She lifted her gaze again. “I’m not sure this is a good idea. I should go.”
He held her gaze, unwavering. “You’re not sure what’s a good idea? Talking to me?” He lifted both hands briefly in the air. “I’m harmless.”
A soft chuckle escaped her lips as her face went from nervous fear to laughter. “Nothing about you is harmless, Master Rowen.”
Damn. When she said his name, adding the title, he had to bite the inside of his cheek. “What makes you say that?” Had she heard things about him? Not that he had any secrets, but it was possible people had encouraged her to approach him the same way they had done to him.
She lowered her gaze to his lap.
“Eyes on mine,” he demanded. He was testing her.
She tipped her face up again. “You make me uncomfortable.” She shifted slightly on the seat, her hands fisting in her lap.
Excellent. Music to his ears. “Why is that? We just met a few minutes ago.” Though he felt like he knew her much better than their acquaintance would imply.
“I’ve seen you in the club. You’re…formidable.”
“Am I now?” He lifted a brow. It was difficult to maintain a normal level of breathing.
“You always look like you’re in deep concentration, or you’re slightly angry.”
That stunned him. “I assure you, it’s not intentional. I may be frequently preoccupied, but I can’t remember the last time I was angry.” Even when he and Rayne broke up several months ago, he’d been more relieved than angry. Although he had been pretty livid the day he found out Lincoln and Sasha were stepping into D/s territory as a couple.
He was proud of Faith for holding his gaze when she obviously felt uncertain. Her chest rose and fell rapidly. He affected her. He also had no idea what possessed him, but he had the urge to push her. “I’ll admit I don’t know anything about you. But I’m going to be bold here and say that I don’t think you’re a Domme at all. I think you’re hiding.”
Her breath hitched. She licked those full pink lips again. Her skin flushed a deeper red.
She also squared her shoulders, straightening her back so that her breasts lifted. And holy mother of God, she lowered her face to his lap again.
He was not wrong about her at all.
Every ounce of her screamed submissive. Not just dabbling. She was well trained. She was also clearly not interested in sharing or revealing her story. His next move was important. And he suspected whatever he said would be as pivotal for her as it would be for him.
He took her water bottle gently from her fingers, steeled himself against possible failure, and spoke. “Faith, we can play this two ways. You can either answer my questions, or you can keep your secrets and submit to me. Right here. Now.”
She might have flinched, but if she did, it was subtle. He was pretty sure she stopped breathing. Long seconds passed while she considered his request.
Not that he intended to permit her to keep her secrets forever. But he would stop badgering her tonight in exchange for her total submission. Would she do it?
Finally, without meeting his gaze or lifting her face at all, she slid to the floor in front of him and positioned herself on her knees, clasping her hands behind her back. Not a word.
Fuck. Me.
Chapter 5
Faith didn’t have a clue what possessed her to submit to this enormous bear of man who filled entire rooms with his presence alone.
She knew very little about him except that he was part owner of this club, Sasha’s brother, and one of the most dominant people she’d ever met. He exuded dominance from his pores.
And it had been so long since she’d experienced something like this. This total submission to another person. She’d been hiding, exactly like he said, and he’d called her on it. If nothing else, she owed him respect for calling her out so blatantly and forcing her to make a decision.
He was a calm individual. She didn’t expect he often lost his temper—although Sasha had told her he’d lost his marbles when he found out Lincoln was sleeping with Sasha. That only meant he was a protective brother. Was he as protective of others too? She knew the answer to that. After all, she’d watched him care for someone else’s sub on the new spider web apparatus just a few hours ago.
Faith had also met his ex-girlfriend, Rayne, a few times. She was sweet and kind. She was rather new to the scene, but didn’t strike Faith as being overly submissive. A fringe player.
Now that she’d seen Rowen firsthand, she could see how the two of them might not have been compatible. Part of her wanted to ask him about a dozen questions, but she held her tongue since she wasn’t willing to tell him a single thing about herself. Not yet. Not tonight.
Right now she just wanted to feel. Anything. For the first time in so many months. Eighteen of them. Two years really. Her husband had been deployed for six months when he was killed.
There was no reason Faith needed to spill all her private personal secrets to a man she just met, simply to do a scene. It was enough that she’d readily submitted to someone at Zodiac. Her mind was on overload.
It was only a scene. There was no commitment here. Just a few hours with an extremely sexy, dominant man who made her panties wet and her hands shake every time she saw him. She had no reason to feel guilty for wanting to submit to him. No matter how focused she was on her latest role as a Domme, when Rowen stepped into a room, her entire body switched modes.
Did he know that? He seemed intuitive. He’d also called her out on it less than five minutes after making her acquaintance.
He squared his body with hers, setting his elbows on his knees. Inches separated them. She probably should have given herself more space, but the oval coffee table behind her prevented her from doing so.
Every breath brought his personal scent into her lungs. Clean soap. Masculine. Rowen. She fought the urge to shudder.
“Good girl.” His first words to her as a Dom reached in deep and shattered any hint of the dominance she herself had exuded an hour ago in the club below them.
