Pressure: A Diamond Doms Novel

by Ivy Nelson

  Her eyes were fully open now and she sat up, staring at him. "What happened, Lance?"

  "Someone hacked an app I developed for a client and is sending all of its users bondage porn. Like massive amounts of it."

  "Fuck," she whispered. "This could be bad for you. What do I do?"

  "Start digging into the hack. You're light years ahead of my development team on this one if it's Sebastian. And if it's not, you can rule that out quickly."

  She was pulling on a sweater and jeans as he spoke. "I already packed our bags and the pilot should be ready to leave in less than an hour."

  "Hey," she whispered. "It's gonna be OK. I'm with you. We'll fix this."

  Lance wasn't so sure. This was the fourth breach of a client's trust in less than a month. His reputation was going to suffer.

  An hour later, they were on the plane. Lance had managed almost a full eight hours of sleep before the phone woke him, but Marissa had stayed up until six, so he sent her to the bedroom to sleep until they landed.

  In the back of his mind was her agreement to be his for the weekend, but he knew now wasn't the time to focus on that.

  Instead, he spent the flight on a conference call with his development team as they shut the app down.

  Near the end of the flight, before ending the call, he said. "I'm bringing in someone I trust who may already have a lead to trace this hack."

  "Who is it?" he asked, naturally skeptical.

  "Her name is Marissa Sullivan and she has my utmost trust on this. She'll be running the show to track down this intrusion."

  His employee cleared his throat.

  "Is that..."

  "My ex fiancée? Yes. But she's also one of the best and I expect you to treat her with the same respect you would me. Are we clear?"

  His developer nodded and Lance ended the call.

  "Thank you for that," Marissa whispered. He turned to find her standing in the aisle.

  "Hey, love. You're awake. We should land soon."

  She nodded and settled next to him, laying her head on his shoulder.

  "You don't have to put me in charge, you know."

  "Hush. I need someone on the outside who can be objective. You already proved that I was too close to my own code at Solitaire. I don't trust that not to be the case here. Rich will understand."

  "What's the plan when we get there?"

  "I need to change into a suit, and I'll be meeting with my client. Kimberly will set you up in an office with whatever tech you want, and you can get to work. Rich and his team will be at your disposal."

  Marissa nodded and gave him a slow grin.

  "What?" he asked, warily.

  "Nothing. I'm just excited about seeing you in a suit again."

  He rolled his eyes. His girl always had liked it when he put a suit on. In the early days, he didn't do it often. Then he realized how much it helped his image. Not to mention, it usually got him laid when he got home to her at the end of the day.

  God, the thought of coming home to Marissa again? The thought hadn't crossed his mind in years. After their breakup, he'd buried himself in his work before getting involved with Solitaire, where he buried himself in training house subs, always having at least one wearing his bracelet. Some he slept with, others he didn't. It always depended on the sub's limits and desires in the training program.

  A car was waiting for him when they landed, and he held Marissa's hand all the way to his office.

  "You don't need to go home?" she asked.

  He shook his head. "Kimberly went to my place and got me a suit."

  "What?" he asked when she scowled.

  "Kimberly has a key to your house? Since when?"

  He laughed. "Don't be jealous, Riss. It's just for emergencies. She's always had a key."

  He pressed a kiss to her forehead when her brows stayed knitted together. "I think it's cute that you're jealous of me."

  "I don't. Not one little bit. I hate that I'm like this."

  "It's not like you're slashing people's tires over your jealousy, baby. If you were, we would definitely want to address it."

  She laughed. "You sound like my god damn therapist."

  He shook his head. It still surprised him that she saw a therapist. Before their breakup, he'd suggested couple's counseling as a precursor to their wedding and she had laughed in his face.

  "Relax, kitten. Kimberly has worked for me since the beginning and she has a husband and two kids. She also finds BDSM completely unappealing. And those are her words."

  That seemed to settle her.

