Hidden Heart (Windy City #1) (5 page)

“No need.” She slid her arms into her coat.

“Rule one. When we are together, I decide how and when you go home. I’m walking you home.”

She hadn’t realized how deep his voice was before. She rolled her eyes and tossed her purse over her shoulder. “Fine.”

“Rule two. No eye rolling.”

“You really like counting.” She stepped out into the brisk air ahead of him, missing his grin. 

CHAPTER FOUR

The Douche

Jeremy Wilson became partner at the age of thirty-one. His record as a lawyer impressed anyone who would sit long enough for him to tell all about his career. His specialty in law included finance and fraud cases. He was intelligent, decent looking, and could be a snake charmer if needed. He was also a prick.

Jessica became saddled with him as her boss during her second year at the firm. Jeremy, for all the brains he had, was lazier than a fat cat sitting on sunny windowsill. She hadn’t gone to law school, but she knew finance law nearly as well as he did. This was an asset because if she didn’t do most of his work, his work wouldn’t get done. He was great at schmoozing the clients and pulling in big cases. His presence in depositions and courtrooms couldn’t be denied as flawless, but if Jessica didn’t hand him his arsenal before heading into those depositions and courtrooms, he would have fallen on his face each time.

Alex had tried to convince her over and over again to go back to school. To get a law degree and wipe her ass with guys like Jeremy. Jessica had good reasons not to try. School cost money, and she had bills to pay.

She’d settled with being a paralegal. She enjoyed the work. Although Jeremy was a pain in the ass, she learned a lot from working for him. She just wished he’d keep his eyes above her neck when he talked to her. She hated turtlenecks but resorted to wearing them whenever possible.

Since Jeremy would be out of the office for most of the day at a deposition, she decided to dive into the next pile of files to sort and compile the data he would need for his deposition next week. It would keep her mind from turning to Royce.

They had seen each other nearly every night since their coffee four days ago. Since they both worked pretty late, they met at his place for dinner. He cooked every night and was excellent at it. He wouldn’t let her bring dinner once.

There hadn’t been any more sex, and it was beginning to drive Jessica a little cross-eyed. She suspected he was doing it on purpose. He had to know how hot he was making her with all his little caresses and kisses. She did her very best not to pout when he pulled away from a kiss and turned the subject to something else.

Each night he gave her another rule about being at his place. He didn’t like her to wear shoes. She thought it odd, since he kept his on, but she complied. When she entered his apartment, she slipped out of her shoes and placed them neatly by the front door on a small pink mat he’d placed there for her. He had even stenciled her name it. She commented on the cuteness of it, and he had smiled and kissed her cheek.

She was to clear the table after they ate their meal. He was specific in how he liked it to be done. She knew well enough how she liked things done to her own preferences, so she didn’t see anything wrong with complying with this rule.

They kept their conversations mainly about getting to know each other. She did her best to evade his questions by turning the topic back to him. He in turn would bring the conversation back to her. When she tried again to turn the tide, he gave her a warning.

“If you keep struggling to control this conversation, you will end up in the corner with your pants down around your knees and a very sore backside.” His eyes had been stern when he gave that warning.

She swallowed and nodded. She wasn’t sure what to say to him at that moment. She’d felt completely chastised and small. She wanted to yell and sit silently at the same time. Luckily, he returned to the conversation with a calm, relaxed voice, and she did the same.

Royce had kept his word. He didn’t bother her while she worked, at least not with demands of any kind. He did send her a text once a day just asking how her day was going. She always waited an hour before responding.

Friday finally arrived, meaning she would work late and then join her friends for dinner. The text from Kelly informing her of where dinner was taking place hadn’t arrived yet. Jessica hoped against all odds Kelly would pick a place that served food on real plates, and she could read the menu.

Jeremy sauntered into her small office, which joined his, and threw himself down in the chair in front of her desk. She looked up from her laptop in surprise, then checked her watch.

“What happened?” she asked.

He folded his hands behind his head and threw his feet on top of her desk, knocking over the small framed picture she kept of her parents.

“Nothing happened.” He shrugged and grinned at her with arrogance dripping from his tone. “I won. They’re going to settle.”

