Secrets Remembered (8 page)

“It’s an inspector of the police, Aidan.”
And needs to be seen
, her tone implied.

“So? I guess she pees, farts and tells lies like the rest of us. I’m busy. End of.” Aidan stood up and waved his hands in the general direction of the outer office, even though the door between it and him was closed. “It’s almost time to shut up shop for the week. I have work to do so I can go home with a clear conscience. I’m serious, Jacks. I have no time for her.”
Not now, not ever.
“Any explanations or questions can be made in writing to Diomhair, not me.”

Jackie’s eyes widened, but she merely nodded and shut the door behind her. She knew enough about Aidan’s life to know what Diomhair was.

Within a few seconds, the door opened. As Aidan expected, his visitor was known to him.

“Well, what have we here?” He knew his tone bordered on insolent and his visitor reddened. “It’s the wannabe, lying through her teeth, not really a sub, who doesn’t listen when she’s told I’m busy, big lady policewoman. So, Inspector, what can I do for you?”

Her face was the color of the knickers he’d caught a glimpse of all those weeks ago.

“Cut the crap, be an adult and let me explain, maybe? Or is your dick in an ‘I am the boss’ mode and not going to give in?” Her tone was scathing.

Well that was coming to the point with a vengeance. Aidan felt about two inches tall and ashamed, but not for long. She was the one in the wrong, not him.

“Fuck you.”

Much to his surprise she giggled, and looked a lot less austere, and more like the lady he’d topped.

“I so hope so.”

“Well, maybe.” His respect for her, although grudging, crept up a few notches. “Now it’s ‘put your cards on the table’ time. Who the hell are you?” God, how it hurt to ask that. Aidan would have loved to continue whatever charade she had played, and see just how far she was prepared to continue, but not when the reputation of Diomhair was at stake. “You lied.”

She dipped her head in agreement. “I did. But in my defense, I was at work. Legal and signed off by the necessary people to allow me to in effect break in. Yes, it can be done legally. It doesn’t happen often, and it has to be agreed by the Advocate General, but in certain circumstances, it’s agreed on. This was one of those times.”

Aidan shut his mouth and bit back the sneering retort he had been about to make.

“Like it or not, you, all of you, were suspects. Now you’re not. Not even your father, although I would like a few words with him over some asshat who works for him and alleged intimidation. But that can wait. However, I have permission to talk. It’ll be up to you where we go, if anywhere. But can you get me a chance to speak to the owners and so on?”

“Are you going to let me be a Dom? Play and screw?” He cringed at his crudity. To his astonishment she laughed.

“Maybe. Who knows? If you give me a good reason.”

Aidan gave in to temptation. Sod it. He’d pay the price later—if he had to. Maybe she had her handcuffs with her…

He grabbed Ailsa by the shoulders, kissed her hard on the mouth and drew back before she had time to respond. Her eyes were bright, and even from such a short contact, her skin was flushed. As she didn’t kick him in the balls or punch him in the face, Aidan took it as a good sign, spun her round and began to bend her over his desk.

“Aidan, is everything okay?” Jackie’s voice came over the intercom.

Shit.
He’d been so caught up in the moment he’d forgotten Jackie was next door, and liable to enter at any minute.

Ailsa giggled. He put his hand over her mouth and almost groaned when she sucked, licked and nipped the soft flesh of his palm.

“Yeah, the inspector and I are old friends, with business to sort out. We’ll be a while, so er, you can knock off now. Just lock the door behind you.”

Jackie sniggered. “That’s one way of putting it I guess. Okay, enjoy sorting, and see you on Monday.” She clicked the intercom off and a few seconds later he heard the main door bang. Evidently Jackie had been ready to leave on time.

“Now where were we?”

“Mrmp nmdrd,” Ailsa said behind his hand.

“Really? Is that cop speak for a punishment spanking? I reckon I can obli— Fuck it, Ailsa, that hurt.” She’d bitten his palm, hard. He removed it from her mouth, and inspected the puncture holes. “If you were my sub, you’d not sit down for a week after that. You really do need to learn how to give respect.”

“Ha. Pot, kettle and black.” Ailsa twisted around and leaned back on the desk. “You have to give it to get it.”

She had a point.

Aidan picked up one of her curls and wound it around his finger. “True enough. So shall we start the last ten minutes again? I was an arse, granted, but I never, ever lied about who I was.”

