Beck & Call (7 page)

“Do you want to move?” he asked. “Maybe rub your hungry little pussy against the chair?”

He made her blush. “I don’t dare. I don’t want the chains to cut into me.”

He enjoyed the answer, though her tone had edged toward sarcasm. The gleam in his eyes increased. “Is your bottom pulsing? Can you feel the whip strikes I laid on it?”

She felt them twice as much after he said the words. Her clit pulsed in a matching rhythm, unbelievably sensitized by everything he’d done. She could please him by letting him know that. Rather than give in to temptation, she bit her lower lip.

“Rebellion,” he chided, wagging one long finger.

An extraordinary zing shot up her clitoris, as if his wagging finger were tapping it. What had he done to her? She was completely in thrall to him. Then again, maybe they were in thrall to each other. How else could she explain that he knew to pull these reactions out of her? He cupped her breast with the hand that had scolded her. When he squeezed, his callused palm compressed her nipple. She was sensitized there as well. The pleasure was so sharp a cry tore from her.

“I could make you come,” he warned. “Whether you wanted to or not, I could manipulate this one nipple and all these people would see you orgasm.”

“Don’t.” Her throat felt sore, her body trembling from head to toe. Part of her knew she didn’t want him to listen. Part of her was completely thrilled.

“‘Don’t’ isn’t your safe word.”

He stole her breath by jerking the chair she was bound to onto its back two legs. She couldn’t fling out her arms for balance. They were chained behind her neck. Instinct told her to panic, but at the same time she absolutely knew Jake wouldn’t let her fall. Adrenaline flooded her, and Lord knew what other crazed biological cocktail. If she hadn’t been bound, she’d have thrown herself on him; just ripped down his zipper, climbed his tall hard body, and rode him until they both climaxed. If a million people had watched, she wouldn’t have stopped herself.

“‘Yes’ or ‘no,’” he said, holding her dipped back. “I need to hear one of those two words before I continue.”

His handsome face was inches away, his cologne mixing with his sweat to form a scent she’d never get enough of. His arms were steely from the intensity of his grip, his pupils swollen with arousal. When he wet his lips, she lost it.

“Yes,” she answered.

He crashed his mouth over his, his tongue instantly claiming the territory inside. Her hormones went
ohmygod
. He tasted so good and felt so good and boy oh boy he could kiss. She strained in the chains that held her, desperate for more of his oral skill. Jake made a rumbling noise in his chest, too soft for anyone but her to hear. His kiss went deeper. His hand tightened on her breast …

She came, her body jerking with pleasure and surprise. The orgasm was quick but sharp, and it drew a low moan from her.

Jake pulled free and set her upright again.

She gaped at him, shocked and actually a bit angered by his retreat. At least he wasn’t smirking over his victory. She couldn’t have tolerated that. His face was flushed as he stared back at her, his hands slightly clenched at his sides. Mia had no idea what lay behind his dark expression until a smattering of applause broke out in the audience. Then annoyance flicked across his features. He didn’t want their experience lowered to the level of something done for show.

The applause cut off. Management was striding onto the stage in her amazing blue sparkly gown. She had no trouble walking in four-inch heels. “Thank you,” she said to Jake as the house lights came up. “I’m sure we all appre-”

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” a familiar voice demanded.

It was Curtis, her and Jake’s mutual boss. Mia had thought he was leaving tonight’s scheme to Jake, but she guessed not. Curtis glared at Jake from the edge of the dance floor in the same clothes he’d worn to work, his arms crossed angrily at his chest. To be honest, Mia wasn’t a hundred percent certain his rage was feigned. Curtis looked genuinely pissed.

Maybe he hadn’t known how far Jake intended to take this?

“What does it look like I’m doing?” Jake responded unhelpfully.

“You told me you didn’t play with coworkers. You said it would ‘threaten our dynamic.’” Curtis’s face flushed darker as he made quote fingers. “Mia is our receptionist. And under my protection!”

Jake shrugged. “What can I say? You’re hot, Curtis, but I like her sexy bits better.”

Curtis rushed toward the stage roaring, clearly intending to attack. Mia cursed the chains that kept her from intervening. Fortunately, two of Audition’s security guys got between Curtis and the object of his anger.

