Boss (18 page)

He leaned forward. “You should probably reassure him that you’re okay,” Nathan said, impressed with Rankowski’s persistence. The man had been around a lot of years. No doubt Nathan wasn’t the first to stop the elevator with a beautiful woman aboard.

“Give us another minute, please, John,” she said. She cleared her throat.

“You’re sure, Ms. Lane?”

Since he’d known who else was on the elevator, no doubt he’d been watching security cameras.

Nathan feathered his executive assistant’s clit, and she scowled at him.

“One minute,” she reiterated.

“Sixty seconds, ma’am. If the car isn’t moving, I’m taking action.”

Nathan slowly pulled his fingers out of her cunt and shoved them in her mouth. “Suck me dry. And pretend they’re my cock.”

Her eyes watered and she gagged because he was knuckles-deep in her mouth, but she wrapped her hands around his wrist and took everything, licking, cleaning.

Then, no doubt with less than three seconds left, he pulled his fingers from her mouth.

He saw satiation in her eyes, and he fucking liked it.

Nathan straightened her thong and smoothed her skirt before stepping away from her. He tucked wayward strands of hair behind her ear then wiped a smudge of lipstick from her skin. He made sure she was perfectly put back together before resuming the trip.

They exited into the parking garage, and they were met by the efficient Rankowski. “Problem with the elevator?” he asked.

“None,” Kelsey assured him.

He looked at both of them intently. “I’ll ride it up to be sure it’s in proper working order.”

Nathan nodded. They both knew the elevator was fine. Rankowski was simply excusing himself now that he was reassured that everything was okay.

“He’s protective,” she said. “Tends to be with all female employees. He’s even offered to walk me to my car if I leave after dark.”

“Good.” He pointed toward the SUV. When they were about twenty feet away, he unlocked it with the remote.

After she’d slipped behind the wheel and adjusted the seat, he gave her a few instructions to familiarize herself with the dash, and he added her number to the vehicle’s Bluetooth system.

She opened her mouth to protest but closed it again almost immediately.

“Drive safe.” He grabbed the end of the safety belt and reached across her to fasten it before trailing a finger down the side of her face. “Feeling better now?”

“That was…” She grinned.

He smiled back at her. A shared experience neither would ever forget.

“Did we really do that?”

“You tell me.”

She pressed her legs together. “My pussy is throbbing still.”

“Will you make it until this evening?”

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

“My sub.” He meant it. With a nod, he took a step back then closed the door.

Before she made the turn to exit the parking structure, she stopped. He saw her glance in the rear-view mirror, and she found him standing near the elevator, watching her.

She gave a little wave before accelerating.

With a jolt he realized the last few minutes had been more than D/s for him. They’d been primal, and he’d been a man powerfully driven to satisfy his woman, mark her as his, keep others away from her. With every thud of his heart, he heard one word echo in his head.
Mine.
Tonight, he’d be sure she knew it as much as he did.

Chapter Eight

“Every single detail,” Andi demanded as they slid into a booth next to the window at Friscos, one of downtown’s most popular eateries. Since it was Tuesday night, it was busy, but not crazy, so they’d be able to talk.

“I want all the deets,” Andi went on after they’d placed their orders with the server. “The dirtier and nastier the better. Give them to me, my pretty.”

Kelsey had been anxious to talk but now that they were here, she wasn’t sure how much she wanted to share. She was still wobbly from what she and Nathan had done in the elevator this morning. She’d behaved in a way that was so wanton it was unheard of.

Shockingly, she knew she’d do it again.

In her office, he’d left her so horny it had been difficult to do her job. She’d never experienced anything like that. Until him, she would have said she possessed a low libido. But with the way she’d happily humped his hand and come all over him, she’d realized he’d been right when he’d suggested maybe the problem hadn’t been with her, but with the men she’d been with. She’d orgasmed outrageously fast with Nathan. He’d been singularly focused on driving her to the edge, involving her mind before ever touching her body. It was as if they’d had five hours of foreplay before he’d savaged her pussy in the elevator.

The server returned with their martinis, and they clinked their glasses together.

“Don’t make me wait,” Andi insisted.

