Devoted: A Masters and Mercenaries Novella (18 page)

“Yes, Professor.”

He leaned down and suddenly sounded like Flynn again, the sweet wonderful Flynn who rubbed her feet at night and cuddled on his couch with her. “Except for your safe word. You know that, right? You can always say that.”

She had to smile. “I do.”

“Cool. Sorry, this is my first time role-playing. And I meant what I said about being there for you. Don’t ever think I won’t because I’m disappointed.” He kissed her cheek, a soft buss on her skin. “Back to stern professor mode.”

She had played before and breaking character wasn’t acceptable with some of her previous lovers. But her heart did a weird flip as she realized he would do anything to make sure she understood how he intended to care about her.

She was falling in love with him. She might already be there.

She would have to tell him about her father, but she wasn’t going to let him go. She was going to fight for this man. He was worth everything she had.

God, she might have found the one thing she wanted more than the company.

“You don’t have to take off the panties because I’m going to deal with them. I’m going to ensure this particular pair never comes back to my classroom again.”

She felt something cold slide against her flesh and then the sound of her undies being cut off, first one side and then the other.

“You’re prepared, Professor.” The damn man had known what she’d done all along. Or at least he’d strongly suspected.

He pulled the undies from her and she felt the caress of air on her skin.

“I’m always prepared and I think you’ll find I’ve gotten to know you rather well. I know how you work. You text when you want to avoid confrontation. I won’t allow you to avoid me. I’m going to need a count, Ms. Slaten.”

There was a nice whoosh and then she heard the crack of the ruler against her backside. Her breath fled and the pain bloomed, but she could handle it. “One.”

The ruler struck again.

“Two.”

And again.

“Three.”

This time he struck the under curve of her ass, making her shake and the clamps on her nipples shimmy in delicious time to the whacks. Her breasts bounced, the clamps biting into her nipples.

She counted it out as he continued to spank her. Every slap of the ruler burned and sizzled. Every time the ruler struck, a spark of electricity shot through her. Tears dripped from her eyes. She could cry here. She could let it out.

All the stress leached from her system as he worked her over. She clung to the desk, letting him take her further and further. She could hear her voice, counting out each stroke, but it seemed distant. She was lost in her own body, in her connection to him.

The tears came but not like they had that first night. She didn’t need it as much now. She needed something different from him and as he continued, every stroke of the ruler took her to another level. The pain mixed with the pleasure to create something new, something dark and seemingly forbidden, something she’d come to crave.

“Forty,” she said with a shiver.

This time his hand came out, cupping her cheek and stroking over her heated flesh.

“Very nice. You handled that assignment quite well.” Her horny professor’s voice was anything but even.

“Do I get an A?” She wasn’t sure how much further she could take this. She’d always adored role-play, but she kind of wanted Flynn now.

He hauled her up and turned her around, his hair escaping from the tight queue he’d placed it in. “I’ll give you anything you want but I don’t think I can keep this up. I need you, Amy.”

There he was. There was her Flynn. He could be so dominant and yet he made himself vulnerable to her. He was perfect because they could play and play but when it got real he was right there with her.

“I’m crazy about you, Flynn. I think…” She wasn’t ready to say it yet.

His lips curled up slightly and his eyes lit. “I think, too. I think we think about the same damn things. Come here. I fucking need you in my life. Don’t ever put me off with a text again. Call me. Tell me what you need and I’ll give it to you.”

She’d never heard those words from a man before. Never believed them.

One hand cupped the back of her neck and he pulled her in for a hungry kiss. She was so aware of her own body. He was still dressed, the tweed of his jacket scratching against her.

He pulled away and without a word, picked her up and set her on the table. “Let me get these off you. Hold on. It’s going to hurt a little, but I’ll make it all better for you, pet. I waited all fucking day to be here with you. I’ll make everything better. Lean back for me.”

She did as he asked, offering her clamped breasts up to him. Offering everything up to him.

