Knights of the Boardroom (15 page)

Turning back to the second screen he’d been using earlier, Dale focused on the handwritten margin note and smiled. He’d known from the few comments she’d made in the chatroom that Cressida wasn’t worldly, but he hadn’t realized just how innocent she was until he’d seen this report. The enormity of the gift she would give him wasn’t lost on him either, and he’d been thinking about all the ways he could express his gratitude.

Not long after he’d found her online, he’d initiated security enhancements so sweeping to his personal estate the project designer had asked if he was trying to keep someone in or intruders out. He hadn’t realized how it might appear until that moment and in truth, both were probably equally accurate. Dale knew he’d have to keep Cressida close until she’d truly learned her place in his life, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t prepared to pamper her. His personal fortune was extensive and for the most part it was remarkably liquid because it was hard to invest in real estate when you couldn’t explain how you’d gotten the money. Drug cartels had insured the Feds stuck their fingers in every banking transaction involving a “significant influx of cash,” something he’d known—even as a teenager, to avoid.

Turning off the bank of monitors in his home office, Dale made his way up the sweeping staircase to step inside the large room across the hall from his master suite. The walls were lined with photos of Cressida—literally thousands of pictures. She’d taken very few steps during the past few months that he hadn’t had chronicled, and that was part of the reason he was so troubled that he hadn’t known she was ill.
When she is here…with me, I’ll always know—I’ll know everything.

Cressida woke up in a tangle of arms and legs, and for a few heartbeats panic set in as she tried to remember where she was. “Shhh, sweetheart, I’ve got you.” Lawton’s arms tightened around her rolling her against his chest into a hug so settling she wanted nothing more than to stay cocooned in his embrace, but her bladder had other plans. His chuckle sounded so loud with her ear pressed against his chest that she wondered if he’d wake Brodie. “You’re wiggling so I’m assuming you need to use the restroom. I’ll let you up, but I want you to wait to take a shower until one of us is with you. How are you feeling? Or are you even awake enough to know, yet?”

“Much better, thank you. Whatever was in that flask your mom had last night really did the trick.” Cressida spoke as she moved because she didn’t waste any time scooting out the end of the bed, and she didn’t look back because she knew they were both watching her walk away—naked. By the time she’d finished, Cressida had gotten a good look at herself in the mirror and wanted nothing more than to walk straight into the small black marble room Lawton called a shower. Her hair was a riotous tangle that wouldn’t be tamed by anything short of a thorough washing and conditioning.

She hadn’t even realized she turned to stare longingly at the open doorway leading to the shower until large hands cupped her shoulders. Brodie’s words wafted over the top of her head, “I wondered if the temptation might be too much for you. I’m proud of you for not giving in to it, pet.”

“I really wanted to—even though the thought of it embarrasses me—I’m going to ask anyway because I made the mistake of looking in the mirror…would you watch me take a shower?” Her voice had gotten softer the longer she’d spoken and she’d be willing to bet her face was flame red.

Brodie turned her and smiled down at her and she wasn’t sure if he was pleased with her or laughing at her feeble attempt to get her way. “I know that was really hard for you and I’m very proud of you. We weren’t trying to keep you from feeling better, we simply don’t want you surrounded by all that unforgiving marble in case you became light-headed. You have taken an awful lot of medicine and eaten very little, by my estimation that is a recipe for disaster. If it’s all the same to you I’d like to avoid taking you to E.R. today for any reason.” Cressida sighed in relief that he wasn’t put out with her.

“Then you’ll watch while I take a shower?” She remembered they’d said the three of them would be going over her paperwork today and she really needed to feel more like herself if she was going to concentrate. There was still a piece of her that didn’t believe any of this was real—it would have been difficult enough for her to wrap her mind around even if she hadn’t been fuzzed over by whatever bug she’d caught. But the whole situation was almost too surreal to comprehend. She might not be sexually experienced, but she knew her own shortcomings all too well—her father had spent years making sure she was well aware of the fact that any attention she received should be considered a precious gift. His continual reminders of how little she had to offer made the truth inescapable. Cressi knew there was no way she’d ever be able to
keep
them—but for the next month, Brodie Walsh and Lawton Hill had committed to train her as a submissive and she intended to enjoy every minute of it.

