Page 28 of Snow Bound (Odyssey #1)

It fell to mid-calf and was so tight it would’ve been impossible to walk in if it hadn’t been for the slit going up one thigh, so high he caught a glimpse of the lace topping her stocking.

On her feet were pointy-toed pumps with a mile-high heel and a sexy little ankle strap that sparkled with rhinestones.

He let his gaze wander back up, noted the quiver of her breasts with both pleasure and satisfaction. He smiled into her eyes. “ You found everything all right?”

“Yes. Including the plug,” she said, answering his unspoken question, and wiggled her hips.

He laughed. “ Good . I like what you did with your hair.”

Pleasure pinkened her cheeks. “ Yeah ? I wasn’t sure.”

“It’s perfect.” The sleek updo bared her neck and shoulders and added to the sophisticated look. He’d imagined her hair down for this, so he could get his hands in it, but this was better. This way, he could mess her up.

She’d used the eye makeup exactly as he’d envisioned. Her eyes looked smoky and heavy-lidded, the eyeliner thickly drawn. And she’d used a generous hand with the mascara.

She looked lovely. Polished , sophisticated, and if things went well, she’d look the exact opposite by the time he was done.

He gave her hands a little squeeze. “ Ready ?”

She laughed, a nervous little giggle. “ For what? I have no idea what’s going on.”

“You’re about to be interrogated,” he told her, and dropped her hands to slip a band of black cloth out of his pocket.

“I am?”

He drew the cloth through his hands, watching her face. “ Are you up for that?”

She pressed a shaking hand to her belly. “ I think so?”

“I’m not going to use anything that you haven’t marked as a yes on your list,” he reminded her, “but it could get intense. What are your safewords?”

“Yellow for slow down or pause, red for stop.” She swallowed, her eyes darting between the blindfold in his hands and his face. “ Green for go.”

“Use them if you need them.” He leaned down to brush a soft kiss over her mouth, careful not to muss her lipstick—yet. “ Do you need to do anything before we get started? Eat something, drink something, use the bathroom?”

She shook her head. “ No .”

“Okay, then.” He held up the narrow band of cloth. “ Close your eyes.”

Her eyes stayed on his, nerves and arousal alive in their velvety depths. Then she drew a steadying breath, let it out slowly, and closed her eyes.

Grant swallowed the lump in his throat. The display of trust was both staggering and wildly arousing, and he had to take a second to make sure his hands were steady before he slipped the length of stretchy cotton over her head.

He was careful to place the seam at the back of her head, trying not to pull at her hair as he settled it in place.

It was actually a headband, according to the description online, but it made a perfect blindfold.

Not too tight, stretchy and breathable, wide enough to cover her eyes and thick enough she couldn’t see through it.

He rested his hands lightly on her shoulders so she’d know where he was. “ Can you see anything?”

“A little bit of light,” she replied, her fingers fluttering up to pat at the cloth. “ But nothing else.”

“Good.” He slid his hands in a gentle stroke down her arms, back up again. “ How does that make you feel?”

“Nervous,” came the immediate response. “ Excited .”

“Good.” He reached down for her right hand, bringing it up and drawing it through the crook of his arm. “ I’m going to lead you where we need to go, all right?”

She nodded, and her other hand came to grip his forearm. “ Okay .”

“Easy, normal steps,” he told her, and started walking. “ I’ll warn you when we get to the stairs.”

“Stairs?” Her head turned as though to look behind her at the stairs she’d just left, and he bit back a laugh.

“Not those stairs.”

They walked in silence for a moment, the only sound the click of their shoes on the floor and Anna’s thickening breathing until they got to the basement door.

“I’m opening a door now,” he told her, and drew her forward onto the landing. “ There’s a railing to your left. Reach out and put your hand on it.”

Her hand lifted from his arm, and he waited until she’d located the railing and had a good grip. “ Now , with your right foot, step down.”

Her head swiveled toward him. “ Down ?”

“Down.”

Her foot slid forward, skimming across the floor until she’d cleared the landing and felt nothing but air. She stepped down carefully.

“Good.” He stepped down with her. “ Keep going. I’m right beside you.”

They made their way slowly down the steps, one at a time, until they reached the bottom. “ Last one,” he told her. “ You can let go of the banister now.”

“Okay,” she said, her voice so soft it was almost a whisper.

He covered her fingers with his, felt their trembling. “ How’re you doing?”

“Okay.” Her tongue came out to wet her lips. “ I’m green.”

