WRAPPED: The Manhattan Bound Series, Book Two

by Juliet Braddock

  “Guess you can’t see my smile from back there...” Maxine murmured, almost too tired to giggle.

  “You seemed to enjoy that spanking,” he mused.

  “The restraints...the spanking...the sex...” Maxine ticked off her list. “We covered a lot of ground today...”

  “Yes, we did,” he agreed. “Now, your sweet little ass back here is almost as red as a rose. But I’ve got some diaper cream...”

  “Really?” Maxine lifted her head from the pillow, craning her neck to try to look at him. “For real? Diaper cream?”

  “Well, what else would you use to soothe a chapped ass, little one?”

  The thick lotion was cold, a stark contrast to the heat burning on her backside. She shuddered momentarily, then allowed herself to unwind under his deep yet delicate massage. Once he was satisfied with his administration of First Aid, he wiped his hands on the towel he brought with him, then returned to his journey. He followed the same course he'd just taken down her back, this time with his fingers.

  “So, we’re okay with another spanking sometime soon?” he asked.

  “I really wish you’d flog me,” she admitted. “Tonight...”

  “Again, the answer is no, Maxine,” he said, his words firm, yet full of concern. “You've had enough for one evening...”

  “Drew, please...I...just want to feel it...to understand it...” She tried to roll over to face him, but he stopped her. The layer of diaper cream was still thick on her bottom.

  “Maxine, I...” He stilled...closed his eyes...and shrugged at his own doubts. “I don't want to hurt you, okay? You’re not in the best of health or shape right now. I’m sorry I have to say that, but I just want to be honest with you.”

  “Oh, Drew...I’m—”

  Now, the tears stung in Maxine’s eyes, and she was glad that she couldn’t see Drew’s face.

  “Hey, little one, shhh…” he whispered and pulled her as close as he could without covering them both with the lotion on her ass. “You’re fragile right now. A beautiful and delicate little flower that can only withstand so much until she falls apart,” his voice gentled. “If I didn’t care, I would have done far more than you can handle right now. Understand?”

  Her heart swelled with adoration once again for him. She didn’t want to cause him any more agony than he’d already suffered. She just wanted to be a good submissive, and offer him every pleasure he could imagine in that somewhat twisted mind of his. “I didn’t mean to...”

  Hands kneading her shoulders, he bent down to kiss the back of her neck. “It’s okay, little one,” he said. “You’re so sweet...and so very caring...I just don’t want to hurt you…in the wrong way.”

  Now, she wanted to turn and hold him more than ever, but he held her captive, albeit so gently, as his fingers and hands continued to manipulate the muscles in her back.

  “Just rest right now,” his words coddling her as he turned her face to kiss her. “Please, Maxine? You’ve had a very long day...and I know you didn’t sleep much last night...”

  She raised her hand to cup his chin as he kissed her once more. “You’re one hell of a man, Mack,” she murmured against his lips. “You know that?”

  And it was at that very second that Maxine realized that she was falling for Drew.

  Chapter Four

  “Well, how do you rate?” Jeffrey said as he and Jillian ushered Maxine to her new cubicle. It was empty. Nothing but bare, cushioned wool walls, a clean desk, a laptop and a phone…and a huge silver vase filled with hydrangeas from Drew. She didn’t even have to read the card to know the sender, and she thought it was so very endearing that he already took the time to learn her favorite flower. “Yes, I think it’s fair game to say that best friend of mine is taken with you, Maxine.”

  “Well, they’re lovely,” Maxine said, standing as tall as she could in the brand-new navy blue short-waisted blazer and pencil skirt that she’d bought specifically for that day. She couldn’t allow herself to get overly excited, as she was at work and had to maintain a proper businesslike manner, regardless of the fact that her boss had been college roommates with her…boyfriend?

  “Sometimes, Drew has good taste,” Jeffrey said as he made a slight adjustment to the arrangement. “With that, I’ll leave you to get settled.”

