Arsen`s Rules
A Billionaire Romance Novel
Arsen Sloan is a thirty-five-year old monster of a lawyer. Highly successful as a criminal lawyer, specializing in murder cases, he has only lost one case in his career. Allen White was the second defendant that he represented some ten years earlier. He was convicted of murdering one of his high school teachers after kidnapping her for a period of two months and eventually killing her.
For Her Part 1
ARSEN SLOAN
Cool air hit his face as he left the building he’d been stuck in the last eight hours. His tie couldn’t get off fast enough as his large hands pulled it away from his neck, letting it hang loose.
He’d felt his throat closing in on him as he was accused of things that were beyond him to execute, beyond him to perform and beyond him to even think of doing.
Arsen Sloan was a thirty-five-year-old criminal lawyer. Tall, at six feet and nine inches, he dwarfed most of his colleagues. To make sure they all had even further insecurities in his presence, he kept himself in peak physical condition. Pecs and abs that most men would die to have and biceps the mere sight of made women wet with desire for him.
Arsen prided himself on his appearance which he used to his advantage whenever possible. He was a machine of a man, using everything he could to get the results that he was seeking, whatever they were.
In law, he used his well-educated brain to find every last law or case to make sure he won his client’s cases. Arsen Sloan had never lost a case since he began his career as a criminal lawyer, ten years prior. Well, there was that one, but it had only been his second ever case.
Arsen tended to forget about the first few cases, the first two anyway. He never mentioned the first two, as a matter of fact.
When it came to sex, Arsen used everything in his personal arsenal to make sure that he stayed on top of that game. Love had played no role in his sex life.
Love was a word he hadn’t used since he was a naïve kid in his late teens before the girl he thought loved him watched him become broken and near dead.
Arsen kept his shoulder length waves in perfect order, accenting his dark brown, brooding eyes. Thick, dark lashes surrounded them, giving the slightest hint of a soft side to the hard as nails man.
After the day of horrible accusations, Arsen just needed a drink. A stiff drink and to be able to unwind, and get rid of at least a little of the tension which filled his muscled body.
As he got into the backseat of his Escalade the privacy window went down. His driver and long-time friend, Paul, looked at him through the rear view mirror.
The tension Arsen felt radiated off him and Paul knew better than to ask any questions.
“To the club, boss?”
Arsen nodded and closed the door, then ran his hand over his face and rubbed his temples. He pulled a bottle of beer from the little fridge and took it down in one gulp. The evening sky was growing dark and a thin fog was already moving in as they made their way up the coastline of the San Francisco Bay.
Arsen’s eyes followed the lights that were coming on along the edge of the road. He was wondering when it had gotten so bad. When had his world started to rule him rather than he rule it?
After the first five years as one of the top criminal lawyers in the entire state of California, Arsen Sloan had not only managed to gain a reputation as a winning lawyer who would do anything to win his cases, but also had become a billionaire. His ability to make great investments proved to be yet another thing Arsen did with near perfection.
Perfection was a thing he made great strides to achieve in every part of his life. Up until that day, he’d done pretty well at keeping his life near perfect at all times.
The alley was already dark as they pulled up to one of the main clubs that he frequented. Though, if not a member of the exclusive club, no one could tell what type of social gathering was going on there.
People tended to get dropped off at the clubs he went to. Clubs that catered to his tastes some considered to be immoral and worse. The rusted metal door was closed and only a small sign at the very top of the old door let on that it was a bit more than an old storage facility.
‘Fierce,’ was the word etched into a small metal sign and suddenly Arsen’s stomach was in knots. He knew he shouldn’t go in there. He knew that was why he was in the precarious situation he was in.
“You know, Paul, I better find another place to go from now on,” Arsen’s deep voice called out to his driver and friend.
Paul was a friend who knew all about Arsen’s past, and present, but he was being left out of why Arsen had been so moody when Arsen told him he had a meeting at the main police station in San Francisco.
“Sure thing, boss,” Paul said and pulled out of the alley and headed back to the part of the city where the regular people went to get drinks and socialize with one another.
“I’ll take you to the club my younger sister likes to go to, but if you see her in there, she’s off limits, bro,” Paul told his old friend. “Lots of young law majors in that place. You should find someone to your liking, boss.”
Arsen’s throat was growing tight again, so he unbuttoned the two top buttons of his stiffly starched white shirt he wore under a black suit jacket. The tie came all the way off and he stretched his long, lean-muscled legs out. Another beer he grabbed and popped the top, this one he took a long drink of, but stopped short of downing the whole thing.
“Paul, let the boss shit go for tonight. I need a friend, not another employee. Shit’s coming down on me and without any family to support me, I’m going to need you to keep me from jumping off a bridge.” Arsen looked out the tinted window and felt his eye twitch.
The first of many physical signs his body was sure to start exhibiting, just like it used to do when he was young and things were out of his control. Things he worked hard to get under control, and here he was with things beyond his control again.
His stomach hurt, another sign and another thing he’d left behind him, or thought he had anyway. Paul pulled along the curb and jumped out to open Arsen’s door. He gave him a clap on the back and said, “Arsen, things will work out, man. You’re beyond smart and whatever has you this worried I know you can figure out how to take care of it. You’re good at this shit.”
Arsen wished he had the faith in himself his old friend had, but the truth was his marks were all over the accusations made against him. He’d represented tons of people that he knew were guilty and managed to get them off the charges.
He just needed to figure out how to get himself off charges where the evidence pointed right at him and he had to tell the men who questioned him things he never thought he’d have to explain to anyone.
“I need a drink and a piece of hot ass would do wonders for me,” Arsen said with a deep chuckle. “I’d ask you to come, Paul, and help me drown my sorrows, but one of us has to drive and I think I pay you to do that, so I’ll go in alone and hopefully come out with a wicked little thing on my arm to take home.”
“There’s no doubt you will, Arsen,” Paul said and gave Arsen a smile. “Get in there and get rid of that frown.”
Arsen turned and walked into the door of the nightclub. The dance music was cranked up and a herd of young women were on the dance floor already, though the night was only beginning.
He took a table near the dance floor so he could watch the people dance. Arsen was not into dancing, but he appreciated the way women could bend and move their bodies to the beat.
He preferred a hard rock sound to the bubblegum pop that the DJ was playing in the social norm of a club. A pretty, young waitress came and placed her hand on his shoulder.
“What can I get you, sir?”
His dark eyes looked at the small, pale hand with perfectly manicured pink fingernails that was touching his left shoulder. In the clubs he went to, no female would ever approach him that way, and he had to fight the urge to grab her and toss her over his lap and teach her how to act accordingly.
After swallowing hard, he answered, “How about a whisky sour?”
The young woman with red-stained lips and blue eyeliner, her black hair pulled back into a tight and high ponytail smiled at him and said, “You should try our Eastern Sour. It has bourbon, OJ, lime juice, and Orgeat in it. It’s really popular. I think you’d like it.”
He blinked at the dimwitted thing and thought about what would happen to a female who dared to suggest the thing a man wanted was anything but that. Through gritted teeth he said, “Bring me what I asked for.”
She removed her hand from his shoulder as her smile quickly turned to a frown. “Touchy! Okay then. A whisky sour it is. Top shelf bourbon or does it matter?”
His dark and now very moody eyes rolled with her endless questions. “Top.”
She hurried off, and he hoped his attitude didn’t earn him a good bit of her spit in his drink as well. Arsen had a hard time dealing with normal women. He liked women who knew their place. Not that he was chauvinistic.
