by Laina Kenney
Dominant Focus 2
Dominant’s Rise
When Anja Kurienko begs a favor of her businessman neighbor to dance in a fundraiser for her student, her heart speeds up and her voice fails her. Zenn Carder is the star of all her midnight fantasies, and she can hardly speak when his dark eyes are promising everything she craves.
After a disastrous divorce where his delicate wife called him a monster because of his Dominance, Zenn has sworn to keep his Dominant tendencies under wraps and live a vanilla life.
Will Zenn be able to resist the temptation of her soft blue eyes or will Anja’s need drive him back to a lifestyle he has sworn to give up? And if Zenn decides to take the chance Anja offers, will he make up his mind in time, or will her former dance partner sweep in to win her back?
Genre: BDSM, Contemporary
Length: 24,764 words
DOMINANT’S RISE
Dominant Focus 2
Laina Kenney
EROTIC ROMANCE
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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IMPRINT: Erotic Romance
DOMINANT’S RISE
Copyright © 2013 by Laina Kenney
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62242-945-5
First E-book Publication: May 2013
Cover design by Harris Channing
All cover art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
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DOMINANT’S RISE
Dominant Focus 2
LAINA KENNEY
Copyright © 2013
Chapter 1
Anja tucked a strand of long black hair behind her ear and stared out the wide front window of her dance studio. The main street wasn’t New York busy, but it was busy enough for a small town.
“I can’t stand it,” Ellen said from behind the counter. “This isn’t like you. You have to stop being so indecisive and just get out there. Time waits for no one.”
Anja gave her friend and employee a withering glance then turned her eyes back to the delicious sight out the window. A team of workmen was putting a new front façade on the sporting-goods store across the street and the owner was outside helping them.
Zenn Carder, businessman, football hero, and the tall, dark, and buff star of last night’s vivid midnight dream was right in the middle of the workmen. His chest glistened and his arms bulged with muscle as he assisted another man in lifting a wooden plank.
Anja could hardly breathe when she remembered her dream of clinging to those broad shoulders while lying beneath that driving, muscular body. It was all she could do not to fan herself at the flash of heat the images inspired. The dream was happening more and more often. If she had a teaspoon of courage, she would walk across the street and try to make it a reality.
“Well?”
“I am not good with words. I’ll say something wrong. I can’t just walk over and beg for his help,” Anja said through her teeth. She couldn’t trust herself to stick to topic and not beg him for more than a dance. The moment she opened her mouth, sure enough, she’d start to stammer like the shy child she had been. Even if her speech problem didn’t make an appearance, she might lose her train of thought in his presence and blurt out something humiliating. Something like, “Take me, I’m yours.” Lately she could think of nothing else and it was making her crazy.
“Why not? He might like it if you beg. Some men do.” Ellen was grinning. “You’ve literally got nothing to lose here. If he refuses, you’ll be in the same position you’re in right now, but at least you’ll know one way or the other. And then we can finalize the program for the performance.”
Ellen was a great employee and a great friend, but she could be surprisingly obstinate at times.
“No.”
“Just tell him the money we raise will be funding a dance scholarship,” Ellen persisted. “He’s from around here, so he probably knows Genessa’s family. I’m sure he’ll be willing to let you use his famous name to help raise some money for her schooling. His brother is a businessman and I’m sure he knows a lot of people. Maybe Zenn will even make a personal donation.”
Anja groaned. “That’s exactly what I am afraid he’ll think. I do not want to talk about taking money from him.”
“We’ve talked about this every day this week. If you aren’t going to even talk to the man, then we’re just going around in circles.” Ellen waved her arms in the air. “I feel like I’m on a merry-go-round with no way to get off.”
“Fine.” Anja hated it, but there was no denying that Ellen was right. She took a deep breath and opened the door before she could change her mind.
She marched across the street and stood near Zenn and the workman he was helping. When he finally noticed her standing there and turned to face her, she didn’t speak. She had used up all of her courage just to get there, and staring into that incredible face close up froze the words in her throat.
