Body Shots

by Anne Rainey

  “Mouthy, isn’t she?” Mac noted.

  Out of the corner of her eye she saw Dane frown, again. “Someone needs to teach Ms. Burke a lesson, if you ask me.”

  “Someone has a meeting in half an hour and shouldn’t be wasting time chatting.”

  “She has a point,” another voice chimed in. They all three looked at the door to the office just as Trent Dailey marched through it, his movements precise, his expression serious. Lydia straightened in her chair. Trent had a way of making people check themselves. He wasn’t exactly a drill sergeant, but she secretly thought he would have made an exemplary one if he ever chose to change professions. Ever the serious one, with his amber eyes, neatly trimmed black hair and powerful build, Trent rarely cracked a smile, and he always did everything with efficiency. She often felt like a slacker around him, and for a workaholic like her, that was saying something.

  “If you two can find it in you to break away from the charming Ms. Burke, I have something I need to discuss with you.”

  Mac looked back at her and winked. “He’s at it already. Look out, sugar, you could be next.”

  Dane didn’t say another word, just growled something about coffee and stomped into his office, Trent and Mac hot on his heels.

  The phone rang and she had the feeling her day was about to turn chaotic. “I just love Mondays,” she mumbled, before picking it up.

  Lydia had started the day with a smile, but that was well before Dane turned her world upside down. There wasn’t a moment’s peace. The minute she finished one task, she’d end up having fifty more dumped on her desk. And it was only noon!

  “Lydia, I need you to get Gordon Michelson on the phone,” Dane said. “I want to set up a meeting right away concerning his personal injury case.”

  “Yes, Mr. Gentry,” she replied, barely containing a groan. As she closed the document she’d been working on for Mac and searched through her list of contacts for Michelson’s phone number, Dane popped his head out of his office once more. “Lydia, did you do that research for the Wilson case?”

  “It’s not quite finished. I’ll have it to you by the end of the day, sir.”

  “That’s fine. By the way, don’t forget to interview that potential client, Sam MacKenzie.”

  Lydia had finally reached the end of her rope. “Okay, you know what? This is too much for one person. I get a few things done and you drop a hundred more on me. I’m not a robot!”

  She grabbed her purse and started for the door, aware she’d attracted the attention of her fellow coworkers. Dane was quick to intercept her. She tried to move around him, but he only grabbed her arm, halting her forward progress.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I need a break,” she gritted out.

  “I’m sorry. Don’t quit, please.”

  She put her hand on her hip and glared up at him. “Well, of course I’m not quitting! But I am taking the rest of the afternoon off. You can get along without me that long, can’t you?”

  Dane leaned down and whispered into her ear, “If you don’t come back tomorrow I’ll come looking for you, sweetheart. I won’t let you get away from me so easily.”

  Lydia shuddered at the sensual tone. All the time she’d worked for Dane, he’d never used that dark, mysterious tone on her. Or endearments for that matter. He wasn’t like Mac, where every woman he met was either sugar or darlin’, an influence of his Texas upbringing. Dane had just crossed a line, and despite warning bells going off inside her head, his wicked threat tantalized her.

  As he released her arm and stepped to the side to let her pass, Lydia watched his lips tilt to one side. He was flirting with her and she was woefully unequipped to handle a man like Dane Gentry.

  Lydia forced her feet to move, her entire body suddenly too warm for comfort. As she left the office building, she could swear all three men stared at her, and she had a sneaking suspicion it wasn’t professional concern they had on their minds.

  As soon as the office door closed, Dane let out a breath. Jesus, that was close. He’d been a heartbeat away from kissing her. That would be the wrong thing to do. Way wrong. But if that was the case, then why did he feel as if he’d lost a golden opportunity? What would she have done if he’d closed that little distance? Damn, Lydia Burke had been a fire in his blood for too long already. If he didn’t do something about his fascination with her, he was going to lose it.

  As he’d watched her get all authoritative and demanding, he’d been tempted to push her to her knees and force her to submit. There was a chemistry between them. Hell, there’d always been a spark. Though he had a feeling she liked to pretend it wasn’t there, Dane knew the truth. Lust, craving, obsession; whatever the label it didn’t matter. It wasn’t going away, not until they did something about it.

  “Shit, that was close,” Mac groaned. “I thought she was leaving you for good this time.”

  “She won’t leave,” Dane stated. “She knows I’d find her and bring her back.”

  “We’ve got another problem,” Trent grumbled as he motioned them into his office. After he closed the door, he said, “Clyde just put in his two weeks’ notice and we need to replace him.”

  As Dane glanced at Trent across the room, the throbbing in Dane’s head gained momentum. Trent referred to the manager at Kinks, the bondage and submission club they owned. “Damn, he was the best we had so far. No one stepped out of line as long as Clyde was around,” Mac said.