“And I did, yes.” She leaned into his hand. “I’m more sorry than you’ll ever know, I had to do that. However, like I told you, I was at work and there were extenuating circumstances. So do you give me the chance to explain to everyone involved?” She straightened up, but not enough to dislodge his hand.

“Do you give me the chance to take you? However I want? Now?”

Why was he pushing her like that?
Because I want her submission. All of it.

“Is this ‘you show me yours and I’ll show you mine’ time?” Ailsa’s voice was laced with humor. “I’ve read up on safe words and stuff. I’m not as green as I was. Or maybe that should be I’m more green? Anyway, what do you want?” She paused and very slowly dipped her head, then looked up to stare him directly in the eyes before she briefly closed one eyelid. “Sir.”

Aidan grinned. This could be fun. His body was taut with the thrum of anticipation that rushed through him and his dick swelled and hardened under its cover of denim.

“What I want to do is bend you over the desk and rip off anything that hides you from me. Lift your skirts, tie your hands and feet so you’re nicely spread-eagled and open for me, and spank your arse until it’s rosy red and warm. But I won’t, not yet, not until you’re willing to see if we have the makings of a good Dom/sub relationship, and I know what was going on. What I will do is ask you if I can make love to you. Here, now and, yeah, probably over the desk.”

Where had the words come from? Aidan was damned sure he hadn’t been going to say that. However, he admitted that he wanted her in any way possible, and he wasn’t going to even try the Dom/sub route until everything had been explained. Why he thought making love was different he didn’t know. It didn’t mean any less than dominating her, it was just different.

Her eyes widened and again her skin suffused with color. She opened her mouth, closed it and swallowed.

“How?”

“Oh, the usual way, cock in pussy, with a condom. Nothing weird or untoward.” Aidan cringed once more at the words he’d spoken. He was usually a little less crude. “Sorry,” he apologized. “That’s crass. I’m off-kilter more than I thought, it seems. But I do want to make love with you and I do have protection.” He blessed the action that had him picking up a pack of condoms along with his meal deal at lunchtime. “I want to get to know you.”

Ailsa was silent for the best part of a minute. She nibbled her thumb, and he bit back the words to tell her to stop. Then, slowly, she pushed herself upright and smiled.

“Well now, Sir. Personally I don’t think we can have one thing without the other. I researched you. It’s amazing what you can find out when you have the might of a national government department’s computer behind you. And it all came up good. The one thing I did find, from various ‘I never divulge my sources’ places, was that you are a Master. More than a Dom, a good person to teach me all I want to know, and you don’t have a sub. Well, I’d like to make that maybe you don’t.” She slid to her knees and bent her head as she put her hands behind her. “I’m off duty now, Sir, and would ask if you’ll help me. Please show me how to be a good sub.”

Aidan looked down at the top of her head. Her golden curls shined in the evening sunlight that streamed through the window with tiny motes of dust in its rays.

“Any sub? Or my sub? What if I say I don’t want a sub?” He tugged her hair until she looked up.

“Then I’ll say no thank you, Sir. Leave now and next time you see me it will be in an official capacity as I speak to those involved with Diomhair. I might be clueless, which you know anyway, but I am interested. However, it seems I’m like a baby duckling. Fixated on the first thing, or person, I saw that interested me in the lifestyle.”

Aidan laughed. “I’ve never been a duckling’s Sir before. I guess that makes our safe word quack then.” He sobered. “Are you sure? I don’t want a twenty-four seven lifestyle, and I don’t think you do. But I do want to be sure that if we learn we’re right for each other, we both want the same thing. So let’s start by me saying, now, pet. Can you ride pillion?”

Ailsa looked down at her pencil skirt and killer heels. Aidan reckoned she’d worn them as a confidence booster. For him, it made him ache to see what she wore underneath.

“I’d rather drive, than be driven in this case. But yes, I can ride pillion, even dressed like this.”

“Good, then let’s go. I think we’d be better off somewhere more comfortable. Where’s your car?”

“At home. I got a lift and said I’d ring if I needed a ride anywhere later. But as of twenty minutes ago, I’m a free woman until eight a.m. on Monday, so”—she spread her hands wide—“I’m all yours.”

“Trusting.”

