He was steamrolling the pretty submissive, but couldn’t help himself. Not only was he determined to ingrain himself into her life, he was curious to see how far he could push before she reacted. Especially after her dominant act Friday evening.
He expected her to refuse to go with him. Instead, she looked at the back section of his SUV and the corners of her lips turned up in a slight smirk.
“All right, but you’re buying lunch,” she said as he opened the door for her and helped her in.
“Of course I am. I would never ask you to pay for your own celebratory lunch,” he said, a bit offended that she would think so little of him.
Gia shrugged once she was seated. “Some men would.”
Something in her tone was off. She had been hurt in the past and Dom needed to keep his bruised feelings to himself. He would have to prove that not all men were like whoever has caused her pain.
Closing the door, he rounded the vehicle and climbed into the driver’s seat. Only after he had driven out of the private parking lot did she indulge her curiosity. “So what were you doing at the club?”
“I met with Taurus and Jenna about my membership paperwork,” he said after a moment.
“Uh-huh,” she said, with enough sarcasm in her voice that he knew she didn’t believe him. “You weren’t there to discuss buying the club like Silk wants you to?”
“We might have discussed the club being for sale as well,” he said easily. “But Silk wanting me to buy the club, doesn’t automatically mean I am going to. Now, let’s talk about us.”
* * * *
Though her stomach clenched with excitement, Silk frowned. “There is no us. We played together once. And if you buy the club that I just agreed to manage for the next year, there won’t be anything between us, except business.”
“Why not?”
She crossed her arms and said, “I don’t fuck people I work for.” Turning, she looked out the window.
She had learned that lesson the hard way.
Just after college she had taken a job as an assistant manager of a nightclub then fallen in love with the club owner. He said he felt the same, but he would only spend time with her at the club before it opened, or after closing. It wasn’t until his lover showed up one night, three months into the relationship, that she understood he had been lying to her the entire time. She spent the rest of her shift avoiding him while writing her letter of resignation and packing up her desk.
Since then not getting involved with her co-workers was an unbreakable rule. And not just the owner, but anyone she worked with.
The big question now was, would she be able to play at the club now that she worked there? Or was she destined to go to Raleigh for some sexy play?
Maybe Jenna would be able to give her some guidance.
“So, if I buy the club you won’t play with me? Will you play with me if I pass it up? Because I’ve got to tell you, Friday night was the best scene I’d ever taken part in.”
Gia’s pussy tingled, and her nipples grew hard as she listened to his words. The raw sexual energy that flowed Friday night swirled once again between and around them in the bright light of day. A glance down at his lap showed that he felt it, too.
“So you felt something Friday night?” she asked.
He didn’t speak until he parked. She saw he had brought her to what she had heard was one of the nicest restaurants in town, situated next to the Neuse River. Only when he had pocketed his keys did he look at her.
“Hell yes, I felt something. I felt more than just something. I felt a connection unlike anything I have ever experienced before. Which is why I’m pushing so hard for more. But I have to know, why did you run away and why won’t you talk to me? What would it take for you to agree to another scene Friday night?”
What would it take? Gia’s libido asked.
In the years since that first heartbreak, she had put so many rules into place to protect herself from everything. Those same rules had narrowed her world and kept her from making friends, which was why she was now lonely and afraid. She didn’t know how to be a friend, or more.
Silk had plowed through those walls, refusing to give up on Gia, no matter how much Gia messed up being a friend. And now is seemed her brother was determined to do the same thing, only not just as a friend, but as more. But how much more?
She remained silent until they were seated outside on the deck and the hostess had taken their matching orders for sweet tea. Looking across the table at Dominic, she took a deep breath. Maybe it was time to knock down the walls and let this man into her life. If things didn’t work out in the long run, then she would give Silk the pleasure of torturing the man.
In the meantime, she would take pleasure in pushing the man’s own comfort levels. “Okay, I’ll play with you. Let me top you Friday night, don’t safe word, and I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
She held her breath as he took a long drink from his glass of tea. She could see he was debating her offer. Putting it down, he sat back in his chair and looked at her. “You’ll abide by my limits?”
“What are they?” she said even as she nodded.
He smiled, looking so sexy she had to grab hold of the arms of her chair to keep from throwing herself across the table at him. “Blood, bodily fluids, severe pain. While I don’t mind feeling an ache the next day, I do have businesses to run and can’t be laid up with bruises or a sore ass for more than a day or two.”
“Sounds reasonable.”
His sexy smile turned to that of a teasing dominant. “Does that mean I get to top you Saturday night?”
Gia’s heart skipped a beat as she sucked a breath. What had happened to her rules? What had happened to staying safe? What would she do if Dominic kicked her to the curb at some point in the future?
But what if he didn’t?
Looking deep into his dark-eyed gaze, she nodded once. Her pussy clenched and dampened copiously when the man’s smile grew brighter. “But only if you can move after I wear you out on Friday,” she said with a snarky grin.
Before he could respond with a sexual threat of his own, the waitress interrupted them. “Are you ready to order?”
