For the Sub (18 page)

“A few days ago, I sent you an email through your website. Thanking you, letting you know you were wearing me down.”

“If it had been working correctly, I would have responded.”

“You could let your webmaster know you have an issue.”

“I think I just did.”

“I…” She blinked. “What?”

“Write up a contract. You’re hired.”

“You’re—”

“Serious,” he finished. “Yes I am.”

“You don’t know my price.” If she weren’t in the tub, she’d be doing a jig in the bathroom. That wouldn’t be professional, but then again, neither was negotiating a deal in the bathtub.

“I saw your mock-ups. I think I told you I was impressed not only with what you did, but the fact you took the initiative.”

She tried not to squeal. Adding his company to her résumé would give her some much-needed credentials.

“Red.”

She blinked. “Red?”

“Betting you chose red for your toenails.”

“How in the hell do you do that? Juggle twenty things in your mind at once? And I take it that’s the end of the business discussion.”

“Am I right?”

She lifted her right leg.

“With a flower on the big toe. I wouldn’t have guessed that.”

“Do you like it?” She looked at him, trying to gauge his reaction. “I hope you do. You paid for it.”

“Ms Hess, no matter what you chose, it would have been perfect.”

Instead of letting her emotions spiral out of control, she reined them in and asked, “Is your aunt really that bad?”

He took a drink. “This has nothing to do with Mame.” He took Brandy’s flute and set both glasses aside before pulling her against his chest.

She was straddling him, and she felt his erection. Brandy expected him to enter her, and she would have liked that, but he didn’t. Instead, he held her. In the moment, she felt safe, protected, as if the two of them could take on the world—folly, her practical side warned. She could make her own way in the world, and how foolish would it be to fall for a man who’d sworn never again to risk his heart?

“I’m glad you’re here,” he said.

“Me too.”

“As much as I’d like to hold you all day, we’re expected to meet my aunt.”

Reluctantly she eased away.

He climbed from the tub first and offered a towel to her. When she refused it, he grinned. His expression turned to a frown when she wrapped herself in the robe again.

“I’d keep you naked if I could.”

“Chained to a wall?”

“Could work.”

She laughed.

Niles excused himself to answer a few emails, returning ten minutes later with the champagne. He topped off her glass while she styled her hair.

“I’ll be honest,” he said. “I wanted to look at you.”

She tilted her glass towards him in acknowledgement. “Now, Sir, get out of here, otherwise we’ll be late.”

“At this point, I’m willing to take the risk.”

“Out,” she said, closing the door behind him.

Half an hour later, she smoothed down the dress then slipped into the stilettos and joined him in the living area.

From his place by the window, backlit by the setting sun, he looked up.

His jacket hung from one of the bar stools, and the sleeves of his white shirt were turned back. The ends of his tie hung loose. He looked dashing in his dishevelled state.

“Turn around,” he said.

Slowly, she did so, the material swaying with her movement.

When she faced him, he said, “Stunning. Everything I imagined and more.” He held out a hand and she went to him. “Thank you,” he said, kissing her hand.

She lowered her gaze then glanced up at him through her lashes. “No, Sir. Thank
you.
For everything.”

“I have one more gift for you this evening,” he said.

“You’ve done too much as it is, Sir. I can’t possibly—”

“Indulge me.” He released her hand and went behind the bar.

He returned carrying a jeweller’s box.

“Sir, really, I can’t accept anything else.”

“Open it,” he said, voice brooking no argument. “I hope you like it.”

Her heart stopped as she took it from him and removed the lid. A silver necklace lay there, its pendant a circle. She immediately recognised its significance. Friends and acquaintances who knew him as Master Niles would also garner its meaning. Others, though, would think it was a stylish piece of jewellery. “Master Niles, I’m speechless.”

“Thank you is the customary response when you receive a gift,” he said wryly.

“It’s more than a gift,” she said. It wasn’t a collar. It wasn’t gold. And there were no diamonds.

“It will look beautiful with the dress.”

“You’re right about that.” The neckline called out for adornment, and now she realised why he’d selected this particular dress.