“You’re fired!” Curtis shouted, struggling to wrench free of them. “Both of you are goddamned fired!”

Hey,
Mia thought, stung by this in spite of the fact that it probably was an act. How was it fair that she got fired too? What happened to her being under Curtis’s protection?

“Get him out of here,” Management ordered her security personnel.

It took one more guy, but Curtis was escorted out.

“Lower the curtain,” was Management’s next command. She ducked behind it as it fell. “Are you two all right?”

Jake squeezed Mia’s shoulder. “I think we are. I’m really sorry about the scene.”

Management waved away his apology. “Not your fault. That young man earned himself a blacklisting. From here
and
Diogenes.”

Well, hell,
Mia thought, her sense of injustice switching targets. She hoped Curtis didn’t like the club too much. At least he’d been interacting sort of romantically with people. She looked at Jake, who warned her with a small headshake not to plead on her friend’s behalf.

“Let me get you out of these chains.” He hunkered down to do it. A moment later, his brows lowered. “You’re shaking. Why didn’t you warn me that was too much? It’s important for subs to communicate their limits.”

Was that what she was now? His sub? Jake had one hand on her knee and the other behind her hip. Both touches were unusually comforting. Under the circumstances, Mia gave herself permission to enjoy them.

His eyes were so stunning and intent she temporarily forgot to respond to what he’d said. With a little jerk, she remembered. “What you did wasn’t too much. It was just … a lot. Plus, I think I might be in shock from getting fired. I’ve never seen Curtis that angry.”

She hoped she wasn’t talking too much. She wasn’t the best actress. Jake patted her upper leg. “This is my fault. I’ll help you find another job. You’re a good receptionist.”

He began unwinding the chains that held her to the chair. She watched him take them off with as much fascination as she’d watched them go on. She sensed him working not to react to what he was doing. That was illuminating. Jake
really
enjoyed bondage. She guessed it was lucky
he
wasn’t getting barred from Diogenes.

Standing again was awkward. Her muscles had tensed and her panties were really wet.

“Ma’am,” Gabriel interrupted, coming in from the wings again. “Mr. C would like to speak to these two.”

Management’s eyes narrowed. “Would he now?”

“I think I should take my friend home,” Jake said. “She’s had an upsetting day.”

“I might be able to help with that,” Damien Call said smoothly.

He didn’t wait for permission but stepped past Gabriel to join them on the stage. He was tall in person, broader than Jake but not bulky. Mia estimated he was around thirty, so younger than both Jake and Curtis. He was handsome in a square-jawed Captain America sort of way—privileged and polished. His hair was gold-streaked brown under the rafter lights. The strands were straight and as perfectly styled as a magazine cover. He seemed unruffled, as if his evening clothes didn’t dare wrinkle.

He stopped more than an arm’s length away. Possibly his personal space needs were bigger than most people’s.

A little tingle of
… something
coursed through Mia as his impassive gaze raked her up and down. His eyes weren’t polished. They reminded her of a mountain lion—like he was deciding how to eat her up. Though the onceover had been quick, she suspected it was thorough.

Jake stepped slightly in front of her and pulled himself straighter. “We’re not looking for help.”

“Aren’t you?” The men’s gazes locked, the battle of wills interesting to watch. Both commanded their own sort of power, and both definitely had a thing for control. Damien Call blinked first, though this might have been because he decided to. “It sounded as if you might be seeking employment.”

“Playing at Diogenes is my hobby, not my career. Anyway, you don’t know us.”

“I don’t know
her
,” Call corrected. “You I’ve seen operate.”

This seemed to surprise Jake a bit. “You’ve watched me.”

“I especially admired your work with Gabriel. Staff submissives tend to get thick-skinned. You took him higher than anyone I’ve seen.”

“Great,” Jake said, but not like he was flattered. Mia concluded he was playing hard to get. “We’re still not looking to sign on as Daddy Warbuck’s toys.”

Call smiled faintly. “I was going to offer you regular jobs. I happen to be in need of a personal assistant. And a driver with security experience.”

If Call knew Jake had that, he’d researched him already.

“
You
need a driver?” Jake responded skeptically. “You made your first million designing cars.”

Call shrugged. “I don’t like driving in the city. Also, quite often, I need to work en route. That’s not safe to do when I’m behind the wheel.”

