He couldn’t help the smug smile from spreading on his lips, she had walked straight into his trap.
‘Oh but Miss Franklin it does. You were fired from your last job for punching your boss in the face and breaking his nose. He said it was because he told you off for poor work, constantly being late and chatting on the phone to friends. Now that is definitely not the sort of person I’m prepared to have working for me here. So I suggest you take that cheque and get out.’
‘I punched my boss in the nose because he was a dirty little pervert who shoved his finger up my arse when I was changing the paper in the photocopier.’
The pencil he was holding snapped in his hand.
‘You don’t want me here and I get that. What I did yesterday, blackmailing you into giving me a job was underhand and I’m sorry. I would never have gone to the papers or the police with my story. I could never damage your business as I know how much it hurts to build up something you love and have it snatched away from you. But if you really don’t want me here then I’ll go.’
He watched as she moved to the window and slipped her feet into a pair of smart black heels. She pulled her coat on and left, the cheque remained untouched on his desk.
He felt like scum.
He swore loudly as he screwed up the cheque and hurled it into the bin. He got to his feet and hurried to the door. She was already on her bike, an old rusty machine complete with a faded white wicker basket and was just cycling past. He called to her but she ignored him. He stepped out in front of her bike and she slammed on the brakes and would have toppled off if he hadn’t grabbed her. At the feel of her hot skin against his own, he felt his gut clench. He quickly released her.
‘We had a deal Miss Franklin, and I don’t go back on deals. I thought it would be easier for both of us if I gave you three thousand pounds now, but if you won’t accept a payoff then the job still stands.’
She looked at him as if she really didn’t want the job now.
‘Look, when I saw why you had been fired from your previous job I made a rash decision about the sort of person you were. I didn’t realise you were sexually assaulted. I presume you told the police.’
‘No, why would I? My word against his, and he’s a respectable local business man. People look at me, look at my job history, look at the tattoos I have and they make their own minds up about me. You certainly did.’
‘I’m sorry.’
It was a genuine, heartfelt apology but he certainly wasn’t going to get down on bended knee and beg her to stay. And why was his mind filled with images of tattoos and where they might be?
She stared at him for a moment then got off her bike. ‘Apology accepted.’
‘Good, now let me talk you through some of the things you need to know. There’s a diary on the computer…’
‘Yeah I found that, it’s rubbish, very antiquated. I’ve implemented a new program. My diary allows people to book their slots online, it won’t allow any double bookings and they can also book provisionally if they are not sure on dates or whether this service is for them. The diary then automatically emails the office and we can then follow it up with an interview to discuss their needs. I’ve also posted a queries section onto the website so they can email us regarding any questions. Many people work nine to five and are unable to phone during the day, being able to email at eleven o’clock at night is imperative. Of course they won’t get an answer straight away but at least you’re not losing customers because they haven’t got time to ring.’
She walked back inside ahead of him as if she owned the place and he couldn’t help his eyes wandering down to her arse. He snatched his eyes away as she turned round to look at him. If she punched him in the face now he knew he totally deserved it.
‘You changed the diary without permission.’
He wasn’t sure why he was fighting that, he’d been meaning to update it for ages.
‘As Office Manager I need to be able –’
‘Since when are you Office Manager? You’re a receptionist. I wouldn’t glorify what you do here, you answer the phone, simple as that.’
‘You can call it whatever you like.’ To his annoyance she settled herself in his chair again and with a few clicks on the computer she brought up the new diary. ‘But if I’m going to work here I’m going to make a few changes about the way things are done. You cannot continue to work in squalor, that is not professional, especially when clients come round to talk about what they want. If they are trusting you with kidnapping their wife, their most prized possession, they need to see you as a professional outfit. How many men have come here to talk about kidnapping their wives and changed their minds?’
‘Our service is not for everyone.’ He sat down opposite her, feeling annoyed that he felt like the naughty boy called in front of the headmistress. Why should he have to justify his own business?
‘How many in the last year, ten, twenty?’
He gritted his teeth. ‘Probably about twenty.’
‘That’s twenty men that have come here, looked at the mouldy coffee cups and the piles of paper and thought, “There’s not a chance I’m letting these guys get their hands on my wife.”’
He’d never thought of it like that.
‘Our business does very well. Many businesses go under after the first year or so. We’ve been running for five years.’ That was mean but he wanted to regain the upper hand here.
‘You can throw that back in my face as many times as you want, but the fact is I can make a difference here. Judging by your diary you’re getting two or three bookings a week, I guarantee I can improve on that. But you need to give me free rein, I can’t keep checking up with you every five minutes when I see areas where your service can be improved.’
Her lips were a dark pink, unadorned with makeup. He wanted to kiss her, hard. He suddenly had an image of making love to her on the desk. He rubbed his hand over his eyes to try to shake that picture from his head. Where the hell had that come from? But he could still see her eyes in his head. Silvery grey eyes that were honest and determined – but hidden behind all this bravado was vulnerability.
He looked up at her and she was still staring at him.
