Breathless: Edge Of Submission (BDSM Billionaire) (2 page)

Janice tapped her arm to draw her
attention back to them and Alyssa had to snap out of it, turning to
Janice quizzically. “Lucas Edge hardly enjoys such engagements, but
tonight he’s made an exception. As it happens, I’ve been expecting
him to arrive all evening. I’m sure you’d be interested in knowing
the reason.”

Janice had that wicked smile on her
face that made her dyed red hair give her somewhat of a devilish
look. “He wishes to meet you, Alyssa.”

Chapter Two

Alyssa could hardly believe Janice’s
words, but it turned out to be fact. It seemed almost like a mirage
to see him making his way through the crowd right to where she
stood with Pam, who looked ready to swoon. Moments later he was
there, his companion hitched to him like she wished to be conjoined
to his arm. She was the proverbial trophy-type girlfriend, down to
the blonde hair and model figure. She smiled graciously as they
were introduced and informed Alyssa that she had all her
books.

Much of the conversation went in a blur
for Alyssa. From the moment she shook his hand and he smiled a
charming, yet almost ironic smile, Alyssa hadn’t heard or seen much
else. Up close he was far more lethal and it was all Alyssa could
do to form coherent replies.

Janice thankfully did most of the
talking and it became clear that Mr. Edge had a more business-like
interest in Alyssa than she’d have preferred.

He’d recently acquired one of the big
names in the publishing industry and he wanted to discuss the
opportunity for a publishing contract with Alyssa and his company.
He was intending that they deliberate it at some future
date.

“I’m sure that can be arranged as soon
as possible, Mr. Edge,” Janice said with a friendly smile. His nod
was approving.

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Ms.
Fox. And your lovely sister. We’ll leave you to enjoy your
evening,” he said, that deep voice of his doing things to the
insides of Alyssa’s belly.

She hoped she hid her disappointment
well. Of course it was all about business. What did she expect? He
had a freaking bombshell on his arm; he could be with any woman he
wanted, Alyssa knew. She must have been insane to imagine he’d feel
anything like the instant, grinding lust she felt rippling through
her core for him.

Alyssa caught sight of him many times
as the night progressed. Pam had proven a perfect escort and stuck
to Alyssa’s side all evening, giving the needed support in the
frankly overwhelming event. The music, the wine and food plus the
many known faces made the night memorable but far more remarkable
was the moment when Alyssa had felt Lucas Edge’s hand enclose hers;
when he’d looked into her eyes and said the first words which she
could now only recall as the feelings it gave her. It was so
whacky, just like out of one of her novels but it was true. He
looked like the ultimate romantic hero and he’d even felt like one,
standing close and making the air around her suddenly tight with
agonizing awareness.

No matter how much she wished it, they
never got to meet or speak again the entire evening. Other people
came around to make her acquaintance; she even found she had fans
in a few Hollywood stars as well. One recently Oscar-nominated
female lead had hinted that she’d love to play the heroine in
Alyssa’s latest book if it got adapted for the big screen. Alyssa
had been flattered especially since such talks had been bounced
around by her agent and a motion picture studio or two. With Janice
never far away, Alyssa was able to make a few vital contacts so all
things considered it wasn’t a wasted evening at all. Pam had a
whale of a time and said her friends would be green with envy when
the photos came out in some entertainment column of Pam partying
with the cream of Hollywood.

Alyssa couldn’t make up her mind if it
was the happiest day of her life or the saddest ever.

*

It just didn’t seem right. She’d always
believed that if she’d ever meet her soul mate, he’d know at the
exact moment like she did that they were meant to be. But with
Lucas Edge, there’d been nothing. A charming smile, a tilt of his
head and a firm handshake that had been merely impersonal to him,
but tingling and earth-tilting for her.

Over the next few days, Alyssa berated
herself for her foolishness. Thankfully, her Lucas Edge crush ended
soon after that night. She put it down to the circumstances
surrounding her sex life, which at present was non-existent. It had
been months since she’d had sex. That was pathetic enough for an
adult, sensually aware female, but for an author of steamy romance,
it was downright criminal. She had to do something and fast. But
what? She wasn’t a fan of flings or a seedy one-night
stand.

To make matters worse, she still hadn’t
written above two pages in the last few days. Each time she tried,
all she could see was a certain darkly handsome face, with eyes
such a cool grey yet so full of the promise of flames. He stole
into her thoughts so many times during the day and even at night,
in her dreams, he teased her with his unattainability. Was she out
of her mind wishing a man like him could be hers?

It was almost a week after they met
that she received the call.

*

Alyssa couldn’t say if she was
breathing when she arrived at his front door.

Barely half an hour ago, a limousine
had picked her up from her place to make her appointment with the
billionaire, Lucas Edge.

It was only yesterday her
phone had rung and his unmistakable voice had come on the line.
Silly twat as she was, half of his words had jumbled up in her
suddenly fevered brain.
Luke
. In her mind, he was always Luke.
In her fantasies, when he touched her, drilled her deep, she moaned
his name over and over.
Luke, oh Luke. Take
me. I surrender
.

Luckily, she was still able to make
some sense of what was spoken. A special invitation to dine
privately at his home. They never really had the chance to talk at
the awards party, he said. There was so much more they had to
discuss.

“The publishing contract, Mr. Edge?”
Alyssa had asked, surprised her words came out so normally. Inside,
she was a roiling storm.

She heard his light, low chuckle. “It’s
not the main purpose on my agenda, but yes, the contract. I’m now a
publisher so by all means, we’ll touch on the matter of you
providing some of your very captivating material for my firm to
publish.”

Alyssa chewed hard on her bottom lip.
“Then shouldn’t you be talking to my agent, Janice?”

