Taking Courage (7 page)

“Push
out a little and ease my way. That's it.” With his finger farther inside, he
worked the gel back and forth, and then he pulled from her. Only a heartbeat
later, something new pressed at her entrance. It wasn't his warm finger, but it
was just as soft and slippery. “Push out again. Good.” He worked the plug back
and forth, going farther each time, until he finally had it all the way in.
“There.” He rubbed her ass and then pulled down her skirt. He grabbed a wipe
from somewhere and busied himself with cleaning his fingers.

She
wanted to sink into the desk. She got up and kept her gaze focused on the floor
as she made her way to the door. Each step reminded her of his touch.

“Janna.”

“Yes?”
She turned to find him walking towards her. His eyes were as dark as she'd ever
seen them.

“Don't
forget this.”

“The box, right.
Thank you, Sir.”

“Don't
wait too long before going to the next size. They may be bigger, but they'll be
easier for you to hang onto. Also, don't forget to add the gel to your anus and
the plug.” His instructions, although delivered crisp and to the point, felt
clinical, and the experience was anything but.

“Okay.”
An empty ache settled in her chest.

“I'm
sure you have plenty to do before your next meeting tomorrow morning.” He positioned
his body close to hers and pulled the door open. “Have a good evening, pet.”

“Thank
you, Sir.” She could get lost staring into his dark eyes.

He
moved past her and down the hall in the direction of the bathroom.

****

The
next morning Simon's new developer, Marcus, rattled on in his ear. He wanted to
shoo him away, but the man was bustling with some concern in the project not
yet addressed. Janna hadn't arrived at the meeting, and he didn't want to miss
her entrance.

“Simon,
we didn't figure enough time for edits. Don't you remember what happened with
the last roll-out? You can't let this new girl set us up for failure.”

Marcus
kept right on talking, but Simon finished tuning him out. There she was. She
stopped at the entrance to the conference room and pulled on the back of her
skirt. Did she think everyone knew about the plug? Her face showed off the
sweet pink of her unsettled state. His cock twitched.

Her
velvet channel was probably already warm and ready. All that stood between him
and her ready pussy was her flimsy skirt and the room full of his employees.

Her
eyes fell on him, and a silent conversation passed in a second. He wanted each
person in the room to stop and see what he saw, a woman fully aware of her
erogenous zones. He wasn't yet on a first name basis with her zones. He made a
mental note to rectify the situation as soon as possible. First things first,
they needed to get through this meeting.

“Thanks
for joining us, Janna,” he said.

Her
eyebrows drew together, and her eyes squinted. The look could earn her several
hard slaps to her back side. He chuckled to himself and predicted more slips to
come when he got her alone later. He looked forward to turning her backside
pink to match her cheeks.

He
forced himself to stay on point. “We had an impressive scope conversation yesterday.
I'm now looking forward to my team’s most successful implementation to date.
Janna, would you please take us through your findings.”

“Thank
you, Simon. I'll give you a tour of the documents in progress, and then we'll
cover what's left to analyze, after which it will be easy to see who I need to
meet with before tomorrow's board meeting. Get comfortable, people. I've had
Anne bring in snacks and refreshments. We're here until we're done.”

An
hour later, he got up to refill his coffee. Keller walked in the room and joined
him at the buffet.

“Right
now, she's doing well.” Simon offered the report before Keller could even ask.
Giving away where his attention was centered.
He sipped his
hot brew and watched her fidget in her seat.

“Yes,
she's doing all right.”

Keller's
lack of enthusiasm gave him pause. Simon might be a lost cause for Keller's
matchmaking, but he'd at least train her, and Janna was a fine Project Manager.
Why was he showing obvious concern?

“I
just got Charlie's background report on Janna. It's waiting for you in your
inbox.”

“Janna's
already started the membership paperwork?”

“Yes,
Charlie said she dropped them off on Saturday.”

He
looked her way. At first glance she might appear to be a simple businesswoman,
but she was clearly anything but. Charlie's reports always made for interesting
reading. He looked forward to finding out a few new things. “Is the background
check
her last step to becoming a full member at the club?”

“It
should be.” He turned to Simon. “Be careful with this one. I'm worried I might
have made a mistake this time.”

“Okay
... I'll let you know if I see something amiss.” Keller didn't usually change
his mind on a prospective trainee, and the warning stuck uncomfortably in Simon’s
side. He observed Janna as she walked over to Marcus. She sat down in Simon's
seat and immediately got back up again before sitting gently. The plug was
still working its magic.

“Good.”
Keller's gaze returned to Janna, like he was wrestling with an idea. “I hope
she stays on the path. I fear she's a runner.”

A runner, Janna?

He
knew exactly what Keller meant. They'd seen it before. Woman entered the
program and got started before they understood. The life of a submissive wasn't
a piece of cake. It tested you.

Janna
remained talking to Marcus, and the pair was in a deep discussion. Marcus
pointed to something on his laptop screen, and Janna leaned over his arm. She
scribbled something, and then the pair started to laugh.

His
gaze slid down her arm and to her hip, which was up at an odd angle. He liked
knowing the plug she was wearing at his request was having an effect on her
movements. The Dom in him wanted to pound on his chest.

He
walked towards them as they shared another secret. Marcus saw him approach and
got up.

“Thanks,
Janna. I'm going to hold you to what we discussed.”

“No
problem and please do.”

“Can
I get you some coffee?”

“Sure.
Thanks, Marcus.”

