TakingOverMe

by Sara Brookes

  Patrick held up a hand and shook his head. “No way. I won’t have you paying after you just bailed my ass out of trouble. Whatever you want—on the house.”

  “I wouldn’t let Alex know you’re letting your profits walk out the door.” She pointed to a selection of berry scones, cinnamon rolls and coffee-flavored Danishes, then waited while Patrick packaged them. As he ducked down to get an additional box, she dropped a twenty into the tip jar. She wasn’t about to stiff the brothers during their first full week.

  Patrick slid the overfull box across the counter toward her, her fingers brushing against the back of his hand. Firm. Warm. How does the rest of him feel? More than likely, it wasn’t a deliberate gesture on his part, but she didn’t mind either way. It wasn’t often a guy took the time to flirt with her. Even if he forgot about her the second she walked out the door, so what. The warm tingling sensation now flooding her lower abdomen reminded her she was very much still a woman despite the adeptness with computers and affinity for video games.

  He broke the connection as he turned to give directions to the newly arrived barista. “Mitchie, get me a set of pastry sleeves in the back. I’m running low up here.” Something in the tone of his voice gave off a commanding quality Allison’s body seemed to reach for. With his back turned, she had a perfect view at the way that horribly fitted shirt pulled tight across his broad shoulders.

  Authoritative presence. Confident, but polite. Tight ass. Strong hands. Ripped body. Holy shit—he’s lethal. Caught up in admiring everything she found attractive about him, she jumped when his hand brushed against hers.

  “I’m going to fix you another espresso before you leave.”

  “Can I just get a large black instead? Not sure I can handle anything that strong again.” She never turned her back on an excellent cup of coffee—especially a free one. “And I need one of those gallon-sized carriers for the guys at the office.”

  “Easy enough.” Less than a minute later, he popped a lid on a paper cup decorated with Perfect Shot’s logo. “There you are. One piping hot cup of liquid gold. And a take-along to fuel the office crew.” He leaned on the counter as the corner of his mouth lifted in a sexy half smile that had her stomach performing cartwheels.

  She smiled in return. “Thanks. Hope your day gets better.”

  “Oh I think it’s substantially improved already.” As his captivating smile grew wider, he winked before moving away to accept a small box from Mitchie.

  Allison swallowed hard as she turned away from the counter, ordering her frazzled nerves to settle. That look. Christ on buttered corn. It made her feel as if she was the only woman in the room. Maybe even the world. Surely he had to act that way toward all of his customers. Right? He had to be charming to everyone no matter who they were, especially if he wanted them to be a returning customer. It’s just good business.

  She gripped the cup as she stepped out of the coffee house. Her whole body vibrated, warming her as if it possessed a rosy afterglow. An overall sense of calm washed through her, tingling all the way to her fingers. She couldn’t seem to wipe the smile off her face at a very memorable chance meeting.

  Screw it. Who the hell cared if he was only being nice in order to get her to return? From now on, her daily morning cup of coffee also meant an eyeful of man candy. Talk about customer service done right.

  * * * * *

  Patrick fondled the business card he’d slipped into his pocket.

  The right thing to do would be to turn the information over to Alex so they could have the computer systems at the coffee house repaired and upgraded. But once he did, he knew he’d never see the card—and possibly Allison—again. Alex, a chronic case of disorganization, would lose the card in the black hole he called his desk. Then the business would either be left in the lurch with a shitty computer system or have to utilize another company when things became desperate.

  Patrick hadn’t been doing the right thing for years.

  He’d just tell Alex he would handle the issue and simply make the order with Bullseye. One less thing his older brother would need to worry about, since their grand opening couldn’t have come at a worse time. Vivian, Alex’s wife of four years, had cleaned her things out of their house without explanation two weeks ago. Alex was still trying to come to terms with what happened, leaving Patrick to handle the bulk of the grand re-opening duties.

  Luckily, this was the slowest time of year for the small town where they lived. Nestled amid the northern edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia, Gatlin Falls was a town that thrived on tourist seasons. Each summer, families on vacation sought relief from the humidity in the lower elevations. Autumn brought couples in search of the mysterious romance of the changing leaves while winter appealed to the thrill-seeking skiers who enjoyed throwing themselves down the sides of the mountains.

  He and Alex had grown up not far from here, so both were familiar with how the pattern of life went in the small town. Spring was actually the slow season for the town, which was why they’d timed their opening for mid-April. It would allow them to work out all the rough spots before the crush of summer tourists. Rough spots such as faulty computer equipment.

  They’d botched their first test with flying colors.

  Allison had thankfully swept in and saved the day as though she was some modern-day superhero. All that had been missing was the gaudy spandex and flowing cape. He’d been so caught up in the preparations his brother was supposed to handle, he’d forgotten the basic necessity of making sure everything ran smoothly. That included having a computer system that would do its job without any problems. Computers weren’t his favorite thing to deal with. He chose to leave the advanced technology to those who fully understood the machines. When growing up, his interest had always been more focused on the baseball field.

