My Billionaire Master: Indebted To Him (Part One) (A BDSM Erotic Romance Novelette) (2 page)

She smiled and said,
“Yes, hi, that’s me. Cassidy Fearn.”

Without changing his expression, he sternly told her,
“You’re over a half-hour late, Miss Fearn.”

She realized this had to be Mr. Jasper. She had pictured him as a jolly man with passion and enthusiasm but most importantly…patience. Trying to contain a wince, she explained, “I know. I’m so sorry, my lights went off last night and traffic is a bi…um…difficult. I got kind of lost up here.”

If possible, his blank stare deepened as he informed her, “We take punctuality very seriously here at Bertram Industries.”

She grimaced and rushed to assure him, “I get that…I really do. I am so sorry. It won’t happen again…sir.”

“
No, it won’t, Miss Fearn. We
won’t
be requiring your services. Please escort yourself out.” He turned on his heel without so much as a blink while her mouth was still gaping and disappeared around the corner from whence he came.

Oh…no! This cannot be happening!

Cassidy wasn’t sure if she was more stunned at her reality check or angered at the unfairness of life. Disappointment over losing the first job interview she’d gotten in six months from having overslept hadn’t completely registered yet.

Taking a deep breath, she worked on rallying herself and holding back threatening tears. Numbly pushing the hem of her skirt back down, she nodded while thinking
it’s okay. Just have to make sure you set your phone next time.

She should have brought sneakers, at least then she wouldn’t have to wobble all the way back to the bus stop.
Flexing her foot, she shoved it back into her heel and pulled at the hem of her skirt again. Deep in thought and cursing her luck, she didn’t see anyone enter the room.

A deep baritone asked from somewhere over her shoulder, “Are you all right?”

Cassidy jumped and let out a yelp. Tripping on her own shoes, she flailed and stumbled backward into a row of sculptures, tiny figurines, and the little vase she’d admired so much earlier. Everything bounced harmlessly to the floor. Everything except the vase of course, which cracked into a thousand, shimmering, tiny shards of glass.

Stunned, Cassidy dumbly thought,
Huh. It wasn’t porcelain after all. Imagine that.

Sh
e moaned in horror, “Oh, shit!”

The man, which she instantaneously realized was Alfie Bertram, winced. Thinking it couldn’t get any worse, Cassidy mindlessly pleaded, “Tell me that wasn’t as expensive as it looked.” He winced harder, perfect dark brows drawing together and his gorgeous full lips curling down into a moue of displeasure.

She frantically asked, “It was a duplicate right? A fake? A fun little thing you picked up at the fair and haven’t bothered to throw out?” Her hand fluttered out to him before she jerked it back, “You know the ones that look expensive but are just for show…?”

Alfie?
Alfred? Mr. Bertram?

She wasn’t sure what to call him. He silently shook his great mane of wavy black locks in a look that definitely said
No, little girl, that vase really did cost more than your life is worth
.

Fuck.

“
I’m so sorry. I’m so very sorry…um…I’ll work it off!
Whatever you need me to do.”

Scrambling to her feet sent her skirt hiking in every direction. She carefully backed away. Rolling her hips to control the skirt and attempting to avoid knocking anything else down, she tried to think fast, “I can…”

Her thongs rode horribly up, causing her to twist and shift in an attempt to discreetly dislodge them. Alfie’s eyes followed her movements as his head tilted. She restlessly shimmied again, hips rolling which caused inches of thigh to expose as her short skirt twisted up her legs and hung on her shapely thighs.

Realizing her movements had caught his attention—edging on raw sexual interest—her breath hung as a shiver touched her spine. Alfie cleared his throat, “I…um…”

She studied his handsome face while his Adam’s apple bobbed behind the crisp white collar of his dress shirt. With a dismissing flick of his hand, he assured her, “it’s fine. I can have the vase replaced.”

His voice was soft without the anger she’d expected but he wouldn’t meet her gaze. Instead, they roamed over her generous cleavage, down her flat stomach, dipping for a moment’s caress along the full mound of her hips as she turned to retrieve one of the items that had fallen and gingerly place it back on its stand.

Feeling the weight of his eyes gliding over her like a physical touch sent goose bumps sprinkling over her flesh while she tried to contain the shiver. When she spoke, the shiver seem to transfer to her words, “No, this is too much. I can’t believe I did this. I’m usually…”

Trailing off, Cassidy watched him gently pick the remaining items up and replace them
in a vague approximation to where they’d been. Aware of his citrusy cologne, her senses suddenly picked up everything about him. Broad shouldered, she suddenly understood why the press always wanted to capture his picture. Seeming to redefine animal magnetism, her eyes widened when his attention swung back to rake up her long legs and hang on her ass.

Her breath hung in her throat. Suddenly thankful for wearing thongs, she blushed as the ache intensified and yearning dampened her thong. She
pressed her thighs together but her throaty tone brought intense alertness to his features. “Please…I want to repay you.”

