BegMe (4 page)

She wasn’t even sure she was a true submissive. A little submission
in the bedroom she could handle but being forced to submit in the real world
was a tough cookie to swallow.

She’d spent ENOUGH time wondering
what if?

The time for self-doubt was over. Jared Campbell offered her
the perfect deal. He didn’t know her. They didn’t have any emotional
attachments. With him, she could be anonymous, a faceless submissive. She
wouldn’t have to deal with any humiliating explanations. Maybe this was a way
to overcome her fears. Sex with him would allow her to explore the
what if
and move on with her sex life. There would be no more wondering.

Moistening her lips, she decided to go for broke. “So, if I
decided to accept, there would have to be ground rules. I would expect you to
be discreet.”

He nodded. “Of course. Goes without saying. We both have a
professional façade to maintain.”

Tessa wondered what profession he meant. She filed that
question away for a later date. “And if I accept, I want you to know that the
Dominant/submissive thing goes as far as the bedroom. I will not be your…bitch.
I will not wear a collar or be led around on a leash and made to eat out of a
bowl on the floor. Our relationship will not extend outside of the bedroom.”

“Of course. Our relationship will be based purely on sex and
sex alone.” The amused tone crept back into his voice.

“This is not a joke, Mr. Campbell. I’m merely discussing the
terms of our arrangement before embarking on anything.”

“Very shrewd of you, Tessa.” He reached into his suit
pocket, pulled out a pen and searched for a piece of paper on her desk. He
scribbled a few sentences. Finishing off, he signed the paper and handed it
over. “The terms of our arrangement. A discreet, sexually experimental
relationship that does not extend beyond the bedroom. Signed, sealed and
delivered by yours truly. I can assure you it’s a legally binding contract,
ma’am.”

Despite the embarrassment of the situation, his quirky sense
of humor made her smile.

He held out a hand. She stared at it intently. Decisions
were a pain in the ass. Should she make a deal with the green-eyed devil?
Should she embark on this dance?

Taking a deep breath, Tessa slipped her hand into his and
shook, sealing the deal.

What the hell if he turned out to be some kind of sick
pervert? Well, she just might enjoy it. “You have yourself an arrangement, Mr.
Campbell.”

“First things first, you will call me Jared.” His gaze
glittered mischievously.

Tessa gulped. The man was astoundingly sexy. “So, where do
we start,
Jared
?”

“We start with dinner, tomorrow night at eight.” He handed
her a business card. “I’ll pick you up at seven-thirty.”

The plain script was printed on a dark-gold background. The
only things printed on there were Inferno, Jared Campbell and a phone number.

Dinner was the last thing she expected. Leather, whips and a
seedy motel maybe, but not dinner. A little stunned, Tessa fingered the card
and nodded.

“Tomorrow it is then.”

* * * * *

Jared stood in front of the glass window of his office.
Inferno pulsed with music and people. He loved his club and he was lucky to
have such a successful business. Hopefully his personal life would soon be
heading in the same direction. He thought of Tessa and grinned. He couldn’t
wait to see her.

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out an
invitation.

It was to a small, exclusive BDSM party organized by an old
friend. He’d gotten one in the mail every few months for the last year but
never considered going. He’d been out of the scene too long. There would be too
much pressure on him and his partner.

Could he handle that?

Walking over to his desk, he pulled out a chair and sat
down. He turned the invitation over in his fingers. The party might be a way to
announce his return.

Jesus.

Return? It sounded like a goddamn coming-out party.

He dropped the card and rubbed his palms over his face.
Maybe he should go. It would give him a goal to work toward. Maybe he needed to
reconnect with old friends in the scene. Maybe it would ignite his enthusiasm.
Maybe things had changed.

Jared’s intercom buzzed. He pressed the button and spoke to
his personal assistant. “Yes, Carly?”

“I think there is a situation you need to come deal with
down here.”

“Be right there.”

He opened a drawer and stuffed the invitation inside. He’d
make a decision later.

