Edward walked slightly behind her, his hand on the small of her back. Once they reached the front door of the building, he stopped and leaned toward her, kissing her like he had just walked her home from a first date.

“I hate to love and leave you, but I do have to get back to the office. I have a lot of paperwork to edit and a lot of promises to make good on.”

“That’s okay. I know how it is. You CEO guys are all too busy for us little people.” She smiled and looked down, finally happy with the possibilities in her life.

“I would like to see you again.”

“You would?” Her face beamed.

“Will you be available this evening? Dinner?”

“I would love that.”

“I’ll pick you up at seven, then.”

“I will be ready.”

He raised her hand and kissed it before turning away and walking back to the car. She watched him climb into the back, close the door, and watched the car pull away. She gasped, wondering if the driver had been in the car the whole time. She leaned forward, watching the tail lights light up and turn out of the parking lot before it disappeared.

With that on her mind, she went back inside and blindly walked back up to her office.

“Did you have a nice little after-meeting?”

“Steven!” She jumped and looked up. He leaned against her doorway, his head cocked, his arms folded and looking like he wanted to scold her. “I hope you weren’t waiting long. It’s a good thing I didn’t leave for the day.”

Mia loved the way Steven looked after her, but sometimes it was a little much.

“We have a lot at stake here, Mia. I am concerned, that’s all.”

“Well, if you must know, Eddie—” She stopped herself and smiled at his childhood name. “Edward and I had a lot to talk about. We are back on a good, level playing ground, and things should go smoothly from here on out.”

Steven pursed his lips and looked down at her attire. “Good to know. As long as we keep things professional.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Our afternoon meeting with the lawyers has been moved up to four o’clock.”

“Thank you. I’ll be ready.”

“So, you two just talked, huh?”

“Yes.” She looked up at him with doe eyes. “Why?”

“No reason. Just asking.”

When he didn’t turn and leave right away, Mia shook her head at him. “What?”

“You might want to fix your blouse before the meeting.”

Mia jerked her head down and noticed the puckered material sticking out.

“Oh, my goodness. How did that happen?” She looked up to see an empty doorway and no Steven. Turning her back to the door, she moved fast to fix the hasty buttoning job, a smile creeping up from the inside.

The time couldn’t have moved any slower that day. Mia watched the clock obsessively.

“It’s finally quitting time.” Steven poked his head into her office. “You can stop looking at the clock.”

“Was I doing that? I barely noticed.”

“I think you can recite every minute you looked, but I don’t think you can tell me what you’ve accomplished today. What did the lawyers say in the meeting again?” He leaned against her desk as he sarcastically quizzed her.

“Okay, you got me.”

“Do I? Or does Edward Donovan?”

Mia knew what he was implying, but she didn’t reply.

“Have a good evening, Mia. I’ll see you in the morning.” He barely looked at her as he walked out.

She had no reason to feel guilty. She wasn’t doing anything wrong. “I don’t know why you always have to be right, Steven.” She closed her computer down, shut off her desk lamp and left her office, her mind on the night ahead.

She waited for her doorbell to chime, the last few minutes before seven seemed to drag on. She checked her makeup in the mirror in the hallway for the umpteenth time and smoothed the dark blue dress that hugged her body and showed off her long legs. The ringtone from her phone echoed from the bedroom, and she ran to get it. She scooped it up and hit the talk button when she saw the familiar unknown caller.

“This is Mia,” she sang.

“Mia, it’s Edward. I’m so sorry to do this to you, but I’m afraid I have to cancel our evening. I am still at the office, and I don’t see myself finishing up anytime soon. It seems everyone had better things to do than to stick around.”

Her heart sank. She wanted nothing more than to be with him. “You can’t break away for a few minutes? It seems I’m all dressed up with nowhere to go.”

“I’m sorry. I’ve been working hard on this deal, and I lost track of time. I just realized how late it was. I still have a way to go.”

“What are you working so hard on?”

“Your company. I need to be sure I can stop the takeover.”

Mia couldn’t plead with him to walk away from that, so she kept quiet.

“Can I make it up to you?”

“Of course. Give me a call when you can.” She felt heartbroken, but she wasn’t going to let it show.

