“Driver’s license?”
“I don’t drive. I must have had something in my bag. Maybe a bill with my address on it.” It was possible. Her handbag was a mess.
Derrick looked grim. “I don’t like this at all.”
She nodded. “This is really bizarre.” She didn’t understand what was going on.
“Well, whatever is happening, you certainly can’t stay here.”
“I’ve nowhere else to go.”
“You’re coming home with me.” He held up a hand before she could speak. “I have a guest house you can stay in; we wouldn’t even have to see each other.”
“Thanks for the offer, Derrick. But I have, uhh, another friend I can stay with. For tonight, at least.”
Derrick watched her through narrowed eyes. “That better be true.”
She raised her eyebrows innocently. “Of course.” Tomorrow night, well, she’d worry about that later.
Besides, surely whoever had done this wouldn’t be back.
***
Four hours later and Tara was exhausted. The police had come and gone. Now she was left staring at the mess they’d left, wondering what she was going to do next.
The whole time the police had been there, her property manager, Ted, had stood in the doorway glaring at her.
“Damn it,” Derrick put his cell away, ending the call he’d been on for the last ten minutes. “I’m sorry, love. I’ve got to go.”
“That’s okay. You’ve done more than enough.”
He shook his head. “I’m not leaving you here alone. I don’t like this. At all.”
Neither did she. But then did anyone ever like being broken into?
“I’ll be fine. Why would they come back?”
“To get whatever it is they were looking for,” Derrick said grimly.
“I don’t understand what they could have been searching for,” she told him. “There was nothing here to take. It was probably just teenagers looking for some cash, nothing serious.”
Derrick didn’t look convinced. His phone buzzed and he looked at the screen, cursing softly. “I have to go, love. But I’m going to send Robert up. He’ll help you clean up then take you to your friend’s place.”
“That’s really not nece—”
She shut up as Derrick sent her a look. She’d seen that look on Alex’s face before. It meant trouble for her unless she gave in real quick. Sometimes dealing with Doms was a real pain in the ass.
She snorted. Literally.
“That wasn’t up for argument, understood?” Derrick said quietly.
“Yes, Sir.” She could wish that he’d keep his nose out of her business, but she had to admit she was really glad he was here.
“Thank you for coming.” She rapidly blinked, trying to keep the tears from spilling down her eyes.
Derrick shook his head then strode over to her, pulling her roughly into his arms. “I don’t like leaving you here like this. You get Robert to help you with whatever you need. He’ll take you to your friend’s place. You’d damn well better call me if you need anything.” He pulled back, staring down at her sternly. “You hear me, Tara? I know you’re not very good at asking for help, but you need to learn to reach out to those who care about you. We won’t be happy if something happens to you.”
He turned away and she stared after him in surprise.
“The guest house is always available,” he added, turning toward the door as a dark-haired, slim-built man appeared. “Robert,” he said to his driver. “Help Tara with whatever she needs and then take her to her friend’s house. Make sure she gets there safely.”
“Certainly,” Robert said. “Your taxi is waiting outside.”
Tara felt guilty that Derrick had to take a taxi while she had his car and driver, but she knew it was senseless to protest. There was no way she could win.
Stubborn Dom.
“Call me if you need me,” Derrick told her, leaving.
“Right,” Robert said once Derrick had left. “Where shall we start?”
It took a few hours to put the apartment back in some kind of order. Most of her stuff was ruined and headed for the garbage. She sighed as she looked at her clothes. They’d all been pulled from their hangars and trampled on. Everything would need to be washed. She grabbed some plastic trash bags and started shoving the clothing inside. She’d deal with them at Alex’s.
“Anything else you want done?” Robert asked.
Tara glanced around. “No, I think—” A noise outside the door had her spinning. She pulled the door open to find Ted standing there. There was a piece of paper pinned to the door.
“What are you doing?” she asked. She grabbed the piece of paper. “An eviction notice, are you kidding me?”
“You have three days to get out,” he told her.
“You can’t do this,” she protested, following him down the hall. “There has to be just cause.”
