I knew what that meant. That meant in this world, she was still fair game.
But Emmaline? She was mine – collar or no fucking collar. And if someone wanted to test that shit before I got the collar on her neck? I’d fucking slaughter them.
I wrapped my hand around his throat, shoving him back against his chair. “She’s mine,” I snarled down at him. He narrowed his eyes at me. I knew it was taking everything in him not to retaliate. Adrian and I were good friends, but he was crossing a fucking boundary.
I released him, turning to look at Emmaline. She was silently staring down at her now empty food tray, her cranberry juice and both bottles of waters finished.
She really was the perfect little good girl, and I fucking loved it.
And I enjoyed rewarding her for her good behavior even more.
“Little one,” I called. She raised her eyes to me. “Up,” I told her. She got up and instantly moved to my side. I grabbed my phone off the desk. “I expect information no later than seven A.M.,” I told Adrian. “Make it happen.”
“You got it,” he told me. He inclined his head to Emmaline before he left my office. Emmaline stared after him in confusion while I shot a quick text to Judy to come get the dishes out of my office.
“Did he just, um . . .”
I pressed my hand to the side of her head as I pressed a kiss to her temple, holding my lips there until I felt her body relax against me. “I staked my claim on you. Technically, right now, you are above him. He had to show you the proper respect.” I hooked my index finger under her chin, turning her head to face me. “I am the king – the don,” I reminded her. “That, little one, makes you my queen.” I dropped my hand to her neck, gently wrapping my hand around her throat. A small, barely audible moan slid from those lovely lips, making my cock twitch in my slacks. “My lawyer will be meeting us at noon at a very quiet, nice restaurant in town, and we will be signing our contract to officially make you my submissive, and I made sure that he included that your safe word is purple.” Her eyes brightened at that small amount of control I’d given her.
Fuck, she had been held captive for too damn long, and I couldn’t wait to see her blossom under my care.
“And then we will be purchasing your collar,” I told her as I led her from my office, her hand encased in mine.
“Have you ever collared anyone before?” she asked me, honest curiosity tinting her sweet voice. Her voice was so quiet, so feminine. I’d never heard anything else like it. Her voice was extremely soothing to the more savage part of me.
“No,” I honestly answered her. I had taken submissives before, but I’d always vowed I would never collar a woman unless I intended to keep her until the day I died.
The moment I’d looked into Emmaline’s pretty, brown eyes though, I knew she was the one I was meant to collar – meant to make mine – and meant to mold into my queen.
“I’ve never wanted to collar any of my previous submissives,” I further explained. “Just didn’t feel right to me. For me, collaring means forever. It’s basically a fucking wedding vow.”
She snapped her eyes up to me in alarm. I squeezed her hand. She was retreating – fast. “Easy, little one,” I crooned. “You’re going to get to read over the contract in full – no rush. And you can ask either of us any questions you have. This is all in your hands. If something needs to be changed, we will get it changed,” I assured her.
“No knife play,” she blurted.
I abruptly jerked to a halt, my hand reaching out to snap around her arm to keep her from falling. I turned her to face me. “Knife play?” I asked her. She swallowed thickly, her eyes nervously flickering around the room. I gripped her chin and yanked her eyes up to meet mine. “Was there fucking knife play in my goddamn club?” I growled.
“Y-yes,” she stuttered, her voice trembling.
I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to rein in my temper. I would definitely be making a trip to my fucking club soon. Apparently, a lot of shit had been flying under my nose that I did not condone, and I intended for this shit to stop.
Knife play wasn’t allowed in my club because too many times in the past back when my father had been the don, submissives had ended up dead from too fucking much, from their dominants not being careful enough.
“James, I didn’t mean to make you angry,” Emmaline said quietly.
I sighed and tilted her chin up, covering her lips with mine, taking from her whatever I needed to calm myself down again. She moaned, her lips instantly moving with mine, always following my lead, never trying to take over.
This woman was fucking perfect.
“We’re going to have a good day today,” I told her when I pulled back. “We’re going to shop, sign our contract, buy your collar, get massages, and then, I’m going to take you home, reward you for all of your good behavior, bathe you, and then let you get some much-needed sleep.”
She smiled at me. Her brown eyes were bright with excitement that I could tell she was trying to contain. God, this woman already had me twisted around her little finger, and she had no fucking clue.
“I’m looking forward to it,” she told me as I led her over to the SUV parked right outside of the front door on the circular, red-brick drive.
I pressed a quick kiss to the corner of her lips as I opened the passenger door for her. “I told you that I plan on taking care of you, little one. This is me doing that. Prepare yourself to be spoiled.”
I closed the door once she was seated and moved around to the driver’s side of the SUV, nodding once at the two armed guards parked in the SUV behind mine.
Normally, I only rode with one tailer, but with Emmaline with me, I had upped security. So, not only did I have my tailer, but I had people scoping out the stores and restaurants we would be at today.
I would not be letting anything happen to this gem in my passenger seat.