A sharp slap to her backside jolted Cressi back to the moment and she looked up to see Brodie frowning down at her, “I don’t know what that thought was, but you’d better banish it right now, pet. Remember, we aren’t total strangers and I recognize that particular look. Stop thinking about all the reasons you aren’t good enough and pay very close attention to how much both of your Masters want you. Let the evidence speak for itself.” She smiled at his legal reference, the fact he’d known repeating something she’d heard him say multiple times would bring her mind back to center. She didn’t answer, but nodded her understanding. “All right then, let’s get you into the shower. I understand you’ll feel better and if you’re a good girl we might even let you wear a shirt while we feed you and chat.” The feral grin he gave her let Cressi know he wasn’t finished, so she just waited. When he praised her patience she felt a ridiculous sense of satisfaction, “Good girl, I know you wanted to ask a question, but you waited. Perfect. We’ll let you wear another of Master Lawton’s dress shirts, but you won’t be allowed to button it.” She wanted to argue—oh did she ever want to argue, but she didn’t think this battle was worth the effort.

And hour later she slid her empty plate to the side and groaned, “I cannot believe I ate all of that, but it was so good I couldn’t seem to stop.” Looking up at Lawton she started to ask if his mother had made it but the words didn’t make it out—the look on his face kept her from continuing.

“When was the last time you ate a
meal
, Cressida?” All four of the owners of Templar Enterprises had always called her by her full name, but the tone of Lawton’s voice clearly indicated he’d used it deliberately. He’d been using various endearments, but this question was something altogether different.

“Well, I’m not really—umm sure. I don’t cook much, so—well, do frozen dinners count?” The thunderous look on his face told her what she’d already suspected, “Evidently not, alrighty then. I think it’s been several days since I ate a full meal, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t eaten at all.”

“Do yourself a favor and stop talking, pet. Master Lawton is a stickler about eating right, and you already know this—so stop poking the bear.” Brodie’s tone had been teasing, but she knew there was also a thread of truth she knew shouldn’t be ignored.

Lawton’s arms were crossed over his chest making him look like some sort of Greek god posing as a sculptor captured his powerful stance for all eternity. His blond hair spilling over his forehead, his dimpled chin pushed forward slightly adding to the air of authority she knew he was exuding on purpose. The bulging muscles of his arms pulled the t-shirt he was wearing taunt so every dip and curve of his well-defined chest was highlighted in mouth-watering detail.
Holy crap on a cracker, I want to lick him all over like a giant lollipop.
“Did she just say she wanted to lick me? Seriously? I’m trying hard to keep from paddling her ass for not taking care of herself and she’s trying to distract me with a promise she should know I won’t even try to resist?” Cressi gasped in part because she hadn’t realized she’d spoken aloud, but also because she’d been genuinely surprised by what he’d said.

“See, right there—that look says it all. Everybody is always so surprised to learn how intense you are.” Brodie might have been speaking to Lawton, but he hadn’t taken his eyes off her. “Pet, I’m not the only one who plays by the rules. It’s in your best interest to realize that now.” She managed to nod and he returned it with one of his own. “Now, let’s get this all put away and then we’ll move into the living room to begin.”

Cressi was suddenly worried she was in much deeper than she’d intended to be. When she’d called Tristan Harris, she had assumed she’d visit the club a night or two each week and the Dom responsible for her training would spend the first several visits explaining in great detail the answers to all of her questions. Now it appeared she would be getting far more than she’d bargained for, and the thought excited her as much as it intimidated her.

