Taming Emma (3 page)

She nodded, suddenly needing to cry.

“Good, because I’m about to kill you.”

She wanted to force her tears to stay put, not to spill down her cheeks, but they didn’t obey. Of course they didn’t.

“Christ, Emma,” he said, turning away. His anger was barely harnessed. He reached over to strap her in as she wept. “What the fuck did you think you were doing?” he asked, as soon as they pulled out of the parking lot.

“I’m not a little girl anymore, Luke. I’m a grown woman and I can do what I want.”

“And you thought whoring yourself out to these men was a good way to prove just how grown up you are?”

Fresh tears assaulted her at his use of that word. “It wasn’t like that,” she said. But it was, wasn’t it? No matter her reasons for accepting Damien’s money, she took it in exchange for the use of her body and that made her a whore.

He looked her over before turning back to the road. “Besides, I saw tonight just how grown up you are. Along with everybody else, by the way.”

She folded her arms across her chest. “It’s not like I knew
you’d
be there.”

“Obviously,” he said.

“Besides, did you consider maybe I wanted
to do it?” she threw back.

He just gave her a look.

“And I could ask you the same thing. What the fuck were you doing there? Buying a slut to have your way with?”

“Watch your mouth, little girl.”

“Or what? Are you going to spank me? Isn’t that what you do?”

He wasn’t amused. “Is that what Damien did? Really,
Damien
, Emma?” He shook his head as he said it, making a face of disapproval.

Ok, he had her there.

“What the hell were you thinking? Do you have any idea what could have happened to you if one of those men had outbid me? Not to mention what you did to my plans for the weekend,” he said.

“Sorry to ruin your fun. And did you consider for a second that maybe I wanted them to do those things?” She knew what she said wasn’t true even as the words skipped right off her tongue. As much as she was curious to explore the lifestyle, she never wanted just anyone. At the end of the day, love played a more crucial role than she cared to admit.

His hands tightened around the steering wheel. “No, not like that. You would have been used like a…” he stopped.

“A whore,” she whispered. Shame engulfed her; was she so out of control? “You played along. It fucking hurt to have me waxed!”

She regretted it as soon as the words were out. He pulled the Jaguar swiftly to the side of the road and the seatbelt tightened over her chest with the force of the sudden stop. He took her wrist and pulled her arm sharply toward him, forcing her to look at him. “Listen up, Emma; I’m only going to say this once. You don’t belong in a place like that; it’s not for little girls who think they’re grown up. Those men in there don’t give a damn about you. They would have paid a price to have you and I can assure you, they’d get their money’s worth and you wouldn’t like it. Not one bit.”

“Isn’t that what you’re going to do?”

His grip tightened.

Her heart raced and she stared at this man who suddenly frightened her in his rage.

“You’re hurting me,” she said, her body in flight mode.

He must have seen it because he softened his grip just a little. “When I took off your blindfold and recognized you, I needed to create some distraction to give myself time to think. These are men neither you nor I want to fuck with.”

She tried to free herself. “I could have handled them. If they’re anything like Damien, it would be easy.” Anxiety made her skin hot and cold at the same time.

He released her and, turning away, inhaled a deep breath. He pulled the car onto the road. “Your boy Damien…”

“He’s not
my
boy,” she cut him off.

His glance quieted her. “Your boy Damien is just that, a boy. A novice. He’s nothing more than a pimp. You were just a prize for him. A top-dollar prize.”

He was waiting for something but she had no response. What he said was true, after all.

“Why did you do it anyway?” he asked, keeping his eyes on the road. “What could you possibly hope to get out of it?”

“None of your business,” she said, staring straight ahead.

“But it is my business. And so are you. I’ve just bought your contract, Emma. I own you for the weekend.”

She turned to him, trying to gauge if he was serious.

He grinned that wickedly sexy grin she remembered so well. It still had the same effect on her today that it had six years ago. “What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue? It is a pretty tongue, I have to say,” he taunted. She turned away. “Although a little sharp at times.”