‘I want to be kept informed of any changes you make. If I don’t like them you put them back to how things were. I won’t have this company compromised.’
‘I won’t do anything to damage this company, and I would ask that you trial any changes I make first before you decide you don’t like them, but ultimately you are the boss and if you don’t like them, of course I’ll change them. Now are we keeping the new diary for now or would you like to go back to the old version?’
She leaned back in her chair, templing her fingers, she smiled serenely at him. What he would like to do to her now was definitely not what she would call professional.
He stood up and for a split second he thought he saw her eyes dilate with desire before she turned away and started flicking through the diary.
‘The new diary is fine. I’ll put the kettle on and then we can talk through any more changes you wish to make.’
He hoped his tone was suitably scathing and sarcastic enough to let her know that she was a long way off winning this particular argument just yet. He ducked into the coolness of the kitchen, determined that when he came back into the office he would be calm enough to discuss things with her without the stirrings in his groin clouding his brain.
Chapter Four
Izzy waited until he was out of sight before she breathed a sigh of relief. The chemistry between them was an almost tangible thing. Surely he felt it too. But what if the desire to straddle him in his chair or make love to him down on that rug was completely one sided. That would be very humiliating if she pursued that. Besides, what would he make of her scars? He would be repulsed by them, she was sure of that. She had vowed long ago that she would have to trust someone completely before she ever got that intimate with them. Which kind of put a one night stand out of the question. She wanted
this job too. Not for the money, although that would come in handy, but because she knew she could make a real difference here and she hadn’t felt like that for a long time. She didn’t want to damage her chance of working here by jumping into bed with her boss for one night of hot, passionate sex. Although, one thing was for sure, the sex would be hot. She pushed that thought away. She was professional, she was quite sure she could do this job without thinking about ripping his shirt off every five seconds.
‘Tea or coffee?’ Ethan all but growled from the kitchen.
‘Tea, please.’
She could do this, she could work alongside him.
He came out and slammed a mug down with tea the colour of mud inside. He was clearly trying to prove a point. She took a big swig, ignoring the burning sensation at the back of her throat and then swivelled back to the computer.
‘So we have a booking at three-thirty today, I’d like to come along and see what happens.’
‘You’re the receptionist, you’re here to take calls. The men will do the field work.’
‘How very traditional. The man does the hard labour and the little woman stays at home and knits and cleans.’
He fixed her with a steely gaze. ‘You’re very welcome to come round to mine and clean if you wish, but I think we’ll stick with the phone calls for now.’
‘I’m more than happy to stay here, I’m not encroaching on your side of things. I just need to get an idea of how the other side works. I can’t answer questions or sell our product if I don’t know about it. I’ve experienced first-hand what it’s like for the woman to be kidnapped, but I need to see a successful operation rather than a bungled one.’
She watched that vein pulse in the side of his neck and strangely found a bizarre pleasure in pissing him off so much.
‘Fine, you can come, but don’t get in the way, don’t interfere.’
‘I promise.’ She smiled sweetly at him, knowing it would piss him off even more. ‘So tell me a bit more about what happens in the house, once we deliver the victim.’
He quirked an eyebrow. ‘You want to talk about sex?’
This would be the real test, to talk about this with him without actually picturing doing it with him.
‘Not specifically, not the ins and outs.’ She let that statement hang in the air for a moment and watched him shift slightly in his chair. ‘Just what it is that the couples do, are all the women tied up?’
‘Yes, pretty much.’
‘Threatened?’
‘In the same manner that you were, “Do as you’re told and you won’t get hurt.” The women know that the threat is part of the role play, that there is no real danger. We make it clear beforehand that there is to be no violence, spanking, caning or otherwise. And the wife is given a safe word. If it all gets too much then she uses this and all action will stop.’
It all sounded a bit weird to her.
‘So, the woman, she remains tied up throughout?’
‘Whilst they are having sex, that’s down to preference but for some, yes. Some women are blindfolded too.’
‘The husband, he takes the role of the kidnapper, a stranger, and forces the wife to have sex with him?’
‘Forced in the loosest sense of the word. The threat is implied but never enforced. I don’t think our business would last very long if we were encouraging husbands to rape their wives.’
‘No I didn’t mean – ’
‘I know you didn’t. Look, let me show you.’ He stood up and her heart roared.
He walked round to her side of the desk. ‘Close your eyes.’
She stared at him, doubtfully.
‘I’m not going to hurt you or even touch you. Trust me.’
Strangely, she did trust him. She closed her eyes.
‘Pretend that we’re married, that I’m the love of your life.’
She opened one eye and saw him smirk. ‘I realise that might take a little bit of imagination. Just go with it.’
She closed her eyes again and heard him kneel down next to her. When he spoke, his voice was soft and alluring. ‘You’re so beautiful. I can’t wait to get you naked underneath me. Go over to the bed and take your clothes off.’
Shit. This was so freaking hot. If it felt like this with just a few words from Ethan, who she barely knew, she could easily imagine how sexy it would be to do this with someone she loved, knowing they would never do anything to hurt her.