“It doesn’t have to mean anything more than you want it to. It’s a stunning accessory. It also says you’re with me. I want you to know how much you mean to me. And I want you to wear it, but I’ll understand if you choose not to.”

With him standing so close, she could hardly think. She ached to feel its weight on her, but was worried about its implications if she agreed to wear it. He’d never suggested they make their relationship anything more than friendship, and even if he did, she couldn’t dare accept.

“What do you say, Brandy?”

Chapter Seven

Niles watched different reactions cross her face. When he’d offered the box, she’d kept her hand at her side, making a fist. He’d hoped for delight or joy, not suspicion.

Then when she’d seen the necklace, she’d started to smile, but the expression had faded as she’d taken in its shape.

Niles had selected the piece with great care. When he’d entered the jeweller’s, he’d been uncertain what he was looking for, just something suitable to go with the dress. When he’d seen that particular necklace, nothing else would do.

He was a Dom. Nothing would change that. Call it passion or possession. She was with him tonight, and he wanted to be sure everyone knew it. Although it wasn’t a collar—he’d never collar a sub again—it did have multiple meanings.

He waited. Her response mattered more than he’d thought it might.

She traced the circle then she looked up at him, her finger still on the silver. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”

Ridiculously pleased, he picked it up. This part, he had imagined.

All week, he’d thought about seeing her again. If this event hadn’t been on his calendar, he’d have invented something. Even if she wasn’t a crack web designer, he would have hired her as a reason to stay in contact.

Her house was crazy with noise and activity. In contrast, the walls in his home had echoed with loneliness.

She lifted her hair, and he fastened the clasp. “Perfect,” he told her when she turned to show it off. “Better than I imagined. And I imagined plenty.”

Together they took the elevator to the lobby, and were among the first to arrive.

The hotel didn’t have a specific ballroom. Instead, the main floor served as the party space. There were plenty of alcoves for silent auction items and a large, open area for mingling. A band was warming up in what was generally the bar, and a space had been cleared for dancing. Tables were triangular in shape, rather than round. Chair backs were short. Tall glass vases filled with flowers sat next to shorter, squat ones. Everything was a visual feast.

“This isn’t what I expected,” she said.

“Is it pretentious enough for you, though?”

“I apologise if I was a brat. This is fabulous. Exactly my style.”

“Which is quirky?”

She wrinkled her nose.

“Bold?”

“Yes.”

“Fun?

“All of that,” she responded with a laugh. She leaned into him and pressed her palm against his chest, on his heart. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

“If you see something we need to bid on, let me know.”

“Denver Nuggets tickets, if they have them.”

“You like basketball?” He couldn’t have been more shocked if she’d asked for tickets to outer space.

“Doesn’t everyone?”

“No. In fact, some people can’t stand it.”

“Fine, if we win them, I’ll take Margot to the game.” She grinned.

“On second thought, I like basketball just fine.”

His aunt spotted them and hurried over. “Incoming,” he warned Brandy. “And she’s a bit like you, in that she speaks what’s on her mind.”

“I adore her already,” Brandy said.

“I was afraid of that.”

Tall and thin to the point of being gaunt, Aunt Mame wore a long, cream-coloured sequined gown that plunged in the back. She shimmered and shone, and teetered on four-inch heels. Her short silver hair was spiked and held in place by some gravity-defying feat. She had eyes only for Brandy, and her bright red lips were parted in a genuine smile.

Now that he saw Auntie Mame, he was glad he came. When he’d first lost Eleanor, Mame’s vibrant energy had been hard to take, but now it was infectious.

He expected a hug or for her to present her cheek for a quick kiss, but she ignored him and swept Brandy into her arms. “Hello, luv. Thank you, thank you.” She stepped back and held Brandy by the upper arms. “I’ve been dying to look at you. Beautiful. My gawd, that hair.”

“Aunt Mame, meet Brandy Hess. She’s a web designer and she—”

“Yes, yes, we can get to that later. The only thing that matters is she got you out of the house and to my party. She could be on the police blotter for all I care. In fact, hiding her in the kitchen when the coppers show up could be fun.”

