by Ivy Nelson
“Do you mind if I turn your living room into campaign headquarters in the evenings? Peter doesn’t like the part of town our office is in and only wants us there during the day.”
“Of course not, Angel. Do what you need to. I trust Peter. Do we need to find you a new office?”
“We’re working on it. We just got what was available as quickly as we could.”
With his fork, he poked at the pickle sitting on his plate.
“I suppose I should get back, Angel. I always hate leaving you.”
They stood and walked out together to find Peter standing next to his own SUV talking to Bradley.
“I’m glad you’ve got these two with you,” he said as they approached. “Do you mind if I talk to them alone for a minute?”
“Telling them to make sure I behave?” She winked.
“I trust you to behave.” Her smirk told him maybe he shouldn’t, but she was climbing into the SUV with her phone to her ear before he could say anything else.
When her door was shut, he turned to the two men standing nearby.
“Homeland wants to use her as bait to catch her bastard father. I’m not OK with this.”
“Fuck that,” Bradley spit out.
Good. They agreed with him.
“I could forbid her to speak to them, but that would just cause strife, and we’re in a good place. She says she wants to hear them out. Just run interference for me please. Don’t let them get her alone face-to-face. That snake Miller will have her talked into something stupid before we can stop it.”
Both men agreed and Michael felt better knowing he had them both on his side. Peter and Bradley hopped into the SUV and drove away. They would do their best to keep her safe. But Adara was stubborn, and if she wanted to talk to Homeland, she would. He was prepared for that, but he was also prepared to rope two very convincing dominants into helping her see the error of her ways should she decide it would be a good idea to help Homeland out.
Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that. Twenty minutes later, he was sitting in a coffee shop meeting a witness. He did his best to put the potential danger Adara was in out of his mind.
• • •
Adara sat in Michael’s home office listening to Bradley rattle off poll numbers. It seemed crazy to her that the campaign had been going for so short a time and there were already poll numbers to go over.
“I think if we buy some ad spots and run a few social media ads, we can get your numbers up among younger voters. It’s a presidential election year. We’re going to see a bigger turnout among younger voters, and we need to capitalize on that.”
Her head bobbed in agreement, but she had zoned out and wasn’t actually listening.
Bradley leaned back in his chair. “What’s on your mind Adara, you’re clearly not paying attention to me.”
“Jesus. It’s been there the whole fucking time hasn’t it?”
Confusion clouded his face. “What has?”
“Your dominant streak. I used to think you just had good leadership skills when we worked for Atleigh, but now that I see it, I can’t un-see it. It’s very unsettling.”
Laughter shook him. “Sorry. It’s my personality.”
“I know. It’s still weird. Anyway. No, I wasn’t paying attention. My mind is definitely somewhere else.”
“So, talk to me. I need your full attention if we’re going to win. What’s on your mind?”
“Homeland Security wants my help to capture my biological father. I want to help them, but I don’t think Michael would like it.”
“And neither would I. Or Peter.”
“Is this what life is like for Darci and Carrie? So much overprotectiveness?”
“It’s an international terrorist, Adara. I don’t think overprotective is possible in this situation.” He folded his arms and frowned. “Why is Michael even letting you have a choice in this?”
“Because I’m a grown woman, and we’re still figuring things out. I agreed to be his submissive in the bedroom and at the club, and that’s all for now.”
“Fair enough. Look, I get that you want to help catch this guy. I want to see him caught too. I just don’t want you to get hurt in the process. There is only so much protection that Homeland, the police, or even Peter can provide.”
“Too many unknowns. I know. That’s what Michael said. I would at least like the opportunity to hear what Homeland has to say.”
Bradley leaned forward and planted his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands together. “That’s fair too. But I’m in charge of your schedule and there is no time for a face-to-face meeting. If you’re going to hear what they have to say, it has to be on the phone.”
“You would let me do that? Let me talk to them?”
“I can’t control your phone calls.”
“So, Michael didn’t ask you guys to make some kind of Dom pact to keep me away from Homeland?”
Bradley’s eyebrows rose. “Oh, he did. This is my part of that. I’m just letting you know up front I can’t control your phone calls, but I can control your daily schedule. And as long as I’m in charge, you’re not meeting with Homeland. They can find another way to catch him.”
She scowled. “I don’t think I’ve ever been angry at you before, boss, but I’m getting kind of close.”
“Tough. I can handle it. Can we get back to work now?”
She sighed. This was clearly a losing battle. “Fine. We’ll talk more about this later.” The two got back to work pouring over data and making a campaign game plan. It was late by the time they finished, and Michael still wasn’t home. An earlier text told her not to wait up for him, so they had kept working.
“I should get going,” Bradley said around midnight. “Darci is probably wondering where I’m at.” They stood and walked to the front door.
“Adara, I’m sorry if I came across overbearing about the Homeland thing. I just happen to be on Michael’s side about this one.”
Adara shook her head. “It’s fine. You don’t need to apologize. I get it. I really do. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
Just then they heard a key being inserted into the lock, and Michael opened the door looking tired and run down.
“Didn’t expect you to still be up, Angel. It sure is good to see your face.”
