Taming the Boss Lady [Masters of Submission 3] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) (16 page)

Matthew glanced across the room. Kelly lay curled on the sofa opposite, reading a magazine. She was blessed with such a beautiful face, and her long raven tresses only added to her feminine appeal. She sure was an attractive woman. The white crop trousers she wore were perfectly complemented by a delicate turquoise top with fancy beading round the neckline. Her perfect little feet were bare, and he thought it real cute the way she wiggled her toes as she idly turned the pages.

Deep in thought, he impatiently drummed the arm of the chair with his fingers. Now, what to do about her discipline. Engrossed in a copy of
Vogue
, Kelly seemed to have forgotten all about it. Well, he certainly hadn’t. So what to do? With the worry of the photographs, it would be unfair to burden her with something too severe. But as her Master, he just couldn’t allow it to pass. He’d been deeply hurt by her disrespectful outburst that somehow he and Ethan had been involved in the secret filming. She undoubtedly hit out because she was frightened, but as an adult woman she was still responsible for her actions.

Perhaps, he could incorporate a little discipline into their play. That way he’d save face, and she’d learn never to disrespect him again, irrespective of how much pressure she was under.

“Kelly.”

“Mmm, yes,” she dreamily raised her head from the magazine she was reading.

“It’s time for your discipline. You thought I’d forgotten didn’t you?”

“Discipline? But—”

“You thought wrong, princess. I never forget. Now stand up and walk across to me. I intend to impose my authority on that cute peachy butt of yours. Do you understand?”

Smiling slightly, she replied meekly, “Yes, Sir. I know I deserve it.” With her head bowed, she rose from the sofa and obediently made her way to him.

When she stood demurely in front of him, Matthew allowed his gaze to wander from her perfectly manicured toes, to her sweet little button nose. He focused on her lips, and murmured, “You are so very beautiful, my slave. You have a face and body that men would go to war for. If Helen of Troy were alive today, she would be nothing compared to you. Now strip.”

He almost smiled as her eyes widened, but decided to remain stern. After all, he was supposed to be punishing her for bad behavior.

Being a feisty woman, he half expected her to resist, but it pleased him that she made no attempt to confront his authority. Instead, she began to pull her turquoise top over her head. As she peeled it away, her perfect bare breasts, adorned with aroused pebbled nipples, came into view. His cock stood to immediate attention. It always did when Kelly was around.

“You have done well. Now unbutton those expensive designer trousers of yours and slip them down to your knees.”

“Yes, Sir, straightaway.”

He loved the way she maintained eye contact with him, daring him to go further. Kelly wiggled her hips provocatively as she slid her trousers down her thighs. “No, panties, Sir. I hope that doesn’t displease you?” She looked down and stroked a finger between her legs before lifting her eyes to his. “It’s smooth, just as you like it, Sir.”

“And wet, my slave?”

“Very wet, Sir. See how it glistens on my finger.” She held out her hand for him to see. He knew she was teasing him, and he loved it.

Upping the play, he admonished, “You naughty, naughty, girl. You realize such brazen behavior won’t be tolerated by your Master.”

“But, Sir, please, I—”

“Don’t you dare speak without my permission. Now stand closer.”

Feeling his cock straining against the inside of his pants, he pulled her across his lap. Her perfect peachy ass rose invitingly before him.

Matthew ran his hand over the soft creamy globes, massaging them slowly with circular movements. He knew his actions heightened her anticipation.

“Kelly, you know why I’m going to spank you?”

“Yes, Sir.” Her voice had become all sweet and sugary. “I behaved very badly toward you this morning, and you’re about to correct my unacceptable behavior.”

“Exactly.”

He figured that giving Kelly a sound bare-ass spanking would be a welcome distraction from the worry and stress currently plaguing her life. Giving up all power to him allowed her to let go. That was the reason she’d visited Club Submission in the first place. That was the reason he and Kelly gelled so coherently together. He administered exactly the right amount of authority and discipline. Mixed with care and compassion, it alleviated the strain of running McCloud Energy. She needed him. And he needed her.

