Bound to be Taken (Emergence) (37 page)

Stephanie smiled briefly at her mental adjectives. She considered her options. Any thought of walking into that party or even the front door of her office on Monday made her cringe. She wouldn’t be able to face those men again. Had she come to the conclusion on her own, or had she been unduly influenced by the two sexy dudes from the fifteenth floor?

Whether or not she returned to work was an entirely separate decision from returning to the fifteenth floor. It was easy to acknowledge her inability to keep her job.

Deciding to become a full-time sub was another giant can of worms altogether.

Ugh.
Stephanie slipped out from under the covers and padded toward the bathroom. Her bladder needed release and then her stomach needed coffee.

She stripped her clothes off from last night—the sweater and skirt—and tossed them in the hamper.

Stephanie strode back into the bedroom, grabbed an old T-shirt that hung to her thighs and slipped it over her head. She wasted no time making her way to the kitchen to brew coffee.

After a few cups she would be able to think—she hoped.

As she waited for the elixir to percolate, she wandered through the living room and stared at her meager possessions. Was there anything in the place she even cared about? She had very few mementos of her childhood. Her mother hadn’t kept much and what she did have was of almost no value.

Something on the floor by the door caught her eye. She froze. An envelope. It had been slid under the door. Aiden and Dane?

The coffee finished brewing. The sound of the last drop bubbling out of the machine and into the pot rang in the air. The scent made her lift her nose and breathe in deeply. But her gaze never left the spot on the floor with the crisp white legal-sized letter.

What did they need to say that they hadn’t said last night? Maybe they’d changed their minds and decided she wasn’t what they wanted after all. She couldn’t blame them after the events of last night. She was quite a package. Broken and damaged and disgusted with herself.

Inching forward, she let her eyes blink several times. Was it an apparition?

Nope. The white paper stayed right in its spot as she approached. With shaking fingers, she plucked it off the floor and took it to the kitchen table.

After pouring herself a cup of coffee, she turned back to the table and sat. She paused, lifted her butt, tugged her T-shirt out from under her and plopped back down on her bare ass. She spread her legs and wrapped her ankles around the chair legs. This could become second nature.

She finished half the cup before she had the courage to open the envelope. Finally she tore into it with the eagerness of a child on her birthday.

She unfolded two sheets of paper, amazed at the length, and read:

Stephanie,

We are so sorry about last night. If we’d had any idea you’d run into someone you knew at that club, we never would have taken you there. I’m sure it was mortifying.

In the last week, we have both been overcome by the intense attraction we have for you. We adore you and know in our hearts this affection can only grow over time.

We sincerely hope you will consider our proposition. We realize it’s a huge commitment on your part to venture down the path we are suggesting. Please remember, nothing will happen between us that can’t be undone or ended at any time. We would never do anything to intentionally harm you, either physically or emotionally.

We know quitting your job is a huge decision; however, we hope by the time you find this letter, you have at least come to the conclusion you can’t return to that office.

If that’s the case, what do you have to lose? Come to us. Let us fill the void in your life. Know that being our sub doesn’t make you weak. On the contrary, it shows your incredible strength.

Before you agree, please consider the following list of our expectations carefully. You have two days to ponder the consequences and research on your own.

You must quit your job immediately. Not because we don’t want you to work. If you choose to work in the future, we will support you one hundred percent. You may work for us or seek employment elsewhere. We don’t intend to hinder your life accomplishments or stifle your intelligence. But we do want to be sure you are employed in a safe, productive environment.

You will commit every moment, beginning Monday morning, to training in our home and under our supervision. The life of a full-time submissive must not be taken lightly. You need training and direction in order to pursue this lifestyle. We will insist you commit to a training period to fully indoctrinate yourself to the lifestyle.

You will meet with our sponsor to work out any issues you might have and clear up any questions. We, too, will be meeting with the sponsor to ensure we are providing the best environment for your training at all times.

You will relinquish control over your life because you know we will take care of every aspect for you.

You will have a safe word, but expect to be pushed outside your boundaries.

You will address us only as Sir and only when we request you to speak. No discussions will be had unless they are initiated by one of us.

If you find these terms satisfactory, please arrive at our apartment, Monday morning no later than eight a.m. to begin your training
.

Stephanie, know that we have come to adore you. We want to care for you and help you reach your highest potential within this lifestyle. We are here to guide you and nurture you as you grow and learn.

Sincerely, Aiden and Dane

Stephanie stared at the pages, her hands shaking so badly she could barely read them. But she did. Twice. And then a third time about an hour later.

In the middle of the afternoon, she poured a bowl of cereal and forced herself to consume the bran that wouldn’t go down easily. She was a ball of nerves, but she needed to eat.

Afterward, she curled up on the couch still wearing nothing but the T-shirt and wrapped herself in her favorite afghan. She fell asleep pondering the pros and cons of this commitment and slept for hours.

When she awoke again, it was dark outside. She stretched and then crept back into the kitchen. Her stomach growled, protesting the hunger strike. Thank God for the freezer full of TV dinners.

An hour later, her hunger somewhat abated, she was back in bed, propped against the headboard, her computer open on her lap.

It was time to research. She had two full nights and a day. She intended to spend every second of that time alternating between sleeping and Internet searching. If she was going to quit her job and become a full-time submissive, she sure as hell was going to do it as informed as possible. There’d be no regrets.

