by Tina Donahue
Carnal Takeover
Tina Donahue
During the day, she’s in charge—at night, he’ll take command of her body, their desires.
Dominance and discipline. Alexandra hungers for both from Daniel, the lead engineer on her Alaskan energy project. She imagines him punishing then mounting her while his team watches. Full-figured Alexandra hasn’t had much luck with guys, especially ones so potently male. To change that, she invites Daniel to teach her submission to his most carnal needs. She also invites his men.
For too long, Daniel’s craved Alexandra’s lush figure and smarts. However, she’s his boss, it’s not wise to mix business with pleasure, and no damn way does he intend to share her. After one lusty night of her submitting to him and his men, Daniel claims Alexandra as his sub. On his terms. No regrets. No strings.
Yeah, right. Tell that to their hearts.
Inside Scoop: Alexandra and Daniel set things on fire with a brief ménage. Lucky girl has several men to fulfill her needs!
A Romantica® BDSM erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave
Carnal Takeover
Tina Donahue
Dedication
To the great authors at Sweet ’n Sexy Divas. You guys rock!
Author Note
I love Alpha males, especially when a woman turns them inside out. In Carnal Takeover, Alexandra’s the boss of an Artic energy project, a decidedly male occupation. However, she doesn’t call all the shots when it comes to Daniel. He’s the lead engineer and everything she’s craved in a man. Commanding and protective. Dominant yet gentle. His and Alexandra’s tale is one of the steamiest and most romantic I’ve ever written.
Chapter One
Lucius Waite barked into the phone, “What is this crap you sent? Are you trying to ruin me? I thought only those idiotic green groups were out for my blood, but now I also have you.”
Alexandra arched one eyebrow at her grandfather’s questions. Him baiting her. Again. To Lucius, conversation wasn’t an exchange of ideas or pleasantries. It was a one-sided lecture heavy on confrontation that he intended to win, just as he’d always expected her to fail.
She kept proving him wrong.
Since Lucius didn’t like to lose, he’d really stuck it to her this time. Putting Alexandra in charge of this remote location, hundreds of miles above the Arctic Circle.
Relentless winds rattled the windows of her small office, utilitarian to the extreme, everything gloomy and gray. Outside was hellishly worse with a temperature well below zero, the atmosphere so cold and dry, spit froze in midair. The sun had set two weeks ago and wasn’t expected to rise again for another forty-nine days, which left an eerie sort of twilight during daytime hours. Perfect for a vampire on the prowl.
Except for work, meals, and sleep, there wasn’t a freaking lot to do here. Certainly nothing fun, even though the men clearly outnumbered the women. Of course, she was in charge of the guys who worked on her grandfather’s newest energy project.
“These figures are insane,” he continued to rant.
Alexandra pressed back in her chair and scrolled down the screen of her laptop until she reached the photos of her environmental team and their boss…Daniel Upton. The figures were his.
Alexandra’s desire belonged to her alone.
Her pulse jumped several notches at Daniel’s impressive form, his rough good looks. A wave of warmth turned her thoughts reckless and weak. Definitely pornographic. She pictured herself naked, hands bound behind her back, face lowered as Daniel stood before her, taking in her tightened nipples and juicy cunt with a right no one would dare deny him.
Least of all her.
She imagined his cock growing thick and long, his muscles taut while he circled her slowly, saying nothing, his silence increasing her tension as to what he intended to—
“Well?” Lucius snapped.
Beneath his gravelly growl, Alexandra could hear the rustle of the Pacific Ocean. He’d called her from his yacht or his mansion in sunny San Diego, while she froze her ass off up here.
Before she lost the last of her patience, Alexandra reminded herself that Lucius was old. Set in his ways. He didn’t like or trust anyone. She shouldn’t take it personally. “The reports are accurate.”
“In what universe? Why are parts of this project suddenly costing so much and eating up months of my time when they took no more than two weeks in the past?”