“You wouldn’t hold me to it,” she said, not sure at all what he would or wouldn’t do.

He smiled.

“The contract gives you access to my physical body only,” she continued.

His smile grew. She went white.

“Where are we going?” she asked when he turned onto a side road and slowed.

“Home. My home, but yours too for the weekend.”

She felt suddenly, incredibly, nervous.

“I thought this was what you wanted,” he said, his voice still playing with her. “Aren’t you curious what a weekend with a real Dom would be like? I can promise you it will be quite different than anything you had with your boy toy.”

“Jealous, Luke?” she asked, even as her insides quaked.

“Like I said earlier,” he said, turning to her as he pulled onto the driveway of a large, dark house. “Master or Sir will do just fine. That’s rule number one.”

“You’re crazy if you think I’m going to call you either of those,
Luke
.”

“I told you I liked a little fire in my women. I appreciate you remembering that,” he said and stepped out of the car, coming over to her side and opening the door.

“I’m not one of your women,” she said, refusing to budge.

“No, you’re not. You’re a little girl,” he said, reaching over her to unbuckle her seatbelt. “But I’ll teach you how to be a good submissive this weekend. Are you coming out on your own or am I carrying you?”

She gave him a look before climbing out of the car. “Luke,” she said under her breath, making a face.

“Sir or Master.”

She had every intention of walking into the house, but her pride got the better of her. She gritted her teeth, folded her arms across her chest and dug her heels into the ground.

He raised an eyebrow, smiling a very amused smile all along and she knew he was enjoying this way more than he should be.

“Suit yourself,” he said and before she knew it, she was over his shoulder. She shrieked when he smacked her ass and carried her to the door before she could get two words out.

* * *

Luke’s face was set when he carried a struggling Emma into his house. He doubted she knew how much seeing her tonight had affected him. It had been six years since the night she’d walked in on him fucking her brother’s fiancée. He still flinched at that memory, both at the knowledge of what he’d done to his best friend and at the accusation in Emma’s eyes. He’d been thirty-two at the time and Emma had been just eighteen. Too young to fall in love with. But the rage he felt tonight when he’d removed her blindfold still made his hands clench into tight fists. It was the realization that he’d been the one to strip her bare and stand her before the others to be gawked at that burned.

“Stop struggling,” he said while he tried to get the key in the lock.

“Do you say that to all your girlfriends?”

“Usually don’t have to. And by the way, I’m not your boyfriend.” That didn’t sound like he wanted it to sound.

She stilled at his comment and his keys dropped to the floor.

“God damn it, Emma,” he said. He set her down and when he met her eyes, he only saw hurt. He quickly bent to pick up the keys, this time succeeding in slipping the right one into the lock and opening the door.

“In,” he said, standing to the side.

“This is called kidnapping!” she said, but she walked in. He imagined she was more than a little cold given her state of dress.

“This is called saving your ass, little girl. A little gratitude will go a long way with me, you know.”

“Gratitude?” she asked.

He closed the door and turned to her.

“Gratitude?” she repeated, tilting her head slightly, ready for a brawl.

He looked her over from head to toe and had to smile. She stood all of 5’2” tall, wearing a wrap that just barely covered her bottom, her thigh-high stockings visible from beneath. Her dark hair was tousled and looked like she’d been sleeping on it for two nights. At least she didn’t dye it blazing red anymore. Between the blindfold and her tears, her makeup had smudged so black lined more of her face than her eyes.

But even given the state she was in, she was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

“Are you listening to me?” she asked, her expression one of outrage.

“Sorry, were you saying something?” he asked.

“You are unbelievable!” she said and pushed past him to open the door.

As soon as she did, he put a hand over her head and effortlessly closed it. She tugged at it again, but when it wouldn’t give, she turned her back to the door and folded her arms across her chest.

“Are you ready to listen to me now?” he asked.

“No,” she said and scanned the room.

“Where are you going to go? It’s the middle of the night, you’re in the mountains, you have no mode of transport and you’re just about naked.”