  As he began to count the inventory in the backroom, his mind wandered to a certain someone who’d swooped in out of nowhere. The way she’d filled out the boy-cut jeans certainly caused his mouth to water. There had been a slight sway to her hips, one he was fairly certain she wasn’t even aware of. The denim was baggy around her legs, but tight around her hips and across the rounded curve of her ass. He’d taken more than a few long glances at the way those jeans stretched and pulled as she moved to prepare orders.

  His cock hardened at the thought of how she would look out of them.

  He couldn’t help thinking how her slender body would feel under his. Everything about her, from the fit of her jeans to the jet-black dyed tips of her sandy-blonde hair, intrigued him. It made him want to get to know her better. She was obviously intelligent, if the way she’d handled the computer this morning was any indication. Those long glances she’d cast in his direction were unmistakable. Years of training as a Dom had taught him to become familiar with what most women wanted when it came to relationships and sex. Something in his gut told him computers were the only thing she liked to be in charge with.

  If the prospect of her under his command wasn’t enough, her throaty laugh had already drawn him in. Not to mention that honey-sweet voice. He’d never heard anything so sexy. And he could only imagine how that raspy voice sounded as she came undone.

  Fuck yeah.

  His imagination ran wild as he nearly started to salivate at the picture in his head of her kneeling on the floor before him, her hands cuffed and her throat collared by a thick ring of leather. Expectation shone clear in those brown eyes as she waited for his command. The wanton image caused him to blow out a slow breath in order to steady himself. Despite his efforts, his dick stirred again, pressing painfully against the zipper of his khakis.

  Oh for fuck’s sake. Stop acting as though you’re a newbie Dom lusting over a sub for the first time.

  He forced his mind back to the inventory. However, the mindless task of counting supplies was too monotonous and that creative mind wandered to places he couldn’t control. He couldn’t get Allison—and what he wanted to do with her—out of his mind.

  W
hat he wouldn’t give to bend her over the front counter next to that decrepit register, spread her thighs wide and spend several hours worshipping that tight ass. Was her pussy shaved bare or would he discover soft whorls of blonde between those legs? A treasure just waited to be discovered.

  The sheet of graph paper he’d been holding fluttered to the ground. Thanks to his imagination, he’d just counted the same box of coffee filters three times. It was time to take matters into his own hands or he was never going to get any work done. Besides, this would simply help ease Alex’s burden and, if things went as he intended, everyone would win.

  Before he could change his mind, he punched her work number into his cell. As the phone rang, he glanced around the shop, satisfied the customers were happy with their orders for the moment. He stepped out onto the sidewalk and into the spring sun glowing high in a cloudless blue sky. Birds chirped their sweet mating songs. A perfect spring day that just couldn’t get any better.

  “Bullseye Technologies, Allison Stuart.”

  He was wrong—it could.

  He closed his eyes as her voice sounded over the line. The soft, feminine noise ran through his veins, enhancing the images he’d conjured earlier. Given his interests with out-of-the-ordinary sex, it was dangerous to let himself think this freely about someone. Especially since he didn’t know if she shared the same interests.

  That jarring reality forced him to focus on the task at hand. “I hear there’s a new coffee house in town that has a barista who makes a mean doppio.”

  “Well sure, but their computer system is shit.”

  “Imagine that, it’s exactly why I’m calling. How are you?” The simple question of how her day was going seemed to be the best option. It would mean there was less danger to his libido that way. Hopefully.

  “Calm, for now.” She snorted lightly, causing him to smile at the adorable noise. “My boss wants me to partition a new drive on the server he had me install a few weeks ago. Of course, he won’t listen to me whenever I tell him he has plenty of room for right now and I just realized I’m babbling. Sorry, I do that when I talk on the phone sometimes because I’m more of a face-to-face sort and shit, shit, shit—I just did it again. Me and my fraking mouth.”

  What a completely adorable—and unusual—fluster. “No need to apologize, it’s cute.”

  Allison cleared her throat. “Which is to say boring. I’ve got two brothers, Mr. Conners. I know what it means when a girl has been fed the cute line. So what exactly can I do for you?”

  His mouth formed a thin line. He hadn’t meant it the way it sounded. Her curt dismissal of the compliment made it appear as if she didn’t receive them often. If he had anything to say about that, it wouldn’t continue. In fact, if he had his way about things, he’d shower her with more compliments than she could stand. He desperately wanted to show her she was much more than just simply cute. “Well, you said the store needed something because you couldn’t even get the system to boot.”

  “You may need a significant upgrade, at least. Even then, there’s no guarantee it will help because the system may be too old to handle the size of the data we’d throw at it. I wouldn’t really know until I could get in there and get my hands dirty.”

  “And here I thought size didn’t matter.”

  “No matter what women say, it so very much matters. Anyone who says otherwise is just trying to stroke your ego.” He wouldn’t mind giving her something to stroke. How would her hand feel wrapped around his dick? Better yet, her mouth? And there went his overactive imagination—again. Scolding himself, he focused on her pitch.

  “Best-case scenario would be to have a dedicated server installed that could handle the entire load of the store and then some. Need to keep an eye toward future expansion. Two registers would be ideal. Again, something to think about for long-range objectives given the crowd I saw today. We could hook you up with new computers in your office, a security system, fire controls, even printers and any other peripherals you’d need if you’re interested in updating what you have.”

