Their Famous Dominant (Office Intrigue, 4)

by Nicole Edwards

  I heard footsteps behind me, but I didn’t look away from Clarissa. Her gaze shifted briefly and her face softened. She’d obviously missed Troy as much as she’d missed me. I had needed to know that. Deep down, it had been critical for me.

  I waited until she turned back to me before I continued. “Do you want to start over, Clarissa? Because I want that. You are my submissive. And you can trust me when I tell you I will do whatever it takes to make you happy. You and Troy both. That’s all I need. And there isn’t a right or wrong way. But there is my way. And in order for us to be happy, it has to be my way.

  “And so we’re clear, I want you in every way a man can want a woman. But I need to find you beneath all those fucking lessons you’ve learned, beneath all the rules you’ve managed to surround yourself with. I don’t want Clarissa the doll. I want Clarissa the beautiful submissive I know you are.”

  “I want that, too,” she said on another sob. “But I need to tell you something first.”

  My back straightened, fear curling through my gut.

  “You know how you slipped out of bed both times I spent the night with you?”

  I nodded my acknowledgement.

  “I should’ve told you at the time … it hurts me to wake up and not have you there. I feel insecure, uncertain. I’m not sure I can deal with that.”

  I swallowed hard as the fear uncurled, morphing into something else. Guilt, maybe. I hadn’t meant to hurt her like that. I wasn’t the cuddling sort. I didn’t stay in bed when there were things to do. And there were always things to do. But I’d never thought about how that would affect the ones I cared about.

  My eyes shot to Troy momentarily. He looked wary.

  Great. And he’d felt the same way. As though I was abandoning them.

  “I’m sorry,” I told her, cupping her face. “I never meant to hurt you. But you have to tell me those things. I’m not always the most astute when it comes to … relationships.”

  She smiled, another tear slipping down her smooth cheek. “I promise, going forward I’ll tell you.”

  If she was willing to trust me, I knew I had to do the same. “Then, if you’re willing to start over, so am I. Is that what you want?”

  She didn’t answer, but she didn’t look away. I could see the wheels turning in her head. She was plotting something and that worried me.

  I dropped my hands from her face. “Answer me, sunshine. Right now.”

  “Yes. I want that. I want to start over.” Her words came out rushed. “I want a second chance.” She swallowed hard. “But I need something from you first.”

  My breath lodged in my throat and anger threatened. I should’ve known she needed something from me. That was why everyone sought me out. They always needed something.

  “What?” I asked. “What do you need?”

  She firmly held my gaze. “Your punishment, Master. In order to make this right, that’s what I need.”

  I hadn’t expected that. Not even a little. For the first time since she’d walked out, something inside me eased.

  “You’ve certainly earned it. And after that, we’ll start over. Everything behind us.”

  “Yes, Master.”

  “Good. While I get my bag, I want you to undress and kneel by the door. Wait for me to return.”

  With that, I turned and walked out of the room. I needed to compose myself. Otherwise, I would simply go to my knees and Clarissa would never get what she needed from me.

  *

  As I fought to catch my breath, I stared at the man in the bathroom mirror. I was still trying to wrap my head around what had transpired in the past few minutes.

  Clarissa had come here. She had taken the first step to righting this and I needed to come through for her. I had to be the Dom she needed because this was a fucking breakthrough.

  For the first time since I’d met Clarissa all those years ago, I felt as though that outer shield she kept firmly in place had cracked. It would take time and effort to get the damn thing to deteriorate completely, but this gave me hope.

  The fact that she’d showed up unannounced gave me hope. I’d spent the past nine days avoiding all contact with her, but it had damn near killed me. While I had immersed myself in work, it had been damn hard not to let my thoughts stray to her. I had come to terms with how I felt about her, but in an effort to protect myself, I’d refused to give in. Truth was, I had needed her to make the first move.

