STORY EXCERPT

Jennifer straightened, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on edge.

Turning, she sucked in a breath, her heart beating nearly out of her chest.

Raw power.

Directly in front of her, not more than eight feet away, stood the handsomest and most riveting man she’d ever seen in her life.

The man standing in front of her was handsome as the devil himself, wearing an impeccable dark designer suit, a gleaming watch that had to have cost a fortune.

The aura of power and raw sexuality surrounding him stole her breath.

He watched her steadily, his gaze sharpening as it raked over her, his sharp gaze leaving a trail of heat and awareness in its wake.

Sophisticated with a primitive edge.

A dangerous combination.

He had to be several inches over six feet tall and had incredibly wide shoulders that she could see had nothing to do with padding, but it wasn’t his size that made him appear powerful.

The power came from his dark, glittering eyes.

They glimmered with intelligence and amusement, his lips twitching slightly as if knowing the effect he had on her.

Stepping aside, he gestured for her to precede him, her new boss apparently curious about how she would handle it.

A test.

Not about to show weakness, she lifted her chin and started past him, unnerved at the warm, tingling awareness that came over her at his closeness.

He watched her as she passed, his eyes sharp as if once again knowing his effect on her.

Determined to ignore him, she hurried her steps, alarmed when he walked beside her. “Nice catch.”

Jennifer swallowed again. “Thank you.”

“Perhaps I should introduce myself. My name is David Shaw.”

Jennifer continued toward the elevator. “I know.”

David Shaw owned Shaw Enterprises, a conglomerate comprised of everything from shoes to software.

He dated heiresses and movie stars, but he never seemed to stay with a woman for more than a few dates, leaving tabloids continuously speculating about his love life.

And of course, her new boss would have to arrive just as she found herself dealing with an employee stealing from the store he’d just purchased.

He followed her into the elevator, his silence ominous.

Feeling his gaze, she glanced at him before staring straight ahead again. “Would you mind if I handle this before our meeting?”

“I insist.”

The low silkiness in his voice sent a wave of heat through her, her hormones getting the best of her as she imagined him speaking in the darkness to a lover.

The elevator felt smaller than usual, the awareness encompassing every inch of her body making it nearly impossible to focus on the task at hand.

“Have I done something to offend you?”

Jennifer stared at the numbers above, wondering why she’d never noticed that it took so long to go up one floor. “No. Of course not.”

The door opened, and she hurried out, heading down the hallway to her office. Sharing a look with her assistant, she ignored her Elise’s look of shock and then appreciation when her gaze went to David Shaw.

“Elise, Karen Scott was working the makeup counter and slipped her friend a ninety-dollar lipstick. She’s on her way up. Security has her friend and will be bringing her up, as well. Get the police here. I want to press charges and ban both of them from the store. Arrange for Karen’s paycheck to be sent to her.”

Intensely aware of her new boss’ presence, Jennifer paused. “This is Mr. Shaw. Mr. Shaw, Elise Mosley, my assistant. We’ll be in my office.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Once in her office, Jennifer moved away from the door, watching as Mr. Shaw came in and closed the door behind him. Clasping her hands in front of her, she watched David Shaw walk around her small, windowless office, grimacing as he scanned his surroundings.

“Do you like working here?”

Jennifer swallowed heavily. “Yes.”

Hooking a thigh over the corner of her desk, David studied her features. “You’ve been working for Lumiere a long time. You started while you were still in high school and managed to earn a degree while working full time here.”

Jennifer smiled. “It was worth it.”

His dark brow went up again. “The only picture on your desk is of your parents. I take it this job has cost you when it comes to your social life.”

“My social life is none of your business.”

His lips twitched again, and he slowly rose to his feet, her small office making it impossible to move away without appearing afraid. “I read the reports on Lumiere’s managers. You intrigue me.”

Jennifer blinked, surprised at that. “I do? Why?”

“I’m not quite sure.” His lips twisted as if the admission irritated him. “I thought if I met you, I would understand you better, but meeting you has only left me more curious about you.”

“Do you usually begin your interviews this way?”

His eyes narrowed, his gaze speculative. “Not until now.”

Running a damp hand down her thigh, she shrugged and moved to the small refrigerator on the other side of her office. “There’s nothing mysterious about me.”

She reached in for a bottle of water, silently offering it to him.

He waved a hand, refusing it. “Hmm. We’ll see. Have you started looking for another job yet?”

Opening the bottle, she took a small sip before answering, her stomach muscles tightening painfully at the suspicion that she was about to be fired. “Yes. When I found out about the sale, I started sending out my resume. I’ve got several interviews scheduled already.”

His expression softened. “Before you accept another offer, I’d like to present my own. Over dinner.”

