Declaration to Submit (4 page)

“No.” He smiled when she snapped her mouth closed and gritted her teeth. “Our negotiations will be verbal. Communication is more than words on a page. Just as your declaration wasn’t in writing, these negotiations are between us.”

“I need some idea—”

“No.” He shook his head. “Paper is a barrier for you. I don’t want any walls.”

“How can I communicate if you won’t let me finish a sentence?” she said in almost a growl.

“By answering my questions,” he said calmly. “How long have you wanted a Dominant in your life?”

“This is negotiation?” She glared. “Do I get to ask questions?”

“Answer the question, Nell,” he said in the hard tone that had worked on her before.

“A long time,” she said and squirmed. “But my only experience with kink is when my second boyfriend spanked me during sex and I liked it.”

“Why haven’t you sought more?” He’d spotted her like a wolf scented a deer. Everyone else bought into the armor. He saw something different.

Her jaw flexed. She didn’t want to answer the question. He decided to push that one later. “All right. Let’s discuss some things you don’t like. What about pain?”

Her nostrils flared, and something changed in her face. There was a longing there, a need, as if the top layer of her facade had peeled away. “I…like pain, but…” She frowned, her gaze focused on her clasped hands. “Look, this is embarrassing,” she said. “Maybe this isn’t for me.”

He leaned forward and took her tense hands in his. “Let me start. I’ve been a Dominant all my life but only practiced the lifestyle part of it for the last five years. I love mind games, role-playing, giving pain, but only if it’s arousing to my partner. I play male and female partners, but I prefer a woman. I like sex. Every kind of sex.”

She snorted, and he was pleased to see a slight lift of her lips. “You’re a man, so that’s no surprise.”

He stroked her fingers. “I particularly like anal sex.” Her eyes widened, and she licked her lips. He was surprised that little Nell was aroused by his bald statement. Her pulse pounded, but her pupils dilated, and her skin was warm. So, anal sex frightened her
and
made her hot.

“I’ve never done anal, so I can’t say whether I like it or not.” Her throat moved when she swallowed.

“Have you thought about it?” He kept his touch light and comforting.

“It’s…not off the table.” She tipped her chin and raised one eyebrow.

He had to press his lips together to hide his smile. “I’ve been a senior officer at ConFed almost since the company began. We placed that particular employee stipulation into the employee agreement over a year ago.” He wasn’t going to reveal that she was the reason it had been considered. After a lengthy and heated discussion, it had been Atticus who had suggested adding the clause for the upper management. “And no, it wasn’t my idea, though I have to say I like it.”

Another ghost of a smile flickered across her lips. “I like pain, but only after an orgasm.” Her face flooded with color. Mark had to focus to keep calm. Something about her innocence reached out and made his heart clench. “I’ve had five lovers, and the sex was always pretty good.” She shrugged, clearly uncomfortable. “At least, they never complained that I know of.”

“But you’ve wondered. You wanted more. They sensed it, right?” He guessed she’d been looking for the one who would let her completely submit.

“They may have,” she said. “I don’t know.”

“You say that as if you wished they had.”

Her fingers fluttered beneath his. “It might have indicated some passion, don’t you think?”

Now that was interesting. “What are some things that are definitely off limits?”

“No blindfolds.” The quickness with which she responded told him this was a hard limit.

He waited, hoping she would explain, but she didn’t. Finally, he said, “Anything else?”

Her breath hit his hands when she let it out. She must have been holding it, afraid he’d ask her why she didn’t want to be blindfolded. Her voice was strained. “I’ve tried nipple clamps in private, and they didn’t work for me.”

That was a softer limit. Mark studied Nell’s pale face. “You know Atticus was attracted to you. Would you rather he was the senior officer to dominate you?”

Nell shot him a nervous glance and licked her lips. “I know him better.”

“That doesn’t answer my question, Nell.” Mark wasn’t going to let her disseminate. Part of her must have recognized what Atticus was even if she couldn’t put it into words. And that part of her recognized his nature. When Mark had entered the bar and her gaze met his, he had felt the pull between them.

“No.” She swallowed and frowned. “I don’t know if I can put this into the appropriate words, but I’ll try. He’s…attractive, but…he is too subtle, too…nice.” She let out a short laugh. “That sounds crazy, but the truth is I’ve walked over most of the men in my life.”