She plopped down on the edge of her bed and went through her different options. First, she could go out and dine alone. No, too desperate. She knew a couple of girlfriends she could call. No, they would keep her out too late, and give her nothing but a hangover. She could change into something more casual and grab a gyro at the place down the street. Boring but doable.

She smiled and stood up, looking at her reflection in the mirror. “I have a better idea.”

She went to her refrigerator, pulled out a bottle of wine, and grabbed two wine goblets from the cupboard. She found a small wine clutch in her pantry closet and stuffed them inside it, along with some ice. As a shiver moved through her, she walked into her room, reached around the back and unhooked her bra, pulling it off through the top of her dress. She reached down and removed her underwear, discarding them onto the floor before smoothing her dress back down. One last look in the mirror and she picked up the clutch and walked out the door.

Pulling into the parking garage at Donovan Technologies, she took a big breath to calm her racing heart as she pulled her car into the almost empty parking garage. She turned off the engine and grabbed the clutch and a bag of Chinese takeout.

Just as her running lights went off, she noticed a side door open and a man in a business suit walk into the garage. She noticed there were only a few cars in the garage, so she stayed in her car and watched to be sure it wasn’t Edward. As he walked closer, Mia saw that it wasn’t him, and ducked down into the seat until he had gotten into his car and driven out.

Listening to the clicking of her heels on the concrete floor of the garage, she walked toward the door, praying it would allow her access into the building. To her surprise, it did. She looked around the darkened hallway as she made her way deeper into the building, hoping for a clue as to where Edward might be hiding. With a little investigating on the receptionist’s desk, she found his office suite number, and within a few minutes, she was standing outside his door, a soft glow from inside spilling out onto the hallway floor in front of her. She heard the tapping of keys and soft jazz coming from inside.

Closing her eyes, she mustered up the courage to go inside and interrupt him while he was hard at work. She stepped into the light and dangled the clutch on her fingers as she watched him, his head down, papers covering his desk.

“Care for a bite?”

Edward looked up from his desk, and his eyes grew wide. “Mia. What are you doing here?”

“Everyone has to eat, right?” She sauntered into his office and held the bags toward him. “I figured if you couldn’t take me to dinner, I would bring dinner to you.”

“You shouldn’t have gone to all of the trouble.”

Mia felt a twinge in her stomach. He didn’t seem excited to see her. In fact, he made her feel like she was intruding. Why didn’t he want her there? She wasn’t letting him off the hook that easily.

“How long has your brother been here?”

Edward looked up, a surprised look on his face. “My brother?”

“Jack? I saw him in the parking garage. I thought you said you were alone.”

“I was. I didn’t know he was here. How do you know my brother? I didn’t think you’d ever met him.”

She conjured up a lie as quickly as she could. “Oh, I recognized him from your company profile online.” She watched his face soften and hoped he believed her. She wasn’t ready for any other hard truths. Before he could ask more than she could answer, she changed the subject back to the reason why she was there.

“I brought wine.” She waited for him to respond, but got nothing. “And Chinese takeout.” He continued working as if she wasn’t standing in front of him. “I tell you what. I will put everything out here on this table way over here, away from you and all your business, and when you want a little break, come over. I will stay quiet as a church mouse.”

“If you insist on staying, I guess that would be fine. But I really need to work.” His eyes scolded her as if he knew her intentions.

She put her finger up to her lips, mimed locking them, and didn’t move from the side of the table until he redirected his attention back to his computer. Pulling out the containers of moo goo gai pan, pork-fried rice, and pineapple fritters, she moved seductively in case he was watching. With thoughts of what he did to her in the hotel room and again in the back of his car, she craved more. She craved to feel him against her again, her wrists restrained, eyes blindfolded. She needed to feel that again.

When she glanced over at him, he quickly looked away from her, pretending to immerse himself in his work. Her core reacted, clenching at his brief eye contact. She pulled the wine from the clutch and poured the two goblets half full.

“Can you eat while you work?” She set a small portion of moo goo gai pan on the corner of his desk with the wine and waited there until he took a bite. Satisfied, she walked back to the table and sat next to it, crossing her legs in full view of his eyes. She picked up the wine and ran the edge of the glass along her bottom lip. Even though she wasn’t looking directly at him, she noticed his eyes locked on her. Her center heated up. She slid one leg up along her other leg and took a deep breath as she sipped from her glass, feeling the tart, dry taste of the wine spread through her mouth.