“What?!” she yelled across the table. “How? They were so determined to see this through the court system.” She shut her laptop and tried not to get too excited. Nothing was straightforward with Jeremy.

“Oh, they were. I told them to give me a number, they did. It worked out for us. The employees get half of what they lost back, our fees are paid, and the new corporation wants to put us on retainer to watch over their HR department to be sure they stay legal from now on.” His grin stretched to his ears.

“Half of their retirement money?” she said in disbelief. “Jeremy, some of those people are getting ready to retire now. How can they with only half? Their money was stolen,” she pointed out, desperate to make him see the wrong in what he was doing.

“Bah! They should have planned better.” He waved his hand in the air and jumped out of his seat. “Never put all of your eggs in one basket. You’ve heard of that saying, right?” He paused at the door to wait for her answer.

“Of course. Did they agree to this settlement?”

“They will. I need you to draft up the letter for them and have them all sign off on it. You can sell it to them, I know it. This new account will mean big things for the firm.” He snapped his fingers in his excitement and disappeared into his office.

Her phone vibrated. Kelly’s pick—Hooters.

Great. At least they would understand the menu. She slid her phone across the desk and stared into the air.

Royce and Jessica entered the restaurant half an hour after the group agreed to meet. The letter took longer to draft than she’d anticipated. Having to dash someone’s dreams of retirement tended to make the words flow with less ease.

Royce had met her at her office, a surprise she didn’t mind for once. He was a welcomed sight after the afternoon with her grimy boss.

“We ordered chicken wings for everyone. Some big platter thing,” Kelly informed them as they slid into the circular booth in a far corner. Kelly had spied them walking in together, and Jessica cringed at the dropped smile and defeated look in her eyes.

She’d meant to call Kelly during the week to let her know what was going on with Royce. But Jessica couldn’t find the words to explain it to herself let alone someone else.

“That sounds great.” Jessica plopped into her seat between Alex and Royce and reached for the pitcher of beer.

“Whoa. Bad day?” Alex commented, handing her a glass.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Jessica poured herself a glass and offered the pitcher to Royce, who declined.

“The Douche?”

“Yep.” Jessica sipped her beer.

Jonathan and Erin broke in and began to tell everyone their plans for the wedding. Erin was starting to move things along and was beginning to look for her wedding dress. Kelly offered to shop with her, and before Jessica was able to join the conversation, a date had been set in two weeks to spend the day walking along the Magnificent Mile in search of the perfect dress.

“Only one beer. I have plans for us when we are done here,” Royce leaned over and whispered into Jessica’s ear.

She nodded, keeping her eyes on her friends chatting. Royce had made it clear in the cab over that even though they were in public, he was still in charge. She hadn’t had the strength to argue or fight him. She’d enjoyed the warmth of his arm around her shoulders on the ride too much to ruin it.

“When are you going to drop that damn job and go back to school? They have grants and scholarships. You can do it if you really wanted to.” Alex started in on her job again after the dinner plates had been cleared away.

“Why not go for a new career with your English background?” Royce chimed in.

Jessica looked for help from Erin, who promptly threw her hands in the air. “Don’t look at me! I never understood why you switched gears like you did. You would be a perfect editor.”

“Thanks!” Jessica rolled her eyes. She jumped at the sharp pinch on her thigh and snapped her attention to Royce.

He raised an eyebrow.

“Oh.” She realized the error she’d made and quickly turned her attention back to her friends.

“I have no experience with anything in the publishing world.” She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and readjusted her seat.

“So,” Kelly stated, “you could make some new contacts if you went back for your master’s.”

“Okay, well, that still leaves money. I can’t get my master’s and work sixty-hour weeks. So unless one of you knows Daddy Warbucks, I’m just going to have to accept the road I chose. And so should all of you.” She smiled at them and stood from the table. “Are you ready?” She looked down at Royce, who raised his eyebrow at her again.

“No.” He shook his head.

They stared at each other for a full minute before Jessica slowly sank back into her chair. Her face was flushed from the knowledge her friends had witnessed the exchange.

