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McKenna made her way along the ornate wooden mantel, admiring the little pieces of Tag she glimpsed in the small intricate glass figurines and wooden sculptures that decorated the top. Although she knew this wasn’t where he lived, she was impressed by the aesthetic detail that had been put into decorating the space. It was warm and inviting, almost the complete opposite of what she originally expected.
“Both, actually,” McKenna clarified her statement. “I envisioned something bigger. With more... toys.” Now she was just teasing him, and his answering laugh told her that he knew it.
“I’ve got toys, darlin. I’ll show them to you as soon as you’re ready.”
McKenna didn’t doubt that for a second.
For a few minutes, she had allowed herself to see the man for who he really was, not for who Tag allowed the world to see. She was enjoying being able to glimpse this aspect of him, though she was pretty sure most people didn’t take the time to notice. Either that or he didn’t allow them the chance.
She was intrigued.
It wasn’t the apartment that captivated her because quite frankly, it was just an apartment. Sure, the floors were a dark cherry mahogany wood, the walls were a faux leather buttercream that must’ve taken some serious time to finish and the furniture was obviously expensive. But it was the little things that made up the man standing just a few short feet away from her that captured her interest.
She continued to walk through the open living space, glancing throughout, simply trying to pass the time and rein in some of the anxiety that had infused her from the moment Tag put his arms around her. For a few minutes, while they had stood staring out at the dingy city, McKenna almost forgot why she was there.
It was easy to pretend that this wasn’t what it actually was. A business arrangement. In her world, business was sex, although she wasn’t normally engaged in it, but rather writing or talking about it. This was undeniably different from that, but she could feel the sexual tension pulling at her, beckoning her. That’s exactly what she expected when she was near Tag. It was his appeal.
Pure, carnal sex.
And here she was, day one of seven, about to go on a journey into the infamous world of Club Destiny to see what made it, and the man who had bravely offered to show her, tick.
She turned to see Tag still standing by the window, backlit by the morning sun, looking so damn delicious, she wanted to jump right into the sex part because quite frankly, it had been a damn long time for her.
Not that she was going to tell him that.
Her hormones were in influx, her nerves rioting, and she was ready to get on with whatever it was he had in store for her for the next few days, although she figured they probably needed to talk about it first.
“About the contract,” she said as she made her way to the large, leather sofa.
“What about it?” Tag asked, moving around to the overstuffed chair sitting off to the side.
“I want to share my journey with my readers.” She’d given it some thought, and the contract hadn’t stated how she handled the article, only that Luke had to approve prior to publishing. McKenna was fine with that, but she wasn’t about to lose a solid week without giving her readers some juicy details.
“I’m good with that.” He grinned. “Luke has to approve, but then you can post whatever you want.”
Whatever she wanted? It was her turn to grin.
“And since this is day one, let’s make sure to give your readers something to talk about.” Tag lowered himself carefully into the chair, resting one ankle on the opposite knee and looking so damn sexy, again McKenna nearly forgot why she was there.
She wondered what he had in mind. Truthfully, she was ready to jump into her twenty four hours of being in charge, but she knew Tag wasn’t going to go for that just yet. She was still surprised he’d accepted it as an amendment to the contract. He was a prime alpha male, used to being in control, not being controlled, which meant McKenna would have to bide her time.
“And just what did you have in mind?”
“Naked.” The single word jarred McKenna, her eyes flying to Tag’s, waiting to hear what he would say next. She hadn’t misunderstood, but she wasn’t about to jump at the first word out of his mouth. Although she wanted to.
Her heart was pounding like a bass drum against her ribs, her pulse beating furiously in her neck, but she fought to control her excitement.
“You heard me, McKenna.” Tag’s rich, dark voice washed over her, making her legs tremble, and her tummy quiver.
Yep, he was saying what she thought he was saying.
“Here?” Wow, and that was a stupid question.
“Have another preference?” he asked with a smoldering look on his ruggedly handsome face.
She wasn’t about to tell him all of the images that had been playing through her mind for the last couple of days. But in her fantasies, Tag was the one naked and she was the one in control. The thought made her smile.
