Her Officer in Charge (5 page)

“Why have you cuffed me like this?” she quivered.

“First, it prevents you from attempting to run away; second, you can’t hide your face; and third, you’ve gone from being an entertainer to a suspicious person. Does that answer your question?”

“I, uh, guess,” she whimpered.
Shit. This is a nightmare. Switch into Soraya. Be bold. You have to get a grip and be bold. Don’t be Bella, be Soraya. Oh, shit, what have I done? Soraya, be Soraya.

“Look at me.”

His voice was stern, and as much as she didn’t want to, she felt compelled to raise her eyes.

“You know you’re not allowed to wander the base. You have one chance, Bella, one, to tell me why you’re here, but before you speak, you need to know I have a built-in lie detector, and when I watch your lips move I’ll know if you’re lying. If you don’t tell me the truth, the whole truth, I will pick up the phone and have you carted out of here to answer to people far less understanding than me. Are we clear?”

He’d spoken slowly, purposefully, and had locked her eyes, but as she’d listened she’d felt her alter ego slowly come to life.

“Take these cuffs off,” she demanded, speaking quickly to hide any quiver in her voice, “and I’ll tell you.”

“I don’t think you’re in any position to negotiate,” he growled.

“I don’t think you’ll call anyone,” she retorted without thinking. “I know what you do here, and I suspect you’d like to keep it a secret.”

The moment the words spilled from her lips she wanted to suck them back in, and she cringed as she watched his eyes narrow and his lips purse.

“You just made a big mistake,” he muttered.

Bella watched, horrified, as he reached across the desk and picked up the phone.

“
No! Wait!
” she shouted, feeling a shard of panic pierce her chest.

“I told you, one chance,” he barked, “and I meant it.”

“I’m sorry about what I just said, honestly, I would never, ever, tell another living soul, I swear,” she blurted out. “I’m just totally panicked right now. Please, please. I’ll tell you the truth, I’ll tell you everything, I will, I swear.”

Her heart sat, pulsing in her mouth, as she waited for his answer.

He paused, then slowly placed the handset back in its cradle.

“Thank you,” she mumbled, almost weeping with relief.
You can’t win this one. Do what he says, tell him everything.

“I’m listening,” he said, his hand still resting on the receiver.

“I, uh, I’m not sure, um, where to start,” she stammered.

“You said you know what goes on here. What did you mean?”

“I know you, uh, do things,” she whispered.

“Speak up. What things?”

“Spanking, maybe bondage-type things,” she replied, her voice still just above a breath.

“How do you know this?”

“After the show I overheard some guys outside the dressing room window. They were talking about Bryce. What he’d said, and what he’d almost said, and then they, uh, talked about a secret party that was meeting here tonight, and how you had said it was going to go ahead in spite of what Bryce had mentioned.”

“I see,” he frowned, “but that doesn’t explain why you came back.”

“I came back because I’m, oh, this is so hard.”

“You came back because…” he pushed.

“I may not seem like it, but, uh, I’m uh, like that too,” she confessed.

“Is that right? So, you wanted to watch in secret, or was it more than that?”

“I wasn’t sure,” she admitted. “It’s been ages since I’ve had a man in my life, a dominant, and I miss it so much, and…”
he said the whole truth, so I guess I’d better tell him.

“And what?” he pressed.

“Please, it’s so personal,” she pleaded.

“What you’ve just told me is extremely personal. Did I judge you? Was I mean to you? No, I wasn’t. You must tell me everything. Go on.”

“This is so embarrassing,” she mewled, shaking her head.

“I’m running out of patience.”

“It’s, uh, I think you’re very attractive,” she whispered, “and I had this crazy fantasy.”

“What sort of fantasy?” he pressed, feeling himself stir.

“That you would catch me, just like you have, and, uh, s-spank me.”

Though she had dropped her head as she’d breathed the words, he could see her face was flaming red. It had been an almost impossible admission, and he had to admire her courage.

“You didn’t think this through, did you?” he sighed.

“No, not really.”

“Where’s Scott?”

“He left. I made him drop me off and told him I’d call him to pick me up later.”

“You made him?”

“Uh-huh. He didn’t want to.”