Several answers came to mind, including that little thing called global warming. Added to that was environmental impact, the intricacies of designing sustainable ice roads and pads, plus his outright lie about anything having taken two weeks in the past.
Not wanting to waste her breath on reason, Alexandra went right to the heart of everything dear to Lucius. His money and power. “If anything fails and there’s a spill or explosion, those green groups and the public will demand fines. Maybe jail time.”
“With all the lobbyists I pay and my connections on Capitol Hill? What in the hell do you think those jerks are for?”
She mumbled, “Not what the founders of this country envisioned.”
“What was that? Speak louder.”
Alexandra hauled in a deep breath. “The projections are based on sound engineering. The team lead can’t cut corners.”
Lucius answered with stony silence, then sniffed as though he’d smelled something bad. “What is he, a pussy?”
She smiled. Daniel a pussy? Not in this life. At thirty-three he was in his prime, one thousand percent male, more at home hunting and fishing in the wilds of Alaska than he’d ever be in a boardroom with a bunch of sissies in suits.
Just looking at him made her wet.
She ignored Lucius’ newest comments and scrolled to another photo from a news story. In the shot, Daniel had propped his boot on the fender, fin or whatever it was called of his snowmobile, his forearm resting on his powerful thigh as he waited to join a caribou hunt. Sunlight glinted off his black hair with the wind tousling those thick, silky locks.
Alexandra would have gladly given several years of her life for the honor of smoothing them back.
Half Inupiat, Daniel resembled his Native Alaskan ancestors, his potent virility calling to everything female within her. She imagined the heat of his coppery skin, smelling its rich musk, his rugged features softened with a welcoming smile, that pleasure reaching his dark-brown eyes. On an impulse she couldn’t resist, Alexandra finally touched the screen, her forefinger tracing his broad shoulders and lean, muscular form. The European part of his ancestry showed in his height, at least six-three.
She trembled in desire and frustration, recalling the times they’d spoken. Him towering over her, commanding and virile, but all business. While he’d kept their relationship purely professional, Alexandra kept picturing him on top of her, pushing her thighs apart with his knees, stroking her pussy with the tip of his cock, burrowing deep inside her cunt in one strong, savage thrust, his plump balls tapping her ass, his rich mouth quieting her ecstatic cries.
All while his closest team members watched. Three other hot guys who brightened the dreary landscape. With Daniel in the lead, they might make the perfect group to brighten her crummy days.
Sure.
Alexandra rolled her eyes at her nutty thoughts. Stuff like that’d never happen to her unless she hired escorts to play the roles of Daniel and his men. She’d learned early on that her family’s fortune was what attracted guys. It sure as hell wasn’t her looks or her Harvard degrees. Too competent, tall and full-figured, she had the mind of a nerd and a pleasant but ordinary face.
Forcing herself back to cruel reality, she finally interrupted Lucius’ endless harangue. “Mr. Upton’s one of the best arctic and environmental engineers around. However, even he can’t change the
laws of the universe to suit you.”
“You mean he refuses to work harder, more hours.”
She made a face. Daniel and his crew were already putting in twelve-hour shifts seven days a week. Her grandfather was well aware of their rotation schedule, an accepted practice in the industry. The men had two weeks on then two weeks off. Today had begun their downtime, which they absolutely deserved. “Outside of eating and sleeping, he’s always working during his time on the job. There isn’t much else to do here.”
“You just stated the problem when you said he works, but only during his time on the job. Change the damn schedule. Tell him and his crew it’s now three weeks on with one week off.”
“Work them to exhaustion, you mean. So they can make mistakes that could result in a spill or explosion or—”
“I thought he was supposed to be the best. The best don’t make mistakes.” Before Alexandra could counter that with a laugh or a snarl, Lucius said, “How much are we paying him? Offer a minimal raise. Something to get him off his ass.”
She finally laughed. “Granddad, he’s half Inupiat. He grew up in this village. He’s not going to screw up ancestral lands for you or anyone else no matter how much money you throw at him. He’s an honorable man.”
