“How does it feel, Angel?” That’s going to be her nickname. It suits her well. A girl with the face of a saint but the body of a sinner should wear no other name.
Her chest heaves as she swallows deep breaths, one after another. “Different.”
I step closer, our eyes locked tight as I breathe in her clean scent. My hand finds the band of her waist-cinching pencil skirt, and I tug her shirt out in one quick pull. With my fingers working the buttons with slow intention, I lean in and graze my mouth just above hers, not gifting her with a real kiss just yet.
Her eyes wince and then relax before closing completely. She breathes me in, exchanging the air between us along with our power.
Before she has a chance to anticipate my next move, I press my mouth into the flesh of her neck, tasting her sweetness and working my way down to the spot just below her collarbone. Her flesh slips between my teeth as I suck and bite, my cock throbbing each time she squirms against the back of the door.
If this gets her going, she hasn’t seen anything yet.
Without warning, I step away, and her eyes flash with a wild intensity.
“Why’d you stop?” she breaths.
“I told you. It was a sample.”
“So you just like to tie women up and kiss and touch them?”
My face cocks as I rake my hand along my jaw. “I’m not a pervert, Bellamy. When you put it that way…you make it sound…”
“What’s in this for you?”
“Do you really need to understand what I get out of this?”
“Untie me.”
I shoot her a scolding glance. “You should address me as Master, and you should ask me politely.”
Her lips wiggle and dance. Perhaps it’s her nerves, but this isn’t the time or the place for humor.
“It’s not funny, Bellamy. This isn’t meant to be cute. If you’re not capable of taking this seriously, then clearly you’re not what I need.”
“Please untie me, Master.”
My cock pulses. I lunge for her restraints and slip them off her wrists before shutting the closet door and turning to face her. “You’ll work Monday thorough Friday, my schedule, and you’ll need to be available during nights and weekends, whatever suits my whims and urges.”
“Nights and weekends?”
“Is that going to be a problem?”
She glances out the window behind me, deep in thought for a moment. “I’ll figure out a way to make it work.”
“You’re unmarried, correct? No children?”
“Right. None of…that.”
She speaks as if those things repulse her, which is perfect. I’m not marriage material, and I am certainly not a family man. The last thing I need is a woman believing for two seconds that she can mold me into what she wants, that she’ll be the one to change me.
That’s not how I work.
“Excellent.” My phone rings, likely my nine A.M. conference call with my half-brother, Beckham. “We’ll hammer out the rest of the details later. For now, you’ll need to head down to Laurie in H.R. to complete your hiring packet.”
“Will I have an office? Or will I just be in here, with you?” Her naivety is almost endearing.
“Your office will be right next door. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” I grab the receiver off my desk and take a seat, watching the way her hips sway as she walks out the door. I’d give anything to hang up this phone and grab a handful of her curved ass in my hand.
As of now, that ass is officially mine, and I’m counting down the days before it’s stinging warm and she’s wriggling in my lap against the crack of the paddle.
After all, I still need to punish her for lying.
FOUR
BELLAMY
Questions swarm my mind, mixing together in a slurry of confusion and excitement.
What just happened in there?
And what did I just agree to?
And what kind of company has these types of jobs?
Is it legal?
On what planet is any of this normal?
And why do I not feel as if I’ve just been sexually assaulted?
At least I’ll be paid well. Twenty-thousand dollars a month well.
I tuck my shirt back into my skirt and smooth my hands along the buttons until I no longer look like I’d been hot and bothered two minutes ago.
I’m blushing. My cheeks fill with red that radiates straight down to my core. When Dane almost kissed me, I thought I was going to lose it. It’s a miracle I stayed as composed as I did because all I could think about was the way he would feel inside me.
The intoxicating bite of his expensive cologne still lingers in my lungs. I want to bathe in it and never forget the way it swept me away for a small portion of my young life. His cologne makes me feel fancy. Sophisticated.
Like there’s a whole other world out there waiting for me to explore.
A world like I’ve never known and in which I undeniably belong.
My mind is stuck on Dane like it’s on a loop, replaying the last hour over and over, the good intensely dominating the bad.
I walked in this morning thinking I’d be filing papers and typing memos all day. Never once did I ever imagine a scenario in which I’d be agreeing to sexually submit to some arrogant suit.
The hunger in his eyes and the way he subtly licked his lips as his gaze dripped down me slow like honey melted my concerns and strengthened my resolve. Sex with a very handsome man might not be the worst thing I could’ve stumbled into.
But I didn’t love the restraints.
At all.
Sigh.
“Laurie?” I knock on the door with the H.R. sign hanging next to it. “I’m Bellamy. Dane sent me here to sign some paperwork.”
She looks up over her red-framed glasses, her pearls pooling into a puddle on her desk.
“Yes. I’ve been expecting you. Come in. Have a seat.”
I took a human resources management class at college once. I don’t remember much about it besides the fact that H.R. is meant to protect the company from certain liabilities. Most people think the H.R. department is their personal liaison, someone to turn to when they’re having troubles with their superiors or an unfair policy.
Laurie’s job is to serve the best interest of the company, which is exactly why the first document resting atop the stack of paperwork is a non-disclosure agreement.
She knows.
How many have come before me?
“This is standard,” she says, sensing my reluctance. “Feel free to take it to your office and read it over. There’s a consent form in there that you and Mr. Townsend need to complete together. If you have any questions, I’m a phone call away. The insurance forms are pretty self-explanatory. Don’t forget to sign and date the background check authorization and complete the emergency contact form.”
I gather the stack of papers in my hand and nod toward the door. “Dane said my office is next to his. Would it be unlocked?”
“Everything’s ready for you. Your key is on your desk. I.T. has set up your computer. There’s a company directory in your top desk drawer.” Her words are short and curt, like she’s telling me, “You’re a smart cookie. You got yourself into this. You’ll figure it out” in not so many words.
I suppose she’s exactly right.
When I leave Laurie’s office, I bump into a group of women standing around the reception desk laughing and chatting idly with fancy, enameled mugs in their manicured hands. The conversation ceases as soon as I approach, but one of them offers me a kind smile.
“I’m Bellamy.” I stop and introduce myself. Humanizing myself always seemed to work with the mean girls at school. People tend to be kinder in their judgments when they realize you’re not much different than they are or at the very least, that you have a name.