CarnalTakeover (10 page)

She called out, “One of the guys forgot his thermal
underwear.”

Whoever it was better not come back for it.

Daniel had already discussed that with her. She needed to be
a boss with the guys. With him… He didn’t want to think about it. Right now, he
was too tired, too—

He awoke with a start, not realizing he’d fallen asleep, her
hand on his thigh, a feast spread over the mattress. Pizza. Beer. Snacks. Even
a plate of chocolate chip cookies.

A potato chip was half in, half out of her mouth. It
crunched with her bite, the freed part falling to her belly. A dribble of dip
clung to her bottom lip.

Daniel pushed to his elbow and licked it away, then ate the
chip off her tummy.

She giggled at him lapping her tat.

He liked that sound and her laughter more than he should.
Wanting to sigh, he smiled instead and grazed the inked artwork with his
fingertips. “When did you get this?”

“Couple of years ago.”

He waited for more. She crunched another chip.

Whatever the story was behind her tats, she wasn’t telling.
Probably had to do with a guy. Possibly one she’d loved. At the thought,
something coiled within Daniel. He pushed it away.

“And when did this happen?” He touched her silky cunt.

She brushed crumbs from her mouth and shrugged. “When I had
to go to Anchorage last week.”

Daniel traced her cleft, those delicate lips. She sighed
noisily. “Why?” he asked.

“My grandfather’s board refuses to come here to the site. No
five-star hotels.”

He laughed. “I meant, why did you get the wax?”

She nibbled on another chip, as though stalling for an
answer, then said, “I wanted to feel like a woman.”

Daniel sobered, not understanding how having her bush yanked
out hair by hair could make her feel feminine. “Didn’t it hurt?”

“Well yeah, for a little bit.” She shoved another chip in
her mouth, chewed fast, and swallowed. “I didn’t mind. I dress like the Brawny
guy. You know, the one on those paper towels. I don’t wear makeup or do stuff
normal women do. This was my way of feeling girly.”

Daniel was about to say sex would have worked just as well
but stopped himself before he did. He wondered if her proposition at the pizza
place was because she’d wanted to feel girly and desired. Maybe masturbation hadn’t
worked for her either, and she’d been prowling for relief. Just like a guy.

After all, Alexandra had argued about having that right.

The idea should have brought a sense of relief and freedom
instead of gnawing at him. Somehow, Daniel didn’t want to think of himself as
just a means to an end for her.

She finished her sip of beer and offered him the can. He
waved it away, thinking he should get going. His suggestion to train her as a
sub sounded dumb to him now. Fucking unsophisticated. And possibly wrong,
again, when it came to what she’d experienced of the lifestyle. She came from
wealth and could have whatever or whomever she wanted no matter how kinky or
weird. He was solidly middle class. Experienced with women, yeah. However, he
didn’t have the world at his feet, ready to do his bidding as she did.

“Try this, it’s good.” She brushed the edge of a cookie
against his mouth.

The scent of brown sugar and chocolate reminded Daniel of
when he was a kid, his grandmother baking stuff for the holidays.

“I made it,” Alexandra coaxed. “From scratch. Wanted to see
if I could actually do it.”

Touched by her confession and sincerity, he bit into the
cookie and moaned at its decadent taste. “Shit, this is good.”

Alexandra beamed. “Yeah, I know. I ate five of them to test
out the internet recipe. Make certain it was all right. That’s the only reason
I had so many.”

Sure. Fighting a smile, he gobbled the cookie and licked
chocolate smears and crumbs from her fingers.

She offered him another. “Do you miss this area? Or are you
glad you left?”

He stopped chewing, not expecting her questions. Anything so
intimate. “Kind of.”

She nodded. “You kind of miss it, or you’re kind of glad you
left?”

Daniel figured more evasion wouldn’t help. She’d just keep
asking. “I miss some of my friends from when I was a kid and my relatives, of
course. But I always wanted to go into engineering. I couldn’t have done what I
have if I’d stayed here.”

“So your mom was cool with leaving her family, or did she
move for you? To give you more choices?”

It took him a moment to decide whether to answer. Rarely did
he talk about his personal life. It felt weird. Intrusive.

She looked genuinely interested.

Daniel mumbled. “The company my dad worked for transferred
him. It wasn’t a decision he or my mom made.” He paused. “I don’t think she
minded, though. She really likes Seattle. We’d probably have to force her away
from there.”

Alexandra smiled. “How’d your parents meet?”

