Betting on Fate (5 page)

She just had to figure out how to get the power back in her hands, and fast.

Chapter Five

Will hung up the phone, fuming. Three phone calls to Penelope, all unanswered and unreturned. Her receptionist had said she was out of the office with no plans to stop by for the rest of the day. She was dodging him, making him work for her time. He dropped his cell onto his desk. He’d fully intended to have her here for lunch, to implement his plan to start breaking through her walls and giving her more pleasure than she could have dreamed. Knowing he was the first one to dominate her made him want to set a standard no one else could live up to.

It was selfish and wrong and more than a little vain, but that wasn’t going to stop him. She’d pushed him closer to losing control than he’d been in nearly a decade, and he couldn’t help the desire to punish her for it.

But he couldn’t damn well do so when he couldn’t locate her.

It was Saturday, yes, but she would be in the office just like he was. She was too married to her job to be anywhere else. Will sat back and tapped his steepled fingers against his lips. He could always go to her office and wait for her. The very idea irked him—his time was too valuable to be spent on a lobby couch, reading magazines and cooling his heels. But he had to do
something
, because he couldn’t allow her to get away with this infraction.

He pushed to his feet and headed for the door. Marissa looked up as he passed her desk. “Do you need something?”

“No. I’ve got a lead to run down, so forward my calls to my cell.”

“Sure thing.”

The winter air slapped his face, but the temperature did nothing to cool his ire. He set off, eating up the distance with his long strides. Carson & Associates was a handful of blocks away, and he needed that distance to get a hold of himself. What was he going to do? Burst in there and turn her over his knee?

It wasn’t an option, no matter how pleasing he found the idea.

Like it or not, he was trapped by the same set of rules Penelope was now flaunting. He couldn’t—
wouldn’t
—put her career or professional image in danger. It would be inexcusable, even if he wasn’t acting as her Dom for the next week. He was supposed to protect her. Push her to her limits, yes. Stretch her boundaries in ways she never would have considered, of course. But harming her in any way? Unacceptable.

He clenched his hands and forced them to relax. She would be punished for making herself scarce, but it would be in a controlled environment—no matter how much he wanted to put her in her place as soon as he laid eyes on her.

Will took a right, finding the business sign a few doors down. The door led up a narrow flight of stairs and into a surprisingly roomy office. It was colored in tones of fall, all warm beiges and browns with a few burnt orange pillows as counterpoint. He’d expected something more industrial or streamlined to go with Penelope’s ball busting attitude, but perhaps he should have considered her southern roots. Every part of this waiting room was designed to relax a client, to make them comfortable and get them to lower their barriers. He was impressed despite himself.

A man who barely looked more than sixteen sat behind the receptionist’s desk. His eyes went wide when he took in Will. “Can I help you?”

“Point me in the direction of Penelope’s office.”

The man’s eyes darted to a hallway leading to a set of three doors. “She’s not in, but I can take a message.”

He was lying through his teeth. Will turned on his heel and stalked down the hallway to the last door, which had her name on a plaque outside it. He opened the door without knocking then kicked it shut behind him, cutting off the babbling receptionist.

Penelope sat behind a desk that was bigger than his, her phone pressed against her ear. He crossed his arms, waiting.

“I’m going to have to call you back, sugar,” she told the person on the other end of the line, then hung up without waiting for an answer. “What are you doing here?”

“I could be asking you the same question.” He jerked his chin at the door. “Your receptionist seems to be under the mistaken impression that you were out of the office for the day. And your phone must be broken, because that’s the only possible reason I can come up with for you not returning my calls.”

“Or maybe I had things to take care of and didn’t feel like going another round with you.”

“That’s a shame, pet, because it’s not your call.” He reached behind him and locked her door, the
click
absurdly loud in the silence of the room. Will waited for her to protest, but she merely raised her eyebrows in a challenge. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you provoke me for the sheer pleasure of receiving a punishment.”

“That’s absurd.”

