Strictly Business: Hooded Pleasures, Book 1 (5 page)

Her silence unnerved him.

He couldn’t stop talking. It was like a cork had been pulled out of a keg of wine, the contents spilling out without any chance of keeping control.

Alex pushed his chair back and stood. “I can’t go there, not yet. Not until I know this is what I really want. I don’t want to watch, I don’t want to be one of those guys who talk the talk but don’t want to walk the walk. I don’t want to be thrown out because I’m a poser, a voyeur when that’s not what I am. Not the real me.”

He walked to the other end of the table. He picked up one of the water glasses and drained it. The cool liquid helped him focus again on where he was and what he was supposed to be doing.

“I understand.”

The soft words assuaged his soul, stopped the bleeding in his mind.

He looked back.

She eyed him for a second before switching her gaze to the still-full second glass.

Alex picked it up and went to her, leaving his drink behind. He placed it on the varnished tabletop in front of her with a nod.

Kate took a sip and let out a sigh before grinning. “Thank you. There’s nothing like ice-cold spring water.” She pointed at his vacated chair.

Alex sat back down, pleased to see her smile.

“We get a lot of newcomers like you. Going to a club is a big step, and your nervousness is very common. Aside from porn magazines, where else have you done your research?”

“Books.” He couldn’t lie to her, couldn’t fathom being able to. It was like being lassoed by Wonder Woman. “I bought some books.”

The disapproval in her eyes almost broke him.

“What books?” She motioned him on. “Titles. Authors.”

He started listing them, one at a time—counting them off on his fingers to avoid her gaze. Popular fiction titles, bestsellers he’d ordered through the online bookstores because no matter how hot they were, no matter how many book clubs bragged about them, he couldn’t find the nerve to buy them in person. Then the nonfiction titles, the hard facts displacing the myths, the reality pushing the fantasies aside.

After he finished, he dared to glance up, meet her eyes.

The approval in her eyes soothed his soul, calmed his nerves.

“You understand that fiction is fiction and fact is fact. Correct?” The gentle interrogation had a snap of concern.

“Yes.”

“We can’t promise you the same experience. I can’t promise you the same thrill as those men experienced in those books. What you’ll receive is totally yours, your own experience like no one else’s.”

The unspoken words hung in the air between them.

This is what I can give you.

If you’ll let me.

If you’re worthy of me.

“I know.” Alex drew a deep breath to steady himself. “Please understand, I’m not searching for a cheap thrill or a fast way to get my rocks off. I’m interested in the real thing and want to know what I need to do to get there.”

Kate moved behind him, out of sight. “Put your hands on the table, palms down.”

He did so in silence, his pulse pounding in his ears.

Let me make you happy.

Let me serve you.

Chapter Three

Kate studied the back of his head, the slender hairs creeping down his neck.

She reached out and brushed her fingertips along the soft skin.

He didn’t flinch from the unexpected touch. He didn’t twist around to see her, didn’t pull away.

Alex sighed.

The sound caressed her ears, called to her.

He needed someone to serve, someone to make him complete.

Let’s give him a taste of what you can give him.

What he wants and needs.

What he’s willing to give you.

A delicious anticipation started in her belly, sending goose bumps over her skin. “Stand up.”

Alex paused only a second before pushing the chair back and getting to his feet. He let his breath out slowly, a trace of a whimper escaping his lips.

“What’s your safe-word?” she asked, still behind him.

Kate knew what it was. He’d chosen it, written it on his application. The word or words that would stop her in her tracks no matter what she was doing or what he was feeling.

But Alex had to know he held the power. The final say on it all.

“Kill switch,” he whispered as if saying a prayer.

“Good. Now strip down.”

Alex immediately shrugged off his suit jacket and let it drop on the chair behind him. The white visitor’s pass waggled back and forth.

He yanked his white dress shirt off, fumbling with the first few buttons before pulling it over his head and dropping it on the chair. The jeans were next, pulled down to rest around his ankles and trapped by his sneakers.

The briefs stayed, a noticeable bulge catching her attention.

He liked this.

He
liked
this.

Kate smiled as she studied him. He was definitely no doughboy.

She walked around the chair and into his line of sight. She pointed at his underwear and crooked a finger.

Off.

Without hesitating, he slid them down to rest atop his jeans in a jumbled heap. His hands went behind his head without being asked.

He waited, his gaze on the tabletop.

She dragged her eyes over him, starting at those delicious deep blue eyes and heading south. Kate crossed her arms and hummed as she continued her inspection.

He trembled, the muscles in his arms twitching uncontrollably.

You’re feeling awkward.

You’re out of your comfort zone. You’re used to calling the shots, having people jump to obey your every wish.

But you’re here now and ready to submit.