  Dane moved toward Trent’s desk and sat on the edge. “What happened?”

  Trent pushed his fingers through his hair in agitation. “Hell, he always did say it wouldn’t be a permanent thing for him,” Trent explained. “He’s getting married and his fiancée wants him to concentrate full time on the landscaping business they’ve set up. Being our manager wasn’t really part of his five-year plan.”

  Dane crossed his legs at the ankles. “I met the fiancée once. She’s such a damned prude, I’m surprised Clyde lasted this long.”

  Trent’s eyes widened. “She came into Kinks?”

  “No, she picked him up at the door one night; his car was in the shop. She took one look at me and went pale as a damn sheet.” His lips twitched. “I think it was my leather dom hood that did it.”

  Mac laughed. “It’s wrong for us to find amusement in that.”

  Dane laughed, though it felt hollow. The rest of his day would be shit because Lydia wasn’t there. He never quite understood his fascination with her, which was one reason he’d kept his distance. He didn’t like going into a relationship blind.

  “Back to the problem at hand,” Trent insisted. “We need to replace Clyde. I asked him if he knew anyone he could recommend. Of course, he didn’t; that would’ve been too fucking easy. I thought maybe we could bump Ralph up. He’s been there the longest and knows the ropes. We put him on as manager and replace his spot on the floor. It’s bound to be easier to find someone to replace him, rather than taking the time to train someone new to take Clyde’s position, agreed?”

  Dane and Mac both nodded. Dane was the first to speak. “Fine by me.”

  Trent moved toward his office. “Done then. We can take care of it tonight.”

  Dane suddenly felt exhausted. “Did either of you think it’d be this much work to run that damned club?”

  Mac arched a brow at him. “Having second thoughts?”

  Dane shrugged and sat back. They’d taken over the running of the club a little over a year ago, after the previous owner had found out he had cancer. They’d grown close to Leo, so when he confided in them that he wanted the club to go to someone he knew and trusted, someone who would take care of it, they’d stepped in and made it happen. The place now made them a hefty profit. It was never about the money though, not for any of them. It was their home away from home. The only place they could truly be free to explore the darker nature of their souls. The three of them had gone to college together. It had been there that they’d discovered they shared a common passion for the kinki
er side of sex. When the club had practically been dropped into their laps, it’d seemed perfect. But Dane hadn’t counted on how much work was involved. Trent liked having a club to run, Mac just plain enjoyed sex, but he’d been drawn to the dom role. Still, being a club dom was fast losing its appeal.

  “I don’t know. I think I’m getting worn down from burning the candle at both ends.”

  Trent moved toward Lydia’s chair and sat down. “I’ve been feeling the same way, but now that it’s turning a profit we can start thinking of hiring more help.”

  Mac’s usual grin was replaced by a scowl. “That could be tricky as hell, considering what we do during the day. We have to protect our interests.”

  “That’s why we have the employees sign a confidentiality agreement and it’s also why we never go out to the floor without our hoods.” Trent reminded him.

  The members of the club thought they wore the hoods for effect; never allowing anyone to see their faces lent to the dark mystery. The truth wasn’t nearly as enticing. Dane knew the legal end was secure, but society didn’t always care about laws and regulations. In the end, the general population would still view the club as a place that catered to sexual deviants. “Can you imagine if someone found out we run a BDSM club? We’d be finished as lawyers.”

  “It’s not illegal, Dane,” Trent growled. “You make it sound like we’re drug lords or pimps.”

  “Our clients wouldn’t give a damn about legalities, Trent, and you know it. They’d find a new law firm quicker than any of us could blink.”

  “You’re forgetting one important factor here, buddy,” Mac said, a mischievous gleam lighting his eyes.

  “What?”

  “Some of our clients are also members at Kinks. They want their privacy protected just as much as we do.”

  Dane nodded. “No shit. And they’re way more connected than we are. We give them a place to play in safety. They’ll damn near kill to keep that little privilege.”

  “Besides, it’s not like anyone at Kinks is beyond reproach,” Trent said. “I’ve yet to see a single goody-goody come near the place.”

  Trent’s words brought Dane back to his talk with Lydia that morning. “Speaking of goody-goody. I’m about fed up with Lydia’s constant refusal to call me by my first name. The woman’s been my paralegal for two years.”

  “It’ll never happen,” Trent said, his voice resigned. “I don’t know why you even bother. Lydia is way too professional. In her mind it’s inappropriate. End of story.”

  “Damn, can you imagine her coming into Kinks?”

  Mac’s question tore straight through him. Hell yeah, Dane could imagine it. He’d done so a hundred different times, usually while he jacked off. “She’d faint dead away,” he mused.