Arsen knew strong women. Women who were smart and capable of doing anything a man could do. Those women he could respect and appreciate. But the little dimwitted things like the waitress would be so much better off if they let a man take control of them, even if just in the confines of the bedroom, or dungeon.
The song ended just as the waitress brought him his drink. She placed it on the table.
“You wanna pay now, or run a tab?”
“I think I’ll run a tab,” he said and took a credit card out of his wallet and handed it to her. “Keep ‘em coming and your tip will reflect my approval.”
She laughed and made a low bow in front of him. “Thank you, Master.” She sauntered away, shaking her head as she went.
“Okay, that’s ten bucks knocked off right there,” he mumbled to himself.
He’d sat back one table away from the dance floor and was glad to see a group of about six young women had taken the table in front of him. Now he had a front-row seat behind a bevy of young beauties to pick from.
He sipped his drink and let his eyes roam over each young woman at the table. One was tall and pretty in a Barbie doll kind of way. Her voice was high and a little squeaky.
He thought about the kinds of sounds she’d make as he took her the way he wanted to. Maybe tied to his bed or the railing of the balcony outside his bedroom.
He shook his head as she laughed and a snort came out of her mouth.
On to the next girl.
She was dark haired, plump, and wore little make-up. He noted how she could’ve used more and then when she spoke, her voice was deep.
No, he couldn’t take a voice nearly as deep as his. That would make anything hard go soft in an instant. The next girl was intriguing as she had long, red curls that floated down her back.
She showed promise, but he knew from experience that red heads could be feisty and it took a lot to get them to understand what he would and would not tolerate. He watched as a man approached her and asked her to dance.
Her eyes ran over him like he was a piece of crap rather than a decent-looking man who was just being nice to her. “What do you want?” she asked with her nose squished up like he smelled bad or something.
The guy kept his cool and even smiled at her.
“Would you like to dance?”
“With you?” she said and rolled her eyes to look at the other girls who watched her, most likely sure she was about to annihilate the poor guy.
His laugh was getting a little nervous as was his demeanor as he switched his weight from one foot to the other.
“Yes.”
The red head’s hand ran over her too small for Arsen’s taste, breast, then down her small waist and landed on her too skinny ass, according to Arsen.
“Does this look like something you’d like to get into your bed?” she asked the guy.
The guy took a step back with her loaded question and should’ve turned and ran away from the obvious bitch. Arsen had to fight not to get up and take the young man out of harm’s way.
“Sorry,” the poor guy mumbled and turned to leave.
“Wait!” the red head called out.
He turned back with hope in his eyes and Arsen found himself rooting for the poor kid. “Yes?”
“What the hell made you think you could come over here and ask a woman who is clearly out of your league to dance?” The girl who now Arsen thought looked really ugly asked the poor guy.
The guy spun around and took off as the table full of young women hooted and hollered at him vulgarities and put downs. It was more than Arsen could take anymore. The whole lot of them needed their asses spanked until they couldn’t walk, in his opinion.
The waitress arrived with another drink and placed it on the table then picked up his empty one. Just as she began to make another bow, Arsen took her shoulder in his strong hand and stopped her. “Your antics are not lost on me, girl..”
Her face went white, and she hauled ass away from Arsen who smiled as she fled. It was the first smile he’d made since he got the news the night before that he was a man of interest in some terrible crimes. The smile faded with his thought and he took a sip of his drink.
The noise of the club faded as he thought about why it was he ever became involved in the seedy underworld that he’d become a part of. There was his first and only love at the beginning of it all.
Beth was a sweet young thing. At sixteen, she was fresh and everything he wanted. Arsen had been a young seventeen and not as ready as he thought he was to delve into the romantic world.
After a year of dating, Beth finally gave into him and the two lost their virginity to one another one fateful night in her bedroom. Her parents caught them and her father beat the hell out of him.
As he laid on Beth’s bedroom floor, he saw it in her eyes as she looked at him. Her father had beat him into a bloody pulp. His jaw was broken and one arm was too. It laid out next to him at an awkward angle.
Beth’s eyes held no compassion for the young man that she had just been claiming she loved, had just given her innocence to. No, the only thing there was disgust.
Her words he could still hear, “Get up, Arsen! Defend yourself or something!”
She held the blanket over her naked breasts as she sat up in the little twin bed they’d just made love on. Her blonde hair fell across her tanned shoulders and her blue eyes drooped at the outer edges as she looked at him with so much disappointment that he couldn’t believe it.
“Help,” he’d managed to get to come out of his broken mouth.
The same mouth that had lavished her with sweet kisses moments before her father came in and caught him on top of her. Arsen had been pulled away and slung across the room before he knew what was happening.
He lay naked and twisted on the floor and all he could do was look at Beth and feel like a complete loser who let this happen to himself. She needed him to be so much more than he was.
It was her mother who finally came to his aid. She’d found something and knocked her husband out as he wasn’t going to stop his assault on Arsen until Arsen no longer was drawing breath.
Arsen was confused as Beth jumped off the bed, wrapping the sheet around her naked body and yelled at her mother, “What did you do to Daddy?”
Her mother shoved her back onto the bed and shouted, “He was about to kill Arsen!”
Beth looked at him with disgust again. “Get out! We’re done!”
His body was in agony as her mother picked him up the best she could and took him to her car. She took him to the hospital and left him at the emergency room, alone.
Arsen came back to reality and took the last of his drink which seemed to be disappearing way too fast. Another drink came, but a waiter brought it and left it for him.
Shame filled him as he realized he’d scared the waitress. He was always doing shit like that. He seemed to have no real filter as to who he could talk to in his dominant way and who he couldn’t. It was a fine line, and he seemed to always be on the wrong side of it.
A popular song came on and the table full of girls in front of him shrieked, making him cover his ears. They all grabbed each other and ran to the dance floor like a heard of elephants.
Arsen looked around and saw table after table of young women doing the exact same thing and he shook his head and mumbled, “This is not going to work for me.”
His drink was new, so he knew it’d take him until at least the end of the upbeat song before he was done with it. The night was still young, and he had no desire to go home all alone. The women in that club were not going to be anything he needed on that night.
“Oh, hell,” he heard a young woman’s voice say as she walked past him.
He turned his head and watched her take a seat at the table the women had vacated. She watched them for a moment then took her cell phone out of her back pocket and started looking at it.
Arsen looked her up one side and down the other. She was tall and curvy. Her breasts were exactly the right size, a little bigger than most women’s. Her ass was round, and he liked the way that her tight jeans fit it perfectly. She had on leather cowboy boots that she had her jeans tucked into.
Her hair was long and dark, falling in waves to the top of her plump ass. His mouth was watering already. Looking all over her, he noticed the absence of a drink and looked back to find the waiter near him. He motioned him over and told him to take the same thing he was drinking to the young woman who stood alone at the table in front of him.
He sat back and watched as the waiter took the drink to her and when she asked who had sent it, he pointed to Arsen. She smiled and waved and mouthed a ‘thank you’ to him.
He liked her manners already. She knew how to accept things and that was a thing he had to have in a woman. He believed in lavishing gifts on them. It had been years since he had a submissive that he had felt enough for to do that.
The women in the last three years had all been people he felt nothing for. Just women who liked things the way he did, nothing more. The fact that three of his previous subs were gone was a thing which made him sad, only he wasn’t given the time to mourn them.