“Good girl,” he whispered, and watched her color come up. “ I’m going to lead you to a chair, all right? Just walk with me.”

He guided her across the room to the big wooden chair he’d placed in the center of the circle of light. The small space heater under the table had beaten back most of the chill, though the air still held a definite hint of damp.

“Okay, you’re right in front of the chair. Go ahead and put your hands down, feel the arms.” He waited until she complied. “ Good . Sit down.”

She did so with a sigh. Her body sagged slightly, tension draining out now that she no longer had to navigate a strange room blindly. Sitting was no doubt a welcome relief, though it wouldn’t be for long.

He crouched by the chair and picked up the leather cuff he’d attached to the arm with a zip tie. “ Put your hand on the arm of the chair,” he told her, and picked up her hand to show her exactly what he wanted her to do. “ I’m going to cuff you to it.”

Her body jerked slightly at the touch of leather, the clink of the buckles as he secured it into place.

He slid a finger between her wrist and the cuff, making sure it was tight enough she couldn’t slip out, but not so tight as to interfere with her circulation.

Satisfied , he did the same with the other arm, and noted the fine trembling that shook her body.

He rested his hands on her knees. “ Give me a color.”

“I’m green.”.

“You sure?” His hands smoothed over her thighs. “ You’re shaking.”

“I always shake at the top of the rollercoaster,” she told him, her face tipped down so that if she wasn’t blindfolded, she’d be looking right at him. “ I still want to go on the ride.”

“All right, then.” He stroked her knees gently once, twice, then tightened his grip and yanked her thighs apart.

Her gasp—shock, excitement—was like music. He secured her ankles to the legs of the chairs, checking to make sure they weren’t too tight before once again placing his hands on her thighs.

He swept his hands over her legs in slow, even strokes designed to both soothe and incite. “ Here’s the setup. You’ve been embezzling from your boss, and he’s very unhappy about that.”

Her lips parted in surprise, then twitched into a smirk. “ And are you my boss?”

“I am.”

“Oh, goody.”

He stifled a laugh. “ I’m a very important man, with very important business interests. I don’t like it when people steal from me.”

“Maybe you’d better call a cop,” she suggested.

“I prefer a more hands-on management style,” he told her, amused. “ I like to take care of these little inconveniences in house, so to speak.”

She shivered even as she let out a husky laugh. “ That doesn’t sound like it bodes well for me.”

He grinned. “ The missing money has put me in a bit of a financial bind, and I’ve had to resort to rather...unusual means for financing.”

“Let me guess.” She licked her lips. “ The mob?”

“Such an old-fashioned label,” he tsked. “ Let’s just say they’re very protective of their investments. And when I told them I was having problems with one of my staff?—”

“Which would be me?”

“Which would be you,” he agreed, “they wanted to step in.”

“Oh, dear.”

“Mmm. I managed to convince them that I could handle it. So , I threw a party at my house, knowing you’d come, and with the help of my new investor, managed to spirit you away to this cozy little soundproofed basement.”

Her breathing took on a slight hitch, delighting him. “ Is that where we are?”

“Indeed. A nice, quiet space where we won’t be interrupted. Where I’m going to make you tell me what you’ve done with my money.”

He waited a beat, then pushed to his feet. “ Any questions?”

“A clarification.” Her head tilted, following his voice. “ I get to be as bratty as I want?”

“As bratty as you want,” he confirmed, and unable to resist, leaned down to press a hard kiss on her smiling mouth. “ You ready?” he whispered.

She nodded, rubbing her cheek against his. “ Ready .”

“Remember your safewords, and use them if you need to.”

He waited until she nodded again, then stepped away. “ When I slam the door, we begin.”

She wiggled in the chair, testing her bonds, getting comfortable. Though with that plug in her ass, not too comfortable.

He grinned and walked over to the half dozen computer monitors he’d set up on a folding table about ten feet in front of Anna’s chair.

He turned them on, noted the cameras were running.

Five of the monitors held a view of Anna , each from a different angle, so no part of her would go unobserved.

The sixth monitor sat on a TV tray he’d unearthed from storage.

He’d set it up in front of the table, right in Anna’s line of sight, and since the tray sat shorter than the table, the monitor didn’t block any of the others.

He switched it on, checked the view, then switched it off again. He pulled his phone out and sent a quick text to Michael , then set it on the table in front of the monitor.

Then he walked over to the door that stood open at the bottom of the stairs and slammed it shut.