Requested Surrender (14 page)

She thought about what David had said about how she’d know who she was dealing with after tonight. Was this what he’d meant or was that enlightenment still to come? The David she was dealing with now—the man on that stage—apparently ran a huge foundation that did, by the sounds of it, a whole pile of philanthropic projects. A far cry from the guy who sent her collars and cuffs and got her off with a precision that was mind boggling. She wasn’t sure how she felt about all this, and when he got back to the table she wasn’t sure what to say. Tongue-tied as she was, it was no wonder butterflies took flight in her stomach the instant he bent and spoke in her ear.

“Are you ready to be my angel?”

She was. She so fucking was, she closed her eyes and nodded.

“First I want you to come with me to meet one of my partners you haven’t met yet. He’s the tardy one who was supposed to accept this instead of me tonight.”

She smiled. “That’s a beautiful award.” It was glass and when he stepped back to help her stand she noticed it had heavily etched inscriptions. “Does that have four names on it?”

“Five.”

“There are five of you?” She let him lead her to the entrance of the ballroom as she contemplated that news. He was all business as he wove his way through the crowd. He never even stopped when people stood to say hello to him. He wasn’t exactly rude, but short on charm? Yes, he was, until they stepped out in the hall and he drew her in for hug, answering.

“Yes. Does that surprise you?”

“I guess. I always thought of you, Ethan and Ted as the Three Kin…er, Musketeers.”

 “There’s Michael Kavanagh and our silent partner, Rene Tanner.” He let go of her and stepped aside. Hiking his thumb over his shoulder he said, “He’s the guy I want you to meet.”

Frowning, she peered around him. That’s when she spotted a dark haired man waiting by the elevators.

“He’s tall like you.” She brushed a piece of lint off his tux. “Is that some sort of prerequisite to get into the Dom club or something?”

“No.”

Lacy leaned up on tiptoe and whispered, “Is there a reason he’s a silent partner?” Lacy wasn’t exactly sure if she knew what that meant, but she thought she’d ask.

“He had some things he had to work out with his wife, Alexis. So he stepped back from some of his hands-on obligations. He’s a new father too, so it was probably for the best.” He shot a look over to the elevators again, and then said, “There’s Alexis now. Let’s go say hi. We’re going to make this quick though, because I’m dying to get home. Aren’t you?”

Lacy didn’t have time to answer, which was probably a good thing as she would have said “yes”, but then he leaned down and asked, “Which reminds me. You don’t have any breathing issues I should be aware of? Asthma, for instance.”

What the hell was in that box? A noose? “No, but I—”

“Excellent.”

Excellent?
No, it wasn’t. She barely heard the words as he made the introductions to his friend. She was too busy flipping through her mental BDSM handbook for breath-play related paraphernalia. Unfortunately, all she could come up with was a pair of black leather gloves he’d don right before he strangled her.

“Problem?”

Too late she realized she’d been staring at his hands. She gulped and shook her head. Wishing for all the world she hadn’t baited him today with her not-very-Dom-like comments.

He tipped up her chin, bent down and whispered for her ears alone, “I can’t wait to get my hands on you.”

This time when she gulped, she was fairly sure everyone heard it.

Chapter Eleven

David was quiet the whole way home and Lacy hated it. It gave her too much time to think about what was in the box. She’d given up on the leather glove idea for two reasons. First David didn’t seem to be the type of Dom who would play like that, and secondly, if he did, she doubted he’d use gloves. David was a hands-on Dom. He savored the drag of flesh against flesh, so sticking a layer of leather between him and her neck? Doubtful.

This left her pondering what else could affect her breathing. Being forced to run a mile or being overcome with ecstasy. She snorted at that thought and was still smiling when David’s hand wrapped around her thigh, just above her knee, and he squeezed. He must have heard her. Clearing her throat and donning a more serious expression, she said, “It looks like we’re almost back to your place.”

“Yes.”

It was the inflection in his voice that made her turn. Husky, but deep. Commanding. So unlike how he’d been speaking to her earlier tonight. “Is everything all right?”

