“Fantastic.”
“Wait, do you think Dana will let me have Fridays off?”
“Doubt it.” He shrugged. “You’ll have to transfer to the top floor where your new boss is more lenient.”
All of this would make such a transfer worth every second because I was Cinderella and this was my dream come true.
“Make it two weeks, Mia,” he said softly.
I gave a nod. “Two weeks then.”
He scooped me up and sat me on the edge of the central table. “I want everyone in the world to know you’re mine.”
I cupped his face in my hands. “Thank you.”
“Seeing you smile is why I get up in the morning.” He looked around the showroom. “I think you’ll have fun.”
“I know I will.”
“You should design something small to begin with. Underwear, maybe?” He ran his fingers over my hem. “Let’s take a look at your panties to get some inspiration.”
I lifted my skirt for him and widened my thighs, falling back until I was staring at the white ceiling with its white crystal chandelier…
I pointed up. “It’s a sign.”
He raised his brows playfully as he eased my thong to the side. “And when in Chrysalis…”
The back of my head crashed against the table, my back arching from the intense pleasure I felt as his mouth possessed me, his tongue swirling and flicking my clit with verve.
“Oh, God.”
He smiled against me. “Close, but I’ll accept it.”
“You’re a miracle worker.”
“You’re the miracle.” He sucked harder, sending a shockwave of bliss into me.
My heart blossomed with all this happiness rushing in, bringing me boundless waves of ecstasy.
“Come for me.” With his firm hands he eased apart my thighs a little more, his hair tickling my skin. He continued to circle slowly, his expert attention so precise I quickly rose into a blinding orgasm with his name on my lips, shuddering and writhing as I disappeared into the afterglow.
I whimpered as he brought me down with his soft kisses, his mouth trailing along one inner thigh and then back up the other.
This was him reclaiming me in a possessive show of ownership. Tonight’s restraint had spurred him on to take me this fervidly.
“I need you inside me,” I stuttered out the words.
His lips pressed to my ankle over the small hummingbird tattoo.
“Please…”
He pulled my dress down and eased me up to sit before him. “Let’s save that for tomorrow.”
“Why tomorrow?”
“You agreed to two weeks. Now I need to keep to my end of the bargain. Let’s get you home.”
“You’re going to go darker with me?”
He pinched my jaw possessively. “Once we begin there’s no going back.” His tone held an edge of danger.
“I consent,” I said, my voice trembling with expectancy. “Show it all to me.”
He tipped my chin higher. “Welcome to the far side of the forbidden, Ms. Lauren.”
THE TIP OF SHAY’S ÉPÉE pressed into my chest.
I stared at him through my fencing mask, holding my position. It was unsettling to feel the pressure of his blade against me in a defiant act of aggression. I’d invited him for a 6:00 A.M. bout so I could help shake my hangover from last night’s party at The Mandarin.
That deadly point resting two inches from my heart was a stellar way to sober me up, but it was doing nothing to alleviate my doubts.
I stepped back and ripped off my mask.
He ripped off his. “Concentrate.”
I shook my head, trying to clear this fog.
His frown deepened. “Let’s call it for today.”
Knowing he was right, I threw my épée down and it bounced along the hardwood floor of the penthouse—no doubt leaving marks. Strolling over to the window to regain my composure, I drew in a steadying breath and stared out at the sprawling metropolis.
We’d had this room customized to accommodate my need to improve my swordsmanship. Along with personalizing this and the other rooms, we’d made living here bearable after the space we’d enjoyed in L.A. The Walker Tower offered a cozy Art Deco style, with its Venetian ceilings and massive windows, which provided welcoming panoramic views of the city. This was a glamorous, yet low-key, home.
Anywhere was home if Mia was there.
“Hey, Buddy. You okay?”
I threw him a reassuring glance.
Shay stepped closer and his expression morphed to one of concern. This man knew me better than anyone. We’d gotten to the point where words were no longer needed. The kind of place where only a shared history of devastation could provide such an unbreakable bond.
I’d personally witnessed this ex-navy SEAL in the heat of battle displaying only steely calmness. As soon as he was ready to hang up his Glock I’d claimed him, making sure he didn’t say no to a six-figure salary.
Though I’d sealed the deal when I’d thrown in his very own submissive right out of Chrysalis. A sexy vixen so mesmerizing that his balls had made the decision for him. Agreeably manipulative on my part, but he was the best there was—and to prove his accessibility here we were sparring at dawn.
Hell, after he’d helped rescue my older brother from the clutches of terrorists in that nightmare of a desert, I’d have given him anything. Henry was home safe because of this man. So why was my gut telling me something was off with him?
This inner knowing had never failed me.
The psychiatric degree I’d nabbed at Harvard had helped refine these instincts into a razor-sharp insight. I garnered intelligence from everyone around me, every flicker of an eyelid, every revelation provided by either the dilation or constriction of a pupil, the pause in an intake of breath, the twitch of a mouth, even words not spoken delivered more for my intuition to draw from.
I see it all.
Shay had a secret.
And I didn’t need this complication.
