His Demands (11 page)

If the Earth had stopped spinning or
maybe the sun would have exploded outside the window, she wouldn’t have been
shocked any less than she was right now. “What did you say?”

“I don’t think I need to repeat
myself. I’ll expect an answer by the end of business today. Either I want your resignation
on my desk or a commitment you’ll be coming home with me. You’ll be given the
week off with full pay of course and you can explain your absence by attending
a conference with me. The choice is entirely yours.”

Kaela studied his face for a few seconds
trying to take in exactly what he was saying. He was being for real. This
wasn’t a joke. He wanted her to become his submissive?
Really?
Her?
Oddly enough, instead of being incensed and
terrified, she was turned on. While thoughts about her past remained just under
the surface, for some insane reason she knew she could trust him, at least with
her safety. Besides, he was still her boss. He wouldn’t do anything to hurt
her. A shiver of fear trickled down her spine. Part of her knew she should say
no, right now. But the other part of her needed to feel alive again.

“Is that understood, Ms. Bryson?”
Broden asked quietly.

“Very much so, Mr.
MacGruder.”
She
took a step back and tuned around, heading for the door. Why the hell was her
pussy clenching this much? The answer was clear as day. This was her ultimate
fantasy and a way to break free from the chains of hell binding her. When her
hand wrapped around the doorknob, she tilted her head back, controlling her
breathing. Neither her little voice nor her BFF needed to push her this time.
This, she wanted.

Turning back to face him, she smiled
brightly. “You have yourself a deal, Mr. MacGruder.”

“Oh?” His eyebrows lifted as he
glanced into her face.
“Your decision?”

For the first time she noticed a
very unusual emotion on his face, a mixture of trepidation as well as
excitement. He was nervous as to her answer. “What time do we leave tonight?”
Raising her eyebrow, she gazed down the length of his body and back up, her
look defiant. Round one or was this round five had gone to her.

“Six sharp.
Don’t be late.”

As she walked out of his office,
tossing her head back and pretending to be in total control of her faculties
and her bodily functions, she managed to wait until the door was clicked shut
before she thumped against the wall. What in God’s name had she just agreed to?

****

Broden turned off his office light
and in truth expected Kaela would have already come back into his office, a
resignation in her hand. He’d spend the remaining three hours of the day entranced
by the possibilities, both good and bad. The offer he’d thought about on
Sunday, mulling over the details, but when he’d actually rendered the
suggestion, he’d surprised even himself. Grinning, he realized the corporate
documents and employee handbook just might have to be changed. What in the
world would his highly paid Human Resources Director have to say now? Still, he
knew this could all go south very quickly. She was Vice President after al.

When she arrived with a nervous
smile and an apprehensive yet dazzling look on her face, he was beside himself.
The gamble had been ridiculous. Sexual harassment suits were brought on and won
by one tenth of what he’d done to her. The risks for him were worth the reward.
Still, this was a huge step for him and one he hoped wouldn’t end badly.

He pushed away the ugly thoughts
about his past and work ethics and every horror that was bound to happen. The
week was so unplanned he had no idea where to start and winging it wasn’t his
nature. Broden was happy to see she’d loosened her hair, preferring her long
locks to the usual twisted in a bun manner. When her eyes flashed a combination
of apprehension as well as excitement, he was more amused with the haughty look
on her face than anything else.
“Right on time.
Good
girl.”

“I am a good girl but I have no
clothes with me. We’ll need to stop by my house first,” Kaela said softly as
she walked toward his desk.

“You don’t need to worry about
clothing for the week.”

Her eyes opened wide, yet she
remained silent.

He could tell she was thinking she’d
be spending the entire week naked and chained to his bed. While he certainly
longed for a taste of that very moment of shared kink, he had no plans of
forcing her to do anything. No matter the deal with the devil he’d made. “I
meant
,
I’ll send out for anything you desire.”

The comment obviously surprising
her, she smiled and looked away, her hand brushing through her hair nervously.
“You don’t have to do that.”

“I insist. There’s something you
need to know, my offer is binding, however you don’t have to do anything you
don’t want to do. You’re not a slave.” The single word embroiled the back of
his mind, titillating his thoughts and his growing libido, but everything they
shared had to be agreed on.

“You mean demand, don’t you? I don’t
have a choice.” Kaela glanced in his direction.

“Fair enough but you made a choice.”

“So I did.”

“Come. Let’s enjoy getting to know
each other better.” Sighing, Broden moved toward her. Their sparring event
wasn’t going to be won in the middle of his office. He eased behind her,
holding his hand out toward the door, and as they walked out of the office
together, they garnered several looks from the few remaining employees. He had
to resist wrapping his arm around her. This wasn’t a date. This was a contract
negotiation and he’d won the right to own her, at least for a solid week. The
rest… Broden knew without a doubt this woman, this beauty, had already gotten
under his skin.

During the ride, she said nothing,
preferring to stare out the window. Broden didn’t push, simply enjoyed the fact
she was sitting in the seat beside of him. Gunning the engine, he found himself
racing through the side streets of Charlotte, weaving in and out of traffic on
his way to his home. The moment he pulled into the driveway, allowing the
engine to purr for a full minutes before turning off the engine, he could feel
tension remaining between them.

Kaela shifted in her seat and
sighed. “You drive like you fuck.”

Broden burst into laughter, the
comment so unexpected. “I think I’m afraid to ask what that means.”

“Hard and rough.”
Placing her hand on the door
handle, she pushed open the door and climbed out without looking at him.

