His Absolute Arrangement: A Scandalous Billionaire Love Story (Jessika, #1) (19 page)

"I recognize that you have a mouth, Miss Tanner, but I don't want you to use it at the moment."

"You asked me a question!"

I didn't get to say much more than that.  Lucent grabbed my chin in his hand and lifted it up, making me look skywards and towards him.  He lifted my head high, straining the muscles in my neck, then he squeezed my jaw slightly, forcing me to part my lips.

This was all cause for surprise, but then he surprised me more by kissing me.  Bending low, Lucent descended upon me, bringing his mouth to mine and kissing me with such passion and fervor that I forgot nearly everything.

His tongue teased at my lips and he nibbled on my bottom one, sucking it into his mouth.  My eyes widened and I stared at him with a gasp of shock and a shiver of delight.  This... was not at all what I expected, but I liked it.

Then he stopped.

"Why did you stop?" I asked with a whine.

He let go of my chin, but I kept my head craned upwards, staring at him.

"I needed a moment to contemplate your punishment," he said.

"You could spank me?" I offered.  "You did say that I was using your desk for my own pleasure, but I don't think I was, so if you want, I can, and you can spank me there?"

"You do realize that you're awful at this, still, don't you?" he asked.

"I'm trying!  I knelt on the floor, didn't I?"

He smiled down at me.  "I find your inquisitive nature pleasing, Miss Tanner.  Truly, I do.  I even enjoy your playful banter more often than not.  I'm completely unsure if you'll ever be a proper submissive, though."

"I'd like to try," I said.  "I do like it.  I just have a lot of questions and sometimes I don't understand."

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

I nodded.  "Yes."

"We can progress slowly, if you're willing.  You don't have to do anything you don't want to, though.  Please believe me when I say that.  While I generally do prefer and enjoy relationships with a higher degree of domination and submission involved, I would gladly make an exception for you.  It's not necessary, but if you're willing, I would enjoy teaching you.  Consider it pleasant training, if you will."

I gulped and nodded.  I understood; I really did.  Before I met Lucent, I didn't know any of this, though.  I'd heard rumors about him, heard that he was into the darker side of sexuality, which I mistook for meaning that he was an abusive asshole.  Sometimes he came across as arrogant, too.  His tone was more than a bit formal, which I think threw a lot of people off guard.

Lucent was so nice, though.  He was caring and kind.  He sounded stiff and pragmatic sometimes, but not always.  He was careful and guarded, for a lot of reasons and a lot of purposes.  I liked that, though.  I liked all of his BDSM domination and submission things, too.  I liked when he spanked me.  And when he held my hands above my head and pinned me to the bed; I liked that, too.  We did things together that I never even imagined doing with anyone before, but when I did them with Lucent they seemed so natural and right.

"I'm willing," I said.  "I do like it.  I like everything, Lucent, I just get nervous sometimes."

He smiled down at me, then bent low again and kissed the tip of my nose.  When he pulled away from me, I strained my head upwards further without thinking about it, trying to keep him close.

"It's just us," he said.  "You and I, Miss Tanner.  There's nothing to be nervous about.  Nothing you do is wrong.  I apologize if I made you feel that way.  I'm still coming to terms with what sort of relationship we have."

"What about..." I started to say more, but paused.  Honestly, this was a stretch, and I didn't know if Lucent would agree to it.  He agreed sometimes, but what I wanted to suggest wasn't an occasional thing.  "If I knew that we were being a little more serious sometimes, it'd be easier for me.  It's hard to switch, you know?  You aren't actually upset I was in your office, right?  It was just a part of... of a game, sort of?"

He nodded and held out his hand to help me to my feet.  "Yes.  I'm not upset with you."

I refused his hand, though.  I shook my head, then looked away, casting my gaze down to his shoes.  "I do want to, Lucent, it's just difficult sometimes to go from one thing to another.  You do it so easily and seamlessly.  I don't know if I can do it like that.  But maybe if..."

He placed his hand on the top of my head, teasing my hair between his fingers.  "Yes?"

"You always call me Miss Tanner, so if you used my first name and you called me Elise I would know when you wanted me to be more submissive, you know?  If you did that, I think it'd be easier for me.  And... I do, I want to make you happy, too, Lucent.  I swear it.  I..."