I had to remain laser-focused so I could maintain the business I’d dragged out of its freefall and prevent it from ever faltering again.
My gaze broke from Shay’s. He had the kind of look that terrified the subs back in Chrysalis, the BDSM club I once owned and had to give up because…well, owning a sex club didn’t exactly pair well with my meteoric rise as a business mogul, even if the place offered therapeutic benefits that equaled those of renowned Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung himself.
I’d brought along to my new life these killer instincts that intimidated the hell out of everyone. I was done feigning I was no threat. Now more than ever this alpha status served me well.
I’d given up everything I’d once enjoyed, but on my terms. The one part of my past I refused to relinquish was Mia Lauren. My submissive was so blindingly beautiful that she messed with my head. Maybe this was about her? My brain playing tricks? Maybe this had nothing to do with Shay at all.
Fencing was meant to be fought in the present moment. Yet I couldn’t get myself into the game.
I turned my back on the distracting city view.
It was rare for me to lose a bout with Shay. He’d taught me everything he knew until the student became the master. Like all areas of my life, I had excelled and then took control.
My relationship with Mia was no different, and yet her free spirit touched a part of me I was only now beginning to comprehend. Before her, action never preceded thought, timing was never left to fate, and spontaneity was the sport of fools.
She was both a blessing and a curse.
Having her work five floors down from mine at Cole Tower was pure torment, especially since she’d banned me from entering her office space. Last night she’d made the promise that she’d move to my floor in two weeks—or as I liked to call it, an eternity.
Shay joined me by the window. “Prenup bothering you?”
“Signed and sealed.”
“Bachelor party? Mia’s bitching about the strippers?
”
“What strippers?”
“Richard didn’t tell you?”
I reached for two bottles of water on the corner table and handed him one, suppressing a smile. They were my brothers-in-arms but they were also rogues.
Shay unscrewed the lid and took a drink. “Spill, boss.”
“Mia’s…wedding dress.”
“She went for a Meringue?”
“No, apparently she chose a Vera Wang.”
“Problem?”
“I’m reminiscing about you know who.” For some reason my memory synapses processed this as all going down yesterday…a cruel trick of the mind.
“McKenzie?”
“We don’t say her name.”
He looked amused. “Go on.”
I threw him a rueful look. “I was working late in the E.R. and had spiked a fever—”
“I remember.”
Yes, he was right there to support me after I’d caught my fiancée McKenzie in the Harrington Suite being banged by more than one man. I wasn’t averse to orgies, just not one where my woman held a starring role. I hadn’t been able to shake the vision of her being taken like that—and her reasoning was still undefined.
Shay and Richard had helped me recover from my heartache when they’d joined me on the ultimate bender at Chrysalis, after I’d broken off my engagement with McKenzie, and then banished her. Along with the Doms who’d betrayed me.
“How’s that connected with Mia?” Shay’s voice pulled my attention back.
“The same night I got home to Beverly Hills after calling off our engagement, there on our bed—” I recalled the nightmare of seeing the cream tulle cut up and scattered all over the bedroom floor.
“What?”
“She’d slashed her wedding dress into hundreds of pieces.”
“And…it was a Vera Wang, wasn’t it?”
I let out a sigh. “Finding that dress cut up was the catalyst for our monumental weekend.”
If what McKenzie had done to me seemed heinous, I’d turned a revenge fuck into a legendary counterblow. With Richard and Shay by my side, we’d stormed our way into infamy punishing and pleasuring anyone we’d deemed worthy.
Mia would never see the true monster lying dormant within me…the reason I’d been awarded the status of master of the dark arts. She didn’t need to know the truth and from what I surmised, she assumed it was merely my penchant for cage play. My dangerous side was hidden within the darkest shadows and my proclivities were now dormant, never to rise again.
The risk of losing Mia was too great.
The New York skyline was proof time had slipped away. This was so different to Los Angeles’s modest cityscape. I pined for Chrysalis and missed my dominatrixes who made the world a better place.
Shay slapped my back. “Tell Mia you want her to wear a different designer.”
“And ruin her excitement?”
“She’d understand.”
“What do I say?”
“How about this?” He gave a shrug. “‘Bitch, you’re not wearing that fucking dress.’”
I stared at him for the longest time and then burst out laughing, both of us cracking up. Shay was trying to talk but he was incoherent due to his guffawing; both of us struggled to breathe. I needed to lean against the wall to stop myself from falling over from our hysterical howling.
“Looks to me like I solved your problem.” He scooped up his sword. “You’re welcome.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration over my dilemma. I didn’t want to hurt Mia’s feelings.
Shay pointed his épée at me. “En garde!”
I stepped forward until the tip of Shay’s sword dug once more into my breastplate. “When are you going to tell me, Shay?”
He slipped his mask down over his face. “Tell you what?”
“Whatever is going on with you affects us.”
“My job is to protect you.”
“Your job is to be whatever I wish you to be.”
He seemed to mull this over, though it was challenging to read him through the mesh.
“Well?” I pushed for an answer.
“Things are good.” And yet he held his breath for a split second to carry the lie.
