Page 1 of Hooked

Chapter 1

THE IMPATIENT DRUMMINGof her nails on her desk had synced with the annoyingly loud ticking of the clock on the wall behind her. She shouldn’t have been able to hear anything over the sound of the laser printer. But Olivia’s attention had zoned in on the minute hand, which seemed to have slowed to a snail’s pace the closer it got to quitting time.

While she waited for the last sheet of address labels, she tried to shift focus to something else, in case a clock was like a watched pot. A thud from the next office diverted her attention. Immediately, her mind conjured an image of the man behind the closed door.

At first glance, his classic crew cut, wire-rimmed glasses, and conservative suits—the staple being tweed, which he accessorized with an occasional bow tie—screamed nerd. If he added a pocket protector, he’d fit right in with the tax attorneys and accountants in the suite upstairs. Yet, one only had to be in his presence for a few minutes to learn how wrong first impressions could be.

His six-foot-seven-inch frame instantly turned heads whenever he walked into a room. The sparkle in his gorgeous green eyes, hidden behind the lenses of his round Harry Potter-esque frames, hinted at his quick wit and what she always suspected was a deeply buried mischievous nature. His voice didn’t boom like one would expect from a man his size. Instead, its smooth, hypnotic baritone captivated from the first word to the last compelling inflection.

After three years of working at the prestigious Austin law firm, sitting only a few feet from his door and soaking up the authority and understated yet still potent masculinity he exuded, she was in love and lust with Joseph R. Hooks III.

It was unfortunate she’d fallen so hard for him because even though he starred in every one of her naughty daydreams and nighttime fantasies, it couldn’t ever be more than that. The firm had a strict no-fraternization policy, and Joseph was nothing if not a stickler for the rules. He was also her boss, but those were the least of the barriers to being with him. Foremost was that in the thirty-seven months, twenty-three days, and seven and a half hours—but who was counting—since she started working as his legal secretary, he had never looked at her with more than a professional interest.

“Ms. Wright.” His unusually stern voice pierced the silence of her office.

She swiveled in her chair to find him in front of her desk, frowning down at her.

“Is something wrong, sir?”

“Most assuredly. Stand up, please.”

Livia slowly came to her feet. Almost six feet tall in her four-inch heels, she wasn’t used to being towered over, but being next to him was like she’d stepped into a hole. Rather than feeling intimidated, the disparity in size made her feel petite and feminine and stirred a primal desire within her to yield to his authority.

“Hands on your desk and assume the position.”

The order and his expectations were clear—and shocking.

She gasped in alarm. “You’re not serious.”

“Ah, but I am. Your actions are a reflection on me. We’ll address your recent decline in efficiency here and now, which hopefully will nip it in the bud.”

“What did I do?”

“If you give it due consideration, I believe it will come to you.”

Calm and collected, her employer rarely got riled, but he didn’t tolerate subpar performance and never hesitated to address it, except he’d never done it like this.

He crossed his arms and gazed at her soberly from his lofty height. A glint of something she couldn’t quite name, maybe eagerness or arousal—please, let it be arousal—reflected in his beautiful eyes.

“Bend over your desk, Olivia. Procrastination will only earn you more.”

Warmth and wetness flooded the needy and long-neglected place between her thighs, dampening her panties. Punishment at Joseph’s hand was the best fringe benefit of her job. She’d eagerly give them all up—vacation time, expense account, health, vision, and dental—for this perk alone. As a submissive, she craved his dominance and yearned to be under his control. She also wanted to please him and readily accepted the consequences when she did not.

Rolling her chair out of the way, Livia lowered her upper body from belly to cheek onto the flat surface.

“Skirt up, panties down, little one. You’ve worked for me long enough to know my requirements.”

Little one.Said in his deep, resonant voice, the endearment had her juices flowing, quite literally.

“Yes, sir,” she replied, breathless with excitement.

She placed her hands on the desktop to push herself up and bare her bottom as he demanded, but he stopped.

“Maintain your position. You should be able to do as I’ve ordered from where you are.”

Her cheeks flushed hotly. The indignity of being punished by her employer wasn’t something she’d soon forget. But presenting her bare bottom by adjusting her own clothing made it seem as though she was a willing accomplice.

And aren’t you?

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