Nerves overcame her, and she wasn’t sure why. She offered him a shy smile. Michael reached for her hand and turned to Bradley. “You headed home, or do you want a beer?”
“I’m heading home to my girl.”
“Don’t worry, he stuck to your little Dom bro-pact,” she said with a smirk.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Michael said, winking at Bradley who had opened the front door.
“Goodnight you two. Don’t fight over this. And if you do, make sure you have makeup sex.”
“Gross, Bradley. Go home,” Adara said, her nose crinkled in disgust.
When the door was shut, Michael turned and stalked toward her, pushing her against the now closed door. “Gross? Sex with me is gross?” he asked, his voice taking on a dark, dominant tone that she hoped meant good things for her in the near future.
“Sex with you is amazing. My campaign manager talking about me having sex with you is the gross part.”
“He saw your tits last weekend.”
“Jesus, Michael. Don’t remind me. This is weird enough for me already.”
Michael buried his face in her neck and laughed. “Sorry, Angel. I’m glad to know you think sex with me is amazing. You should let me show you just how amazing it can be.”
A grin spread across her face. “I like the sound of that.”
“Bedroom. Now.”
He was giving her an order, but she was overcome with the urge to disobey and wasn’t sure why. Amazing sex was high on her list of priorities though, so she shoved the urge aside and went to the bedroom. He didn’t follow her though, so she sat on the bed and waited for him to enter, leaving her clothes on.
It was a full five
minutes before he pushed open the door. His reaction was instant, and she suddenly wondered if she had made a mistake.
“Are you deliberately trying to get me to punish you Angel, or did you forget the rules?”
She didn’t respond as he prowled toward her. “You have about ten seconds to get your clothes off or you’ll get a spanking and we’ll go to bed. I made my expectations clear. I don’t like them being ignored. We had an agreement, Angel.”
Guilt washed over her, and she stood and began removing her clothes. Now she wasn’t sure if she was supposed to apologize or remain silent, but his piercing gaze as he watched her every move was unnerving. When the last stitch of clothing came off, she went with her gut and sank to her knees.
“I’m sorry, Sir. Not sure what I was thinking. I wanted to push your buttons and I don’t know why.”
He dropped to one knee and tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his eyes. “Consider my buttons pushed. Talk to me, Angel.”
She closed her eyes and willed herself to be as honest as she could be. “I think I was feeling bullied by you and Bradley about this whole Homeland thing. I don’t like that you felt the need to ask them to babysit me over this. I just needed to get the defiance I’m feeling out of my system.”
When he exhaled, she shuddered as his warm breath caressed her skin. “That was a very honest answer, Angel. Thank you. Next time though, tell me what you’re feeling. It will save you a sore bottom. Because now, instead of having amazing sex with you, I have to punish you for deliberately breaking the rules.”
“Can’t we do both?” she asked, pouting.
He pressed a kiss to her lips. “We could. But you’ve been very naughty. I don’t know if you’ve earned amazing sex.”
She dropped her head again, feeling contrite.
“Stand up. Go to the bathroom and get the hairbrush off the counter please.” She stood and hurried to the bathroom to do as she was told, hoping she could salvage the night by being obedient.
“Into the corner with you,” he said when she returned. “Hands on your head. I need to take a shower. No moving.” The hairbrush landed on the bed with a soft thunk, his arms folded across his chest while he waited for her to comply. He wasn’t playing tonight, and she was beginning to think she had pushed the wrong buttons. Hopefully her bottom didn’t pay too dearly for it, she thought as she lifted her hands to the back of her head.
Michael took his time in the shower and she swore she heard the fucker singing. It wasn’t her imagination. At least fifteen minutes later, he emerged from the bathroom humming softly. It took all of her willpower not to turn around, hoping to catch a glimpse of a wet, naked Michael. Willpower couldn’t stop a groan from escaping as she pictured it though.
“I’m sorry, did you say something, Angel?”
“No, Sir. Did you enjoy your shower? Took you long enough.” She muttered the last line.
His hand fisting into her hair a split second later told her he heard what she said. With his hand gripping her hair, he tilted her head back so she could look him in the eye. She whimpered as the pain coursed through her scalp and shot straight to her groin.
“Still pushing buttons, I see. We’ll take care of that soon enough.”
“Sorry, Sir,” she whispered.
“I don’t think you are. But that’s OK. You’re lucky I can’t keep my hands off you or I’d leave you here for an hour for sassing me.”
He kept his hands fisted in her hair. “Come.” She followed his tugging lead to the bed where he let go and sat, wearing nothing but a pair of his boxer briefs. She wanted to pull them off with her teeth. Maybe he would accept that as a form of apology?
Probably not. He seemed intent on taking her over his knee for a spanking. She wasn’t exactly sad about that. So far, the spankings she had received from him had ended quite well for her. Hopefully she hadn’t pushed him far enough to deny her pleasure tonight. She would accept it without argument if he did though. She had kind of earned it.
“Did you push my buttons to piss me off or did you want a spanking, Angel?”
“I wanted to piss you off I think, Sir. Not that I don’t want a spanking.”
