Chapter Six
Brick
From the window of my penthouse, I watched the young woman on the sidewalk. Ralph had almost carelessly dropped her off in front of my building. I was too high up to see many details, but the fact that she was still frozen on the sidewalk five minutes after he’d walked away spoke volumes.
Daisy was terrified.
Finally, she moved. She walked away from the building only to turn and walk back. After pacing for several more minutes, she finally walked up the steps and pressed the buzzer. I’d given Ralph the code to my intercom, and I would change it as soon as she was in my condo. The last thing that I wanted was that asshole to know how to reach my intercom.
“Mr. Langston?” she asked nervously. “My name is Daisy Smith. I believe that you’re expecting me.”
Without answering her, I unlocked the front door. Opening the top cabinet in the hutch behind my desk, I watched the monitors linked to the surveillance cameras. She took her time getting up here, but when she got off the elevator, I couldn’t help but smile. She wore a pretty floral summer dress, and her hair was tied back at the nape of her neck. She was so sweet looking. I could only hope that her personality matched her looks.
Her knock on the door was light and hesitant. I opened it and watched with pleasure as her eyes widened. Without a word, I handed her a glass of whiskey. “Drink this,” I ordered her gently.
Her hands shook as she gripped it and tossed it back. Immediately, she coughed and handed the glass back to me. “I’m so sorry,” she rasped as color stained her cheeks. “I don’t really drink much. Or at all.”
“That’s okay. I can tell that you’re nervous. It’ll help calm you.” Stepping back, I let her in. “Welcome to my home.”
Slowly, she walked in and looked around, but even as she tried to take it all in, her eyes continued to return to me. “You’re Mr. Langston?” she asked softly, as if she couldn’t believe it. “You’re so young.”
“I’m forty.” I chuckled softly. “That’s not so young, especially not to someone as young as you.”
Embarrassed, she ducked her head. “I’m sorry. I hope that didn’t offend you. Ralph just said that you owned the company, and I just assumed that you’d be an old man.”
“Do I please you?”
A gorgeous smile spread over her face, and the flush on her cheeks deepened. “You’re very handsome, yes.”
“Have a seat, Daisy.” She swayed back and forth a little, the single glass of whiskey already affecting her, and I was afraid that she’d pass out right in the middle of my floor. As she sat, I opened the wet bar and refilled her drink, pouring myself a glass as well. I walked back towards her and sat down, careful not to get too close and scare her away, but the ache to touch her clawed at me. Her large breasts heaved with every breath, and a strap slipped down her shoulder. I instantly hardened, but restrained myself as she absently pulled the strap up and accepted the drink. This time, she sipped at it instead of just downing it.
“I can only guess what kind of man you must think I am,” I remarked, leaning back in my chair.
When she met my gaze, she immediately turned her head and fiddled with the hem of her dress. “You certainly don’t seem the type to pay for someone like me. I imagine women throw themselves at you.”
“Ralph told me about your situation,” I said vaguely. “I wanted to help, but as I’m sure you know, nothing is free. Still, I want you to enjoy your time with me, Daisy.”
She fiddled with the glass in her hand. “Did Ralph tell you I’m…that I never…”
A virgin. I didn’t believe the boy when he’d told me, but seeing that she could barely get the word out, I knew that it must be true. I couldn’t believe my good fortune. A lovely virgin under my roof, just waiting for me to discover all that she had to offer.
“We don’t have to talk about that right now,” I said and cleared my throat. “Why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself?”
She seemed comfortable, almost relieved, at the change of subject. “What do you want to know?”
I didn’t tell her about the background check that had been done on her. I knew she’d lost her mother to a drug overdose a couple of years ago, and that her father was a drunk and lazy piece of shit who did nothing but use her. Knew about Ralph, or course, and that she had a job—which she would be terminating immediately.
For a background check it wasn’t that extensive. There wasn’t much to go on. As far as I could tell, Daisy had never even left the state. She’d done absolutely nothing with her life. She had no experience.
I wanted to change all of that.
“Whatever you want to tell me,” I said.
Sipping on her drink, she tugged at her hair, but started to relax a little. I was pleased to see her easing back into the couch cushions. “I, um, I didn’t get kicked out because of anything that I did. I won’t cause you trouble. My father decided that it was time for me to get out on my own since I’m eighteen now.”