Was it? He rounded the desk, taking in her clothing with a single sweep of his gaze. Today it was a fitted dress that hugged her curves, framing the mounds of her breasts to perfection and covering her to her knees. It was a startling green that made his mouth water. “If you’re aiming for modest with this dress, you’re missing the mark by miles.”

Penelope snorted. “You don’t know a lot about women’s fashion.”

“I know enough. Up.” He motioned.

“Are you going to spank me, Sir?”

He didn’t miss the interest that lighted her eyes at the thought. So, he’d been right. She was deliberately provoking him to get a specific response. “Hands on the desk.” He moved the chair out of the way so he could stand behind her. Christ, she had a body that went on for days. Between that and her attitude, was it any wonder she tempted him in ways no woman had in his
living memory?

Will allowed himself to slide his hands down her sides to cup her hips. “You want me to spank you.” He kept going, hooking his fingers beneath the hem of her dress. “You loved it when I did last night.” With one swift move, he peeled her dress up, baring her from the waist down. As he’d suspected, she was missing a vital part of her wardrobe. “You’ve been sitting here all morning, fantasizing about my doing it again.”

“You have an overinflated opinion of yourself. I haven’t spared you a thought since I left that room last night.”

“Liar. I’ll tell you a secret, pet.” He nipped the back of first one thigh and then the other. “Are you listening?”

“You’re not exactly giving me a choice.”

“You always have a choice.” He paused. “Do you want to use your safe word?”

She muttered several uncomplimentary things about him under her breath. “No, Sir.”

He rose and pressed himself against her, setting his hands on either side of hers on the desk, bracketing her in. Despite her bold words, her body shook with each brush of his lips against her ear. “If you want something, all you have to do is ask.”

She cleared her throat. “Excuse me?”

“It’s my job—my
privilege
—to take care of your needs.” He stroked her wrists with his thumbs. “You don’t have to act out to provoke a response. Simply ask.”

…

Simply ask?

Penelope held her breath, not sure what would come out of her mouth if she let it. At this moment, it was a toss up between a hysterical laugh and a confession that would give him everything he demanded. She jumped when he nipped her earlobe. “That was an order.”

Why hadn’t she gone with her gut and worked from home today? Every time she saw his name on her cell, her heartbeat picked up, and it took a full ten minutes to settle down and get back to her list of potential future clients. He was messing with her ability to do her job—which was exactly why she’d kept her dating life on such a tight restriction. But she and Will weren’t dating. Not by a long shot.

She’d never thought he’d actually consider coming to her office if he’d been told she wasn’t there. Obviously she’d underestimated Will. It was a mistake she refused to make again. She took a shuddering breath. What did she want? So many things that were impossible to put into words, most of which were well beyond his reach, and thankfully so. If she was going to successfully maintain her distance during this, having Will deliver her wildest dreams wasn’t going to help.

But she could give in, just a little, to allow him to think he’d won this round. He wouldn’t let this go until she answered him, or that was what she told herself. “I want you to make me come again.”

“Hmm.” He shifted, one of his hands moving to cup between her legs.

The contact made her breath catch in her lungs. The feeling only got worse when he gently slipped his fingers through her folds, directly over her clit. It was a struggle not to rock against him. “Oh God.”

“This is what you wanted?” He kept up that motion, the friction sending sparks through her entire body.

More.
She wanted so much more. But she bit her lip to keep that demand inside.

He knew—damn him, he always seemed to know—because he stopped. “There’s something else.”

No. Yes. Maybe. She closed her eyes, trying to fight against the desire turning her brain to mush. This should be enough. She didn’t have to give him anything more. “I—”

“Tell me, pet.” His voice roughened, just like it had last night. He used his foot to nudge her feet wider apart, his hand still cupping her. “What do you want?”

Her fingers dug into the desk. “I want you to take me with your fingers, mouth, and…and your cock.” She
felt
him groan, even though he didn’t make a sound. Had she shocked him? Good. She simultaneously wanted to make him pay for forcing her to admit this, and never wanted him to stop touching her. So she kept talking, hoping to drive him as out of control as she felt. “I want you to fuck me on my desk and cover my mouth with your hand so no one can hear me screaming.”

