“That may be a bit extreme.”
“So it can be done?”
“In theory. Maybe.” She dropped a sugar cube into her coffee and stirred. “But I have no desire to try.”
“Even if I asked you to marry me?”
“Marry you?” Her spoon clattered to the saucer.
Nothing like a woman who had no trouble using cleats to stomp on a man’s ego.
“You’re not asking, are you?”
“It’s an idea,” he said, hedged. Even he hadn’t consciously thought of it until now. But it made sense. He experienced the same rush that filled him when he pursued a hot business deal. “We enjoy each other’s company,” he added. “I love how smart, sexy, submissive you are.” And his mother was right, he was over thirty. And he was beginning to believe his oats had been sown. “I’ve told my friends I had no desire to put my head through the matrimonial noose,” he said. “And that was true. Until you.”
“It’s flattering, Kennedy,” she admitted.
He saw a pulse thundering in her throat. Clearly, he affected her. Their sexual tug was as strong for her as it was for him.
“Even as an idea, it’s insane. As your sister pointed out, I have no pedigree. Your family would never accept me.”
“Karyn already has.”
“Don’t make this harder on yourself than it needs to be.” She shook her head. “Marrying a peasant doesn’t benefit the family’s bottom line,” she stated. “You’re enough of a businessman to at least consider that.”
“Having a wife will add stability to allow me to focus.”
Mackenzie’s eyes lightened and she reached to cover his hand with hers. “Then you should find her.”
“I may have.”
She shook her head. “I can help you. I have a friend who owns a high-end dating service. It’s all very discreet.”
“This conversation is over.”
“I—”
“Enough.”
She pressed her lips together.
He’d never come close to proposing to a woman before. And he’d never expected that when he did, she’d respond by offering to help him find someone else. “We’ll order dessert then go home.”
“Home? To your place? You don’t want to drop me off at my house?”
“And miss the opportunity to paddle some sense into you?”
“I was afraid of that. It won’t change anything.”
“It wasn’t meant to. We’re friends. Having dinner. Right?”
Her piece of chocolate cake arrived, along with a dollop of fresh whipped cream and a sprig of mint.
“I think you’re purring,” he said as she took her first bite.
“If I were to fall in love, it would definitely be with someone who has access to this recipe.”
They finished their wine, then he signed the bill and ushered her back out of the building.
They arrived at his underground parking spot less than ten minutes later. After she’d gathered her belongings, he escorted her to his elevator. He entered his security code, then they were whisked to the fourteenth floor.
“Your purse is okay here,” he said, pointing to a three-tiered glass table.
“I’m afraid to put anything on that.”
“I told my designer the same thing. He told me it was form and function. Then he sat on it. Speaking of…”
“No.”
“You’d make a hell of a decoration.”
“Not happening, Master Aldrich.”
“Pity.” He placed her overnight bag next to her purse, then helped her to take off her coat and hung it in the nearby closet.
“Is it okay to leave my shoes on?” she asked.
“They’ll be the only thing I let you have on.”
She looked over at him. “You’re serious.”
“Oh, yes. Let me show you around.”
“It’s okay, just send a map to my phone.”
“There are a few key places you’ll want to know about. The code for the elevator and the building are the same.” He gave them to her.
“I don’t need to know that.”
As sharp as she was, he knew she’d never forget them.
The living room space was set up in conversation-style near a fireplace.
“No television?”
“No. This is meant for relaxing.”
He showed her the entertainment room, complete with a billiard table.
“Do you play?”
“No,” he said. “Mainly for guests. And the television is over there.”
She frowned.
“Behind the painting. There’s a button on the wall, or you can use the remote control.”
“Slick. Did you pick the painting?”
“You’re kidding. Right?”
“I don’t like it, either,” she admitted with a laugh.
“Good. I’ll get rid of it.”
“Wait a minute, you don’t just get rid of art.”
“What the hell do you do with it when you’re sick of it?”
She wrinkled her nose. “I really have no idea. Donate it?”
“Kitchen’s this way.” While it was set up for caterers, he typically only used one burner, one pan, and the microwave oven. And since she was visiting, the coffeemaker.
“Can you actually go outside?” she said, pointing to the French doors.
“Go ahead.” He followed.
“Oh my…”
“It’s better in summer,” he said, “but I have heaters, so it’s possible to sit outside if you want. Or we get plenty of nice days.”
“Is that a waterfall over there?”
“Yeah.”
“On the fourteenth floor?”
“I have half as much outdoor space as I do interior space.”
“The trees are massive.”
“I think the landscaping company has still not forgotten this job. They had to get a crane for some of the trees.”
She wandered to the railing and put her back to it, stretching out her arms. “It’s is an oasis, Kennedy. How do you ever leave?”
“It’s a great place to retreat,” he agreed. “I fell in love with it while it was being built. That this part of the building is an appendage of sorts gave me a lot of options. As you said, most fourteenth floors don’t have outdoor space, and they are certainly not rooftop. The actual building is forty-three stories.”
