Chapter Five

Thomas walked into the media room in the back of his house and took a seat in one of the plush chairs located in front of the big screen television. The idea of returning to the living room cramped his stomach. Instead, he needed some space and time to clear his head after the scene with the enigmatic Gabrielle. The potent combination of her fear and bravado pulled at him even now. Talk about a conundrum. Surprisingly, he’d been only moments away from taking things too far too soon.

He stared at the blank black screen in front of him as he replayed the evening with Gabrielle in his mind over and over. He’d barely expected her to show up let alone go through with everything he’d asked. Under his hand, she’d begun to bloom with only the barest of encouragement. Sure he’d sensed apprehension, but the underlying need had fought for dominance and won. Now, his mind raced and his dick throbbed with a desire for this woman that worried him. He couldn’t afford to let anyone get under his skin. That knowledge didn’t dissuade him from acknowledging his need for a submissive. Some things could only be ignored for so long.

It had to have been her eagerness to please that got to him. So many of the submissives he met these days were jaded beyond their years. The needs that so often brought people to the lifestyle were often consuming, and it was the many players that often left women like Gabrielle broken in their wake.

“Here. You look like you need this.”

Thomas stared at the tumbler of amber liquid his friend and houseguest David held in front of his face.

“Thanks.” He reached for the glass and swallowed the shot. The rich smooth alcohol began to warm his throat and insides immediately.

“So that was the woman you told me about? The one looking for a Dom?” David dropped into the chair next to Thomas and extended his legs in front of him, his feet resting on the coffee table.

“Gabrielle.” He loved the way her name rolled from his tongue. He’d listened to Angel refer to her as Gabby more than once, but he refused to acknowledge the nickname. He loved the lyrical sound of her full name being pronounced not to mention it suited her far better than the girlish abbreviation.

“She’s beautiful,” David sipped at his glass before he continued, “and from the sound of things, very responsive. I really enjoyed her screams. My dick’s been hard since the first one.”

Thomas smiled despite the tension surging through him. “I know what you mean. She was more than I expected. Although, she’s possibly a little on the naïve side. It’s obvious how much this means to her, but I suspect the emotional aspect will be intense. I’m not sure she’s the right candidate for us.”

“Who’s emotions are you really talking about?”

Thomas turned sharply to meet David’s gaze. His friend had every right to ask the hard questions, but that didn’t mean Thomas had to like them.

“Haven’t you always said how it’s impossible to separate the emotions from a Dom/sub relationship?” David asked.

Thomas relaxed into the leather chair once again. “Which is exactly why I can’t take this lightly. The goal is not to get her attached to me.”

David swirled the liquid in his glass. “Or for you to get attached to her, right? Maybe it’s time to rethink your position.”

Tension arced between them at David’s insinuation. No. Nothing had happened to change Thomas’ mind. His intentions were to not get too involved. Attachments were for the David’s of the world not him. “It’s not going to happen. You asked for my help, and I’m happy to give it.” Thomas traced the etched groove of his glass as he remembered the smooth expanse of Gabrielle’s ass. An overwhelming hunger threatened his mind. God, he’d wanted to take her so bad he’d nearly lost it.

“And in the meantime?”

“In the meantime, nothing.”

David swallowed his drink and stood. He crossed to the small bar, and Thomas listened to him pour another drink. They were both in trouble.

“You don’t think she’s in the right place?”

“Oh, she’s in the right place all right. In fact, she’d be prime picking for a less scrupulous Dom.” An unsettling thought. The idea of her being broken tore at his mind.

“Then it’s settled. Tomorrow night at dinner, we spell out the terms for her and see where things lead. Hell, she might say no.” David returned to his seat and flashed his trademark devil-made-me-do-it smile.

“She won’t.”

David held up his glass in salute. “I do admire your confidence, my friend.”

“I’d call it more instinct rather than confidence.” His gut was telling him far more than that. They definitely needed to proceed carefully with her. But as much as his head told him to walk away, his mind filled with the image of her at Sanctuary. The innocent rapture across her face had mesmerized him from the first moment he’d lain eyes on her. Her ability to get caught up in a scene she wasn’t even participating in astounded him.