He lowered himself to the ground in front of me, kneeling and joining me.  Touching my cheek lightly with his thumb, he caressed my skin towards my lips, pressing softly in the center of my mouth.  I kissed the tip of his thumb and smiled.

"I love you, Lucent," I said.

He smiled back.  "I love you, too, Elise."

"Can we start over?  I'll get back in the chair and pretend I was writing and you just came in on me, then we can do it all again.  Is that alright?"

He winked at me, grinning a conspirator's grin, then nodded towards his office desk chair.  I scrambled to my feet and jumped into the chair.  To add authenticity to the scene, I flipped open my laptop and pretended to be typing.

"M
iss Tanner, Miss Tanner, Miss Tanner.  What am I going to do with you?"

I didn't speak this time.  I looked towards Lucent, but not at him, keeping my eyes downcast.

"Up," he said.  "Kneel."

He didn't need to point, nor did he have time to.  I hurried from the desk and knelt in front of him.

"Good," he said.  "Do you have anything to say before I punish you?"

I shook my head, no.  I didn't say anything.

He smiled and grabbed my chin like he had before.  My head lifted, neck craning upwards, and Lucent pressed his lips to mine, kissing me.  I kissed him, too, kissed him back.  I wanted this, I wanted more.  If this was all there was to it, I thought I could do it forever.  I still had a lot of questions; I always had a lot of questions.  I wanted to ask Lucent about them, and sometimes I did, but now wasn't the time.

Before he left me, before he stopped kissing me, he licked at the front of my lips.  I opened my mouth for him, desiring his kiss.  He squeezed my jaw lightly, pinching just beneath my ears.  His tongue caressed my bottom lip again, this time sneaking slightly into my mouth.  The tip of his tongue touched against the back of my teeth and the front of my palate.  It... Oh God.  I trembled at his touch, the feeling on the roof of my mouth sending shivers through my body.  His tongue finished its journey, ending on my upper lip, and then he lifted himself away.

I was unintentionally drooling somewhat.  Lucent released my chin and wiped at the side of my mouth with his thumb.

"Will you be good?" he asked.  "Will you do anything I say, Elise?"

I nodded fast.  "Yes, Lucent."

"I don't want you to speak," he said.  "I want you to use your mouth for something else.  Do you understand?"  In some ridiculously erotic and untoward (...or not entirely) show of what he meant, he squeezed at the crotch of his suit pants.

I nodded fast again; faster.

"You may begin," he said.

~*~

Y
ou can find the rest of this story here:
His Absolute Assignment

A
re you curious about how Jessika first met Asher Landseer?

Please enjoy this sample from the The Billionaire's Ultimatum: His Absolute Need, by Cerys du Lys

~*~

"D
on't move anything out of place," the cleaning staff lead said.  "Don't use non-approved equipment, don't speak unless spoken to, and don't get in the way."

This place was strict, apparently.  I knew it would be tough when I started, but the pay was good and I really needed the job at the moment, even if it was only for a day.  The temp agency that placed me here had seemed reluctant about offering me the job, but the staff lead said it didn't matter, that he (who was he?) wouldn't be in the office today and they just needed someone to fill the position. 

That should have tipped me off to something, but I was blinded by the money.  And this was at Landseer Tower, no less, one of the most high class buildings in the city, so of course they'd pay well.  Still, I had to double check to make sure the figure was correct; it was more than I made in a week at most places, and this was only for today.  I usually performed secretarial jobs, data entry, or anything involving paperwork, but I'd done a few cleaning jobs before.  I told the woman at the temp agency I would accept it.

I should have been scared—I was scared!—but I tried to overlook it.  What was the worst that could happen?  The job was only for the day.

"Jessika Fevrier," the staff lead said, reading my name from a worksheet and pronouncing it wrong.  "Do you have any questions?" he asked.  He looked at me like I was a nuisance.

Time to lighten the mood, I thought.  Not my typical strong suit, but he looked like he could use a smile, and after arriving at this place, complete with a fountain in the front lobby and crystal clear glass elevators, I was extremely nervous.  "If I can't move anything out of place," I said, "how do I clean everything?"