His attention went back to the young woman he’d sent the drink to. She had gone back to looking at her phone and occasionally tapping the screen. She was too far away for him to see the color of her eyes, but the shape of them were like almonds and she had thick, dark lashes that fluttered occasionally as she smiled at her phone’s screen.
The herd of bitches came back off the dance floor and the tall blonde Barbie hugged the new girl and started wagging her finger at her, obviously admonishing her for not being on time like the rest of the mindless young women at the little party.
The red head lifted her arm high in the air and the waitress came to them with a lit up cake. It was the blonde’s birthday it looked like and the other women sang happy birthday to her then she blew the candles out. The dark haired beauty looked completely out of place with the mob of air heads.
Another song came on and the girls made another screaming shriek and ran to the dance floor. Barbie grasped at the gorgeous dark-haired girl, but she shook her head and stayed at the table, alone.
Arsen saw his chance and took his half empty glass and glided the distance between the tables, coming up behind her. He hesitated and took in her essence. The vague aroma of lavender wafted past his nose and he leaned closer to smell her hair that was shiny and full.
His hand fisted at his side as he had to stop himself from taking a handful into his fist and pull it to make her come to him.
“Hi,” he said, and she spun around, nearly knocking his drink out of his hand.
“Oh! Sorry,” she said. “You scared me.”
His first thought was that she was right to be afraid. “You should run.”
She smiled and blushed. “Oh yeah?”
He nodded as he leveled his dark eyes on her deep blue ones.
“I think your eyes are gorgeous. I had to come and say hello. I had to see the color and I have to say I’m not one bit disappointed.”
Her smile sent waves of some unknown sensation through him. She could be dangerous to him he thought. She could push him out of his comfort zone and he knew it without any doubt.
“Your eyes are pretty nice too,” she told him then took a sip of the drink he’d sent her. “Thanks for the drink. I’m not really knowledgeable about alcohol yet. I only turned twenty-one a few weeks ago.”
“I see,” Arsen took a drink as he looked at her. “What is it that you do?”
“I’m in school. I wanna be a lawyer when I grow up,” she said with a giggle.
Her voice was soft and easy on the ears. Her giggle was too. Not silly, or sexy, just kind of a sweet sound he thought he could listen to a lot.
“I’m a lawyer.”
Her eyes brightened. “Anyone I may have heard of?”
His impending legal problems sprung to the forefront of his mind and suddenly his name was not a thing he wanted her to know. Just in case it ended up on the news in the near future.
“Name’s A.C. I’m nothing big, just a small time lawyer.” He took a drink and watched her reaction.
“We all have to start somewhere,” she said with a smile. “One day you’ll make it big, I bet. You have the look of a powerful attorney.”
He smiled and thought she had a look about her too that showed she was capable of great things.
“You don’t really fit in with the bitch pack, do you?”
Her eyes traveled to the dance floor where the other girls had gone. She shook her head, making the dark waves of her hair move across her shoulders and one strand fell across her breast making Arsen’s cock twitch.
“The tall blonde is my roommate. She turned twenty-one today and made me come. I’m not real big on hanging with, what did you call them, the bitch pack? That’s funny, I’m stealing it.” Her smile revealed straight, white, perfect teeth. Pink, plump lips pulled over them and everything about her was genuine.
“Steal it,” he said and stopped himself from telling her the corny words that ran through his mind.
Arsen had thought to himself that she was already stealing his heart, but those were not only thoughts he never had at least since back in the days of his naïve innocence and Beth. The words would never pass his lips.
His time was limited before the bitch pack would come back so he asked, “Would you allow me to take you home. I have a car outside. I’d love it if you’d let me give you a ride.”
“Sorry, I’m not that kind of girl,” she said and sipped her drink. “You’re a complete stranger after all.”
The fact she was no easy piece made him thrilled, but he wanted her much too badly to take no for an answer. “Smart girl,” he said.
“Thanks,” she looked him over and frowned. “You’re most likely married anyway. Have a house full of kids you’re here to get away from.”
“What makes you say that?” he asked as he’d never been told he looked domesticated before.
She bit her bottom lip as she looked him over. “Can’t say really. You just look like you’re used to getting your way. Not many single guys get their way very often.”
He held his left hand up for her to inspect. “You will not find a tan line around this finger. I’ve never been married.”
“Can I ask you a question?” She looked up at him and he found himself loving her basic character. She would be able to be what he wanted in a sub, he saw it in her.
“Sure.” He moved a little closer to her, feeling the warmth which came from her.
“How old are you?”
“Thirty-five.” He moved a step closer and touched her waist. “Old enough to teach you things that you’ve never thought about knowing before.”
Heat came off her body as her faced turned pink. “I bet you could.”
“You should let me take you home.” He leaned into her, his hand moving from her waist to the small of her back, gently moving her body to his, their hips touching.
He knew she’d fit him perfectly and his dick stretched the giving fabric of his slacks. Her body trembled with the contact and he knew she’d be fantastic in bed… and the living room, the hallway, the backseat of his Escalade.
“I’m really not that kind of girl. There are plenty of easy ho’s around here though.” She peered up at him as she tried to take a step back, but his hand on the small of her back stopped her retreat.
“I don’t do easy,” he said and found his mouth moving to take hers.
She licked her lips and for a second he thought that he was home free. “Don’t.” Her voice was but a whisper, but her word stopped him.
He moved back a little. She would be begging him soon enough. “Smart girl.”
“I am and you, sir, I dare say seem a little bit dangerous,” she took in a deep breath and backed another step away from him.
Arsen shook his head. “A little dangerous, no.” He was very dangerous, and he knew it. A young innocent thing like she was didn’t stand a chance under his expert hands. He’d bend her to him as easily as a young sapling to a post.
She surprised him as she leaned back in close to him and whispered, “I have to tell you that you are the first man who actually made me think about doing what you asked though.”
He smiled without realizing he was doing it. She was a bit dangerous herself. He felt a pull like he never had before. It was a thing he couldn’t even afford to have at that time in his life.
There were no guarantees he’d even be walking the streets the next day. He could be scooped up by the authorities and placed in custody at any moment. The detective had made that abundantly clear to him just that afternoon.
The other young women were coming back to the table, and he wasn’t about exchange pleasantries with any of them. He kissed his fingertips and placed them on her lips. “See you around then.” He turned and left before she could say another word.
After paying the tab and taking care of the bill for the party that the young woman was a part of, he took his credit card back from the bartender and went out to get in his car.
Paul jumped out and opened the back door for him. “No girl, boss?”
“Not yet,” Arsen said as he sat in the back. “Give her time. She’s coming, she just hasn’t realized it yet and I don’t want to hang out with her idiotic friends.”
He took a beer and sipped on it as he contemplated his day and all he was up against. His mind wandered off to how it was he got involved in the life he led.
All the way back to how he was living out of his car in Los Angeles after he got out of the hospital. His mother had left him there, leaving him alone after Beth’s father’s beating had put him in the hospital.
It was her chance to have a valid excuse to finally abandon him the way he knew she’d wanted to for years. She said the hospital would make her pay if she stuck around. It was in his best interest if no one could find her, then the state would have to pay his hospital and doctor bills and he’d only have to live six months in a foster home after that.
She told him she was doing it all for him. He’d be eighteen in six months, a month after that he’d be out of high school and being in the system would ensure him that he could go to college, like he always said he wanted to do.
Yes, she was sacrificing all for him.
He frowned with the thought. After a long drink from the tall bottle he nodded and thought, at least he was able to go to college and make something of himself.