His grip on her knee tightened slightly, and she held her breath as he answered, “Date night is over, angel.”

He didn’t look at her and his cool indifference got her senses fired. Not that they weren’t already when she tried to imagine what the rest of the evening held, but this? Him like this? Tapped into a place inside her she’d always closed off. “You’re making me nervous.”

He didn’t say anything. Only rubbed his thumb against her thigh in comforting circles, which wasn’t much comfort at all.

She continued to study his profile, wishing it wasn’t dark in the car, so she could see more than a solid silhouette. “Are you doing it on purpose?”

When he turned she got her wish, as his face was briefly illuminated in the flare of an overhead street lamp that lit the car interior with cold white light. “Are you frightened?”

“Sure, I am…a little.” Anyone would be, given the time she was afforded to conjure scenarios the way she had.

“That’s good.”

“You think so?”

“I do.”

His reply was so adamant she had to ask, “Why?”

“Because in my world, fear is excitement without breath.”

Before she could say anything to that, the car veered off the main road and headed up the ridiculously long driveway toward his home. Unfortunately, the lengthy entrance was far too short for her tonight.

After they pulled up, he thanked Andrew, telling him he wouldn’t be needed for the rest of the night, before he turned to her. “May I help you out?”

She nodded, feeling awkward and fearful…and yeah, breathlessly excited at his formality. “Thank you.”

Once they exited the car, he took hold of her hand and led her up the few steps to the doors. Without a word he unlocked them and then motioned for her to go inside. When she did, she walked right by him, through the front hall and quickly made her way to the stairs. Hoping against all hope that she’d get to her room and that box without incident. That maybe he’d give her some time to collect herself because at the moment, she was sure she’d never felt so scattered in her life.

“Lacy.”

“Fuck.”

“Language.”

Dammit, she’d spoken that out loud. “Sorry. Yes?”

“Please go to your room and take off all your clothes. When you’ve done that open the box I left on your bed and take out each item. Spread them neatly on the mattress and then replace the lid and put the box on the nightstand.”

She nodded and turned to go upstairs, but his next words stopped her.

“I haven’t finished with my instructions. After you’ve left the box where I want you to, put on your collar and cuffs and then go to the bottom of the bed and stand in front of the footboard directly in the center of it and wait for me. There’s one item I need to help you put on and then you’ll see to the rest yourself. When you’re done with that, come into my room. I’ll be sitting in the wing chair by the fire. My knees will be spread because I want you to come and stand between them so we can
talk
.”

All the way up the stairs she wondered why he emphasized that last word. As if it was a big deal. Talking wasn’t the problem. Although when he was like this, it could be. She hadn’t really seen him like this other than the first night she was here, and look how that turned out.

She was halfway through his room when she finally gave into the urge and looked at the wing chair. Forest green leather with rich tan piping along the seams. Harmless enough…until he was sitting in it.

What did he want to talk about?

I said not very Dom-like.

Recalling how he’d taken offense to that pronouncement made her groan. Then she remembered what he’d said,
“I’m sure I can think of something to do that will help to inspire you”,
and groaned again.

The problem here was that she had no idea what to expect. No knowledge of what was to come. At each turn, she had to pay attention because this wasn’t normal. No—she kicked off her shoes—
he
wasn’t normal. A regular Dom would tell her what he was going to do, not leave her hanging like this.  No wonder she was still interested.

Interested?
More like addicted. He’d made sure she was hooked right from the beginning.

She thought about that while she stripped off her clothes and then thought about something else. They hadn’t even slept together and yet David knew her better than all her exes combined. Amazing. But more amazing was the fact that she was currently standing naked in the middle of her little room, wondering how it happened. How was it that he knew her so well and she was left in the dark when it came to knowing him? Really knowing him.