It was a joke.  I knew how to clean, and I knew what he meant.  It sounded better in my head, like the sort of silly, sarcastic joke that would put someone at ease.  This man would laugh, give me one of those silly shakes of his head, pat me on the shoulder, and we'd be fine for the day.

That never happened.  He stared at me, long and hard, furrowing his brow in disapproval.  "I think we're going to have to find someone else.  It's clear to me that you are unfit for this job."

What!  No, no... I needed this.  "Sir, I'm sorry.  It was a joke.  I swear.  I was just joking."

He didn't look convinced.  I was certain I couldn't convince him, was just about ready to give up and walk away, knowing I'd ruined my chances at a decent opportunity.  He frowned, letting out a loud sigh.

"It's your lucky day," he said.  "I doubt I could find anyone else on short notice, and I don't want to explain the situation to Mr. Landseer, so I'll let you stay.  The joke wasn't funny, though.  I'm not entirely convinced it was a joke, either.  Consider that your first and final warning.  If you screw up again, you're finished.  You really don't want that to happen."

I gulped, eyes wide.  A blush of red heat warmed my face, the tingle of it making me feel like I was sick, like I should have stayed in bed today.  Chicken soup was good for the soul, they said.  You couldn't pay bills with chicken soup or a soul, though, now could you?

I gathered supplies from the closet that the lead man showed me.  Nothing too difficult to handle.  A feather duster, a handheld vacuum, some cleaner spray, and a special streak-free towel.  Basic items, things I'd used numerous times before.

When I looked at the slip of paper with my assignment, I nearly died.  He wanted me to clean Asher Landseer's personal office?  Was this a joke?  I flipped the paper over, hoping to find some other instructions, but there weren't any.  The room grew hotter.  I panicked, wanted to sneak out of the office and back to my typical run of the mill day, but then what?  I couldn't just return to the temp agency.

So wandering down the hallway towards Mr. Landseer's office, I wondered why I was here again?  It was a job, first off.  That was a point in its favor.  I'd graduated from a good school, though, and received top marks for all of my classes.  Nothing perfect, but I was more than adequate.  I don't want to say that this job was beneath me, but I'd expected something better after I left college.

Unfortunately, in hindsight, majoring in English Language and Literature wasn't a great choice.  What use was knowing the thought process behind
Shakespeare's Othello
when you applied for a job?  Not much, if anything.  I'm fairly sure that the cleaning manager would have fired me on the spot instead of giving me a second chance if I'd tried discussing classic literature with him.

To be fair, this was exciting, though.  Not cleaning, and not the technicalities of this job, but the place.  Never would I have imagined coming here.  It took me awhile for the realization to sink in, and I hadn't even seen much of the interior yet, but I was in
the
Landseer Tower.  Previously owned and operated by Thomas Landseer before his death six years ago, and now owned by his son, Asher Landseer, current head of the Landseer empire.

I knew nothing about Asher, save for what I heard before coming.  I was to clean his office, and make it immaculate.  Why me?  No one would give me a good answer to that, except to say that it shouldn't be an issue.  Asher Landseer was in an important meeting and wouldn't be around, so I had free reign to clean to my heart's content and make everything perfect.  The usual person who cleaned, some elderly woman, had requested the day off so she could go to her granddaughter's dance recital.

Nervous already, my anxiety soared when I heard some of the strange things people said about my situation.  I passed a couple of men at a soda machine who stared at me, then laughed, saying something along the lines of "I don't envy her" when they thought I was too far away to hear them.  I'd also read, mostly on tabloid covers and entertainment news articles, that Asher was eccentric and reclusive.  What did that mean, though?  I figured he probably just liked his alone time.  It couldn't be that bad, right?  He was married, afterall.

Married, and beautiful beyond words.  Not that this should have mattered for much of anything, especially not to me.  But whenever I saw his picture, in passing somewhere, my heart jumped a little.  A brief quickening of my pulse, an intimate little trill of some private thought singing through my head, and...

Back to work.  I reached the office, pulled out the key the manager had given me, and unlocked the door.  Stepping inside, I flicked the light switch on and closed the door behind me.