And physically, with the help of Beth’s mother, he made sure his body toughened up as well as his heart. It was she who set him up in a small apartment near Stanford University where he got his law degree and learned about the life of a sub under her tutelage.
Under her firm hand, he learned to turn pain into something else. Power and pleasure. While the professors in law school worked his brain out and made it work in a way that would take him into a productive future, Mistress Sinclair taught him how to take his power in his own hands.
The apartment was where she had taught him all there was to know about BDSM. She was a closet case who had to hide her obsession from her family. Her husband would have been a terrible Dom, she’d told him. He was too mean spirited and lacked self-discipline.
She taught him to be strict and to dole out the proper punishment when it was called for to get the sub to do what made the Dom happy. She taught him, what she would later tell him, was a little too well as he quickly outgrew his desire to be a submissive to her.
He was made to be a Dom and when he sought out the underworld where people went to find others who wanted the lifestyle, he had begun to enjoy Mistress Sinclair who tried hard to punish him back into submissiveness to her. All the lashings in the world would not see him spend a lifetime in that role.
Arsen’s back still carried the scars from the whips she used to try to subdue him, but the lashes healed eventually and she came to realize he was not going to bend to her will any longer. He’d grown into a huge man, muscles on muscles and a determined spirit that refused to follow anyone.
He held the reins. He held the chains, He held the whip, and she had no want to be at the stinging end of it. That’s when he moved out to his very first place and found his very first sub at one of the clubs he’d found. Kyla was his first and now she was gone.
They’d spent a year together. He never loved her, but she was good at doing what he wanted. In the end, it was her entire devotion to him and what he wanted that soured their deal. One couldn’t call what they had a relationship.
He took her on no dates, sent her no flowers, and called her no sweet names. He did take care of her. Gave her a car, kept her in a nice place, though not the same place that he lived in. He gave her money so she didn’t have to work. She was to be available to him whenever he wanted and she did have to come to his office many times to give him what he needed there as well.
People asked about her and him and what they were to each other, but Arsen only told them they were acquaintances who occasionally fucked. He thought about the one legal aid he had. She was an older woman who’d helped her lawyer husband before he died.
She often told Arsen he was wandering down a path that would never make him happy. He found it odd the woman in her sixties had even an inkling into what he was really doing.
She never came out and told him she knew, only hinted that she did and let him know it would grow old one day and he’d want someone to love and cherish. Not bend to conform to his will and dominate with his authority.
So far, Arsen had found no one who made him want to open his hard and dark heart to allow to come in and possibly hurt him or take control of him. But the young woman who was inside the club with her friends had nothing in common with what had made something twitch not only in his pants but also in his heart.
Now was not the right time for any type of relationship. Definitely not one of traditional means. No normal woman would understand the things that were most likely about to become public knowledge about him.
The young law student certainly looked like a girl who’d run if she knew his dark and troubled secrets. His eye twitched as he thought about her pretty, little face that was so full of life and hope falling as she heard the things he’d done.
She’d hate him for sure. He should just leave and stop waiting for one more chance to get her to let him take her home. She wasn’t the type he usually went for. She wasn’t one of the girls from the club who was looking for that sort of thing.
She was a nice girl in a normal club. She wore cowboy boots and jeans, not stilettos and ripped stockings. Her blouse covered her ample breasts, not torn and leaving nothing to the imagination.
She stood tall and held herself with confidence even though she was young and had yet to start her law career. He envisioned her in a tiny leather corset, a collar around her long and slender neck, with a chain he held as she made her way through a dark room on her hands and knees.
The men in the clubs he went to would be so fucking envious of him if he took her to any of them. She was a true woman of great beauty and confidence. To have her doing for him as he wanted would be some big feat.
Arsen shook his head to clear it. What in the hell was he thinking? Women should be the last thing on his mind. They were the reason his freedom might be taken away.
Everything he worked so hard for might be gone in a flash because of women and how he chose to have sex with them. He needed to go home and be alone. Contemplate his case and his whole damn life.
But just as he was about to tell Paul to take him home. The door to the club opened and out she walked. “I’ll be right back,” he told Paul as he got out of the car.
He followed her as she walked down the busy sidewalk of downtown San Francisco. She was all alone, and he found himself thinking that she was too pretty to be walking alone. Something bad could happen to her.
Arsen slowed his pace as he thought what it was he wanted to do to her and that it wasn’t entirely good for her either. He wanted to hold her down and make her beg him to fuck her after all.
Some young guy took notice of her as he walked towards her.
“Hey, baby, where you off to?” he asked as he approached her.
Arsen’s body filled with tension as the guy spoke to her. She turned her head, ignoring the guy, but the idiot had the balls to reach out and grab her arm, making her stop. Arsen stopped only feet behind them, his hands balled into fists.
“Too good for me, or what? Not even a, fuck you, can you be bothered with saying to me,” the guy said as he glared at her.
“Let me go.” Arsen watched as her hand slipped into the purse she had hanging from her shoulder.
The bottle she was pulling out had Arsen stopping and falling back to be sure he got none of the pepper spray near him. A little doorway offered him protection from the stuff which was about to fill the air, but he could still keep an eye on her.
“Who do you think you are, bitch?” the man slurred at her and yanked her arm hard.
Arsen had to cover his mouth to keep the laugh quiet as he watched her pull the pepper spray out of her purse in one swift motion and spray the fucker right in his baby blues.
He screamed and let her go. She turned around and went right back into the club she’d just left. Arsen smiled all the way back to his car and climbed in, telling Paul all about the tenacious young woman and how much more her actions had him intrigued.
Paul turned around and leveled his eyes on his long-time friend.
“Okay, Arsen, give me the news.”
Arsen stopped smiling and looked at his friend turned employee.
“My ways have caught up to me, Paul. That’s all it is.”
“Your ways, while questionable, are not illegal. So how is it they’ve caught up with you?” Paul asked with a frown.
“I’m not sure how much I really want you to know. You see as a person who is aware of almost all of my comings and goings, you’re sure to be brought in if they decide to make a case against me. It’s best you only know what it is you truly know, not what I can add.” Arsen leaned his head back on the leather seat and looked at the ceiling.
“So, I can expect to get called in myself. Fantastic!” Paul groaned. “Crap! The shit I’ve seen you do are not things I ever wanted to talk to anyone about, Arsen.”
“Sorry,” Arsen said as he continued to look up. “As far as a friend to you goes, I haven’t been the best, have I?”
“Don’t think like that, Arsen. I love you, man. I’m not judging you by any means. So you should tell me what I say and not say. If they ask me if I’ve seen you hit a woman, how would I answer that?”
“Fuck if I know,” Arsen said with a moan. “Maybe something like, everything he did was mutually accepted by all parties he engaged in those types of activities with.”
“That’s a fucking mouthful, isn’t it?” Paul asked and had to laugh. “What about that time you had me hold that chick for you while you took your tie off. I tried to get the hell out of the room before you got started but I saw you tie her up and hang her up on that door and smack the shit out of her with your belt. I remember her begging you to stop.”
Arsen ran his large hand over his face which had gone ashen with the memory his friend brought up.
“It’s part of the act. Our safe word was rose, and she knew that. She wanted to beg, that’s all. Man, that’s one of the girls this shit is about. This is bad, Paul. This is really bad.”
“Not that chick!” Paul ran his hand over his face as well. “Man, Arsen, she was into that crazy violent shit. There was the time she begged you to choke her. Then another time when she came out to the car completely naked, and you two went to one of the clubs and when you two got back in the car, her body was covered in bruises.”
