A Little Harmless Lie

by Melissa Schroeder

  Just like that, the air in the room grew hot and his pulse doubled. He shouldn’t have said it. Even now he wanted to kick his own ass for it, but he couldn’t keep his mouth from saying it. No way. He’d wanted her for months, probably since the moment he’d hired her. He wasn’t a man who was used to denying his needs. Damn, the woman didn’t know just what she was doing to him. He hadn’t had a woman in weeks. Hadn’t wanted one. He wanted her, in his bed, submitting to him. He could imagine just how she would look strapped to his mattress—

  “I thought we decided it would be best to ignore that.”

  “No, you decided.”

  “You know as well as I do, I’m not in the life. That’s what you want.”

  “That’s what I need.” He corrected her. “Have you ever tried it?”

  She shook her head but still didn’t look at him. It was starting to piss him off. She was the type of person who met your gaze head-on, toe to toe. Refusing to meet his gaze was like she was dismissing him, as if he didn’t matter.

  “I have a feeling you would like it.”

  She looked at him then, her eyes wide with surprise. “Well, if I did, I would probably be a Domme, so what would that have to do with you?”

  He didn’t say anything for several seconds, letting the silence grow around them. She didn’t look away this time, but she shifted in her seat. He hid a smile, but it was hard. Dee only fidgeted when she was nervous.

  “Why do you think you would be a Domme?”

  She did look away then, but it didn’t bother him this time. He could see her pulse beating in her throat through her fair flesh.

  “I like being in charge.”

  Again, he said nothing, allowing the silence to stretch out.

  “That’s not what makes someone the Dominant.”

  She glanced at him through her lashes and he bit back a groan. The look was so coquettish, so not like Dee, it sent a shaft of heat to his dick.

  “I would think the need for control would suggest that you need to be the dominant in the relationship.”

  He shook his head. “You might have worked here for two years, but there is a difference between the need to control…and to be controlled. Many subs are people who have a large amount of control in their professional and personal lives. They need to relinquish it to feel complete.”

  “Hmm. Well, if that’s all?”

  She said it hopefully, but for some reason he couldn’t let it go. He wanted her to understand that while she might not practice the life and actually avoided talking about it despite working at the club, she was a submissive. A bottom.

  He rose, now not even trying to hide the fact he was aroused. He settled on the top of his desk in front of her.

  “Dee.”

  She hesitated and he fought down a growl. He didn’t have the right to expect her immediate compliance. But he wanted it. The need to be the one who gave her orders, who gave her pleasure, who saw her eyes go blurry with bliss, burned in his gut.

  She raised her gaze to his. Her breathing was shallow, rapid.

  “What do you like in the bedroom?”

  “Micah, this isn’t important.”

  But it was. It was more important that she understood she was a submissive, that she would do better by taking orders from her Dom. From him.

  He pushed that thought aside.

  “I don’t like talking about it, okay. Especially with my boss—who I’ve seen naked.”

  He let one eyebrow raise as a blush stained her cheeks. Damn, she was cute when she did that. It didn’t happen often, but when it did, he wanted to do nothing more than pull her into his arms and cuddle her. And he wasn’t exactly the cuddling type.

  “Okay, not completely, but you forget you used to perform a lot as Dom when I first started working here.”

  “Ah. And you liked that?”

  She shifted again and this time he couldn’t help the curving of his lips.

  “What’s not to like? You’re a pretty man and you know it.”

  He laughed at that. “Pretty isn’t something I’ve been called before.”

  “Then you haven’t been paying attention to the women who have been talking about you.”

  She fairly bit out the words. Was she jealous? He cocked his head to one side studying her.

  “Enough about me. The question was about you. What do you like in the bedroom?”

  “Micah—”

  “Tell me.” He didn’t raise his voice, but he heard the authority in his tone, and so did Dee. There was a flash of anger in her eyes, but something else. Something he had seen before when he ordered her to stay in the gym. Arousal. Then the look dissolved into calculation.