He shifted closer, and she felt the warmth of his skin as he leaned in to whisper into her ear. ‘If you do as you’re told, I’ll reward you later.’
If he took her hand and led her to the couch now, she couldn’t even stop him. What the hell was wrong with her? She shook her head to clear the lust induced haze that had settled on her brain and opened her eyes. He stared at her for a moment, his blue eyes were dark and unblinking and then suddenly he stood up, breaking the spell between them.
‘It’s something like that,’ he said as he returned to the other side of the desk.
She cleared her throat, determined that he wouldn’t know how much he’d had an effect on her. ‘I’m just trying to get my head around this. Women actually like this stuff?’ She was suddenly horribly aware that she sounded naïve and inexperienced. She expected him to mock her, but he didn’t.
‘Based on my experience and those told to me by men who like to boast of their sexual conquests, a lot of women like to be tied up. Men like to tie their women up, so it is mutually beneficial. I suppose it goes back to the caveman times. Women like to be overpowered. We offer to do this in a safe and controlled way. The way he looked at her then was like he was seeing right inside her. ‘I take it you’ve never been tied up during sex?’
What a personal question, but she refused to be intimidated by him.
‘I like sex Ethan, in fact I love it – ’
‘With men?’
She gaped for a second before she remembered the Bert-lesbian fracas the night before in The Frog. ‘Yes with men.’
He smirked. ‘Just checking.’
‘As I said, I like sex, I’ve never considered my sex life to be dull. Variety is the spice of life. I just… If me and you were having sex, I’d want to touch you all over and I don’t think I’d enjoy it as much if I couldn’t.’
He stared at her and she instantly regretted using him in her hypothetical sex scenario.
‘Let’s get one thing clear, Miss Franklin, we are never going to have sex. Don’t go getting any ideas after that stunt I just pulled.’
She fixed him with a look of disdain. ‘Believe me when I tell you, you are the last person in the world I would want to have sex with and if you ever try anything you will have more than a black eye to contend with. I was speaking theoretically as you are well aware, I was merely saying that touching is a huge part of sex for me. I don’t think I would like being blindfolded either, I think I’d be a bit scared by my vulnerability rather than turned on by it.’
‘I wouldn’t knock it until you’ve tried it.’
‘Sex with you or being tied up and blindfolded?’
She saw him smile as he looked down and fiddled with a stray thread on his shirt. It was the first genuine smile she’d seen from him. What a bizarre start to the day. She hadn’t known Ethan for twenty-four hours and they were discussing sex as calmly as if they were discussing their favourite pizza toppings. Still, the nature of Ethan’s business was sex, so this conversation was bound to come up at some point.
‘It comes down to trust. That’s why we only do this with husbands and wives. The theory being the wife knows the husband and trusts him completely. When you trust the person you’re with, being tied up and blindfolded can be hugely erotic.’
‘I take it you’ve tried it?’ she asked.
‘Yes. It’s not something I’ve done regularly, but one woman I’ve been with liked it.
‘Have you been tied up?’
‘No.’
‘Too emasculating for you?’
‘Something li
ke that.’
Ethan was clearly the sort of man that wore the trousers in a relationship. She imagined the women he went for were petite, blonde, vacuous creatures who did exactly what he wanted. She was definitely not his type, something she was beginning to feel thankful for.
‘The husband sometimes takes the role of the rescuer too. We kidnap the wife and the husband will come in and save her.’
‘Really? Women want to be saved?’ Were the strong, independent women of the world merely putting on a front to cover up the fact that secretly they all liked the knight in shining armour fantasy?
‘Are you telling me you don’t want to be rescued by the handsome prince?’
‘That’s not my thing.’
‘Well for over half of our clients it is.’
‘Do you ever kidnap the husbands?’
‘No.’
‘You deal mainly with the man, when you arrange these things?’
He nodded.
‘That’s why. You’re predominantly acting out the man’s fantasies. We need to speak to them both so the experience is mutually beneficial.’
‘I don’t agree.’
‘No you wouldn’t. I’m sure in your world what the woman wants is irrelevant.’
He glared at her and for a second there was a flash of hurt in his eyes before it was replaced with his habitual anger. Thankfully at that moment there were a lot of male voices outside and suddenly the door was thrown open.
She couldn’t take her eyes off him and as the boys registered the staring competition that was going on inside the office they all fell silent.
Ethan was the first to look away as he stood up. ‘Isabelle, you didn’t really have a chance to meet these guys yesterday. Gizmo I presume you talked to on the way home, but this is Kyle.’ He gestured to Black Boots. ‘And behind Gizmo is Jim.’ Baldy peered round Gizmo’s enormous frame and gave her a wave. ‘This is Isabelle, our temporary receptionist.’
Izzy stood up, ignoring the emphasis that he had put on the word temporary. She held out her hand but Kyle immediately stepped forward and embraced her in a big hug. ‘This place looks great. Sorry about yesterday, no lasting scars I hope.’ He held her out at arm’s length to survey her.
Tied up With Love Page 4