He undid the first clamp and she nearly screamed as the blood rushed back into her nipple. He was there, soothing her with his lips and tongue. Though she knew he was eager, he didn’t rush through the process. He took his time, ensuring she was all right. That was the heart of who he was. She bit back against the pain of her second nipple being freed because she knew Flynn would make it better. Even as he laved his affection on her tortured nipples, his free hand played in her pussy.

The spanking had gotten her hot and wet. She didn’t need anything but his cock and yet he stayed at her breasts for a moment, kissing and sucking gently until she thought she would explode with wanting.

He moved back and shoved at his slacks. He didn’t bother with the shirt or the jacket, simply shoved down his pants and boxers, freeing his cock. He proved just how prepared he’d been. Next to where he’d lain the ruler was a condom. With a quick tear and an expert hand, he prepped it and rolled it on before lining himself up.

“This has been your lesson in role-playing,” he said with a grin. He looked at her like she was the most precious thing in the world. “Please tell Wade I properly instructed you on the finer points of the subject.”

She wasn’t sure how much true role-playing they’d done, but she loved him for trying. He was even sexier when he couldn’t keep in character because he had to have her, needed to be close to her. “I’ll be sure to let him know that your methods work wonders, Professor.”

He pressed in, filling her up. He was so big and hard inside her. She spread herself wide and then wrapped her legs around him. She could feel him on every inch of her skin. Her backside ached against the desk, her nipples still tender, but it was all part of the play. She wanted more of it, more of him.

She groaned as he thrust inside her and pulled back out. He leaned over to kiss her, tongue thrusting in time to his cock.

How could he do this to her? She’d never reacted to a man like she did Flynn. Already she could feel herself on the shimmering edge.

“Do you have any idea how good you make me feel?” Flynn whispered against her lips. His arms went to her tender backside, holding her tight.

She groaned at the sensation. So much sensation. He rocked into her, hitting her clit with his pelvis, rubbing and moving in a way that had her screaming out his name in no time.

He kept it up until finally his back bowed and he tightened his arms around her, keeping her close to him. His cock plunged in one last time and he was spent.

“That was a perfect lesson,” she said with a smile as she lay back on the desk and tried to catch her breath. Her body pulsed with the sweet exertion.

He was so gorgeous as he stared down at her. His hand came out, touching her chest right in between her breasts. “It’s not over. I’ve got a lot to teach you. First tell me something, pet. Was it a hard day?”

It had been awful. There were those tears again, but they were somehow sweet because he was here with her. “Yes.”

“Then I’ll get myself cleaned up and I’m going to get you out of those gorgeous heels and rub your feet while you eat the pizza I ordered. It’s ham and pineapple. Just like you like it. I’ll make it better for you, Amy…Slaten. I like Slaten better.”

He stepped away and she could hear him moving to her bathroom.

She’d never cared for the name at all, but somehow it sounded right when he said it.

Amy let the peace of the moment settle over her and knew that no matter what happened in the morning she was going to be all right.

For the first time in her life she felt comfortable in her own skin.

Chapter Seven

Flynn put the glass of wine in front of Amy with a deep sense of satisfaction. He hadn’t been an awful professor. Oh, he’d broken character more than once, but they would get better at it. She seemed to respond well. So very well. “You liked the pizza, pet?”

She smiled up at him, her skin still flush from all the nasty things he’d done to her. He hadn’t allowed her to get dressed again. When she got cold, he’d wrapped her in a blanket after ensuring the gorgeous flesh of her ass was merely pink and not likely to welt. “It was delicious and so much better than anything I was planning.”

He sank down beside her. “What were you planning? Because from what I can tell you have very little food in this place.”

She groaned and settled herself against him. “I’ve done nothing except work and go over to your place for the last few weeks. No time for grocery shopping. I’m afraid you’ve been my main source of nutrition.”

He didn’t mind that at all. He liked providing for her. He also liked that they were finally talking. She’d been stressed for weeks but when he asked about it she deflected. He ran a hand over her hair. “Work is rough?”

“My company is in some trouble and it’s been one thing after another.” She was quiet for a moment and then seemed to come to a decision. “Honestly, it’s in a lot of trouble. Everything’s coming to a head and I’ve been putting out one fire after another.”

