“Tell me again, Dahlia, why you chose to work in my club.”
“Because…” I started, nasty words right on the tip of my tongue. “I already told you. I’m paying my way through school.” I shifted a few feet closer to the couch where my corset was, wanting this to be over.
“I’m curious. What are you studying?”
“Business Administration.” Was he playing twenty questions with me?
“Interesting.” He unfastened several buttons on his shirt, allowing me to catch a slight glimpse of his chest. I found it difficult to take my eyes off him. “What university?”
He suspected I wasn’t who I’d claimed to be. “Columbia.”
“Hmm…” he said as he closed the distance between us. “Perhaps I can help with your education needs. I know almost everyone on the board of trustees. I’m certain a scholarship can be provided for you.” The smirk on his handsome face made my throat tighten.
“That won’t be necessary but thank you. I can do this by myself.” I backed away by another two feet, causing a look of scorn to cross his face.
“Can you?” he growled, matching my strides.
“Yes.” The nervousness in my voice was likely a dead giveaway. I couldn’t go any further without pushing him away and I doubted he was going to allow that to happen. I suddenly felt small in comparison to him, even with my boots on.
His nostrils flared as he studied me and a warm, dizzying pool of sensations rushed from the base of my neck straight to my aching pussy. A huge part of me wanted this man, wanted to engage in the kind of passion I’d only read about. He was dark and mysterious, a bad boy wrapped up in expensive clothes, but indulging in some twisted fantasy wasn’t a part of the plan.
“There’s something you should know about me, Dahlia. I’m a fair man to all my employees. There is little I won’t do in order to provide a quality working atmosphere. However, I require certain behavior in order to remain in my good graces. One is respect. I deserve that. The second, and perhaps even more important requirement is honesty. To that end, if I find out you’re lying to me, the punishment you received today will fade quickly from your memory, replaced by another that will burn in your mind for many months to come. Do we have an understanding?”
My throat remained tight, my heart racing to the point I was uncertain I could speak without squawking. “Absolutely.”
He tipped his head, taking a deep breath and holding it for a few seconds. When he exhaled, the scent of scotch laced with peppermint massaged my senses. As he drove his fingers into my hair, twisting as he fisted them around my long locks, I tensed, pushing my palms against him. His eyes pierced mine as he lowered his head, claiming my mouth.
I was shocked, not expecting the explosion of passion erupting between us or the way my nipples hardened more than they’d been before. The feel of his hard, throbbing cock as he pressed it against my belly was equally as dazzling, my mind reeling from filthy thoughts and torrid images.
As he pushed his tongue past my pursed lips, I was dragged back to reality, slamming my fists against his chest.
Seconds later, he broke the kiss, but only enough to allow him to brush his lips from my mouth to my jaw. He bit down once before moving to my earlobe. I hissed, squirming in his hold until he whispered in my ear.
“You will follow every order I issue, no matter what I ask.”
There was no reason his words were more chilling than any he’d said before, but I could swear the man had peeled away the layers of my lie, exposing the vulnerable woman inside. I pushed against his massive chest again, but there was no getting out of his invasive hold.
I was his for whatever duration he deemed or at least until I could reach my things. I had the distinct feeling he was purposely keeping me away from my corset. I’d come here to seduce him, but only to the point of getting as close as I needed to be. What I’d endured I hadn’t anticipated, but I ached, my pussy wet. My God. Did I enjoy what had just happened? After he nipped my earlobe, darting his tongue into the shell of my ear, I was no longer certain who was seducing who.
The guttural sound he made as he rubbed his lips across my check was enough to create a rumble of fire deep inside, erasing the coldness I’d felt for so long. He seemed to sense my resolve was crumbling, easing his arm around me and cupping my bruised bottom. When he lifted me off the floor, I clawed at his shirt, but it was no use. He had me in his clutches.
For now.
He moved with ease toward the couch, settling down and forcing me to straddle him. I stole a quick glance toward my corset, cringing since it was still out of reach. If he noticed my distraction, he didn’t react. I continued to push against him, my breathing as ragged as my heartbeat.
“Now, you’re going to fuck me. That’s what you want, isn’t it?” he asked. The audacity of the man was outrageous. He certainly had a high opinion of himself. Did he really believe that women found this attractive?
“You’re out of your mind.”
“Perhaps I am, but I’m a keen observer and from the way you were looking at me from that cage, I sensed what you were after.”
I bristled, fighting to control the two nervous actions that had always given me away: the slight tic appearing in the corner of my mouth and my fingers involuntarily twisting a portion of my hair into a ringlet.
As my mouth twitched, I knew I’d failed on one attempt. He seemed drawn to the slight movement, his eyes twinkling in another round of amusement. “Unfasten my belt and trousers.”
“Fuck you.” The two little caustic words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them. My next wretched reward for misbehaving him was the feel of his hand clenched around my throat.
He leaned forward with a tsking sound. “While that’s exactly what I have in mind, I suggest you remember what I told you about respect. I won’t tell you that again. If you continue to disobey me, there could be additional consequences that you won’t enjoy.”