Ailsa shook her head. “Not really. Three people know where I am. One can track me, and I probably know as much about you as you do yourself.”

“Then take your underwear off and get ready to ride pillion.”

She shook her head and slowly lifted the edge of her skirt above her thighs so the lacy tops of her stockings showed.

“I can’t do that.”

Aidan’s heart plummeted and a heavy lump of disappointment wedged deep in his stomach. So much for saying she wanted to sub. Was it all just a game to her?

“Why not? It’s not much to ask, and as my sub you’ll not wear underwear unless I say so.”

“That’s a relief, Sir. However, I can’t take my underwear off for a very good reason.” She opened the top three buttons of her fine silk blouse, and let the sides gape until the valley between her breasts showed. Naked and braless. Then very deliberately, she turned her back on him and lifted the hem of her skirt higher until the tops of her legs were exposed and the edge of her rear showed.

“You see, Sir, with regards to underwear? I’m not wearing any.”

Chapter Eight

The way Aidan’s eyes widened and he blinked, just once, gave Ailsa hope. Hope that he’d understand and let her play.

It had been a long week or so, talking and arguing with her boss, and finding out that whatever they were looking for had nothing to do with the owners or, as far as they could tell, the users of Diomhair. Not to mention discovering that Aidan’s father was only just on the right side of shady in his business practices. No wonder Aidan had been so wary. Oh, his father hadn’t broken any laws, but he wasn’t always totally open and honest about any pitfalls that might occur. Then a chat with someone called Lynette had given her another reason for Aidan’s unease. Finally, she’d gotten the agreement that she should be the one to explain and see if Jeff and co could help.

Ailsa had been adamant it was Aidan to whom she would speak first, and Cameron had agreed with a cryptic, “He’s the one for you.”

Now she waited impatiently to see what Aidan would say or do. Ailsa knew one thing about herself. As much as she thought submitting to Aidan was right for her, her besetting sin was impatience. Even when she’d wriggled out of her bra and pants in the ladies’ loo at work, and stuffed them into her bag, she’d rushed to get the job done. Mind you, she thought now, half of that was worry in case her braless boobs swung around under the severe cut of her pinstriped work jacket. Then she’d tapped her fingers impatiently on the dashboard as the young PC had driven her out of the city. Poor boy, he was new and nervous about driving her, especially, as he put it, into the wilds. That worried her somewhat, as the village she was heading to wasn’t much more than half an hour from the city. How would he cope if he really had to drive into the countryside and navigate the single track roads? It was a wonder he’d been passed to drive anything other than a pushbike.

He’d hesitated at a junction, even though there was nothing in view for several hundred yards. Ailsa had bitten back a sigh. She was not good at waiting for anything. Even though she was afraid that once she reached her destination she might not get a happy outcome, now she’d gotten permission to tell everything she wanted to get it over and done with.

Could her attitude be reconciled with submitting? Maybe only Aidan could answer that.

Now, waiting for Aidan’s answer, Ailsa counted to ten under her breath. Then to ten again. Damn him. If he wanted her to say or do something so he could play the punishment card she’d be quacking ‘red’ like every duck in the pond was in full voice.

“I like that,” he said just as she was ready to scream and shout at the top of her voice. He picked up a leather jacket, soft with age, from the back of his chair, and slung it over one arm. “Let’s go.”

His hand was warm on her back as he urged her toward the door. Ailsa thought it was almost a brand. That when she took her clothes off, the imprint of his hand would be seared onto her lower back. Strangely it didn’t faze her.

The familiar scent of leather and the hint of a citrus cologne teased her nostrils. Suddenly she realized why it
was
so familiar. She’d scented it at Diomhair the night he’d shown her what could be in their future—if they had one.

It took every ounce of her determination not to ask where they were going. If her boss trusted him, why shouldn’t she? Deep down Ailsa knew, whether Cameron did or not, something about this man screamed integrity and honesty to her. Even if after she’d done more research she’d accepted he’d been pushing and teasing her at Diomhair before Connie and the other guy—Ross, she remembered—had returned.

The big, powerful motorbike parked in a courtyard at the rear of the building took her breath away. Talk about something throbbing between your legs. Every hot erotic book she’d read flashed through her mind. One in particular, where someone had ridden a motorbike knickerless and had an orgasm. Was it possible? Maybe she’d get to find out.