He smiled. Eyes the irresistible color of bitter chocolate crinkled at the corners in his lean, tanned face.
Anja was entranced. Words swirled in her head, but nothing intelligent came to mind. She could feel her face heating as the si
lence lengthened between them.
* * * *
Zenn put down the wood planer and slapped his friend on the shoulder. When he noticed the lovely dance instructor out of the corner of his eye, he turned to face her.
He knew who she was, of course, from the business association meetings he had attended in the past few months since opening a second location of his sports store, but they had never been formally introduced. He had asked around a bit, and found out that the beautiful owner of the dance studio across the street from him was a former professional ballet dancer turned instructor.
After that, it was a simple matter in a town this small to find out that she was single and hadn’t dated anyone for months. Not that the local males hadn’t tried. Zenn had heard plenty of praise for the dancer from his part-time workers, mostly teenaged males. Even his manager wasn’t immune. Anja’s name was spoken in hushed tones. She was looked on almost as a goddess by the boys in town. And by their fathers, uncles, brothers, and cousins, damn it. The woman was a testosterone magnet.
He had been planning to walk across and introduce himself to the pretty dancer, as soon as the damn facelift to his storefront was finished. He was spending an outrageous sum of money to make his second location a twin of the original store. He wanted his customers to recognize his stores, to experience a sense of familiarity when they walked in. Courtesy of his brother the business mogul, he had a strategy in place to eventually open a third store in a year’s time and then a fourth store. Right now the renovation for this one was taking up every spare moment of his time.
He was driving himself crazy waiting for the perfect moment to arrive. But now Anja had come to him.
He smiled and watched her fair skin flush as he waited for her to speak. But she said nothing.
With her long black hair stirred by the summer breeze and her soft blue-green eyes widening with what looked a lot like panic, he thought she was the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen.
Maybe the pretty dancer wanted to say something to him that couldn’t be said in public. His cock twitched at the thought.
His heartbeat accelerated as he took her slender hand in his and escorted her away from the staring workmen and into his store.
She followed him straight back to his office without a protest. Without a word.
He took a brief moment to enjoy the sight of his dream woman standing beside the big oak desk where his most lurid fantasies about her centered, and then politely seated her in the one chair in the room.
Damn, she looked like some delicate fairy sitting in his beat-up old leather chair. Her small hand rested on one of the thick metal rings embedded in the arm of the custom chair. Her obedience to his wordless suggestion, her wide eyes and continued silence were making his instincts roar and leap against the shackles he imposed on them.
His Dominant side fired to life against his will. He felt his unruly body responding to the thought of restraining her there in his office for an afternoon of slow heated play.
He reminded himself that he was not a practicing Dominant any longer. Those days were gone and for good reason, but his demonic desires just wouldn’t ease. He was afraid their hold on him would never go away.
With just one look into Anja’s soft eyes, one whiff of her delicate feminine scent, those repressed feelings surfaced with a vengeance.
Zenn felt an almost irresistible urge to tie her hands with silken cords, push up her flowing skirt so he could bury his face between her slender thighs and lick her soft flesh until she screamed his name in pleasure. He wondered if she would taste as sweet as her innocent eyes made him suspect she would, or if there would be a hint of feminine spice in her cream.
He nearly groaned out loud at the rush of blood to his groin.
Damn, in less than a minute the woman had turned him into a total barbarian. Her soft eyes awakened every sinful craving his twisted mind had ever come up with and a few more besides.
In the fantasy, perhaps he would order her not to come, and then do everything in his power to tease her into breaking his rule so that he could spank her pale bottom and turn those sweet curves a glowing fiery pink. His hungry cock twitched.
Her beautiful backside was surprisingly lush for such a slender woman. He had tortured himself more than once just watching her walk away. He wanted to get his hands on that rounded female flesh and squeeze gently, then harder. His stiff cock throbbed in agreement at the thought.
Unfortunately, he already knew that such a delicate woman would despise all the wicked things he wanted to do to her sweet body. He could prove through personal experience with his ex-wife that a woman as refined as Anja Kurienko would think his needs were twisted and unnatural.