Chapter Six
Dominic swore softly as he followed Gia to her apartment door. The neighborhood wasn’t safe for any woman, but especially someone like Gia who seemed to see the best in everyone.
Lunch had been an experience he couldn’t wait to repeat. Talking over the fine cuisine of the town’s top chef put Gia at ease and she opened up a little about her past, and her life in general. He was not surprised they had a lot of likes and dislikes interests in common. He just had to figure out how to exploit those mutual interests in his favor.
After lunch, she hesitantly told him her address. He knew the general neighborhood, then asked for directions once he got them there. The closer they got, the more his concern grew. At one point in time this might have been a safe neighborhood, but that was at least a dozen years ago. Now it was a neighborhood he wouldn’t wish his worst enemy to live in.
He knew she had picked up on his discomfort when she said, “Why don’t you just take me back to the club? I can move myself.”
Dom shook his head. “No, I don’t think so, princessa. We can take a load to the club now and I’ll make a few calls and get help for everything else. I want you out of this place tonight.”
Gia seemed to deflate then. Unlocking the door, she pushed it open and he winced when the hinges squealed like they were dying. He followed her in, his frown deepening when he saw the interior of the small apartment. The paint was a soft yellow, the original hardwood floors shining bright. The problem was the only furniture was a big red chair with a fuzzy blanket thrown over the back, and a square card table with a folding wooden chair pushed under it.
After noticing the lack of belongings, he noticed the temperature was too low to be comfortable without another layer or two of clothes.
“What the hell happened?” he blurted out.
“Where’s all your furniture?”
Across the room, Gia turned away and dropped her head. Her shoulder drooped as if she was trying to fold into herself and disappear. “This is it. I sold everything else to pay bills.”
Her words were whispered, which made Dom feel like an even bigger ass. Crossing to her side, he stepped around to face her before pulling her close for a hug. “Oh, princessa, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by my question, I just thought you would have…more.”
Gia melted into him as she began to shake. A moment later, hot tears soaked through his shirt. “I did have more. But then I got fired for not wanting to sleep with my boss who was twice my age and three times your size. While my parents would love to help me, they’re barely keeping their heads above water, and I refuse to ask my friends. So I’ve sold off what I could, cut back, used every money saving technique I’ve ever heard of. I have no idea what I would have done if Silk hadn’t gotten me the job at the club.”
“Silk didn’t get you the job,” Dom assured her even as he hugged her close. “You’re resume, work ethic, and being who you are did. I agree with Jenna and Taurus, too. You will be a valuable asset to the club.”
Gia gave a watery laugh. “Yeah, at least until I have to back down one of those dominants who believe they’re God’s gift to the club.”
“You shouldn’t have to. That’s why the club has security, and there are a dozen dominant members you should call on to handle troublemakers. Just because you manage the club, does not mean you are not responsible for the actions of the members.”
Gia didn’t answer right. Instead she pulled back and wiped her cheeks dry. Giving him a falsely bright smile, she said, “If you’ll start in the kitchen, I’ll pack up the bathroom and bedroom. Then we can see what all we need to get me moved.”
Though he wanted to argue, Dominic gave her the space she obviously needed. But, he vowed to himself, once she was back under his command at the club, when he had her unable to run away and her defenses lowered, he would get the answers he needed in order to build a lasting future with her.
Once Gia disappeared into her bedroom, Dom stepped into the kitchen and pulled out his phone. One call to Jenna and he had more than enough help to complete this move in the few hours of daylight they had left.
Entering the kitchen, he found a tall stack of empty boxes sitting in front of the stove. Opening the cupboards, he began unloading them into the boxes. He took care with the four glasses, plates, bowls and handful of serving dishes, using kitchen towels and whatever he could find to keep things from clinking together. He did not bother to wrap anything in paper as they would be unpacked at Gia’s new place and put away in an hour or two. It only took four boxes to pack her entire kitchen, including the food.
Once he finished, Dominic carried the boxes to his SUV and packed them in the back seat of his SUV. Then he broke down the chair and card table and added them. The chair would need to go in a pickup as it was too big to go in a standard SUV.
He was just heading back into the apartment when a big red panel van pulled in followed by Taurus in his SUV. The two vehicles backed into parking spaces and then Gentry opened the back of the van while Antony climbed down from the driver’s seat.
After introductions were made, Taurus looked into the apartment. “There’s nothing in there.”
“She’s been selling her things off. The kitchen boxes fit in my back seat, along with the table and chairs she was using for a dining room. I doubt there’s much more in the bedroom, either.”
Taurus swore while Gentry and Antony looked guilty. “Why didn’t she tell anyone she was having trouble? We would have helped,” Gentry asked, sounding heartbroken.
“She doesn’t believe in taking charity,” Gia answered from the doorway, looking sad.
Dom closed the distance between them and cuddled her as Taurus growled. “And yet you’re the first to volunteer for any charity work the club does. Isn’t that just a little bit hypocritical?”
“No,” Gentry said as he patted Gia’s back. “It just means that Gia’s heart is bigger than her sense of self preservation. But that’s in the past. From now on, she’s got a place to live, and a job. All will be well.”