  When I finally composed myself, I carried my toy bag into the living room and set it on the coffee table, my eyes trailing over the naked submissive kneeling so perfectly.

  “Troy, please get my paddle out of my kit,” I instructed as I placed my hand on Clarissa’s bowed head. “Please stand, sunshine.”

  I took her hand and helped her to her feet, then led her over to the sofa. “I want you across my lap.” I met her gaze. “If this is a hard limit for you, I need you to speak up now. Otherwise, you know your safe word should you need to use it.”

  “It’s not a hard limit,” she whispered, a soft smile curling her lips. “I filled out a limit list for you. It’s in my bag. I can get it if you’d like.”

  “I am definitely interested in reading it, but not right now.” I had to address one thing at a time.

  Taking a seat, I got positioned so she could easily lie across my lap. It was obvious she was nervous, but I was fairly certain we were not going back to where we’d been nine days ago in that damn playroom.

  When I’d told her I wanted to start over, I was serious. This thing between us was scorching hot and had more potential than I think either of us realized. However, I couldn’t continue on the way we’d been going in the beginning. I had no idea what experiences Clarissa had been through that had caused her to become the way she was, but I needed her to understand she was going about it the wrong way.

  I had every intention of learning every minute detail about her, but in order for that to happen, she had to open up to me, had to give me something to work with. This wasn’t about her pleasing me in everything she did. I wanted this woman with a passion that rivaled all. But I wanted the woman, not the sex toy she’d turned herself into.

  “Are you comfortable?” I asked as she shifted slightly on my lap. “Because you’re going to be here for a few minutes.”

  “Yes, Master.” She moved again. “Actually, no, Master. I’m not comfortable. But that has nothing to do with my position.”

  I rubbed her sweet little ass with my hand. “Good girl.”

  It was a start.

  Troy walked toward us carrying my black leather paddle in his hand.

  “Thank you, boy. I want you to undress and kneel by Clarissa’s head.”

  While I waited for Troy to do as instructed, I continued to caress Clarissa’s bare ass. She had such a lovely ass and I was looking forward to spanking her, to turning that pale, smooth skin a nice shade of red.

  “Sunshine, how many spanks do you think you deserve?”

  “Can I think about it for a moment, Master?”

  “Of course.”

  She was doing far better than I’d thought she would. At least she hadn’t given me her tried and true Whatever pleases you, Master.

  My eyes lingered on Troy for a moment as the man discarded his jeans and his shirt. Damn, but he turned me on with that finely honed body of his. We’d been going full throttle every damn day since we arrived in Chicago and I had yet to get enough of him.

  When Troy was kneeling where I’d asked him to, I laid the paddle directly on Clarissa’s ass, wanting her to feel the cool leather against her skin.

  “Okay, sunshine. I need your answer.”

  “I think I’ve earned twenty, Master.”

  Twenty. That was a nice number. Not too many, not too few.

  “I agree. Twenty is a good start.” I squeezed one ass cheek firmly. “I’m not going to be easy on you, Clarissa. If at any time you need to use your safe word, ensure you say it loudly.” I glanced over at Troy. “I want you tou
ching her face, looking into her eyes. I want her only focus to be you right now.”

  “Yes, Master.” His eyes were wide, and he appeared nervous. Perhaps more so than Clarissa.

  When he cupped her face, I retrieved the leather paddle and spun it in my hand.

  “I’ll count down for you this time,” I told her.

  I didn’t want her focused on anything but Troy. My intention was to get her to release some of the emotions she was bottling up. While she’d opened up some already, I wanted to move this along. We had a lot of time to make up for.

  “Tell me when you’re ready, sunshine.”

  She shifted slightly, her upper body supported by her elbows as she rested on the sofa cushion. “I’m ready, Master.”

  “I don’t need to tell you not to move.”

  “No, Master.”

  I glanced once more at Troy, ensuring he was still in the moment, not gearing up to tackle me to the floor for hurting Clarissa.

