with your friend, that’s perfectly fine.”

Before she could say anything, he went on, “Either way, I’ll be driving you home. What’s your phone number?”

She should have realized he’d think that through as well. He’d provided his information yesterday and given her access to all his files, but she hadn’t done the same.

He angled his wrist so that his watch was exposed. A large pink heart hovered above the screen.

“What’s that for?”

He impatiently swiped a finger across the surface. “Heart rate monitor.”

“A pulsing heart hologram? Pink is definitely your color.”

From his scowl, he didn’t seem nearly as amused by the sight as she was. “Your number, Ms. Lane?”

She forced away her smile, and Nathan touched the corner of the screen as she provided the number.

“Call Kelsey Lane,” he instructed.

“Dialing, Mr. Donovan.”

Seven seconds later, her phone rang.

“End,” he told the watch.

“Ended.”

“Now you’ll have no excuses for not contacting me.”

The man was skilled at getting his way.

Without another word, he went to unlock the door. “I’m looking forward to this evening,” he said before entering his office and closing the door.

She allowed her shoulders to collapse against the chair back.

With each moment, she felt as if she were getting deeper and deeper in a swimming pool. She’d started in the shallow end, but she could no longer reach the bottom.

* * * *

What the hell was it about her that made common sense pack a bag and head for parts unknown?

Yesterday Nathan had told Kelsey that he was cautious, but that was a fucking lie when it came to her. If he’d been cautious, he wouldn’t have reacted when Connor had told him she wanted to go to Deviation. As long as it didn’t interfere with job performance, it didn’t—
shouldn’t
—matter to Nathan what his employees did during their free time, but somehow it did with Kelsey.

And if he were cautious, he wouldn’t have driven to his favorite kink store in South Houston after he’d left her condo last night.

The store had been a forty-five-minute drive each way, but he’d been obsessed with getting her the nipple clamps, a small plug, a leash and a collar that she could wear on Saturday night. He’d wanted the items in his possession and he’d been too impatient to wait for overnight delivery. With her, he refused to take chances.

He hadn’t gotten home until nearly eleven, and he’d jacked off before going to bed, but that hadn’t stopped him from waking up with a hard-on six hours later.

That one, he’d ignored. He knew he’d pissed her off this morning. What she didn’t know was that he was suffering along with her. He wanted the low-grade yearning to consume him, sharpening his focus where she was concerned.

For the tenth time today, his watch vibrated. He glanced at it to see a 3-D heart image pulsing rapidly above the screen. “Out of my head, Bonds.”

But the God damn heart icon beat even faster, and he detested that it was an accurate representation of what was going on in his head.

This need for her surprised him.

It had been more than two years since he’d been involved with a woman. But now that he’d had a taste of Kelsey’s submission, all he could think of were things he wanted her to know, about BDSM, about herself.

He wondered if her toughness had surprised her. It had delighted him.

When he’d felt how wet she was from his spanking, he’d given her a little more than he’d originally planned to. She’d rewarded him by thrusting back into him, calling his name, orgasming harder than anyone he’d been with.

It had taken all his self-control to leave her last night, and he hadn’t until after he’d reassured himself that she was fine.

While he’d told her having a relationship wasn’t forbidden, it wasn’t intelligent. He knew that ignoring his internal warnings might prove disastrous. And damned if he didn’t intend to do exactly that.

A knock on the door brought him back from the dangerous territory his thoughts had led him into. “Enter.”

Kelsey stood on the threshold, so damn appealing in her heels, borderline-too-tight skirt and white button-down shirt.

Since this morning, she’d freshened her red lipstick.

Fuck him to within an inch of his life.

“I just got off the phone with Holly Newman. She said it’s a good time for me to visit the hospital.”

“I’ll walk you to the car. It’s in the VIP lot today.”

“I’m sure I can find that. Probably. Maybe.”

“You don’t have a spot there?”

“Is that a serious question?” Her chin came up in a move he already recognized as defensive. “And would you be asking now if we didn’t have a personal relationship?”

Anger arrowed through him. “Is
that
a serious question?” he countered, pissed. “It’s about safety. You get here earlier than almost anyone in the building. And from what I can see, you leave later than most. And you’re my assistant.”

“Being the CEO’s executive assistant has never earned me privileges before.” Then, as if she wanted to defuse his anger, she added, “There are a limited amount of spots and a lot of competition for them. Besides, most times I take the train.” She smiled. “Besides, if you remember, you drove me home. If I can borrow your keys, I’m sure I can find the lot. It can’t be that difficult.”

He stood, grabbed his keys from his top desk drawer then said, “Follow me.”