He turned and grinned at her, showing off his missing teeth. “You’re late in your rent and it’s not the first time. That’s reason enough for me.”
***
Tara was in a state of disbelief. She couldn’t believe that bastard had actually evicted her!
Asshole. Bastard. Shithead.
Unfortunately she could call him all the names under the sun and it wouldn’t change the fact that she had nowhere to live.
No job. No apartment. No money.
Wow, when she hit rock bottom it was with a bang. She sat down on Alex’s couch and looked at the trash bags around her. She had three days to get out of her apartment, but she’d decided she might as well grab everything right then. Plus, being in that apartment gave her the creeps. It would have been a relief to be evicted if she had somewhere else to live.
Robert had helped her pack everything in the car before driving her over to Alex’s apartment. He’d looked relieved at the new place she was living in. Little did he know how temporary this was.
God, she couldn’t believe her life fitted into five bags.
Well, moping around wasn’t going to change the fact that her life was a mess. She needed a job. She needed a place to live. She really needed to wash these clothes. She couldn’t wear them knowing that strangers had had their hands all over them. She shuddered. If she could afford it she would’ve replace the whole lot and thrown this crap away.
Sighing, she stood. She really hoped that Alex didn’t mind her using his washing machine.
***
Alex parked his car in his garage. Today had seemed unbearably long. All he’d been able to think about was Tara waiting for him. In his apartment.
Had he ever been this eager to get home to Simone? Maybe in the beginning before she’d come to hate him. He shook the thought out of his head. He wasn’t going to think of Simone. Not tonight. Tonight was about him and Tara
He was kind of glad she’d lost her job. Her boss was a prick and he didn’t like the long hours she had to work. Part of it was selfishness; he wanted her to have plenty of time to devote to him. But mostly he was worried about her working so late at night. He wouldn’t be forgetting last night for a long, long time.
She didn’t need to get another job, not right away anyway. He’d move her to a safer apartment. He would take care of her. He would provide everything she needed.
He had to admit that filled him with a deep sense of satisfaction. He hadn’t realized how much he needed to be needed. Simone hadn’t needed him. Not beyond what was in his bank account anyway. Despite her tough front, Tara did need him.
“Tara?” he called out. When he didn’t get an immediate answer, his stomach dropped. What if she’d changed her mind? “Tara?”
“In the kitchen,” she replied.
As he moved toward the kitchen, the scent of something cooking hit him and his stomach growled. Tara turned around to face him, her cheeks flushed.
“I hope you don’t mind, I know it’s kind of intrusive to just help myself, but I was getting hungry and you said to make myself at home—mmm…”
He drew her against him and kissed her soundly. Pulling back, he cupped her face.
“It smells delicious.” It did. Although it did feel a bit weird having her cook for him. He hadn’t expected it. “I didn’t expect you to cook for me.”
“It does weird you out,” she said, a look of regret on her face. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry,” he said, regretting his thoughts as her shoulders slumped. “I said to make yourself at home.”
“Yeah, but you probably meant turn on the T.V. and get yourself a glass of water, not invade your kitchen and cook dinner.”
Damn, he was stupid at times. Instead of thanking her, he was acting like she’d done something wrong. “Thank you for cooking dinner. I can’t remember the last time someone cooked for me. It smells delicious.”
She shrugged. “Just something I threw together.”
He could tell it wasn’t, though. She’d been hoping to please him and he’d ruined it.
Alex took her hand in his. “Do we have some time before its ready?”
She nodded. “About twenty minutes.”
“Good. I’m going to get us a drink. Let’s sit in the living room and talk for a bit.”
“Okay.”
“What will you have?”
“Just a club soda.”
Alex poured himself a scotch and got her a club soda then followed her into the living room. He came to a stop when he saw the bags on the floor.
“Oh, sorry,” she said. “I didn’t know where else to put them.”
“That’s all right. What’s in them?”
“Not trash, I promise.” She smiled. “My stuff. Clothes, a couple of photo albums, toiletries.”
