To Love and Obey (Boundaries) (4 page)

“Yes?” His voice sounded strained.

“There’s a Mr King and Miss Roberts in reception to see you. They say they have an appointment, but there’s nothing in the diary.” She held her breath as she waited for Adam to shout something about her being too incompetent to keep the diary up to date, but he just sighed and told her to send them up.

She called back down to reception and told them to send the couple up, then turned to her computer so she would look busy when they arrived on the executive floor. She didn’t look up when she heard the lift ping, just pretended to be busy reading something very important on her screen, so when she heard a deep, sexy voice say, “Hello, Rachel,” she jumped slightly and looked up in surprise to see Luke and Dominique standing in front of her desk.

“Oh. Hi,” she said, not quite able to keep the shock out of her voice. What the hell were they doing here? “Er, one minute, I’ll let Adam know you’re here.”

Before she could pick up the phone to announce their arrival though, Adam opened his door and gestured for them to go in. His face was strained, his mouth set in a rigid line, giving away the seriousness of the impending meeting. As they walked past her toward Adam’s office, Luke gave her a warm smile, but Dominique—or rather, Karen—glared at her with such vehemence that an involuntary shudder ran through her. What was going on?

The door shut, leaving her alone again and she tried to refocus her mind back to work. She needed to do a final check to make sure everything was ready for tomorrow’s board meeting, but her hands were shaking so much when she opened her organizer that she had to give up. Her mind was buzzing with questions, the main one being, why the hell were Luke and Dominique there?

Finally, she stood up in frustration and started pacing the floor near the lift area. It was far enough away from Adam’s office that they wouldn’t see her restless shadow through the frosted glass partition and it would give her a chance to look as if she were returning from the kitchen if they came out unexpectedly. As she paced, her mind went back to Saturday night and Dominique’s fury as she had tied her to the cross. Tears sprang to her eyes as she recalled the feeling of choking on the gag, the panic that had gripped her when she’d realized there was nothing she could do to get help, and the scorching pain as the whip had sliced through the skin on her back.

“Rachel.”

She jumped at Adam’s voice behind her. She hadn’t heard him come out of his office.

“Are you all right?” he said, softly.

She quickly brushed a tear away and turned to him with an attempt at a smile. “Yes. Well, I was just…”

Adam pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. “It’s okay, you don’t have to explain, I can guess. Come on, Karen has something she wants to say to you.”

Rachel stiffened in his arms and pulled away slightly. “No. Adam, I don’t want to see her, please don’t make me go in there.” She knew she was safe with Adam and Luke there, but the thought of coming face to face with
her
, made her feel physically sick.

Adam was insistent. “Come on, it’ll be fine, I promise.” He took her hand and led her into his office before closing the door firmly behind him.

Luke stood up from his seat on the leather sofa and took Rachel’s hand when she approached. “How are you?” he asked softly.

“Okay, thanks,” she replied, her voice sounding small.

Luke strode back over to the sofa, pulled Karen up onto her feet and marched her over to where Adam and Rachel were standing.

Luke’s warm eyes became cold and his whole demeanor turned hostile and dangerous as he maneuvered Karen so she was facing Rachel head on. His grip on Karen’s arm was tight and when he spoke, his voice was low and uncompromising, “Karen. Say what you’ve got to say to Rachel and then we’re leaving.”

Karen’s downcast eyes rose to meet Rachel’s and the two women locked eyes. Rachel was taken aback by the bitter hatred burning in them and knew that the words she was about to hear would not be sincere. “I’m sorry about what I did to you.”

No, you’re not.

Luke tightened his grip on Karen’s arm and growled, “And?”

Karen scowled and spat her words out, “Adam and I are no longer together and he is free to do as he wishes and with whom he wishes.”

Well, if they weren’t just the most insincere and well-rehearsed words Rachel had ever heard. She had also picked up the unspoken words, dark and threatening, leaving her in no doubt that, as far as Karen was concerned, this was far from over. A chill seeped into Rachel’s blood and she looked desperately at Adam and Luke to see if they had noticed the same unspoken threat that she had, but they seemed satisfied with Karen’s ‘heartfelt’ apology.