“Start with the shoes,” Tag told her, looking as laid back and relaxed as she’d ever seen him.
Shoes were the easy part. And yes, McKenna knew what to expect and being naked was likely going to be the easiest part of the next week with Tag. Not that it was going to be easy at all, but she was sure it was just the tip of the iceberg.
According to the contract, which McKenna still thought was a fictitious load of bullshit, Tag had promised a number of wickedly delightful ways of making her come. The terms did not state that she had to be willing or participate in any way, but he had offered her the full experience of Club Destiny, with him as her personal guide. There was no way she could’ve refused.
With smooth, controlled movements, McKenna fought back the nerves jangling in her tummy and reached down, unbuckling one sandal and sliding it off. It didn’t take long for the other one to follow. The gentle thud as the second shoe hit the floor had her heart rate accelerating.
“Now the shirt,” Tag insisted, his eyes never moving from hers.
McKenna could feel the warmth in that hot green gaze, and she decided she’d push him a little. Standing, she slowly slid each tiny button from its loop, allowing the material to gape open as she went along. No, she wasn’t wearing anything beneath it because that had been his instruction and although she’d laughed when she read it, there hadn’t been a trace of humor in the sound.
Just simple, hardcore lust.
Her nipples pebbled beneath the heat of Tag’s stare, along with the cool air that caressed her now exposed skin as she allowed the blouse to slide down her arms and pool on the cushion of the sofa just behind her.
Tag simply nodded his head, evidently directing her to remove the skirt and, thankfully, that didn’t require much effort because McKenna’s hands were shaking. With trembling fingers, she managed to unhook the clasp, allowing her skirt to fall to the floor and land at her feet.
Standing before this man she knew so much and so little about, McKenna expected to be nervous. And she was. But there was something that had transpired between the two of them in recent days, which made it easier than she expected. Granted, being naked didn’t bother her in the least. It never had, which explained some of her past decisions, but this wasn’t like that. This was just between the two of them, and although she knew what the intent of this was, McKenna couldn’t help but hope for more.
“Beautiful.”
Despite his attempt to hide his reaction, McKenna heard the gruffness in the single word, and caught the small smile that tipped his lips, revealing one sexy as hell dimple in his right cheek.
“Happy?” she asked, feeling entirely too exposed, but not at all uncomfortable.
“Very.”
Holding her breath, McKenna waited patiently for his instruction, wondering exactly what his intentions were. If she had her say, he’d be touching her, but she wasn’t getting the impression he was looking to go that direction.
“I read something about you.” Tag didn’t move from his chair, looking totally at ease, but the fire burning in the magnetic green depths of his eyes told a different story.
“What did you read?” McKenna wanted to know what he had discovered about her, but just knowing he had been researching made her body warm another degree.
“I read that you like to be in control.”
Well, that wasn’t all that surprising. She owned a magazine geared toward libidinous carnality and erotic lifestyles. There were a lot of things she enjoyed, and yes, dominating an uber sexy male was part of the package. In fact, McKenna had never been on the receiving end, so not only was this an opportunity for her to find the true story behind one of Dallas’ most salacious swinger’s clubs, but this was her chance to take a step back. To relinquish that hard won control.
“True,” she replied, still standing completely nude in front of Tag and fighting the urge to fidget. She would not give him the benefit of seeing her squirm though.
“Come here,” Tag ordered, and McKenna’s entire body shivered.
Taking the few short steps to close the distance between them was pure torture, but somehow she managed. She would have run if Tag committed to putting his hands on her, but since he still hadn’t moved, aside from the outline of his erection tenting his slacks, she wouldn’t have known she was affecting him in any way.
“On your knees.”
Her immediate thought was to question him, to ask what he was going to do, but then McKenna thought of her own sessions with the few submissives she’d been with in her past. Their frequent disobedience resulted in hours of riveting punishment, but McKenna wasn’t exactly ready for that yet.
Or maybe she was.
Slowly kneeling before him, McKenna kept her eyes trained on him, waiting to see what he would do.
“You’re going to make this easy on me,” Tag stated, leaning forward in his seat, watching her before him.