“Scott didn’t strike me as the kind of guy who could be easily bossed around,” Vince remarked.

“Um, I can be very, uh, persuasive.”

“Tell me, Bella, the last dominant you had, were you persuasive with him too? Were you able to make him do things he didn’t want to?”

“No. He was very, uh, strong like that.”

“Was that the problem? Is that why you split up? Because you couldn’t get your own way when you wanted it?”

“Not at all,” she said hastily. “What happened with him, it’s not so easy to explain, and I’m totally flustered right now.”

“Try,” he insisted.

“This is all so hard,” she groaned. “I loved what he did to me, but I never felt as though he cared about me, I mean, really cared. When he punished me I never felt any love behind it. It wasn’t… complete. It’s the only way I can put it.”

“You don’t need to say any more about that, I understand what you mean. Is there anything else you have to tell me about being here?”

“Only that I’m sorry. I went about this totally the wrong way. I should have told you what was going through my mind before I left.”

“Yes, you should have. The question now is, what am I going to do with you?”

“I don’t know the answer to that,” she muttered. “I almost feel as if I’m in one of those spanking romance novels I read.”

“How so?”

“The heroine does something foolish, gets caught, and is given a choice. She has to suffer through her punishment, or the hero will call the authorities, and here I am, living a scene I’ve read a hundred times. I can’t believe it.”

“Hmmm, well, Bella, the choice part is over. You will be punished, there is no doubt about, just how I’m going to punish you is something I have to consider. I think for the moment I’ll put you in the corner. It’s where a foolish, reckless, nosy girl belongs.”

“The corner?” she repeated.

“Yes, the corner.”

Stepping forward, he unlocked her cuffs, then, to her shock, he lifted her from the chair and effortlessly tossed her over his shoulder. Leaving the office, he marched down the hallway to the small room that had been her dressing room.

“Lose your shoes and march over there, young lady,” he said sternly as he stood her on her feet and pointed to the far corner of the room.

Completely unnerved and feeling like a child, she kicked off her low-heeled pumps, and as she moved the short distance and dropped on her knees, she felt a sweep of blissful surrender. Though the circumstances were grave, the take-charge captain and his actions were feeding her hungry submissive soul.

“Hands behind your back.”

She felt the cuffs lock her wrists together, then to her surprise he shackled her ankles.

“Eyes to the floor. Don’t move. When I come back you don’t speak, you don’t turn around, you remain exactly as you are, and Bella, from now on you call me sir.”

She heard him leave the room, then let out a heavy sigh. Her goose was cooked. Yes, she was probably going to get what she’d wanted. He would redden her backside, but how hard would he spank her, and as attracted as she was to him, did she really want to be punished by a man she barely knew?

What a mess. I love this feeling, but what happens after he spanks me? Am I going to feel empty? It’s like casual sex, I’ve never been able to do that. This is the same. Sometimes I think I’m the stupidest girl on the planet. Scott, I should have listened to you. What’s wrong with me?

Closing her eyes, she felt the threat of tears, but somehow managed to swallow them back, and as the long minutes ticked by, she came to accept her fate. Whatever the handsome captain had in store for her, she’d just have to accept it.

Chapter Seven

Vince the marine captain and Vince the man both needed to think. While her reasons for returning had completely captured his imagination and stirred his dominant soul, he had a responsibility to report back to the major. The problem was, the major would probably inform the colonel, and the colonel could have Bella arrested.

The secret group she had returned to watch was merely a handful of like-minded couples who would gather after celebratory events for some fun and games, and Vince, being the only single member, would often keep watch. When he was tasked with being in charge of having Bella and Scott observed while on the base, he’d decided not to cancel the after-party festivities. He could manage the job just as easily from the small office at the venue while his friends enjoyed themselves, as he could from anywhere else.

When he’d received word that Bella had jumped out of the Mustang and was headed in his direction, he’d been shocked, but now that he had uncovered her reasons for doing so, he didn’t doubt her veracity for a moment. Though operatives came in many guises, he was sure she was exactly who she claimed to be. An innocent young woman who had made a very poor choice.