“I see.” He didn’t really. He’d expected a small suitcase. Enough for maybe a night or two. This looked like much more than a nights worth. Unease stirred in his stomach.
“Don’t worry. I’m not moving in or anything.” She tried to sound flippant, but he heard a note of hurt. “There was an issue with my apartment and I had to move my stuff. No big deal. I’ll move it all tomorrow.”
“It’s not a problem.”
“Really? Because you looked kind of ill when you saw my stuff here. Thought I was moving in for good, huh?” She grinned at him and he smiled back.
“It just caught me by surprise.” And now he felt stupid and a bit of a jerk. “You can put everything in the bedroom.”
“I don’t want to mess up your room. Can I put them in the spare bedroom? My clothes need a wash. I put one load in, but then I got distracted with dinner.”
“No problem. Feel free to use the washing machine. Here, I’ll help you move them.”
He picked up the bags and strode down the hall to the spare bedroom, placing the bags on the bed. He turned and walked back toward the living room, Tara behind him. “What happened at your apartment, was there a leak or something?”
“No, I got evicted.”
He froze and she bumped into him from behind. Turning, he grabbed hold of her arms to steady her.
“You got evicted? Why? What happened?”
“My property manager is a jerk. That’s what happened. He’s hated me ever since I moved in. He wanted me to have sex with him in return for fixing my leaking shower. Needless to say nothing has been fixed since then.”
“That asshole. Give me his name and address, I’ll deal with him.”
Tara patted him on the arm, giving him a big smile. “That’s so sweet.”
He didn’t feel very sweet. He felt murderous. How dare some asshole pressure her like that?
Tara moved around him and took a seat on the sofa. Alex paced in front of her, too restless to sit.
“I mean it. Who is this asshole?”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. I’m not going to have to deal with him ever again. I packed up my stuff and left.”
“Wait, that’s not everything you own?” Surely not. She must have stuff in storage.
“It was everything I wanted to take,” she replied. “Don’t worry, though, I won’t be overstaying my welcome. I’ll move into a motel tomorrow.”
He waved that off. “No, you won’t. This is perfect, actually.”
She frowned. “My getting evicted and moving into a motel is perfect?”
“Not that. I was going to talk to you tonight about your living situation.”
“You were?”
“Yes. I want you close to me.” He sat on the coffee table in front of her and leaning over, grabbed her hands. “I don’t like knowing that you live in such a bad area of town. Getting evicted is horrible, but it does mean that you’re free to move. It means that we can be closer and spend more time together.”
She looked dazed. “That’s what you want? For us to be closer?”
Alex nodded. “Yes. I want to know you’re safe. Otherwise, I’ll spend all my time worrying about you.”
“Really?”
“Really. So we’re agreed? You’ll move?”
“Ahh, I guess so.”
“Great.” He stood, feeling energized. “I have this great apartment. It’s ten minutes away, fully furnished and it’s currently empty. We’ll move your stuff in tomorrow.”
“Wait, what? An apartment? Near here? That’s where you want me to live?”
He glanced over at her. “Yes, unless you have something against this area? If you do I’m sure we can find something else. I thought you’d protest moving into an apartment I own. I’m glad we’re on the same page.” He smiled at her happily.
Tara managed a weak smile. “Right. Only thing is I don’t have a job.”
“Which you don’t need to worry about since I’ll be paying for the apartment and utilities.”
This had gone far easier than he’d anticipated. He would set her up in an apartment he owned. The tenants had moved out a month ago and he hadn’t let the rental agency put anyone else in. Then his conscience would be clear. She wouldn’t have to work if she didn’t want to. She’d have everything she needed and he could sleep easy knowing she was safe.
Chapter Seven
Tara was silent for a long moment. She was an idiot. Had she seriously thought he was asking her to move in with him? He’d already made it very clear that he didn’t want a commitment.
Still, for a minute there she’d kind of hoped…and now she couldn’t exactly tell him that she’d changed her mind. How would she explain that?
