by Ivy Nelson
They only had a little time to get ready and head to the venue. It was a black-tie affair as were most of the evening fund raisers he attended. The daytime ones tended to be a little more dressed down, but at night the who’s who of D.C. put on their finest and partied until late, even in the middle of the work week, all in the name of raising money for a politician or a cause.
An hour and a half later they were in the back of a town car. He thought Darci looked exceptionally beautiful tonight in her sexy gray cocktail dress. Her hair was pulled back, but a few curls still framed her pretty face. He liked that she didn’t wear a lot of make-up. She didn’t need it. Her skin was flawless, and her eyes popped without the help of heavy eye makeup.
Currently, he was resisting the urge to make out with her like a teenager in the backseat. Instead, he held her hand and caressed it gently with his thumb. She seemed in better spirits than she had been this morning. “Thanks for coming with me tonight, baby. And for getting my people tickets.”
She smiled at him. “You’re welcome.” Leaning up, she kissed him on the cheek.
They spent the rest of the ride in silence. Once inside the venue, they left their coats at coat check and began mingling. Darci immediately spotted people she needed to say hello to and excused herself from his side. There were always a few people at these events that you were obligated to shake hands with, but sometimes that was easier with a drink, so Bradley headed to the bar after he watched Darci walk away. He didn’t feel so bad about letting her roam freely here.
Along with their own security detail, there were dozens of other bodyguards floating throughout the crowd and perimeter, because in D.C. nearly everyone needed security. It was a grim thought, because it mostly meant that they had all pissed someone off at one point or another. But tonight, it gave them the ability to relax. He found a spot near the bar and watched her flit about the room. She was a natural in a crowd. Watching her was fun. The first hour or so of the party would be mingling and cocktails followed by dinner. After dinner, a DJ would turn it into a dance party.
He took a drink from the bar and mingled. He was never a natural the way Darci seemed to be, but over the years he had gotten better at hiding it. His own staff was arriving, so he said hello and instructed them to mingle and make friends. The senator would come closer to dinner.
He finished up a conversation and looked around the room for his girl. When he spotted her, he couldn’t help but smile. She was standing near the entrance talking animatedly with another woman he didn’t recognize. After approaching, he placed his hand gently on her arm to let her know he was there and stood back to let her finish her conversation.
While she was still talking, Bradley scanned the entrance for people he knew. He was still waiting for Adara to arrive.
Just then he spotted her in a flattering red dress. He grinned when he saw who was on her arm. The tall detective looked a bit uncomfortable in a suit, but he was smiling fondly at Adara, and she looked happy. He greeted them.
“Detective, a pleasant surprise seeing you here.” He shook the other man’s hand firmly and turned to Adara and winked at her.
“Hope you don’t mind me bringing a date, boss. These things are no fun solo.”
“Of course, Adara. I’m just glad you could make it.”
At that moment Darci came rushing up to them. “Michael. What the fuck are you doing here?” Bradley cringed.
“Darci, is that any way to greet someone in a place like this?” he asked. His reprimand made her frown.
“Sorry, Michael. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
He laughed. “It’s OK. It was kind of last minute. Do you know my date?” he asked, motioning to Adara.
Darci smiled. “We’ve spoken a time or two. It’s lovely to see you outside the office, Miss Kent.” Bradley was glad she wasn’t letting their past differences show.
The assistant smiled. “Please call me Adara. I hope you don’t mind that I’m using your good friend as arm candy.”
Darci giggled and leaned in to whisper. “I’ve used him for arm candy a time or two, so I understand.”
Michael cleared his throat. “I’m standing right here, ladies.”
Darci grinned and kissed his cheek. “And you look mighty fine doing it. Have fun tonight you two.” The couple went to mingle with some of Adara’s friends. Darci turned to someone trying to say hello to her and Bradley watched, amused at the way she bounced from person to person. A moment later he saw Jim Perkins heading their way.
“Mr. Givens. Nice to see you here tonight.” Bradley shook his outstretched hand as Darci turned her attention to them. “Hi, Darci. Thanks for showing up at the luncheon after all today. It was a tremendous help,” Jim said. Bradley turned and glared at Darci but didn’t say anything.
“Oh, sure no problem, Jim,” Darci mumbled. Bradley could tell she was nervous by the way she fiddled with her small clutch. She fucking should be nervous. Bradley swept his gaze back to Jim who was excusing himself to find his table. When he was gone, Bradley turned his full attention to Darci. Stalking toward her, he backed her against a wall.
Chapter Thirty-Two
“You are in so much fucking trouble when we get home,” Bradley whispered through clenched teeth. Darci was up against the back wall of the grand ballroom, He flattened his palms against the wall on either side of her as his cold, angry gaze locked on hers.
She tried to shrink away from him, but she was trapped by his arms and his angry glare. She couldn’t remember him ever being this angry before. Shit, she thought to herself. How do I get out of this one?
“I’m sorry, Bradley. I don’t know what you want me to say. I had to get out of there. It was important.”
“Nothing is more important than your safety,” he hissed. “We’ll discuss this at home. Now smile and kiss me. We have an appearance to keep up. But you, young lady, are on my shit list right now.”