Jesus.
Less than an hour ago, he’d been disciplining
and mounting her, talking like a tough guy and now she wanted to know about his
parents’ love affair? This was the weirdest fucking night he’d ever spent with
any woman. Strangely enough, Daniel couldn’t bring himself to leave. “She
worked in the company’s on-site office. He was a safety engineer. They hit it
off. That’s really all I know. What about your folks?”

Her smile froze.

Daniel’s belly cramped. Crap, why had he brought up her
parents? He’d heard some bad shit about her father that no daughter would want
to discuss. Coupled with the stuff he knew about her grandfather, Lucius’ love
of vulture capitalism and profit at any cost, Daniel knew Alexandra had come
from a dysfunctional bunch.

She ate half a cookie, chasing it with two chips. “My mom’s
remarried. Her third. My dad overdosed.”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have mentioned—”

“No.” She rested her hand on his thigh. “It’s okay. Not your
fault. Dad was a good guy, he just couldn’t win against Lucius.”

Daniel wanted to ask if she could, but didn’t dare.
Alexandra’s shoulders had already slumped. She grew thoughtful or worried, hard
to tell which. She was as good as he was at hiding emotions.

He ran his fingers over hers. “You okay?”

Her expression changed, as though she remembered he was
here. Nodding, she turned her hand over, caressing his. “Fine. I’m looking
forward to you teaching me to be your sub. Doing all kinds of things while
we’re here. Stuff I couldn’t even imagine.”

Right now, Daniel figured she needed a hug more than
anything, comfort she probably hadn’t received during much of her life.

“So when?” she asked.

He shook his head. “When what?”

“Will my real training begin?”

“When I say so.” Dismissing his earlier worries, he gathered
her close, kissed her tenderly and just went with what was currently in his
heart.

Alexandra never wanted it to end.

Unfortunately, unlike Daniel and his crew, she didn’t have a
two-weeks-on, two-weeks-off schedule. Come Monday morning, she had no choice
but to drag herself to the office.

She propped her booted feet on the edge of her crappy desk,
rested the back of her head against her shitty chair and sighed sorrowfully.

It’d been murder leaving Daniel so mussed and groggy from
their continuing fuck-fest.

The last Alexandra had seen of him, his body was dotted with
food she’d failed to lick off. She’d crumbled the remaining cookies and chips
over his cock, calling it breakfast, eating as she’d never done before. Hours
prior to that, he’d smeared pizza sauce on her tats, nipples and cleft, licking
them clean.

On Sunday, they’d awakened with half the day gone and had
only left their bed to use the bathroom, take a quick shower and grab some
eats. After that, they went at each other again and ate all of their meals on
the mattress. They’d screwed like monkeys through the dusky day and murky
night. Or like teens who’d just discovered sex.

She whimpered in delight at the memory, then grew still,
thinking back to the only thing that worried her.

He hadn’t tied, blindfolded or punished her again, as though
he’d forgotten his promise to be her Master or didn’t want to do that any
longer. The closer it had gotten to Monday, the quieter he’d become. She’d
filled the silence with questions about what he’d planned for her when she got
back from work.

He kept saying the same thing,
“I’ll surprise you.”

She hoped that didn’t mean he’d take off and hide out until
he had to return to the project. She’d sensed his growing discomfort when she
kept using the word
your
sub, rather than the more generic
a
sub,
and referred to her bed as theirs. Getting personal when he didn’t seem to want
that. Except sometimes he did, asking about her wax and tats.

Alexandra made a face. No way would she ever tell him why
she’d gotten inked or the parking valet who’d caused it.

She’d met him in Los Angeles. Like every other gorgeous guy
in town, the valet was a struggling actor, making his living and connections at
one of the most exclusive restaurants in the Basin. He’d admired her Beemer,
then pretended to crave her, asking for a date.

At the time, she’d been in a particularly vulnerable state,
having learned the guy she’d been seeing had cheated on her. With another guy.
No way was she judgmental about his sexual preferences. Alexandra simply
couldn’t go both ways like he could or entertain the ménage he’d suggested. His
boyfriend was prettier than she was. That really sucked. However, the broken
trust hurt worst of all.

She’d eased her pain with the valet until he got too sure of
himself and demanded money for headshots, an introduction to her rich friends
who had connections in the film industry, that she dress more stylishly when
they were together. After all, he had an image to maintain, which included
having a trophy girlfriend on his arm.

“Lose some weight,” he’d ordered, sounding like her
grandfather. “Do something with your damn hair. Fillers will make your lips
plumper. Christ, you can afford it. What are you waiting for? You should also
consider having cheek implants.”

Humiliated and near tears, she’d told him he should grow his
cock another few inches. Then he’d be a desirable man.

“You should know,” he’d retorted. “You look like one.
Fucking dyke.”

