Dom

The next couple of months pass in a series of jaw-dropping weekends and heated eye contact at work. For as crazy as we get in the bedroom, things remain unchanged in the boardroom. Well, there was the day I handed my boss my panties the moment I walked in, pressing the thin lace into his fist and averting my eyes like a good girl. That day proved interesting. Especially after I made a point of calling him Sir the rest of the day.

The more I submit to him, the more I give to him, the more I find this quiet place in my soul. I feel satisfied in my life. I don’t stop pushing at work—success is my drug—but I’m less urgent about it. My performance at Technocrat doesn’t define me anymore and there’s freedom in that. Each Sunday, I stay with Nate later and later into the evening. Last night, I could barely bring myself to leave. More and more, it feels like wherever Nate is, that’s where I want to be. That should scare me to death but it doesn’t. It just proves to me how much I love him.

We haven’t said those words to each other yet, but I can feel that he loves me, too. It’s in the way he cares for me after we play, asking probing questions to make sure I’m okay. Nate honors my submission by pushing me right up to the edge of my boundaries each time without ever letting me fall. I’ve learned more about myself through this little experiment than I expected and he’s been there every step of the way, learning with me. And because of that, he knows me better than anyone. Maybe even better than I know myself.

Nate eyes me as I stride into the boardroom. I consider dropping my gaze but decide not to, arching an eyebrow as I pass. The corners of his lips curl up in a smile. The meeting passes quickly and Nate lets me take charge of things. The effort to move Technocrat into devices is my project and he’s let me lead it, offering guidance when necessary but never taking control. Knowing how much he thrives on leading, I honor his trust in me by doing the best work I possibly can. And for someone like me? My best work can be pretty damn good.

“Ms. Thorne?” Nate’s voice demands my attention over the rustle and conversation of people gathering their things at the end of the meeting.

“Yes, Mr. Wellington?” I stand, smoothing my skirt down over my thighs.

“Stay. I’d like to have a word with you.”

Our colleagues filter out of the boardroom, a few of them pausing to glance over their shoulders, brows raised. We’ve tried to be discreet, but our chemistry is scorching. I’m sure half the office knows I’m fucking the boss by now. It’s not ideal, but I care very little for what other people think of me.

Nate gestures to the chair beside him. “Have a seat.”

I do. “Is there a problem?” I square my shoulders and lift my chin.

“Not at all.” Nate laughs and smooths his tie. “I want you to come away with me this weekend. My friend has a cabin up in the mountains. He’s offered to let me use it for years now, but I’ve never taken him up on it.”

“Are you asking or ordering, Sir?” I arch an eyebrow and bite my finger, always ready to drive him crazy at work. The more often I tease him through the week, the more fun we have on the weekends.

Nate’s gaze bounces across my face. “I’m asking.”

The fact that he didn’t take my bait makes me sit up straighter. “I’d love to spend a weekend with you, as I’m sure you know.”

“I like spending my weekends with you, too. I thought it was time to mix things up.” He slides his chair back and prepares to stand. “So you’ll come?”

I stare up at him and smile. “Many times, I’m sure.”

I push my chair back while Nate chuckles and then guides me out of the office with his hand splayed wide across my lower back.

* * *

The trip to the cabin is peaceful. Nate drives and we spend the time chatting. Sometimes we talk about work, but mostly we talk about life. The more I learn about the boy who started out buying a video game system with what he earned on a lemonade stand, the teenager who worked to help support his family, the man who later became a self-made billionaire off his desire to give the world its privacy back, the more I respect him. His need for dominance does not come a broken place. He’s built a life around taking charge and following the path he knows to be right. Like me, his confidence comes from a place of strength, not pain.

He turns up a steep driveway that winds its way up a wooded mountain. Light filters through the trees and shadows dance as the wind moves through the leaves. Everything is green and lush, alive and thriving. He parks in front of a sprawling estate, all warm wood and windows with balconies and an elevated wrap-around porch. I step out of the car and stare. Birds call to each other and blue sky stretches out endlessly behind the house.

“When you said cabin, this is so not what I had in mind.”

Nate climbs out of the car and stretches, taking a deep breath in through his nose and closing his eyes before letting it out. “Eric—my friend—has called it that since he bought it. I gave him hell for a while, but I guess he wore off on me.” He pops the trunk and hefts our bags onto his shoulders. “The silence is almost eerie, isn’t it?”

I’ve learned that Nate likes to do things for me. As much as I know I’m capable of carrying my own bag, I don’t try to take it from him. It used to irritate me when he held the door for me or carried things I’m perfectly capable of carrying myself. Now that I realize he does it as a way to show he cares, I don’t find it degrading. In fact, I actually like being spoiled a little bit.

He leads me up the stairs leading to the porch. We pass a hot tub that looks out over a jaw-dropping view before he opens the front door and ushers me into a cathedral-ceilinged masterpiece of interior design. The walls are mostly windows looking out over the forest and the sky. Plush furniture surrounds a massive stone fireplace and the hardwood floors gleam under my feet.

“Wow.”

Nate shrugs the bags off his shoulders and deposits them on the floor. “Right? Eric has good taste, that’s for sure.”

The name tugs on a memory. Something ugly and angry, but I can’t remember meeting an Eric before so I push the feeling away.

“My God, you’re beautiful.” Nate grabs my wrist and pulls me to him, wraps his arms around me and presses his lips to mine. I open to him, run my tongue around his bottom lip, goading him into taking more of me. It’s been five long days since he’s been inside me and I don’t want to wait even one minute longer. I reach down and grab his cock—a no-no if he’s being dominant but I know he likes that I still challenge him. It makes my submission all the sweeter.