“Do you think you deserve it after the way you’ve acted this morning?” His breath was
definitely
more ragged. She almost wished she could see his face, to see if he still wore that cold mask or if that delicious heat was back in his eyes.

“No, Sir.”

He laughed hoarsely. “You’re right.” Before disappointment could take root, he kept going, “But I’m inclined to be forgiving, just this once.” He pushed a big finger into her, the feeling nearly making her eyes roll back in her head.

“Why?”

“Because, pet, honesty should be rewarded.” A second finger joined the first. “And next time you disobey me to prove a point, I want you to consider how well I reward good behavior.”

As if there were any chance of her forgetting this. With his body against hers and his fingers slowly fucking her, it felt like Will had imprinted himself on her very soul. It was scary—terrifying, really—but he didn’t give her the opportunity to think too hard about it.

He released her and spun her around to lift her onto the desk. With her dress bunched up around her hips, it left her bare from the waist down. Apparently that wasn’t good enough, though, because he tugged down the top of her dress, freeing her breasts. “Christ.” He palmed them, something in his eyes that she had no name for. On any other man, she’d call his gaze worshipful, but this was Will. She had to be misreading the signs.

“Spread your legs.”

She obeyed. This was what she’d wanted, after all. By declaring the terms, she’d managed to wrestle control from him—or at least that was the theory. Right now she and control weren’t on speaking terms. She watched, her heart in her throat, and he undid his pants and freed his cock.
Oh. My. God.
It was directly in proportion with the rest of him, which meant it was big enough to make her shake. It had been so long since she’d had sex—seven long months. She’d played at Serve, but that was a line she hadn’t chosen to cross.

The fact that she was doing it now, with Will, was almost enough to clear her head. Almost.

But then he pulled a condom out of his pocket and rolled it on, and any argument she could have come up with to end this now disappeared as if it’d never been. Stop before she felt him inside her? Absolutely not. She wanted this—even if she would regret it later.

He used his hand to guide the broad head of his cock through her folds, notching it at her entrance. She whimpered, rolling her hips to take him inside her, but he stopped her with his hands on her hips, murmuring, “I almost forgot.”

“Wait!”

But he was already stepping back. She stared down dumbly at him as he went to his knees in front of her. Will’s blue eyes were stormy. “You had very specific desires, pet.”

What was he…?
Oh
.

Her thoughts shorted out as he sucked her clit into his mouth. She gripped the edge of the desk with white-knuckle force to keep herself from lacing her fingers through his blond hair. She may be getting everything she asked for, but there were still lines she didn’t want to cross. So she kept from touching him as he fucked her with his tongue the same way he’d fucked her with his fingers. Just when she was on the edge of losing everything to his oral assault, he rose and resumed his position. There was no hesitation this time, though. He shoved into her, spearing her to the hilt, his groan a match for the one that slipped from her lips at the intrusion.

I am having sex with Will Reaver.

Before she could truly start to panic, he moved, pulling nearly all the way out of her and then thrusting home again. A low moan escaped
before she could stop it, and he gave her a kiss that she felt right down to her clit.

Will moved back a little, adjusting his angle, and wrapped an arm around her lower back. Then he covered her mouth with one of his massive hands and thrust again. In this position, he rubbed against every hot spot she had. Her eyes drifted shut of their own accord, and her body moved against him like he was some kind of sexual puppeteer, controlling her reactions.

His voice rumbled in her ear. “I always take care of what’s mine.”

A small part of her
whispered that somewhere between dictating what they would do and him actually
doing
it, she’d lost control. She should be pushing to regain it, but she was too lost in the sensation of him moving within her to care. Pleasure built with each stroke of his cock, with each rasp of his breath in her ear, with the knowledge that if he didn’t have his hand over her mouth someone would hear her moans.