My mouth curls up halfway, but only for a split second. I’m sure as fuck not smiling because of Jenessa.
“You know, I think I’ll pass.”
“No prob.”
I hand Matt a twenty and duck out of the bar, opting for a brisk walk before returning to Townsend Tower.
When I’m back to my desk, I scroll over my email, sorting through them in order of importance and ensuring that the ones marked as high are moved to the bottom. I’ll deal with those last. Only pompous assholes have the nerve to use a little red exclamation point.
My phone rings and the extension allocated to Bellamy’s office flashes on my caller ID.
I cock the phone against my shoulder as I type a response to an email from my brother’s assistant. “Yes?”
“Where’d you go?” she asks.
“I’m not sure that’s any of your concern.”
“I finished the consent form.”
I send the email and sit upright. It’s barely past lunch now, and unrelenting excitement flows through me at the realization that we have the rest of the afternoon to begin our training.
“Bring me the form, Bellamy. And the N.D.A.”
“Now?”
I sigh. “Yes. Now.”
She hangs up, and the ticking of the clock fills the silence that consumes my office until the door flies open. I rise, fastening the button of my jacket and taking careful strides toward where she stands in front of the door. Paperwork rests between her thumb and forefinger.
“I’ll take that.” I place the papers on a nearby console, next to the Baccarat crystal swan I received after completing initiation years ago at the club. “Are you ready to begin training?”
“Yes.” Her lips press together as she tucks a strand of hair behind her right ear. Her ears are bare. I’ll have to fix that. My eyes trail down her long neck, the one I’ll be tasting sooner than later. In a past life, Bellamy had to have been a royal, I’m sure of it. Long neck. High cheekbones. Sparkling gaze.
“Pardon?”
“Yes, Master.”
“Very good.”
I circle around her as if I’m assessing her. And I am. I listen as she pulls in a slow breath.
“Do you have any questions for me, Angel?”
“Not yet, Master.”
I can’t see her face, but if I so much as detect a smile or a hint of laughter in her tone when she speaks to me, I’ll take great pleasure in correcting her the best way I see fit.
“You’ll have a myriad of duties, Bellamy. Behind closed doors, you will submit to me sexually. Professionally, you’ll act as a right-hand associate. And socially, you’ll accompany me to events, dinners, and parties.” I pull her hair from her neck and gather it in my hand, tugging it just enough that her chin lifts. “You’ll carry yourself as if you’re the Queen of England at all times. Head held high. A pleasant expression on your face. The epitome of grace and elegance. You have it in you, Bellamy. I noticed it right away. You just need to own it. And I will help you.”
I release her flaxen locks from my grasp and turn her to face me. The gentle curve of her shoulders under my palms could easily become my new favorite addiction.
“The sexual things you consented to are just a small part of this arrangement. You should know that. I’m a man with a very particular sexual appetite, but it doesn’t define me. And this shouldn’t define you either.”
“It’s just sex. I know.”
“Do not speak out of turn, Angel.”
“I’m sorry.” She holds her shoulders straight though her gaze falls to the floor. “I’m sorry, Master.”
“I’m training you now, breaking you in, but after that, there will be no room for mistakes on your part. Is that understood?”
Her full lips part and then seam together. Instead of speaking, she nods.
“I don’t want you afraid of me. Please. I would feel like a monster if you were terrified of me.” I graze my hand along her collarbone. Her neck is bare, but she belongs in diamonds. “You are mine. It’s my job to spoil you. Care for you. Ensure you have everything you need. The world is your oyster now, Bellamy. You won’t need to ask for a single thing because everything will be provided for you.”
My hand cups the underside of her sophisticated jawline, and I lead her face toward mine, inhaling her in like a full-bodied wine.
“I’m going to kiss you, Bellamy, because I want you to trust me. Are you ready?”
“Yes, Master.”
My lips press into hers, forcing them apart and melding with their heat. Two soft pillows provide a soft landing, and I take what now belongs to me with an overzealous hunger. Our tongues fuse and flick, a slow dance of the most titillating variety. I pull away, licking her exquisite deliciousness from my lips.
“Has anyone ever kissed you that way before?”
Her head shakes from side to side. “I’ve never had a kiss like that before, Master.”
“Then that was your first proper kiss?”
“It was.” Her tongue glides along the inside of her lower lip. “Master.”
“Would you like more?”
“Yes, please.”
“No, no.” I push a firm breath through my nose. “You will ask in the most refined and polite way possible at all times. Try again.”
“Please kiss me like that once more, Master.”
“Better.”
I step into her space again, gripping the back of her neck as I force her up against a nearby wall. My lips crush hers all over again, only this time I’m not hurrying. I’ll take my time, enjoying her sweet flavor and velvet tongue, fantasizing about what she’s going to feel like wrapped around my throbbing cock.
All in due time.
Her hands lift, reaching for my arms, and her fingers press into my flesh with desperate intensity.
“No, no, Angel,” I say, my mouth still locked with hers. I grab her wrists and pull them down to her sides. Before I come up for air, I take her full bottom lip into my mouth and suck before giving a tender bite. “You don’t get to touch me unless I say you can.”
“I’m sorry, Master.”
“Do you want to touch me?”
I lose myself for a moment in the sky blue haze of her eyes, and then I snap myself out of it. Distractions come in the form of a beautiful woman. It happens. But I refuse to let it tear us out of this perfectly lovely teaching moment.
“Yes.” She squares her shoulders with mine, keeping her arms flat at her sides. Fast learner. Love that. “Please let me touch you. Please tell me how I can pleasure you.”
“Do you want to pleasure me, Bellamy?”
“I live to pleasure you, my master.”
She sounds robotic. Unnatural. And I’m damn sure she’s just telling me what I want to hear because she has no clue how this works.
“I’ve got my work cut out with you.” My forehead wrinkles as I study her pretty face.
“Did I upset you? Am I doing this wrong?” Her shoulders slump. She’s coming out of this like an actor exiting stage left. “I want to learn, Dane. Tell me.”
“You’re doing fine, Bellamy. You’re still learning. I’d just prefer if it felt a bit more…organic on your end.”
“Nothing about this is organic for me.” She sighs like she’s upset with herself. “But I want to learn. I think I could learn to enjoy it.”
I knew training Bellamy would come with a few trying moments, but a woman who’s not desperately throwing herself at me is something I’ve yet to deal with.
“You say that, but your jaw is clenched tight.” I drag my fingertip along her cheekbone and let it fall. “Makes me think you’re telling me what you think I want to hear, and I’m quite certain you know damn well not to do that.”
“I mean it. I’ve never backed down from a challenge, and I’m not about to start now.”
“Not everyone is submissive material.”
I slip one hand in my pocket and head over to my mini bar, pouring myself a finger of single malt Macallan and dropping in a small handful of frozen soapstone.
“I thought you were, but now all I feel like I’m doing is making you extremely uncomfortable. Takes the pleasure out of this if I’m honest.”
“You’ve trained other girls, right? I’m not the first?”