His own wife had called him a demon and a monster on their honeymoon when he had given her a silk rope and a set of padded golden handcuffs, and Anja was a ballerina for God’s sake. She was the personification of grace and elegance. He already knew it would be a disaster to give in to his Dominant urges with her.
He was trying to live a vanilla life now, trying to keep his Dominant side under strict control. He didn’t want to frighten another woman like he had terrified his young wife. With a monumental effort, he reined in his scattered thoughts.
“Ms. Kurienko,” he said. “Anja, what can I do for you today?”
* * * *
Anja’s jangling nerves made it impossible to sit still. She popped back up out of the chair. “C–Can you dance?” she blurted out.
His eyebrows rose and he straightened a bit.
“I’m sorry, I should say ‘hello’ first,” she said quickly.
He grinned at her, and it warmed his dark face. “You can say whatever you like to me and I’ll be happy to listen. Please make yourself comfortable.”
He gestured to the chair, and Anja sat again, feeling anything but comfortable. He was being very nice, and she could tell that she had his full attention. In a way, that kindness made it more difficult to ask for such a large favor.
She took a shaky breath.
“Can I get you some water?” His voice was slow and his expression was puzzled.
Anja shook her head. She didn’t need water. What she needed was courage. She closed her eyes and rushed into an explanation.
“I have a truly exceptional student dancer who should be studying with the best teachers at the dance academy in New York. I have secured a place for her with my own mentor, but her family is struggling. They have three other children and they don’t have the kind of money that is necessary for such a venture. For two years I have been covering the cost of her pointe shoes and rehearsal clothing, and I employ her on Saturdays as a junior instructor. I was hoping…” She trailed off, unsure of quite how to phrase her request.
Somewhere in the stream of words, her eyes had opened again and now she stared at his famous face.
Zenn sat on the edge of the desk, leaning his elbows on his raised knee. Even so, he still towered over her.
“Are you asking me for money?” he asked with a scowl.
Chapter 2
“No, I don’t want your money!” Anja was appalled that he would think it. “Oh, I knew you would think I wanted money. I knew this would come out all wrong. I just want to ask you to dance with me.”
After a startled moment, his face brightened and he let out a brief laugh. He shook his head.
“You’ve lost me already,” he said. “I think this is going to be a long story.”
“Not so long, truly.” Anja sighed. “I apologize, Mr. Carder.”
“Zenn.”
She cleared her throat. “Zenn, I am so sorry. I have trouble with words when there is something important to talk about. I am a dancer, not a public speaker. I communicate better with my body.”
The corner of Zenn’s mouth curved up slowly and his dark eyes lit up with unholy amusement. Anja caught her breath at the rippling response of her pussy. She could see why the man had a reputation as a menace to the female population of the town.
; Zenn was affecting her already and she had been in his presence for less than five minutes. He affected her from across the room at every meeting of the business association. He even affected her from across the street. The roll of his wide shoulders and that lazy masculine smile was a hazardous combination.
“That sounds good to me. I’d love to hear every word your body wants to say to me,” was his wicked reply, and Anja’s heart picked up speed.
She cleared her throat, trying to ignore the heated desire his nearness inspired. “Mr. Carder—”
“Call me Zenn.”
“Zenn. I would like to ask you to please dance with me as my celebrity partner at the exhibition and benefit dance Kurienko Studio is hosting to raise money to help Genessa study dance in New York.”
Zenn was silent, watching her.
Anja released her pent-up breath in a gusty sigh, relieved that she had finally been able to put together a coherent request. When he refused, she would finally have her answer. With that confirmation from him, she could silence the well-meaning Ellen and start the event planning in earnest. She would need two or three weeks to get the word out, but the program itself wouldn’t be difficult to arrange.
The studio classes could pull together enough group and individual dance numbers to create a two-hour program, but to arrange those into a smooth cohesive whole would take planning.
“If you are too busy, or do not feel like dancing on stage in an exhibition, I understand, of course. It is an imposition. I should not have asked.” Anja stood, preparing to go back to her studio. “I appreciate your time, Zenn.”
