Billionaire Romance Boxed Set (9 Book Bundle) (16 page)

He lifted her chin with the tip of a single finger. “That means when
you’re at home on the couch, watching TV, or sitting at the front desk
answering phones at work. It will serve as a constant reminder, so that you’re
always thinking of me, always ready for me. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” she said, a breathless note to her voice this time at the images
he was putting into her head.

“Very good.” Removing his hands from her hips, he brought them up to
her blouse and undid the buttons. Her blouse and bra went fluttering to the
floor where her skirt lay, and she bit her lip as he slid his warm palms
beneath her breasts, hefting them in each hands. She gasped when he tweaked her
nipples, then licked her lips when he pulled a column of fluid black silk from
the box and slipped it over her head.

“Stand up.” She did as he asked, and he smoothed the dress over her
hips, her thighs, the curve of her ass. It was a little black dress with a
short, ruffled skirt that barely reached the end of her fingertips when she let
her arms hang to the sides

There was enough support built into the bodice to accentuate and lift
her breasts and so she tried not to be worried about the fact that it was
strapless. Altogether it showed off far more of her skin than she’d ever done
before.

“Gorgeous.” He came around behind her, his fingers sliding against the
column of her neck as he fastened a black onyx choker around it, then fixed a
matching pair of dangling earrings in her lobes. Each touch was like a brand,
leaving a trail of fire in his wake. Her attention was so completely fixated on
what he was doing that her knees buckled when the vibrator suddenly sprang to
life, pulsing against her clit and sending bone-melting sensation through her body.
A small cry escaped her lips as he hauled her up against him, and she could
feel his erection pressing up against the curve of her ass.

“Now, now,” he murmured, his lips touching her earlobe. “I can’t have
you doing that in public. People will wonder what’s wrong, and what will you
tell them?”

Her cheeks burned at the thought. “W-will we be g-going to a place with
lots of people?” she managed, though it was incredibly hard to formulate words
with the vibrator still vibrating against her clit. She tried to lock her knees
so that she wouldn’t fall over when he let her go.

He chuckled. “Katherine, we’re going to a soiree. There is going to be
a fundraiser tonight for a political campaign, and because I’m on the board I’m
required to be there. I’m taking you as my date.”

“A fundraising soiree?” a laugh bubbled out of her, surprising her as
the rebellious part of her rose up. “Awfully… strange place for… a first
date…” she ended on a gasp, squeezing her legs together tightly as the
pleasure built. She was so close to coming, she was certain she would go over
the edge in just a few seconds.

“Uh-uh-uh,” he wagged a finger as he bit down sharply on her earlobe,
the stinging pain an admonishment. The vibrator shut off and she sagged, both
relief and frustration sinking through her. “Another rule. You aren’t allowed
to come unless I give you permission.”

Katherine bit back a groan. How was she going to last the night? They
hadn’t even left yet and she was already dripping wet and on the verge of
begging. She bit the inside of her cheek to try and get a handle on herself.
“Yes, Mr. Donaldson.”

“In private you must call me Master.” He pinched her bottom through her
dress, making her jump. “In public, when we’re with other people, you may call
me Mark.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Good.” He took her arm in his. “Our carriage awaits.”

Their ‘carriage’ was a black stretch Lincoln limousine with a
fully-stocked bar and seats that stretched along the sides of the limo’s
interior rather than facing forward. Katherine wondered if the driver who held
the door open noticed her flushed face or stiffened nipples—his
expression was polite yet unfathomable, so she couldn’t tell what he thought of
her. She was certain she didn’t look like any of the women he normally took
around in this limo. She was too short, and not skinny enough.

His phone rang almost immediately when they got into the limo and after
glancing at the screen, made his apologies to her before answering it. She sat
across from him, her eyes restlessly drifting across the interior as well as
the view outside, but inevitably coming back to the tiny bulge in his pants
pocket where she knew the remote lay. She could feel the metal of the vibrator
pressed intimately against her still, and try as she might it was impossible to
relax—the knowledge that he could turn it on kept her in a mixture of
dread and anticipation.