He was lying. Mia couldn’t have said how she knew. Her subconscious brain sometimes added up nonverbal signs. Though it might not have been strategic, she said what she was thinking. “You don’t need a personal assistant or a driver. It’s like Jake said: you want us to be your toys.”

Call really looked at her this time. “I would like you to be my toys, as you put it. However, I’m perfectly willing to hire you in a standard capacity while you make up your mind and take my measure. I pay well, in case you were concerned.”

“We weren’t,” Jake said flatly. He put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her to his side. That nonverbal message didn’t need any special brainwork to decipher.

“As you wish,” Call said. “I’ll give you my card in case you change your mind.”

He took a step closer and handed it to Jake. Without retreating, he looked at her. “Would you like one as well?”

The question took her by surprise. Mia considered for a moment before holding out her palm. Call placed his card in it. He didn’t pull back as she expected but left his hand lightly touching hers. The brush of his fingertips was electric. Her gaze jerked to his. His irises were hazel: gold flecked with green and blue—very beautiful, she thought.

“You haven’t slept with him yet, have you?”

Mia yanked her arm away, her fingers tightening around his card instead of dropping it. “That’s a personal question.”

“I know it is.” He didn’t seem repentant. “If you’d permit, I’d like to make an even more personal request. If you’re considering accepting my offer, don’t go any farther with him than you already have.”

Mia gaped. She really didn’t know how to respond to that.

Call’s mouth curved with another glimmer of amusement. He was very sure of himself. Very sure of them, she suspected. He’d gotten his way too often not to be.

Jake didn’t say a word as the billionaire shrugged his dinner jacket straighter and turned to go. Mia had a feeling Call’s assumptions suited Jake perfectly.

~

Though everything seemed to have gone according to his plan—not that
she’d
been privy to the whole of that—Jake was uncharacteristically jittery during the limo ride home from Audition. First he tapped the door handle, then his knee, and finally he bounced his shiny shoe on the plush brown carpet.

Mia had a number of conundrums to think about, but after a few miles of this she couldn’t take it anymore.

“Why are you so antsy?” she demanded. “Didn’t you get what you wanted?”

“What?” He looked surprised.

She gestured to his unruly knee. “You’re bouncing.”

“Oh.” He stopped doing it. “Maybe we should discuss what happened.”

“Which part?” she asked warily.

He laughed through his nose and twisted around to her. Seeming relaxed again, he slung one arm along the top of the leather seat. “Are you prepared to have sex?”

Mia blinked. “You mean with you?” He nodded. She didn’t know how to answer. She was plenty ready in some ways. In others, she was leerier than ever. The power he’d exerted over her tonight was unnerving. “You don’t mean now, do you?”

Amused, he shook his head. “Call seems to expect us to have it in front of him. I didn’t know he’d want that. From what I’d heard, he mostly enjoys watching dominance exchanges.”

“You think that’s why he told me not to go any farther with you until we decide on his offer.”

“Yes.”

As happened too often, the truth seized control of her vocal chords. “Being told not to do it makes me think about it even more.”

Jake’s eyelids grew heavy. His attention dipped to her mouth. “Yes,” he agreed in his whispery bedroom voice.

Mia couldn’t not shiver. When she did, he looked into her eyes again. “I know you don’t sleep with men casually.”

Was he implying it would be casual for him? What they’d done at Audition already felt intimate to her. She turned her head to the window, noting they were close to the Brooklyn Bridge. The weather was clear tonight. The heavy Gothic arches made quite a picture lit up against the sky. She wondered how many other bridges she’d cross before this was over.

She touched one fingertip to the window to trace a suspension cable’s swoop. “We don’t have to decide this second.”

“Soon we do,” Jake said quietly.

This time Mia was the one who turned fidgety.

~

Jake had the unsettling sensation that he and Mia were connected by an invisible cord of … incompletion, he guessed he’d say. If she’d been anyone else, he’d have been fucking her in the car—enjoying it too, he’d bet. Mia might be inexperienced, but she wasn’t short on interest in sex. She’d be incredible to have under him. To hell with what the driver might or might notice. Their scene at Audition had been exciting, their chemistry potent. His cock still felt heavy, like it would rise at the least excuse.