Returning to the main room, he poured himself a glass of wine, then sat down on a couch to think things through. The attraction he’d felt the first moment he’d seen her had mushroomed as he’d watched her show, kindling his decision to pursue her, and sitting in the dimly lit room, listening to the sultry music, he realized his desire to have her in his life had become potent. When he’d had her handcuffed to the chair in the office, the provocative sight had made it difficult to stay focused, and the idea of having her wrapped in rope and at his mercy began to fill his thoughts.

I can see you tied over my bed so clearly. I’d put you in a spreader bar, then sit behind you and tease you into oblivion. You’d love it, I know you would. You may come across as an independent, strong woman, and you are, but you’re also a sensitive, vulnerable girl who wants to be taken in hand.

The chime of his phone interrupted his thoughts, and pulling it from his pocket, he saw it was one of his surveillance team.

“Sir, Scott Bateman has left the base. He drove around for a few minutes but he didn’t stop anywhere, just did several U-turns before finding the road to the main gate.”

“I see. Who’s tailing him back to his motel?”

“Brooks, sir.”

“Thank you.”

Thinking about the information he’d just received, Vince switched gears and focused back on his operation and Scott Bateman, a man he believed was a likely suspect.

If I were him, what would I do? I wouldn’t risk anything with Bella on the loose. If she were picked up, I’d be seriously compromised. I’d be off the base quickly, but a few minutes of recon wouldn’t be out of the question. I’d wait until she called me to pick her up, and if the opportunity presented itself, that’s when I’d make my move. So, he’s done exactly what I would have. The colonel was right about that background check, it was too thin.

“A penny?”

Startled, he looked up and saw Fred Capshaw, a first lieutenant and one of his best friends. Vince had recruited him to be his right-hand man, and Fred was the only other person in his immediate circle who knew about the security breach, and that Bella Montgomery and Scott Bateman were under suspicion.

“Hey, Fred.”

“Do you need to be alone, or can I join you?”

“Please, yes, sit,” Vince sighed. “Where’s Diane?”

“Tied up and waiting,” Fred smiled. “Have Soraya and the sound man left the base, or are they up to monkey business?”

“It’s a bit more complicated than that,” Vince murmured.

“It is?” Fred asked. “Do you want to talk about it?”

As he spoke, a beautiful woman wearing a short black skirt and a transparent lace bustier stopped in front of them and offered a tray of appetizers.

“Thanks, Cindy.”

“You’re welcome, sir.”

“Where’s Byron?”

“He told me to stay here until he pages me,” she replied, nodding toward a small black box hooked onto the thin skirt. “He’s getting things ready in the storeroom.”

“Have you been a naughty girl?” Fred asked.

“No, but he says the flogger stops any naughtiness before it starts,” she sighed.

“He’s probably right. I know another girl who could use a flogger across her backside,” Vince muttered, picturing Bella waiting in the corner of the room worried about her pending punishment, but no doubt happy to be under a man’s control; a man she was attracted to, a man with whom she shared a spark.

“Would you care for anything else, sir?”

“What? No, thank you, Cindy, you’re dismissed.”

“Yes, sir, thank you, sir.”

“That sounds intriguing,” Fred said, raising his eyebrows.

“It is, and it’s also complicated.”

“Do tell.”

“That other girl is Bella Montgomery.”

“Seriously? What the hell, Vince? That’s a tough one to wrap my brain around. You’re a brave soul.”

“Yeah, or a stupid one. Sometimes I think stupidity and bravery are very close cousins.”

“I think you need to tell me what’s going on.”

“She had Scott drop her off down the street, then she sneaked her ass back in here.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Prepare yourself. She came back because she found out about our after-hours activities. She’s one of us.”

“What? I can’t believe it!”

“There’s more. From the moment we met there was a spark between us, and when I caught her, she admitted she came back because she wanted to be nabbed, then spanked, by me.”

“This is unbelievable,” Fred chuckled. “I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t laugh, but you’ve gotta admit, this is one for the books.”

“She hid behind that screen by the door into the kitchen. Right now she’s in the dressing room waiting for me. I’m going to redden her ass, that’s for sure, and I’ll be doing that for both our sakes, but then what? Fred, what do I do after that? Send her on her way? I’m not that guy, and what about the major? I have to tell him she came back here.”