  Well, he was right about one thing: fear. At the moment she was excited. Breathless. And scared to death. Not because of the night ahead, but for all the nights they had behind them. At those times, clearly he’d been taking notes and learning all about her while she’d squandered those precious opportunities. She tried to tell herself that it was her “abandon ship nature,” but that wasn’t the truth. The truth was she spent more time trying to orchestrate how
not
to be herself than she did examining what made a guy like him tick. Oh, boy. That meant he was right about something else too. Hedging hadn’t gotten her anywhere with him. Nowhere except behind the times when it came to knowing who he really was.

   Naked and scared was not the best time to be figuring out relationship issues. Looking down at the box on the bed, she took a deep breath and put those issues aside. Right now she needed to focus on the issue right in front of her. Whatever was in there, she’d deal with it. Bending, she flipped up the lid as if expecting a pile of coiled toy snakes to fly out. Nothing did, so with her heart pounding at double time, she leaned down closer and parted the tissue paper.

Clothes. Not regular clothes. This outfit was…slutastic came to mind. A garter belt, fishnet stockings, a pair of barely there see-through bikinis and right at the bottom of the box was a black corset with white trim. She smiled as she picked up each item and spread them out on the bed as he’d asked her to. Already running a few scenarios over in her mind. Playing the chambermaid to his lord of the castle was definitely something in her wheelhouse.

She kept right on smiling as she came up with various bits of witty repartee to dazzle him with. Maybe she’d curtsey to him. That was bound to—she tugged to lift the corset out of the bottom of the box and fell forward instead—damn, the thing had some weight to it. It also had laces, not satin ribbon like the one she had at home. Holding it up, she softly whistled. It was beautiful, and there was no denying it was the real deal. This was no fluffy bit of lingerie to be ripped off, that was for sure. And when she realized it was an under-the-bust style, she put it down and looked back in the box. Hm. No bra. How convenient. He probably wanted her to serve him drinks or deliver his slippers or something. Looking down at the array of items on the bed she was prepared to be practical about the missing item. The fact that she didn’t have a bra for the outfit gave her a distinct advantage, and one she was going to use to make him hot.

That quicksilver thought left as another one invaded. If David wasn’t a normal Dom, he sure as shit wasn’t a regular guy to be turned on by her cheeky parlor games. She looked down at that corset again and then rushed to get her choker, bracelets, and anklets and put them on. When she was done, she went to the bottom of the bed, gauging where the middle was and stayed there. Thinking. Wondering. Worrying until he came in. Then she started sweating.

When he came in all she could think was god he looked great. He’d taken off his jacket and tie and loosened the collar of his shirt. And when he came up behind her, moving in close enough that the warm fabric of his pants touched her naked flesh in spots, she closed her eyes. There was something about being totally naked to his dressed that turned her on big-time. She had to fight to keep her breathing steady. Maybe that’s what he was talking about earlier.

“I’d like to know what you’re thinking.” He bent and spoke against her temple as he trailed the side of his jaw down her cheek.

The scratch of his stubble-roughened skin against her made her toes curl. “I was thinking about how well I’m going to work this outfit to get you hot.”

“
Tsk, tsk.
Tonight I want better than that. Put your imagination ahead of your intellect.”

He kissed her neck and she tilted her head to give him better access. “Mm…I’m planning to. I’ll be at your service. Pour your drinks or bring you your slippers. I’ll even—ow, you bit me.” She tried to lean away but he didn’t let her.

“Don’t ever diminish the kind of kink I’ve planned for us by trying to wrap it up into something your vanilla tastes can feel good about.”

She lifted one shoulder and rubbed her jaw over it to take away the sting. “You didn’t have to bite me. And that’s not what I did.”

He sank one hand in her hair, tugging back while he held her still with the other on her hip. “I have to do something to get you to be honest with me and truthful to yourself. Are you being those things now? Tell me.”

She ignored the slight tug of emphasis he gave her hair and searched his eyes. He deserved that much, didn’t he? “Are you sure you want to know?”

His insistent tug this time couldn’t be ignored. Time to come clean.

“I…I was thinking how patient you’ve been and how you’ve continually paid attention to me, and how well you know me. I want to know you like that, so I think it’s time I paid attention to—”