But they weren’t in the club now. They were upstairs. The only other people upstairs were Lincoln and Sasha. It was unlikely either of them would leave the locked office next door anytime soon. It was also unlikely their third partner Carter would leave the club to come upstairs. He was working the front door that night as head bouncer.
“It’s been a while since you submitted to anyone.”
It wasn’t a question, but she felt the need to answer anyway. “Yes, Sir.”
“I won’t ask you why. I won’t ask you anything. Not tonight. You have my word. You made a choice, and I won’t take that for granted.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
“Safeword?”
“Red, Sir.”
“Good girl.” He reached forward to cup her face gently, his actions affirming what she already suspected. He was a calm, caring Dom.
She suspected he was also firm and demanding. She prayed that was the case.
“I’m going to shut and lock the door to my office. But only because I assume you’d like your privacy protected. I don’t mean to give you the impression I would never display a submissive to others, but I sense you have secrets you’d rather everyone not know at this time.”
She blew out a long breath as he stood and walked to the door, shutting it and then twisting the lock with a resounding snick. “Thank you, Sir,” she murmured as he returned.
Rowen lifted the coffee table behind her and moved it back several feet, and then he was behind her, gathering her loose curls in his hands. He must have kept hairbands in his pocket or something because he expertly braided her thick locks and secured the end. “I expect you to keep your gaze lowered unless instructed otherwise, but when I ask you to look me in the eye, I won’t permit you to hide behind a curtain of hair.”
“Yes, Sir.” She shivered, unable to control the reaction. His tone was hypnotizing. Her pussy was soaking wet. It had been so long…
“I need to
know what you need from this scene, Faith. I can feel the heavy desire to submit. That’s clear as day. And I will do everything in my power to ensure you have a fulfilling experience tonight.” His hands landed lightly on her shoulders and then trailed down her arms.
Goose bumps rose on her arms.
He continued to speak. “Here’s what I can surmise from your body language. You crave the firm hand of a demanding Dom. You have denied yourself this for a long time. And you have strong submissive tendencies that are pushing to be let out.”
“Yes, Sir.” Was he a mind reader?
He slid in front of her until he stood with his cock inches from her face. The bulge in his black jeans was huge. She would give almost anything to have it inside her. It was too soon. Wasn’t it? She didn’t think she was ready to have sex with anyone yet, but if Rowen Easton continued to impress her with his intuitiveness, she might change her mind.
Rowen tucked two fingers under her chin again and gently forced her head to tip back. Her gaze traveled up his broad chest covered in a tight, black T-shirt until she reached his stern but also kind face. He hadn’t shaved tonight. Perhaps not yesterday either. She’d always melted a little when a man let his facial hair grow. Not long. Just a few days’ worth. It was a Saturday night. She suspected if he worked in an office, his jaw would be perfectly smooth on Monday morning. Disappointing.
His thick brown hair and green eyes matched his sister’s. Though he kept his hair cut stylishly short on the sides. “What I can’t guess is if you need release in the form of a good flogging,” he leaned down until his face was inches from her, still holding her chin steady, “or if you need me to make you come so hard you can’t see straight.”
She swallowed, forcing herself to hold his gaze. “I know this might shock most people, but I don’t tolerate pain well, Sir.”
A slow smile spread across his face as he released her chin, slid his hand around to the back of her head, and angled her face back toward the floor with just the right amount of force that her nipples tightened.
The temperature in the room seemed too high, though she knew better.
“You’re an enigma, aren’t you, Faith?”
She didn’t answer.
He circled her. Slowly.
She watched his feet.
He built up the intensity with his deliberately lazy moves as if they had no place to be and all the time in the world. It was working.
Pausing his perusal behind her again, his fingers danced on her shoulders. “How aroused are you. Scale of one to ten.”
“Eight, Sir.” No sense trying to hide it. He could very well reach his fingers down and find out for himself. How did he react when his submissives lied?
“Good girl. Honesty is the best policy with me.” He leaned forward and slowly eased his hands down her arms until he circled her wrists with his long fingers. As he lifted them over her head, he whispered in her ear, “Clasp your hands behind your head.”
She did as he instructed, praying to God nothing he did would trigger a memory of her husband, causing her to break down and fall apart. So far she managed to keep him out of the room, but this was her first attempt to submit to someone else. She wasn’t sure she trusted herself. She wasn’t sure she was ready to submit to another man.
There were few similarities between Victor and Rowen. This was a good thing. Perhaps their differences had been what attracted Faith to Rowen in the first place several weeks ago.
Victor hadn’t been as tall as Rowen. Nor was he as broad. He was fit, of course. But not as large. He had dominated Faith completely when he was home on leave, but his demeanor had been different. He talked more. Perhaps he hadn’t had the same level of confidence Rowen exuded? She hadn’t noticed it at the time, but now that she found herself on her knees in Rowen’s office…
He broke her from her mental comparison when his hands trailed around to her collarbones, and then he began unbuttoning her blouse. “This sheer material is sexy, but I’ve been dying to see what’s under it.”