“At least until the new owner decides to fire me because I won’t be his dirty little secret,” Gia muttered into Dom’s chest.
He gave her a squeeze. “That won’t happen, princessa. I won’t let it. Now, let’s get you packed up and moved so you can start your new job in the morning.”
“Yes, Sir,” she snarked as she stepped out of his arms.
She led the way to her bedroom where there was a full-size bed with a small dresser as a nightstand. The only other piece of furniture was an old trunk. There were two suitcases and three boxes sitting on top of the bed, and the open closet door showed a couple dozen hangers holding clothes.
It took fifteen minutes to load all of her belongings into the three vehicles. After Taurus and Gentry drove away, Dom followed Gia to the office where she turned in her keys and signed out with the owner. When the woman demanded a hundred dollar cleaning fee, Dom stepped in and gave her the blood money before Gia could argue. Then he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and guided her to his SUV.
“I’ll pay you back,” she said once they were away from the apartment and on their way to the club.
“In six months, and only if you have money in the bank and it won’t be a hardship,” he said, using his power-filled dominant voice.
“Yes, Sir,” she said with a salute.
By the time they reached the club, her things had been unloaded from the other two trucks and the men were waiting for their arrival. “We put your bed in storage and the little dresser and trunk in the bedroom, but you’ll probably want to rearrange things,” Antony said as he grabbed a box from the back seat.
“The bed is new in that apartment, and there’s sheets and blankets in the linen closet,” Gentry added grabbing another box.
“What? What are they talking about?” Gia looked at Taurus who grabbed a box of kitchen utensils and set it on the box of food and took both inside.
Dominic handed the chair to Gia before taking the table himself. “Come on, let’s go inside and see what they’re talking about.”
* * * *
Gia followed the four men into the building, lost as to what had become of the life of control and solitude. Suddenly people from Silk and Dom to all those now directly connected with Club Esoteria, were stepping in and taking over. She wanted to scream “Stop!” and take time to catch up, and adjust her attitude. Sadly, she wasn’t given the time.
Without giving her time to look around, Dom herded her and the others into the elevator. In the next few seconds, they were rising, which gave her that queasy, “I’m going to lose my lunch” feeling. Before she did, the box stopped, the doors opened, and she was hurried out of the elevator. The door to the left side of the foyer was open, and that’s where Dom guided her. Two steps inside and she stopped, stunned at finding the apartment fully furnished. Dom took the chair she carried and set it, and the card table, just outside the door. It was obvious from what she could see that they weren’t necessary.
The furniture all matched, was of top quality, and looked like something a dominant male sex club owner would decorate with. Black leather couch, recliner, and club chair with a large square coffee table between them filled the living room. The wall they faced held a huge flat screen television, with a low credenza beneath it. Except for the major pieces, the room was devoid of personality.
Gentry and Antony were chattering on about something, but she wasn’t paying attention. Stepping past them, she walked through the rest of the apartment. The kitchen was almost as big as her last apartment, and contained a table and four chairs on one side. Behind a door on the other side, next to the kitchen, she found an empty pantry. She had never had such a nice storage space before, though she doubted she would ever completely fill it.
She blinked back tears as
she stepped back out of the pantry and closed the door again. Then she turned and walked past the men who were watching her closely and into the bedroom. This room also held the basics of a king-size bed, long credenza dresser and tall armoire. There were two doors, one leading to a walk-in closet the size of the living room at her last place, and a bathroom that she had to pinch herself to prove was real. She couldn’t wait to get unpacked and settled in so she could fill the tub with hot water and take a nice, long bath.
Finally, she returned to the living room where the men were testing out the television to make sure the cable was still hooked up.
“Thank you,” she said, looking at Taurus. “I don’t know what else to say. This place is amazing.”
“You’re welcome. Where would you like your chair?” Taurus said, nodding to the corner where her barn red chair sat, looking lost and as out of place as a nun would downstairs.
“In the bedroom, please. The corner beside the armoire would be perfect.”
Gentry and Antony quickly moved the chair, placing it where she asked. Gentry looked at it and said, “I’ll make you a small table for a lamp and to hold your tea for when you want to curl up and read.”
At that point her tears would be held back no longer. The two submissives watched with wide, slightly panicked eyes before disappearing back into the living room. Gia closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around herself. She had missed so much by closing herself off from the world. This show of friendship, of caring had become too much. What had she done to deserve all this?
* * * *
“Shhhh, princessa. Everything is all right,” Dom crooned as he pulled her into his arms, cradling her close.
He was not surprised she didn’t fight his embrace. He didn’t think she even knew he was there. He knew the meltdown had been building since that morning when Taurus and Jenna offered her the job. She wasn’t used to people doing things for her. She had not experienced people doing for her as she did for others, with their whole hearts. But, if he had anything to say about it, she would. For he already knew he would do anything to see her smiling. For now, he would hold her while she got herself back under control. Then they would thank Taurus, Gentry, and Antony before spending the rest of the afternoon unpacking and settling her in.
Blackmailing Dom [Club Esoteria 17] (Siren Publishing Allure) Page 5