Chapter Three

Driving through the lush neighborhood, Jared contemplated
his surroundings. The streets were lined with picket fences and oak trees. It
was a far cry from his humble beginnings in Texas but he couldn’t think about
that now. Shaking off the thoughts of his past, he lost himself picturing Tessa.

Tessa at the club—feisty, fighting her own desires.

Tessa sitting behind the desk in her office—cool, calm,
collected. Professional. The look on her face when she mistook him for a
gigolo.

Tessa pliant in his arms—the taste of her innocence, the
reaction of her body to his touch.

Already there were so many images of her in his mind. Jared
grinned. He looked forward to beginning their lessons. She would make a poor
student, constantly fighting him. He knew from the way she resisted him at the
club, she’d be bratty at first. He’d be gentle, allowing her to adjust. His
punishments would be swift and necessary to overcome her innate reaction of
disobedience.

He imagined Tessa kneeling, breasts bound tightly with
Japanese rope bondage. A spider gag clamping open her mouth. He’d run a
pinwheel over her tight, pink nipples. He shifted in his seat. His cock
throbbed.

He glanced at the lilies on the passenger seat. Usually, in
a situation such as this, he would bring roses. A dozen red ones. But in
Tessa’s office, he’d seen a number of lily paintings. The flower suited her.
Elegant, regal, virginal—at least to the BDSM scene.

The woman fascinated him on a number of levels. Beautiful,
intelligent, yet she fought her desires. He would enjoy the challenge her
initiation provided. In one month, Tessa would be ready to live the sexual
lifestyle of a submissive. If she chose to.

After their arrangement ended, she could choose any Dom she
wished.

The thought of her with another man, another Dominant, a
Master who commanded her body in every sense, set off stabs of jealousy.

Why should he be jealous? She was just a way for him to get
back into the scene. There would be no lasting relationship between them. They
had a contract, nothing more. He didn’t want to get involved. Relationships
were messy. He avoided mess. He liked his nice, comfortable life without
entanglements.

Yet Tessa had an innocence he wanted to exploit, a glimmer
of submission he wanted to keep to himself. He wanted to be her first. He
wanted to strip away the veneer of control and civility she wore like
protective armor and show her just how liberating submission could be.

Not wanting to analyze such complex emotions, especially not
tonight, he switched on the radio.
Danse Macabre
by Saint-Saëns blared
out, the moody yet seductive tones fitting.

Seeing Tessa’s house, he slowed down and pulled into the
driveway. Jared knew she was surprised at the dinner invite. She’d probably
expected him to take her back to the club, a “conventional” BDSM environment.

He smirked. He was going to enjoy breaking down her
preconceived ideas. Reaching for the flowers with one hand, he slipped the
other into his pocket and fingered the black-silk blindfold.

Tonight he would gain her trust. It was his duty as a
Dominant. If she didn’t trust him, this exchange would be worthless. He wasn’t
into forced submission.

Tonight he would tantalize her senses.

Tonight was just the beginning.

* * * * *

Tessa lifted up a stray bang and sprayed. She was aiming for
sultry, funky and sexy. What she got was bed hair, messy and very unsexy.
Letting out a squeal of frustration, she started again.

She hated this, the nerves of a first date. Glancing at the
clock, she smoothed down the front of her black shift dress. He would be here
shortly. If he made it on time.

After Jared’s proposal, Tessa had changed her mind a dozen
times. She couldn’t give herself sexually to a complete stranger.

Could she?

The question had plagued her dreams and every waking moment
since making the deal. What the hell was she doing? She was a professional. A
sex therapist, at that. If a client came to her with this situation, she’d tell
them to think deeply about the decision. As long as they were safe, Tessa
usually encouraged clients to pursue whatever made them happy.

She realized now how much that advice was a crock of shit.
Making the jump from fantasy to reality wasn’t easy. What if Jared got beneath
the surface? What if her desires disgusted him? Her ego couldn’t risk another
humiliation.

What if she gave up control and hated it? Was she even a
submissive? Sure, she fantasized about spanking and pain and being on her
knees, but what was the reality?