“That’s what you think.” She couldn’t resist pushing him just a little.
~*~*~
McKenna Thorne kneeling at his feet was one of the hottest things Tag had ever seen. Naked was even better. It was also one of the hardest things he’d ever done. He didn’t have the slightest clue what it was about this woman, but she intrigued him. Maybe it was because she pushed back when he was normally used to remarkably little resistance. Whatever it was, he liked it.
Tag wasn’t a Dom in the formal sense of the word, nor did he dabble in the true world of BDSM. He didn’t get off on having a woman at his feet, kneeling before him, naked and ready to please him. Although he didn’t begrudge anyone, or their lifestyles, it just wasn’t his thing. However, as he took in the sensual beauty before him, he wondered whether that would all change with her.
With McKenna, he wanted to push the envelope, to play with her until there was the slightest crack in that cool confident exterior. He had no interest in trying to break her by any means. He just wanted to push until she pushed back. He wanted nothing more than to feel those sweet, succulent lips on his throbbing cock, or immerse himself in the soft, warmth of her body for hours on end, but that’s not what today was about. Today was the introduction. And McKenna was naked.
“Hungry?” Tag didn’t take his eyes off of her, nor did he pretend not to notice the soft, smooth curves she was putting on full display for him.
“Do I have to eat while I’m naked?” There was the slightest glimpse of uncertainty in the swirling colors of her eyes.
“Honey, you have to do everything naked today.”
Her eyes never left his and Tag was suddenly the one feeling a little uncertain. Not of what he had planned, but of how much credit he gave himself when it came to his control.
“Then, yes. I’m starving.” McKenna never moved from her kneeling position before him, and Tag was hard pressed to get up from his seat. Thankfully he thought ahead as far as food was concerned, and he was expecting the call any minute.
Since Club Destiny was limited to members only, well, with the exception of McKenna, he wouldn’t be able to have the food delivered to the private room unless he asked one of the security guards to bring it up. Until McKenna, there had never been a non-member through the security coded doors. That was to ensure the identity of their members was kept completely secure, which at times turned out to be inconvenient for various reasons, such as restricting members from inviting anyone who was not already a member.
It was also something they were working on for the Walker’s new resort – Alluring Indulgence. Although they would be an invitation only resort, they would also allow exclusive membership should one of the invited guests choose to join. However, since the overall concept was significantly different from Club Destiny, they were working to determine how to allow the plus one’s – or plus many in certain cases – without risking the confidentiality they were determined to maintain.
That wasn’t an option at Club Destiny, and the members were informed of that, prior to committing. And, due to the fact that they had invited McKenna, an email blast had been sent out to all members advising of her presence. Had Tag not insisted on the very rigid confidentiality clause in the contract she signed, he would’ve been a little worried. Even if he did trust her. Although, he wasn’t quite sure yet why that was.
“The food should be here any minute.” Tag stood, holding out his hand for McKenna, helping her up from the floor.
Having a beautiful, naked woman in front of him was not a foreign concept to Tag, but not touching her was. And in this case, this particular woman was making it damn difficult to remember the stipulations he had insisted upon.
The subtle sound of his phone ringing broke the intimacy lingering between them, and Tag reached into his pocket and retrieved it.
“Murphy,” he answered, recognizing the number of the club. “Thanks. I’ll be right down.”
The food was there.
“Give me a few minutes to go down and get the food, then we’ll eat and talk.” He forced a smile when what he actually wanted to do was feast on McKenna.
A simple nod was all he received, but she still didn’t break eye contact. She was certainly good at this game.
Several hours later, Tag excused himself and headed downstairs to the main floor to take an urgent phone call. He didn’t want to leave McKenna, but he was finding it more and more difficult to keep his hands off of her as she sat naked before him. He needed a breather before he broke his own contract.
When he was finished talking to Xavier Thomas, he took a minute to catch his breath. No, the conversation with the President and CEO of XTX wasn’t what had him feeling a little out of sorts. That could only be attributed to the red haired vixen still naked in his private room.
Naked.
Fuck.