  “She has earned this,” I informed him. “And she’s in agreement. I want you focused on her.”

  He nodded, then turned his attention to Clarissa. His hand curled around her cheek, and as soon as it did, I landed the paddle firmly on her ass.

  From that moment on, I focused on every smack of the leather against her skin. My swats were controlled because my intention was to bring her enough sensation to have her letting go, not to make it so she couldn’t sit down for a week.

  After five, Clarissa sobbed. I landed four more in rapid succession, then paused, rubbing her ass while Troy held her face. I could see her reactions were drawing out his emotions. It was what I was hoping for.

  I continued, taking my time, giving her several seconds between each blow as I counted them down aloud. By the time I was on seventeen, she was crying in earnest. At twenty, she was sobbing so hard it was difficult to keep her in place. I dropped the paddle and turned her over so that I could hold her in my arms. When she wrapped her arms around my neck, I considered that a good sign.

  “I’m sorry, Master,” she whispered, her fingers threading in my hair, her tears trickling onto my shirt. “I don’t want to disappoint you. I never want to disappoint you.”

  “I know, sunshine.” God, she was so fucking sweet.

  I cradled her head, holding her close to me, allowing her the time she needed. I wanted to tell her I loved her, that I never wanted to go through what I’d been through since I hopped on my plane and left town. She needed to hear that from me, but I couldn’t force the words out. They would make me vulnerable and I wasn’t sure I could handle that right now.

  When she finally stopped crying, I eased back, looking down into her face. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and she looked tired. I couldn’t blame her. Letting go of those emotions was likely draining.

  I allowed her to calm down while I held her in my arms, sliding my hand down her hair. It took a few minutes, but she finally stopped shuddering, her body relaxing.

  “Are you hungry?” I asked her softly.

  She nodded.

  “I’ll get everything ready,” Troy offered. “The pizza should be here soon.”

  “No.” I needed a moment to compose myself, but I wasn’t going to explain that to him. “I want you to hold her until the pizza arrives. I’ll go down and get it when they notify me it’s here.”

  His eyes widened again, but he fumbled up onto the couch. I eased Clarissa into his lap and got to my feet. Seeing the two of them naked and in each other’s arms had my body hardening instantly.

  “It’s all right, baby,” Troy whispered, cupping her head and holding her close. “You told me before that once he’s punished you, it’s over. Time to move on.”

  She nodded against him.

  Troy’s eyes lifted to meet mine and I nodded. That was correct. This was a new beginning for us.

  And this time, the gloves really were coming off.

  Troy

  SITTING NAKED WITH CLARISSA IN my arms should’ve been weird.

  It wasn’t.

  Not any more than watching Master paddle her ass for the past five minutes. If I were being honest, I hadn’t truly thought punishment meant actual punishment.

  Well, that wasn’t exactly true. I’d thought that kneeling in place while naked was the sort of punishment I would be looking forward to when I fucked things up. After all, I’d had to assume the position a few times this past week and I had hated every second of it. Especially the one time Master forced me to strip and kneel in the conference room. He had left the door open for anyone to see when they walked by. Not my finest moment, for sure.

  But that was nothing compared to the spanking Master had just given Clarissa. That was some serious shit.

  However, Clarissa had never once tried to move, never called out her safe word. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it had been therapeutic for her. And quite possibly for Master as well. Of course, I’d been there to witness her asking for it, so it was obviously necessary. I wasn’t sure I would ever go that far.

  Once Master left to go down and get the pizza, I shifted slightly, willing Clarissa not to feel the erection that was pressing intimately against her ass.

  When she lifted her head and looked at me, I blushed. “I’m sorry.”

  “For?”

  “I … uh…” Clarissa smiled and wrapped her arms around my neck. “I missed you so much.”

  Ah, damn. I tightened my hold on her. “I missed you, too, baby. It’s been a hell of a week.”

