Submissive Beauty (7 page)

Thomas gripped his glass tightly until his fingers ached. It wasn’t the knowledge she’d seek from another that motivated him. No, it was the events of the last hour that stuck in his brain, sinking deep into his pores. From the exquisite flesh she’d eagerly bared to him all the way to the fear waiting in her eyes, she frankly appealed to him on a level he’d not felt in too long to remember. And this wasn’t exactly his first rodeo.

The image of his fingers in her mouth was now burned into his retinas. The fantasy of her lips stretched by the width of his cock instead would likely drive him to jerk off before the night ended.

Somehow, her scent still tickled his nose, and the desire to taste her overwhelmed him. Oh yes, tomorrow night would prove to be very interesting indeed.

“Earth to Thomas.” David waved his hands in front of Thomas’ face to catch his attention.

He lifted his gaze and frowned.

“Where’d you go, man?”

“I was just thinking.” Obsessing more like it. What the hell was happening to him? This lack of control bothered him.

“I gathered that. Are you sure you want me in on this, Thomas? I can bow out now, and you and Gabrielle can examine whatever this is.” David waved his hand in the general direction in front of him.

“What? No.” Thomas blew out a hard breath. “Nothing’s changed. This isn’t about just me. Tomorrow night, we’ll discuss it all with her and see what she has to say about it.”

“Uh-huh.” David looked unconvinced.

Thomas wasn’t about to invite any more discussion on the matter, so he attempted to change the conversation.

“What’s going on with my illustrious accountant?” Thomas moved to the bar and poured another drink.

“My guys are still working on the full background check. Nothing out of the ordinary has popped yet. A few parking tickets, a penalty payment to the IRS a couple of years back for not paying enough quarterly tax payments, but nothing to set off any alarms. So far, he’s pretty ordinary.”

Thomas scoffed. “Other than his appearance, I doubt that. I’ve had a gut reaction to the man since I took over, and I’m telling you, something isn’t right.”

“Did you talk to Gabrielle about the job? We need something more official than your gut to pursue.”

“No, it didn’t come up. I was a little preoccupied.”

“I know. I heard.”

Thomas sighed. Another thing to taunt him tonight. The mewling sounds of Gabrielle nearing her orgasm as well as the full-blown screams he’d driven her to with his fingers. His body tightened with the brutal force of intense desire. Next time, it would be his dick buried deep inside her, torturing her ruthlessly.

“Just find some information to nail the little prick to the wall, and I’ll take care of the rest.” He’d hire Gabrielle whether he needed to or not. He wanted her. And if having her would slake the mind-bending lust gripping him by the balls, then that’s exactly what he’d do.

As if it were that simple.

He didn’t just want her. First, he needed to figure her out, peel back the layers that made her tick, reveal her darkest desires and possess them and her right along with it.

“I hope you know what you’re getting into with this one,” David muttered.

“I always know what I’m doing before any relationship begins.” And he wasn’t about to start changing the rules now.

* * * *

The long, never-ending day finally came to a close. Thomas breathed a sigh of relief when the bright sunshine dimmed to the comfort of twilight. David had spent the day at his office, and Thomas had opted to work from home instead of going into Sanctuary. With so much going on with the changes he’d begun to incorporate, one day of peace and quiet had sounded damned good to him. It gave him a chance to focus on the accounting mess he’d discovered. He’d sifted through bank statements, cancelled checks, credit card statements and invoices until his eyes crossed. All to no avail. He suspected the financial answers he sought were right in front of his face, but for some reason, he couldn’t see the forest for the trees.

Thomas pushed the last of the paperwork into the file folder and shoved it into his desk drawer. A glance at the clock informed him that Gabrielle would be arriving shortly. The caterer had arrived a couple of hours ago, and he needed his mind clear and on his guest when she knocked on the door.

He closed the office door and quickly proceeded to the kitchen. Part of his inability to focus on the problem at hand had been thanks to a certain untrained submissive who’d lingered on his mind all day long. The vision of her draped over his couch with her ass in the air would not soon be forgotten. His muscles tightened at the memory, and his dick thickened. Not like he hadn’t been half hard all day anyway.

He surveyed the kitchen from the doorway not wanting to disturb the preparations. Pans of food simmered on the stove, and the aroma reminded him he was hungry for more than sex.

Professionally, he had some serious knots to untangle, but privately, he had high hopes for an exciting evening. He had a date with a certain gorgeous blonde who tempted his every need. Movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned and focused on the view from the bay window just in time to see an expanse of bare leg emerge from her small car. Tasteful sandals were strapped to her small feet, and when she full disengaged from the vehicle, he discovered an elegant but short black skirt hugging her lush curves. She’d swept her hair up on one side leaving her neck bare and perfectly lickable. Mmm… Like last night, no jewelry adorned her neck or ears, leaving her simple beauty to shine on its own. He breathed deeply, remembering the fragrance of her body. She’d worn no perfume last night, and he’d reveled in the essence of her arousal and the clean but subtle smell of sweet soap.

He’d gone from half hard to a raging erection in two seconds flat.

Now, he watched Gabrielle walk toward the front door, nervously fidgeting with her skirt and purse. Whatever thoughts or reservations had gone through her mind about last night had not kept her from his doorstep—a fact he was certainly grateful about. That nervousness reassured him more than any words could. If there wasn’t a certain level of hesitation when embarking on this type of relationship, it likely wouldn’t be worth the effort for either of them.

The hemline of Gabrielle’s short skirt swished around her legs as she moved, drawing his attention to the swell of her hip and the rounded curves of her ass. From his perfect vantage point, he stared at her long and hard. Yes, she was beautiful. And yes, he certainly wanted her. Who wouldn’t? It was the other that poked incessantly at the back of his mind that drove him crazy all day long. God, if he wasn’t careful, she’d turn into an obsession.