Edward stopped typing and picked his head up away from his computer, his mouth slightly open as he watched her little game of seduction. She took another sip, her tongue jetting out to catch a small droplet almost escaping the edge.

She didn’t look directly at him until he stood up from his desk.

“Is there something wrong?” She tried playing innocent, but she was too turned on to follow through. She dragged the edge of the glass along her lip again, her eyes heavy, her fingertip caressing the top of her breast along the low-cut neckline of her dress.

“I never should have allowed you to stay.” His voice was deeper and his gaze more direct. He walked around his desk, taking only a few very large strides to get to her. He grabbed her wine glass from her hands and took a deep swallow. Leaning toward her, he dangled the rest over the top of her and hesitated.

“What are you doing?”

He tipped it to the side, poured the cold, deep redness onto her swollen breasts, and dropped to the floor next to her. He slid his arms around her waist and buried them behind her, pulling her forward. He dragged his tongue along her cleavage, along the path that the wine took. He pressed her breasts up from beneath and buried his face deeper. She felt his teeth bite into her soft skin as he pulled her to him harder. She winced at the pain and moaned at the pleasure that followed.

He pushed his hand up underneath her dress as she spread her legs for him, remembering that she had removed her underwear before leaving her apartment. When he stopped and looked up at her, she gasped and grabbed her lower lip between her teeth.

“You are the devil himself,” he growled, shoving her dress up to her waist and forcing her legs open as far as the chair allowed. He wrapped his arms around her legs and jerked her forward, until her butt was on the edge, before pressing his mouth to her lips and setting to work.

Mia buried her hands in his hair as she felt his tongue explore her, pushing through the folds and crevices of her flesh. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes when the familiar arousal began to take over the ache she felt for him. She gasped and snapped her head forward when she felt him inside her. He was looking up at her, his fingers buried between her legs. He pushed and pulled back and forth. She felt every bit of it.

“Is this what you had in mind tonight?” He kept working her into a frenzy, deeper and deeper until she reached forward and pulled him up. She grabbed his pants and tried unbuckling his belt until he grabbed her arms and held them away from him. He pulled his belt from his pants and grinned. “Turn around.” He looped the belt together and waited for her to comply.

“What are you going to do?” She looked down at the belt in his hand, adrenaline racing through her veins.

“No questions. You remember the safe word.”

Her lip trembled. “Yes,” she whispered.

“Say it.” His voice was commanding.

She sucked a breath in and glanced at the belt again. “Red.”

“Good girl. Same rules apply.”

“But, this isn’t our only night together.”

“You interrupted me in a very important project I need to finish, a project that will benefit both of us. Am I right, Mia?”

She nodded and looked down.

“You knew what you were planning when you came here tonight, and you knew what my reaction would be. Am I right?” He put his hand underneath her chin and tilted her head up to meet his as he raised an eyebrow.

“Yes,” she muttered.

“I cannot resist you, Mia. So, if this is what you want, you play by my rules. If you don’t want to do that, you can pack up your dinner and your ideas of what you thought you were going to accomplish and leave.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“Because I know, deep down, it lights your fire. You are my submissive, Mia. Whether you like to admit it or not, it is who you are and what your body desires.”

Her tremble had spread from her lips to her entire body. She knew he was right. It drove her crazy when she thought about him dominating her. Her body wanted it, her mind was consumed by it, but she kept suppressing complete release.

“Tell me I’m wrong, Mia.”

“I can’t.”

“You can’t what?”

She took in a shaky breath. “You’re not wrong.”

“Tell me what you want.”

“I want to please you.”

“To please me is to obey me, to become mine, to submit to me without question. Is that what you want, Mia?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

“A strong, independent woman like yourself is willing to submit herself to one man, wholly and exclusively?”

She turned around and clutched her hands tightly.

“Good girl.” His breath was warm against her shoulder.

He cracked the belt, making her jump and wince, her body trembling uncontrollably. She felt his body close to hers, his hands on her wrists dragging up her arms slowly.