Matthew decided a short, sharp shock would be the best deterrent against further outbursts. He raised his hand high above her ass, and then spanked her bare butt hard, six times in quick succession. Three spanks on each buttock cheek left them glowing pink and enticing.

The loud slaps echoed noisily around the room. Kelly squirmed on his lap, but didn’t cry out. When he’d finished, he said, “Your punishment is now over, my slave. What do you wish to say to your Master?”

Wiping away a teardrop, she said contritely, “Thank you, Sir. I won’t behave in such a way again.”

“Good, that’s what I wanted to hear.” He lifted her wonderful petite frame from his lap and rose from the chair. She immediately sunk to her knees and wrapped her arms around his thighs, squeezing him as though her life depended on it. Her cheek rested against his rock-hard cock, restrained only by his pants. A teardrop slid from the corner of her eye.

“I’m so sorry, Matthew. Please forgive me. I love you, I love you, I love you. I never want to live without you. I don’t know what got into me, saying such awful things. I should have trusted you.”

He tenderly stroked her hair, feeling incredibly close to the lovely woman clinging so desperately to him. This was the first time words of love had passed her lips. He’d known for a while their relationship was becoming more serious, but even so, to actually hear such words from her own sweet mouth was the most wonderful thing to ever happen to him.

He cupped her chin, and angled her face to his. Her beautiful silver eyes so warm and caring soothed his soul as her lashes swept open. He felt a lump stick in his throat, which he manfully held back. “Goddamn it, if I don’t love you, too, Kelly McCloud.” He knew his words didn’t come out quite as he’d hoped, but this was the first time in thirty-five years of life he’d told a woman he loved her.

Kelly playfully slapped his wrist. “That’s the most wonderful and infuriating thing anyone’s ever said to me.” She jerkily wiped away a teardrop with the back of her hand.

“I never was real good with words of love, Kelly, but please believe me when I say I love you deeply. You mean everything to me, princess. I can’t imagine life without you.” Matthew caressed the back of her head, allowing her beautiful soft silky hair to drift through his fingers. Lifting her chin, he gently tilted her beguiling, expressive face to his. He stared into her eyes, totally mesmerized by her beauty. “I love you, Kelly McCloud, and don’t you ever forget it.”

He pulled her into his arms and sat back down, taking her with him. Snuggling into his warmth, Kelly took a deep breath before slowly releasing it. “It’s funny how life turns out, Matt. When I was a kid, I never wanted to be in charge. I just wanted to be a little girl like any other, and ride my bike and play with my dolls…” She paused for a moment. “But because Mom died when I was just five, and I was an only child, Dad suddenly focused all his attention and love on me. I guess he really wanted a son, because I was introduced to the cut and thrust of the boardroom from a very early age. I suppose it became accepted that I would take over from Dad at some time in the future. I didn’t want the responsibility, but now I’m head of the company, I’m gonna make it the best goddamned oil and gas company in the whole of the United States. Matt, I’ve taken your advice. Recently, I’ve delegated a lot of my workload. I won’t give up my position of CEO without a fight, but I’ll be damned if I’ll let McCloud Energy consume my every waking moment just like my father did. I have a life outside of work, and you’re an important part of it.”

Matthew squeezed her tightly, and kissed her sweet, sweet lips. “Want me to take your mind off things?” he whispered seductively in her ear.

“Oh, yes, please,” she purred.

“Then get to the bedroom,” he growled. “Because you need some more instruction on how to please your Master.”

Early Monday morning, 6:00 a.m.

Matthew let the fly screen swing shut behind him as he greeted Hunter Black on the porch stoop. It was so early in the morning, his breath showed in the air, and a heavy, silver dew lay carpeting the grass. He took a deep breath enjoying the newness of the day. Soon, the sun would rise high enough in the sky to burn the moisture clean away. He held out his hand. “Thanks for helping out, man. It’s appreciated.”

Hunter returned his shake with a firm grip. “No problem, Matt, I’m glad I could help. What’s going down anyway, problems at Club Submission?”