Arsen’s stomach was hurting again, and he felt like he might throw up. He grabbed another beer and downed it.
“I’m in so fucking deep, Paul.”
“And why are we waiting out here for yet another female, Arsen? I can’t tell you what a bad idea this is. Does the word, ‘stalking,’ ring in those ears of yours?”
“I fucking know! Fuck!” Arsen balled up his fist and hit the back of the seat next to him. “If this girl was one of them I’d tell you to take me home and lock my ass up until I came to my senses. But she’s not into that at all. Well, I don’t think she is, but she seems like she might like some aspects of it.”
“Stop! Do you hear yourself?” Paul asked.
Arsen took in a deep breath and let his mind work like the lawyer he was. Was he that self-destructive that he was on the verge of the end and still he was consumed with sex?
“Drive away, Paul,” Arsen said finally. “This is ridiculous. Drive away.”
Paul turned around and pulled his seatbelt on and turned his blinker on to pull away from the curb.
“Good decision, Arsen.”
The sound of metal smacking against metal made the men look out the left side of the car and Arsen moaned as he saw there was no way they’d be leaving and getting him away from what would surely be part of his downfall.
A truck had run into a car right next to them. The wreck had them sandwiched between the mangled cars and the sidewalk full of people making their way to the various clubs and restaurants along it.
“Fuck me,” Arsen swore.
“Just stay in the car,” Paul said. “Don’t even look over there to see if she comes out of the club again.”
Arsen laid his head back and tried not to think, but the other woman who was no longer around, his second sub, filled his mind. Her dark skin had always been a thing he thought beautiful about her. Meagan was tough at first. A real spit fire.
He’d broken her down until she was a shell of her former self. Arsen had thought it was up to him to teach her that her place was where he said it was. He wanted her home all the time. He had her order the groceries instead of going out to get them.
When she went out, her beauty had other men gawking at her and it made him insane. She was his. They’d drawn up a paper which said so. He wanted no other eyes falling on her.
One night as she laid in her bed in her apartment he had her in, she asked him to stay the night with her. She was alone too much and was beginning to hate it. She asked him to please stay with her and he hadn’t wanted to start that kind of thing.
He’d been taught that was not what people who lived that lifestyle did. It made them weak, and that was a thing he didn’t want to be. And look where that had left him. Alone and accused of things he could’ve easily done.
No alibi for any of the things he was accused of and the fact he’d recently met with each one of his old subs. One last go round he wanted with each one as the lifestyle was beginning to grow boring, just like the older lady who used to work with him said it would.
Arsen wanted to see if any one of the women made him feel like they had a spark. Like the life he’d been living was something maybe one of them could spark an interest in again.
Work and more work had been filling his days and nights. Random hook-ups weren’t filling the emptiness that had begun to grow in him. He gave each woman one last shot to see if it was one of them who could fill him, or begin to at least.
The last sub he had was named Lacy and their contract was short-lived. Her quiet nature, he soon found out was due to her being a complete air head. Arsen knew she didn’t really have the brains to decide if she really wanted what he dished out or not.
And when she even forgot their safe word, and he went on with his spanking of her until she was sobbing uncontrollably, he knew that she wasn’t cut out for that kind of sex life.
But for reasons that made no sense he took one last shot with her anyway and now she was another who was gone and he might stand accused of that too.
Policemen began to show up to the scene of the accident and as the two drivers’ of the wrecked cars argued over who was at fault, one cop knocked on the driver’s side window and asked Paul and any other witnesses in the car to please step out so they could talk to them.
Paul and Arsen stepped out of the car and Arsen quickly told them he hadn’t seen a thing and had no idea of who was at fault. Something brushed up against his arm and a voice filled his ears, “What happened?”
He turned to find the deep blue eyes of the girl he should be avoiding for not only her own good but his too.
“They wrecked. Um, hit each other, I mean, they smacked into one another. Fuck, you know what I mean, right?”
His stammering made her giggle, and he had to ball his hands into fists to stop himself from grabbing her hair in his hands and pulling her mouth to his. Her lips, plump and pink formed a smile.
“Nervous?”
“Me?” he asked and found his voice going high.
That was not like him. She did make him nervous, and that was odd.
“Do I make you nervous?”
“Hell no!” He slipped his arm around her waist.
Paul came to his side after telling the cops he had no idea who was at fault either.
“Hi,” he said to the girl who would be running away from Arsen if she knew what he really wanted with her. “I’m Paul.”
Arsen gave him a look that told him to go get in the car. The wreckers were pulling the wrecked cars away, and they’d be able to leave in minutes. Paul walked away and got in the driver’s seat.
“As you can see that’s my driver, Paul. So you won’t be completely alone with a stranger if you allow me to drive you to your home.” Arsen told her as he moved her along with him, his arm tight around her waist.
“I don’t think so. It’s very nice of you, don’t get me wrong.”
“It’s really not safe for you to walk. Please, just get in. I swear we’ll take you straight home. If anything happened to you and I saw you were hurt or God forbid something worse, it would haunt me forever,” Arsen told her as he opened the door and gently pushed against her.
“I’d hate it if I haunted you. I think that would mean bad karma for me,” she said and looked into his dark eyes. “Promise me something.”
“Anything,” he said. “I think I could promise you anything?” His finger trailed over her collar bone and he looked deep into her eyes.
They were full of trust, even though they shouldn’t be. If she only knew what he wanted to do to her beautiful porcelain skin, watch it turn a nice shade of pink after he had paddled it well.
“Promise that you won’t hurt me.” Her words hit him hard.
“Why would you say that?” he asked as he pulled his hand back and searched her eyes.
“It’s just that I don’t go places with strangers. I don’t do stupid or dangerous things,” she said as she looked at him with such innocence. Too much innocence.
Arsen took a step back. “You should run, little girl.”
“Should I, really?” she asked as her eyes danced. “A little while ago I tried to walk home, and a guy grabbed me. I had to empty my pepper spray on his ass. So I’m quite defenseless and a nice, strong lawyer seems a safe bet. A hell of a lot better than taking the chance the prick I sprayed may be waiting to get even with me.”
“You know I saw you do that. You seem quite capable of taking care of yourself in situations you feel threatened in.”
“I know a little self-defense.” She watched his reaction carefully. “If you did something I didn’t want you to for instance, you could be sure I’d take your balls in a vice-like grip and make you beg me not to rip them from your body.”
His laugh came from deep in his chest. “You’re pretty sure of yourself. And what if I did something to you, you wanted me to? What then?”
“I’m a big girl, I can take care of things. So, are you going to give me a ride or should I catch a cab?” Her arms crossed over her chest and he knew he should put her sweet little ass in a cab and move on without looking back.
“I should definitely put you in a cab. To be honest, I’m a bit afraid of you,” he said with a smile.
“I’m a bit afraid of you too,” she smiled back. “But what’s the fun in always playing it safe?”
“By all means, climb into my lair, little girl.”
He held her hand as she lifted one leg to place her round ass on the leather seat. Arsen sucked in his breath as he pictured that ass beneath his palm.
He balled his hand into a fist again to stop himself from making a swift smack to it as she lifted it some to scoot over so he could take the place next to her. She stopped just short of moving all the way to the edge, staying in the middle.
His arm draped over the back of the seat and she leaned back and took a deep breath. “I love the smell of leather,” she said as she let the breath out.
“Good,” he said, thinking that she’d really like the good amount of leather he kept in a closet in his penthouse.
