Taming the Boss Lady [Masters of Submission 3] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) (3 page)

Matthew placed his arms around her shoulders and guided her deeper into the Hot Zone. “Kelly, you need to free your mind from the vanilla world, and look at life from a more enlightened perspective. It’s not a question of pain, it’s a question of enjoyment.”

“But the woman’s clearly in pain.”

He suddenly stopped walking and turned her to face him. “Yes, she undoubtedly feels pains, but there’s a difference. This woman enjoys the sensation. It’s what turns her on.”

“I see. I guess I kinda already knew that.”

Matthew smiled, and stroked his hand down her cheek. “No, Kelly, I don’t think you do, but you will.” His words and the tender way he caressed her skin made her feel all warm and protected. Even though she enjoyed his touch, she still battled to stay in control. It went against her upbringing. Since she was barely able to walk, her father had drilled self-reliance into her.

She took a step backward, away from his powerful aura, trying to show she was still in control. “So how long have you and your brother owned Club Submission, Matthew?”

“Close on seven years.”

“How did you get started?”

“Now that’s a long story.” He led the way through another set of doors marked as “Private.” “Maybe one day I’ll tell you if you’re still around.” The heady beat of the music coming from the club gradually drifted away as they walked together down a long corridor.

Matthew pushed open yet another door, and ushered her through. “Ladies first. It’s my privilege to show you our latest project. This newly built suite of rooms means that members can stay overnight if they wish.”

Kelly squeezed past him, taking in his exciting alpha male scent as she did so. A large four-poster bed filled the room, and the walls were decorated with ironwork sconces. “I presume you’ll put candles in these.”

“Sure will, they’ll add the final touch.”

She smiled knowingly. “I can see you’ve made it up to look like a medieval dungeon.” Manacles and chains hung from the walls, while a set of whipping posts stood menacingly in the corner. An archway in the dungeon led to a luxury bathroom complete with sunken bath and walk-in shower. She laughed. “A very modern dungeon.”

He pointed to the four-poster bed. “Take a seat. See how comfortable it is.”

She eyed him suspiciously, but found herself saying, “Okay.” She knew her miniskirt slid up her thighs as her butt sunk into the soft mattress, but she liked the attention Matthew gave her legs, as he stood leaning casually against the wall.

“Now to business, Kelly. What made you come to Club Submission? What do you want from us? And more specifically what do you want from me?”

Remaining remarkably composed, even though she sat on a bed with a powerful Dom watching her every move, she was pleased her reply was even and confident. “I have a high-powered job, Matthew. I run a large company, and a lot of people rely on me. I need to leave it all behind in my private life.”

“So you don’t enjoy being the boss?”

“Oh, yes, I do. I was born to be in charge.” She paused for a moment, looking for the right words. “It’s difficult to explain, but…in my job, I’m surrounded by simpering yes-men. They do nothing for me. I despise them. I’ve come to the conclusion I need a man to take control in my private life. I need to feel like a feminine, vulnerable woman. Rather than a woman men are frightened of.” She held out her hands, palms up. “Does that make any sense?”

“Yes, to me it makes perfect sense. Human beings have been hunter-gatherers since the dawn of time. The men always went out hunting, while the women stayed at home looking after the children and preparing the meals.” He sighed. “It seems the world has moved on, but our emotions haven’t caught up yet. Men and women of today are wired up exactly like their ancestors. This means men are hardwired to be dominant, and women are hardwired to be submissive. It’s been like that for millennia.”

A wonderful, glorious feeling of absolute calm flooded Kelly’s body. “Thank, God, at last, a man who can understand me.” Their eyes connected, and she felt sure he could read her thoughts. “Kiss me.”

He stared at her for what seemed an eternity, before saying, “Come here.”

Desire pooled in her stomach, as she rose from the bed on wobbly legs, and slowly moved across to him. He stood only a few steps away, but it felt like a mile. As she drew inexorably closer, she felt his primal animal warmth and masculinity crossing the divide between them.
Goddamn, what will this guy do to me if I let him?