His bright blue eyes finally rose to meet her dark brown as slight dimples a
ppeared, “I could find a way.”

Just like that, his calculating gaze caught her. With her heart slamming in her chest, she stuttered, “I—I mean like a job, or a payment plan…or something.”

As he ushered her into his office, she suddenly realized how many years it would take to pay him back at any interest rate. Alfie cocked an eyebrow, dragging his gaze over her before saying with a low voice, “We might be able to work with the
or something
part.”

He shut the door behind them, turning to lock it and closing the blinds as he went. Her eyes widened when he stopped extremely close to her. The huge room was suddenly small, a sheltering cove inhabited by both of them. With palms sweating, Cassidy swallowed hard.

In the five-inch heels, she stood a statuesque 5’10”. Her trim dancer’s figure was lithe and graceful, every ounce of body fat had gone into her breasts and thighs to create an attractive hourglass figure. Arms and legs were honed while her muscles were lean from years of barrel turns and double piques.

Still, Alfie Bertram towered over her in both width and height. His tall muscular frame displayed broad shoulders and biceps as large her head. Her mind immediately conjured up images of thick calves and hard hamstrings while his male aroma sent her senses into an uproar. The longer she was near him, the more powerful his animal magnetism seemed to grow.

She
let out an involuntary gasp as he got close enough to touch. An amused grin plumped his cheeks as his fingertips grazed across the material of her skirt, up one thigh and across her belly. Her nipples tingled as her gaze dropped to his lips. Scraping her tongue off the roof of her mouth, it darted out to dampen her lips. That one small movement drew a smirk across his lips.

Charisma and cunning charm aside, she could see why he was renowned to be calculating and ruthless in business. Every shred of his focus seemed to suddenly hone in on her as if he didn’t have a care in the world. He breathed softly into the air between them, “What’s your name?”

Everything was so still, so quiet; it felt sacrilegious to break the silence with words harsher than whispers. Cassidy cleared her throat, heart thumping loudly in her heaving chest, and said shakily, “Cassidy Fearn. I was supposed to interview with…”

He cut her off by leaning in to breathe over her lips, “Do you really want to repay me?”

Trying to control her panting, she answered immediately, “Yes… any way that I can. In installments—in—in monthly…um…”

Alfie’s eyebrows flew up underneath thick bangs that curled against his forehead, his eyes twinkled dangerously as he suggested, “With yourself?”

“
What?!?”

Instead of stating it with the intended strength, her voice drenched the air with a purring quality that made her eyes widen even more. As if he knew exactly what effect he caused, he asked against her cheek, “Otherwise, how do you intend to pay me back?”

He was close enough for her to smell something thick and spicy, bittersweet on her tongue. Soft, firm, and hard all at the same time; his lips brushed hers just short of a kiss. His stubbled cheek nuzzled against her face while his controlling charisma blanketed her senses. Leaning slightly back, his powerful vibe still rolled over her like honey.

Suddenly realizing he waited for an answer, Cassidy tried her best to remember the question before stammering, “I…I don’t know.”

She felt dazed, like someone had sunk her entire body in quicksand and doused every sense in a rush of endorphins. Simultaneously oversensitive, her mind rushed ahead too fast so her thoughts stumbled over each other and nothing made sense. Alfie touched her wrist, rolled her small hand in his own, and entwined their fingers together while his thumb gently tickled her palm. Until that moment, she hadn’t even known that a sensitive zone on her palm existed.

“
Look at you,” he barely breathed as if discovering newness within a world wrought with pleasures meant to satisfy only him. She found herself tilting her head towards him, lifting her chin and swaying closer so she could hear him. “It’s like you’ve been waiting to break that vase and enter my life. You’re still here so you must intend to repay me…
with yourself
.”

Cassidy’s heart jumped into her throat as she tried not to squirm at his closeness. Searching her mind for something that hadn’t been said before, she could only offer, “I came for a job interview with…”

She blinked, forgetting the name when h
e brushed small caresses against her body—nothing blatantly sexual—but little touches to her face with the stubble of his jaw. He pulled her hair over her shoulder to expose her neck as his knuckles bumped the flat of her belly. Caught in the charged atmosphere of his slip of hand and buss of shoulder, she tried to gather her thoughts.

Nothing seemed to make sense with him so close, creating alluring need as if spinning a web. Her brain couldn’t get past a moment ago when she had been crushingly disappointed that her first job interview had gone up in flames. Closing her eyes, she tried to focus on the scare of his presence but it led her back to the shattered vase before his mesmerizing presence popped out of nowhere.

How did
I arrive at this point? Who the hell was I supposed to see?

Opening her eyes, Cassidy’s vision swam for one bright moment as Alfie flickered in and out of focus but steadied when he caught her chin in his finge
rs. Bold, confident, and secure; there was a quiet power behind his stare to match the strength and power in his body. The same body that she realized was currently boxing her in against his desk, lifting her to sit.