“Which is why you like me better. I don’t ask you to give me control; I take it. Right?” He studied her reaction. The frown wasn’t entirely gone. She was a submissive who thought too much, analyzed everything, picked people and words apart. Her defenses were the things that made her an excellent secretary. He had no desire to take that from her. But he thought she was shortchanging herself from having more.

“Yes, I think so. I don’t know.” She met his gaze. “You frighten me, and yet I don’t feel threatened.” She pulled her hands free and rubbed her temples. “I’m still hung over. This is a mistake.”

“Let me tell you what’s going to happen,” he said as if she hadn’t spoken. “It’s Saturday. Today, we will continue to negotiate, but new rules will be in place. Tomorrow, we will put into practice the things we learn today. And Monday, you will accompany me to Los Angeles as my secretary. Tuesday, you will either be my full-time secretary or you will be my secretary/submissive.”

“Did you hear me? This is a mistake,” she said and clenched her fists. Mark studied her. Fear and confusion were stalking her. She needed some reassurance.

“Three days, Nell.” He picked up her cell phone from the table beside the couch and handed it to her. “Call your friend Tori and tell her where you are.”

She held the phone limply. “I thought you didn’t want anyone to know.”

“I want your friends to know where you are, not what you’re doing, but if you choose to share it, I won’t stop you.” He rose and retrieved his briefcase. Once she’d discussed this with her friend, he’d give her the forms.

He wanted her to think about it, stew on it. He wanted her to be curious. It had always been the company’s plan to have him take over the L.A. office. And he’d intended to convince her to be with him then. But Nell had jumped the gun, got drunk, and now…well…he wasn’t sure what was going to happen.

Chapter Three

“You’re with who?” Tori shrieked.

Nell clutched the phone and glanced around the bedroom. A little more sober, she noted the hotel’s logo and address. “Mark. His name is Mark, and he’s one of the—”

“I know who he is,” Tori interrupted. She lowered her voice. “Oh my God. I tried to make them let me take you home, but that arrogant fuck Paulus wouldn’t allow it.”

“I’m at the Hyatt,” Nell said. “And Atticus isn’t an arrogant fuck.” That was the problem, wasn’t it? Nell almost groaned. No, Atticus wouldn’t have made her consider this experience at all. “He wanted me to tell you where I was.”

“You’re not coming back?” Tori sounded stunned. “Nell, what is going on?”

For a moment, Nell considered blurting it all out, telling Tori the insane situation she seemed to be in and the unrealistic stuff the man was spewing, but then she thought about the consequences of that.

She’d never know.

He’d asked her why she hadn’t sought more, and she had refused to answer the question. Fear. And pride. Those two things would have kept her vanilla forever. This was her chance to experience the kink she’d always wanted, and in three days, she could walk away. He could teach her to have courage so she could find the kink she needed on her own.

“Nell?” Tori sounded so worried.

“Honestly, Tori, Mark is going to be my new boss, and he wanted to work this weekend.” Work? Well, that’s what she was going to call it.

“Are you kidding? We put up with those long, boring policy meetings, and I thought we were going to cut loose.” Tori was disappointed but didn’t seem too surprised. And that was a pride killer. Her best friend really thought Nell would work on the weekend in Vegas.

“You and Gina will have fun. I’d just slow you down.” The thought of Tori and Gina loose in Vegas kind of scared her, but she wasn’t going to change her mind now.

“I want texts at least once a day,” Tori demanded. “I only know what I read about him.”

Before Nell could ask what Tori had read, the phone beeped, and her friend said, “I have to get this. Text me.” And hung up.

“Shit.” Nell had made her decision but had to go and face Mark. Or “Sir” as she would be calling him.

“Get in here, Nell,” the man said from the other room. She took a deep breath. She could do this.

The suite had a small table complete with computer ports, Wi-Fi, and other business amenities. Mark sat in one of the chairs and waved toward the other across from him. When she sat down, she noted a set of papers. Finally, something she could understand.

Nell started to read the top page when Mark’s hand gripped hers. “Are you going to stay?”

It was a loaded question. He clearly wanted her to commit to the three days before she read whatever was in front of her. She tipped her chin and met his gaze squarely. “I’m staying.”