  “And I’m right next door if you need anything,” Jillian said, slipping into her own stall adjacent to Maxine. “Someone keeps promising me an office but hasn’t delivered yet…”

  Shamed, Jeffrey bowed his head, but Maxine took note of the ruddiness rising on his cheeks. “We’re working on that…”

  “Work faster,” Jillian said. Maxine couldn’t help but to chuckle. Her officemate certainly didn’t mince words when she wanted something, but Maxine knew that Jillian and Jeffrey had a very strong, congenial working relationship.

  “I’ll leave you with Max right now to show her the ropes,” he said then turned to Maxine one more time. “Again, welcome. We’re so glad you’re here. I think you’re going to complement the team nicely.”

  “Thank you again, Jeffrey,” she said and shook his hand again. “I’m glad to be here.”

  Briefly, she wondered if he had any idea about Drew’s proclivities when it came to relationships of the romantic kind. He did, after all, live with Drew for four years.

  However, the moment Jeffrey disappeared into his own office, Maxine couldn’t fight her own curiosity and tore into the card that had been tucked into the flowers.

  Have a spectacular first day

  at work, little one.

  Fondly,

  Drew

  Oh, there was that word again—fondly. He certainly knew how to brighten her day.

  After their weekend together, the flowers added another layer to her burgeoning feelings for Drew. Leaving him the previous afternoon left her confounded with mixed emotions. Maxine hated the thought of Drew staying in that huge penthouse by himself, but he refused her offer to spend the night at her place.

  With her first day of work on the horizon, Maxine had to prepare at home, yet her mind remained with him the entire evening. Ben didn’t question her further about her time with Drew. He knew when Maxine needed him to take a step back. Whatever Drew told her clearly upset her, and Ben could see the evidence of her sadness in her eyes. Yet he refused to push her for answers. His mother had already done enough damage.

  Even after speaking to Drew just before she dropped her head to the pillow, she couldn’t manage to relax completely. She worried about him—and she worried that he might have second thoughts after opening up to her.

  That morning, though, affirmed that he had no intentions of leaving her.

  “See, I told you he wasn’t a dog,” Jillian smiled over the wall that separated their offices. “I’m glad to see it’s working out with Drew.”

  “It’s only been a little over a week,” Maxine confided. How quickly the time had passed, but she felt as if they’d already packed an entire courtship into those ten days.

  “I don’t know if you’ve picked up on this yet,” Jillian began, “but Drew doesn’t piss around. If he’s sending flowers, this is pretty serious.”

  “Enough of Mr. McKenzie for one morning,” Maxine attempted to turn the conversation around. “Onward to the work day.”

  “Well,” Jillian moved in and opened Maxine’s e-mail program, “you should probably start by drafting a thank you note to one of our clients for the lovely flowers he sent you this morning.”

  Hands on her hips, Maxine cocked her head to the side. “Jillian…”

  “Trust me—Jeffrey believes fully in a work-life balance here. And if you simply ignored his best friend’s gallant gesture, he’d be upset,” she said with the wink of a brown eye. “Consider this a warm-up exercise. I have a media alert that I need you to draft for me. We’ll release it tomorrow, but shouldn’t take you too long.”

  “Will do, Jillian,” Maxine returned her smile and took her seat. “Send me the information, and I’ll have
that to you shortly.”

  While she minded Jillian’s first task on her to-do list for the day, Maxine made certain to sign into her personal e-mail, rather than chancing fate and using her work account.

  TO: Drew McKenzie

  FROM: Maxine Kirk

  DATE: September 22, 2014, 9:13 AM

  SUBJECT: Fondly

  Kind Sir:

  The hydrangeas are absolutely gorgeous! I was thoroughly surprised by the sweet gesture.

  Thank you so very much for thinking of me this morning. And Ben thanks you, too, for all of the gifts you sent over, including the fire extinguisher.