Erin watched them with a silly grin glued to her face. Jonathan watched with an expression of envy at Royce. Kelly looked completely jealous, and Alex didn’t even try to hide his snicker.

Jessica stared into her empty glass of beer. She wanted another but was afraid of what scene that might cause. She wanted to stomp her foot and scream. She wanted to dart away.

Royce placed his arm around her and pulled her to him, placing a kiss to the top of her head. The wave of emotion calmed to a smooth ripple at his touch.

“Jonathan, I understand you work on computers,” he said, turning the attention away from them while keeping his arm around her.

Her irritation melted away as the group became immersed in their conversations.

Then Royce stood from the table and excused himself for a moment.

Alex watched him and cursed. “That bastard stole my idea,” he said jokingly.

Jessica turned in her seat to see Royce standing at the hostess station, paying the bill.

“Let him have this one.” Jessica patted Alex’s arm.

“You really like him, huh?” He sounded serious.

“Enough for now.” She shrugged and watched Royce make his way back to the table. She loved his walk. He looked completely in control of the room, as though he owned every inch of it.

“Okay, ready?” He pulled Jessica’s jacket free of the chair and offered it to her. She slid her arms in, and he adjusted her collar before grabbing his soda and downing the last sip.

“Going already?” Kelly asked, her eyes glued to Royce.

“Yeah. Jessica had a long day, and I’m a bit exhausted as well.” He winked to Jessica and waved to the group.

Jessica did the same and allowed him to grasp her hand and lead her away from their friends.

He had plans for them when they got back to his place. She couldn’t tell if she was scared or excited.

CHAPTER FIVE

The Scene

Royce wouldn’t answer any questions she put to him in the cab on the way home. She only stopped pestering him when he gave her a warning glance, which she took to mean trouble was behind the next question.

He unlocked the door to his apartment, and as usual stepped aside to let her in first. She took a step in and tripped over a large box in the front hall, stubbing her bare toe. She dropped her shoes on the mat and hopped around holding her foot.

Royce flipped on the lights to see the offending object. “You okay?” He was obviously trying not to laugh at the sight of her hopping around on one foot.

“Yeah. I kicked the box. I hope it wasn’t fragile.” She held her foot out and wiggled her toes, while he inspected the box.

“The doorman must have dropped it off. Just some mail.” He picked it up and put it in the closet.

“Did you order something?” she asked as she straightened her shoes on the mat the way he wanted them. Toes facing the wall, lined up neatly.

He closed the closet door and watched her. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?” He leaned against the door, crossing his arms over his chest.

She blushed.

“Of course you don’t. Something tells me you don’t have the slightest idea of how great you are.”

“I don’t do so well with flattery.” She put her hands on her hips. “But I will take another kiss,” she teased.

He pushed away from the wall and took her in his arms. His hands slid under her hair, his thumb caressing her jaw as he brought his lips to hers. She’d expected a passionate kiss. He skimmed her lips with his own and pulled away. She let out a low moan of dissatisfaction and frustration. He grinned and walked into the living room, telling her to follow him.

“I want to show you the fun of playing with pain and pleasure.” He took a stool from the corner of the room and placed it in an open space. “Take your clothes off,” he instructed and left the room before she could argue.

Jessica stood staring at the stool for a moment, worried about what was about to happen. Other than a playful swat to her backside here and there, they hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary, at least physically, on their dates. Reminding herself that she had begun this journey of exploration and she would see it through, she began to remove her clothing.

When Royce returned, she stood behind the stool, her arms crossed over her chest. In an attempt to keep her modesty, she clenched her legs together.

He shook his head as he brought a small cloth bag to the coffee table. “Let me see you.” He stood over her.

Although she was at least a head shorter than him, until he stood over her naked body, she didn’t feel petite.

She looked away, toward the hallway he had just emerged from and dropped her arms to her sides and stood with her legs straight.

“Sit on the stool.” He was giving short commands, but his voice held a softness that comforted her.

Jessica slid onto the stool, keeping her hands folded in her lap and her feet on the lower bar of the stool. She watched him open the cloth bag and pour colored clothespins onto the table. She chewed the inside of her lip while watching him sort them into colored groups—green, blue, red, and white.