“People can look down?”
“Conceivably, but I have awnings for privacy. As long as your screams aren’t too loud, we shouldn’t attract any attention.”
“Let me guess, you own the building?”
“No, actually I don’t. I picked up this place after grad school. I didn’t want to be in the Old Bronwyn Building, since Thomas spent a lot of time there.”
“When State Street Plaza opens, have you considered moving there?”
“No. This place is home. And the residential space that compares to this is going to be costly. I need to sell it to help pay the loans.”
“Even a gazillionaire needs to watch his budget?”
“Everything needs to be balanced, weighed. I like to put my efforts where I get the greatest return on investment.” He took a step toward her. She was worth the time and energy. “Ready to go in? You have to be cold.”
“It’s tempting to bundle up like a snowman and just stay out here.”
He liked that she enjoyed his space.
She followed him inside and he asked if she wanted a glass of sparkling water. “I’d offer wine, but I want to be sure you’re completely aware when I beat you.”
“Ah… You always catch me off guard.”
“Good.”
“Sparkling water, it is.”
He opened the fridge and selected a lime from one of the climate-controlled drawers.
“Wait a minute. What is that?” She moved in closer.
Shelf after shelf was stocked with his energy drinks.
“This is the secret to ruling the world?”
; “I was asked to invest. I’m considering it. I want to see how they work, how they taste, ingredients, side-effects.”
“And they help you rule the world.”
“Take on your portion without coffee,” he challenged.
“Touché.”
He sliced a lime, wrapped the unused portion, squeezed juice into a glass then topped it with sparkling water for her.
“You spoil me, Mr. Aldrich.”
“Only the beginning.” He washed and dried the cutting board and knife then put both away. After he’d put the lime and water back in the fridge, he grabbed himself an energy drink. “Let me show you the upstairs.”
In a way, their places were similar—clean, modern lines, open spaces. But hers bore traces of her personality, scattered clothes, random ideas jotted on yellow legal pads, piles of things to inspire her, pictures of family members, flowers. Everywhere he’d gone, he’d caught a glimpse of her.
Last night, when he’d returned from her place, he’d found his surroundings to be sterile. Like his parents’ home, his place could be a showpiece in a magazine. Mementos he kept at the office. He’d reasoned that he spent more time there, anyway. And he told himself his house needed to be a space that allowed him to think. But did it allow him to recharge?
She walked in front of him and, though she wasn’t doing her version of a catwalk, her movements were a little slower than usual.
“Plug too much?” he asked as he picked up her overnight bag.
“It’s been in a while,” she said.
“Not much longer,” he promised. “Home office,” he said, opening a door.
“Very different from mine.”
“It’s not as clean as you think,” he assured her. “I shoved a few things into a desk drawer this afternoon.” Those were the usual supplies, though, stapler, pens, stamps, envelopes, a company calendar he’d never taken out of its cellophane wrapping.
“I think I like you better now,” she said.
“Guest room,” he said, opening another door. “A room you won’t be staying in.”
Then he indicated she should walk into the master. “It opens to the patio,” he said.
“That might be the only thing that would entice me to get out of this bed,” she replied.
Again, it was designer-selected, but the man had known what he liked. Half a dozen pillows decorated the surface. He had a chaise longue near the back door, and a reading nook in the corner where two wing-backed chairs flanked the fireplace.
She wandered to the door and gazed outside.
He took the opportunity to put his can on a coaster then he moved her overnight bag into the closet. While he was there, he removed his suit coat and tie, then rolled back his cuffs, thinking of her and the conundrum she posed.
He’d halted their earlier argument, but it was still there, insidious in its silence. He wanted everything from this woman, and he was willing to give the same in return. That she had scoffed at the idea of marriage to him more than rankled, it pissed him off.
But here he was, crazy about her, having invited her into his home and, despite everything, he was still planning to fuck her into tomorrow.
He’d never met anyone more goddamn frustrating than Mackenzie Farrell.
It would be easier to either forget about her or settle for a ‘we don’t have a relationship’ relationship. Unfortunately, he didn’t seem to be hardwired that way.
When he returned to the bedroom, she wasn’t there, but the back door was open.
Curious, he followed her outside.
And for one of the first times in his life, he was simultaneously stunned speechless and aroused as hell.
Chapter Nine
Naked, except for shoes, Mackenzie stood against the railing, arms outstretched, waiting.
This would have been a much better idea in summer, but she’d figured out how to turn on one of the gas heaters.
And she’d known it wouldn’t take him long to come and find her.
She wished she could read his expression as he walked toward her. In spite of his crazy ideas, she did like seeing him, being with him, playing with him. She’d had no idea how much she would enjoy having someone in her life who fulfilled her desire for kink.
All through dinner, she’d been aware of the plug. When she moved, it would shift. And the nipple jewelry had been exquisite. The salesgirl had been right about the pressure. It was just enough without crossing over into being too much.