Brandy laughed.

“Brandy, meet my incorrigible auntie.”

Mame spared him a glance. “Why don’t you be a good boy and fetch us a glass of something while we get to know one another?”

“Brandy, say the word and I’ll rescue you from my aunt’s well-meaning, but nosy questions.”

“I’m parched,” she replied.

“Run along,” Mame said, in the same tone she might have used when he was ten years old.

He held up his hands. “Two-to-one. I can’t win.”

“Off you go,” Mame said.

He headed for the bar and began to feel as if there was a conspiracy. The bartender took his time finding a bottle, uncorking it then pulling out glasses, lining them up in a precise row. He chatted about the upcoming Denver Broncos game and told him they’d be televising it if he was ever downtown and wanted to watch it away from the usual sports bars. Which made him think of Brandy and her short kilt.

That was he point the stopped listening to the man.

When Niles drew out his wallet to pay, the bartender waved him off, saying champagne was included in the price of the tickets. Niles left a nice tip, mostly because of the image of Brandy bending over in that tartan skirt.

By the time he found the ladies, his name was the first on at least six bids sheets, getting things rolling. With luck, he wouldn’t win them all. But if he did, Brandy would be happy. He supposed that made it a no-lose situation.

“Brandy’s going to take a look at one of my websites,” Mame said.

“Indeed?”

Mame held up her smart phone. Her home page was displayed on the screen. There were some funky words and symbols displayed. “I thought I knew how to do all that myself, but I obviously did some things wrong. This dear girl said she could have them all fixed by Monday, and she had the idea to acknowledge tonight’s winners and thank all the donors, linking to each person’s site as a way to draw more traffic.”

“All that happened in five minutes?” he asked.

“No. All that happened in less than one minute,” Mame corrected. “I spent the other four grilling her about your relationship. She changed the subject. Smart and socially astute. Well done,” she told him. “Hold onto her, Niles, my boy.”

She patted his cheek before excusing herself to hone in on new arrivals.

“Whew,” Brandy said. “She has more energy than I’ve had in my entire life.”

Waitstaff brought around canapés, and Brandy bit into a crab cheese wonton with great gusto, another thing he appreciated about her. It wasn’t just with food, it was everything. Her sunny outlook gave him new appreciation.

He got caught up talking to an associate, and he saw Brandy out of the corner of his eye, chatting with a couple who used to be friends with Eleanor. She seemed relaxed, interested in the conversation.

Throughout the evening, he saw her touching her necklace, and every time, he had a visceral response. He wondered what it might be like if she was his. Though he’d sworn never to fall in love again, that didn’t stop him from imagining.

The band struck up a love song, providing him the perfect opportunity to hold her. He went in search of her, seeing her chatting with a tall, broad man. She was leaning towards him, obviously engaged in a discussion.

She dazzled him with a one thousand watt smile when he walked up. Her reaction left no doubt she was here with him. “This is Marvin Jones. He’s looking for investors for his start-up electric vehicle company. Not cars. Something else entirely. It might be a good fit for you, but I told Mr Jones that he’d need to schedule an appointment with you.”

“Indeed?” More and more, this woman was getting to him. She hadn’t been flirting with the guy, she had been talking business—his business. And she hadn’t promised he’d speak to this Jones fellow, she’d been protecting his time. “If Brandy thinks it’s worthwhile us talking, I’m happy to meet with you.” He gave the gentleman one of his business cards. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, I’d like to dance with my woman.”

He guided her towards the dance floor. “How long before we can excuse ourselves?” he asked as she wove her hands around his neck and placed her cheek on his lapel. The way she had greeted him with her genuine smile had made it clear he was the only man in the room she was interested in.

“I’m ready to go anytime you are, Sir,” she said.

When the dance had ended, Mame took the microphone. She thanked everyone for coming, then turned over the event to the people she’d hired to hype the silent auction. Over the next couple of hours, the items were described with Hollywood flair. And the donors were acknowledged and asked to take a bow.

He and Brandy stayed until the end. He did win her the basketball tickets. No doubt he could have bought the team for less money.