“You go first. You had a hell of a day if you were drinking by nine.”

“It was eight, actually.” Andi took an unladylike gulp then said, “Fucking-A, I needed this after dealing with Lorean’s crap. He said he was too bloated to cancel his own clients, so we had to reschedule them. Then he floated in around eleven, said he’d had a hot bath and felt better. Told us to call back his fans and tell them to come in after all.”

“Fans?”

“Most of us have customers or clients. He has
fans
.” She traced a black-painted fingernail over one of her masterfully crafted winged eyebrows. “He drives me to drink.”

“You mean he gives you an excuse to drink.”

“Thank God for any excuse to drink!” Andi lifted a chunk of her hair, and Kelsey noted that it was light pink with stripes of baby blue.

Her friend went to New York at least three times a year to keep up on the trends. Pastel-colored hair wasn’t something Kelsey had ever desired, but Andi rocked it.

Kelsey sat back then licked the rim of her glass and closed her eyes from the rush of sweetness.

“Yuck. I don’t know how you can drink that.” Andi shuddered so hard her whole body shook, and her dozen or so bangles sounded a bit like a wind chime.

Most people would never dip a glass in cane sugar before pouring in a chocolate martini, but to Kelsey, it just gave it that extra pizzazz she loved. The fact the bartender knew her preference was one of the main reasons she came here. “I could say the same to you.”

Andi speared the olive at the bottom of her glass and popped it into her mouth. She closed her eyes and sucked on it then moaned as if she were having sex.

“Maybe I should switch to dirty martinis,” Kelsey said.

“Come to the dark side. We have extra olives.”

They both laughed, and after the intensity of the last couple of days, it was a welcome break. Seeing Mr. Newman at lunchtime had taken her aback. His color had been a frightening shade, more gray than pale. He seemed to have lost ten pounds and aged twenty years in less than a week.

Holly Newman had joined Kelsey in the cafeteria. The woman had said it was a good thing the Donovans had acquired the business when they did. Even though he’d tried to hide it, her husband’s health had been failing for some time. Each challenge was getting progressively more difficult to manage. And she confessed she’d been after him to sell or retire for several years. On a lot of levels, she was grateful they had more time to spend together. She already had a trip planned for them to see their grandchildren in California.

But as she’d driven back to work, Kelsey had felt a little shaken.

To her, Samuel Newman had always seemed so confident, vigorous. Seeing him in the hospital gown, ashen, had made her accept the fact he wouldn’t be returning.

And that meant she was truly stuck with Nathan, unless she wanted to look for another job.

Right at this moment, she wasn’t certain she wanted to.

But what happened after their week was up? Or when she slept with him?

And how the hell did all thoughts lead straight back to Nathan?

Andi snapped her fingers near Kelsey’s face. “Earth to Kelsey.”

She shook her head. “Sorry. Thinking about Mr. Newman.”

“He’s going to be okay, right?”

“It appears so.”

“Good. Now tell me about the new boss. You hung out last night. And is he?” She fanned herself.

“Is he what?”

Andi leaned forward. “A Dom?”

“Yeah.”

She popped another olive into her mouth. “I knew it. So how did you find out?”

“I think I owe it to you.”

“Me? What do I have to do with it?”

The server brought a plate of hummus, surrounded by carrot and celery sticks along with pita chips.

“Thank God,” Andi said. “I didn’t eat today.” When they were alone again, she scooped up some dip and said, “Continue.”

“He confronted me about wanting to go to Deviation.”

“How did he find out? Did you tell him?”

Kelsey shook her head. “It was his brother. I’m not sure how, but evidently the manager recognized my name when you called. And Connor notified Nathan.” Kelsey swirled her glass to dislodge some of the chocolate syrup clinging to the inside. She could see the teardrop-shaped piece of milk chocolate at the bottom, sitting there like a reward for consuming every delicious sip.

“I’m going to need another drink,” Andi said. “This is going to be interesting. Until yesterday, I didn’t know you were into kinky shit. I mean, I know you won that paddle, but you flushed about seventeen shades of red when I smacked you on the butt with it. So I was sure you were scandalized.”

“Well, you haven’t talked much about it, either.”