He could easily tell how
uncomfortable she was. Did he regret his decision and his demand?
In truth.
Not in the least. Even thought she’d been in his
house merely two days before, he allowed her to become accustomed to the
expansive space and the quietness. “Make yourself at home. I’m going to change
out of this monkey suit and perhaps we can make dinner together.” He was
immediately cognizant of her tense form, her subtle yet audible pants. Easing
toward her, he took her into his arms.
“Kaela.”

“Sir.”

“Hmmm…” Broden sighed.

“Isn’t that what I’m required to
call you as your slave?”

The words were so full of
apprehension. He lowered his head, brushing his lips across hers, his whisper
husky,” You’re not my slave and you’ll never be anyone’s slave.” Capturing her
mouth, he pulled her into his chest as he pushed his tongue inside her mouth.
She didn’t respond at all for a few seconds and he almost pulled away. What had
happened to their engaging passion from before?

Moaning into the kiss, she
tentatively eased one arm around his waist, holding him in place as she tipped
her head back.

Broden closed his eyes, becoming
lost in the single moment, and longing for so much more. As their tongues
entwined he grunted, his cock pushing hard against his pants. He wanted nothing
more than to take her, tie her to his bed as the fantasy saw fit, but he knew
he had to take the concept of seduction slowly, or lose her forever. He broke
the kiss after only a minute and eased back, giving her a respectful nod. “There’s
wine if you’d like and the liquor cabinet is over there. I’ll be back in a few
minutes.” For some reason he couldn’t wait for her to answer. His heart was
racing too much.

****

Whatever Kaela had expected as she
was ushered into his mansion, this wasn’t it. Maybe she truly thought Broden
was more of a sadist than a Dom. Whatever the case, she was pleasantly surprised
at his actions. Grinning, if she had to admit the truth at least to herself,
she was already ready for more. She shook her head as she looked around the
beautiful and very spacious kitchen, gleaming with stainless steel, expensive
countertops and absolute zero warmth. The place definitely needed a woman’s
touch.

Well, she wasn’t here to be Suzy Q
Homemaker. She was here because of a directive that she’d accepted.
Directive?
Now wasn’t that a kick? This was more like a
moment in fantasyland, perhaps a twilight zone kind of experience. Becoming
Broden’s…hmmm… If she wasn’t going to be his slave, was submissive a strong
enough word? Eyeing the bar and refrigerator, she headed in the direction,
rubbing her hand all the way down the length of the counter as she walked,
enjoying the way the cool marble felt to her heated hand. Yep, she not only
remained on edge but also wet as she’d been the moment he spanked her. “Whew.”
She was shivering with the thought.

She yanked open the refrigerator and
studied the selection of white wine. Not to her liking tonight. Something
bolder was needed, something with an intense flavor. Studying the various
liquors, she definitely refused to consume much alcohol. There was no way she
was going to allow her faculties to be muted, just in case he wasn’t the man
she thought him to be.

Finding an already opened bottle of
cabernet on the counter, she grabbed two wine glasses and poured. Then she
allowed her thoughts to wander a bit too much. Panting, she realized she was
actually short of breath.
Over a man?
Mmm…
As she took a sip of wine she knew of course Broden
wasn’t just any man. He was complicated and difficult, irrigating and
intelligent, playful and sexy. For all practical purposes she was the male twin
to her personality. Rolling her eyes, she figured this would never be a match
made in heaven but perhaps they could share a few good times together.

You’re
going to submit to him totally and completely. My guess this is much more than
about a few good times.

The inner voice she was going to
stamp out like a bug. But the truth was right there in front of her face. Maybe
she needed to start honing in to her part of the contract. Being a submissive
had more to do with sex, right? How in the world would she know? Sliding his
glass of wine across the counter, she glanced back toward the kitchen. She was
no whirlwind in front of a stove but she could mix up a mean marina sauce.
Now to see if he had any ingredients in order to make dinner.

Fifteen minutes later and she looked
at her watch for at least the third time. Where in the hell was he? She’d
managed to chop garlic, green peppers and onions as well as finding the perfect
canned tomatoes. The sauce was done, the linguini ready to go in a pot of
steaming water and no Dom to ask her to do his biddings. Her wine almost
finished, she debated before refreshing the glass. She licked the rim and took
a sip, then moved out of the kitchen to the family room, the very location
she’d…she’d seduced the man in the first place. “Ugh.”

Kaela laughed at herself as she
sauntered toward the stereo system, glaring at the complicated mass of
electronics before figuring out simply how to maneuver the CD player. As she
flipped through his extensive collection of pieces, she was surprised as the
various genres and artists – pleasantly surprised. There was quite a bit more
to the man than simply business and kink. As the light jazz sounds of Kenny G
filtered into the room, she moved to the French doors, gazing up at the rising
moon. And then she tried to figure out what possessed her to agree to this
incredible…

“Excellent
choice.”

His deep voice always managed to
thrill her. She remained where she was and still her nipples were scraping
against her bra.
“The wine or the music?”

“Both as well as
the marinara.
I didn’t
know you could cook,” Broden said quietly as he inched closer.

“I can’t.”

“You could have fooled me. I had to
sneak a taste.”

A subtle laugh found its way past
her mouth. She turned to face him and once again, he managed to drag her breath
from her body. She wasn’t certain is she was expecting leather chaps and chains
surrounding his neck, but the very unassuming look of a tight yet faded red
tee-shirt and a pair of stone washed blue jeans surprised the hell out of her.
He was sexy in an unassuming way, right down to his bear feet.

Grinning, his eyes twinkled as he
held up his glass and tipped his head. “I apologize for taking so long. I was
making certain I could have a delivery of certain items of clothing for you in
the early morning hours. For some reason my connections weren’t as influential
as I remembered them to be.”