She took another sip of her water before recapping it, struggling to hide her surprise. “I heard from the other managers. Everyone’s scared of losing their jobs.”

David’s lips twisted. “They should be. I’ll pick you up at seven thirty.”

ADULT EXCERPT

Jennifer gasped when his finger began to enter her, the sensation of having her most private opening breached filling her with a mind-numbing sense of helplessness.

Her inner walls clamped down on his finger, making it feel even bigger. “Please!”

David pushed his finger deeper and began to caress her ass cheeks again. “Please what, sub?”

“Don’t touch me there!” Embarrassed that she couldn’t stop clamping down on his finger and that her body released even more of her juices, Jennifer moaned, fighting not to move into his slow thrusts.

His caress stopped long enough for him to deliver another slap to her bottom before continuing. “This is my property, sub. You like being touched here. I’m going to have a really good time breaking this ass in for my cock.”

Jennifer shivered, the thought of him taking her in such a dominant way sending ripples of pleasure through her, the small orgasm stunning her into stiffening, her bottom clenching on his finger as the small waves of pleasure continued to roll through her.

“So, sub, are you going to try to tell me you don’t want something in your ass? You just had an orgasm and I’ve barely started.”

He began to slowly thrust into her, the press of his finger against her inner walls sending more ripples through her. “Do you know what I think, baby?”

Biting her lip to hold back the cries of pleasure bubbling to get out, Jennifer pressed her fisted hands and curled toes against the arms of the sofa. “What, Sir?”

Her words came out breathless and needy, something he couldn’t have missed.

He slid his finger deeper, moving it faster in and out of her. “You came when I spoke about fucking your ass. I think you like the idea of me bending you over, your ass in the air.”

He leaned closer, his voice low and seductive but with an edge of authority that threatened to send her over again. “You like the idea of me lubing you up and working my cock into this virgin ass. It’s a very dominant way of taking a woman. You want that, but you don’t want to admit it.”

Although recognizing the truth of his words, Jennifer was too embarrassed to admit it.

Still, she couldn’t help but provoke him. “No. I don’t like it.”

He slapped her ass again, sending more heat to center at her puckered opening. “You dare to lie to me!”

He thrust his finger deep, reaching under her to roll one of her nipples between his thumb and forefinger just hard enough to send a jolt of pleasure racing through her. “It looks like I’ve definitely found a weakness. You’re embarrassed to get so much pleasure from having something in your ass, so you feel as if you need to fight it.”

How did he know what she felt?

How did he understand better than she did?

How could she ever face him again?

Burying her face against the sofa cushion, Jennifer muffled a whimper. “No. I can’t like something like this.”

“And yet you do. It’s going to make your spankings interesting. I hadn’t planned to spank you, but I brought along a butt plug to get you used to having something inserted into your ass.”

He ran his hand over her ass again as he slowly withdrew his finger. “It’s a small one, but since this is your first time, I think it’ll be effective enough.”

Jennifer couldn’t stop clenching, the awareness in her ass and the slickness there unfamiliar and distracting at a time when she needed to keep her wits.

Struggling to sound calm, she lifted her head, keeping her gaze averted. “Effective how?”

Stiffening at the sound of the lube being uncapped again, Jennifer turned her head to sneak a look at David, only to find him watching her.

Holding up the black, cone-shaped rubber about three inches long and about an inch in diameter at the widest part, he squirted lube onto the end. “Having a plug up your ass while you’re getting spanked.”

Setting the lube aside, he ran a hand over her ass cheeks. “It should make your spankings a hell of a lot more effective, especially when I use the larger plugs.”

Her face burned at the threat, and clenching her ass, she turned to face the arm of the sofa again, crying out when another slap landed on her already burning ass.

“Turn to face me. Now.”

Reluctantly turning her head again, she faced him but kept her eyes lowered. Not trusting herself to speak, she remained silent.

“Look at me, Jennifer.”

With her heart beating nearly out of her chest, she lifted her gaze to his, her breath catching at the intensity of the possessiveness and hunger in his eyes.

“Good girl.” He caressed her ass again before lifting and parting her ass cheeks with firm fingers. “Keep still.”

Crying out, she involuntarily clenched when he pressed the cold rubber against her puckered opening and began to push it into her. “No. Don’t.”

She needed to object, something inside her forcing her to deny the feeling of emptiness there as unfamiliar as the awareness that she needed to be filled again.

The need for more left her shaking, and she didn’t know what she’d do if he stopped, but fighting it seemed to excite him as much as it did her. “No. Don’t put that inside me!”

“No means nothing to me. This is going up your ass, sub. That’s it. Open up for me.”