“Good?” she asked as she turned her face to look at him. “That’s an odd thing to say.”
Paul turned and looked at Arsen.
“Where to, boss?”
Arsen looked at the young woman.
“Your place or mine?”
“Take me to my house, scoundrel. 555 Bayview Drive.” She looked at Paul. “Please, Paul.”
“Yes, my lady,” he said with a laugh and the privacy window between the front seat and the rest of the large SUV went up.
Arsen’s arm moved down off the back of the seat to touch her shoulders. He felt her shiver and pulled her closer.
“Cold?”
“No, just out of my comfort zone,” she answered and ran her hands over her bare arms as she wore a sleeveless shirt.
“You know, it’s okay to get out of that boring old comfort zone every now and again.” His mouth touched her neck for just a moment then he pulled it back.
She turned to face him and he found her breathing had increased and came a bit heavier than normal. She was getting ready for him, he knew it, but was she ready for all of him?
Slowly, he ran his fingertips over her lips as he gazed at them. His cock went hard in an instant as she parted her plump lips and pulled his finger into her hot mouth.
She sucked it gently and ran her tongue around it. He watched her and took one of her hands, placing it on his growing cock. Her eyes went wide, and she pulled her mouth off his finger and looked at the lump he held her hand to.
Her eyes darted up to his as she put her fingers on the button of his slacks. She seemed to be silently asking if she could let the beast free and he gave her a nod.
His stomach tensed as he knew he’d be taking her anyway he pleased in just a little while. He watched her open his pants up and his large erection sprang out at her.
She gasped and sprang back, her eyes went wide and he was pleased with her reaction. His big male member was a thing of beauty and she seemed to realize that.
Her eyes went to his again, and she licked her lips. He gave her a nod of approval and she lowered her head to his lap. The touch of her lips sent shivers through him.
His hands moved through her dark waves and he groaned as she moved her mouth over his throbbing cock. Her mouth moved over him so fluidly he knew her innocent demeanor had to have been a farce.
She stopped and looked at him.
“Why’d you stop, baby?” he moaned as he pulled at her hair.
“I wanted to know if I was doing it right. It’s my first time and if I’m doing it wrong and you’re up here laughing at me, it would make me very upset. So, am I doing it right? Is there anything I should be doing better? Do you think I should just stop even trying?”
“Seriously?” he asked in disbelief.
She nodded, and he pulled her hair, making her face come to his. He took one deep, hard kiss then released her mouth.
“So, should I continue?” her face was full of innocence and he knew she really was telling him the truth.
“You’re doing a fantastic job. Please, get back to it.” He let her go, and she resumed her position, placing her hands on his massive member and her mouth on the tip of his dick.
Arsen had been given so many blow jobs he couldn’t even keep count of them, yet never had one sent the sensations through him this young woman’s sweet mouth was doing.
He laid his head back on the leather seat and tried not to think about a thing as she ran her tongue up the underside of his cock and sucked gently as she pulled her hot mouth back up his long length.
All he could think was this was not going to help his situation at all. Red and blue lights lit up the back window and had Paul slowing the car down and pulling to the side of the road.
Arsen’s heart stopped as he knew his time was up and they must be about to officially charge him for the murders.
For him Part 2
STEELE GANNON
A thin vein of light fog rolled in under the barn door. Steele Gannon had just finished brushing her horse’s mane after taking an evening ride to clear her mind from the long school day.
Steele Gannon was a college student in her first year of law school at Stanford University. She’d found a passion for criminal law at the tender age of fifteen when a murder happened in the town she lived in.
At that time her family was living in Baltimore and Steele, and in a rare instance, was watching the nightly local news. The story of a young sixteen-year-old girl who was missing from her sister’s apartment was headlining that night.
Steele found herself worried about the girl and she kept up with the news story as the weeks, then months played out with no sign of the girl. After being missing for four long months, Phylicia Barnes’ body was found floating in the Susquehanna River and later her sister’s onetime boyfriend was accused of the murder.
It seemed he’d made sexual advances towards the young girl and when she thwarted him, he’d strangled her. A death that Steele found eerily brutal and scary. She’d not wish that death on anyone.
She’d read up on how long it takes to die that way and how aware the victim is of what’s happening to them. The brain takes a long time to stop working with a lack of oxygen. So the victim is helplessly aware they are going to die.
As the trial went on, it was obvious to most that the young man had murdered young Phylicia and Steele was glad the family would get justice. Only the young man had a couple of female lawyers who somehow managed to get the clearly guilty man acquitted from the murder charges.
Steele, though terribly disappointed with the loss for the family, was intrigued by how the lawyers managed to win such an open and shut case. She became fascinated with the law and started reading any law book she could get her hands on to find out more about the complexity of criminal law.
Her cell phone buzzed in the back pocket of her blue jeans. She looked at it and found a text from her roommate, Gwen. It was Gwen’s twenty-first birthday, and she was bugging Steele to hurry to the bar so then they could do the cake.
Steele was not a fan of the bar scene. She preferred wine and a good book, and that was exactly the way she’d spent her twenty-first birthday six months before. She wasn’t one to hang with a pack of girls either. The little birthday party for her roomie wasn’t a thing she was looking forward to.
But it was her roommate, and she’d never let her live it down if she didn’t at least show up for the cake. So Steel gave her horse, Tripper, one last hug and closed his stall for the night.
“Good night, big boy. I’ll see you in the morning to let you out into the pasture.”
Gwen would be pissed at what she was wearing, tight blue jeans, a white cotton sleeveless shirt, and her cowboy boots, jeans tucked into them, a thing Gwen hated. But if she wanted her there anytime soon, she’d have to put up with her appearance.
She climbed into her truck. One look into the rear view mirror had her ditching her cowboy hat and pulling the braid out of her hair, leaving it in waves that cascaded over her shoulders. The dark waves fell clear to the top of her ass.
Her hair was about the only thing Steele found attractive about herself and she took excellent care of the long, thick, dark, silky mass. She’d somehow managed to get a mix of her parents’ hair colors. Deep, rich browns and golden glows along with a smattering of copper strands made up her hair color. Her sky-blue eyes contrasted with her dark hair and she’d been told she looked exotic by more than a few people.
Her skin was a light tan and her butt and breasts were larger than most young women her age. At twenty-one, she was no innocent, but she wasn’t promiscuous either. Only a couple of boyfriends she’d had that ended after short bursts of affection.
Steele wasn’t the mushy gushy type, but the two she’d dated were and she found herself bored with them after mere months of their attention. She liked a man’s man, but had yet to find one.
She was a strong young woman with goals and aspirations, she wasn’t interested in the guys that she’d met so far in life. Gamers, most of them were, and that bored her to tears. She liked the outdoors and doing things that made her mind work.
The way the two guys she’d been intimate with had touched her and treated her left her empty. She’d never climaxed with either and found them annoying when they’d want a little action, but couldn’t manage to pique her interest.
In the end both had told her she was frigid and would have to get over herself if she was ever to find happiness with a guy. At that point in her young life she could’ve given less than a shit about hooking up with men. Her mind was on law school and learning all she could so someday she could be a criminal lawyer who won cases no one would ever guess she could.
Steele pulled up into the parking garage of her apartment building. She knew Gwen would make her drink something, and she wasn’t a drinker and had no idea of how she’d handle the liquor. She wasn’t about to try to drive home after consuming even one alcoholic beverage.