She reached the front porch and hastily began straightening her skirt and checking her hair. Thomas smiled. Soon, it would be his touch skimming the sweet softness of her figure. His hands that would tangle in her long, golden hair as he claimed her mouth and so much more. He instantly made the decision that he’d do whatever it took to get her into his bed. There’d be no other choice for any of them if he had anything to say about it. Damn, this was going to be one hell of a night.

The doorbell chimed through the house, once again shaking him from the stupor that watching her created.

“Would you like me to get that for you, Sir?” one of the wait staff inquired.

“No.” He waved her off and proceeded to the foyer. In an attempt to control his fucking hard on, Thomas focused on the boring facets of his job such as writing checks, placing orders, hiring new employees and so on. Anything to get his mind off what waited for him between Gabrielle’s sweet thighs.

His cock jerked. Clearly, nothing was going to take his mind off of fucking her.

In the next moment, he took a deep breath and opened the door. “Gabrielle. You’re early. I’m impressed.” He stepped back and ushered her inside. “You can leave your purse and keys there on the table if you’d like.” He pressed his hand to the small of her back and felt the slight stiffening of her spine. “Relax. You have nothing to be afraid of,” he reassured her.

Her pink tongue darted across her lips as she hastily dropped her belongings before wringing her hands in front of her. Thomas didn’t hesitate; he pulled her close. Her soft curves rubbed against the hard planes of his, nearly eliciting a groan from him. That simple touch ignited a firestorm raging through his blood, threatening to send him one step closer to the edge of his control. He barely restrained the urge to strip her where they stood in an urgent need to see her submit.

The urge to fuck her rode him hard but couldn’t overtake the necessity of building trust. He had so many creative ways to draw her from behind the wall she kept peeking over. Last night had been a great first step in obliterating her reservations, but the obvious nerves displayed now reminded him they still had some work to do.

“I’m just not used to this.”

“What? Coming to a dinner date?” He couldn’t resist the tease. He knew exactly what she meant. Gabrielle relaxed. Now, he could delve a little deeper with her attention focused on their conversation not what he might do to her, although he had plenty of plans for her tonight—some of which included making her step pretty far outside of her comfort zone. He couldn’t wait.

Chapter Six

“Is that what this is? A date?” Gabby tried to concentrate on asking an intelligent question and not blurting out how much she wanted more from him. All day long, she’d reveled in the residual feelings from the night before—lust, satisfaction, even a little embarrassment about how easily she’d acquiesced to his demands and thoroughly enjoyed them. Without any specific instructions regarding tonight’s dinner, Gabrielle had tried on more outfits than any one woman should until she’d settled on what she hoped to be the ultimate sexy outfit.

At the last minute, she’d removed her thong and arrived on Thomas’ doorstep with a bare and slightly sore ass. Now, with more and more moisture gathering between her legs the longer she stood in Thomas’s embrace, she realized her decision might not have been the smartest move. Mortified, she ground her back teeth together and stared into his eyes, all the while doing the best she could to ignore the heat radiating from his body through her clothes. Or the stiff cock pressed against her thigh, entirely too close to her pussy for comfort.

His hold on her spoke volumes about the kind of control Thomas claimed. One word in particular came to mind. Possession.

“I take it since you’re here that you did as I asked and thought long and hard about what it is you wanted.” The firm lines around his mouth reminded her of how serious this would get. In fact, Angel had reminded her of how intense Thomas liked to get. As if Gabby could forget. You didn’t get more serious than walking into a practical stranger’s home and basically asking for a spanking.

“Kind of hard to think about anything else after last night.” She tried to keep the breathless need out of her voice and failed. “Do you want me?” She drew in a shaking breath and held it, waiting for his response.

What was it about him that made her feel like this? Her stomach fluttered, her skin grew tight and her pulse beat a mile a minute in his presence. This wasn’t how she reacted to other men she’d met. Only
him
.

“I’ve waited all day for you.” He gripped her tighter. “I was willing to take no if I had to, but I’m sure glad I don’t.”

An electric zing swept through her. She couldn’t picture this calm and collected man waiting for her. Surely, he had the pick of any of the women he met. How could he not? His voice alone held the controlled power to mesmerize and melt a woman from the inside out. She’d swear to it.

“Now’s the time to discuss any second thoughts. Or any questions.” He brushed the hair from the side of her face and rested his palm on her cheek. “Once you say yes, everything changes. Trust me when I say you’ll never be the same. You’ll never be able to go back to the way things were.”

Gabby shivered. She didn’t doubt him for a minute. Whether he knew it or not, he’d already ruined her the night before. The cravings that had resided in her heart now burned through her body and threatened to implode. She didn’t think there was anything he could say at this point that would make her turn away. Still there were questions…

“Do you do this a lot? Offer to take on a woman who needs to learn?”

“Yes, some.” He paused, probably gauging her reaction. Gabby carefully schooled her face into a neutral mask. She didn’t really want to know how many women he’d had like her. If she did she’d probably run screaming for the door. “If you haven’t already figured it out you need to know. I don’t just dominate a woman as part of some sexual thrill. I am Dominant. That means it’s who I am. The minute I meet a woman looking to learn about the lifestyle, it’s damned hard to ignore her. The lifestyle is full of people with different needs, including those who want to just play. Most of the time, that’s just fine. But sometimes… Let’s just say I’ve seen too many women walk away scarred.”

Gabby’s heart ached for the sadness that had leeched into his eyes. This strong, seemingly in control every second man had a softness inside him that she’d momentarily glimpsed. “Does that make me a charity case?” The question slipped out before she could stop it.