She only stared back at him. She was stubborn, as stubborn as he.

“Besides,” he said, bringing her attention back to him by lifting her chin with just a little more force than necessary. “I own you for the next two days and I’ve decided to give you a taste of what you think you’re looking for. A little education in submission.”

“You can’t keep me here against my will,” she said.

“I don’t think I’ll have to,” he retorted, taking a chance.

“You’re a little full of yourself, aren’t you?” she asked. “But then again, it takes a big ego to do what you did, doesn’t it?”

He flinched, understanding the reference to that night six years ago. So she hadn’t forgiven him. He studied her, her gaze daring, taunting.

He took a moment before answering. “Do you want to go home, Emma?” he asked, his tone calmer. “Do you want me to take you home?”

* * *

Emma looked up into his dark eyes. She’d hurt him, but it wasn’t like he didn’t deserve her comment. After all, he had fucked her brother’s fiancée, or slut Julie as she liked to call her, when Nate, her brother, had thought they were best friends. What kind of a man does that?

A voice inside her head told her to calm down. She didn’t know the whole situation, she wasn’t involved and if Nate could forgive him, why couldn’t she? And besides, wasn’t there another reason she was so angry with him? One closer to her own heart? She narrowed her eyes at that thought.

“Well?” he asked, completely cool and detached, all the emotion of the previous hour gone.

“Well, what?” It was eerie how he could do that, just separate himself. He’d always been able to.

“Do you want to call it off? Shall I take you home and release you from your contract? I can do that, but under one condition.”

“What’s that condition?” she asked, hoping it would be something she couldn’t accept because more than anything, she wanted to stay. With him. She wanted Luke Roark like she had years ago when she was a teenager and he was a man.

“If I take you home, you give me your word that I will never again see you at a party like the one tonight, not to mention any BDSM clubs or gatherings of any kind.”

He didn’t want her in his world? “You can’t tell me what to do,” she said.

“Grow up,” he retorted, then opened the door and stepped aside. “After you.”

Crap.

“If Damien finds out, then I don’t get paid.” She hated to use that one.

“I wouldn’t tell him. And besides, from what I know, you got a healthy stash of cash after the accident,” he said.

Her mouth tightened and emotion bubbled up inside her. But there were enough years between that night and today that she could keep them at bay.

He watched her in those moments and she realized maybe she wasn’t as good at hiding her emotions as she thought. He dropped his head. “I’m sorry, that was out of line.”

“You’re damn right it was,” she said. Losing her parents like she had wasn’t worth the insurance money, not even close. And besides, she couldn’t touch it until she was twenty-five. Nate had full control over it and he had full control over her—until then. That’s how she’d gotten into this mess to begin with.

He closed the door. “Come inside,” he said, flipping on light switches as he led the way down the hallway to the kitchen. “Are you hungry?”

Her stomach growled in response. “Yes,” she said. “I was too nervous to eat today.”

He pulled out a stool at the counter for her and went to the fridge. “Eggs?”

“Great,” she said.

He took out a carton of eggs and two beers. “You’re old enough to drink, right?” he asked, twisting the lid off and handing it to her.

“Not an old man like you but yes, old enough to drink.”

“Watch your mouth or I
will
spank you,” he teased, cracking two eggs into a pan.

“I bet you’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Her sex had reacted quickly to his words.

“Yep,” he said, turning to her. His eyes let her know just how much. “But I’m guessing I wouldn’t have to hold you down too hard,” he threw back at her.

She turned bright red and for once, didn’t have a comeback.

“How do you like your eggs?”

“Sunny side up. And the white should be crispy.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” he said, sipping his beer.

“Nice house.” She looked around the ultra-modern kitchen. “Isn’t there a wife or girlfriend to keep it for you?” she asked.

“Fishing?” he asked.

“You wish,” she threw back.

“Louisa takes care of the house,” he said.

So Louisa, was it. Emma already hated the name.

“She’s my fifty-six-year-old housekeeper/cook/second mom. Otherwise, I don’t do relationships.”