A slightly triumphant smile drifted to his lips as he focused intently on her. His hands rested on her shoulders, before smoothing down her arms. Without warning he circled her wrists and held them tightly together behind her back. His dominant act of ownership thrilled and excited her. Her arousal went off the scale, making her pussy throb with need. A whimper of sexual craving spilled from her lips as his body pressed along the entire length of hers.

His hot breath whispered against her neck as he spoke quietly and ominously in her ear. “Understand this, regardless of how powerful you are at work, I’m in charge around here. I decide if, what, and when. My word is law.” Holding her wrists in one hand he grabbed a handful of her hair with the other, twisting it in his grasp, making her head tilt back, forcing her to meet his gaze. Gorgeous green eyes filled her vision. She could see flecks of gold, speckling his mossy green irises. Her back arched and her pelvis rested against his hips. Her pussy pressed provocatively against the obvious bulge in his leather pants. No man had ever treated her like this, and she liked it. Her breasts heaved as her nipples puckered into hardened points.

His eyes swept slowly over her quivering, prone body. “I can see being dominated turns you on.”

“Yes,” she whispered, barely able to speak.

“Tell me what you want. I want to hear it from your own lips, Kelly.”

Her heart rate accelerated as he brushed his mouth across hers. She couldn’t think straight, let alone make any coherent conversation. “Make me feel like a vulnerable, desirable woman, Matthew.” Her words were barely audible.

“You’re very beautiful, Kelly, it will be my pleasure, but are you willing to surrender total control to me?”

“Y–yes.”

“Then on your knees, and pledge your submission.”

His request took her completely by surprise. In a brief moment of hesitation, she felt his demeanor change. “Hmm, just as I thought. You’re not quite ready to let go yet, are you?” He gently set her back from him. “Go home, Kelly, and come back when you’re willing to play the game.”

Shaking almost uncontrollably, she breathily replied, “I want to submit. I really do, but I just can’t hand over control that easily.” Feeling compromised, but knowing he was right, she made for the door.

“Kelly.” She turned and looked into his incredible green eyes. “Remember this. If you come back to Club Submission, you’ll belong to me one hundred percent. You’ll be mine to do with as I see fit. Only then can I fulfill your every fantasy.”

Matthew tilted the blinds. His office at Club Submission overlooked the parking lot, and he watched Kelly walking purposefully to her car. Her elegant legs moved with ease and self-assurance. She was clearly a very confident woman—maybe too confident for her own good. That was one reason why he’d called a halt to their play. He had no doubt she would eventually submit to his will, but he figured her idea of submission was totally different than his. Still, if she returned again, he would be most interested to find out.

He observed her casually point the remote at her automobile before settling behind the wheel. For a woman who apparently ran a large company, she drove a particularly mundane car. If she were telling the truth, he could be forgiven for imagining she drove a bloodred Ferrari, and not the small, innocuous Chevy that rolled out of the lot. Perhaps, in order to protect her private life, she had simply borrowed or hired the car. He was well aware that many club members went to a lot of trouble to hide their true identity.

Just looking into her beautiful silver eyes as he’d controlled her, and the way she’d stared back unafraid to hold his gaze, resistance sparking through every nerve in her body, made his cock harden. Her pupils had dilated with pleasure, causing the blood to stir in his veins. Her reaction had turned him on. It would be a pleasure making this beautiful lady submit to his will.

Ethan breezed into the office. “Has the Raven blown you out, too?”

Matthew turned from the window as Kelly finally pulled onto the highway and drove away. “I told her to go home and think about what she really wants.”

“Oh?” His brother’s brows drew together as though he’d made the wrong decision. “You’re going soft in your old age, Matt. Club Submission is where women come to indulge their fantasies. She’s been here three times already. What the fuck are you waiting for?”

Matthew elaborated. “Clearly the woman has needs, Ethan, but I’m not sure she’s
even
a submissive.”

