Under His Control (An Alpha Billionaire Romance) (2 page)

“Oh, God.
 
I
really am sorry about that,” I said, still flushing over what I had done. Dante
ordered us both a shot of Bacardi 151, and I slammed mine down, hoping it would
calm my nerves.
 
I wasn’t used to
drinking straight liquor and the rum made me cough a little and my eyes
watered.
 
By now I was sure it was
obvious I didn’t party in bars very often; hell, I could barely slide up onto
the stool gracefully.

The alcohol worked quickly, and I could already feel a
faint buzz in my brain.
 
I decided to
tell Dante my story and crossed my legs flirtatiously as I talked.
 
“It was all because of that asshole over there
dancing with that blonde.
 
He just
grabbed my arm and tried to force me to do what he wanted, so I tried to let
him have it.
 
Unfortunately, my aim was
off and I hit you instead.
 
Why do guys
do that?
 
Why do they think they can
control women that way?”

“Some women want to be controlled, but it isn’t
something a man can just go and take against her will.
 
Control has to be given freely by a woman,
and the man she gives it to must earn it with trust and respect.
 
A woman who gives control of her body and
mind to another person needs to know that he will use that power to protect her
and cherish her.
 
When it happens, it can
be immensely gratifying for both of them.”

“You sound like you know a lot about it.”
 
I was intrigued by his words and the
penetrating way his blue eyes gazed into mine.
 
He had stared at my body up and down just like every other man had,
clearly appreciating my curves in the seductive dress, but then his eyes had
focused on mine as if trying to read my soul and I felt caught in his gaze.
 

“I know a lot about a lot of things,” he said, and the
corner of his lips drew up into a secretive smile.
 
“What I don’t know a lot about is you.”

He ordered a second round of shots, and this time the
rum went down a lot smoother. Smiling flirtatiously, I said, “Well, there’s not
much to tell.
 
I’m twenty-four.
 
I’ve got a shitty job as an errand girl, but
I’m working to change that soon.
 
I
recently broke up with my boyfriend, and right now all I want to do is forget
about all that and just go dancing.”

“Well then, let’s go dancing.
 
Afterwards, I still want to get to know you
better.
 
You intrigue me, Natalie, and
not too women can say that.”
 
Dante’s
eyes were intense, but his smile lit up the room.
 
I let him take me by the hand and lead me out
onto the crowded dance floor.
 

So far so good!
 
I’d got him talking to me, but I still needed to trick him into inviting
me back to his house.
 
I knew that
sitting at the bar letting him buy me drinks would put me at risk for becoming
drunk and losing my sharp edge.
 
Getting
him out on the dance floor was my best chance at seducing him into giving the
invite.
 
Besides, despite my conservative
upbringing, dancing was the one thing I was good at.
 

I’d spent hours in my bedroom with the door locked and
the radio playing, dancing in front of my mirror and wishing my parents would
let me date.
 
When I got to college I
quickly discovered that dating wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, but not
until after I gave away my virginity to my asshole ex-boyfriend.
 
After we broke up, I decided to pour my
passion into my career, but after two years of indentured servitude as an
office lackey, I was still spending my nights home alone and feeling
miserable.
 
Tonight, everything in my
life was going to turn around for the better and it would all begin with
showing my moves on the dance floor.

The density of the crowd forced us to stand close to
each other, which suited us both just fine.
 
I picked up on the pulse of the music and began moving my body
sensuously.
 
I could see from the way his
eyes were dilated that he liked it, and I moved in closer, so our bodies were
touching as we grinded and pumped against each other, undulating as one.
 
It felt good to let myself cut loose and
express my sexuality in such a fun and free way; plus, the shots had definitely
taken affect and lowered my inhibitions.
 
I was having so much fun, I nearly forgot the purpose of my being
there.
 

Dante wanted me; I could see it in his eyes and feel
it in the bulge of his groin pressing against my hip as we danced with our
sweating bodies pressed tightly against each other.
 
I could feel the heat emanating from our
flesh and feel the pounding of his heart in his muscular chest.
 
The rhythm of his pulse matched my own and
blended with the beat of the music, making us feel like we were connected and
this night was meant to be.
 
It felt good
to be desired by a man like Dante, and I was surprised by just how much I
wanted him, too.
 
My nipples had grown
erect and I could feel them rubbing against the tight fabric of my dress and
moisture was growing between my thighs, soaking the delicate lace thong.

Suddenly, Dante’s pants began to vibrate.
 
No, it was the cell phone he kept in a
holster on his belt.
 

“Excuse me,” he apologized and answered the buzzing
device as he exited the dance floor, searching for a quiet area of the club
where he could actually hear.
 
“Hello?
 
What’s the
emergency?
 
No.
 
Listen, I can hardly hear you.
 
I’ll have to call you back from home.
 
Give me twenty minutes, and I’ll call you
right back with the information.”

Dante looked at me with eyes full of regret, and I
knew he was about to tell me goodbye.
 
My
one chance at infiltrating his home and getting the evidence I needed was about
to be ruined.
 
Dante was notorious for never
going out with the same girl twice.
 
If I
tried to get him to pick me up again next week the magic would be over and it
would never work.
 
I would forever be
labeled in his mind as someone he had already tried to get with at the club and
no longer be viewed as new or interesting.
 
I couldn’t let this opportunity slip away.
 