Admittedly, Tag had been trying to throw McKenna off balance by insisting she be naked for the first day, but the woman was as confident and composed as though she were fully dressed. He, on the other hand, wasn’t handling the sight of her exquisite nudity nearly as well.
They ate, they talked casually, and Tag helped her to unpack her things. Never did McKenna act as though being stark naked was an issue for her. Granted, maybe that wasn’t a problem for her. After all, she had...
His thoughts were immediately interrupted as Luke McCoy approached with a sly grin on his face. “How’s it going?”
“Depends on who you ask,” Tag retorted.
“I’m not going to say I told you so.” Luke laughed. “At least not yet.”
When Luke turned, his eyes roaming the room, Tag allowed his gaze to follow, wondering whom he was meeting. Not that it was any of his business, but he welcomed the distraction.
“Meeting someone?” Tag finally asked when he didn’t see anyone he recognized.
“Travis Walker.”
“Did he ever sign on the dotted line?” Tag never did hear the final outcome of that last meeting.
“He did. He’s coming by today to get the keys to his private room.”
That wasn’t surprising. Considering Travis lived in the Austin area, driving up to Dallas wouldn’t normally be a one day trip.
“Is he planning to come here often?” Tag wasn’t sure why he was so curious, but after last night, he found himself taking an interest in the man.
Luke turned to face Tag more fully, and he felt the impact of the club owner’s scrutiny. It wasn’t like him to ask a million questions, so he fully understood Luke’s sudden concern.
“Something I should know?” Luke asked.
Tag shook his head and turned away as casually as he could muster. He didn’t have a problem with Travis Walker, but he couldn’t deny being curious as to his interest in McKenna. If he thought the man was only interested in her from a professional capacity, he wouldn’t be having this conversation now.
“Are you interested in...?” Luke let his words die off, but Tag knew how to finish the sentence.
“No.” He was surprised by his own adamant response, but Tag knew without a doubt, at least at this point, he had no interest in sharing McKenna. With anyone.
That was a complete turnaround from Tag’s normal M.O. he knew, but he wasn’t questioning himself just yet. There were plenty of things he intended to experience with the sexy red head, but sharing her was not in the plans.
“He was asking about you and McKenna the other night,” Luke added, and Tag could sense he was still staring at him.
“He seems to have an interest in her,” Tag said, the words escaping before he had a chance to stop them.
“He did ask whether you two were exclusive.”
“He just out and out asked?” Tag jerked his gaze back to Luke’s face. He didn’t believe for a minute that the quiet cowboy would’ve broached a subject like that with Luke. Or with anyone for that matter.
“Not specifically, no.”
Tag noticed the mischievous look in Luke’s eyes. The man was a lot of things, but a match maker he could never be. That didn’t mean he wasn’t interfering.
It wasn’t a secret that Tag generally preferred threesomes. Both Cole and Luke were well aware of that, but what did surprise him was Travis’ interest. He didn’t know much about the man and as far as he could tell, Travis preferred it that way.
There was a rumor that Travis was actually bisexual. Now, he had no idea who started that rumor, nor did he actually care about Travis’ personal preferences, but it was another reason Tag questioned his interest. Tag wasn’t bisexual, nor had he ever been.
“Then how exactly did it come up?” Tag asked when Luke didn’t offer more.
“Let’s just say he’s open to playing.”
Tag cocked an eyebrow. What did that mean?
“But he swings both ways.”
Tag kept any expression off of his face. He still didn’t believe that this conversation just happened. Something prompted it, and Luke was now confirming the rumor that Travis Walker was bisexual, as well.
“He’s interested if you guys are.” Luke finally bit out, sounding oddly frustrated as he stormed off.
Tag had to admit, there was a bit of satisfaction in getting Luke riled up.
Tag followed Luke with his eyes, but the instant that damn cowboy came into his peripheral vision, Tag no longer cared about Club Destiny’s owner.
His gaze locked with Travis', and he suddenly felt like puffing out his chest and proving which of them was the bigger man. Tag felt a strange sense of insecurity where McKenna and Travis were concerned. Even more so than his sudden and strange infatuation with McKenna, Tag did not like this jealous reaction one damn bit.
Without another thought, Tag turned and headed for the stairs.