His Desire, Her Surrender (11 page)

Marcus shuffled through some documents before handing one to Jonah. "For the most part, yes. I'm putting the final touches on the proposal for the shareholders."

Jonah glanced at the top page. "Do you think they'll go for it?"

Marcus acknowledged Jonah's question by pointing out a specific paragraph in the text. "I do. We've always done right by them. The stock price and dividends have been steadily rising under our management. Between the stock owned by family and a few other major stockholders, approval isn't in doubt."

Jonah viewed the financial synopsis Marcus had indicated. "That's true. Our financial outlook is positive. I'm guessing that's why Coron wants in. Well, that and our research."

Marcus clapped his hand on Jonah's shoulder. "Yeah. In a certain light, this is all your fault."

Jonah started. "My fault?"

Marcus released Jonah. "You've made too many profitable products."

Johan laughed. "Well, I suppose I could spend a little less time in the lab."

Marcus's expression turned serious. "You should, actually."

Jonah grunted. "And then what would I do with my time?"

"I don't know. What does anyone do with free time? Take up a hobby? Be social?"

Jonah shook his head. "My work is my hobby."

Marcus dropped the frequently discussed topic of his brother's social life. "Anyway, the only questionable thing is the threshold to trigger the poison pill. Our proposal calls for share dilution at fifteen percent. But some companies have instituted even lower percentages."

Jonah flipped to the second page, still scanning as he spoke. "You probably won't have a problem. Are you going to talk to Morgan?"

"Yes. I plan to go see him personally. It will be important to have him on board."

Jonah placed the document back on the table. "Well, it sounds like you have things under control. Did you hear anything more from security? About tracing that car?"

Marcus shook his head. "No. Nothing yet."

"Well, thankfully you have a head like a rock," Jonah teased. He headed toward the door. "Thanks for the food." Ducking into the hall, he closed the door behind him.

Tabitha turned toward Marcus. "Your brother seems preoccupied."

"He's always like that. Don't worry about it. He has a million things running around in his head and doesn't always take much notice of what's happening around him."

Jonah's demeanor reminded Tabitha of an absent-minded professor. "He seems very bright."

"He's brilliant. His ideas and research are what is propelling us forward. I can try to guide things as best I can, but good products and innovations, that's what will keep us growing."

Tabitha smirked. "Is that straight from the shareholder's report?"

Marcus laughed.

"So how does this work, exactly? I don't really deal with mergers and acquisitions at work."

"If Coron's stake in Granger Pharma hits fifteen percent, the company will issue shares to existing stockholders at a discount. That will dilute Coron's stake. It would make things very tough on Coron, particularly without cooperation of the board."

Tabitha idly cleared the remains of their meal. "Marcus, you didn't tell me you were still investigating the incident." She tried to be casual, but the fright of that evening hadn't completely faded.

"A few leads are being investigated. There's nothing to tell."

Tabitha sensed his evasiveness but let the subject drop. "I'm guessing you have more work you need to do."

"Yes, unfortunately. This shareholder's rights agreement needs to be finalized. I need to contact Dan Morgan as well. He holds a large block of stock. He's with us, but I have to make sure."

Tabitha hid her disappointment. "Will I see you tonight?"

"Yes. Head over to my place whenever you want. I'll meet you there when I'm done here. Does that work?"

Tabitha strolled to Marcus and kissed him. "It works."

Chapter 9

Tabitha puttered around Marcus's apartment, cleaning and straightening. When Marcus arrived, she had almost finished.

Marcus greeted Tabitha with a kiss. "You didn't have to do that."

Tabitha smiled. "I know. I felt like it, though." The activity had kept her mind off waiting.

"I have something for you."

"Marcus, you don't have to give me gifts."

His eyes glinted with sensual promise. "I know I don't. This one has a specific purpose, though."

"Oh?" His demeanor aroused Tabitha's curiosity.

"Come." He held out his hand.

Grasping his hand, Tabitha followed him into the living room. A flat white box rested on the couch. Tabitha's inquisitive nature couldn't be denied. Her fingertips reached toward the box. "What is it?"

Marcus tapped the box. "An outfit."

She pulled her hand back, suddenly wary. "For what?" The last clothing he'd bought for her hadn't faired too well.

"For you."

Tabitha pursed her lips. "Obviously. Is this another fundraising thing?"

"No. Open it."

Tabitha removed the lid and pushed aside the tissue paper. Black fabric greeted her. She lifted the first piece out, a short satin skirt. Surprise lit her features.

At her reaction, Marcus' showed some embarrassment. "That's the skirt."

Tabitha turned the fabric in her hands, feeling the softness. "Are there panties?"

Marcus coughed. "Uh, no."

Holding it to her waist, she tested the length. "This isn't going to cover much." She'd learned Marcus had a taste for visual stimulation. It was a taste she didn't mind satisfying in the least.

Marcus pointed. "It covers the essentials."

Placing the mini-skirt on the arm of the couch, Tabitha reached for the next item, a camisole made out of stretchy, floral-patterned lace. There were also matching thigh-high stockings. After examining them, she set them with the skirt. "Shall I put these on?"

Marcus drew her to face him. "Not now. I'd like to take you out to a club."

Tabitha's eyes widened. "You want me to wear that in public?"

"It's not public. The club is private. Members only."

Her face revealed her consternation. "Marcus, I'm not sure."

"I understand. It's a step. A big one. Do you trust me?"

"I …." She paused, carefully considering her words. "I do trust you. But I don't know those other people."