  Kisses,

  M

  Immediately, she moved on to Jillian’s e-mail, which was far more pressing than a response from Drew. The details were simple. A mix of old and new stars of the Broadway stage would be hosting a concert at Town Hall to benefit one of the actors’ funds. The formatting actually took more time than the writing, and within a half hour, Maxine sent her finished release off to Jillian in her cubicle next door.

  With no other assignments in her queue at the moment, she dared to check for a response from Drew.

  TO: Maxine Kirk

  FROM: Drew McKenzie

  DATE: September 22, 2014, 9:19 AM

  SUBJECT: Fondled…

  Dearest little one:

  I think about you all the time—I didn’t necessarily need any excuse this morning. But I’m glad you enjoyed the flowers. And I hope you don’t need the extinguisher. I shall stay away from the stove herein.

  Now on to business matters. You’ve got five cracks/whips/flogs/whatever weapon is at my disposal coming your way.

  I sent Lou to drive you to work this morning as a kind gesture, and you refused! He said you preferred to take the subway with Ben. (He would have dropped him off, too, I shall have you to know.)

  I know you’re a fiercely independent woman, which I adore, but when your Master offers a gift, you shall accept it. Period.

  Trust me, there will be many more to follow—both gifts and punishments.

  With that being said, I cannot wait to see what sort of misbehavior you engage in next.

  Demented and sad...but social...

  D

  Quickly switching over to her work e-mail, she found that there was still no response from Jillian, who was rather silent on the other side of the wall—and that left her a bit worried. Maxine hoped she’d done a good job on her first assignment. As a diversion, she decided to dash off a response to Drew.

  TO: Drew McKenzie

  FROM: Maxine Kirk

  DATE: September 22, 2014, 09:53

  SUBJECT: Dominated…

  Dearest Demented Dom—

  Your promises and propositions thrill me. In fact, I anxiously await the end of this week so that we can explore these matters further.

  Now, though, it’s my turn to wish you a broken leg at your first rehearsal today. No whistling in the dressing room. And don’t you dare utter the name of M-A-C-B-E-T-H. (Do I know my theatrical superstitions?)

  Looking forward to hearing about your first day, too. We’ll regroup later.

  Kisses…

  M

  “Wow!” Jillian said, pen and page in her hand. “I literally only corrected a couple of typos. This is damn near perfect, Maxine.”

  Swiveling around in her office chair, Maxine knew that shock was evident upon her face. Certainly, Jillian couldn’t be talking about her media alert.

  “Here—just a couple of tiny changes, and then send it off to Jeffrey for a final look,” Jillian said as she passed Maxine’s printed release back to her for editing. “He’s really not a writer, so I don’t see him making any drastic cuts or additions. And then, we’re ready to go, and you can send it off to the Times as an exclusive. Offer them a chat with Lexi Tate. She’s a media darling—they all love her.”

  Maxine swallowed her fear, then timidly whispered. “You mean…The New York Times?” Calling upon the largest newspaper in the entire country left her feeling just a tad bit unsure of her own abilities. She couldn’t convince one of their top-notch reporters who likely went to some huge J-School like Columbia to cover their story. Oh, she needed a smaller challenge, like one of the Jersey papers.

  However, Jillian didn’t back down. “You can handle it, Max,” she assured her. “This guy is a rookie on the theater beat—started out as general assignment on the culture desk—so he’d be great for you to get in with right now. And I’m sure he’d jump at the chance to talk to Lex.”

  Name dropping again. However, Jillian didn’t just toss out names to be obnoxious. She’d worked with these people for a number of years now. She’d built a reputation within the theatrical community. All of this was just second nature for her. It was simply work, and she did her job well. Yes, Maxine reasoned, she deserved an office!

  “I shall call him as soon as we have approval from Jeffrey,” Maxine said.

  “You’re my protégé, Max,” Jillian said and squeezed her shoulder. “I’ve got faith in you…”

  Someone always seemed to be priming her young mind for something lately—Ben in her virginity loss, Drew in preparation for her submission, now Jillian with her foray into public relations. She was relieved that at least one of them wasn’t focused on her sex life.