The evening air was nice, not too crisp, and she had a bottle of pepper spray in her purse if anyone should try to bother her as she walked the mile to the downtown San Francisco area where Gwen and her friends were having the little party. Though not excited about the bar, she was excited about getting out for a little while. It wasn’t a thing she did, and she prided herself on pushing her comfort zone’s barriers from time to time.
The music leaked out of the bar’s door and she found the bubblegum pop annoying already. She liked hard rock, much unlike every other girl on the planet she’d been told about her taste in music.
After her eyes adjusted to the dimly lit bar, she found her roommate and gaggle of girlfriends shaking their asses on the dance floor. A thing she wasn’t about to get caught up in. Too sober and too embarrassed to be shaking it yet.
She saw Gwen’s purse sitting on a table right next to the dance floor and knew she’d be trying to get her to dance with them, a thing that had her wanting to leave already.
“Oh, hell,” she muttered to herself as she made her way to the table.
Steele took a seat on one of the tall chairs that surrounded the little table and reached back and took her cell phone out of the back pocket of her jeans. While she waited she might as well see what her Face book peeps were up to on that Thursday night.
To her surprise a waiter showed up with a drink in his hand.
“From the gentleman at the next table, miss.” He placed the drink on the table in front of her.
“What is it?” she asked. “I mean, I’m new to this drinking thing. Is it going to knock me on my ass?”
The waiter smiled.
“No, you’ll be fine. Sip, don’t chug. It’s a whisky sour, just like the man who sent it to you is drinking.” He turned and gestured to a man with dark waves which hung to his broad shoulders.
Steele smiled and gave the man a little wave and mouthed, ‘thank you’ to him. She turned back around and had to take in a couple of deep breaths. The man who’d sent her the drink was the best looking man that she’d ever laid her eyes on.
The fact he’d even noticed her was making her wet, and she wasn’t one to go all wet and wiggly so quickly and easily. But the way he looked at her with his dark eyes that seemed to narrow as he took her all in, made her knees weak.
Steele prayed he wouldn’t come talk to her. She was sure she’d get all tongue tied and make a complete ass out of herself if he did. She wanted desperately to take another look at the magnificent specimen of manhood.
He had a beard which was not a thing she’d ever thought attractive before, but it was meticulously groomed close to his face which was so symmetrical it looked perfect. She guessed he was some type of lawyer or business man because he had on an expensive suit, but his tie was gone and the top buttons on his shirt were undone. He must’ve had a rough day, she thought.
He’s got to be married!
He looked to be in his thirties and had to be a successful something or other, she just knew it. The gang of girls made their way back to the table and Steele was caught up in Gwen’s long arms before she knew it.
The tall blonde was a sweet girl, but her taste in friends left a lot to be desired. The red-head, Tracy was a complete bitch and her other friend, Laura she thought might be a lesbian, but she didn’t claim to be. Then there were a couple of stragglers she didn’t know but recognized from their college.
Gwen started wagging her finger in Steele’s face.
“Why are you so late? And what the hell are you wearing? Did you come straight from that smelly old barn you keep your horse at? Oh, will you ever decide to clean up for anything?”
“Nice to see you too, Gwen,” Steele said with a laugh. “I hope your birthday is going well.”
“It is,” Gwen said and changed her mood quickly as she saw the birthday cake coming her way and the girls began singing her the birthday song. “Yes, cake!”
Steele took a step back and got out of the way so Gwen could blow out her candles. She could swear the gorgeous man who’d sent her the drink was looking at her. She wasn’t about to do more than glance from the corner of her eye, but she was pretty sure he was looking at her.
Why would he be? She thought. I’m nowhere near his league. I’m sure he has a beautiful wife at home waiting for him to get there and tuck their three kids in for the night.
Another song came on and the girls around Steele burst into a simultaneous scream and ran to the dance floor. Gwen tugged at Steele’s arm to get her to join them, but she wasn’t budging and adamantly shook her head. Finally, Gwen could take it no more and gyrated her body out to join the other girls.
Steele picked up her drink and took a sip, happy she got out of her roommate’s clutches. Something stirred her hair, and she turned around quickly, finding the gorgeous man right behind her. Her arm hit the drink he held and nearly knocked it out of his hand.
“Oh! Sorry. You scared me.”
“You should run.”
Steele smiled nervously and found herself blushing. “Oh yeah?”
His voice was deep and velvety. He stayed close to her. So close that she could smell his cologne which she knew had to be expensive because she’d never smelled any like it before. His elbow touched her upper arm and a constant stream of electricity was flowing across her bare skin.
The way he told her she should run had her thinking all kinds of crazy thoughts, a thing she never did. He was beyond intriguing and he gave off a dangerous vibe.
He nodded as he leveled his dark eyes on her. “I think your eyes are gorgeous. I had to come and say hello. I had to see the color and I have to say I’m not one bit disappointed.”
OMG! He thinks my eyes are gorgeous!
“Your eyes are pretty nice too,” she told him then took a sip of the drink he’d sent her. “Thanks for the drink. I’m not really knowledgeable about alcohol yet. I only turned twenty-one a few months ago.”
“I see.” He took a drink, and she found herself mesmerized by the way his lips conformed to the glass. She licked her lips as she noticed a drop of the liquid on his bottom lip. With a quick flick of his tongue he got it and she felt her panties get a little bit wetter. “What is it that you do?”
His words had her looking back at his eyes and feeling like an idiot for starring at his lips.
“I’m in school. I wanna be a lawyer when I grow up,” she said with a giggle.
“I’m a lawyer.”
Steele was even more intrigued...
“Anyone I may have heard of?”
“Name’s A.C. I’m nothing big, just a small time lawyer.” He took a drink, and she doubted he was a small time anything.
“We all have to start somewhere. One day you’ll make it big I bet. You have the look of a powerful attorney.” She shifted her weight as she let her eyes run up and down his fit body.
The man was muscled like a machine. She just knew there was a tight little six pack hidden under his starched white shirt and she bet his ass was solid as a rock.
He smiled and said, “You don’t really fit in with the bitch pack, do you?”
Her eyes traveled to the dance floor where the other girls had gone. She shook her head. “The tall blonde is my roommate. She turned twenty-one today and made me come. I’m not real big on hanging with, what did you call them, the bitch pack? That’s funny, I’m stealing it,” she said with a smile, finding him funny and great looking.
What a fantastic combination! Now, if he’s great in bed that would be a trifecta!
“Steal it,” he said as his dark eyes twinkled with amusement.
She took a sip of her drink and peered at him over the ridge of the glass. He was much too good to be true. He held himself like a man, not some boy who was trying to get into her pants. This man had the look of a man who got his way.
“Would you allow me to take you home? I have a car outside. I’d love it if you’d let me give you a ride.”
“Sorry, I’m not that kind of girl,” she said then took another sip of her drink as he was getting under her skin and making her itch for him in a way she’d never done before. “You’re a complete stranger after all.”
“Smart girl,” he said with a smile.
Am I? Or am I just being a big chicken?
“Thanks,” she looked him over and just knew he had to be married. He was too good looking and well put together to be single. “You’re most likely married anyway. Have a house full of kids that you’re here to get away from.”
“What makes you say that?” he asked, looking a little confused.
She bit her bottom lip as she looked him over.
“Can’t say really. You just look like you’re used to getting your way. Not many single guys get their way very often.”
He held his left hand up.
“You will not find a tan line around this finger. I’ve never been married.”