  “I like a good time.”

  It didn’t ring true. Normally, he would let it go. If she wasn’t interested in the life, there was nothing he could do. Forcing someone to accept a D/s relationship wasn’t very smart and in his opinion, downright criminal. But right now, in this moment, he knew she was lying to him. About what, he didn’t know. He had tried not to think about her having sex with other men. Thinking back, there had been one or two comments made about her and who she was dating. There hadn’t been many.

  “Listen, I really need to go. I have to be up early, and it’s already past four.”

  She rose.

  “Sit.”

  She frowned at him. “I don’t take orders outside of work from you. I think we discussed that a few days ago.”

  “You better sit your little ass in that chair before I pull you over my lap and smack it red.”

  He growled the words. He couldn’t help it. The silence that followed told him that he had stunned her. Well, he had shocked the hell out of himself. It was a loss of control to say things like that, especially to an employee who wasn’t a sub, didn’t play in the life. It went over the line of sexual harassment. Something he’d never had a problem with. Until Dee.

  “I told you what to do.”

  She slowly sat in the chair, her blue gaze never leaving his.

  “I want an answer from you.”

  “I said I have no problems in bed, Micah. I don’t know why it’s your business, but I can assure you that there isn’t anything to worry about.”

  There was something there, something she was trying to hide from him. In the sane part of his brain he knew she had a right to her privacy. But the warrior in him wanted her compliance. He wanted to know everything about her.

  “So, you’ve never been spanked?”

  Her breath caught, just the barest of sounds, but he heard it. She was aroused. By the discussion…and by the thought of being spanked. His appetite increased. Just knowing that she was turned on by it had his blood draining southward.

  “No.”

  “Never been tied down…controlled.”

  Her breathing hitched again. He couldn’t see her nipples through her vest, but he’d bet a million bucks they were hard.

  “So, you don’t know the pleasure of having someone take the control from you, take possession, be the lucky man to give you pleasure.”

  She shook. Her tongue darted out over her fuller lower lip, wetting it. God, he needed another taste. The lure of her sweet mouth tempted him. But, he needed her answers more.

  “I bet you would be a pleasure to initiate. You would definitely be fun to conquer.”

  “I-I need to go.”

  But she didn’t get up, didn’t move. He wanted to shout with excitement but he kept it under wraps. He’d wanted her to be a submissive so badly, he hadn’t known if he had been imagining it the past few months. Now he knew. Keeping his hands off her was not going to be possible.

  Not when he knew she wanted him. Her pulse was hammering. She shifted again.

  “I think you would flourish with the right Dom. Tell me, have you ever had an orgasm?”

  “I’m almost thirty, of course I have.”

  “A lot of women don’t. Especially if they don’t know what they need in bed.”

  “Well, I ca
n assure you that I have. Can I go?”

  Even as she asked it, he knew he had her. An hour ago, she would have told him to go to hell. Now though, she wanted to hear, was turned on by his questions.

  “With a man?”

  Everything in her stilled.

  “Ah, so no man has ever given you one.”

  She swallowed. “It isn’t that uncommon. You said so yourself.”

  “Do they just not understand what you need?”

  She looked at him again. “I still think this is highly—”

  “I didn’t ask you what you thought.” His words were a little harsher than he expected, but he didn’t regret it. It shut her up. The woman had been driving him to distraction for months and all he wanted was one damn answer.

  “So, tell me. What goes wrong in bed?”

  He tried to soften the question, but even he heard the simmering desire in his voice. The idea that he could be the first man to give her an orgasm, to give her the pleasure she deserved, was almost too much to take. Definitely too big to ignore.

  “I don’t think—”

  He took her chin in between his fingers. “Again, I told you I didn’t want to know what you think. Answer me.”

  “Fine. You want to know? I’ve never been to bed with a man.”

  For a second, he couldn’t compute what she had said to him. He dropped his hand from her chin. His brain just didn’t seem to be able to figure out what the words meant. A look of irritation then embarrassment moved over her face.

