“It is a lot of money,” I respond. “When my father told me a while ago about this new investor, I admit that I was wary.” Now that we’re alone, I slip my hand beneath the table and rub her bare knee. No tights for her today. “My father can be an idiot in his personal life, but not so much the business side of things. He wouldn’t have agreed to this investor if he thought it could possibly fall through. I wonder what’s happening. Xavier Crow is one of the biggest names in the Pacific Northwest.” Twenty years ago, that wouldn’t be saying much. Now, however, there are quite a few businesses popping up over there. There’s even a conference for bigwigs like us every year. Not that I’ve ever gone…

Maybe I should. I’ll take Katie with me, and we’ll have a great time.

“I’ve vaguely heard of him,” she says, her voice soft. She looks at my hand on her knee, but does not otherwise react. “He’s not really in my line of business, if you know what I mean.”

“He’s definitely more corporate and investment, less helping out the little guy.” Xavier Crow is the head of Black Raven Pharmaceuticals, which focuses on treatments and cures for terminal diseases. Last I heard they were close to a promising cancer cure, but their lead researcher keeled over dead. Probably put a dent in Crow’s profits for a while. “Enough about that. How are you feeling, my sweet?”

Kathryn raises her eyebrow. “I’m fine. Even better after waking up like that.”

I chuckle. Can’t be helped. When a woman tells you she likes your prowess in bed, you’re going to react. “I took a chance that you would like that. What better chance than when I’ve got this pretty collar on you?” I tap it with my finger. Light reflects off the tiny diamonds, illuminating Katie’s smile.

“It’s not something I would want to do every day… sir.”

“Of course not.” Is it weird I get a little hard when she calls me sir?

“I enjoyed it, yes. I enjoy almost anything we do.”

Her smile is infectious. Not just infectious. Heartwarming. It’s not her usual smile of wily thoughts or about to lunge and eviscerate me. It’s a kind smile. Adoring.

I can’t help but lean in and kiss her cheek, my hand sneaking toward her inner thigh. “I’m glad to hear that,” I say, squeezing her flesh. “I’ve got some more ideas, you know.”

“I’m sure you do, sir.”

“Let’s stay in tonight and do more of what we did last night.”

“You mean a whole lot of nothing?”

“Now, now…” My tongue plays with her ear, sending shivers, shudders, and trembles through her muscles. “Let’s start with dinner. Know how to cook anything good?”

“Oh, so now I’m cooking for you?”

“Nothing complicated. Unless you want to, of course.” I don’t peg her as a chef, but I could be wrong.

Katie brushes her lips against mine, and now it’s my turn to shudder from this irate feeling called love. “I find myself wanting to do a lot of strange shit with you, Ian. I mean… sir.”

I tuck an errant golden hair behind her ear, my lips playing with the tip there. “And I find myself unable to keep my hands off you, my love.”

Her hand finds my leg. “Same here.”

We have work to do, but I don’t want to. I want to pull my lovely into my lap and have my way with her, nibbling her collar and feeling every intimate part of her body. I think I’ll forego the BDSM games tonight, other than treating her as a sub. All I want to do is make love to Kathryn. Slow, sensual love that ends with me whispering how much I love her.

Why fucking wait?

“I love you, Katie.” My words are so quiet, and yet I don’t doubt that she heard me.

Her head rests against my shoulder. I can’t think about missing money. All I can think about is this beautiful woman and how much I want to make this work.

I’m delusional, aren’t I?

Chapter 9

KATHRYN

How can men be so predictable and yet keep surprising me?

I predicted that Ian would want to fuck me at work at some point. What I did not predict was a blowjob and a further quickie in a closet in between a meeting and heading down to The Grand to see the latest renovations.

The man is nuts. And it turns me on.

“Good girl,” he growls into my ear, bending me over a tiny table and lifting my skirt. “Nice and wet.”

If he says so! This has gone by so quickly that I haven’t had time to stop and think, Gee, am I wet yet? Guess we’ll find out when he shoves it in!

I mean, I’m guessing I’m wet. I feel like I’ve been perpetually wet since yesterday morning, when I had that delicious sex dream and woke up to my Dom’s cock sliding into me. Then he took me back to his place after work, where I cooked him a simple but scrumptious dinner using whatever I found around his house. Usually I’m a mediocre cook, but that spaghetti came out fine.

Then Ian drew us a bath, where he kissed me all over and I washed every inch of his body.

Then he took me to bed. And took me.

Today I did not wake up to him knocking on my doors. Instead, I woke up to him still sleeping, arm flung over me and mumbling something about taxes and investments. It was adorable.

Now we’re here, in this closet. When our meeting finished, I knew something was up when Ian took me by the wrist and guided me down an empty hall.

I love it when he drags me somewhere for a quickie. Do you know how hot it is when your man wants you so badly that he’ll corner you in the office, whisper in your ear, grab your ass, and then haul you in your heels down for whatever the fuck he wants?

Yeah, me neither until a few weeks ago. Not until that presentation in front of the council when Mr. Ian Mathers took me to a room and fucked my brains out.

Today he’s all about his pleasure. Makes sense, considering the long scene we’ve been having for a day and a half. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how reasonable he’s been as a lifestyle Dom. I knew this shoe was going to drop, though, and now here we are, me taking my mouth off his hard dick and getting bent over so he can fuck me.

This isn’t the lovemaking from last night. This is full-on something else.

I gasp into a dingy corner of the maintenance closet as Ian spanks me. Not hard, but enough to make me quiver and know what he’s going to do to me.

“They have words for the kind of woman who does this sort of thing.”

Don’t I know it.

Ian’s cock is about one inch away from my opening. The anticipation kills me, and I lose myself all over my thighs. I would’ve been embarrassed a few weeks ago. Now? I love how it riles Ian up and makes him growl one of the foulest words a man can utter to a woman.

I’m debased, and I love it. Fuck me up, man.

He slaps his hand over my mouth as he thrusts into me. Good thing, and even better timing. It catches me so much by surprise that I cry out loud enough to alert someone in the halls.

We’re being kinky, but we don’t want to be caught. I don’t even think we’re getting off on the prospect of being caught. We’re lost in our own world of sudden sex and debauchery. It’s for us. It’s private. It’s something that could get us in big trouble if we were caught.

I can safely say, though, that I don’t give a shit about what could get us in trouble once Ian is inside me, fucking me with the intent of getting us both off as quickly as possible.

We’re due for lunch somewhere, after all.

“You like it like this?” His words sink in along with his cock, and here I am, trying to decide which I want to pay more attention to. “You like it when I fuck you like this on a whim?”

“Yes, sir.” I can barely speak with my mouth pressed against the wall. Shit, I can barely speak with this man fucking me like my sole purpose in life is to be fucked. “Thank you, sir.”