To me.

To do this for me.

On command.

She couldn’t help smiling.

Good.

He must be insane. Crazy, one-brick-short-of-a-wall nuts, batshit off his rocker.

Whatever you called it, he’d done as she asked, as she’d commanded, and was now standing in someone’s boardroom with his clothing around his feet. If he didn’t know where he was, he’d have sworn he was about to be pranked by some reality show.

All those books he read, all the fiction and nonfiction written by those who lived the lifestyle, hadn’t prepared him for this.

To be called out on his first real contact with a Domme, called to put his money where his mouth was.

But the embarrassment of standing there naked as the day he was born was quickly overridden by a need, a desire to do as she asked.

To be hers.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kate walk slowly around the table, still holding his file.

Alex didn’t move. He stayed in place and tried to think of something, anything that would dampen his obvious desire.

He glanced down at the empty water glass. His mouth was so dry—

“Your hard limits?” She flipped open the folder, seemingly oblivious to his physical state. “Let’s go through this list one by one. Answer yes or no.”

He swallowed as she ran through the list, mentally pulling up the questionnaire the company had sent.

“Yes.” He’d heard of that and was definitely interested.

“No,” Alex answered, and suppressed a shiver, afraid to even ask for a definition.

Kate finished reading.

“Pretty light stuff,” she said in a nonjudgmental voice. “You understand you can adjust your limits as we go along. If you want to go any further, you need to clear it with the office first so we’re both prepared for it. No surprises for either of us.”

“Yes.”

“You understand you won’t—” She gestured at his cock, which leaped to attention under her scrutiny. “You won’t finish while I’m visiting.”

He nodded, unsure what to say.

“I need to make this crystal clear. The rules dictate I can’t have intercourse with you, because that would leave us open to legal problems. That would make us an escort service, open to arrest and conviction for providing sexual relations for a price.”

She touched his cheek with a single finger and turned him to face her. “Look at me.”

He did so.

“I am not a prostitute. I deliver what’s promised and agreed to, no more, no less. The rules are very clear on this point.” Kate curled up the file folder and rapped his nose as if he were a misbehaving puppy. “It means you don’t come during our appointments. I will not go to jail because you can’t control yourself. We are not animals giving in to our baser needs whenever we want to.”

Her eyes—

She tilted her head, and he realized she was waiting for a response.

“I understand.”

She turned away. “But I know there are times when it’s unavoidable. Accidents do happen, especially when you’re new to these experiences. Your self-control may falter during our first few meetings, and I expect there to be occasions where you’re unable to help yourself.”

Kate spun to face him, the sudden movement startling him. “Still, there have to be consequences to your actions. If you do come while I’m visiting, I will not only stop our session, I’ll make you scrub the floor with a toothbrush. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes.”

Kate continued her orbit around the boardroom. “If I agree to this contract, we will meet once a week for a two-hour session. You have the right to cancel at any time after the first month or first two appointments, cut our time together or request another Domme.”

He smirked.

As if.

She glared at him, and he dropped the grin.

“I will not take this as a personal affront. You are the client, and we are here to serve your needs. If I’m not doing my job, you need to tell me, and I’ll adjust.” She stopped in front of him again. “You understand the terms, safe, sane and consensual.”

He nodded.

She kept circling the table, vanishing behind him. “I won’t attempt anything you didn’t agree to. Again, if you want to try something different or new, please send a message to the office, and they’ll let me know, let us both prepare for it. If you feel uncomfortable at any time during my presence, speak up, and we’ll stop and talk about it, no matter what point we’re at in the visit. That’s what your safe-word is for. Which is—”

“Kill switch.”

“Good. Don’t forget it. I won’t.” She snapped her fingers. “Now listen carefully. I won’t stop if you cry, whine or whimper. I won’t stop if you moan, groan or swear up a storm, although I will punish you for speaking out of turn if I haven’t given permission for you to do so. Only your safe-word will stop me.”

He winced inwardly, thinking of every pimple, every ingrown hair and skin blemish he now had on display.

“I will tend to you at the end of every session, help you recover. This is part of my job, so don’t be surprised. Stock up on energy bars and drinks. You’ll need them.” Her eyes narrowed. “Payment is made to me at the end of the session. No cash trades hands, electronic only. If you wish to tip me, you can do so at the time or call Hooded Pleasures afterwards. It will not affect my performance in any way if you do or don’t tip me.” She stopped in front of him. “Do you have any sex toys?”

He hesitated, mind suddenly blank.

She arched an eyebrow. “I asked you a question.”

The words dug into his skin as if she’d pinched him.

“I’ve bought a few things.” Suddenly he felt shy; a child called in front of the teacher to be reprimanded.

