Shield's Submissive (2 page)

“It’s all yours. Watch the incline button. It was sticking a little bit.”

Mark stood behind her, riveted by the sight of her bending over. Logically, he knew she was stretching heated muscles, but that didn’t stop the rush of arousal through his system.

He felt like he had been momentarily hypnotised and shook his head to clear the images running rampant through his brain—Erica’s ankles cuffed to a spreader bar, her wrists lashed together and anchored. Her pussy dripping wet as he stroked her with a massage glove or light flicks of a crop. Knowing his support strap wouldn’t conceal the beginning of his erection in jersey shorts, he stepped back and picked up a clean towel from the pile next SHIELD’S SUBMISSIVE

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to the treadmill. After counting to ten and getting his rebelling body under control, he turned to face her again and cleared his throat.

“Thanks for the warning. Are you going to be at the Yagoshi contract negotiations tomorrow?”

“Yes, I need to provide projected expenditures for my team’s portion of the proposed campaign.”

She moved back into a standing position and turned around to face him, eliminating the barrier of the mirror between their gazes. He thought he heard her ask who his meeting was with that night, but he had trouble forming coherent words. Finally, a clear thought presented.

“Chillings is sending over a team to discuss their new thermal coat line. We really want to land this account. If things progress as predicted, it will provide a large influx of revenue for the firm.”

He was babbling and knew it. Erica’s wide eyes sparkled with creative thoughts. She was a tireless worker, constantly utilising her unique talent to create compelling and imaginative campaigns for the company.

“That’s great. Good luck. Let me know how it turns out. Depending on the direction they want to go on the campaign, I already have some interesting ideas spinning in my head.”

He grinned and found himself unable to resist sliding his fingers down her face to release a lock that had come loose from her sleekly knotted hair. Her face was flushed from her workout, and her neck glistened with sweat above the neckline of her shirt. Taking a step back before things got out of hand, he positioned himself on the treadmill and started the belt.

She picked up her rucksack. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

Mark increased his pace as Erica practically ran out the door. His thighs burned and his lungs expanded with the exertion. Giving his head a recriminating shake, he replayed their interaction.

God, could I have been a bigger tool?

When he’d first come up to her on the treadmill, her eyes had been closed, and he’d been riveted by the dreamlike expression on her face—so much so that he made up a bogus SHIELD’S SUBMISSIVE

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excuse of the other machine not working just so he could talk to her. Her checking him out on the bench press had been a surprise. He thought that he’d seen a sharp pull of arousal in her expressive eyes, but the flicker was gone before he had time to process it further.

They’d always had a completely professional relationship, but if he was honest, Erica Cross had been the star of more sexual fantasies than he would ever admit to another person.

He had never approached her for anything social because, up until recently, she’d been a lower-level executive, and that was a big taboo for interoffice dating. Additionally, he didn’t like dating within the confines of the office. He felt it was dangerous to mix potential personal conflicts and professional responsibilities. However, when Erica had bent over, with her legs and ass sticking right into the air, his head had spun. He’d forced himself not to grab her hips to draw her closer. Her choice of nylon running shorts had perfectly shaped her frame when she’d bent over and hadn’t helped his impulse.

Her workout clothes were nicely understated. So many women came to the gym dressed in designer outfits that were little more than sports bras and hip-hugging boy shorts.

He appreciated her T-shirt and full shorts combo. They allowed her freedom of movement for her workout but didn’t advertise all her assets. It was more than obvious she worked out on a regular basis. Her endurance on the treadmill was impressive. Her physique reminded him of a swimmer with long limbs, sleek muscles and quiet graceful strength. Shaking his head again, he quickly glanced at the clock. If he was going to make it to this meeting on time, he needed to quit fantasising and finish his workout. Still, thinking back to the exchange, he realised that maybe she had been harbouring some quiet fantasies of her own. It was time to see where this attraction between them could go.

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Erica looked at her clock on her MacBook and realised it was after seven o’clock. The entire day, she’d caught herself daydreaming constantly about her encounter with Mark in the gym the previous night. When Mark’s fingers had caressed her cheek, her breathing had faltered, and she was sure he’d seen the desire in her eyes. On top of that, she was pretty sure she’d seen an answering fire light his eyes. In her shock, she had fled the intimate space, foregoing her normal hot shower and steam.

However, today had been anything but dreamlike. The day from hell began with having to fire one of her employees for repeatedly slacking on the job. The guy deserved it.

She had given him plenty of warnings and second chances, but he refused to give up his lackadaisical attitude. Then one of the files with the proposed graphic design for a new line of professional swimwear had magically disappeared from her assistant’s desk. It had eventually turned up, misfiled in a drawer, but the interim panic hadn’t helped her already frayed disposition, especially since she’d had a scheduled teleconference with the company’s CEO at two o’clock. The images were in the system and had already been sent electronically to the manufacturer, but she preferred to have a hard copy in front of her during the conference. Finally, just at five, one of her best employees had come in to spring the news that her husband, who was military, was being transferred overseas, and she planned on leaving with him. Erica understood the woman’s position and didn’t fault her in any way, but now she had to find someone to replace her, which was going to be very difficult.

All the drama of the day caught up to her, and she dropped her head into her arms on the desk, letting out a soft groan. Several minutes passed and just as she was about to raise her head, the phone next to her let out a piercing ring that rattled through her already stressed brain. She debated ignoring the call, but noticed it was being transferred through an internal phone line. Picking up the receiver, she glanced into the hallway.

“Erica Cross.”

“You know, if you keep staying late, it’s going to make the rest of us look bad.”