He’d been determined to learn more about her, and Angel had been more than willing to fill him in on her situation. Freshly divorced and desperately in need of a good Dom to teach her was how Angel had described her friend. She’d been right about the “in need” part. He’d felt that first hand. Angel had assured him her friend would be open to an arrangement of his liking. So then why was his stomach tied in such severe knots it would take more than a bondage expert to get them undone?

“You are going to explain the situation to her when she comes for dinner tomorrow night, right?”

Thomas didn’t like the tone of David’s question. Of course, he would. And he’d do whatever it took to get her to accept. Any other option made pain throb behind his right eye and forced him to imagine her with someone else learning what he ached to teach her. She was clearly on a quest that suited her well. If he and David didn’t intervene someone else would.

Thomas gripped his glass tightly until his fingers ached. It wasn’t the knowledge she’d seek from another that motivated him. No, it was the events of the last hour that stuck in his brain, sinking deep into his pores. From the exquisite flesh she’d eagerly bared to him all the way to the fear waiting in her eyes, she frankly appealed to him on a level he’d not felt in too long to remember. And this wasn’t exactly his first rodeo.

The image of his fingers in her mouth was now burned into his retinas. The fantasy of her lips stretched by the width of his cock instead would likely drive him to jerk off before the night ended.

Somehow, her scent still tickled his nose, and the desire to taste her overwhelmed him. Oh yes, tomorrow night would prove to be very interesting indeed.

“Earth to Thomas.” David waved his hands in front of Thomas’ face to catch his attention.

He lifted his gaze and frowned.

“Where’d you go, man?”

“I was just thinking.” Obsessing more like it. What the hell was happening to him? This lack of control bothered him.

“I gathered that. Are you sure you want me in on this, Thomas? I can bow out now, and you and Gabrielle can examine whatever this is.” David waved his hand in the general direction in front of him.

“What? No.” Thomas blew out a hard breath. “Nothing’s changed. This isn’t about just me. Tomorrow night, we’ll discuss it all with her and see what she has to say about it.”

“Uh-huh.” David looked unconvinced.

Thomas wasn’t about to invite any more discussion on the matter, so he attempted to change the conversation.

“What’s going on with my illustrious accountant?” Thomas moved to the bar and poured another drink.

“My guys are still working on the full background check. Nothing out of the ordinary has popped yet. A few parking tickets, a penalty payment to the IRS a couple of years back for not paying enough quarterly tax payments, but nothing to set off any alarms. So far, he’s pretty ordinary.”

Thomas scoffed. “Other than his appearance, I doubt that. I’ve had a gut reaction to the man since I took over, and I’m telling you, something isn’t right.”

“Did you talk to Gabrielle about the job? We need something more official than your gut to pursue.”

“No, it didn’t come up. I was a little preoccupied.”

“I know. I heard.”

Thomas sighed. Another thing to taunt him tonight. The mewling sounds of Gabrielle nearing her orgasm as well as the full-blown screams he’d driven her to with his fingers. His body tightened with the brutal force of intense desire. Next time, it would be his dick buried deep inside her, torturing her ruthlessly.

“Just find some information to nail the little prick to the wall, and I’ll take care of the rest.” He’d hire Gabrielle whether he needed to or not. He wanted her. And if having her would slake the mind-bending lust gripping him by the balls, then that’s exactly what he’d do.

As if it were that simple.

He didn’t just want her. First, he needed to figure her out, peel back the layers that made her tick, reveal her darkest desires and possess them and her right along with it.

“I hope you know what you’re getting into with this one,” David muttered.

“I always know what I’m doing before any relationship begins.” And he wasn’t about to start changing the rules now.

* * * *

The long, never-ending day finally came to a close. Thomas breathed a sigh of relief when the bright sunshine dimmed to the comfort of twilight. David had spent the day at his office, and Thomas had opted to work from home instead of going into Sanctuary. With so much going on with the changes he’d begun to incorporate, one day of peace and quiet had sounded damned good to him. It gave him a chance to focus on the accounting mess he’d discovered. He’d sifted through bank statements, cancelled checks, credit card statements and invoices until his eyes crossed. All to no avail. He suspected the financial answers he sought were right in front of his face, but for some reason, he couldn’t see the forest for the trees.

Thomas pushed the last of the paperwork into the file folder and shoved it into his desk drawer. A glance at the clock informed him that Gabrielle would be arriving shortly. The caterer had arrived a couple of hours ago, and he needed his mind clear and on his guest when she knocked on the door.