He didn’t release her hand. “Three rules. One, you will call me Sir while you are with me for these three days. After that, we will discuss your title for me. Second, you will keep your gaze lowered and only speak when I ask a question unless I command otherwise. Third, you will tell me if something is bothering you. Any infraction of these three rules will result in punishment.”

“Punishment?” she asked and tightened her lips. “What kind of punishment?”

His gaze was hard and uncompromising. “Do you agree?”

She either trusted him or she didn’t. She didn’t have any reason to trust him. Hell, she didn’t even know who he was. “With one reservation.”

He lifted one eyebrow. “And that is?”

“I will agree to whatever you dish out for the next three days if you tell me your last name and what position you hold at ConFed.” She met his gaze.

“Are you sure you don’t already know, Nell?” His stare was intense.

“I…” She inhaled and slowly let her breath out.

“All right, Nell.” He let go of her hand and leaned back in his chair, his stare never leaving her face. “My name is Mark Conners. My title is CEO of ConFed Industries.”

He was right. She had guessed. He was M. Conners, the “Con” in ConFed. The only guy higher up was Anthony Fedder. Fedder was some kind of business savant and crunched the numbers, kept the legal department on the level, and never let one damn share of the company slip through his fingers. Conners was the people man, the idea guy, the force behind ConFed’s success.

She should have known. She’d been tasked by her former boss to assemble a profile of the senior officers of ConFed. What had frustrated her from the beginning was the lack of pictures. Both Conners and Fedder were behind the scenes, letting spokesmen like Atticus Paulus and Dimitri Caruso be out in front.

“Sign, Nell. You gave your word.” He was still staring at her, studying her.

She thought about the takeover and how Paulus seemed to have an uncanny ability to assess Sunsoon. “You profiled me.”

It was shocking to think he had gathered information about her much the same way she had about him. His comments about her former professor made sense now. She felt exposed and vulnerable.

He sighed. “Of course I did. You were the executive secretary to a man who handled some of the most sensitive material for Sunsoon. You were highly respected by everyone who knew you. If you had fallen apart or if you had bitterly opposed ConFed, the merger wouldn’t have been successful. We had to know the risks.”

“You knew.” They’d all guessed what she was, what she hungered for. Why did she feel betrayed? Why was it worse thinking that he had targeted her the way he targeted one of the companies he wanted? She closed her eyes. “This is another power play.”

“Look at me,” he demanded in a harsh tone. When she opened her eyes and met his angry stare, a thrill of fear shot through her veins. There was something so arousing yet terrifying about the way his eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched. “The power play is over, Ms. Armstrong. We won. Read the contract and sign it.”

“You’re angry with me.” It bothered her. But she felt boxed in, trapped.

“Yes, I am,” he stated, and she gasped. “I had a well-thought-out plan to win you over, charm you, and you decided to make an inebriated declaration that has sped this up more than I meant to.” He placed the pen in her nerveless fingers. “So, yes, I’m angry with you.”

He’d had a plan? She stared down at the page and tried to read it. The perfect secretary was nowhere to be found. Tears blurred her vision. It hadn’t been an accident, a quirk of drunken fate that had brought her here to this room, this moment. He’d wanted her, planned for her. That didn’t sound like a man just wanting a quick fuck.

And there it was. That was what was bothering her. Part of her believed that she was some project, a bet, a dare, something inconsequential like a purchase order. She felt like a company being raided and examined instead of a woman. Yet the feeling of being overcome and overwhelmed by a man was intensely exciting. It was as if she didn’t know herself anymore. Even though she wanted to be taken over, it still felt wrong to want it so much.

“Nell,” he said, his tone softer. “Relationships are complicated enough without kink. Add that and it’s damn near impossible. Sign the contract, and we’ll have my version of a first date.”

She laughed, a short explosion of sound that took all the tension out of the moment. “All right. I’m pretty sure waking up naked in man’s bed precludes a first date, but I’ll go along.”

The contract was actually a well-written piece of work. In every single paragraph was the understanding that she consented, that she agreed to use a safe word, that she and Mark practiced safe play. There were elaborate definitions explaining Mark’s role as her Dominant and her role as his submissive.