The doorbell rang, invading her thoughts. Too late to back
out now, he was there.

After taking a deep breath and one last look in the mirror,
she walked downstairs and opened the door. Jared stood on her porch, leaning
casually against the railing, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a bunch
of white lilies. The grin lighting up his face melted her body into a pool of
swooning-female jelly. Heat unfurled low in her stomach. A dull ache pulsed
between her thighs, dampening her pussy.

She almost let out a sigh. Almost.

Silently chiding herself for acting like a lovesick
teenager, she stepped out and joined him. “Hi. I guess those are for me?”

“Actually they’re for the nice old lady next door, but since
you got to me first, I guess you can have them.” He handed her the flowers. The
mischief dancing in his eyes made them sparkle and she laughed despite her
nerves.

She led him through the house. “Mrs. Madison is more of a
roses girl.” After filling a vase with water, she set it down and unwrapped the
flowers before arranging them. It felt good to have something to do with her
hands. It stopped her from reaching out, fisting his shirt and dragging his
lips to hers.

He looked devastatingly handsome. The midnight-blue suit and
black button-down shirt suited him. She could just make out wisps of dark hair
peeking from beneath his open collar. She imagined ripping open his shirt and
licking her way across his chest, a voyage of discovery to see if the lush,
dark hair really did go all the way down.

“And you prefer lilies?”

Turning, she gave him a weak smile. “I’ve always been a
little unconventional.”

He leaned in and toyed with a strand of her hair. She could
smell his cologne. Something woodsy, spicy and oh-so-masculine.

“Have you thought about me, Tessa? Have you touched yourself
and got wet thinking about me?”

Where the hell had that come from? She blinked. Her
breathing quickened. What could she say to that? “I don’t think that’s an
appropriate question.”

He laughed. “Really?”

“Yes.”

“That means you have been thinking about me.”

She frowned. Of course she’d been thinking about him but it
was arrogant to ask. “Think highly of yourself, don’t you?” Despite his
arrogance, her body couldn’t help being attracted to his. He was a pretty
package.

He shrugged. “Not really. I’ve been thinking about you.”

He stood in front of her, placed his hands on the sink to
either side of her body and leaned down, sniffed the crook of her neck. Tessa
had to bite her lip to keep from moaning. She barely knew the guy and he was
crowding her space like they were old lovers. His dominance thrilled and
terrified her. Her heart slammed against her rib cage, her pussy wept.

Like a moth to a flame.
She silenced the pesky voice
in her head and tried to keep her voice steady as she replied, “What have you
been thinking?”

“I’ve been thinking about you on your knees. Your pretty
breasts bound and naked for my attention. I’ve been thinking about pinching
your nipples, wondering what they look like. Are they pink and rosy? Or peachy?
I bet they are rosy. I bet they blush like the pink on your cheeks. Hmmm.” His
tongue snaked along the crook of her neck.

She shivered. His warm, wet tongue sent zings of pleasure
coursing through her body. She imagined him running that tongue across her
nipples. They stiffened to hard peaks beneath her dress.

“Have you been thinking about me, Tessa?”

She managed to choke out a single word. “Yes.”

“Good.” He stepped away.

Her body cooled. She instantly missed his heat. Why had he
stopped? She swallowed, turned her head to look at him.

A smile played on the corners of his lips. He held out a
hand. “You ready to go?”

Was she? Hell no. She was stunned and horny. He’d invaded
her space, turned her on and left her hanging. Is this what she could expect?

The doubts didn’t stop her from slipping her hand into his.
His grip was firm and warm. Electrifying. One small touch sent electrical zings
buzzing in her nerve endings.

At that moment, they could have plugged her into the
national grid and she would have lit up the entire USA. She wanted to wrap her
legs around his waist and rub her aching clit against his crotch.

Tessa gulped. If that was one mere touch, what would sex
with Jared do to her system?
Yikes!

“Let me just grab my purse, and I’m all set.”

He smiled, an oh-so-knowing smile that said he was the wolf
and she was poor Little Red Riding Hood, waiting to be eaten.