His fingers trailed tenderly down her cheek until his hand reached her neck and he slipped it into her hair. To onlookers, they looked like a couple canoodling in the corner. Only Darci could see his anger and feel the pain as he pulled her hair. She did as she was told and smiled even though her insides trembled. He was furious.
When she leaned up to kiss his cheek, she winced. His hand still had a tight grip on her hair.
“I’m sorry, please don’t be angry with me.” Her voice trembled as she tried to hold back tears. For a moment, his grip tightened. But he didn’t say anything else, and she knew he wouldn’t until they got home. It was going to be a long night.
Why did her boss have to say anything to him about her little field trip today? But Jim didn’t know about their dynamic yet, so his comments seemed harmless. Fuck, fuck, fuck. She cursed herself. Bradley put her arm through his and led them to their dinner table. They still had at least three hours to be here. That might be enough time for him to calm down
They made it through dinner without incident, though she could still feel his anger every time he looked at her. She tried to apologize with her eyes, but it didn’t seem to be affecting him. As the dessert plates were being cleared, she excused herself to the ladies’ room.
“I’ll escort you,” Bradley said, rising from his seat. To the guests at their table his smile was genuine, but Darci could tell it didn’t reach his eyes. She wanted to object but decided against it until they were away from the table.
“I don’t need an escort to the bathroom, Bradley.”
“From where I stand, you can’t be trusted to go anywhere on your own.” His tone was harsh, and she sighed. He was not any less angry. This was not going well. He left her at the bathroom door, though it wouldn’t have surprised her if he’d tried to go in with her. When she finished, she opened the door and could hear Bradley’s voice.
“How the fuck did you let her get past you? I’m paying you to fucking protect her. Why didn’t you call me the second you knew she was gone?”
She cringed. She didn’t mean
for the guard to get in trouble. He was apologizing as she walked up to them.
“Please don’t yell at him, Bradley. I’m the one who left them.”
“Stay out of this, Darci. You’re in enough trouble as it is. It’s their job to keep tabs on you.”
It was probably best not to say anything else right now. “I’ll be inside talking to Senator Stills’ chief of staff.” Turning, she headed back into the ballroom.
It was already transitioning into a dance party. On any other night, she would have had a drink or two and pulled Bradley onto the dance floor. Maybe she still could. At first, he would resist, but she could be convincing. She was just about to head to the bar for a drink when she felt him behind her.
“Let’s dance,” he said, turning her to face him.
“I thought you were mad at me.”
“I am, but we can still dance. If we have to be here, we might as well enjoy it.” Relaxing just a bit, she followed him to the dance floor.
They danced for a little while, and Darci was grateful for his ability to put aside his anger and enjoy spending time with her. She had a feeling she was still in trouble but tried not to think about it. Earlier, his anger reminded her of Damion, and it made her nauseous. She hoped her fuck-up didn’t bring out a bad side of Bradley that she didn’t know was there.
They did a little more mingling, and Darci got her opportunity to chat with Senator Atleigh. True to his word, Bradley let her approach him unsupervised. She was polite but had no problem letting him know she thought his proposed legislation was ridiculous.
Even though she wanted to, she didn’t say anything about the other bill Bradley had warned her was coming. Not only did she not want to get Bradley fired, she figured she was already in enough trouble with him later. The senator didn’t have much to say, but he seemed to be following his handlers’ script for once, so it wasn’t an unpleasant conversation. After a few minutes, she moved on.
Michael asked her to dance, and while they were circling the dance floor, he asked her how things were going with Bradley. Unsure of the answer herself, she just told him things were good and changed the subject, asking about Adara. The question made her friend blush.
“Oh my god, you really like her,” she exclaimed. He nodded and spun her out to twirl her under his arm.
“I’m not ready to talk about it, but yes, I like her.” She squealed and threw her arms around him. He laughed. “Get out of here, I’m sure your man is looking for you.”
With a grin, she left him to go find someone else to talk to, not quite ready to seek Bradley out again.
As she was finishing a conversation with Jim and his date, Bradley approached and wrapped his arms around her from behind. He whispered into her ear so only she could hear.
“You and I have some things we need to address, so you should say goodnight.” His teeth grazed her ear, and she tried not to groan out loud. Things were about to get interesting.
They said their goodbyes and went to collect their coats.
Bradley was silent for the entire ride home, but he kept his arm around her the whole trip. At the apartment, she was amused if not slightly worried because the guard that normally stood watch directly outside his door stated that he would keep watch from the front desk tonight.
When Bradley had locked the door behind them, he turned and gazed at her for a moment. Nerves twisted her insides.
“I would like some wine, pet.”
His request took her by surprise, and she stared at him confused for a minute before turning for the kitchen where she poured them both a glass of chilled chardonnay.
When she came out of the kitchen, he wasn’t in the entryway or the living room. The light was on in his office, so she tapped on the door with both wine glasses in one hand. “You can come in.” His voice was soft. She set his glass on the desk and stood awkwardly holding her own.