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Mark’s unmistakable deep voice rumbled in her ear and resonated through her exhausted core. Leaning over her desk, she saw the lights were still on in Mark’s office across the building. The two floors their firm occupied were designed so that a central opening connected them like a large atrium. A glass wall surrounded the walkway and the executive offices lined the outer edges. On the lower level was ‘The Pit’, which was a maze of cubicles housing the art, photography and digital imaging departments.

She smiled into the phone. “Like you have room to talk.”

“Well, I have to maintain appearances of a hard-working partner, now don’t I? Why don’t we both call it a night and grab some dinner? If I know you as well as I think I do, you skipped lunch and must be hungry.”

Why was he being so sociable? They’d had plenty of business dinners, but this sounded like an invitation between friends. She guessed they were friends in a manner of speaking, though God knew she had dreamt of a much more personal relationship with him. “Sounds good. How about if I close things down here and meet you in your office in ten minutes?”

“Perfect,” he succinctly clipped out then hung up the phone.

She closed down her computer, put away her files and stopped in the ladies room to freshen up. When she reached his office, she glanced inside and noticed he was on the phone.

Not wanting to interrupt, she backed away, but he saw her standing there and gestured for her to come in and have a seat on the sofa along one length of the room. She moved over to the sofa and relaxed against the cushions. She turned her head and leaned back to close her eyes.

After several minutes, the seat cushion next to her depressed under Mark’s weight. He put his hand on her shoulder as if he was unsure whether or not she was awake.

“Erica?”

She slowly opened her eyes and found herself staring into Mark’s intense, crystal-green gaze.

“Hey…sorry, I just needed to reboot for a few minutes.”

The intensity diminished as his eyes took on a placid quality.

“That’s okay. From what I hear, it’s been a rough day for you. If you’re too tired to go out to dinner tonight, I understand.”

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“No, I’m not too tired. Actually, a relaxing dinner sounds wonderful, as long as I can get a crisp, cool glass of wine.”

She rubbed her temples to dispel the throbbing headache that had been steadily building since early that morning. She would normally be heading over to the gym to swim laps, but she was just too beat tonight.

Maybe I’ll get up early and go tomorrow
.

Mark reached up and pulled Erica’s hands away from her temples. Replacing them with his, he gently massaged in slow circles. His mind called out with the need to calm and comfort her after the hellacious day she’d had. A soft sigh escaped her lips, and her eyes closed in relaxation. There was nothing sexual about the touch, and she was perceptive enough to just enjoy the gesture.

“Thank you. That felt wonderful. I had just decided that even a quick run or swim wasn’t going to relax me tonight.” She opened her eyes and sat up. “So, what type of food are you in the mood for?”

He congratulated himself on his intuitiveness that her body mimicked that of a swimmer.

“I like just about anything, but I have a particular craving for Italian tonight. Is that okay with you? I know of this great little mom and pop restaurant a couple blocks from my place. The food is incredible, and I can guarantee the wine selection is superb.”

“Sounds just right.”

He tried to read the expression in her eyes. He had often been mesmerised by their unique shade of blue, somewhere between cornflower and violet. They were always bright with energy, and when their teams worked on a campaign together, he always thought he could see the fast spinning wheels of her thoughts mirrored in her eyes.

Neither one of them seemed inclined to get up from the sofa. His hand came up to touch her cheek, and he slid closer to her body. He inhaled the lingering fragrance of her shampoo from that morning and detected some other scent. It wasn’t a cloying perfume or flowery deodorant aroma. It was her scent, the unique intrinsic balance of hormones and pheromones that identified each person. God, it smelled good. It made him want to bury his face in her neck and inhale and absorb as much of her into his system as possible.

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Slowly, he leaned down, giving her plenty of time to pull away if she didn’t want his kiss. Just before his lips touched hers, he looked into her eyes and silently gave her one last chance to retreat.

Her eyes darkened with the same desire and lust coursing through his body. She slid her hand up through the hair at his collar and pulled him down the last couple inches.

He had intended to seduce her slowly, learn the textures of her lips and coax them into supplication. However, as soon as they touched, it was like a match being struck. Instant fire and need raced through his body. He grabbed the sides of her face and moved his head for a better angle. She opened her mouth willingly beneath him and began a seductive rhythm with her tongue.

His lips slanted over hers, taking complete possession. It was a kiss of pure hunger and desire that careened through all the senses. One kiss turned into two then three. After that, he didn’t keeping track. All that mattered was feeding the flames of arousal building in their bodies.

He revelled in the softness of her mouth, and his desire built exponentially as she kissed him back. Needing to feel closer, he pulled her body beneath him on the sofa. Her legs were confined in the straight skirt of her business suit, but he was able to manoeuvre so that he could push the hardness of his rampaging erection against her incredibly soft centre.

He reached down to unbutton her suit coat. Pulling the edges away, he reached underneath and caressed her side, finding all she wore beneath the jacket was a lacy, silk camisole. Breaking away from her lips, he rasped his teeth down her neck, giving a pull with his lips right on the pulse point. He inhaled her seductive scent as he made a sound somewhere between a growl and a purr. His hands slid up to cup her breast, and his lips surrounded one of the hardened peaks through the material. His teeth nipped and scraped harder against her to counteract the density of the material of her top and bra. Erica gasped above him as she pulled his head closer and harder against her chest. He heard her breathing hitch and glanced up to see her eyes wide open and watching his every move. The open, direct observation pushed his lust further. Keeping his gaze locked on hers, he pushed her breast higher so he could continue his ministrations. He watched her eyes darken to almost violet.

“Touch me, Mark. I want to feel you against my bare skin.”

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Needing no further invitation, his hand left her breast and slid up underneath her skirt.

Following the line of her stockings, he discovered that she wore garters versus pantyhose.

When his fingers hit the top of her stocking, he found dampness on her thighs. Heat emanated from just underneath the silk of her panties. Reaching underneath the edge, he touched smooth, soft skin.