“This is going to be different, Angel. I don’t reward subs who manipulate their way into a spanking with purposeful bad behavior.”
She didn’t know what he meant by that but had a feeling it wasn’t going to end well for her.
“Remember your safeword please. I don’t think you’ll need it, but you’re not going to enjoy this. Just remember this next time you want to defy me just to get a reaction out of me. There are much better ways to get what you want, Angel.”
He didn’t waste time scolding her anymore. He also didn’t use his hand to warm her up, and he definitely didn’t start slow with the hairbrush. Instead, the spanking started in high gear, with no warning. Just sharp stinging smacks on her ass. She yelped and tried to squirm away, but he held her tightly in place. There were no intimate caresses between rounds of spanks, no soothing touches, just a never-ending searing burn on her bottom. Tears pricked her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she managed to get out between gasps. “I’m sorry. Please stop.”
“Are you using your safeword, Angel?” For a moment, she gave it some thought. She wasn’t. This was a well-earned punishment and she would take it.
“No, Sir,” she said as tears streamed down her cheeks. “I’m sorry.”
The spanking continued then, and her legs kicked almost involuntarily.
It was over as suddenly as it had begun. “That was about ninety seconds, Angel. Defy me like that again and you get ten minutes of that, or we go until you safeword. Whichever happens first. Are we clear?”
She took a shaky breath, tears still spilling down her face. “Yes, Sir. I’m sorry. You can keep going if you want. I feel bad now.” And she did. She did not want to disappoint this man. His hand gently touched her bottom, and she winced, thinking for a moment he was going to take her up on her offer to let him keep going.
“No, Angel. We’re done. But you are going back to the corner for a little bit and then we’ll talk.” She nodded and scurried to her place feeling contrite, which was probably the desired effect of the punishment.
A few minutes later she heard him behind her. “You took that well, Angel. I’m proud of you.”
“You are? How can you be proud of me when I disobeyed you on purpose?”
His arms slid around her waist. “Arms down, baby. I’m proud because you proved you can take what I want to give you. I’m proud because you acknowledged what you did wrong, and you learned a lesson. You took your punishment with grace and you didn’t complain about it. Yes, you disobeyed me, but you were able to communicate why, and we dealt with it. Now come to bed. I want to have some of that amazing sex before we pass out from exhaustion.”
Turning in his arms, she buried her face in his chest. “I’m so sorry. You had such a long day at work. You didn’t need me pushing you that way. Forgive me.”
He stepped away from her and tilted her chin upwards. “You’re forgiven. Enough beating yourself up. Come to bed.”
She nodded and followed him to the bed where he spent the next half hour making love to her. When he had milked two orgasms from her, he finally lost himself in his own orgasm and they collapsed together into a dreamless sleep.
19
♥♥♥
“Adara Kent, speaking,” Adara said into the phone a young volunteer handed her.
“Miss Kent, it’s Stephen Miller with Homeland Security. I apologize for the unexpected call, but I was wondering if I could have a few minutes of your time for some follow-up questions regarding Faisal Hadawi and his son.”
“I’m not sure I have any more answers for you, but we can speak on the phone if you like. My campaign manager is pretty protective of my time these days so a face-to-face meeting might be hard.”
“I understand that. I’d like to keep it unofficial, but if I have to, I’ll call you in for a formal interview.
” There was a threat to his tone and suddenly Adara wasn’t so keen on helping the man. She didn’t like threats. “I’ll keep that in mind, Agent Miller. Let me see what I can work out with my team. Is this a good number to reach you at?”
When she ended the call, she handed the phone back to the volunteer who had been hovering. “Tell Mr. Givens I want to see him as soon as possible please.”
“Right away, Miss Kent.”
The volunteer scurried from her office and she pulled out her personal cell to call Michael.
“Angel, is everything OK?”
“Fine. Just thought you should know Agent Miller called me. Pretty sure he was threatening me too.” She gave him the details of the call.
“I really don’t like that guy.” He was quiet for a minute. “Thank you for telling me. It means a lot to have your trust.”
“I was prepared to hear him out. But now, I’m not sure I want to. It sounds like he’s going to push the issue though. Should I just set up a meeting?” Bradley appeared in her door, so she put the phone on speaker.
“Set it up, Angel. I’ll come with you if you want me to. I don’t want them bullying you into anything.”
“I feel like he’ll be more hostile if you’re there. Maybe I’ll take Peter or Bradley. They’re unknown to him.”
“Fair point. Gotta run, Angel. I’m getting a call out.”
They hung up, and Adara told Bradley about Miller’s call.
“I’ll set something up off the books. The last thing we need is a formal interview. We’ve managed to keep your birth story out of the press for now. Give me his number.”
She handed him the scrap of paper and he stepped out to make the call. Twenty minutes later he and Peter both entered the office.
“We’re going to do this now,” Bradley said. “We’re meeting at Peter’s office in forty-five minutes.”
“Sounds good to me, gentlemen.” She stood and grabbed her purse.
“Not so fast, young lady,” Peter said sternly. “We need to go over protocol.”
“Call me young lady again and see what happens. I’m Michael’s submissive not yours.”