  She buried her face in my neck and my skin heated. It would’ve been easy to shift her in my lap, to slide into the blessed heat of her body, to feel her pussy squeeze my cock. I wanted her so badly I hurt with it.

  “So, we’re having pizza?” she asked with a chuckle.

  “You ever had real Chicago-style pizza?”

  “Nope.”

  “You won’t ever want anything else again.”

  We sat like that for long minutes, her arms wreathing my neck while I breathed in her sweet scent. I’d thought about her every day since the night I drove her home and it almost didn’t seem real that she was here. I was tempted to ask how long she planned on staying, if she would consider staying forever, but I held the words back.

  She had just arrived. I figured I could save the hard questions for later. She’d been through enough already. I needed to be patient, to let this play out the way it was supposed to.

  A short time later, the door opened and Master appeared, carrying the pizza boxes. He set them on the breakfast bar, laid out plates, then called us over. Clarissa got to her feet, and when she swayed, I helped her to stand, earning a sweet smile in return.

  The three of us ate dinner at the bar—Clarissa and I sitting naked on the barstools while Master leaned against the counter—in relative silence. Every so often, Clarissa would sob again, but she wasn’t crying anymore. In fact, she was now smiling, which confused the shit out of me.

  “If you’re finished,” Trent said when Clarissa and I pushed our plates away, “then I want you to both go to my bedroom. From tonight forward, you’ll both be sleeping in my bed.” His eyes locked with Clarissa’s. “And I promise not to pull the escape-and-evade bit in the morning.”

  Admittedly, that was not disappointing. Although I’d slept in his bed since the night Clarissa left when Master fucked me so thoroughly, I had yet to wake up with him there. Not to mention, I had felt as though something was missing. Clarissa had been missing. I knew he felt it, too.

  “I’m going to clean up, but I’ll be there soon.” The look Master shot my way left no room for argument.

  I got to my feet and helped Clarissa to hers, then took her hand and led her down the hall to Master’s bedroom.

  “Would you mind if I used the restroom?” she asked when we stepped into the room.

  “Of course not. You can use that one.” I motioned toward the master bathroom.

  While she did that, I slipped into the guest bathroom. Not only did I have to pee, I needed a few
minutes to compose myself as well. I was slightly overwhelmed by how quickly everything had changed. Clarissa was back. She was here. In the flesh. I wanted to wrap her in my arms and never let her go. That saying You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone, well, it’s a fact. I knew firsthand. While Clarissa had been in my life for such a short time, the past nine days had been hell.

  After flushing the toilet, I turned to the sink. While washing my hands, I stared back at my reflection. I didn’t look different, but I certainly felt different. Maybe if I got some sleep, things would finally be back to normal tomorrow.

  Normal.

  Now that sounded weird.

  I wasn’t even sure what was considered normal in this new realm I found myself in. The one where I had become a willing submissive and somehow fallen in love with two people. It was an entirely different world for me. The same world where I was forced on my knees for an extended period of time and I was required to watch as Master paddled Clarissa’s ass in order to erase a transgression that had altered our lives for what felt like an eternity.

  Definitely not normal.

  Plus, I was as naked as the day I was born. And that seemed to be the way Master wanted me. When we were here in the apartment, I was usually naked. At his request. So, I should’ve been used to it by now.

  I wasn’t.

  Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and damn near plowed right into Master, who was standing in the hallway. When my eyes met his, I saw something raw and powerful staring back at me.

  “Are you hiding?” he asked with a seductive smirk.

  “No, but part of me thinks I should.” I grinned in response.

  “I would have to agree with you there.”

  Master took a step closer and I turned, thinking he was going to move past me into the bathroom. Instead, he pressed me up against the door—each of us with one foot in the bathroom and one foot out—as I continued to stare into his eyes.

  “Are you okay?”

  That was the last thing I’d expected him to say.

  “I … uh… Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “Not too often do you find yourself sitting beside a woman while she gets her ass spanked.”