Luke nodded at Adam and led Karen out by the arm without another word.

Rachel hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath until the door clicked shut and Karen was finally out of the room. Rachel remained standing in the same spot, staring at the door as if the woman was going to come back through any time, and it was only when Adam touched her arm that she tore her gaze away. He led her over to the sofa and gently pushed her down before sitting down next to her.

“She’s gone,” he said softly, and pulled her into his arms. “And she won’t be back.”

She snuggled deeper and finally allowed herself to relax a little.

“What’s going to happen to her?” she whispered.

“As you know, anyone caught abusing anyone else in the club is banned for life. The fact that she had physically restrained you against your will, took away your ability to call out the club safe word
and
physically assaulted you, is about as serious as it gets.”

Adam’s voice had trembled with anger as he’d spoken and Rachel felt a shiver run through her and hoped she would never make him that angry.

“The police have been contacted and they’ll deal with her now,” he continued. “Oh, and she’s signed her share of the club back to me.”

“What?” Rachel stared at Adam in surprise.

“She didn’t really have much choice. There’s not much point in owning a club you’ve been banned from. She finally saw sense and signed.” He leaned down and kissed the top of Rachel’s head before nodding his head toward some papers lying on the glass coffee table. “It’s over, Rachel. She’s out of our lives forever, so you don’t have to worry about her anymore. Okay?”

Rachel nodded and smiled. She wished she could believe him, but she’d seen the look in Karen’s eyes when she’d spoken the words she’d been forced to say. They had held a lethal measure of vengeful hatred and there had been no defeat and certainly no remorse. She shook off the unnerving thought and hugged Adam closer to her, resolving to put the whole Dominique thing out of her mind.

He continued holding her for a few minutes longer until he finally pulled away and visibly switched back to business mode.

“Is everything ready for the board meeting tomorrow?” he asked, his voice sounding controlled and slightly distant.

“Yes, Sir,” she replied, suddenly with an urgent need to feel his dominating force. “Everything’s ready.”

“Good.” Then, as if sensing her need for submissive reinforcement, he narrowed his eyes and grabbed her by the hair, forcing her to look up into his eyes. “Who do you belong to, Rachel?”

Ooh, that beautiful, sexy Dom voice again. She melted a little as her heartbeat increased. “You, Sir. Only you.”

“Good girl. You will always obey me, Rachel, do you understand?” His voice was a husky growl now and it took all of her strength to draw in the air she needed to reply.

“Yes, Sir.” Her voice was husky and when he reached his free hand up to stroke her face, her breath hitched as her eyelids grew heavy.

“What will happen if you don’t obey me, Rachel?”

Fuck
. She could feel moist heat building between her legs, which were quickly turning to jelly.

“You will punish me, Sir.” Her head was spinning now and her body had become so limp from the delirious submission that the only thing keeping her upright was Adam’s firm grip on her hair.

“Who am I, Rachel?” The meaning of his words didn’t register at first then the penny dropped and she knew exactly what he meant.

“You’re my…M…Master, Sir.” There, she’d said the M word and right now, God she meant it.

“Yes, Rachel, I’m your Master and don’t you forget it.”

Oh yes, the somersaults skipped madly around in her tummy. He tightened his hold on her hair, not giving her a chance to look anywhere but at him. He was looking directly into her eyes, his pupils dilating in response to the glossy glaze covering her own.

Yes, this was what she wanted, needed, craved, and Adam knew it.

Through the fog clouding her head, she heard him command her to kneel at his feet and she immediately slid off the sofa and did as he’d said. He pushed her head down onto his lap and held it in place with a firm, strong hand and let her remain there, until a feeling of such deep, beautiful contentment washed over her.

She would happily have remained there for hours, but eventually, too soon, Adam gently lifted her head up toward him and smiled. “That better?” he asked, softly.

“Yes, thank you, Sir.” She looked up into his eyes, deeply in awe of his perception of her needs. “How did you know? You know, what I needed…?”

