The thought of him made her even more nervous now.

She walked up the three steps to the front door. The entrance was stunning with a stained-glass door and matching sidelights, in a simple diamond pattern.

When she used to go over to Helen’s to hang out, she’d always been conscious of his presence. He was usually working in his den, but sometimes she’d see him when he went to get a drink, or he’d be reading the paper in the living room. Sometimes when Helen’s mom would invite her over for dinner, she’d feel his gaze on her, sending quivers down her spine.

Once she caught sight of him taking a swim in the pool and she’d been astonished at his hard, muscular body. To her shock, she’d had hot dreams of him that night.

She’d always felt self-conscious around him. He was Helen’s stepfather. Tall, gorgeous, and intimidating. Not that he’d ever tried to intimidate her. Her heart thumped as she remembered how he would look at her with those dark, unreadable midnight blue eyes, and smile. In those instants, she’d always felt like the most special person in the world.

She knew it had just been her fantasizing. She was just a friend of his stepdaughter’s. He was polite, but she was barely of notice to him.

Now he’d agreed to help her with her article and she was thankful for that.

She sighed and knocked on the door.

*   *   *

The door opened and Ashley found herself gazing into Mr. Gallagher’s deep midnight blue eyes. The sight of him took her breath away. His dark wavy hair gleamed in the light from the entryway. He wore black jeans and a blue-and-white-striped shirt, yet his attire did not feel casual. Something about the way it hung on his large frame. Neat, streamlined, almost as if the clothes had been tailored to his body. Which they probably were. He was a very wealthy man. This house—which she could tell from the grounds and the elegant entryway behind, with the sparkling chandelier and marble floor—was clearly very expensive, and it was just one of many he owned.

But what affected her the most, standing here in front of him, was the sheer power of his presence. There was a natural air of authority about him that had nothing to do with the age difference between them.

“Ashley. Welcome.”

“Thank you.” She barely stopped herself from stammering the words. She hadn’t realized she’d been gritting her teeth until she opened her mouth to speak, so she concentrated on relaxing her jaw.

“May I take your coat?”

She slipped off her short leather jacket and handed it to him. He opened the closet door and hung up her jacket, then turned to her again. His gaze settled on her face, then perused lower, down her body. God, she felt underdressed in her faded jeans and lace-trimmed T-shirt. She could feel her shoulders stiffening as he examined her.

Then he smiled and some of that tension eased.

“Please, come in.” He moved aside and she stepped into the large foyer.

A curved staircase led to the second storey. Up there would be the bedrooms. Heat sizzled through her at thoughts of him carrying her up the stairs and tossing her onto his big bed, then stripping the clothes from her body. Her gaze darted to Mr. Gallagher and his lips curled up in amusement, as if he could read her lustful thoughts about him. A man who looked like him probably had that happen all the time.

“Would you like a tour of the house?” he asked.

She glanced back at the staircase and shook her head. “I’d love to see it, but maybe we could just talk about … uh…”

She froze. Oh, God, it was too weird to talk about this.

She’d never actually talked to him about this. She hadn’t had to because Jessica had asked a longtime friend of hers who worked at a BDSM club in town if she knew someone whom Ash could interview. Surprisingly, she’d told Jessica confidentially that Helen’s stepfather, who’d just come back into town for business, frequented the club. Jessica’s friend had contacted Mr. Gallagher to see if he’d be interested in being interviewed by Ashley and he’d sent her an e-mail agreeing to the interview and setting the time.

“Domination?”

The word, even coming casually from his lips, sent her insides quivering. He was a Dominant. Dom, for short. He commanded women to do as he bid. They became his sex slaves, doing whatever he wanted them to do. Her breath caught and she felt her insides melting. What would it be like to be controlled by him? For him to tell her to strip off her clothes, then get down on her knees in front of him and …

“Relax, Ashley. I’m not going to chain you up or anything.” He smiled. “Unless you want me to.”

His words evoked images of her chained to the wall, naked, his hot gaze gliding over her body. Her skin began to tingle and she felt weak-kneed.

Oh, God, this had been a terrible idea. She’d had no idea this would have such a potent effect on her.

“Follow me.”

Instead of turning to the large living room off the foyer, he led her down the hallway past a formal dining room, into a casual living room off the kitchen. He sat down in a large, black leather chair. She glanced around, uncertain what to do. A bottle of red wine stood on the table, already open, and one empty stemmed glass stood beside it.

“Sit down.”

Her gaze flicked to his at the tone of his words. With a slight commanding edge.

She glanced at the couch in front of him and then the chair angled toward it.

“On the couch.”

His tone brooked no argument.

She walked toward the couch and sat down.

“Thank you for agreeing to help me, Mr. Gallagher.”

“You can call me Dare for now.” He sat back in his chair. “I understand that you want me to teach you about Domination and submission.”

“Yes, I’m doing an article for the magazine and—”

He raised his hand in a stop gesture. “A yes or no will suffice.”

She stared at him, a little taken aback. His face hadn’t changed at all yet somehow it seemed stern.

“I want you to understand,” he said, “that we’re going to do this my way.”

Nervousness prickled through her. “But I have questions prepared that—”

His hard gaze stopped her flow of words instantly.

“What I intend to do is show you what a Dominant-submissive relationship is like. That’s the only way you’ll really understand the play of power. And the excitement.”

“Um … but you know this is not … uh, I mean … I’d just like to clarify that…”

Oh, no, how did she broach this?

“Are you trying to say that you’re not here for a sexual relationship?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I understand.” But the twinkle in his eye didn’t set her at ease.

He sat back in his chair.

“You and I have known each other for a long time,” he continued, “but we don’t know each other well. Still, I believe because of our shared history and the fact you and my ex-stepdaughter are good friends that you trust me.”

“Yes, that’s—” At his sharp expression, she stopped talking, punctuating the partial sentence with a nod.

The almost imperceptible sternness in his face softened and she felt a rush of pleasure at his approval.

“Good. That trust is very important and we’re going to build on it. As we move forward you will follow my commands instantly and without question. Do you understand?”

Her chest tightened. “Yes, but…” Before his expression could turn to disapproval she blurted, “I mean, no.” She did understand his words but she didn’t agree with them.

He raised an eyebrow. “What is it you don’t understand?”

“Well, uh…” She felt out of her depth. Like he was the general of a great invading force and she was a lowly peasant woman. “I need to ask questions about how things work and get background about the lifestyle and such.”

“You don’t learn about Domination and submission by discussing it. I think it’s important that you experience it directly. So while we work on this project, you will be my sub, but we can leave out the sexual aspect, if that’s what you want.” He smiled, his eyes twinkling. “Personally, I think it would be better for you to have the complete experience, but you’re an intelligent, perceptive and creative woman, so I am confident you can do your research to fill in that part of the experience.”