  When they reached the building that housed his company, there were still two hours to spare before his client was due to arrive so he stepped into the bathroom in his top floor office and took a quick shower before changing into the dark blue suit with a pale pink shirt his assistant had left hanging in the closet.

  Marissa was curled up on his couch when he stepped out, still tying his tie.

  "Hey, Kitten. I thought Kimberly was setting you up in an office."

  She stood and walked to him, grasping his tie, to straighten it.

  "She was. She did. I wanted to catch a glimpse of you in your suit before I got to work though," she said with a grin.

  When she finished messing with his tie, he settled his hands on her hips and pulled her to him.

  "I never thought I would have you in my arms in this office again," he murmured, kissing her nose.

  "I'm sorry it's under such stressful circumstances," she said. "But I'm happy to be here."

  "I hate to kick you out, love, but I need to meet with my executive team and my PR head before this client gets here. Just let Kimberly know if you need anything at all."

  She smiled. "I will. I don't believe she has two kids, by the way."

  Lance laughed. "She claims having kids helped her get in shape because she chases them around the entire time she's home."

  He shrugged. The concept of kids was strange to him. He wasn't sure how Marissa felt about them either now that he thought about it.

  She leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed him gently. "See ya later," she said, when she pulled away from him.

  ♦♦♦♦

  Marissa walked to the other end of the hall to her temporary office where she'd already set her tech up and asked Kimberly to bring her a couple of other computers.

  When the lead app developer came to say hello, he was stiff, and Marissa could tell he wasn't happy with her being here.

  "Look," she said when he sat down. "I know you would rather handle this in house and I totally get that. But I've been hired to do a job and I'm going to do it. However, I'm giving you mirror screen access so you can see what I'm doing whenever you want. You won't be able to halt my progress or kick me out of the system, but you can at least look over my shoulder and if you have questions, the door is staying open so poke your head in and ask. I'd like to see whoever coded this thing so I can talk through the code while I work. Normally I would just sort it all myself, but this is urgent, and I can use all the insight possible. I've already brought in two extra computers so if you can send two of the coders in to work with me that would be even better."

  Rich raised an eyebrow. "OK, Miss Sullivan. I get why Lance brought you in. I'll send you some staff right away. And you can close the mirror screen access. I won't be needing it. If Lance trusts you, so do I."

  Marissa smiled and gave him an appreciative nod. "Come see me around dinner time. I'll have something brought in and we can discuss my progress."

  "You ever think about coming back to work here? You would be a brilliant head of your own team."

  Marissa smiled. "I appreciate the vote of confidence. It has crossed my mind, but for now I'd just like to get through the job I've been hired for."

  Rich backed out of the room with a nod and a wave. When he was gone, Marissa blew out a long breath. She knew she had what it took to lead her own team but coming in and essentially taking over someone else's team was unsettling, and she'd been shakin
g beneath her desk, despite her authoritative tone.

  A half hour later, two staffers knocked on her door. She was pleased to see they were both women.

  "You the coders I asked for?"

  "Yes, ma'am. You must be Miss Sullivan." They both stuck their hands out, offering handshakes, which Marissa accepted.

  "Please, don't call me ma'am. Miss Sullivan, if you must, but I prefer Marissa. Let's get to work, shall we?"

  Both women eagerly nodded and sat at the stations she'd set up for them.

  Four hours later, they were still hard at work and Marissa had already discovered similarities between this hack and the one at Solitaire, though she didn't divulge that to the coders.

  "Ladies," a familiar voice said from the doorway. "I hate to interrupt productivity, but I need to borrow Miss Sullivan for a little bit."

  Marissa noticed the women sat up just a little straighter at the sound of Lance's voice.

  "Hi," Marissa said when she saw him in the doorway. "We're almost done with this section. Can I meet you in your office in ten minutes?"

  He nodded and stepped away from the door. "See you soon."