  “There’s just something sexy about that librarian getup she wears though,” Trent added. “It makes me want to tear it off her and see what she keeps hidden.”

  “Paradise,” Mac assured them. “I can feel it in my bones. That woman is built.”

  “Then I’m not the only one who’s fantasized about my delectable paralegal?” Dane asked. Trent and Mac both shook their heads. Somehow that made Dane feel better, like less of a debaucher of virgins. “If she ever does venture into our lair, she’ll be in for one helluva ride.”

  They all three grunted in agreement.

  Anne Rainey grew up in a small town in central Ohio, the only girl with three rowdy older brothers. When she wasn’t playing tackle football with them, she could be found tucked away in her mother’s book room getting lost in mysterious worlds. She’s had a variety of odd jobs, including chiropractic assistant, frame stylist, restaurant hostess, and nail technician. Anne now lives with her fabulous husband, two gorgeous teenage daughters, two ornery dogs, and three snooty cats. When she’s not feeding, cleaning or spending time with them, she can be found at the computer writing stories hot enough to make your toes curl! Visit her on the web at annerainey.com.

  YES, MASTER . . .

  Enter a world of forbidden pleasure, where complete surrender means total ecstasy....

  STARK PLEASURE

  Tawny Taylor

  Alice Barlow is sexually inexperienced, but no stranger to erotic desire. After one night of unimaginable pleasure with the darkly enigmatic Tristan Stark, she can only beg for more, eager to obey his every command....

  RUBY’S AWAKENING

  Anne Rainey

  Ruby London can’t wait to celebrate her big promotion, but her boyfriend leaves her high and dry. When she spies her darkly sensual neighbor naked in the pool, she’s ready to get wet for a long night of untamed pleasure....

  RUNA’S HIGH

  Vonna Harper

  A dedicated runner, Runa Mullan is always on the move. But when sexy masseuse Ken Paro places his hands on her body and tells her to simply relax, she finally lets go and revels in total submission to her master....

  An Aphrodisia trade paperback on sale now!

  PLEASURE BOUND

  WHEN DESIRE BURNS THIS HOT . . .

  With his sexy smile and rock-hard body, P.I. Jonas Phoenix is used to having women flock to his bed. But these days, there’s only one woman Jonas wants—and she won’t give him the time of day.

  THE ONLY CHOICE . . .

  Deanna Harrison knows she can’t fight her attraction to Jonas forever, but she’s looking for more than a fling. So Jonas issues Deanna a challenge: give him one weekend at his Miami beach house to win her over. No strings attached. No limitations.

  IS SURRENDER . . .

  Once in Miami, the sexual tension erupts as Deanna finally lets go—and lets Jonas pleasure her in ways she’s only dreamed of. But while their bond grows stronger, danger lurks close by—and it could be deadly for them both....

  SO SENSITIVE

  WHEN FEAR CROSSES THE LINE

  At first, the mysterious e-mails are flattering. But soon, Gracie Baron can’t deny she has a stalker—and it’s clear she needs protection....

  INTO PURE PLEASURE

  P.I. Wade Harrison admits that his friend’s luscious assistant, Gracie, has been tantalizing him for months. So Wade jumps at the chance to offer her the personal protection she needs, free of charge. The only catch is, Gracie must agree to obey his orders—no questions asked.

  THE ANSWER IS YES

  Once Wade has Gracie alone, he isn’t shy about letting her know what he wants. His fantasies involve erotic toys and a very willing partner—and that’s just for starters. Gracie doesn’t know what she wants, but Wade is hot and restless—and surrendering to his desires may be exactly what she needs....

  NAKED GAMES

  ANTICIPATION . . .

  When Catherine Michaels tracks down her long-lost sister, Gracie, after a desperate search, she’s thrilled to find her alive and well. But there’s also an unexpected bonus—Gracie’s sexy and single friend, Dean.

  ECSTASY . . .

  Dean is every woman’s fantasy, ruggedly handsome, intense and, as Catherine discovers, a passionately adventurous lover. But his all-night appetite has a dark side. For though Catherine longs to give up all control, Dean drives her even further . . . demanding she learn the real art of submission.

  SURRENDER . . .

  Catherine is having the best sex of her life, opening herself to a surprising new realm of pleasure. And Dean unexpectedly starts to feel he’s met his match . . . maybe even his soul mate. When they both want more, it gets complicated. Is it game over—or are things just heating up?

  KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by

  Kensington Publishing Corp.

  119 West 40th Street

  New York, NY 10018

  Copyright © 2015 by Anne Rainey

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  Kensington and the K logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

  ISBN: 978-1-6177-3351-2

  First
Kensington Electronic Edition: October 2015

  ISBN-13: 978-1-61773-351-2

  ISBN-10: 1-61773-351-2