Page 22 of Serving the CEO

He stared at me, an unreadable expression on his face. I waited for some smart comeback, but he just looked at me as if I was a stranger, time stretching out until I began to feel uncomfortable. Finally, he shook his head.

“I’ve got meetings.”

The disappointment in his voice was faint, but I knew him well enough to hear it and it hurt more than I liked. We needed a little space before either of us said something we’d regret. I stood, secretly relieved he’d decided to go that route rather than push the issue. I didn’t want my closest friend pissed at me over something so stupid.

“Want to hit the club with me after work?” I chanced a smile. “Might be my last time for a while.”

“No.” He gave me another cool look as he returned to his desk. “Jessica may end up surprising you. She might decide she’ll never sleep with you.”

I grinned. “That won’t happen.”

“We’ll see.” Then he turned his attention to his computer, making it clear the conversation was finished.

* * *

A few hours and two glasses of high-end scotch later, I tried to forget the frustrating meeting with my best friend. It should have gone smoothly. Drew should have been on board with all of this. I was doing this for the book and our business. He wasmydamn friend and business partner. He should have trusted that I knew what I was doing.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and tossed back the last of my drink. I was in one of the city’s most prestigious sex clubs and I was still brooding over a conversation that hadn’t gone my way.

When I opened my eyes, I turned my attention to the stage where a show was already in progress.

A rather large, very naked, well-endowed man had tied a voluptuous to a St. Andrew’s cross and spent the last ten minutes using a cane to lay perfectly parallel stripes across her back and ass. Her skin was so pale that the red lines showed up beautifully and I couldn’t help wondering if those sorts of marks would be just as obvious on Jessica’s body.

The man set down the cane and picked up a flogger. As he settled into place behind her, I smiled, knowing exactly where the Dom was going to aim. The woman cried out as the thin straps came up right between her legs. Even from where I was sitting, I could hear the crack of leather against skin.

I liked using toys on my submissives, but the man on stage was a true artist, not just bringing pain and pleasure to his partner, but turning her skin into a canvas. I appreciated the vision, but my tastes tended to be a little more primal. For me, causing a sub pain wasn’t my pleasure. It was the control that got me off. That I needed.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught movement coming in my direction and looked away from where the Dom was putting aside his flogger and stroking his massive cock in a way that told me he was ready to get down to fucking.

The woman who now stood less than a foot away from me, however, held my attention more than the show. She was tall and slender, wearing a sheer baby doll dress that hid absolutely nothing. The silver bracelets on both her wrists would’ve told me that she was a sub even if her demure attitude and downturned eyes hadn’t.

She glanced at me, not making eye contact, but it was enough to tell me that she was interested. Intrigued, I snapped my fingers and she instantly dropped to her knees, placing her hands on her knees, palms up, her eyes downcast.

I leaned forward and ran a finger along her forearm. “Do you have a Master?”

She shook her head. “No, Sir.”

“Do you want one for tonight?”

“Yes, Sir.” She spoke in barely a whisper, but there was no hesitation in her voice.

“Shall we go somewhere to discuss your limits?” I stood and held out a hand.

She took it and stood. “Yes, please, Sir.”

“Right this way, doll,” I said.

I’d never played with this woman before, but I hoped she was ready for a long night. If I was going to have to be celibate for a few weeks, I needed to get enough tonight to tide me over.

ELEVEN

JESSICA

Half a dozen outfitswere strewn across my bed, each one chosen and discarded in my search for the perfect thing to wear tonight. I needed something that would let Derrick know that I was my own person and didn’t plan to change who I was for him, but a part of me also wanted him to find me attractive.

I was pretty sure my pale blue dress with the sweetheart neckline and mid-thigh hemline would do the trick.

“You look amazing,” Jami said, leaning against my bedroom door, her pretty face set in a decidedly unhappy scowl. “You should change. I’ve got some sloppy sweats and an old gray t-shirt that would work better.”

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