“Doing laundry?” she attempted a joke.

He grinned up at her from over his shoulder and continued with his work. Finally finished, he stood up and pulled a thick, black strip of fabric from the back pocket of his jeans.

“No laundry, but remind me later to tell you about what a friend did with his submissive and some clothespins when she kept forgetting to do the laundry.”

He played with the fabric in his hand, and she shifted in her seat. “We are going to play a memory game. I’m going to place these clothespins on your breasts. When I do so, I will tell you what color I’m placing. Your job is to remember what color is where. Then I’ll ask you to tell me what color a particular pin is. If you remember right, pleasure will be yours. If you get it wrong, the pin will be removed unpleasantly.”

Her face paled as he explained the game. “It will hurt,” she stated the obvious.

“Yes, but only a little. My intention isn’t to injure you. It’s to play.” He ran the back of his hand down the length of her nose.

She found the action oddly comforting.

“You’ll see. The good and bad mix together, until you aren’t really sure where one stops and the other begins and then it all just feels good.” His smile was reassuring.

“Okay.” She nodded and closed her eyes. He tied the fabric tightly behind her head. Her breathing became deep and controlled.

“This one is blue.” He placed a soft kiss to the inside of her right breast and pinched the skin before placing the clothespin.

She sucked in her breath at the sensation of the pin pinching her.

“Good girl,” he whispered in her ear and reached for another pin. “This one is white.” He placed another kiss to the outside of her left breast and again pinched the skin and placed the pin.

She took a deep breath, calming herself.

“Not so bad, right?” He ran his hand over her hair.

“No, I guess not,” she answered. In truth, she’d expected her breasts to be in a fit of pain. It was surprising how gentle he was being and how although the pressure of the pins was uncomfortable she wasn’t in any serious pain. His words acted as a safety blanket, every encouraging word giving her the will to go on.

He continued to apply several more pins to her breasts. Each time kissing the spot he was to apply it first. By the time he was done, an array of colors spread over both breasts.

“I wish I could take a picture of you like this. You really don’t know how hot this looks on you.” He spoke into her ear, a slow, deep voice that made her squirm in her seat.

The game, his voice, and the sensations all mingled together making her cunt slippery, the juices gathering on her thighs.

“Spread your legs.” He dipped his fingers between her thighs.

She complied and was rewarded with his fingers stroking her. She couldn’t stop the moan from escaping as he continued to slowly pet her.

“You are so wet already.” He kissed her ear. “But we still have to take these off.” She could hear the evil grin in his voice.

“There are so many.” She groaned.

“There are only five.” He chastised her and lifted her breasts up in his hands.

She felt him watching her as he let go, and the bounce of her breasts made the pins jiggle and create more pressure on each one. She grimaced at the new sensation rushing through her. His hands played with one of the pins, and she tried to remember the color.

“What color is this one, Jessica?” he asked as he flicked the pin.

“Blue!” she called out as the memory struck her.

“Are you sure?” he teased, rolling the end of the pin around in a circular motion.

“Yes.” She grinned confidently. “It was the first one you put on.”

“Good girl,” he cooed and pushed the ends of the pin together, releasing it from her skin, then quickly placed his lips over the pinched area to kiss away the burning sensation.

She noticed only a moment of discomfort before his warm kiss took it away.

“How about his one?” He began to play with another on the inside of her right breast.

She tapped her right foot while thinking. It was difficult to do with him playing with the clothespin, and he was now also stroking her thigh with his fingertips.

“You’re trying to distract me,” she accused. A sharp slap to her thigh was his response.

“Maybe so. Or maybe I just enjoy touching you. Now, what color?” He flicked the pin harder.

“White,” she answered with much less confidence.

“Such a lucky guess.” He sounded disappointed and amused while he removed the clip and kissed her breast, this time running his hand up her thigh and through her legs, touching her wetness. “Three more.” He kissed her neck.

Goosebumps covered her arms and she felt a tingling in her neck after his kiss. She tapped her fingers on her thighs as he began to play with a clip close to her left nipple. It was either blue or green…blue…green.

“Two seconds…”

“Blue!” she yelled out.