“When are you going to stop being so naive? No one’s honorable. Not deep down. If money doesn’t move him, something else will. Give him a promotion. Another title.”
“He doesn’t operate that way.”
“Then use your womanly wiles on him. You do have some, don’t you?”
She ground the heel of her hand into her forehead. “To speed things up, you want me to come onto him? Seriously?”
“Why not? You’re a woman. What’s the matter with you? You’re still not wearing makeup?”
Up here in Nowhereland? Alexandra’s only concessions to femininity weren’t obvious, as long as she wore clothes. What she’d done to her body wasn’t something she’d ever discuss with her grandfather.
When she didn’t answer him, Lucius muttered what sounded like an oath. “Did you fall off your diet again?”
She pressed her knee against the bottom drawer of her desk, thinking of her stash of Twinkies inside.
“I thought so,” he said at her silence. “I told you I’d pay for a nutritionist and personal trainer if that’s what it takes.”
That he had, just as he’d paid for her nose job when she’d been in high school, with him hounding her until she’d gotten the surgery. Didn’t change anything. She still wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous. Mildly attractive was more like it, which would never satisfy him. He demanded perfection. Her dad—Lucius’ only child—had learned that sad lesson early on.
Unlike her father, Alexandra wasn’t going to let Lucius get the better of her and force her to quit. Admitting defeat would give him what he’d expected. Worse, he’d put a corporate goon in her place who’d worry exclusively about profit, say to hell with the environment and fire Daniel and his team. Alexandra couldn’t live with herself if that happened.
Or if she lost the chance to see Daniel again in the coming weeks and months. He’d be out of her life soon enough when the job ended. “I’ll do what I can, all right? However, the reports are—”
“Do what you can?” Lucius interrupted. “You make things happen, Alexandra. How many times do I have to tell you that? If you want something, you don’t wait for it to come to you. You never hope for the best. You go after it with both hands. You don’t let anything stand in your way. You get it, no matter what. Do not disappoint me again.”
Again? After nearly killing herself to do a great job up here?
Before she could respond, he cut off the call.
Alexandra’s hand stalled just before she banged the receiver down and threw the phone across the crappy little room. It didn’t need to be messed up more than it already was. Muddy footprints soiled the cheap carpeting. Water stains marred the walls and ceiling with Rorschach-like blotches. Printouts were strewn everywhere, along with several candy and Twinkie wrappers. Her halfhearted attempt at decoration included a few silk plants that looked as out of place here as a tiki hut on the moon. They didn’t belong in this godforsaken spot and neither did she.
But she was here, with Lucius again backing her into a corner and no doubt grinning about how she’d try to wiggle out of it.
Somehow, she would, because she always did. They both knew it. However, right now, Alexandra gritted her teeth so hard her jaw hurt. A growl caught in her throat. She was tired of defending herself to him and working to the exclusion of everything else. Tired of never having any fun. Tired of the screaming wind rattling the panes. Another noise joined it, something howling in pleasure or anguish. Hard to tell which, although the sound matched the tension building within her.
Go after what you want, her grandfather had said. Take it with both hands. Don’t let anything stand in your way.
Her jaw tightened.
For a good half hour Alexandra studied Daniel’s photos in the articles, her body aching, thoughts roiling. At last, she left her chair so quickly it rolled across the plastic floor mat, its back hitting the wall.
Scents of pepperoni and garlic permeated the back room of the lone pizza parlor in the village. One of only two restaurants in the vicinity, both owned by Pete, a former oil worker. With tonight’s scant business, he’d left hours ago, asking Daniel and the other guys to turn off the lights on their way out of the building.
The group of four sat at a table in the snug room that doubled as a storage area. Fishing poles, men’s boots, a rifle and harpoon mingled with mixing bowls and dented pizza trays.
Nat Sterne, a quality supervisor, shuffled the cards with the flair of a Vegas magician. Brawny, black and in his mid-thirties, he projected an air of authority. Rumor had it the ladies loved his cocoa skin and domineering style.