“I’ve been a Dom for a long time, sweet thing. If I can’t tell by now when a sub needs a little mental dominance, then I’ll never know.” He pulled her up so she was sitting next to him again and ran his hand gently through her hair. “You should go home now.”

“Oh, but…” Rachel stared at him in dismay, she wanted to be in his bed, not her own.

But Adam shook his head and said, “I’ve got work to do here and you’ll just distract me. Go home, get some sleep and be here nice and early in the morning.” He studied her for a second with a glint in his eye, before adding, “Remember, no bra or panties and make sure you wear a short skirt. That’s an order.”

“Yes, Sir.” She smiled and started to get up from the sofa.

“Oh, and Rachel?”

“Yes, Sir?”

“You called me your Master. I liked that. A lot.”

His eyes flashed with triumph and pride and a deep flush burned her face when she remembered her willingness to surrender so completely to him.

“Good night,” she whispered, then stood up and left without another word.

*
* * *

“He definitely wants me to be his slave.” Rachel finished her rum and cola then banged the empty glass down onto the stained, wooden table. The bar was relatively quiet and the people at the next table turned and gave her an odd look. Whether it was the noise of the glass or her stark words they had heard, she couldn’t tell.

Mandy spluttered as she tried to hold back her laughter. “What, you? A slave? I thought you were joking last night?”

“It’s not funny.” Rachel scowled and reached over for the fresh drink she’d just bought. “He’s adamant it’s what he wants, but it’s not what I want. Oh, Mandy, what am I going to do?”

Mandy gave her a hard stare. “Have you told him how you feel?”

Rachel hesitated. Had she? She thought back to each time he’d brought it up and shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she realized that, rather than be straight with him, she had, in fact, avoided answering him. On Sunday when he’d said he would collar her no matter what, she’d been so scared she’d hastily changed the subject and left shortly afterwards.

“I…er, I haven’t actually said it in so many words, but…” She looked at her friend with wide eyes. Had she somehow given him the impression that she would be happy to be his slave? She thought back to earlier that afternoon when she’d been in that beautiful, deep submissive state and had actually called him Master. Why had she done that if she was so sure she didn’t want a Total Power Exchange relationship?

Mandy took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Babe, you need to tell him how you feel. It sounds like he’s pretty serious about this and if you do want different things out of this, you need to sort it now before things get more serious.”

“It already is getting serious,” muttered Rachel. She’d been so preoccupied with all her stupid issues from the past and then the whole Dominique thing at the weekend, that she hadn’t been straight with Adam. And she was the one with trust issues? Shit, she would have to tell him and he would be really pissed off with her for not being open with him.

“Promise me you’ll tell him as soon as you can,” said Mandy, firmly. “If you both want different things from your relationship then you’ll both end up getting hurt. If you’re really sure you don’t want to be his twenty-four-seven slave, and he won’t accept anything less, then it’ll only be a matter of time before it tears you apart.”

The pain that seared Rachel’s heart was worse than anything she had ever felt before. The idea of losing Adam was too much to bear, she needed him and, yes, she loved him. But should she give in and agree to be his slave just so she wouldn’t lose him?

As if reading her mind, Mandy interrupted her thoughts. “Don’t you dare agree to this if it’s not what you truly want, Rach. Think about it. How long would you last, being told what to eat and wear, and having to ask permission to sleep or even take a piss, for fuck sake? You may be a sexual submissive, but you haven’t got a submissive bone in your body when it comes to day to day living. Look at me, Rachel, it would be a disaster.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” snapped Rachel. Mandy was right. A TPE might work for some people, but she knew herself well enough to know that it wasn’t for her.

“The way I see it, you got two choices, honey. Agree to the TPE and you’ll be totally miserable, or say no and carry on as you are and let Adam be miserable, if he doesn’t dump you, that is. Either way, it doesn’t bode well for your relationship.”

Mandy’s words weren’t meant to hurt her, she knew that, but that didn’t stop the tears welling up in her eyes as she tried to search her heart for the answer. But, no matter how she looked at it, she just couldn’t see how she was going to have her happy ever after.

Chapter Four

Rachel stepped out of the lift at precisely eight o’clock the following morning and came face to face with Adam’s steely glare.