She’d gotten her tats the next day, somehow thinking they’d
make her feel prettier, more feminine. They hadn’t. However, they were way less
painful than more plastic surgery and far less trying than a starvation diet.

Sighing, she stared at her iPhone wanting to call Daniel,
knowing she shouldn’t. At this stage of their relationship—if that was what she
dared call it—he’d need space. Time to figure out what he wanted. If she played
hard to get, maybe that would be her.

Yeah, sure.

If she put him off in the least, he might not play their
erotic games. He could very well take off. Alexandra bared her teeth. Damn, she
hated these dating rituals where nobody knew what anyone else wanted or
thought. All she asked was for them to be up front and honest with each other,
to get rid of the bullshit. No. Hell, she didn’t want that either. She pressed
the heel of her hand to her forehead. The truth might hurt. Right now, she’d do
anything to avoid—

Her office phone jangled, interrupting her thoughts, which
only got worse. Twice this morning, Lucius had left voicemails at this number.
She still hadn’t returned his calls.

Bracing herself for a fight, she picked up the receiver.
“Alexandra.”

“About time you got to work,” Lucius complained.

It was a little after eight. She’d been here since five,
when she usually arrived. “Good morning, Granddad. Did you have a nice
weekend?”

“More productive than yours, I’d wager.”

Alexandra rolled her eyes at how wrong he was. Although
Lucius would never approve of what she’d done with Daniel and the guys, in his
own perverse way he would have been proud that she’d taken the initiative.

“You didn’t return my calls,” he accused.

“I had stuff to do.”

The moment Alexandra had arrived, she’d checked the office
and storage areas for rope and candles. She’d found several feet of rope, the
smooth kind that wouldn’t irritate her ankles or wrists. No candles though.
She’d have to get them at the grocery store on her way back tonight.

Lucius raised his voice. “What have you done about that damn
engineer who’s giving me so much grief?”

She’d sucked his cock and invited him to punish her. She’d
opened her mouth and tried to catch the Beer Nuts he’d tossed in the air, after
she’d lobbed some to him. Despite her wild throws, he’d caught more than she
had and bragged about it mercilessly, not realizing Alexandra had let him win.
In the shower, she’d hugged him from behind, pretending to need his body’s
support to keep from slipping on the slick tile.

Liar.

She’d wanted to caress him in a way he might not like if he
knew what was smoldering in her heart.

Playing dumb with her grandfather, she said, “There’s a lot
of engineers here. Which one were you referring to?”

“The damn bastard who’s dragging the work out. Who else? Did
you listen to me at all? Follow my advice about what to do?”

If he meant throwing herself at Daniel, then yeah, she’d
listened and had been amply rewarded. “I’m working on it.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean? I want results,
Alexandra. If you can’t get them, I will.”

And fuck up the project, along with the environment, not to
mention whatever time she had with Daniel? Her body prickled with panic. Not
pausing to think, she lied, “I already have him looking into it.”

“Where are his new figures? I don’t see them in my inbox.”

Crap. Now she’d have to come up with something faster than
she’d anticipated without knowing what it could possibly be. No way could she
tell Daniel about this. He wouldn’t budge in his estimates for the sake of
profit. He’d fight the change, possibly quit and would definitely contact the
authorities. Given his heritage, he could very well have more sway over them
than Lucius’ billions. At least, in a perfect world.

The one Alexandra lived in was so far from that, she tried
to reason. “This takes time. You haven’t even given him a day.”

“What are you talking about? He had all weekend.”

“How about a full week? Will that kill you?”

“I don’t want to lose another cent.”

“You’ll lose more than that if something screws up.”

Lucius didn’t comment.

Alexandra gritted her teeth and waited for his shout or
threat.

Didn’t happen. Dead silence came from the other end of the
line, except for a slight crackling, like static electricity.

Frowning, Alexandra dropped her feet to the floor and sat up
so fast her chair squeaked. “Granddad, are you still there?”

Nothing. He hadn’t hung up. She now heard his heavy
breathing. “Hey,” she said, “are you all right?”

She couldn’t have irritated him to the point of a stroke.

“Hardly,” he mumbled, sounding far away. Fading.

Shit. “Are you having trouble breathing?”

“Are you insane?” he shot back, closer to the phone now.
“I’m having trouble understanding this. Why are you protecting him?”

She pushed back in her chair. “I’m not. I’m trying to save
the environment from a completely avoidable disaster and the company from a ton
of shitty lawsuits.”

“Watch your damn language,” he ordered. “Is something going
on between you and this man?”

Not all that Alexandra wanted. Like sharing their thoughts,
hopes, dreams. “Yeah, we’re colleagues. We have the same goal of making this
project go as smoothly as possible.”