There was a slight pause. “Ms. Fox, I
understand your wish to be cautious. After all, we only just met
last week, very briefly. I got myself introduced to you on some
pretext of a publishing contract. And tonight, I’m inviting you to
my home, presumably to spend the evening dining and talking about
the possible issuing of your next bestseller. However, something
tells me we’ll find other means to pass the time than just
business. I hope you’ll agree?”

Alyssa drew in an inaudible, ragged
breath. “I was under the belief that you are truly interested in my
work, Mr. Edge. Now I’m not sure what to think.”

“Trust me, I’m very interested in your
work, but not entirely in the way you’d expect,” he told her
ironically, and she could almost hear the smile in his
voice.

Alyssa closed her eyes, seeing his face
and willing her heart rate to return to normal. He wanted to see
her again. She wasn’t sure why, but it definitely wasn’t all about
business. He was up to something, and she had to find out what. The
sensible part of her told her it was some kind of trap. What would
Lucas Edge want with her? He’d shown no undue interest that first
night they’d met. He’d been of utmost politeness, his charming
smile naturally courteous. Nothing more.

So, after sharing barely five sentences
with her, he wanted them to meet again but his time without a crowd
to observe the proceedings. This would be a private encounter,
secret. If he wasn’t up to something, then why go to all this
trouble?

He went on lightly, “I would like to
send my limo for you. Seven sharp. My private chef assures me he
will outdo himself on this occasion and it would be a shame if you
said no.”

Alyssa knew she should say no. She
didn’t know a thing about Lucas Edge apart from what she’d dug up
from the internet after their meeting. He was a self-made
billionaire, age thirty-five and unmarried. He’d made his name in
the business world as ruthless opponent when it came to his rivals.
And as for his personal life, he was no saint there either. It
wasn’t so much that he had a playboy status, but he certainly did
break a lot of hearts.

Only six months ago he was engaged to
be married. It didn’t work out and since then, he’d been seen with
a number of different women on his arm. It was said he had a
long-time mistress; one of those cougar-type women he’d met when he
was in his twenties and starting out in the corporate
world.

Alyssa didn’t know what to believe but
she did know how it had felt when she’d set eyes on him and when
they’d met face to face. She now put it down to just being
fanciful. Her lurching attraction to him had just been a passing
thing and she’d be an idiot to try to see where anything would
lead.

When she didn’t reply, he added, “I’ll
send Vernon for you at seven.”

The line went dead and Alyssa dumped
the phone, her mind filled with confusion. She was a grown woman;
she’d already made a colossal amount of money as an author that
allowed her to live her life in as much luxury as she desired. Some
men pursued her with intentions she knew were far from honorable.
Some for her money, and some were fascinated by her and what she
represented in her worldly, risqué writing. Alyssa had no way to
know exactly what Lucas Edge wanted from her in his
case.

And now she was going to find
out.

*

The limo was sliding noiselessly away
as she finally rang the doorbell of the palatial house. As the
housekeeper led her inside, she looked around with interest. The
place looked like something from an elaborate Hollywood movie. The
furnishings and design were done with style and obvious high
expense. Everything spelled impeccable taste, and the tone was warm
and inviting. From the grand foyer, she was shown down a passage
and through a door into a living area. Comfortable seating, large
windows running the whole face wall, paintings, mirrors, book cases
and gentle lighting. A welcoming room accented in appealing shades.
She was invited to take one of the sofas angled close.

Now that she was within his four walls,
her excitement was in no way lessened but her earlier consternation
was gone. She was very much looking forward to seeing Lucas Edge
again, and knowing what he wanted.

She wasn’t kept waiting long. The next
minute, the doorknob turned and someone came in. Alyssa turned
slightly and saw it was him. She stood, smoothing the hem of her
dress down her knees.

“Good evening, Mr. Edge.”

“Good evening,” he said, coming to her
side and taking her hand. It was a brief handshake but it seared
her all the same. So did looking up at him and finding his looks
had in no way lost their appeal. He still was the most handsome man
she’d ever met. He was dressed formally, in a suit and tie.
Everything suited him to perfection and Alyssa was glad she’d taken
even more care with her appearance.

“And please, now that you’re here to
dine with me, I’m hoping we can dispose of any stiffness,” he told
her with a smile. “I’m glad you came.”

Alyssa let out a sigh. “I’m still not
sure why I’m here. If you’d wanted to ask me out on a
date…”

His smile widened. “Conventional. I
could have asked you out but then I had this notion I’d prefer it
this way – as would you. You’re a writer, Alyssa. Don’t you like
the sense of a bit of mystery?”

“I do,” she agreed. “But it’s nice to
know what I’m getting into. What do you want, Lucas?”

Saying his first name sent a thrill
straight through her. She could act all composed, but inside she
was a jumble of nerves. Her palms were sweaty and her chest was
heaving beneath her bodice. His eyebrow lifted at her directness,
though his lips curved with slight humor.

“Why don’t you sit down and I’ll pour
you some wine? Dinner will be served at seven fifteen.”

Alyssa had to bite down a frustrated
sigh as she retook her seat. He went to a cabinet and poured out
wine into two glasses. He returned and handed one to her, before
sitting adjacent to her.

He didn’t start to speak right away.
Instead, he looked down into his glass of wine. This gave Alyssa
the chance to study him in more detail. He looked even younger than
she’d suspected. He had an air about him of a leashed jungle
creature; sleekly fine yet just a breath away from springing into
predator mode.

He wasn’t holding her gaze yet but just
by sitting there, he mesmerized her; set off some kind of synaptic
transmission that had her female hormones buzzing. It almost
appalled her the way she was attracted to him. No man had ever made
her feel like she’d lost control over her own impulses. It was like
being under a spell, and it frightened her. She almost wanted to
jump up and leave.