Daniel knew better. When it came to women, Nat was a real sweetheart. Now, with men…
“Hey.” Nat punched Junior Merrill’s hand away from the beer stashed in the cooler.
“What?” Junior complained. At twenty-eight, he was the youngest of their crew, a quality inspector.
Nat turned to Daniel. “I don’t think he’s old enough to drink.”
Frowning, Daniel leaned back in his chair and regarded Junior’s boyish features, blond brows, light-hazel eyes. Even with Junior’s muscular body and shaved head—which gave him the look of a gangbanger—he seemed so fucking young. The main reason no one ever used his given name of Joel. “Card him.”
“Screw that,” Nat said. “It could be a fake. Drop your jeans,” he ordered Junior. “Let’s see if you’ve reached puberty.”
“Doubt it.” Daniel squinted. “He definitely doesn’t shave.”
Junior smirked. “How about we compare lengths. Then you’ll see who’s the man.”
He turned his laptop to face them.
Daniel expected to see a selfie of Junior’s cock, which wasn’t necessary since they’d all seen each other naked in the showers. Instead, the internet porn site showed a couple in the throes of bliss, their mouths hanging open as they grunted or groaned. Impossible to know which since Junior had turned the volume off. Each of the girl’s boobs was bigger than her head. Together, they were larger than her torso. A mule had nothing on the guy’s dong.
“Oh sweet mother.” Nat covered his eyes and spoke in a falsetto. “Turn that off before I faint.”
Daniel’s shoulders shook with laughter. “Is that supposed to be you?” he asked Junior. “The guy, I mean.”
Ignoring the dig, the young man puffed out his chest. “Hell no. When I’m hard, I’m way bigger.”
Nat howled.
Red Haynes moaned. A year older than Junior and as powerfully built, he was a safety specialist, always taking care, never making mistakes. At least on the job. While Junior had been surfing porn sites during the poker game, Red had opted to play online slots. And had obviously lost again. His freckled face darkened to match his ginger hair,
mustache and goatee, which made his eyes seem unnaturally green. “Shit.”
“Hey, watch your fucking language,” Nat ordered.
Grinning, Daniel grabbed another beer and tossed it to Junior. “After you’re finished with that, Nat’ll burp you.”
Junior took a healthy gulp of the brew and belched loudly. “God help me if I’m ever as old as you dudes.”
“Hold this game up any longer,” Nat muttered, “and you won’t live to see tomorrow.” He dealt the cards.
Daniel rearranged his, putting his three of a kind next to each other. Junior divided his attention between his hand and the porn site. Nat fingered the packets of Parmesan cheese they were using as chips. Red stomped his foot at another loss and groaned, “Oh goddamned holy fucking—”
He stopped abruptly.
Daniel glanced up. Red stared at something across the room, his freckly complexion drained of color.
Shit. Had a fox wandered inside? A damn bear? Daniel turned and blinked at Alexandra.
A puffy gray parka covered her from throat to mid-thigh. White woolen scarves hid her hair, forehead, nose and mouth, leaving only her eyes exposed. Similar to a woman in an Arab country, except Alexandra’s irises were pure blue framed with long, dark lashes. Her attention on him.
No one else.
The world seemed to slow, colors fading, sounds growing indistinct. Something deep and arousing stirred within Daniel as it always did when she was near.
He swallowed hard and fought his feelings. Again.
She was his boss.
At first, that had bothered Daniel because he believed her position on this project was undeserved. Granted because of birth rather than her having earned it. How wrong he’d been. Alexandra worked as hard as the rest of them. Intelligence burned in her gaze. Speaking with her was a pleasure, not a chore.
Oddly enough, that increased Daniel’s desire. He found her intelligence beyond sexy, and troubling, because her effect on him could never go any-fucking-where. Good god, her grandfather was Lucius Waite, a prick who didn’t give a crap about the environment, only his bottom line. Daniel had agreed to this project so he could beat the old turd at his game and do the job right.