Slaten Industries was her company and she’d admitted that was her true last name and given him a decent explanation for why she’d changed it. Nothing in her manner had told him she was lying to him or hiding anything. She’d simply been admitting something that she hadn’t thought was important. She hadn’t liked hearing a name she didn’t consider her own and that was when she’d explained it to him.

She had no idea who he was and she wasn’t some corporate spy. She was his sweet, sexy, hard-working girl.

Who would have fucking guessed his perfect woman would turn out to be the head of Slaten Industries? His father had to be having a good laugh. He didn’t even consider that his father would be angry. He wouldn’t. He might have hated George Slaten, but he would have loved Amy.

Now he had to figure out how to explain to her that his last name wasn’t Flynn. That in and of itself wasn’t the problem. The problem was that his last name was Adler, and he thought that might mean something to her.

She might be innocent in all this but he wasn’t. Still, if he explained maybe it wouldn’t be too bad. He could massage it, maybe bring it up in conversation and then act like it was all one big surprise.

It kind of had been.

“Putting out fires doesn’t sound good.”

She groaned and cuddled against him. “Awful.”

“You don’t talk about work much. I’m not sure if that’s because you don’t enjoy your work or if it’s sensitive.”

“Sensitive?”

“Like my work. I keep everything private because of the nature of the code I’m writing.” This could be a good talk. And he couldn’t think of a better way to broach the subject than with her naked and sated in his arms.

“That’s right. You’re in R&D. Is that why you freaked out on me that morning?”

He chuckled. It was easy now because he could look back and see how completely paranoid he’d been. Amy wasn’t great with a computer. His girl wouldn’t know how to steal his code, much less even want to. Something else had happened to put those scratches on that system. He would figure it out, but he knew it couldn’t have been her. “I’d been dealing with some rival firms trying to get hold of it. It’s worth a lot of money, but I overreacted. It will never happen again. You can use my computer anytime you like.”

“I can play solitaire?” She yawned, putting her hand over her mouth.

He kissed her forehead. “I’ll get you your own password and everything.”

He trusted her. Now that she’d told him her real name, he realized how foolish he’d been. Still, he wouldn’t change a thing. He was perfectly happy where he was.

“You might not after I tell you what I have to tell you.” She turned and twisted until she was facing him, gathering the blanket around her.

His stomach threatened to drop. “What’s that?”

“I don’t talk about work because it’s not pleasant for me,” she began. It was easy to see the tension was back in her shoulders. They were practically up around her ears. “My family owns the majority of the stock in our company and they’re not exactly the nicest people in the world. I’m fairly certain my father is one of Satan’s minions. He’s truly vile. My mom spends most of her time with her Chardonnay, but I probably would too if I was married to my father.”

“You work with your dad?” Mitch had told him a little, but not much. Adam had filled in some lines, but he still had some questions.

She bit her bottom lip and was quiet for a moment, as though trying to figure out how much to tell him. “I kind of ousted him and took over his role as CEO.”

“You got him voted out?”

“Sort of. I might have had a private investigator follow him around until he broke his own morality clause. I might have had the whole thing taped and I might have shown it as the video reel at my wedding. Which was also for business purposes. When I married Frankie, he got stock and a voting share at Slaten and I got one in his family’s company when I took his name. We took down our parents in a two-week period.”

She was mean. Why did that get him hot? “Your father was that bad?”

“He was planning on selling the company and using the sale as a way of screwing the employees not only out of their jobs but out of their pensions. When my grandfather ran Slaten, he offered pensions, and we’ve still got about fifty older employees who stand to come into theirs in the next few years, and a hundred or so retired employees who would have found themselves totally screwed over. My father made some shady legal maneuvers a few years back. While they could have fought it, he would have money-whipped them. I had a lawyer attached to McKay-Taggart look at everything before I took over and he pointed out all the ways my father intended to screw our employees. I grew up with a bunch of them. I worked at Slaten every summer and they took care of me. I couldn’t let that happen. I couldn’t let him do that to the company my grandfather worked so hard to build.”