Aiden paced back and forth by the front door. He glanced at his watch every few seconds. What if she didn’t show? It was seven fifty-five. They’d told her eight.

“Stop that. It won’t change anything. She’ll be here.” Dane sat on the couch, leaning his elbows on his knees.

Aiden knew the man was just as stressed; he just manifested his anxiety differently. “You don’t know that for sure,” he mumbled.

They’d struggled all weekend with their angst, reassuring each other repeatedly to lessen their apprehension. Had they made the right decisions? Had they said everything they could in their own defense?

“I sent our application in to the club Steve recommended, by the way,” Dane said.

“Emergence?”

“Yep. Lori belongs to that one too. She said she’d put in a good word for us. She knows the owner.”

“Did you include Stephanie?” Aiden asked.

“I did.” Dane smiled.

A knock at the door startled Aiden and he jumped in his spot. Relief rushed through him and he rubbed his hands on his jeans to wipe away the sweat.

Dane came to his side and set a hand on his shoulder. “Told you.” He smiled.

Deep breath. Aiden opened the door.

Stephanie stood in the hall, her head bowed, her hair hanging over her face. She trembled. She said nothing.

He almost chuckled at her choice of attire. Sure, she was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, ordinary clothes by most people’s standards. Hell, he and Dane were similarly dressed. But it was comical for a submissive to arrive with so much clothing on.

“We weren’t sure you would show up,” Aiden muttered.

“I wasn’t sure either, Sir. I’ve only just made my decision. I submitted my resignation to Seabring by email about a half hour ago and I’ve been standing in the hall for twenty minutes…building up the courage to knock…Sir.” She exhaled loudly.

Aiden stared at the top of her head. He knew he’d never forget this moment as long as he lived. This precious woman was giving up her control and turning it over to Aiden and Dane. It was a gift he would forever value and never take for granted. He thanked his lucky stars for the opportunity and stepped back a pace, Dane at his side. “Well, what are we waiting for? Come in.”

About the Author

Becca Jameson lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and two kids. When she isn’t writing, she can be found reading, editing, scrapbooking, running, swimming, biking or taxiing kids all over creation. She doesn’t sleep much…or sit down often…but she loves to be busy! Unlike many other authors, Becca had never written a single word until a few years ago. After enjoying several years on the editing side of the business, Becca decided to give writing a try. Now she can’t stop! And the voices in her head are clamoring to get out faster than she can get them onto “paper”! Still experimenting with both contemporary and paranormal genres, there is no telling what she may come up with next. To learn more about Becca Jameson, visit her blog at
www.beccajameson.com
, email her at
[email protected]
or tweet her
@beccajameson
.

Look for these titles by Becca Jameson

Now Available:

Durham Wolves

Rescue in the Smokies

Fire in the Smokies

Freedom in the Smokies

Coming Soon:

Emergence

Bound to be Tamed

He’s her alpha…and he knows how to push all her hot buttons.

Freedom in the Smokies

© 2013 Becca Jameson

Durham Wolves, Book 3

With a vampire still threatening the family, Micah Durham has no plans to follow his brothers into matehood. In fact, he’d prefer not to expose anyone else—human or shifter—to the dangers they face.

Yet when he returns from visiting a horse buyer, he’s beyond pissed to find his family has hired a new human trainer. A
female
human trainer whose “I’m your mate” scent steals his power of speech.

Kaitlyn Winston couldn’t wait to get out of California, and out from under her grandmother’s thumb, to take her dream job in her beloved Smoky Mountains. Except when she attempts to make nice with her new boss, their attraction sends them to his bedroom to make love.

The haze of passion doesn’t make their problems disappear, though. The life Kaitlyn left behind throws a left hook that could pull them apart. And the Durham’s old enemy is back, stronger than ever, and threatening to pick off the Durhams and their mates…one at a time.

Warning: Steaming hot sex in a tack room, saddles and saw horses put to good use, mutual masturbation, hot showers, and lovers’ spats smoothed over with intense make-up sex.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Freedom in the Smokies:

Micah paced his room, striding back and forth from one end to the other for the thousandth time. Thank God he’d grabbed a sandwich earlier on the road, because he hadn’t had the balls to join the others for dinner.

He hadn’t been ready to face Kaitlyn yet. And he sure as hell didn’t want to confront her in front of everyone else’s smirking faces. By now, the entire clan would be privy to his dilemma. If one could even call it a dilemma.

He glanced at his watch. It was only eight o’clock. The noises coming from the great room had died down. Everyone would have dispersed from the kitchen by now and headed their separate ways. Kaitlyn in her room, filling his wing of the house with her scent.

The only way to know for sure was to pull himself up by the balls and go to her. He headed toward the door to his suite and paused, running his hands through his hair.
Crap. Crap crap crap
. In all this pacing, he hadn’t formulated a single thing to say to her.

He tried to recall how his brothers had first confronted their mates and let them in on their fates. Damn. That did no good. Both relationships had started under extreme circumstances. Sergius had met Juliana when she’d been a missing hiker lost in the forest. Jaxon had also rescued his mate, Brianna, when she’d become trapped in a cave during a forest fire. Micah still wasn’t altogether sure who rescued whom in that event, since Brianna was a firefighter.