Clenching my fist, I tried not to give away that I knew the truth. “Don’t lie to me, Daisy. If there is one thing that you need to remember, it’s that.” I kept my voice even, but she could sense my anger. Her eyes widened, before her gaze shot to the door.
She was going to flee.
“It’s okay. Just tell me the truth,” I murmured soothingly. “That’s all I want for right now.”
A little bit of defiance flashed in her eyes. “I didn’t lie. I just omitted a few embarrassing facts. Like the fact that my father kicked me out so he could move his girlfriend in. She’s not a big fan of me.”
“And why is that?”
“I look like my mother,” she said hoarsely.
Her whole body shifted, softened, and she looked down. She wore her heart on her sleeve, and her pain was evident, but it had nothing to do with her father. “You miss her, don’t you?”
Daisy nodded. “I lost her a year ago. Drug overdose. She was a heavy user for most of my life. I count myself lucky that I had her for as long as I did. She wouldn’t win any Mother of the Year awards, but she did love me. My father’s new girlfriend is an old high school fling. I think she blames my mother—and me—for the fact that she didn’t get my father back then.”
I felt a flicker of annoyance. Daisy might have thought she was telling the truth, but she was lying to herself. Her mother didn’t deserve an ounce of her love.
She took a deep breath and looked up. “My father has always been a heavy drinker.”
“An alcoholic,” I interrupted in a neutral voice.
Daisy nodded her head and sipped at her drink. “I try not to do anything in excess. I want to be different from them.”
She was already different from them. Better. Just being around her was like a breath of fresh air. “My grandfather was an alcoholic as well. I didn’t spend as much time with him as you spent with your father, but I understand the disease well.”
Her surprised eyes met mine, and I could see the pleasure in them. I had her. All it took was one little connection, and now she was mine.
The warm-fuzzy session was over. I openly wandered my gaze over her body. Her breasts heaved under my inspection. I sat my drink down on the table and reached over, taking her hand and helping her up.
“Mr. Langston,” she whispered nervously.
“Shh, don’t be scared. I’m not doing anything tonight. I just want to see you.” I let my hands brush along the curve of her hips as I walked around her. The picture that Ralph had shown me hadn’t done her justice. Her heavy breasts and that great ass was more than enough to fit in my hands, but her waist was too small for my tastes. “You’ll need to eat more,” I mused. “Put on some weight—and keep your strength up.”
“Gain weight?” she looked down at her body. “I always thought…well, Ralph said…I don’t consider myself thin.”
I was going to fire Ralph when this was all over with and make sure that every good company in New York blacklisted him.
“I like my women with a little meat on their bones,” I told her. “I’ll also expect you to quit your job.”
She stepped back in a panic. “Oh, I can’t do that. I need that job.”
“For the next four weeks, you’ll be working for me. If the job is all that important to you, I’ll make sure that it’s waiting for you when we’re finished.”
“I don’t know…”
“Daisy,” I interrupted coldly. “I’m paying for obedience. It started the second that you walked through that door. Obey me.”
“Yes, Mr. Langston,” she whispered with a confused expression on her face. “I’m sorry. I’m just trying to figure this all out. Ralph didn’t explain much.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll explain everything that you need to know. I let the staff have the month off, so you’ll be in charge of keeping things clean and orderly while I’m gone. My chef has agreed to have my meals delivered, so you won’t need to cook.”
“I’m not sure I understand. If you have someone to clean, why did you let them go?”
Clearly, we were going to have to work on her idea of obedience. “I wanted to be alone with you, Daisy.”
“Right. Okay. That makes sense. That’s what my father wanted with his new girlfriend. To be alone with her.”
The fear on her face was all too clear, and I inwardly cringed. Obviously, my background check hadn’t gone deep enough. “Daisy. Why are you still a virgin?”
“I just…um…just never got around to doing it?” she offered weakly.
“No lies, Daisy. You’ve been dating your boyfriend for months, and you’re not holding on to any promise ring, or you wouldn’t be here. So why are you still a virgin?”