Desperate, I grabbed him around the neck and
before he could speak a word, I kissed him.

My arms wrapped around his neck and my manicured nails
raked through his thick hair, pulling his head closer to mine as I took his
lips passionately with mine.
 
I kissed
him long and hard and deep, pouring all the fire into it that I could and he
responded.
 
His hands encircled my body,
caressing me up and down and his mouth opened to mine so our tongues
danced.
 
Quiet moans of pleasure escaped
my lips and I heard him groaning with desire.
 
When we finally broke apart, gasping for air, I whispered in a husky
voice “If you have to go, take me with you.
 
I’d love to hear more about what you were saying about women and control
and all the secrets you know.”

“You would?”
 
He
looked me up and down with an appraising frown, trying to decide if he should
take me home with him.
 
I felt awkward
under his gaze, but held my ground, meeting his stare with an air of confidence
I didn’t quite feel.
 
The seconds felt
like hours and his stare was so intense I finally broke and had to look down at
my feet.
 
I knew I had lost our unspoken
contest of bravery, but then he surprised me by saying, “I have to take care of
some business, but I’d like to finish our conversation, too.
 
Give me your number and as soon as I’m
finished, I’ll call you and you can meet me at my place.
 
There’s a lot I want to show you.”

Beaming, I handed him a slip of paper with my name and
number.
 
There was a lot I couldn’t wait
to see, and I hoped he would call soon.
 
As I watched him exit the club, I realized it had a lot less to do with
my news story and lot more to do with missing him.
 
Maybe it would be better if he didn’t call; I
could tell I was already in too deep.

Chapter
Two: Dante

I hated to have to leave the club and that sexy chick
with the auburn hair and emerald eyes.
 
God, she was smoking hot!
 
She
hadn’t been to that bar before; I know because I’d have noticed.
 
Also, her eyes darted around the room a lot,
like someone who was taking everything in for the first time.
 
I saw her searching for exits, bumbling to
the bar, and scanning for the dance floor.
 
When she sat in the stool next to me, she slid up onto it awkwardly like
it was the first time she’d done it.
 
The
way she looked shy and uncomfortable in that dress of hers let me know she
wasn’t used to dressing so provocatively or so expensively.
 
Her story about breaking up with her
boyfriend and feeling demeaned in her job explained it all.
 
Young women scorned by love and unfulfilled
in their lives often came to clubs like this one looking for a night of
meaningless sex to boost their self-worth and make them feel sexy again.
 
I was willing to help them out in just the
way they wanted, but it was most fun with girls like Natalie who weren’t
experienced players and still had the sweet naiveté under their sexy made-up
exteriors.
 
Natalie definitely had the
whole
good girl trying to go bad
thing going for her, and I wasn’t ashamed to admit that it really turned me on.

She wasn’t too bad at it, either.
 
The way she danced on the floor showed me
that there really was a naughty side buried deep inside her just dying to
bubble to the surface and break free.
 
She
just needed someone to encourage her and give her the permission she was
seeking to enjoy it.
 
And the way her
eyes dilated with interest when I was talking about women and control told me
she was receptive to the type of games I liked to play.
 

Then fucking Richard had to call and ruin and
everything.
 
That fucking moron may be
the head of his department at the CIA, but he was a complete dipshit as far as
I was concerned.
 
Every little skirmish
in the Middle East had him panicking and ready to tell the president it was
time to push the little red button.
 
Christ, he drove me nuts!
 
I was
sure the panic attack he was having now was over nothing, too, but my contract
with the government was my biggest and best paying job of all and if I wanted
to keep living the billionaire lifestyle I was accustomed to, then I had better
keep my best client happy; even if it meant taking calls from a pussy mid-level
administrator at midnight on a Friday.

I drove my Ferrari through the streets of Manhattan to
my building and the security guards opened the gates allowing me into the
private garage below.
 
My personal
parking space was located in the southwest corner where I didn’t have to worry
about anyone getting to close to it or scratching the paint.
 
My car was my baby and I pampered her shamelessly.

 
I typed in my security
code and was granted access to the private elevator that bypassed the lobby and
took me directly from the garage to the penthouse.
 
I had purchased the entire top floor of the
building two years ago, with cash.
 
It
was a huge step up from my humble upbringings living in the Queens
borough.
 
Owning my own penthouse condo
afforded me luxury, security, and status, but what I loved most about it was
the view.
 
I could be the king of world
staring out over the city, and indeed many days I felt just like I was.
 
My hacking skills meant that I had very
powerful friends and there was no enemy on earth that could stop me.
 
I was the very best at what I did, and with
the click of a button on my computer, I could make leaders, destroy countries,
and even affect the politics of the world.
 
Was I a smug asshole?
 
Perhaps,
but I also happened to be right.

The elevator door opened and I strolled out onto the fortieth
floor and into my luxury condo.
 
A window
in my front hall offered a view to the east, with the River and
Triboro
Bridge in the distance.
 
It was a truly beautiful at night and I
admired it as I took off my coat and hung it on the antique brass coat rack and
kicked off my Italian shoes.

I walked into my kitchen, past the custom crafted oak
cabinets and floors of imported marble, and poured myself a sifter of brandy
that had been gifted to me from a client.
 
My living room had acoustic panorama windows that provided a
breathtaking view of Central Park to the west and the NYC skyline to the south.
 
It was the reason I had purchased the condo
and something I never got tired of gazing at.