“You seem nervous,” he said as he lifted the glass to his lips for a long drink.
“I’m just waiting for you to yell at me,” she murmured. It practically came out as a whisper.
“Why on earth would I yell at you, pet?” He was being disturbingly nice. “Oh. You mean because you ditched your security and put yourself in mortal danger by going someplace you were explicitly forbidden to go?” His voice was quiet still, but the anger was there again.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“Are you? Or are you just sorry Jim said something, and your secret got out?” Darci winced at the question. It was a fair one, but she wasn’t sure how to answer. He stood and rounded the desk.
Taking her wine glass from her hand, he set it on the desk and lifted her chin, so she was forced to look him in the eye. “Answer me please.”
“A little of both I think,” she squeaked.
His eyes closed. “You promised you were going to do as I asked, Darci. How am I supposed to trust you if you’re going to pull stunts like this?” His disappointment in her was worse than any physical punishment he could have given.
“I’m sorry, Sir. I hate you being angry with me. Can you just punish me so we can move on?”
He stood back and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not sure that’s how it works. Is it going to do any good? Discipline only works if you’re willing to adjust your behavior as a result. If you’re not, then we need to drop the Dom/sub charade and go back to being vanilla.”
A single tear slid down her cheek, and she whispered, “That’s a little harsh.”
When he didn’t respond, she took a deep breath and continued.
“It’s not a charade. I promise. I don’t mean to disobey you or make you angry. I like it when you’re happy with me. I like being yours. I’m just not good at this being caged in thing.” There was still no response from Bradley, and Darci’s fears about him being like Damion resurfaced.
Breathing in again, she decided to be as bluntly honest as she could.
“I’m nervous and worried,” she said. Now she was unsure of how to continue, but before she could figure it out, he spoke.
“You should be.” There was an edge to his voice, and she held up her hand. It was important for him to hear this.
“No, please hear me out. Your anger is reminding me of Damion, and I want to bolt. The difference is, his anger was rarely warranted. He got angry with me because he thought it was the dominant thing to do. You actually have a reason to be angry. I’m not telling you this, so you’ll go easy on me, I’m telling you this because I’m trying here.”
Bradley closed his eyes. “I won’t apologize for my anger. You’re right, I have a reason to be angry. But I will apologize for scaring you. I understand you had a bad experience with Damion. I should take better care to make sure you don’t experience that kind of fear ever again.” He pulled her into a hug.
“You don’t understand how much I wanted to drag you out of there and spank you in the car as soon as I heard what you did.”
“I’m glad you waited,” she muttered. Trying to hold in her tears.
“I’m serious, Darci,” he said, standing back again. “I don’t throw around demands just because I can. You know that’s not the kind of Dom I am. But damn it when I ask you not to do something, I expect you not to fucking do it. Especially when there’s a fucking killer on the loose.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I swear. It was stupid and I shouldn’t have gone alone, but I can’t let this situation interfere with my job, Bradley. Find a way to keep me safe without keeping me locked up. I swear from now on I’ll never go anywhere without security and I promise that I’ll do my best to be more obedient about these things. I just need to be able to do my job.”
“I guess that’s all I can ask for.” There was less anger in his voice now.
“Are you going to spank me?”
“I haven’t decided yet. I think you might like spanking too much and you need to be punished. Go wait in the bedroom for me. I have to take care of some things.” She nodded and headed out of the room. �
�Darci,” he said, stopping her. He waited until she was facing him again to continue. “I promise to keep your fears in mind. I like you being mine too.” Her lip quirked upward in a small smile as she walked to the bedroom. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. She waited on the floor and vowed to herself to suck it up and take whatever punishment he devised. She was falling hard for Bradley Givens, and she wanted to make him happy.
The next morning, she woke up with stiffness everywhere. Her poor bottom was still sore because Bradley had spanked her. Even worse, she was still aching with need. It was the most intense spanking he had given her. Ultimately, she had been glad for the spanking, and it was nothing compared to the way he had tormented her in bed after it was over. She sank into the pillows and let her mind drift to the previous night.
He had kept her waiting in the bedroom for almost half an hour before he made an appearance. She had been unsure of what he meant when he told her to wait in the bedroom, so she had stripped and was kneeling on the floor just inside the bedroom door when he came in. He seemed pleased to find her this way, but he didn’t say as much. She had been disappointed to not at least get a “good girl,” out of him but he was probably still pissed at her. She had a feeling she would have to work hard to earn a “good girl,” from him again.
He had wasted no time pulling her across his lap. The spanking was different this time. There was no warmup, and there were no pauses for gentle caresses of her naughty bits. Had he run his fingers across her pussy he would have found her soaked. He didn’t though. He just spanked her. Repeatedly, sharp stings peppered her ass cheeks until they she was certain the heat radiating from her bottom could roast marshmallows. She wasn’t sure how long it went on, but it seemed like forever. Abruptly it stopped. “Stand up,” he ordered gruffly. “We’re not done yet, but I need you to tell me if you have any issues being spanked with a belt.” Darci winced. It wasn’t a hard limit, but it wasn’t her favorite thing in the world. “Answer me please.”