Immediately, she bent down and grabbed the glass of whiskey. Turning her back on me, she slowly walked around my living. Patiently, I watched as she ran her fingers on the surfaces of my furniture while she collected herself. “The walls in my apartment were thin,” she finally admitted. “And my parents didn’t like each other very much.”
“I don’t know what you heard, Daisy, but some men need a little roughness and excitement,” I began, but she whirled around.
“We’re not talking about this,” she said fiercely. “You wanted to know why I’m a virgin, and now you do, but that’s it. I told Ralph that you could have my virginity, but I’m not discussing the particulars of my childhood lullabies.”
There was that spark again. I didn’t particularly love it, but it had been a long time since a woman had surprised me.
“All right,” I said slowly. “We won’t discuss it. I realize that you’re afraid, and I’ll try to ease your fears, but a month isn’t a long time. We’ll start with the collar and a few commands and work ourselves up from there, and we’re going to work quickly, Daisy, so I suggest that you adjust.”
“Collar?” she gasped as her hands flew to her throat. “Why would I wear a collar?”
“It’s symbolic of our relationship.”
“You make all of your employees wear collars?” she asked innocently.
“Not that kind of relationship,” I said gently. “Our submissive/dominant relationship, darling. You’ll wear a collar because I’m your Master, and require it.”
“Oh.” That adorable blush returned. “Ralph didn’t tell me that part. He just said that I had to live with you for a month and maybe…um,” she licked her lips, “you know.”
Walking to my desk, I turned my back on her and opened the jewelry box. I’d had the collar special made for her, and I couldn’t wait to see it on her. It didn’t surprise me that Ralph had kept his mouth shut about what I wanted. He was a scheming weasel. “Don’t dance around it, Daisy. You can call it sex. You can call it fucking, but you’re not going to be able to avoid it.
“I don’t think that I can….”
Turning back to her, I smiled and kept the collar hidden from her. I was completely unfazed by her stammering. “Don’t worry. I’m going to take care of you, Daisy. You’re going to like it.”
“I don’t think…”
Moving up behind her, I quickly slipped the narrow strip of diamonds around her throat and fastened them. It was a delicate choker, for a delicate woman, and modified for the things that I wanted. A small link in the middle for me to hook a leash to. A ring in the back for me to hook my finger through and pull.
“Don’t think,” I whispered in her ear. “Just feel. This month, when you’re with me, you don’t have to worry about anything. If you please me, I’m going to please you. I’m going to learn every inch of your body, learn what makes you moan and what makes you scream. You’re going to be begging for more, Daisy. Begging for me.”
“How do I please you?” she asked with a trembling voice.
“You’ll learn as we go along. I’ll be very specific about what I want. Blunt. This isn’t about emotion, Daisy. It’s just about pleasure.”
“And control. And power.” There was a trace of bitterness in her voice, but I ignored it. Putting my hand on her hips, I steered her to the mirror in the hall. She stared at my reflection, as my fingers traced over the collar. Unable to help myself, I let my hands dip a little too far south, and her breasts heaved where my hands rested on her chest.
“Do you like it?” I murmured low in her ear.
“It’s pretty,” she admitted. “Do I have to wear it all the time?”
“When you’re under this roof, yes. Even in the shower. When we go out, I may let you take it off. Do you have any other questions for me?”
“Will you hurt?”
Her eyes searched mine in the mirror, and I pressed a soft kiss to her neck. “You’ll experience some pain, Daisy, but only the good kind. I promise to take care of you, and I need you to trust me. That’s important.”
Slowly, she nodded.
“Good.” Putting a hand to the small of her back, I guided her up the stairs. “You’re welcome to keep the things you brought with you if they give you comfort, but you’re only to wear the wardrobe that I’ve bought for you. Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll like them. You’ll have your own room, but you aren’t allowed approach my bedroom unless I command it.”
“Will you tonight?”
“It’s late, Daisy. You need your sleep. I’ll be up early for work. I’d like you to sleep in and regain your strength. There will be a list of instructions for you when you wake up.”
Relief flow through her body, loosening her stiff muscles, when she realized that she wouldn’t be spending the night with me. I would have been offended, but considering the fear on her face when she walked through the door, I knew the night had gone fairly well.
She had much to learn and I couldn’t wait to start teaching her.