Lightly, she placed her fingers on his forearm. Earlier in the day, he’d removed his jacket and rolled back his sleeves, so they were skin-to-exciting-skin. He loved her touch.

“Nathan, really, there’s no need. I don’t want to take you away.”

“Kelsey, what gave you the idea we were still discussing this?”

Her nose flared as she drew a deep breath.

“I like you better when you don’t struggle.”

“You like it better when you win,” she countered.

He grinned, feeling feral. “Especially that.”

After placing his fingers on the small of her back, he guided her from their offices. In the elevator, she moved to the far side of the car.

And because of the way she’d acted this morning and the fact he couldn’t get her out of his head, he hit the stop button.

Her eyes went wide, the whiskey color banked by fire.

He advanced on her. She retreated until she couldn’t move another inch.

“You feel it too.”

“You frustrate me.”

“You wanted that orgasm this morning.”

She hesitated before admitting, “Yes. I don’t like being left unfulfilled. It’s annoying.” She grabbed a hank of hair and moved it over her left shoulder. “I’m trying my best not to think about it and to concentrate on my job. Honestly, Nathan? This whole submission thing is more complicated than I thought it was.”

He saw the struggle in her eyes, and it mirrored his angst. He fucking wanted her pleasure as much as she did. “If you want it, you’ll have to take it. I won’t make it easy for you.”

“What?”

“Take it.” He held up his hand.

Her breaths were rapid, and she dropped her tote bag to the floor.

An alarm sounded, followed by slightly disembodied words from the metal speaker. “Everything okay, Mr. Donovan?”

He recognized the voice of the head of security, a dedicated, intelligent man Nathan had met last week. “Fine, Rankowski. Give me three minutes.”

There were a few seconds of silence before the man said, “Ms. Lane?”

“Fine, John.” Her voice was flustered, her vocal cords strained.

“Any longer, I’ll have to ask you to continue or I’ll need to call the fire department.”

“Thank you,” Nathan replied.

“Are there cameras in here?” she asked.

“In the hallway. Not in the elevator.”

“But…people will know.”

“We’re having a private discussion.” He regarded her. “Your choice. We have three minutes. What will it be?”

“I think we’ve both lost our minds,” she whispered.

Wondering about that himself, he captured one of her hands and moved it to his wrist. “Fuck my hand.”

For a long second, he had no idea whether she’d be brave enough or whether she’d push a button to continue the descent.

He inhaled, sucking her into his senses. Honeysuckle and hesitation.

“Yes,” she said.

He captured the bottom of her skirt and yanked it up, exposing that black lacy confection.

“What now?” he asked her.

“Please, Sir.”

“Please, what?”

“Please put your hand in my panties, give me an orgasm.”

“Now? Here? In the elevator? You want me to fuck you with my hand?”

She looked up, then back at him. “Yes.”

“Then tell me.”

“I want you to fuck me with your hand, Nathan.”

“Scream for me?”

“Make me.”

That was why he was so captivated, he knew. It was the combination of sass and bravery, of hesitation and innocence. If he could have wrapped up a gift for himself, she would be wearing a bow. “Kelsey, my perfect little sub, I will give you anything.”

She guided his hand inside her panties. Her pussy was drenched.

“Did you already come, you naughty sub?”

“No, Sir. I’m just that ready.”

Without another word, she pushed on his hand and he plunged three fingers inside her.

“
Fuuuuck,
” she said, gasping. “That’s too much.”

“Take it. Take me. And tell me to stretch you wide, push against your G-spot, make you drown us in your pussy juices.”

“You’re crude, Sir.”

“And you’re fucking hot for me.”

“Yes. Stretch me.” It wasn’t a request.

Right now, he didn’t care. He was as consumed as she was. He and caution were no longer on speaking terms.

“Make me come,” she said. Then, as if remembering herself, added, “Please. Nathan.”

He crooked a finger and found her G-spot. He continued to move inside her while he flicked his thumb over her clitoris.

“I’ve got to come,” she said.

“Wait,” he told her in a rough voice, pushing her, making her call on all her mental and physical reserves, relentlessly driving her in ways he was sure no man ever would. And at this moment, he refused to think of a time when another man might think he had the right to claim her.

“Now, now, now…
Now!
”

Her fingernails bit into his skin. He leaned forward to bite her shoulder.

She screamed.

“Now,” he demanded, moving a second finger against her G-spot and ruthlessly pressing her clit.

Kelsey, his woman, his sub, screamed.

He captured the sound with his mouth, devouring it and her.

Her body sagged forward, and he happily caught her. He’d hold, protect this woman for as long as she needed, probably longer than she wanted.

“Mr. Donovan?” the head of security interrupted again. “Everything okay?”