Ethan shook his head and laughed out loud. “Truth now, you just don’t think you can handle her, do you?”

Matthew shook his head. “You are so wrong, little brother. She heads a large business, or so she says.” He could run a check on her, but that just wasn’t his style. At Club Submission they protected everyone’s identity.

Ethan looked thoughtful for a moment. “Perhaps she’s actually telling the truth, Matt, rather than the usual bullshit we hear. Thinking about it, she does look vaguely familiar. I feel certain I’ve seen that beautiful face of hers somewhere before, but I just can’t place her. It’s those gorgeous silver eyes of hers.”

Matthew dismissively waved his brother away. “What the hell do you know?”

“Enough to know she’s too hot for you to handle. You can always send her my way, if she’s too much for an old guy like yourself.” A mischievous smirk drifted to Ethan’s face.

Matthew knew his kid brother was just teasing, but he couldn’t help rising to the bait all the same. “I’m only thirty-five for fuck’s sake, Ethan. I can handle her, don’t you worry on that score.” Kelly was a woman who knew what she wanted, and to his immense satisfaction, she wanted him. He figured she’d fight him all the way, but in the end, he’d win. He always did.

That’s if she ever returns to Club Submission. Why did you send such a beautiful woman away in the first place? Are you completely nuts?

* * * *

Two weeks later

Kelly sifted through the documents piled high on her desk, before staring longingly out the window. Night had fallen, and the city of Providence sparkled bewitchingly in the darkness.

She groaned slightly, caressing the back of her aching neck. Damn, the pain was excruciating. She glanced once more at the stack of legal documents. It was essential they were thoroughly read and signed before she left the office. As the boss, she would regularly stay behind. Her father did exactly the same before he became ill. He was a hard worker, and his work ethic had rubbed off on her. When she rotated her neck, trying to find a sweet spot, a searing jolt of pain shot through her body.

Shit, not again. Whenever she became tense, her neck went into a spasm. Hadn’t she got enough on her plate already? Her father had taken a turn for the worse and couldn’t be released from hospital. He’d come down with a bad case of the flu, and she feared for him.

Like looking down the barrel of a gun, she saw her life panning out in front of her. A long, lonely existence beckoned. How many years would she give to keeping the share price high? With a McCloud at the helm it was just about possible, but at what cost? She didn’t have a personal life. There weren’t enough hours in the day for that. She glanced at her watch, sighing resignedly when she realized it was almost ten. Wasn’t she entitled to rest and relaxation, too, just like her employees? Sitting at her desk, she’d heard their happy chatter as they’d left for the weekend. Was she the only woman in the whole of Providence who wasn’t enjoying herself right now? Being the head of McCloud Energy meant all work and no play.

Kelly painfully shook her head. She needed to let off steam and chill just like everyone else. Her mind drifted to Matthew Strong, and a smile lifted her lips. He could deliver exactly the right antidote for her melancholy. He was powerful, sexy, and dominant, and just what she needed. So why was she still here, sifting through boring paperwork, when she could be at his club finding her own personal nirvana?

Her neck spasmed once more. It was no use. She needed a break. Kelly rose from her desk and made her way to the corridor outside, heading for the drink station. A latte looked tempting, but caffeine was the last thing she needed this late at night. She’d been having trouble sleeping. Pulling down a Styrofoam cup, she held it under the dispenser. When it was full, she raised the chilled water to her lips. Damn it, just drinking was incredibly painful. She groaned and held a hand to her aching neck, squeezing the inflamed flesh to alleviate the pain.

Afraid to move, she stood statue still as Ricardo Fiorucci sauntered up to her. “Are you okay?” His greasy dark hair and small stature seemed at odds with his impressive name. His beady eyes swept over her, making her feel uncomfortable. What the hell was he doing here this late at night?

“It’s my damned neck. It’s gone into spasm again. I can’t move it.” Christ, this was all she needed. If she weren’t in so much pain, she’d walk away from him.