He thrusts his hips into my hand. “I want you.”

“Then take me.” I meet his gaze and lick my lips.

“Not yet. I have something I want to do first.” He steps back, a devilish smile painted across his handsome face.

I frown. Nate has never, ever passed up sex before. Like me, he’s ready to devour me by the time I walk in the door on Friday evenings. What could he possibly have in mind that’s more important than the two of us coming together?

“I’ll put our bags away.” He bends to retrieve them from the floor. “Then I’d like to soak in the hot tub. You game?”

I nod and watch him walk away, his fantastic ass looking delectable in his jeans. He has something he wants to do that’s more important than sex, but he wants to soak in a hot tub first? What the hell is going on? Jacki’s face flashes through my thoughts. Tear-stained. Digging a spoon into a pint of ice cream.

...and then his girlfriend showed up…hot tub sex…just want something meaningful…

Holy. Shit. Nate’s friend Eric is the same Eric who wanted Jacki to have a threesome with him in this very cabin. I spin in place, taking it all in.

…I thought it was time to mix things up…

Nate’s words.

My stomach clenches and my jaw tightens. While I was busy falling in love with him, pushing myself out of my comfort zone and learning to be softer, was he just having a jolly romp and boasting to his friend about being man enough to break a strong woman? I stare at the front door, half expecting a woman to walk through and order me to my knees.

First, logic tells me that Nate wouldn’t do that and but then it goes right ahead and points out that it’s one hell of a mighty coincidence that his friend Eric just happened to date my friend Jacki. We live in a big city with lots of people. Those kinds of coincidences just don’t happen.

Nate strolls back in the room, takes one look at my face, and stops in his tracks. “What’s wrong?”

I suck in my lips. “Why are we here?”

He has the decency to look confused. Or maybe he’s genuinely confused. I have no way of knowing for sure. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, why are we here? You said you wanted to mix things up and you bring me here. Why?”

“Because I think it’s important to try new things.” He steps towards me. “Dom. What’s going on?”

I sigh and turn away. “I don’t know. It’s just a coincidence that’s hard to ignore, that’s all.” My pulse races.

“What coincidence? What the hell happened in the one minute I was gone?”

“Your friend Eric? He brought my friend to this cabin, too.” I give Nate a pointed look.

His face falls. “I forgot about that.”

My jaw drops. “You knew!” I take a step back. “What is going on, Nate?” I feel violated. Have I been tricked into letting myself become something I never intended to be? I feel so dirty, I would cry if I wasn’t so mad.

“I knew they went out a few times, but I have no idea what happened after that.”

“How do you even know that his Jacki was the same as my friend Jacki?” I clamp my lips together and wrap my arms around my waist.

“Because Eric was with me the night we met at Cadillac Jack’s. He told me the next day that he picked up your friend.” He takes my hands and pulls them away from my stomach, opening me to him. “I promise you, whatever he did to her here, I have no intention of doing anything like that.”

“I want to believe you. I have no reason not to trust you, it’s just…” I trail off. My heart knows that Nate wouldn’t hurt me. After all this time, he’s done nothing but prove himself to be devoted to me.

“I know you trust me.” Nate stares deeply into my eyes.

I nod. “I do. We wouldn’t be where we are if I didn’t.”

“Exactly.” He laughs and shakes his head. “This is not at all how I saw this weekend going.”

I search for something to say.

His gaze sharpens as he puts on his dominant face. “Get on your knees.”

I don’t know if I’m ready for this. Not now. Not when my emotions are so turbulent.

He notices my hesitation. “Do you trust me?”

I nod, my gaze locked on his.

“Then get on your knees.”

I drop my gaze and do as I’m told.

“Close your eyes.”

Again, I do as I’m told, softening into his control. There’s the rustle of fabric and skin and I wait for the telltale purr of his zipper.

“Open your eyes, Domino.” Nate’s voice is closer than I expected, soft and almost reverent.

I blink and find Nate on his knees in front of me. “Hi,” he says.

“Hi.” I’m so off-kilter, I have no idea what the hell is going on.

Nate takes a breath. “I’ve never kneeled for anyone.”

“Me neither.”

He nods. “I know. And you do it for me all the time and it’s the most precious gift you can give me. You are such a strong woman, it’s your strength that captured my attention first, did you know that?”

I shake my head.

“Well, since you honor me by kneeling for me, I want to honor you by kneeling for you.” He holds out his hand and opens his palm, revealing a red velvet box. “But only if you’ll do me the honor of becoming my wife.”

I stare at his open palm. My lips part as he opens the box, revealing a diamond that glitters in the light.

“I love you, Domino. I love your courage and your confidence. I love your brain. I love the way you think. I love the way you attack a problem and don’t back down until you’ve won. I want more of you, all of you, for the rest of our days. I want to make you my queen in the boardroom and my slave in the bedroom.”

A slow smile works its way across my face and I stand, staring down at Nate on his knees in front of me. This is how I used to like my men, but it’s not how I like this man. I reach for his hands and pull him to his feet.

“Marry me, Dom?” He plucks the ring from the box and holds it out to me.

“Yes.” I’ve never been happier in my life.

He slips the ring onto my finger and draws me into his arms, kissing me deeply. “Yes, what?” His lips brush mine as he forms the words.

“Yes, Sir.”

“There’s my good girl,” he says and then sweeps me into his arms and carries me into the bedroom. We strip and he lies down on the bed, let’s me straddle him, and calls me a good girl while I come all over my future husband’s cock.