Finding Master Right

“So, what do you do for work?” she asked, trying to grasp control again.

“I took over my father’s business.”

“Which is?”

He hesitated, piquing her curiosity.

She narrowed her eyes. “Hmm. Let me guess. You’re a spy.”

“No.”

“An assassin.”

He laughed.

“A hacker?”

“Nope. I make specialty soda.”

Soda? She hadn’t expected that.

“Disappointed?”

“Why would I be?”

He smiled. “Your imagination was much more interesting than the truth.”

Looking around the opulent kitchen, she said, “I didn’t realize there was so much money in soda.”

“Have you heard of the Je

Recognition hit. “Oh! That’s where I knew your name from!” She paused and thought about the size of his house, and the suit he was currently wearing, and the car he drove, and it all made sense. It was a big business and very popular on the east coast. He must be loaded. “So why all the secrecy?”

He pursed his lips and seemed to consider his words before answering. “When some girls find out I have money, they tend to want to try to make things work longer, even though it’s obvious we aren’t a good match. Or they might pretend to have feelings for me that aren’t real.”

“Oh. I get it.” She felt a bit sad for him. It must be hard to know who to trust. “Well, I’m not like that. A rich asshole is still an asshole. You don’t have to worry about me pretending to like you to get to your wallet.”

His brow arched in a dommy way, but there was amusement in his eyes. “So what other reason would you pretend to like me?”

She lifted her chin and suppressed a smile. “’Cause you’re hot, of course.”

He laughed loudly, then stood up and threw her over his shoulder, making her yelp in surprise.

“Hey! What are you doing?”

She was usually too tall for guys to manhandle this way, but Ba

“Ugh. You’re lucky I didn’t just eat.”

He chuckled then set her down on her feet in the living room. “Small talk is over. Shoes off, Trouble, and make it fast. Now I have to train you and feed you.”

“You don’t need to—”

He cut her off with a look of warning. “Did I tell you to speak?”

Her stomach dropped as her body went immediately into that liquid submissive state. She was losing control already, which went against her plan for the night. With a deep breath, she found her resolve and gave him her sternest expression. “Listen. I don’t think we should go as far today. In fact, I think I should probably keep my clothes on. I mean, you can teach me submission with my clothes on, right?”

“Of course. Dominance and submission aren’t always about sex. Some people in D/s relationships never have sex.”

“What?” That seemed to defeat the purpose.

“They find satisfaction in the roles without it being sexual.”

She shook her head, confused.

“Try to keep an open mind, Kate. Everyone has their own way of finding comfort in life.”

That struck a chord. How many times had she helped clients discover unconventional ways to live without their addictions? “You have a point, I suppose. But still, can we slow down a little?” She bit her lip, hoping he would understand. She wasn’t chickening out or anything, but spontaneous sex would only hurt them both in the end.

His expression remained unreadable, which frustrated her. As a social worker she prided herself in being able to read people, but he was often a mystery. She didn’t want to disappoint him. She’d come to like pleasing him. Maybe she shouldn’t have said anything. Now she felt stupid.

“You can keep your clothes on,” he said. “I’d still like you to take your shoes off though. Is that a problem?”

“Oh.” Why did it surprise her that he was being reasonable? “Um. No, it’s not a problem.” A minute ago she was begi

She removed her sneakers and placed them off to the side. Nerves started in her belly. What would he do with her while keeping her clothes on? She stood in front of him, fumbling with her hands, staring at his chest, unsure of what to do from here. Should she kneel? Or ask him where he wanted her?

“A lot of Doms like to do something called inspection,” he said.

She didn’t like the sound of that.

“Since you have your clothes on, it’ll be tamer than I’m used to. With them off, you’ll feel much more vulnerable. But we’re going to do it anyway, to get you used to the idea.”

He hadn’t given her permission to speak yet, and she’d vowed to herself to at least try to follow the rules, so she only nodded her head.

“Feet apart.”

She widened her stance.

“Put your hands behind your head.” He started walking around her, slowly, as she complied. “Some Doms might have you clasp them behind your back or some other position, but I like this one because it puts your tits on display.”

Unable to help herself, she said, “Are you going to weigh me too? Then hang me up on your wall?”

He came around to her front then raised his brows. “Do you need something in your mouth to remind you not to sass me, bratty girl?”

Though she shook her head adamantly, a vision formed in her mind. Ba

Fuck. Her pussy twinged, and she felt herself start to dampen. She looked up at Ba

He let out a loud groan.

“What?” Had she exasperated him already?

“Keep looking at me like that, Kate, and I won’t be able to behave for very long.”

She felt her eyes widen. “Like what?” She tried to clear her face of emotion.

His pained expression morphed to a predatory grin. “Like you like the idea of my dick in your pretty mouth.”

“What? No! I . . . I—” She sputtered protests as her cheeks grew hot.

His cocky expression grated on her nerves. “These betray you too.” He placed his thumbs over her aching nipples and rubbed them back and forth.

The soft touch over her sensitive peaks made her body crave more. She bit down on her lip to keep from moaning.

He chuckled. “Turn around and grab your ankles.”

Still embarrassed about his accusation, she spat, “Fuck, no.” Immediately, she knew it’d been a mistake. Before she could take the words back, he had her hair in his fist.

He marched her to the couch, then sat, positioning her over his lap. Oh crap. What was her safeword again?

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to find us back in this position.” He stroked his hand over ass. Somehow, even with yoga pants on, it still felt vulnerable.

Her head dangled above the floor as she tried to balance on his knee with as much dignity as possible.

“Ba

“The disobedience was enough to warrant this.” He brought his giant hand down onto her ass and she hissed in a breath.

How did he manage to make it hurt over the pants?

“But then you made it worse by cursing. A pretty mouth like yours shouldn’t be saying such ugly words.” He smacked her again.

And again.

She squirmed.

“Really, Kate.” Smack. “While I love having you over my knee—” smack “—I thought you’d have learned your lesson last time.”

She rolled her eyes, trying to convince herself that his words weren’t making her hotter. “Just punish me already and stop with the lecturing!”

The silence that followed was eerie. Crap. What had she done?

A dark laugh made her heart jump to her throat. Unceremoniously, he dumped her onto the floor. She scrambled back, confused and more turned on than she should have been.