“I’m not going to hurt you. I will never harm you.”

He dragged his hands back down her arms and closed around her wrists, holding them tight. Pulling her arms behind her, she felt the coolness of the leather against her skin as he wrapped his belt around each wrist until they were bound together.

She started to turn back around until he stopped her. “Not yet,” he said. “Don’t say a word, and don’t move until I tell you what to do next. Nod your head if you understand.”

She nodded, her stomach in knots at the anticipation and unknown. She listened, hearing movement behind her, wondering what he was doing, watching his shadow on the wall. His shadowed arms lifted above their heads until she saw the tie he wore come down in front of her face. She focused on the shiny black material until she was forced to close her eyes as he covered them and secured the tie behind her head.

She felt her dress being tugged down off her shoulders and over her breasts until they were exposed. She tried controlling the tremble that wanted to take over her basic motor skills. When she felt the bottom of her dress being pulled up to her waist, she started breathing harder, expecting to feel his hands there next. Maybe his mouth on her nipple? His arms picking her up to carry her someplace? He turned her around and lightly kissed her cheek. Then nothing. Pitch blackness before her, and not a sound to be heard.

She felt completely vulnerable and exposed as she strained to listen. It was dead silence. She tried to feel him close to her, but she only felt the cool air surrounding her. Where was he? She wanted to call out to him, but he had already warned her of such a thing. What if she asked a question? If she could get him to talk, she’d know where he was. Would he send her home if she spoke? She didn’t dare chance it. She ached for him. The anticipation and the silence played with her thoughts. She heard her own breathing as it picked up, finding it difficult to hold her breath, afraid she would miss the next sound that would give her a clue about what was going to happen next.

A faint clicking sound broke the silence, and she strained to listen. What was it? Clicking, typing? Was he working? She pulled at the restraint around her wrists, angry that he would put her in this position so he could continue to work. Was he trying to teach her a lesson? She wasn’t a child. Maybe she would just go home. How dare he! Who did he think he was? She pulled at the restraint harder, and the typing stopped. She froze. She didn’t say anything. She was still within the rules, wasn’t she?

When the typing began again, she decided to wait it out. I cannot resist you, Mia. It was what he said. She stood still and patiently waited, listening to the typing and the rustling of paperwork.

She tried making sense of the time. How long had she been standing there? She had kicked off her shoes at one point. Earlier, she figured about twenty minutes ago, his phone rang, and everything got quiet. She assumed he answered it and left the office to talk in private. She knew he returned when the familiar typing sound began again.

Was the chair behind her? Would he get upset if she sat down? She tried feeling around with her foot to locate the chair when she felt a hand wrap around her arm. She stood up straight and strained to listen again.

“You’ve been very patient, Mia.” His voice was smooth as velvet and seductive as melted chocolate running over a naked body. “I’d like to reward you for being such a good girl for me.”

Her heart swelled. Why did his praise mean so much to her? She wanted to be his good girl so she could be his bad girl.

He placed his hand on her back and gently pushed her forward. She walked in the direction he wanted her to go, trying not to stumble.

She got the sense that he was leading her around his desk to the large window behind it. Her suspicions were confirmed when she heard him pull the blinds open. He led her closer, and she tried remembering how far up they were. How many floors did she go up in that elevator? She was so consumed with surprising him that she couldn’t remember. Was he going to expose her to the outside? Her heartbeat raced again as she pulled back from him.

“Trust me, Mia.”

She tried, but she still pulled back.

“I have the light off. The only light in the room is coming from the hallway on the opposite side of the room. The window is right in front of you, and the lights from the street silhouette your body beautifully. We are several floors up. No one can see you.” He pressed his body into hers, and she felt the warmth of his breath on her ear. “Do you believe me, Mia?”

She swallowed hard. Did she believe him? She nodded, her body on fire and her pussy aching for his touch.

He nudged her forward until she felt the cold glass against her breasts. Her nipples tightened immediately when he pressed into her. She felt him free her wrists and pull her dress from her body. Then he turned her around. He pulled her wrists to the front of her and restrained them again, pushing them up over her head and hooking them onto something above her. Her body squirmed at the thought of finally getting fucked by Edward.