  “Fuck. I can’t believe I just said that.” She crossed her arms over her chest as if trying to protect herself. “Aren’t you going to say anything? No smart-ass comment from you?”

  He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. The whole idea that this delicious woman, one that fairly shimmered with sensuality, was a virgin had short-circuited his brain. He couldn’t believe it.

  She jumped out of the chair. “That’s it. I’m done.”

  Again, he couldn’t think of anything to say as she stomped out of the office and down the stairs. He shook his head, his brain finally seeming to start functioning enough for him to watch the outside monitors. Rex, their bouncer, walked her to her car.

  Micah watched as her taillights faded into the dark Hawaiian night then plopped down in his chair.

  She is a virgin.

  How had that happened? The woman was twenty-seven years old. It wasn’t as if she was a prude, and he didn’t think she was saving herself for marriage. He closed his eyes, need crawling through his body, his heart hammering against his chest, his dick at full staff.

  She apparently thought telling him she was a virgin would be a turn off, and usually it was. He didn’t like to play with women who didn’t know the score. Virgins also didn’t understand BDSM, didn’t understand the life. Dee was different though. The woman understood it, and from the flash of arousal and fear, understood it more than most. She had some kind of idea that she was sub and didn’t like it…and definitely didn’t want to admit it to him.

  He should back off, and usually he would. But the need to conquer, to take her under his command, surged through him. He opened his eyes as he promised himself one thing.

  That woman would learn just what she needed, and she would learn it from him.

  Chapter Four

  “So, what’s going on with you and big bad bossman?” Keisha asked Dee as they settled down to a pizza they’d brought back to Keisha’s apartment. They had a rare night off together and they sat out on Keisha’s balcony that overlooked Kalakaua Avenue.

  “Nothing’s going on,” Dee said around a bite a pizza.

  “Girl, you’re insane if you don’t know the way he watches you.”

  She swallowed the pizza, enjoying the spicy sauce, the gooey cheese. “We talked about that before. Whether he does or doesn’t really isn’t the issue. And I think he might be avoiding me for the most part.”

  “I heard something was going on between you two in the gym.”

  Dee choked on her soda. “What do you mean?”

  Keisha laughed. “Something did happen. I wasn’t sure until I saw your reaction.”

  Dee took another big gulp and tried to keep her face from heating. She failed.

  “Nothing really happened.”

  “Oh, no you don’t. I always give you my dirty details.”

  “I will point out that I don’t want to hear the details, you push them on me.”

  Keisha laughed. “Well, considering the jackass I just kicked out, I can understand that.”

  Concern wiped away all of her embarrassment. Keisha had been through a rough patch with her ex before she’d finally kicked him out the door. “Are you sure you’re doing okay? I mean…I know you were ready to get rid of him, but how are you really doing?”

  Keisha drew in a deep breath. “Okay. He’s called a couple of times, but it really hasn’t been that bad. If he cared enough he would have been beating down my door when he found his clothes on the street.” She narrowed her eyes. “But don’t think I’m letting you get away with distracting me. What went on with Micah?”

  Dee shook her head. “It was really nothing. We had a little argument.”

  “About what? And it couldn’t have been that little if you blush every time you talk about it.”

  She threw her pizza down on the plate in disgust. “Okay, fine. We argued about nothing big, but then he grabbed me and kissed me.”

  Keisha’s eyes went wide then she fell back in her lounge chair giggling. “Oh. My. God. The guy has it for you bad.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Micah isn’t the kind of guy who keeps his sexual interests hidden.”

  “You sound like a prude when you use that tone—not to mention pissed.”

  Keisha was right. She didn’t condemn anyone who came to Rough ’n Ready. Seriously, she thought everyone had a right to do what they wanted, but every time she thought about Micah taking another su—shit.

  “You’re jealous.”

  “I am not jealous.” Dee closed her eyes in mortification. Even to her own ears, she did sound jealous. “Damn. It wasn’t that much. Not really. Just a kiss.”