“I like working over a sub or two occasionally.”

Kelsey choked on a drink. “You’re a Domme?”

Andi shrugged and signaled for their server to bring another round. “More of a switch. I like to bottom sometimes, just because I get sick of being in charge all the time. But mostly, I like being Queen Bitch, and I love to use a flogger on a woman. Their asses are so much hotter than a man’s, rounder. Softer. Though if I could get Lorean to drop his leather pants for long enough, I’d use a carpet beater on his tight butt. That’s a man who needs a serious ass-whooping.”

“You’re not his type.”

“No?” Andi took a bite from a carrot.

“Isn’t he… Wait… What?” She drained her glass. Kelsey hoped the server returned soon. She definitely needed that second drink. “You’re serious? You have a thing for Lorean?”

“Confounded drama queen.”

“
Lorean?
” Kelsey repeated incredulously. Her friend had worked with the man for at least three years. Constant arguments, challenges and upsets seemed to be their norm. Kelsey had no clue there was any interest there.

“Stupid, right?”

The server arrived with their beverages, saving Kelsey from an immediate answer.

“Are you finished here?” The man reached for Kelsey’s glass.

“I think she’ll break your fingers if you try to take it,” Andi said.

“Are you kidding me?” Kelsey pickup up her cocktail straw. “This is vodka-infused chocolate we’re talking about.”

“Not just your fingers,” Andi said to the server, wagging her artful eyebrows. “You’re in danger of losing your whole arm if you try to move it.”

“I’ll be back.” The man grinned and made a show of stepping slowly away from the table.

Kelsey tilted the glass and used her straw to guide the little slice of heaven into her mouth.

Since her whole body seemed warmer, she decided to go a little slower on the second drink. “Does he know?” she asked when they were alone again. “Lorean, I mean.”

“Oh, hell yes.”

“And you two…?”

“We have.”

Kelsey had known the conversation this evening was going to be wild, but she’d had no idea it would be anything like this. “So what’s the problem?”

“His lack of seriousness. Try snuggling on the couch with him.”

“Uhm. No. Good. Pass. Thanks.” To drown the image, Kelsey took the last, long drink of her martini.

“I do everything at Mach speed, and he slows me down. And it takes him longer to get ready to go places than it does me. Two of us in the bathroom doing makeup. And he even wore some of my earrings.”

“I…” She shrugged helplessly. “I’ve got nothing. I don’t even know what to say.”

“Doesn’t really matter. We’re on a break now.”

“Since last night,” Kelsey guessed.

“Exactly.”

“You okay?”

“I will be. Or I am as long as I don’t think about him. So. Enough about all that. Entertain me. I want to hear about Nathan and what happened between the two of you. And, oh, wait. Have you had the opportunity to get me a referral with Erin Donovan yet?”

“In the last twenty-four hours?” Kelsey scowled at her friend. “Not everything is about your business.”

“I forget that.”

“I did meet Zoe McBride today. Sofia’s sister.”

“How’s her hair?”

“I’d be surprised if she wasn’t already one of your clients.”

“I’ll send her a coupon. You know, if you send people to me, it won’t cost you much for me to add some burgundy lowlights to your hair. Normally, as long as it is, it would cost you a fortune, but—”

“I like my hair as it is. Thank you.” Kelsey took the first sip of her second drink.

Andi sighed. After falling silent, she went after some more hummus and waved a chip, encouraging Kelsey to get on with the story.

“We had coffee after work, and he gave me a ride home. And when we got there…”

“Go on.”

“He told me about the call from Connor, and he said that if I wanted to go to Deviation, he would escort me.”

Andi’s hand froze on the way to her mouth. “You’re going as his sub?” She fanned herself. “There’s more, isn’t there?”

“He wants to train me this week.” Kelsey took another fortifying drink. “He, uh, gave me an introduction last night.”

“What did he do? Tell me he spanked you.”

Kelsey hesitated a couple of seconds. “He did.”

“And how was it?”

This was unbelievably difficult to answer. “Amazing. Mind-blowing. Left me with about a hundred thousand questions.”

“Anything I can help with?”

“I don’t get why I like it.”

“Why is that a question?” Andi demanded.