They arrived at their destination—a Hilton—and took the
elevator up to the hall where the soiree was being hosted. The
hall—tastefully decorated with gold and silver ribbons, flowers and
balloons—was packed with people dressed in evening finery and holding
champagne glasses while they sat at round tables draped in white table cloths
set with candle and flower centerpieces. A band was playing soft, tasteful
music up on the stage, and the banners clearly proclaimed the fundraiser and
its message.

Mark snagged a champagne flute from a passing waiter’s tray and handed
it to her. “Drink some of this, and relax. You’re so tense you feel like a
wooden board pressed up against my side.”

Katherine flushed as she took the glass from him and took a breath,
trying to release the tension in her muscles. The task was made more difficult
when he placed his hand at the small of her back, rubbing up and down
gently—she knew he was trying to soothe her but his touch only heated her
more. Placing the cool rim of the champagne flute to her lips, she allowed the
bubbly liquid to slide down her throat, filling her with warmth. The knot of
tension in her stomach eased slightly.

“Thank you,” she murmured, then thought to add, “Master.”

Smiling, he kissed the top of her head, then took her arm again and led
her through the crowds of people, stopping by tables as well as clusters of
people standing to talk. She was introduced to businessmen, politicians, even a
few celebrities, and though initially she was a little flustered she found
herself getting into the rhythm of things, learning to give and receive polite
introductions, make small talk, take and give compliments. She couldn’t quite
hold back the blushes on the many compliments she was given, either directly or
indirectly when one of the men or women spoke to Mark and ask where he’d
managed to find her. She wasn’t certain if they were being polite, or if they
really meant it, but with Mark’s arm around her and the constant smiles he
flashed her it didn’t matter.

Eventually dinner was served, and they sat at a table with several
other patrons. As introductions were passed around she realized they were board
members of the charity, just like he.

“Who is your friend, Mark?” a woman with silver hair dressed in a trim
navy suit asked. Despite the color of her hair there was not a wrinkle on her
face, and her dark eyes were warm, but vigorously alert.

“This is Katherine, my assistant,” Mark told her, and Katherine had to
fight to keep her eyebrows from rising. She supposed it would be rather awkward
for Mark to introduce her as his receptionist, since he would have no reason to
bring her to a social function otherwise. At least as his assistant she had a reason
for being there with him. “Katherine, this is Emily Sandoval. She is the
Chairman of the Board.”

“Very nice to meet you.” Katherine held out her hand and exchanged a
firm handshake with the woman.

“Likewise.” Emily turned back to Mark. “So you finally got rid of that
greasy stick, did you?”

“Fred is still around,” Mark said as Katherine’s lips twitched.
“Katherine assists me in… other capacities.”

Katherine’s eyes dropped to her plate as she suddenly became very
interested in her meal—she knew she would blush if Emily met her eyes.
Thankfully the woman was content to converse with Mark, and paid Katherine no
mind. She was just beginning to relax again, having finished a second glass of
champagne and a good portion of the food on her plate, when Mark’s fingers
gently slid up the hem of her dress, fingers gliding along her inner thigh.
Breath caught in her throat, she glanced over at him, but his attention was
firmly fixed on Emily.

Wondering if she was imagining things, she dared a glance beneath the
table, and saw his fingers curled around her leg for an instant before his grip
tightened subtly. His eyes were still fixed on Emily as he conversed with her
and other board members at the table, but the message was clear; he didn’t want
her drawing attention to herself, or what he was doing with her.

“So how is it that you’ve come to work for Mark, Katherine?” one of the
other board members, a man in his forties leaned in to ask her.

“Oh! I… uh…” the pad of his thumb began massaging the inside of her leg
in slow circles, and she had to fight to marshal her thoughts as the man led
her into a conversation. It was everything she could do to keep her voice
steady, and though she considered slapping at his hand or kicking him
underneath the table, she had the feeling that would violate the rules of the
game.

Eventually they had a moment of silence in which no one was talking
with them, and she leaned over to whisper in Mark’s ear. “You’re tormenting
me.”