  “Uh, I have no idea what needs replacing.”

  “Well, okay then. That would be something a tech could come out and look at for you in order to give you an estimate. Wireless internet for your customers would be a big draw for the college-age crowd and business professionals, if you’re looking to expand in that direction. You could even wire in a sound system to the main seating area for some ambiance.

  “We just got in a really sweet package of internet phones that you could tack on too. Save you a few bucks every month on your phone bill, at least. Now if you’re really looking to spend some megabucks you could go for the top-of-the-line business automation deal.”

  “Business automation?” There was a whole lot more to this venture then he’d expected, but he loved hearing every second of the technobabble coming from her. Who would have thought he’d be so wildly turned-on by geek speak?

  “The technology is a little on the new side still, but your entire store could be wired together like some wicked cool hive mind. We’d install a selection of transceivers, give you a means of controlling the system. What kind of cellphone do you have?”

  “A ridiculously fancy one that I let my brother talk me into and that I don’t use half the time.”

  Allison laughed. “Okay, sounds like one of the smartphones. That’s good because that means I can write an application so Perfect Shot could practically think for itself. It’s a little unsettling for some people at first, but once they get acclimated to the tasks they don’t have to think about any more, they usually wonder how they lived without it.”

  “Just the type of thing that could serve the coffee for me. Not to mention put me out of a job.”

  “We can’t have that.” The low throaty sound of her muffled giggle lifted his mood even more. “I can give you some time to decide what level of commitment you’d like to choose. I know it’s a lot to take in all at once.”

  “Oh no. I know exactly what I want.” In fact, he was having a hard time not thinking about what he wanted. Her. Naked. Bound. Panting. Screaming. Coming.

  “Okay, great. Davis is the head of the sales department. He’s the one you’re going to want to talk to in order to get you hooked up with the equipment.”

  Disappointment thudded heavily in his gut. He’d wanted to deal strictly with her in the hope to see her again. He did his best not to let the emotion filter through his voice. “And what’s his number?”

  “I’m going to transfer you. I’m also going to put a note on the work order that I’ll handle the job at the shop personally if you decide you like the quote. If that’s all right?”

  “Yes. Of course.” He walked back into Perfect Shot ten minutes later with a bounce in his step and wearing a wide grin. Davis would stop by after lunch to work up a quote for an automated system and, depending on the equipment ordered, the team from Bullseye would begin the installation on Thursday. Since it was Monday and he was tied up at the coffee shop for the rest of the day, it gave him two days to prep. Two days to figure out how to convince Allison to submit to him and allow him to tie her up.

  He was actually excited about the prospect of shopping, since there was nothing normal about one of his shopping trips. Not when most of the buying would be done in shops that specialized in BDSM equipment. When it came to sex for Patrick, normal didn’t even add to the equation.

  Chapter Two

  “All right, everyone, listen up.” Stephen Anders fiddled with his red-striped tie as he waited for the noise in the office to quiet. “One of your associates just set the bar for one-day sales.”

  Shitty, shit, shit. Allison lifted the nearly empty mug to her mouth, hoping to mask the blush she felt rising on her cheeks. She was already the odd man out at the office as the only female associate. Stephen telling the whole office about the sale to Patrick would only make her stand out even more.

  “Stuart must be bucking for a promotion. You guys better watch out ‘cause she ju
st beat the sales department’s quota for the next two months.” She flushed a deeper shade of red as all eyes turned toward her. While there were a few appreciative glances her way, most of the reactions reflected disdain and annoyance. “I think this deserves a little celebration. Seven o’clock at Vernam, drinks for everyone. On me.”

  The office erupted in a loud cheer. Located near the main highway twenty miles outside of town, Vernam was a popular hangout for the staff of Bullseye. And not the kind of place Allison felt comfortable entering. While she was comfortable with her highly technical job, her video-game hobby and her affinity for comic books, a lot of the guys at the office were not. The first time she’d stepped through Vernam’s doors had been the last. Putting up with glares at a geek bar wasn’t her idea of fun and not something she was in the mood to repeat given the warm glow still following her around.

  The guys in the office didn’t see her as an equal, even though she could probably run circles around them when it came to anything computer related. The tiny group who didn’t feel this way were the only friends she’d made since moving to Gatlin Falls. Her gaming buddies.

  A shadow darkened her computer screen. She turned to find her boss standing there, a wide smile brightening his face as he played with a loose button on his pinstripe shirt. “Nice work, Stuart. You really showed these guys how it’s done.”

  Which hadn’t been her intention. Stephen would know that, but her guess was that anyone else in the office wouldn’t care about that small detail. “Thanks.”

  “You’re going to join us, right?”

  “Think I’ll take a pass tonight.” Even the prospect of free drinks wasn’t enough to get her to hang out with this group outside of the workplace. She worked with them and even participated in the weekly coffee group so she wasn’t that much of an outcast. That didn’t mean she had to be friends with them. Let them celebrate her success without her. She doubted they would miss her much. “Not much in the mood to party to be honest. Think I’m just going to call it a night. After I take this customer’s call, of course.”