Oh, I thought you were asking me to move in with you, not put me in an apartment like a mistress.
Yeah, hadn’t her day been humiliating enough without admitting she was an idiot?
“Now you have time to find a job you really want. You’re tired, you’re stressed and you don’t need anything more to worry about. I like knowing you’re safe and taken care of.”
He wanted her close and available to him.
But not
too
close.
“Once I get a job, I’ll start paying you rent.” She did have some pride, after all.
“Of course.” His quick agreement soothed her pride.
Once things ended between them she’d have to move. But at least she’d have a roof over her head until she got another job.
“How did it go with the sketch artist today?” Alex asked.
“Oh, I didn’t get time. I’ll go in tomorrow.”
Alex frowned.
“I promise. I will definitely go in tomorrow.” It wasn’t like she had anything else to do.
Alex cupped her face. “Good, make sure you do. I want this guy off the streets. Now, before we get on to more interesting things, like the spanking I owe you for sneaking out the other morning, we need to talk about the contract. Wait here.”
Tara sat back on the plush sofa and wondered what the hell she’d just done. But he looked so happy and she’d do just about anything to please Alex.
Alex left the room, returning with some papers. “Here’s the contract I’ve written up. Most of it is standard. You’ll need to fill in the checklist at the back and we’ll add anything we need to.”
Tara took the papers. She knew having a contract was probably a good idea, but couldn’t help feeling it was so cut and dry. A business transaction, rather than, well, romance, attraction, lust.
She swallowed, trying to wet her dry throat. Tara stared at the contract, the words blurring in front of her.
“I put in two months, although it seems kind of short, but I figure we can just renegotiate at the end of eight weeks.”
Tara blinked, keeping her face down so he didn’t see her dismay. She knew what she was getting into. This wasn’t a relationship. Not a normal one, anyway, with flowers and dates. This was about sex.
Well, sex and submission.
Was it enough? Hell no. But it was all she could get and sad as it was, she was going to take it.
“Th-that’s okay.” She forced herself to read the contract. One sentence stood out.
Each party promises not to fall in love with the other person
.
It was kind of arrogant of him to assume she would fall in love with him. Then again, she already cared about him more than she probably should. At the end was the checklist for her to indicate her hard and soft limits.
“Have you got a pen?”
He handed her one with a smile. She managed to smile weakly back. Trying to steady her shaking hand, she went through the list. Then she signed at the bottom and handed it back to him.
“Is there anything you want to add?” he asked.
“Umm, I don’t think so.”
“Have you ever signed a contract like this before?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No.”
A look of satisfaction crossed his face. “Well, the contract is to ensure that we both know where we stand. I want to give you what you need, Tara, but I’m not a mind reader. You need to tell me if there’s something I’m not giving you.”
How about a relationship that doesn’t start off with a piece of paper?
But she didn’t say that, instead she smiled and nodded. It felt like she did that a lot lately.
Alex signed the contract then placed it onto the coffee table.
“Now, it’s time to celebrate.” He drew her into his embrace, taking her mouth in a deep kiss.
She should really tell him about her apartment being broken into. He squeezed her ass, making her legs melt.
Yeah, she’d tell him in the morning. Wasn’t like there was anything either of them could do about it right now.
Alex swung her up into his arms.
“You’ve got to stop doing that!” she said as she grasped hold of his shoulders.
“Why?”
“Because you’ll hurt your back.”
He looked down at her in disbelief. “You’re kidding right? Honey, a man sweeps you into your arms, the last thing you want to do is suggest he’s not strong enough to hold you.”
“Oh, I wasn’t, I…”
He grinned down at her and she whacked him on the arm before he threw her onto the bed.
“Rat,” she told him.
“That’s Sir Rat to you,” he replied with a wicked grin. “Strip.”
Tara scooted over to the edge of the bed then quickly stripped while Alex watched.
“Very nice. Turn around.”
She turned, sending him a saucy wink over her shoulder. He growled but his gaze was warm. “Brat. I believe I owe you a spanking.”