He
turned to Simon. “You’re lucky to have her on your team.”

Once
Marcus was out of earshot, he sat next to Janna. “I agree with him you know.”

“That’s
sweet of you to say.” Her rich brown eyes brightened, and she tucked her hair
behind her ear.

“What
did you just promise?”

“Oh,
nothing, he had some concerns. I listened and assured him I’d address it.” She
looked around the room. “I'm calling the meeting back together. Take your seat,
would
ya
.”

She
turned to go, and he grabbed her upper arm halting her. He leaned in to whisper
in her ear.

“Stop
in my office on your way out tonight.”

She
looked back into his eyes, and for each second they held his dick pulsed to be
inside her. It was going to be a long afternoon.

Before
the meeting was over several members of the team, including Simon, were given
tasks. Janna expected all of them to deliver findings tomorrow by lunch. She
was a task master. He expected Keller to be relaxing his concerns after her
performance, but his scowl was uglier than ever.

First
thing upon returning to his office, Simon got his hands on Charlie's report.
Something within these pages had Keller all riled.

She'd
accomplished a lot in her short life, private schools, good college.
Impressive.

Was
it the number of different activities that was bothering Keller? Maybe she was
adventurous. Her lengthy list of travels might have encouraged her. Maybe she
enjoyed trying new things, but couldn't hang in for the long haul.

Simon’s
life had certainly been different. He’d spent his entire youth at the gym
honing his boxing skills and staying out of trouble. His parents might not have
been around much to guide him, but the gym had been his safe place to make mistakes
and learn who he was.

The
discipline he’d refined through all the years of training prepared him for life
and his journey as a Dom. Now, he was a trainer himself and not only with the
submissives at Club Voyage, but also with the kids at his home gym. Sharing the
art of boxing and BDSM was an honor he’d never take for granted.

He
continued reviewing Janna’s background report, but stopped short at one of the
last lines.

“Married
and divorced?” The thought of her married bothered him for reasons he didn't
want to contemplate. Who was she to him, a trainee of not even one day? The
marriage license was only issued a few months before the divorce, and she’d
never changed her name. She’d made one payment on what appeared to be an
apartment around the time of the marriage, but the payment was never repeated.
Where did she run then and why?

Questions
bombarded him. Even a well-intentioned couple may not make it past the first
month of marriage.

Maybe
Keller worried they'd get comfortable having her here just to have her run.
Hell, he was worried about it now, too. His team was starting to open up to her,
and he wanted to depend on her to get her job done. Now, he wasn't positive
she'd stay the week.

Keller
might have locked onto a good reason to be concerned, and Simon was not about
to risk leaving
himself
open. He'd set himself up for
failure one too many times. He hoped she'd open up to him and explain her
history, but he knew from experience he couldn't count on it.

A
trainer was all he should be to Janna. Once she was through her training,
Charlie could help her find a Dom. He didn't like the idea of anyone else
having their hands on her, but at least he wouldn't get hurt again.

Enough
procrastinating, he needed to get some research done for her.

An
hour later he was ready to give his findings, and he wondered where Janna was. He’d
ordered her to stop by before she left the office.

“Hi, Simon.
You wanted to
see me before I left.”

Chapter Five

Simon's
gaze followed her cross across the room like he was examining her. She slipped
her hands into the pockets of her skirt and was tempted to inch back towards
the door.

She
cleared her throat. “Did you need something?”

He
tilted his head, clearly not done with his assessment.

“It's
been a long day, so if you don't need anything, I'll be going.” She turned
towards the door.

“Are
you still wearing the plug?”

She
stopped. “Yes, Sir,” she said facing the door. The damn plug had kept her horny
all day, and she was at her wits’ end.

“Excellent.
Lock the door, then come over here and take a seat.”

She
took a deep breath and dug for the courage to face him. Tempted to run, but she
had nowhere to go. Her decision to pick up her life and move to Chicago had left
her with nothing but an empty apartment. There was no one to give her a hug at
the end of a long day. There was also no one to tell her she couldn't make it
on her own, not unless her dad called back.

At
least she didn't have to worry about her ex calling her anymore. Mike had the
decency to stop harassing her about the annulment when she’d agreed not to air
his cheating ways. He got to keep his business deal with Daddy, and she got
free of
the yuck
her father tried to sink her with.

She
straightened her posture and rolled her shoulders back. The move to Chicago was
not done under false bravado, and today proved she had the skills to help this
company. She did that, not her father, not her brothers. Was it too much to ask
for someone to believe in her?

Her
hand took hold of the door. After a quick look into the empty hallway, she
pushed it closed and slid the lock home. She turned around to find his dark
eyes still trained on her.

She
edged her way near him. He looked like a tiger ready to snap. A chill ran down
her back, slowing her forward movement.

She
could back away now and not embarrass herself. He didn't really want her here,
not really. She remembered all too clearly pushing his hand to be her trainer.
She broke eye contact with Simon and let her gaze wonder around the room.

The
move to Chicago could be a success even without Simon on her side. She did not
need to run home if things didn't work out with him. She could continue in her
position here as Project Manager and work on building a life for herself in
Chicago. Charlie could always find her a new trainer.

Her
thumb felt for her pulse on her wrist. It screamed at her to not stop moving,
to not give up, to wait and see how things progressed. A lump swelled inside
her throat. She couldn't back her heart down now. The pressure in her chest
told her what her heart wanted. After coming this far, she needed to keep
going.