  After adding a couple of commas, italicizing the name of a show, and fixing up a typo from her clumsy fingers, she hit send on her e-mail to Jeffrey, copying Jillian, and then sought out what would be Drew’s final note of the day.

  TO: Maxine Kirk

  FROM: Drew McKenzie

  DATE: September 22, 2014, 10:03

  SUBJECT: Of Fallacies and Fantasies

  The Most Divine Miss M:

  Ah, one day, I hope, you shall spout off your BDSM terminology with as much ease as you do in reciting old theatrical wives’ tales. Please take note, though, I am not wearing green today…

  However, your eagerness to engage in the unknown thrills me. And I am waiting for Friday with equal anticipation.

  For now, though, Drew must sign off as he transforms into one Joe Gillis to rehearse a scene with my “other woman.” Alas, she does not hold a candle to that lady in my real life. Just know that I’m missing you already.

  Dominantly yours…

  D

  The “other woman” in question was Drew’s co-star Suzanne Lowell. She was about twenty years his senior, and, in his words, quite dull. While Suzanne had a featured actress Tony Award under her belt for a show she’d done nearly three decades ago, her star had long since waned, as did her personality. Perhaps, he reasoned, she was actually quite the perfect choice to play the withered and wacky silent film star, Norma Desmond.

  However, Maxine had literally no time to waste after she read his e-mail, and she was actually quite relieved that he’d be out of range for a few hours. Her plate had filled up quickly with media lists to build from D & D’s massive database of contacts, meeting agendas to prepare and interview confirmations to send to their A-list clients. However, even with the high-energy at which the agency moved, Maxine found herself fitting into the groove. This wasn’t a small town community newspaper in Pennsylvania, and she wasn’t correcting poor grammar on her neighbor’s yard sale ad. She was now charged with handling national publicity efforts for a host of personalities she’d admired since she was a child.

  This was her dream. And she planned to live it to perfection. Judy would be so proud of her.

  With everything that had unfolded in her personal life, Maxine had completely forgotten Jillian’s little slip-up about her welcome lunch, and she was genuinely surprised by the celebration surrounding her. That morning, she hadn’t had the chance to stop by and chat with everyone she’d known from her summer at D & D, and she loved connecting with both old colleagues and new.

  Jeffrey himself had even uncorked a few bottles of wine to further the party along for his staff of thirty. Regardless of the level at which an employee was hired, he always made certain to make the
m feel at home on the first day of the job. He wanted to build not just an agency, but a family that he could count upon.

  Loyalty meant everything to him, and he hoped Maxine would thrive and stick around for a while. She had such a passion for the performing arts, and he knew during her internship that she wanted to truly mount a career in this industry. Maxine was one of the very few to whom he’d taken a liking. And he didn’t want her to walk out that door anytime in the near or distant future.

  The grand display of food, however, with gourmet salads and sandwiches and cupcakes, did frighten her a bit. Now that Maxine made it a priority to manage her health, she had to teach herself how to eat properly again, without overdoing. She had to force herself to think in terms of moderation. She could taste—even fill herself—without overindulging.

  Every moment was a struggle. Now that she would be working and having to deal with people outside her personal circle, she knew that she would have to fight even harder to conquer her eating disorders. One small step at a time was all she could manage with a conscientious effort made along the way.

  “Jeffrey loves to throw a party,” Jillian said, helping herself to the half of Maxine’s cupcake that she didn’t plan to eat. “Once a month, we do birthdays, and we often go out for drinks. You’ll have to join us when you’re not so busy with Drew…”

  “I would love that!” Maxine said. “And maybe sometime, he’ll even join us.”

  “Wouldn’t be the first time,” Jillian said, shaking her head. “One year, on St. Patrick’s Day, Jeffrey invited him to the bar with us. Drew brought that crazy brother of his. Those Irish boys love their whiskey...”

  Maxine nibbled away at the last of her sandwich, giggling over Jillian’s revelation. “So the legend of Adam McKenzie is real?”