He yanked on the pin, and it pulled free of her skin. She cried out from the sting and waited for a kiss to follow.

“Nope. It was green.” He tossed the clip onto the table. No kiss came.

“That really stung.” Her hands reached for her breasts, to soothe the sting, a sharp swat to her thighs stopped her.

“Hands down.” A cool command.

She readjusted herself on the stool. The sharp sensation rushed to her brain. The pain of the clip being removed combined with his pleasure at her ability to play the game brought her arousal to new heights.

He tweaked her nipple lightly. “This one?”

“White.” She announced with a grin, arching her back to give him better access. She wanted her kisses.

“No, blue!” His voice held amusement in it.

She readied herself for the sting, but it wasn’t enough preparation.

He flicked his finger at the clothespin, it let go of her skin, and she heard it fall to the floor. The searing, sharp sting from the abandoned pin left her momentarily breathless.

“You are quite alluring when you scrunch up your face like that,” he commented as she took small breaths to calm herself. “One more…” He kissed her cheek and stood behind her. He pulled her back against him and ran his hands over her naked chest. “What color do you think it is?”

“Green…no, blue…no, no wait, let me think.” Her chest was rising and falling faster as she began to over think. Did he use any red ones? She tried to remember as he ran his hand up her thigh again and stopped just where she wanted his touch the most.

“If you get it wrong, I’ll use my crop to get it off.” He rested his chin on her shoulder, continuing to play with her legs and breasts.

She squirmed in her seat, and she made a noise that sounded very much like a cat’s growl.

“Okay. Time’s up…what color?”

“Red?” she said, hopefully.

“Oh, I’m sorry. No. It’s white. Remember, I held off on the red because they had too tight of a grip.”

She cursed. That’s exactly what he’d told her.

“That’s okay… I was hoping to use my crop anyway. It’s a win-win.”

“For who?” She pouted.

“Both of us. You’re doing a great job.” He kissed her neck again before leaving her to get the riding crop.

“I’m not sure I can handle a crop.” She fisted her hands. So many emotions ran through her she couldn’t pick them apart.

“You’ll do fine. You remember the word I gave you to say if you need me to stop?”

“Yes.” She nodded and relaxed her fists.

“Good. Now grip the stool with your hands and arch her back so your chest is pushed out… That’s it. Good girl.” He brushed her breasts with the crop, letting the leather caress her.

Lightly, he applied slaps to her breasts, spreading out the smacks between both of them. She made a small noise, and he intensified the impact of the small leather flapper. Her breasts bounced from the smacks, and she felt the lone clothespin moving around, twisting her flesh as it did so.

The leather flicked at her nipples, and she arched her back more. The pinching from the pin, the sharp slaps of the leather, and the caressing between all melded together. Her breath quickened, not from fear, but from excitement. A particularly hard slap landed on her nipple, and she cried out from it, but didn’t try to avoid him. She tilted her head back and let him continue his game. Her skin felt warm from the spanking.

The clothespin became his primary target, and he flicked it with the crop. “Ready?” Before she formed an answer, he slapped the pin from her skin.

She let out a yelp, but focused on her breathing. She couldn’t help the smile that took over her lips. She’d made it through.

The clunk of the crop landing on the table echoed in the other otherwise silent room.

Royce wrapped his arms around her, kissing her neck and cheeks. He ran his hands down her arms and slowly up her torso until he reached her breasts. He kneaded them and kissed her.

She felt hungry for him, and kissed back as though she were in a fever. He dragged his lips away from her mid-kiss.

“I want to describe your breasts to you.” He released her and stepped back.

Her hands remained gripping the stool. Her cheeks flushed.  She could feel his stare, and she wondered if she’d ever get used to his eyes on her.

“The clothespins left small red marks behind. The riding crop, that you did so well taking for me, has left your breasts a rosy shade of red. It looks like they are blushing. Almost as much as your face.” His voice was light.

She wanted to see him and moved her hands toward her face.

“Don’t remove the blindfold. I’ll remove it when I’m ready.”

She dropped her hands.

“Why are you blushing? Are you embarrassed about what we did?” His hands were back on her, caressing her thighs.