He closed the office door and quickly proceeded to the kitchen. Part of his inability to focus on the problem at hand had been thanks to a certain untrained submissive who’d lingered on his mind all day long. The vision of her draped over his couch with her ass in the air would not soon be forgotten. His muscles tightened at the memory, and his dick thickened. Not like he hadn’t been half hard all day anyway.

He surveyed the kitchen from the doorway not wanting to disturb the preparations. Pans of food simmered on the stove, and the aroma reminded him he was hungry for more than sex.

Professionally, he had some serious knots to untangle, but privately, he had high hopes for an exciting evening. He had a date with a certain gorgeous blonde who tempted his every need. Movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned and focused on the view from the bay window just in time to see an expanse of bare leg emerge from her small car. Tasteful sandals were strapped to her small feet, and when she full disengaged from the vehicle, he discovered an elegant but short black skirt hugging her lush curves. She’d swept her hair up on one side leaving her neck bare and perfectly lickable. Mmm… Like last night, no jewelry adorned her neck or ears, leaving her simple beauty to shine on its own. He breathed deeply, remembering the fragrance of her body. She’d worn no perfume last night, and he’d reveled in the essence of her arousal and the clean but subtle smell of sweet soap.

He’d gone from half hard to a raging erection in two seconds flat.

Now, he watched Gabrielle walk toward the front door, nervously fidgeting with her skirt and purse. Whatever thoughts or reservations had gone through her mind about last night had not kept her from his doorstep—a fact he was certainly grateful about. That nervousness reassured him more than any words could. If there wasn’t a certain level of hesitation when embarking on this type of relationship, it likely wouldn’t be worth the effort for either of them.

The hemline of Gabrielle’s short skirt swished around her legs as she moved, drawing his attention to the swell of her hip and the rounded curves of her ass. From his perfect vantage point, he stared at her long and hard. Yes, she was beautiful. And yes, he certainly wanted her. Who wouldn’t? It was the other that poked incessantly at the back of his mind that drove him crazy all day long. God, if he wasn’t careful, she’d turn into an obsession.

She reached the front porch and hastily began straightening her skirt and checking her hair. Thomas smiled. Soon, it would be his touch skimming the sweet softness of her figure. His hands that would tangle in her long, golden hair as he claimed her mouth and so much more. He instantly made the decision that he’d do whatever it took to get her into his bed. There’d be no other choice for any of them if he had anything to say about it. Damn, this was going to be one hell of a night.

The doorbell chimed through the house, once again shaking him from the stupor that watching her created.

“Would you like me to get that for you, Sir?” one of the wait staff inquired.

“No.” He waved her off and proceeded to the foyer. In an attempt to control his fucking hard on, Thomas focused on the boring facets of his job such as writing checks, placing orders, hiring new employees and so on. Anything to get his mind off what waited for him between Gabrielle’s sweet thighs.

His cock jerked. Clearly, nothing was going to take his mind off of fucking her.

In the next moment, he took a deep breath and opened the door. “Gabrielle. You’re early. I’m impressed.” He stepped back and ushered her inside. “You can leave your purse and keys there on the table if you’d like.” He pressed his hand to the small of her back and felt the slight stiffening of her spine. “Relax. You have nothing to be afraid of,” he reassured her.

Her pink tongue darted across her lips as she hastily dropped her belongings before wringing her hands in front of her. Thomas didn’t hesitate; he pulled her close. Her soft curves rubbed against the hard planes of his, nearly eliciting a groan from him. That simple touch ignited a firestorm raging through his blood, threatening to send him one step closer to the edge of his control. He barely restrained the urge to strip her where they stood in an urgent need to see her submit.

The urge to fuck her rode him hard but couldn’t overtake the necessity of building trust. He had so many creative ways to draw her from behind the wall she kept peeking over. Last night had been a great first step in obliterating her reservations, but the obvious nerves displayed now reminded him they still had some work to do.

“I’m just not used to this.”

“What? Coming to a dinner date?” He couldn’t resist the tease. He knew exactly what she meant. Gabrielle relaxed. Now, he could delve a little deeper with her attention focused on their conversation not what he might do to her, although he had plenty of plans for her tonight—some of which included making her step pretty far outside of her comfort zone. He couldn’t wait.