*****

Lawton had almost given himself a stroke trying to keep his libido under control when Cressida had said she wanted to lick him like a lollipop. Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, there’s only so much self-control a man can reasonably be expected to maintain after the woman he’d been fantasizing about for almost two years makes a statement like that. It had been enough of a challenge just to stand still while her pretty green eyes had swept over every inch of his upper body—hell, her stare had been so heated he’d practically been able to feel it warming his skin. If Brodie hadn’t diverted her attention, Law wasn’t sure he’d have been able to keep from taking her right in the middle of the kitchen. She hadn’t taken her eyes off his chest until Brodie had broken the spell by physically turning her toward him. Law almost felt himself sag in relief when her eyes were no longer leisurely roaming over him, the woman’s gaze felt like a magnetic force field holding him in place.

Brodie’s words brought him back to the moment, “Before we get started, we’d like to talk to you about an email we found on your phone last night.” Lawton heard her gasp of surprise just before she groaned. Obviously she remembered giving them permission to notify her sister she was ill—something they hadn’t yet done fearing her stalker would recognize a difference in the way things were phrased. “After we saw what he’d written, we were concerned and did some checking. Pet, we need to know everything you can tell us about him because he’s tapped into T.E.G.’s secure system and we’ve got Parker working to find out what else he might have gotten himself in to.”

“He’s good—whoever he is, he’s damned good at what he does.” Lawton wasn’t often impressed by someone’s hacking skills, he’d seen both good and bad over the years, but truthfully, this guy was among the best he’d ever come across. Parker had uncovered several more messages overnight, he’d also said there was something eerily familiar about the way “Master D” spoke in his communications. In Lawton’s opinion, Parker Daniels was absolutely one of the best security experts around, the man was practically psychic in his ability to get inside the head of whoever he was tracking. If he thought the writing was familiar, then he’d damned well seen it before, and Lawton didn’t doubt for a minute his friend would find the man responsible—they just needed to keep the beautiful woman in front of them under close watch until then.

When Lawton, Brodie, Tristan, and Parker decided to start Templar Enterprises Group, they specifically set it up so each of them had a division allowing them to utilize their particular strength. But the real power had come from the synergy of their talents, the sum of the parts had quickly become something far more effective than any of them had ever dreamt possible. As they’d sat around one night brainstorming, Tristan had casually made the observation that, “Steel wins battles, but gold wins wars.” All three of them had stared at their friend, but Brodie was the one who had declared the motto was what they needed to use but not only for the business, he’d encouraged them all to live by it as well.

All four men made a concentrated effort to ensure their personal lives and business interests continually reflected the truth of Tristan’s statement…and even though the Knight’s Club had a Code of Chivalry, Templar’s motto had been incorporated there as well. The words were engraved in marble above the front door of the Templar Building. Seeing the words served as a reminder to those who crossed over the threshold each and every day that it takes both strength and money to win in the long run. For Lawton, strength was equated with tenacity, but without financial resources, even the most tenacious knight fell by the wayside.

She still hadn’t answered the question and there was no way they were going to be distracted, the information was too important to her safety. Cressida finally took a couple of deep breaths and started to speak, “I don’t know who he is. I met him in a chatroom. I swear I didn’t tell him anything personal, and I certainly didn’t tell him where I worked.”

When she dropped her gaze to the floor, Lawton placed his finger under her chin, lifting it as he shook his head, “No hiding, sweetness. We’re in this together, tell us everything.”

“Are you going to fire me?” Her words blindsided him, and from the look on Brodie’s face, he was just as stunned.

“Pet, why on earth did that thought even enter your mind? We’d never fire you because a stalker broke into T.E.G.—well, unless you were the stalker?” Lawton didn’t hear that note of bewilderment in Brodie’s tone often, so evidently Templar’s unflappable legal advisor could be surprised on occasion. Good to know he hadn’t been the only one shocked to his toes by Cressida’s question.

“Well, I’ve brought trouble to your door and most employers would just get rid of the problem.”