Lucius’ silence was more disturbing this time than the last.

Alexandra waited him out. If she caved first, he’d never
stop bullying her.

“A week,” he said. “That. Is. It.”

“I’ll have a new report to you by next Monday.” How, she
didn’t know. Daniel didn’t fuck up his figures or pad them. They were already
perfect.

“See that you do,” Lucius warned.

Someone rapped on her door. Alexandra flinched.

“Just in case you’re wondering,” Lucius said. “I can always
replace you. Hell, I can replace everyone.”

She stood. “Don’t threaten me, Granddad.” Her tone was icier
than his. “I won’t put up with it, not like Dad did.”

He fell to silence again. Another knock. This time the knob
turned and Junior came inside, closing the door behind him.

Oh no.
She didn’t need him too. Quietly, Alexandra
spoke into the receiver. “I have a meeting. I’ll work on what we talked about.
You’ll get those reports.”

Lucius didn’t respond.

“Bye.” She dropped the receiver in its cradle.

Junior gave her a smile, rocked on his heels, then finally
moved toward her.

Alexandra backed into the wall. “What are you doing?”

He stopped, confusion flooding his face. “Nothing.”

She tried not to sound so alarmed. “Why are you here?”

His face turned pink, then red.

The base of Alexandra’s throat hurt with apprehension.
Surely, Junior wasn’t going to ask her for a rerun of what they’d already shared.
Or worse, a date.
Please, not that.
Guys screwed around all the time.
The one instance she’d given into lust couldn’t turn out to be a continuing
nightmare.
Please.

“The other night,” he began, then paused and cleared his
throat. “I just wanted you to know that I don’t…that is, I never… I was
nervous.” He eyed her warily. “You do understand that, don’t you?”

No. She hadn’t a clue what he was talking about. “Nervous?”

“Well yeah.” He shoved his hands in his parka’s pockets and
frowned. “You don’t think I’m always that fast, do you?”

Ah, he was talking about his premature ejaculation.
Something she didn’t want to ever discuss.

“You made me nervous, that’s all,” he continued, filling the
silence. “I was afraid you’d fire me if I didn’t…well, you know. I kept
thinking about that while we were, you were, ah…” He muttered something beneath
his breath, then pulled out his hand and pointed his finger at her. “I just
want you to know that what happened has never been a problem for me before.”

“Okay.”

He dropped his hand, his expression more skeptical than
convinced. “I want you to promise me you’ll never mention it.”

Who would she do that with? Him? He’d brought it up. That
only left Daniel. Alexandra sighed at such a ludicrous thought. “I never
intended to say anything.”

He stepped closer. “You know those three women who work on
the other team? I like them—well one, Marie. She’s one of the few girls here
who doesn’t look like a guy or isn’t a les. I don’t want you gossiping with her
about me.”

Aw, Junior.
Alexandra hurt for him. “I wouldn’t,” she
assured. “Never. That’s not something you have to worry—”

She stopped at a new rap on the door, it swinging open
again.

“There you are.” Nat strolled into her office and slung his
arm around Junior’s neck, imprisoning the younger man in a headlock. Junior
struggled, trying to get free. Nat might as well have been holding a rag doll,
he looked that unperturbed. He nodded in greeting to Alexandra, then spoke to
Junior, “You said you were going to get another pair of thermal underwear. This
isn’t where you get them.”

Junior’s face was watermelon red. He muttered, “I wanted to
talk to Ms. Waite about something.”

“Uh-huh. Well, you’re through with that now.” Nat swung
Junior around and pushed him out of her office. “I’ll meet you at the SUV.
Don’t make me wait.”

Junior stomped down the hall. Nat closed the door gently and
eyed Alexandra. “You okay?”

“He wasn’t bothering me, really.”

“Sure? He’s got more balls than brains sometimes.”

She came around her desk. “Deep down, he’s actually kind of
sweet.”

Nat laughed. “Junior?”

“Yeah. You’re a great guy too.” Alexandra threw her arms
around Nat’s torso and hugged him hard.

A moment passed before he rested his hands lightly on her
back, the same as a brother or friend would. Nothing remotely sexual. “Hey,
what’s this about?”

Alexandra shook her head, not certain she should say.

“Come on,” he murmured. “Can’t be that bad.” He ran his
hands down her arms and eased Alexandra back so he could see her face.

Her heart caught at how beautiful he was. Coupled with his
gentle manner when it came to women, he was really something.

“Is this about Daniel?” he asked.

Everything was about him. “You’ve seen the reports and the
work. Can you think of any way to make the project go faster or to be cheaper?”