Page 9 of Naughty Bedtime Stories

Slowly, she lifted her head, focusing a heavy-lidded, aroused stare at him. “I’m trying, Ryan.”

“Do you like what I’m doing to you?” he demanded, knowing she did but needing to hear it. There were rules and boundaries that had to be set before they were inside the society.

“Yes,” she whispered.

“But yet you hid your face from me, and you claim you can’t believe you are doing this,” he stated. “That doesn’t sound like a woman who’s ready to go inside the society.”

Her fingers tightened on his shirt. “No… I mean, yes, I am… I…”

Her hesitation set off alarm bells, telling him she was either having cold feet or too shy to tell him what she wanted or didn’t want. Whichever it was, he needed to know, and he needed it remedied if they were going further into sexual exploration.

He lowered her leg, dragged the material of her dress down her legs, and then trapped her body against the car. He broke their physical connection, his hands on the roof, body framing but not touching her. “We’re going to keep this simple, since this is your first, and perhaps, only time inside the society,” he said. “If you don’t like something, you simply say ‘stop,’ and I’ll stop. If I ask you if you want me to keep doing something or if you like something, and you don’t answer, I will stop, as well. Understood?”

She blinked at him. “Yes.” Her chin lifted. “And I’m not afraid to say what I want or don’t want. I’m just new at this. I…I didn’t want you to stop what you were doing, but I need to make sure we have one thing clear. Tonight, I’m yours.Tomorrow, I belong to myself. And I’m darn sure no one’s submissive in the boardroom. This changes none of that.”

“We have an agreement,” he said, and he meant it. Her ability to be both submissive and dominant drew him to her. Not that she was the first woman he’d known with such a trait, but the first who had held his interest. Sarah appealed to him in all kinds of colorful, arousing ways that few others ever had. “That is, as long as you, Sarah, know that tonight, I own more than your pleasure. I ownyou.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

Ryan had been right when he’d said anticipation equaled arousal, because as Sarah followed him out of the garage and into the house, with her hand tucked into his, her pulse was jumping, and her body was wet and hot in all the right places. Her high heels clicked on expensive tiles, and her gaze brushed even more expensive paintings on the walls. But her surroundings were mere decoration since it was the man who captivated her.

Sarah watched Ryan as he walked, claiming every molecule of the room with his presence, her gaze riveted on the confident way he carried himself, on the killer way his custom suit was molded to his broad shoulders, accenting his athletic build. He was a gorgeous man who exuded power and masculinity in ways few others did. Sarah wanted the fantasy she’d lived all these years since her visit to Silk. The fantasy wasn’t just about being a submissive; it was about being a submissive to Ryan. Yes. Ryan was her fantasy.

Though admittedly, she’d endured a moment of panic back by the car with the first moment of feeling out of control—sleeping with the enemy wasn’t what most people wouldconsider smart, while willingly playing sex games with said enemy, which required her to be submissive, would most likely be called borderline insane. And perhaps, the illicit, forbidden aspect of being with Ryan was all a part of the enticement. All her life she’d been good, she’d been in control. Tonight, she wanted to escape.

They paused in a foyer, where a winding stairwell, covered in red carpet, led to a high balcony and made her think of old elegance,Gone with the Windstyle.

“Where is everyone?” she asked, realizing that this place was nothing like Silk. They were alone, not a voice to be heard or a person to be seen. There was no music, no moaning, no naked bodies. Somehow, the calmness, the lack of what she’d assumed would be an obvious display of sex and seduction, as had been the case in Silk so many years before, set her on edge. There was no place to hide here, no place to disappear in the midst of everyone else’s pleasure.

“The mansion is the master’s quarters I mentioned in the car,” Ryan explained. “It’s an exclusive section of the society that isn’t open to the general membership, just as a nonmember isn’t allowed inside the society domains without formal application for membership.”

She remembered what he’d said, yes, but hadn’t computed then, as she did now, that Ryan was one of the controlling masters of the society. The realization sent a wild flutter through her stomach, and a rush of heat across her skin. Of course, he was a controlling master. He was a leader in everything he did, dominant in every way, in control. Soon to be in control of her, too. Their eyes locked and held, electricity crackling in the air, and she knew he was thinking the same thing.

“Welcome to my world, Sarah,” he said softly. He started to walk backward, leading her by the hand he still held, towarda double door to the left of the stairwell, when a male voice called out from the stairwell.

“Ryan.”

Sarah and Ryan turned toward the unexpected voice, and Sarah found a tall, dark-haired man in his mid-thirties, headed their way, a man who could be described as nothing shy of magnificent.

“I wasn’t aware we had a guest tonight,” the man said, nearly at the bottom of the stairs now, and Sarah noted that his black slacks and black button-down shirt were tailored to perfection, and clung to the long, lean lines of a body honed to magnificence. This was the kind of man who made the clothes, not the opposite. The kind of man who claimed everything he touched.

Ryan’s hand slid to Sarah’s back, closing the distance between them, as ifhewere claiming her, as if he sensed what she was feeling. She could feel the heat of his hand, the possessiveness burning through her thin dress. And she liked it. She liked it probably far more than she should. What was it about Ryan that made an independent businesswoman want to be possessed? She didn’t know. No other man had evoked such primitive arousal in her.

The newcomer cleared the stairwell and stopped in front of Sarah and Ryan, towering above her, but eye level with Ryan. The men shook hands before Ryan did the introductions.

“Sarah,” he said. “This is Marcus Alexander, the controlling partner in the society and the owner of the property.” He glanced at Marcus. “And Marcus, this is Sarah Michaels. The acting CEO of Chocolate Delights.”

Marcus arched a dark brow, a pair of piercing blue eyes registering understanding and interest. “An interesting pairing if I ever saw one.” He offered her his hand. “Nice to meet you, Sarah.”

Sarah accepted his hand, and she felt the touch clear to her toes, as if she was ultrasensitized, as if he oozed sex and it was seeping clear to her bones. She actually felt her cheeks warm, not to mention her thighs burn. Good gosh, she was an attorney, a CEO now, too, and she was blushing.In a sex club. Something she was pretty sure was a sign she was in over her head here. “Nice to meet you, as well,” she managed to choke out, thinking how insane the formality was under the circumstances. Actually, the formality was etched into the very walls of this place. No. It wasn’t formality, she realized. It was ultimate, complete control, that one could not, would not, be allowed to hide from.

As if driving her thoughts home, letting her know he did, indeed, believe he owned her while she was in his home, Marcus held her hand several drawn-out seconds, his stare resting on her face, assessing, probing, like an attorney with a witness on the stand, before finally he released her, his gaze lifting to Ryan’s. “We have a new membership test beginning at the top of the hour. I’ll arrange to have Sarah included.”

Sarah’s heart jumped right into her throat. New membership test? Oh, no. She didn’t like the sound of that one bit, but before she could fully reach the point of panic all over again, Ryan said, “Not tonight.”

It was all Sarah could do to contain a sigh of relief, which she construed as yet another indicator that she was in over her head with this society. Soveryover her head. Part of her screamed with the loss of her fantasy, wanted to cling to it, while another part just wanted to run—and run fast and far.

Marcus considered Ryan a moment longer, with what appeared to be a hint of surprise, before he gave a short nod. “Understood.” He then shifted his dark, heavy gaze to Sarah. “I hope to see more of you very soon, Sarah.” He turned and headed to the front door.

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