“Just a taste of what’s to come, darling,” he murmured back.

She stiffened as the vibrator hummed against her clit, and at the same
time the lights dimmed and Emily ascended to the podium to make her opening
speech for the fundraiser. Chuckling, Mark stroked her back briefly as everyone
clapped—Katherine would have joined in but her hands were gripping the
sides of the chair for dear life.

“Remember,” he whispered wickedly in her ear, “you can’t come unless I
say so.”

The fundraising dinner lasted an hour and a half, and it was the
longest hour and a half she’d ever lived through. Mark didn’t keep the vibrator
on the entire time, but would turn it on and off at random intervals, keeping
her on her toes so that she never knew when it was going to hit her. Sometimes
it was when someone was talking up on the podium and no one was paying
attention to her; other times it was when someone was talking to her, or even
when she was mid-sentence—those were the most mortifying. By the end of
the fundraiser she was in a state of such heightened need she could barely walk,
and clung to Mark’s arm for dear life as he escorted her out and into the limo.

“Please, Master,” she told him once they were safely inside and the car
was moving. “I can’t take this anymore.”

He only smiled and crooked a finger, beckoning to her. “Come and sit in
my lap.”

She scrambled to obey, and he positioned her so that she was straddling
his lap. His erection pressed right up against her panties, and she whimpered.

“Uh-uh.” He gripped her hips tightly when she began rubbing herself
against him, forcing her to stop. “if you do that, you’re going to come. I
didn’t say you could come yet.”

“When will you let me?” she asked breathlessly. “Please, I want to.”

“I know.” He framed her face with his big hands so that she was staring
up into his deep brown eyes. They were darkly seductive, beckoning with hot
promise, and they filled her vision so that she felt as though she were
drowning in them. His thumb stroked her lower lip gently. “But I haven’t kissed
you yet, Katherine. I haven’t tasted that luscious mouth of yours.”

Katherine blinked. “You haven’t.” She’d not dwelled on it, but now that
he mentioned it seemed absurd. She’d shown him the most private areas of her
body, allowed him to touch her, and he’d never even kissed her. Her heart
pounded as he angled her head properly, then pressed his lips firmly against
hers. He seduced with soft, tender kisses, tiny nips that sent shivers down her
spine, and strokes of his tongue that had her opening her mouth willingly. He
slid his tongue in and out, rubbing it against her own tongue and the roof of
her mouth, and the motion was overtly sexual, mimicking the act. He nipped her
tongue between his teeth and sucked on it, enticing a moan from her.

“So sweet,” he growled against her lips, pulling back slightly. “So
innocent. Haven’t you been with a man before?”

“Very few times, Master,” she admitted softly, her eyes drifting away
from his. “And it has been a long time.”

He lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze, which was
surprisingly gentle. “Then this will be a night to remember, for both of us. I
will take great pleasure in your sexual awakening. And I promise, you will
too.”

The limo came to a stop, and Katherine looked over Mark’s head and out
the window to see the lighted front steps of what looked to be an apartment
complex. Or maybe it was a hotel—it looked far more elegant than any
complex she’d ever seen, but she knew Mark lived in Chicago so she didn’t
understand why he’d live in a hotel anyway.

“Good evening, Mr. Donaldson,” the man at the front desk greeted him as
they walked into the foyer. His grey eyes passed over Katherine with no
comment. She supposed he saw women come and go often enough.

“Evening, Richard.”

They rode the elevator up to the top floor, and stepped right into an
anteroom. Her eyes took in the arched ceiling, the marble floor, the tastefully
decorated walls as he took her hand and led her to the French doors on the
other side. The entered a thirty-foot living room with vaulted ceilings, lapis
lazuli fireplace and a seemingly endless stretch of glass walls that offered a
panoramic view of the city.

“This is a penthouse, isn’t it?” she asked, her eyes trailing up a
curving staircase that led to another set of French doors she could only
imagine led to his bedroom.

“Two floors, fifteen rooms,” he answered, smiling a little at the look
of awe on her face. “Do you like it?”