“Isn’t it always.” Matthew didn’t want to say too much. “I know I can trust you, Hunter, but it’s better if you don’t get involved. This is a private matter.”

Hunter nodded. “I understand.” He reached inside his jacket pocket and withdrew a folded piece of paper, and handed it over. “The utility vehicle belongs to a guy who goes by the name of Dwaine Jackson. I’ve done a preliminary check on him. He’s a private eye, working out of Providence, Rhode Island.”

“Good work, and thanks.”

“I’m giving you this information on one condition, Matt. If things get heavy, you call me, right?”

“Yeah, you bet, man.” Matthew shook his friend’s hand again. “You’ll be the first guy I’ll call.”

Hunter shook his head. “Now why doesn’t that fill me with reassurance?” As he started to walk toward his car, he turned and said, “You get in trouble, you call me.”

Just as Hunter drove away, Kelly pushed open the screen door and stepped onto the porch. She wore just a flimsy silk robe, and her feet were bare. The cool air puckered her nipples taut beneath the thin fabric. Damn, if he didn’t need to deal with this asshole Jackson, he’d take her straight back to bed.

“Was he able to help, Matt?”

“Sure thing, princess. We now have a name and address.”

“So what do we do now? Please tell me it’s not gonna be dangerous or illegal.”

“Trust me. Everything will be just fine.” Matthew flipped open his cell phone, and began dialing. “I’m gonna call this Dwaine Jackson, and make out I’m a new client. With any luck I can make an appointment for today. Wanna come along?”

Kelly stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “Just you try and stop me, mister.”

“Okay.” When she turned back toward the house, Matthew squeezed her waist and tickled her, making her shriek with laughter. “You’d better get some decent clothes on before I haul your pretty ass back to bed.”

Kelly giggled, dashing quickly through the front entrance, and out of his reach. “Promises, promises.” It was lovely to see her enchanting smile flash briefly as the worries slipped momentarily from her mind. Matthew made a silent pledge to cherish each and every moment with her. Kelly simply lit up his life with her radiance and warmth, and he couldn’t imagine being without her now.

It was a testament to the woman herself that he now contemplated making their relationship more permanent. Marriage? Would Kelly seriously consider marrying a guy who ran a BDSM club? From the way she’d reacted to the photographs, and the fear of being discovered, he guessed it might be a long shot. He shook his head.
Don’t rock the boat, man. Keep the status quo. If I put my heart on the line, I might just lose it, and her.

* * * *

Kelly glanced at her watch. It was just coming up to nine in the morning as they drew up outside the seedy office of the private investigator, Dwaine Jackson. She looked around, not enjoying what she saw. “It’s not a good area, are you sure your car will be okay, Matt?”

“It’s gonna be a brief visit. The car will be just fine.”

A glass door bore the name, “Dwaine Jackson Licensed Private Investigator” in worn gold lettering, while dusty venetian blinds hung awkwardly at an odd angle, covering a large plate glass window.

Kelly grimaced. “The place looks like a dump. Are you sure we got the right address?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. Rents are cheaper in this part of town. Besides, a shit hole like this probably suits the personality of a guy like Jackson.” Matthew sounded as angry as she felt, but that wouldn’t help matters. She touched his hand momentarily.

“Try to keep calm, Matt. I’ve learned from years in business that a cool head works best.” Much as she would like to charge inside and slap the guy across the face for what he’d done to her life, she needed to rein in such destructive thoughts.

Matthew released a deep, irritated sigh. “Kelly, just leave it to me, okay? I think I know a little more about how to deal with lowlife scum than you do. I came from the wrong side of the tracks myself. I know how these guys operate.”

“I’m sure you do, Ma—” Before she could finish speaking, he’d leapt from the car, and was making a beeline to the door. His face looked furious as he stalked across the sidewalk. Kelly hurriedly pushed open the car door, too, and quickly caught up with him.
Dear God, exactly what is he gonna do now, and can I stop him?