His expression hardened. "You're mine. I stand between you and all others. You have nothing to fear from anyone."

Tabitha shivered. His words confirmed the stamp of possession that already existed between them.

Marcus gripped her hand in his. "I want to make things official. I want you to accept me, Tabitha, really accept me. Commit to what we have."

Tabitha shook her head. "I don't understand."

"We'd go as a couple. We'd do a scene."

"A scene?" She repeated his words as she attempted to grasp his meaning.

"Yes, I have something simple in mind. Bondage and spanking. That's all."

Tabitha blinked. "In front of people?"

"Yes."

His words finally penetrated her mind and made sense. "Marcus, I don't know if I'm ready for something like that."

"There's more." His normally confident voice faltered.

Confusion clouded Tabitha's face. Marcus was not one for being tentative. "What do you mean?"

"We've been drifting along. Exploring. It's all been consensual, safe, and light."

"Yes." Marcus hadn't forced her to do anything. He'd always made it clear she could put a stop to things at any time, but she'd never wanted to.

"If we're going to continue, we should probably discuss things. Write it down. It saves misunderstanding later. It forces us to be open about our wants and desires and to think about our limits."

Tabitha tamped down her growing excitement. Where was Marcus going with this?

"I want to execute an agreement that outlines our understanding. The scene would be a formalization. I know I gave you a collar." Marcus gestured to the plumeria choker. "But that wasn't binding. It was symbolic of my intent, but not the same. Am I making any sense?"

"No. I'm not sure I understand."

Marcus took a breath. "It would be a collaring. You'd accept my collar. You'd accept me as your Dom. To make it official. To make
us
official. To make a commitment to this relationship.

Tabitha's bewilderment lifted. "So, it's like a ceremony?"

"Yes. Some people do it in private. I'd like to do it with these friends. They know me. They know the lifestyle. It means something to me to declare our commitment in front of others."

Tabitha hesitated. "It sounds almost like a …"

"A wedding?"

Tabitha blushed. "Yes, in a way."

"You're right. It's not legally binding, but binding between us. It's what we agree we want our relationship to be."

"Do you have something in mind … for an agreement?"

"Yes." Marcus crossed to the pass-through and opened a file folder. "You should read it through. It mostly consists of a list of potential activities and you check off your preferences. It also sets our safewords. I went with the standard green, yellow, and red to keep it simple."

"Okay." Tabitha tried to clear her head. Surprise, anxiety, and curiosity all mingled together in her mind. She wanted to interpret Marcus's unexpected plan as a positive sign regarding his feelings.

"Why don't you sit down? Take a look. I'm going to go do some work I brought home. I'll check back with you and we can discuss any questions. Is that okay?" Marcus's body language conveyed his nervousness.

Tabitha smiled, bemused. Marcus's normal demeanor conveyed strength and confidence. It reassured her to know that he had his own moments of insecurity. "Yes. That's fine."

Marcus clipped a pen to the pages of the agreement and put it on the table. He approached Tabitha and leaned in for a kiss.

Tabitha sighed against his lips. She loved their texture — firm, warm, and mobile against her mouth. She swayed toward him, brushing the tips of her breasts against his chest.

Marcus palmed one breast. "Ah, Miss Quinn, are you trying to distract me?"

Tabitha's nipple peaked against his fingers. "Not intentionally, but I can't seem to help myself."

Marcus pulled away and grasped her hand. He brought her palm to his mouth and kissed it. "It's hard to give you this time when all I want to do is take you here and now. But this is important. I don't want to have any miscommunication or to exceed your limits."

Tabitha warmed inside. "I understand and I appreciate it. You're right. Sometimes stupid things can trip up a couple."

"Okay. Hold those sexy thoughts and make a mental note of the things on the list you want to try out." Marcus gave her a suggestive smile and left the room.

Tabitha took a seat and shuffled through the pages. As he'd explained, the agreement contained sections on safewords, toys, and activities, all clearly outlined. Her eyes settled on some of the choices. Vibrators. That was a yes. Blindfolds. Already been there. She skimmed the rest of the objects, planning to return and examine each item more carefully.

Tabitha looked at the activity list. Hot wax. Paddling. Those were a yes. They'd tried those together. Electrical current? She'd have to ask Marcus about that one. Group sex? No. She wanted Marcus to herself. Tabitha imagined a person would have to be very secure to go in that direction. She mentally added that topic to the list of things to discuss.

The agreement contained columns for Marcus to express his thoughts as well. He hadn't marked them. She suspected he probably didn't want to influence her choices. Did he want to bring in others? She supposed he did, in a way, with wanting to go to the club. There was a world of difference though between people watching and people participating.

Soon Tabitha lost herself in thought as she continued reviewing the document. Many were easy yes's or no's. Images of the two of them engaged in some of the activities filled her mind, disrupting her focus.

When Marcus touched her on the shoulder, Tabitha jerked. She hadn't heard him return.

"Find anything interesting?"

Tabitha blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "I have to tell you, Marcus, I'm not into the sharing thing."

He shrugged. "That's fine. I have no desire to share you with others. Not in that way. I'd like to show you off, but that's different."

Relief surged through her. "Okay. Are you sure?"

"I'm totally sure." Firm conviction permeated his answer.

Tabitha pointed at the document. "But it's on the list."

"It's a standard list. I didn't bother to remove anything."

Tabitha hadn't considered that possibility. "Oh."

"I would be surprised if we weren't in agreement on most things."