  “I have to ask for clarification here. Was there tongue?”

  Dee’s eyes popped open. “What difference does that make?”

  “So, yeah, I’m going to say a lot of tongue, and probably more.” She reached over and knocked Dee on her head. “What’s your problem, woman?”

  “He’s into the life and I’m not. And while I might not think much of it for myself, I understand that it is something a person needs in the bedroom. I don’t think I can give that to him. And I really don’t want to get involved and have it blow up in my face. I like my job.”

  Granted, she was thinking of leaving, knew she would soon. But she would be damned if she would spend her last few months on Oahu watching Micah take other subs. It would break her heart.

  “Ah, well, I hate to tell you, girlfriend, you reek of submissive.”

  Dee narrowed her eyes at her friend. “How the hell would you know?”

  “Jeez, I’ve worked there a few years, I know. I’m not into it, although I tried a couple years ago. So not my thing. But Dee, don’t think I don’t know what books you read.”

  Dee frowned. “Even so, I wouldn’t know what to do when I got there. When he started asking me about my experience—”

  “Wait. Do-everything-by-the-book Micah Ross asked you about your sex life?”

  Dee nodded.

  “You do know you are fighting a losing battle?”

  Sighing, Dee said, “I hope not. I definitely wouldn’t know what to do with a man like Micah in my bed.”

  Keisha studied her. “Is this because you’re a virgin?”

  Surprise then embarrassment shifted through her. “How did you know?”

  Keisha rolled her eyes. “I’ve watched you date a lot of men the last couple of years. They never spend the night at your place, and I’ve never seen you do
the walk of shame.”

  Dee sighed. “Well, that makes three people who know. Jesus, I thought my sex life was personal.”

  “In a place like Rough ’n Ready? Please. Wait, did you say three people? You told Micah?”

  Again, fire lit her face. “I couldn’t help myself. He asked me to come talk to him last night. He kept insisting I was submissive and I just wanted out of his office, away from him. And he kept asking over and over what I liked in bed, if I had ever had an orgasm and I blurted it out. I couldn’t help it.”

  Again, Keisha fell back in her chair giggling.

  “Oh, great, I’m glad to have given you some joy.”

  “I’m so sorry, but I can’t help but laugh. I mean, what did Micah do?”

  “Nothing. He said nothing.” And that was the humiliating part of it. She had yet to meet him face to face since the incident, so she had no idea if he was avoiding her or not. She was both thankful and pissed off.

  “What do you mean he said nothing?”

  “I blurted it out, then he got the strangest look on his face. He opened his mouth but said nothing. I was so embarrassed I bolted out of the office. I haven’t talked to him since.”

  “Oh, woman, you are in some serious trouble.”

  Dee jerked her shoulder. “I have a feeling it got rid of any interest from him. Micah never fools around with the inexperienced.”

  “You’re different.”

  “Yeah, I’m special.” Sarcasm dripped from her tone.

  “You are.”

  She stood, wanting to get away from her friend and the conversation. Keisha latched onto her arm. “He has done a lot of things he doesn’t do with you around. He’s pursued you, somewhat, while you worked for him. He kissed you, at work. Asking you about your sex life, that is so not like Micah. If you had gone to him for advice, that would be different. You didn’t. He approached you, then you blurt that out. He might be figuring things out, but I have a feeling you’re about to know what it’s like to have a big bad alpha come after you. And darling, seeing the way you feel about him, I don’t doubt that something is going to happen.”

  “I can’t handle it. Him.”

  Shame crawled through her. One of her biggest faults was pride. She hated admitting it. She was a grown woman and wasn’t able to handle going to bed with a man. Especially this man. Resisting them had always been easy, or somewhat easy. Micah wasn’t a man who would sell her out, and that made it worse. She knew there was a good chance she could take what he offered, and definitely enjoy it, with no harm to her life. But she knew if she did it, there was a good chance she’d never be completely whole again once she walked away.