Tara turned to face him. “Doesn’t that contract mean I get a clean slate?” she said with a pout.
Alex shook his head, sending her a stern look. “Good try.” He sat on the side of the bed and pointed at his lap. “Get your ass over here. Now.”
Moving slowly, she stopped when she stood in front of him. “You’ll be gentle, right?”
He grasped hold of her chin. “Did you sneak out of my apartment after a night of mind blowing sex without leaving a note? Or your phone number?”
“I’m sorry, Sir.”
“That’s a very pretty pout, but your ass is still toast. Over.”
She lay herself over his lap. His pants were soft against her bare skin, the heat from his thighs warmed her.
“Tara, why didn’t you tell me you were cold?” he said as he placed a warm hand on her back.
“I figured you’d soon warm me up.”
He tilted her back onto her feet and moved to a panel on the wall. “I can do better than that; I’ll turn the air conditioning down.”
“But you like it cold.”
Alex raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t I just tell you that I wanted to give you whatever you needed? I believe you promised to tell me when you needed something. That includes when you’re freezing and need the air turned down. You’ve just added to your spanking.” He moved back to the bed and sat down again. “Come here.”
He crooked a finger at her, all teasing gone from his face. Now he really looked like he meant business.
Alex arranged them so her body was supported on the bed. “It’s a count of twenty.”
Oh God.
He smacked his hand slammed down on her ass and he wasn’t holding back. By the time he got to seven her ass was on fire. He’d given her the spanks quickly. Then he stopped and rubbed her ass. The heat spread through her body, pooling in her lower stomach as her clit throbbed. Moisture gathered between her legs and he pushed open her thighs, brushing his fingers up and down her lips.
“Sir?” she queried.
“I should punish you properly,” he told her in a husky voice. “But I find myself a bit distracted. You’re gorgeous.”
Alex distracted? By her? A heady feeling enveloped her. She’d never thought of herself as sexy or gorgeous. But by the feel of his hard cock pressing against her, Alex certainly did.
He gave her three more heavy smacks and she let out a low groan.
“Since we’re celebrating signing our contract I’ve decided to let you off easy.”
He smacked her ass again. Two smacks to each cheek.
This was easy?
“How are you going, Tara?”
“I’m good, Sir,” she replied.
The last few smacks were given slowly, his hand lingering on her ass. By the time he was finished, more than just her ass was hot. Her whole body was lit up with need. He lifted her up and sat her on his lap with her ass hanging off the side. Her nipples were tight, hard peaks, just begging for him to touch them.
“Open your legs,” he commanded.
She spread her thighs. He ran his fingers between her lower lips then brought them up. They glistened in the light.
“You enjoyed your spanking.”
“Maybe.”
“I’d say definitely. I did go easy on you. Next time I’ll have to make it hard and fast. Of course, there are also other ways I can punish you.”
“Do we really have to sit here and talk about punishment?” she moaned.
He cupped her breast, running his thumb over the nipple. She gasped.
“Why, was there something else you had in mind?”
“Yesss,” she cried as he pinched the nipple.
“What was it?” he asked before nibbling at her neck.
“Please, fuck me.”
“Hmm, I’m not sure you should receive pleasure after a punishment.”
She gaped up at him, only to find him grinning down at her.
“Please, Sir.” She gazed up at him, blinking her lashes. “I’ll be good.”
Alex chuckled. “Not too good, I hope.” He moved, rolling until she was under him. He kissed her, sweeping his tongue inside to battle with hers. Tara thrust her hips up against him, wanting more.
“Lie still,” he growled. “Or I’ll tie you down and play with you to my heart’s content.”
She shivered, almost begging him to do just that.
“Hmm, seems you like that idea, sweetheart.” He pinched one of her nipples.
She arched back with a hiss. He took the nipple into the warmth of his mouth, soothing it. Alex knelt between her spread legs and ran his gaze over her slowly. Tara lay there, feeling her cheeks warm as he studied every inch.
“Damn, you’re beautiful.”
She looked up at him shyly. “Really?”
