Page 39

M y brain was still going ninety miles an hour. I was struggling to reconcile what I’d been told on the server against the knowledge that the man I was currently involved with would actually do what she’d said. It didn’t make sense. So many times, he’d explicitly told me that once he had touched me, he didn’t want anyone else. Adrian was adamant about that. Why then was she saying otherwise?

I wasn’t na?ve about relationships. I had been in a long-term one when I was in college and I’d dated off and on over the years, but this…whatever this was with Adrian was different. He was different. He made me think about things differently, not to mention, he made me feel differently and I didn’t like it.

I never would have called myself submissive before, and yet, I wanted to please him always. This was nothing like trying to please my narcissistic mother. No matter what I tried to do, I was never good enough for her. Better yet, on the rare occasions she actually complimented me on something, it was always followed by a criticism. “These grades look really good, but….” “That job sounds great, but….” There were always conditions.

With Adrian, though, I didn’t get that impression at all. His praise came with no conditions, and even when I made a mistake, he never made me feel less than. I didn’t have any sort of desperate need to make him care about me. I just naturally wanted to do my best.

My brain continued to swirl as I replayed the conversation on the server. Deep down, I didn’t completely believe what PainSlut had told me, but the holdover emotions from dealing with my mother for so long had me waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Not able to eat anything solid, I’d opted to get a smoothie with added protein. I would need it to get through the rest of the day.

Finally making my way back to the office, I had a load of items that had been ordered from the stores around BT. Months ago, I discovered it was easier for me to click and collect instead of trying to cram errands in after work.

My left arm was weighted down with various handled bags, my right one carried my purse and smoothie, and I had earbuds in while finishing up a conversation with my father. I breezed through the lobby doors, made my way toward my desk and it was then I spotted a gift-wrapped box. I recognized the signature wrap instantly and was intrigued. This must be the item Adrian wanted me to handle when I got back.

The bold scrawl on a sticky note left no room for misinterpretation, and considering I understood the rules very well, I didn’t even have to open the damn box to know what was in it. I couldn’t quite decide if I should be flustered, flattered, or furious.

Stashing my other packages, I lifted the box lid to see what color he had ordered this time. Red. Fucking red. Thoughts of another red set came to the forefront, and I shivered involuntarily.

“8:17. 17? What is it with the weirdly precise times?” I muttered under my breath.

“Is there a problem Ms. Davis?” The deep baritone that came out of nowhere startled me, making me gasp and spin to face him. I had to have imagined the small twitch at the corner of his mouth. He wouldn’t be taking delight in keeping me off balance, would he?

“No, Sir. No problem at all,” I replied. “This matter will be handled appropriately as specified.” My tone was slightly frosty, but not nearly as clipped as it had been earlier today.

With a nod, he turned toward the hallway leading to the kitchen area. “I trust that it will be.”

My heart rate was still elevated by the time he walked back to his office with a cup of coffee, and I found I had to concentrate even harder to get through the rest of the afternoon. I refused to openly show how much he affected me.

Finally, the end of the workday arrived. I had to make sure Lug Nut was taken care of before I went to Lotus and Kevin agreed to walk him for his final outing. I would be in no shape to do that when I got home later. Perhaps I was making assumptions about the direction of the evening, but all the signs were there that I would be very preoccupied once I arrived at Lotus.

After feeding the dog, I opened the gift bag and my jaw fell open. As usual, Adrian’s taste was impeccable, and due to the sheerness of the material, this set left little to the imagination.

I took a shower, making sure I applied liberal amounts of my favorite scented lotion, then took time to apply makeup that fit the mood. I went with a smoky eye and cheek color that made me appear like I was flushed, as well as a lip color that appeared like I was pouting. With a dusting of shimmer powder along my cheekbones, and between my breasts, I was then able to slip into the barely there lingerie set that I’d laid out on the bed.

A quick glance at my phone to check the time and I saw a text message from the driver, letting me know his estimated pick- up time. Tonight was Raul and he was one of my favorites. All the drivers used by Lotus were exceptional, but I had a soft spot for Raul. He also owned a pit bull, so we swapped dog stories whenever it was his turn to fetch me.

Sliding my feet into black Jimmy Choos, I covered up with my trench coat and grabbed my purse. Raul would keep it safe until I was ready to come back.

My final primp was to pin my hair into a messy updo. It made my eyes look huge while at the same time was casual…as though I hadn’t given a damn about appearances.

Raul arrived right on time, and I was locking up the front door when he pulled up into the driveway. He opened the back door and smiled broadly, chuckling as I discretely handed over my small clutch purse.

“I still can’t quite figure why you still have to do this,” he said.

“Do what? Give you my purse? Why would I be any different?” I got into the back seat and arranged myself, making sure not to flash Raul, though I was sure he had seen a lot during his tenure.

“Considering you and Erebus are basically exclusive, I wouldn’t think it was necessary,” he replied, handing me a blindfold before smoothly putting the black Jaguar into gear and pulling away.

“I can’t be seen being treated any differently,” I said, tying the black silk over my eyes as I always had. “That would not be a good look if it appeared that certain Doms had favorites. I’ll follow the rules like everyone else.”

I heard fabric rustle and assumed he had shrugged. He then changed the topic to his dog, Thor. He had shown me pictures of that massive beast on previous drives. His dog was gorgeous, but apparently, he wasn’t very smart. I was laughing about Thor’s encounter with a beehive when I felt the car come to a stop. My heart rate kicked up again, and my stomach fluttered knowing that in seconds I would be on the other side of those doors. It had been quite a while since my last visit. What awaited me?

Shoulders squared, I entered, giving my eyes some time to adjust to the darkened interior. Familiar sounds and smells assaulted my senses and I felt a strange feeling of comfort.

Adrian was nowhere to be seen, but he typically stood in the shadows, watching me and letting me squirm a bit before making his presence known. I knew he was here. I could feel him and if I concentrated hard enough, I thought I could even smell his cologne. I took a few steps toward the main lobby and toward the staged scene where a submissive was on a St. Andrew’s cross being flogged with a cat o-nine tails. The vocalizations she released ranged from guttural moans of desire to full out screaming. I paused at the back of the lobby, fascinated at the marks on her skin. They had been in this scene for a while based on the color and number of welts. She had to be extremely close to emotional overload.

“You seem very interested in that scene, Karma.” The throaty voice in my ear came out of nowhere. I almost thought I had imagined it until I felt a long finger trace the slope of my shoulder.

“Red is your color. Especially this set. You’re stunning.”

“Thank you, Sir,” I said. “I’m glad you approve.” My voice was breathy. I was almost panting, and I was mere minutes into the evening. I felt a nip on the side of my neck and my nipples tightened instantly. He stepped closer, pressing his body against me and I could feel how hard he was. Taking a breast in each hand, he pinched and rolled my nipples until they throbbed and it was all I could do to stay upright.

“How wet are you, Karma?” He demanded.

“Very, Sir.”

“Prove it.”

My eyes still on the staged scene, I lowered my hand, sliding it into the lacy thong, where I ran my fingers through my slit, holding up my hand so he could taste.

“Fuck!” He growled. “It’s time to get started. Let’s go.”

Taking my hand, he led me past the bar area and the back of my neck began to tingle. Glancing around, I caught sight of PainSlut. A variety of emotions crossed her features, including panic and then anger. What was her problem?

Reaching his private room, I waited for him to open the door. As it swung open, I began to walk through, but not before he grabbed my chin, holding me in place. His eyes were incredibly dark, like they usually were when the energy was this intense between us.

“Strip and present, Karma. And know this, I’m not stopping until you let everything out.”