But most of all, she had liked that she and Kennedy shared a secret.
As her Dominant, he’d started dinner with a spanking that had turned her on.
The entire meal, even when they’d talked about his building, her business and family, she’d been turned on. From the looks he’d given her, he’d known it and had been pleased.
If he would stop mentioning a relationship, he might be the perfect man for her.
His shoes made hardly a sound as he advanced toward her. Even in the dim light, the purple was still visible. What a contrast he was. So cool, calm, restrained. Except with the shoes.
“Are you freezing?”
“It’s definitely chilly out here,” she said, meeting his gaze. “I left the lights off so I didn’t scare the neighbors.”
“Good plan.”
But there was enough ambient light for them to see each other and surround them in intimacy.
“You look even sexier than I had dared hope, Zee.”
What she couldn’t read in his eyes, she heard in the roughness of his tone.
He skimmed his fingers up her belly, across her ribcage, leaving a trail of goose bumps. “How do the clamps feel?”
“The metal is radiating the cold,” she admitted. “And my nipples have never been harder.”
He thumbed the chain, making her drop her head back. Then he pinched the already tormented tips. “I will always remember this picture of you,” he said. “Backlit by the city lights.”
“Use your belt on me?” she asked him.
He took hold of her chin, captured her mouth, kissed her deeply. “I will not have you catching a cold.”
“I want this memory. You want it. And neither of us wants to wait another six months for the weather to warm up.”
“Then we’re going straight inside afterward and you’re taking a warm shower.”
“Anything you say, Master Aldrich.”
Instead of immediately reaching for his belt, he dragged over another heater and ignited it.
“You were right, it makes it bearable. Thank you.”
Then he wrapped her in his arms, rubbing her, chasing away the rest of the chill.
He picked up her dress and wrapped it lengthwise around the top rail before telling her to turn around.
Though it was still ridiculously cold, when he pressed his body against hers, she felt the hardness of his cock. That her action caused his reaction made the bite of Boston’s night air worthwhile.
“How many, Zee?”
Since she’d taken a spanking earlier, and the leather would bite worse in this cold, she guessed, “Six, Sir?”
“Six it is.”
Kennedy crouched behind her to rub her body, and she noticed he concentrated on her upper thighs and buttocks.
He placed the first hit right below her buttocks, raising her onto her toes. The tip of the belt wrapped around and flicked against her skin. She groaned.
He worked his way up with the second. Methodical, the hits were perfectly placed.
The third made her moan. On the fourth, she lost her grip and stumbled the few inches forward onto the railing. She was grateful he’d thought to wrap it so it wasn’t cold against her ribs.
Wordlessly, he helped her back into position. She spread her legs and turned in her toes.
“How many more, Zee?”
“Two, Sir.”
This beating was unlike any other.
She knew he wasn’t hitting with the strength he usually did, but the fact that he was beating her while sh
e was naked on a rooftop in the middle of the city was more erotic than she could have believed possible.
Her pussy was damp, and it would take him only seconds to bring her off.
He didn’t.
He gave her two more restrained hits then pulled her back from the railing and turned her to face him and wrapped his arms around her. “Inside,” he said.
“But—”
“No arguing.”
She gave him a ferocious scowl that didn’t seem to sway him.
“Now,” he added. “And close the door behind you.”
Warm air whispered from the vent, and she rubbed her upper arms. It only took him a few seconds to turn off the heaters, gather her dress then join her inside.
“That was insane,” he told her.
“But fun?”
“Can’t wait for summer.” He pulled a throw from the back of a chair and wrapped it around her shoulders. “Ready to have the jewelry off?”
“I think so.”
He cupped her right breast, pressed the spring then, when her nipple was free, laved it with his tongue.
She moaned from the pleasure, from the ache. “That has made me even more aroused,” she confessed.
“Good. No reason for me to suffer alone.”
Then he removed the other one and sucked that nipple into his mouth. Her body twitched, and he pressed his palm to her pubic area but didn’t touch her pussy.
“Master Aldrich,” she protested.
“Shower,” he said, pocketing the metal hearts.
“But—”
“Do you want me to allow you to climax again in the next week?”
“Fine.”
He grinned. “Go.”
“Where did you put my overnight bag?”
“In the closet.”
As she walked away, she swished her ass at him and was rewarded by his deep growl. Grinning, happy, she grabbed the toiletries from her bag went into the bathroom.
His shower redefined luxury. The stall was big enough for two people, finished in gorgeous tiles. It had dual, rainfall-type showerheads. Now it was difficult to remember why she’d protested.
She turned on the faucet and hot water flowed instantaneously. To her, having a tankless heater would be the ultimate extravagance.
Mackenzie expected him to follow her, and she debated what to do about the plug. It was starting to get uncomfortable, but he hadn’t given her any instructions, so she reluctantly left it in place.
Claim Page 18