“God, yes. Incredibly beautiful.” He kissed his way down her neck. “So sexy.” He cupped her right breast and flicked the nipple with his tongue then did the same to her left nipple.
“Delicious.”
Standing, he pulled her up then steered her over to the corner of the room where a full-length mirror stood.
“Legs spread, head up and eyes on yourself. Any time you look away means a minute of torture for you.”
“Torture?” she squeaked.
His grin was evil.
Alex stood behind her, towering over her. He was nearly a foot taller than her petite five two. He was still dressed, which gave her an added sense of vulnerability as they stood in front of the mirror. Tara hunched her shoulders as she stared at herself.
“Alex, I don’t think—”
“Shh,” he said, not unkindly as he placed his hands on her shoulders. “You can do this. You will do it. Now straighten up.”
She pushed her shoulders back.
“Good girl.”
A feeling of warmth infused her. Alex raised an eyebrow. “Liked that, did you? You want to be my good girl, Tara?”
Tara looked away, embarrassed.
“Uh-uh.” Alex turned her face back. “That’s one. No looking away, remember.”
Tara blew out a deep breath. “Sorry, Sir. This is just hard for me.”
“Why? I’ve never noticed you being shy before.”
“That’s different.” How to explain this without exposing all of herself? “I don’t really have a hang-up with being naked during sex or a scene. It’s just…”
“This is more intimate,” he guessed. “You’re more exposed.”
She nodded.
Alex reached around and traced a finger over her cheekbones, down her nose, over her lips. “You’re so lovely, so sweet. I could just eat you.”
She grinned. “Promises, promises.”
He barked out a laugh. “Maybe later.”
She shivered at the thought.
“But stop distracting me.” He ran his fingers over her shoulders and down her arms, leaving goosebumps of desire in his wake. “Hands behind your head,” he commanded.
Tara slipped her hands behind her head, leaving her even more exposed.
“Don’t move.”
She relaxed a little with that order.
“Good girl,” Alex said, watching her closely. Damn, she wouldn’t be able to hide much from him. He moved away and grabbed something from a drawer.
Tara strained to watch him in the mirror.
“Hands at the small of your back.”
Tara quickly moved to obey him. A silken rope was wrapped around her wrists and he tied them expertly. Almost instantly her muscles relaxed and she calmed, her mind clearing of worries.
“Yes, you definitely like that,” Alex murmured. He cupped her shoulders then ran his hands around to cup her breasts, holding them up.
His eyes held hers for a long moment as he pinched her nipples lightly. Tara gasped as heat raced through her, pooling in her clit.
“A little bit of pain is good, isn’t it, sweetheart?”
She nodded, closing her eyes in ecstasy as he applied just a bit more pressure to her nipples.
“That’s two,” Alex said and her eyes shot open.
“Sorry, Sir,” she said. “It just felt so good.”
He smiled. “I’m glad. But I want you to watch.”
Alex ran his fingers down her sides. She shuddered.
“Ticklish?”
“Yes, Sir,” she said with a giggle as he brushed his fingers against her side again.
“Good to know.”
Man, she really didn’t like the way he said that. Alex moved away and grabbed a stool. He carried it over and placed it beside her. He patted the top of the stool.
“Foot up here.”
“Umm.” She glanced down at the stool briefly. How the hell would she keep her balance?
“I’ll make sure you don’t fall. Trust me.”
Tara let out a deep breath. She did trust Alex. He would never let her fall.
She drew her leg up, placing it on the stool. It opened her up, baring her fully in front of the mirror. She blushed as she took in her bare pussy.
Tara wobbled a little, unable to balance herself. Alex quickly clasped her around the waist with one arm and ran his other hand down her raised leg then back up her inner thigh. He brushed by her pussy. Then he cupped one ass cheek, squeezing.
“Ohh.” She jumped, trying to look behind her.
“Uh uh uh, that’s three.”
“Damn it,” she swore.
Alex clucked his tongue, but his eyes were twinkling in amusement.
“You did that on purpose!” she accused.