  Marissa quickly finished the task she was on and set the other two up with a new section to start on.

  "I may not be back tonight. Just document everything you do, and we'll regroup tomorrow."

  Though she wasn't totally sure she would be here tomorrow.

  She stepped out of the office, intent on walking to Lance's. He was leaned against the far wall waiting on her though and gripped her elbow when she got close enough.

  Instead of leading her to his office, he led her to the elevator where they rode to the parking garage.

  "Where are we going?" she asked.

  "Home," he bit out.

  She smiled to herself. Good. She was hoping for the chance to peel him out of his suit.

  A driver was waiting for them in the parking garage. Even though she preferred to take public transportation in Chicago, she was grateful for the quicker ride home tonight.

  Soon they were nearly to Lance's penthouse apartment in Lincoln Park.

  At the point that they were the only ones in the elevator, she pushed him against the wall and untied his tie. Holding it in her hand gave her an idea and she tucked it in her back pocket.

  She had three buttons on his pale pink shirt undone by the time they reached the top floor of the building. He pulled her hands away and pushed her out of the elevator and into his lobby. Yes, his penthouse had its own lobby.

  When they reached the living room, he pulled her in for a passionate kiss, but she broke it quickly. "Bedroom," she said pointedly. "I want to fuck you."

  He lifted an eyebrow at her brazen statement but turned in the direction of his bedroom.

  Once there, he lifted her shirt over her head, but she stopped him and shoved his suit jacket off his shoulders. "I said, I want to fuck you. Not the other way around." He eyed her as he reached for a button on his shirt.

  "OK. I'll play along. For now."

  As he peeled his shirt off, she leaned forward and caught his nipple in her mouth.

  He groaned as the shirt swooshed to the floor and slid his hands into her hair to pull her away from his chest.

  Looking him in the eye, she unbuttoned his slacks and inched them down.

  "You know you need to take clothes off too if you're going to fuck me," he said as he stepped out of the blue pants.

  She shrugged. "I'm not so sure I do. Go lay on the bed."

  "Somebody's feeling bossy," he murmured.

  Much to her glee, he obeyed and laid on his king-size mattress.

  She crawled next to him and straddled his thighs. Hooking his thumbs into his boxers, she yanked them down and freed his hard cock. Bending, she took him into her mouth until he groaned.

  Knowing she had him exactly where she wanted him, she slid up his body until she was straddling his chest and captured his wrists in one hand. With the other, she pulled the tie from her back pocket and quickly bound his wrists.

  "What the fuck, Marissa? That's enough," he said as he struggled against her.

  "Hush," she said, mimicking a tone he'd used with her so often. She tied the leftover ends of the tie to his headboard and slid back down his chest to admire her handiwork.

  "Come on, Marissa. You know this isn't my thing."

  Bending, she took his cock into her mouth again and he sucked in a deep breath.

  "I think it might be your thing tonight," she said as she slid off the end of the bed and peeled her sweater over her shoulders.

  "You've been so gentle with me since we got back together. I feel like I need to remind you how it used to be between us, Lance," she breathed as she pulled away from his erection.

  "If you want me to be rough with you, love, just let me out of this. See what happens."

  Marissa grinned. "No. I think I'll keep you like this for a little while."

  She watched his face and shoulders relax as he was resigned to his fate.

  "OK. Still playing along," he muttered.

  Her nails made contact with his skin and she dragged her way down his chest and through his course pubic hair, reveling in the sense of power she felt as she straddled him.

  Her slender fingers gripped the base of his cock and slowly slid up the length.

  He bucked against the headboard, pulling it away from the wall. The crash it made as it bounced against the wall again reminded her of his strength. But breaking a tie would take some major momentum that she doubted he could get.

  Raising up on her knees, she flipped her hair out of her face and reached behind her for the clasp on her bra. She let it slide down her arms and tossed it off the bed as she watched him.