“I see. We’ll deal with that later.” She flicked her finger. “Get dressed.”

It was an effort to pull up his underwear and pants, his hands trembling with a mixture of fear and desire. He grunted as he tucked himself in, fighting the urge to stroke himself and finish the job.

She watched him with the eyes of a predator, a slight smile on her lips.

“You’ll do.” Kate took a pen out of her jacket and scribbled something in the file folder. “Someone will call to make the first appointment. Make sure you leave plenty of time before and after—I don’t like being rushed or left waiting.”

I bet you don’t.

He pulled the shirt on over his head, grateful he’d been putting in extra time in his basement at his makeshift gym. Working at a desk all day almost demanded some sort of physical countermeasure to avoid the tiny roll of fat around his waist expanding to a dangerous size.

“What are you thinking?” Suddenly she was nose to nose with him, her perfume washing over him like a cool lake breeze.

“I’m glad I work out. Don’t want to disappoint you.” He responded without thinking.

Kate smiled. “We’ll see. What would you say if I told you not to jerk off until my first visit?”

He shuddered, thinking of not touching himself for another week.

Impossible. As soon as I get to some place private—

He swallowed hard. “If that’s what you want—”

She laughed and headed for the door, file folder in hand. “I’m not a nasty person, Alex. But don’t wear yourself out before my first visit.” Kate turned toward him and pouted, blasting his self-control into shreds. “It’d be such a waste if you had nothing left for me.”

And she was gone.

Alex sat in the chair. He clasped his hands together, aware he was sweaty and shaking. His shirt was haphazardly hanging off his shoulders, his suit jacket crushed under his ass with the damned visitor’s pass jabbing him something awful, and he couldn’t move for fear of going off in his briefs like a horny teenager finding his cock for the first time.

What the hell just happened?

Kate strode into the break room a few doors down from where she’d left Alex, clutching the file folder. There was fresh coffee, and she helped herself to a cup. Despite all the water she’d drunk during the interview, her throat was dry, and she needed the caffeine.

Her hand trembled as she dumped in sugar and creamer. She gritted her teeth and sat at a nearby table.

Interesting man.

Computer geek. Gamer.

She didn’t bother worrying if she’d come across him in one of her many online game personas. The odds were against it, and she’d be a fool to reveal herself to him in an alternate world.

She’d also pushed his limits far beyond the norm.

Nudity wasn’t part of the interviewing process. It wasn’t banned, but it was highly discouraged. It was a shock to the system, bashing down the emotional walls between a sub and Domme. Depending on the man, it could break him, send him screaming from the room.

But not Alex.

He’d complied quickly and perfectly as if he was born to it.

An automatic sub.

She sipped the lukewarm coffee.

She’d called him out, and Alex had responded as if he’d been hers for years.

Hers.

Kate drank more coffee, the sickly sweet drink soothing her nerves.

She’d screwed up. She’d let her emotions take control of her, allowed them to push Alex further than she should have for the first time they met.

She’d lost control, and that was unforgivable.

Alex had complied, but if he’d refused, there wasn’t much she could have done. Kate would have stopped the interview once he’d turned her down, the connection broken between them. She would have had to call Wendy and explain she’d pushed him too far, invalidated any chance at becoming his Domme.

At that point, Wendy would assign Alex to another Domme if he agreed to it and likely warned her.

And she didn’t want a warning.

There weren’t too many of those when you worked for Hooded Pleasures. A little indiscretion here and there might be forgiven, but continued complaints would get you fired. They didn’t have room for employees who wouldn’t or couldn’t keep their emotions under control.

And then where do you go, Kate Dubois?

Where do you go?

It wasn’t like she needed the money.

But she needed the companionship. The only club she’d gone to was now a no-go zone. She wasn’t going to go there and risk tripping across Carl and his new woman.

The urge to rip both their throats out was too strong. And it would definitely be crossing the club’s boundaries.

Or sit there alone at the bar listening to the whispers.

There she is.

The Domme who lost her sub.

It’d be the same at any other club, because people talked and loved to gossip. Bad news spread fast, and even though it was almost a year later, her reappearance would start tongues wagging and the curious looking her over, wondering what she was all about.

She didn’t need some man taking pity on her, asking her to play because he felt sorry for her. A pity fuck at the end of the night before he dashed back to his buddies and bragged about giving a sympathy screw to a Domme.

She shook her head as she finished her drink.

Not now. Not ever.

The irony was it’d been at the club she’d crossed paths with Wendy while drowning her sorrows the very night she’d seen Carl and Lily together. A short conversation had led to a longer interview at the office and a job offer not soon after.

It was a relationship that suited her at the moment.

Hooded Pleasures offered her the best of both worlds.

All she had to do was stay on this side of the line.