She licked her lips. It was a nervous habit. She knew it. She couldn’t stop it. At this rate, Rowen would be able to make her come with the timbre of his voice alone. Another rush of wetness leaked from her pussy to coat her thong.
Every move Rowen made was slow and deliberate. It took ages for him to reach the final button and tug her blouse out of her skirt. He somehow managed to do so without brushing against her bra at any point. Undoubtedly also deliberate.
He lifted the thin, barely existent material up her body, causing her hands to separate at the back of her head for a second to remove the blouse.
He trailed one finger down her back until he hit her skirt. She arched forward, a soft whimper escaping her lips. It almost annoyed her knowing she was so easily affected by him and unable to hide the fact.
When he stepped in front of her again, it was to continue trailing a finger over her skin. This time he dragged it slowly across her shoulders and then down along the V of her bra. The lace was thin. There was no way to conceal the pucker of her nipples.
She arched her chest more fully toward him.
“That’s my girl.” His voice was deeper. Sensual.
How had he managed to make her so hot and bothered in so few minutes? Though if she were honest, it hadn’t been a few minutes. She’d seen him in the club a number of times. Brooding. Brow furrowed in concentration. Had she been at least partially responsible?
“Stand up for me, sweet girl.”
With a practiced ease she would never forget, she planted one foot and rose gracefully to her full height without swaying. Her hands remained threaded at the back of her head, shoulders back, chest high.
Rowen let out a low whistle. “My girl has done this before.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Luckily he didn’t ask for more. He’d promised he wouldn’t pressure her to speak, and so far he had not. He leaned his head down and kissed her neck at the juncture with her shoulders. “You smell fantastic.”
She shivered at the unexpected gesture, although she suspected a lot about Rowen would always be unexpected. “Thank you, Sir.”
“Vanilla…”
He wasn’t wrong. Her body lotion had been warm vanilla that morning.
“I like it.”
She made a mental note to use it next time she was with him. Next time? Lordy.
He chuckled. “Interesting choice for a woman who is so obviously not vanilla.”
She smiled. He was right. There was no connection, though. She happened to like the scent.
He reached between her breasts without warning and popped the front clasp of her bra. Her heavy breasts sprang free as she sucked in a breath. The cool air in the room hit her nipples, making them pucker further.
Leaving the bra hanging loose from her shoulders, he cupped her with both hands and dragged his thumbs over her nipples.
She rose onto her toes at the contact.
He released her chest and stepped back. “Mmm. I need you to stay still, sweet girl. Hard rule. If you can obey that rule, I’ll make you come so hard you won’t remember your name.”
She swallowed. Damn, his words. His tone. His entire demeanor. Victor had been a firm Dom, but nothing like this. His voice had never held this level of command. She felt another wave of guilt that she was so aroused so fast from this man who was not her husband.
He’s gone. He wouldn’t want you to spend your life alone. He told you so himself…
She shook Victor from her mind as Rowen backed up another step and sat on the loveseat. Shocking her. He set his arms on the back of the couch and crossed his legs. “Strip for me. Slowly. Make it sexy. I want to watch you unveil the rest of your gorgeous body for me.”
She had stripped before. She could do this. It was only hard because she barely knew Rowen. It was their first scene together. He was fully clothed. She was about to totally bare herself to him.
She lowered her arms, glancing at the windows. Would anyone see?
> “The glass is tinted, Faith. But it shouldn’t matter. I don’t want you to question my demands. Just follow them. Don’t think. I know I’m pushing you, but I also know you need it worse than your next breath tonight. Am I right?”
She nodded. “Yes, Sir.”
“Good girl. Then you’ll obey me for the next hour without question, yes?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“I’ll keep track of every time you hesitate and discipline you at the moment of my choosing.”
She pursed her lips. What did discipline look like to him? She had her safeword. She trusted him. He had a reputation that was unblemished in the club. Not one person had spoken an ill word against him. So far he had proven to be intuitive when it came to her needs. Eerily so.
She’d also told him she wasn’t a fan of pain, so it was unlikely he intended to mark her as a form of punishment. However, it would be in her best interest to follow his instructions without hesitation to avoid finding out what his brand of discipline entailed.
“Do we have an agreement, Faith?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Then I need you to stop thinking so hard and strip for me. Now.”
She let her bra fall to the floor and reached behind her waist to unzip the back of her tight black skirt. She wiggled it over her hips seductively. At least she hoped it was seductive. It had been so long she wasn’t sure she still had the touch.
As she stepped out of it, he whistled low again. “You sure know how to make a man’s dick hard. Turn around.”
She turned her back to him, exposing her bare cheeks. The only clothing left on her body was a thin lacy black thong, her garter belts, the fishnet thigh highs, and her black boots. They weren’t stilettos because those were too difficult to dominate in. She had several pairs in her closet however.
“Spread your legs wider. Bend over. Grab your ankles.”
She did as he asked, trying to control her racing heartbeat.
“Your ass is like porcelain. I bet it gets pink at the slightest swat of the palm.”
“Yes, Sir.” It did. Every time. And it lasted longer than other people too. She hoped he wouldn’t spank her too hard…if that was even something he was considering.
Obeying Rowen Page 5