I might be a control freak, but I knew well enough to take my psychological chokehold off a man who could potentially shut down altogether. My superpower for detecting the truth made people wary of me. I needed him to relax again and let his guard down.
The business world was morphing me into the person I’d once feared I’d become: A hard-edged bastard with zero tolerance. Maybe one day I’d revel in it, but not today.
I threw down my sword and headed for the door.
Shay called after me. “Do you want me to talk with Mia about the dress?”
“No.” I’d let this man into my world and minutes ago his sword had hovered an inch from my heart like a metaphor of my self-inflicted vulnerability.
“See you later then?” Doubt saturated his tone.
I’d given him the power to destroy me.
“My office, 10:00 A.M. sharp, Mr. Gardner.”
I left him standing there.
ALL HE HAD TO DO was step into my line of sight and I forgot how to breathe.
Behold, the extraordinary vision that was Cameron Cole, devastatingly handsome in that gorgeous bespoke suit, carrying that sleek briefcase through the Cole Tower foyer like he damn well owned the place.
Okay, he did own the place, but did he have to intimidate everyone in his orbit? He walked like a man who ruled the world.
It was hard to read Cameron’s expression, but I guessed it was one of annoyance that I’d left home without him. I ducked behind a small crowd who’d gathered in the Cole Tea Shop, which was conveniently positioned near the elevators so employees could grab their caffeine fix before heading to their desks.
Braving a glance in his direction again, I saw that Cam’s prickly demeanor was even unsettling the other employees who were striving to give him a wide berth. I’d mistimed coming down to the ground level to get a drink. It was free for employees and they had extra large cups, unlike the staff room.
I needed to be on my A-game today. Decisions had to be made—and fast—after my nightmare morning.
Last night I’d felt like a whirlwind of possibilities were opening up. The thought of working at one of the most celebrated fashion houses made my stomach flip. Visiting the Chelsea office and experiencing Cameron’s private tour had to be one of the most romantic evenings we’d ever experienced. He had remembered my private sketches and gone out of his way to see my secret dream realized.
Yet all that joy had slipped away this morning after I’d been seconds from entering the gym to ask if Shay wanted to join us for breakfast, and had overheard his terse comment, “Bitch, you’re not wearing that fucking dress.”
The same one Cameron had laid down thirty-five thousand dollars for me to wear on the day we were meant to be exchanging our vows. The same one that made me feel worthy of him because I saw no part of the old Mia in the mirror at that high-end store. My reflection had been that of a socialite good enough for the man hailed as a business genius.
Shay might as well have wedged his épée into my heart.
After hearing those words from him, and then their laughter, I’d hurried away into the bedroom in a daze. I’d quickly put on my ruffled blouse, short blue skirt and blazer, slipping my feet into a pair of Manolo Blahnik heels and then fleeing the penthouse. I’d broken protocol because I was not meant to be out of the place unaccompanied, or at least not without letting Shay know I was leaving.
Stepping into the line of customers to order a drink, my gaze roamed over the menu as though I was actually reading it.
My world had crumbled.
Last night had been about Cameron laying the groundwork to get me out of here—out of his life, perhaps.
The scent of his cologne reached me and I inhaled it in a slow steady breath.
My gaze sett
led on the Corrupted Cole Coffee. Might as well order the Grande…
Cameron had corrupted me back in L.A. when he’d tied me up in Shibari rope and hung me from the ceiling in that dimly lit dungeon—before doing things to my body that still made me swoon.
I stared down at my pretty high-heels. The black marble tile was polished so well I could see my nervous expression reflected.
An employee in front of us offered to let Cameron jump the line. He declined.
“Ms. Lauren?” His voice had a dangerous edge to it.
I turned and stared up at him. “Yes, Mr. Cole?” My solar plexus tingled like we’d only just met.
“How’s the marketing department?” he asked, arching a brow.
“It’s marketing away,” I shot back.
He chuckled. “I’d like a preview.”
“Of?”
“The staff designs for the new Cole Tea brand. Bring them to my office at ten. That way I can peruse the collection and have full exposure.”
Jesus, even his voice sent me reeling, his deep tone making me frenzied.
The bubbly barista got my attention and asked, “What can I get for you?” When she realized she had interrupted Cameron, she visibly paled.
He stepped forward. “Two dark roast coffees, please.”
We were served our drinks and I pretended the boss ordering mine wasn’t a thing. He threw in a tip even though it was free. I walked over to the condiment station to add cream.
Cameron joined me and stood so close our arms touched. “What happened this morning?”
“I had to come in early.” I stirred my drink with a stick until it turned creamy.
His gaze roamed my face for the truth. “Nothing else?”
I twisted the lid to make it fit better. “I’m late.”
I hurried away, strolling into one of the four tower elevators as though a breakup with my one true love wasn’t imminent. Cameron joined me with several other employees who were also heading up. If he was fazed he didn’t show it. He merely removed the lid of his coffee and blew on it to cool it, all the while assessing me.
We reached the fifth floor and everyone trailed out leaving us to continue up alone. I watched them go like we’d spent months on a life raft together.
Enthrall Climax Page 4