  "If I remember correctly, you said you would be my sub. This doesn't exactly fit that, Riss."

  She grinned. "I said this weekend, babe. It's not the weekend."

  He scowled. "Fine."

  Her hands rested at the button on her jeans, teasing him for a moment before she undid it and slid them down her hips, along with her panties.

  When she was naked, she moved so she was aligned with his cock, but she didn't let him in. Not yet. Instead, she used her hand to drag his rigid length along her opening.

  "God-fucking-damn-it, Marissa. You have no idea how much trouble you're in when I break free."

  With a grin, she pivoted and swung away from him to slide off the bed.

  "Be right back," she said with a little wave. As she left the room, she made sure to put a little extra wiggle in her walk.

  In the kitchen, she looked around for something to drink. She poured a glass of white wine and leaned against his counter sipping it.

  After a few minutes, she topped her glass off and moved down the hall to the massive bedroom, figuring Lance was growing tired of her little game.

  Her heart skipped a beat as she opened the door. The bed was empty.

  A thick hand closed around her throat and a second hand pulled her wine glass from her hand.

  "It looks like your knot tying skills are getting a little rusty, babe," he growled in her ear.

  16

  Lance leaned over to the nearby dresser and set Marissa's wine glass down, his hand never leaving her throat.

  He turned their bodies until her back was to one wall and he pushed her into it, applying just enough pressure to her throat so she knew he was completely in control again.

  "I hope you're ready for me to fuck you within an inch of your life for that little stunt."

  "Can't fucking wait," she gasped out.

  He released her throat and fisted a hand into her hair, dragging her to the bed where he threw her down and pointed a finger at her.

  "Don't fucking move."

  Her eyes went wide at the seriousness of his tone and he bent to pull a cuff from beneath his bed. It was attached to a chain that was bolted to the bedframe. He captured one ankle and cuffed it before moving to the opposite side of the bed to repeat the process with her
other ankle, leaving her legs spread wide for him. There was little slack in the chains so even though she tried, she couldn't close her legs to him.

  He prowled onto the bed and settled between her still flailing legs.

  "Someone needs a refresher on the rules. It's been a while, so I'll let it slide," he crooned as he dragged one finger along her slick pussy. "You don't try to close your legs to me, Riss. I own this cunt, and I'm going to make sure you remember that when I'm done with you."

  He stretched himself over her, effectively stopping her movements. He sank his teeth into her neck until he heard the groan of pleasured pain leave her.

  "I hope you haven't suddenly developed an aversion to marks," he said when he pulled away.

  She shook her head with a little grin. "Nope."

  His eyes narrowed and he put his hand to her throat again. "How do you answer me?"

  "No, Sir," she whimpered as he pinched her nipple with his free hand.

  "Better. I guess we'll just have to go back to basic training on Friday won't we Kitten?"

  She shook her head back and forth. "I'll be good, I promise, Sir."

  "Ah, so she remembers her training," he murmured as he bent to capture a nipple between his teeth.

  "God, yes, Sir. You didn't let me come for a week."

  "The good news is, I'm rather fond of your orgasms, so I won't be inflicting that on you tonight."

  Without another word, he moved so he was face to face with her glistening pussy and pressed his mouth to the sensitive folds. He licked and sucked until she was bucking against his face.

  "Please," she begged. "Fuck me please. I need you inside me."

  He ignored her pleas and continued to devour her pussy.

  "Come in my mouth and maybe I'll fuck you," he said as his fingers dug into her thighs and he sucked her clit into his mouth again.

  Moving one hand away from the pale flesh of her inner thigh, he breached her wet opening with two fingers and pumped them in and out of her.

  She bucked against him, the walls of her pussy squeezing his fingers tight.

  "Please," she whimpered. "Let me come on your cock."

  "Earn my cock, kitten. Give me what I want."

  He dug his fingers harder into her thigh. There would be visible fingerprints when he was done.