She looked up at him. Her mind was spinning a bit with the knowledge he wasn’t married and that made him fair game. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.” He moved a little closer to her. Her body warmed with the closeness and she wondered what it would feel like to be wrapped in his strong arms.
“How old are you?”
“Thirty-five.” He moved a step closer and touched her waist, making her legs shake. “Old enough to teach you things you never thought about knowing before.”
Her insides melted. He was actually coming on to her. There was an actual chance she could feel this powerful man’s arms wrapped around her. His naked body touching hers.
Steele blushed with the naughty thoughts that were running through her head.
“I bet you could.”
“You should let me take you home.” He leaned into her, his hand moving from her waist to the small of her back, gently moving her body to his, their hips touching.
Steele had to fight the urge to give into the man. His face was so handsome and his body so rock hard. There had to be some downfall with the perfect man.
“I’m really not that kind of girl. There are plenty of easy ho’s around here though.” She peered up at him as she tried to take a step back, but his hand on the small of her back stopped her retreat. She found she loved the way he made her do as he wanted.
“I don’t do easy,” he said, and she found his mouth moving closer to hers. He wanted to kiss her. Right there in front of the whole bar, he wanted to take her mouth, and she wanted to let him so damn bad that she could already taste his lips.
He was so close to her she could feel the softness of his whisker covered face. Steele licked her lips.
“Don’t,” she whispered.
She was still the same young woman inside no matter how crazy her brain was thinking. Steele did not make out with strangers and she sure as hell didn’t do it in a bar with people watching.
He moved back a little. “Smart girl.”
“I am and you, sir, I dare say seem a little bit dangerous,” she took in a deep breath and backed another step away from him. Her body was yearning for his, a thing she knew wasn’t smart to give into.
He shook his head.
“A little dangerous, no.”
She surprised herself as she leaned back in close to him and whispered, “I have to tell you that you are the first man who actually made me think about doing what you asked though.”
He smiled, making her happy to see he really did want her. It was still running around her mind that he had to be fucking with her. He was gorgeous and out of her league in every possible way after all.
The other young women were coming back to the table she could tell by the way his eyes darted to the dance floor and a frown covered his handsome face. He kissed his fingertips and placed them on her lips.
“See you around then.” He turned and left, leaving a chill covering her body as he did.
Almost instantly she regretted not going with him. Gwen had her by the shoulders and steered her out to the dance floor not taking no for an answer any longer. Steele watched as the gorgeous man paid at the bar then left.
Her chance had gone, and she felt like an idiot for not taking him up on his offer. As she danced to the crappy music, she felt disappointment in herself. She’d wanted a man’s man, and he sure seemed like one.
His body and attitude commanded respect and attention. She was sure he could make her do just about anything he wanted her to. What did she want with a man like that anyway?
She wasn’t sure what she wanted with a man like that, but she did want him. And she’d missed out on that chance.
I’m an idiot!
The night went on and after an hour, she managed to sneak away from the bitch pack. She smiled and thought to herself that the man from earlier was clever and it was hard to find clever.
Out the door she went, the cool air making the skin on her bare arms goose-pimple. She ran her hands up and down them and silently cursed herself for wearing a sleeveless shirt after dark.
Down the sidewalk she went, making her way back the mile-long walk to her apartment. Her eyes darted up as some damn guy focused his drunken gaze on her as he came towards her.
“Hey, baby, where you off too?” the drunk guy asked as he approached her.
Steele turned her head, ignoring the guy, but the drunk had the audacity to reach out and grab her arm, making her stop.
Oh no he didn’t!
She looked up to find his glassy ice-blue eyes glaring at her.
“Too good for me, or what? Not even a ‘fuck you’, can you be bothered with saying to me?”
Placing her hand in her purse to retrieve the pepper spray, she warned the fool, “Let me go.” She pulled the bottle out.
His words were slurred as he said, “Who do you think you are, bitch?” He yanked her arm hard, and that was all she could stand out of the asshole.
Steele pulled the pepper spray out of her purse in one swift motion and sprayed the drunk right in his drooping eyes.
He screamed and let her go. With the man out there, she had no choice but to go back to the bar and wait for him to leave the area so she could go home. She turned around and went right back even though it was the last place she wanted to be at that time.
Steele really wanted to go home and get into bed and think about the gorgeous man she let get away. What a fool she’d been, and it was highly doubtful she’d get a chance like that again.
She went back to the table and Gwen frowned at her.
“Where did you go, Steele?”
“I tried to go home, but a drunken asshole messed with me. I pepper sprayed him and now I have to wait for him to get lost before I can go home.” She sat back down, but Gwen took her hand and pulled her back out on the dance floor and made her dance some more.
The night was turning into exactly what she expected it would; a nightmare.
Three dances later Steele could take no more. Crazy drunk guy or not, she was leaving. The party had gone on too long for her and she headed out after letting Gwen know she was going and wishing her a happy birthday.
Just as she opened the door, she saw a wreck had happened right in front of the place and to her complete joy she saw the gorgeous man, sans his black suit jacket, standing at the back of a shiny black Escalade.
His back was to her, and she’d had just enough liquid courage to have her acting on her whim. She walked quietly up behind him, brushing her hand against his arm. “What happened?” she asked.
His eyes went wide as he turned back and saw her. “They wrecked. Um, hit each other, I mean, they smacked into one another. Fuck, you know what I mean, right?”
His stammering made her giggle. She was glad to see her presence had unnerved him. She smiled. “Nervous?”
“Me?” he asked in a high voice.
Her mind raced with the fact she made him nervous.
“Do I make you nervous?”
“Hell no!” he said and slipped his arm around her waist.
Steele felt complete with his arm securing her as if she belonged to him. His arm was strong. She could feel his bicep beneath the long sleeve shirt pressing against her back. She longed to actually see the muscled arm.
Another tall man in a black suit came up to them. “Hi, I’m Paul.”
Steele gave the man a nod and a smile. She took notice of the way the man who had his arm wrapped tightly around her looked at the other man. Paul walked away and got in the driver’s seat.
“As you can see, that’s my driver, Paul. So you won’t be completely alone with a stranger if you allow me to drive you to your home,” he told her as he moved her along with him.
Not entirely sure it was smart to actually go through with accepting the man’s ride, she said, “I don’t think so. It’s very nice of you, don’t get me wrong.”
“It’s really not safe for you to walk. Please, just get in. I swear we’ll take you straight home. If anything happened to you and I saw you were hurt or God forbid something worse, it would haunt me forever,” he told her as he opened the door and gently pushed against her.
The way he gently was forcing her to do what he wanted secretly thrilled her. Though she knew it was most likely the most stupid and dangerous decision she’d ever made, she said, “I’d hate it if I haunted you. I think that would mean bad karma for me.” Looking deep into his eyes, she searched for the truth. “Promise me something.”
“Anything,” he said. “I think I could promise you anything?” His finger trailed over her collar bone and he looked just as deep into her eyes. Her body tingled with his touch and she was hot and ready for the man in an instant.
Feeling very vulnerable in the stranger’s hold she found something in his dark eyes that told her she could trust him. “Promise you won’t hurt me.”
“Why would you say that?” he asked as he pulled his hand back and searched her eyes.
She felt compelled to tell him how she really was. “It’s just that I don’t go places with strangers. I don’t do stupid or dangerous things.”
He took a step back. “You should run, little girl.”
His choice of words had her knowing she was about to show him she was no little girl.
“Should I, really? A little while ago I tried to walk home, and a guy grabbed me. I had to empty my pepper spray on his ass. So I’m quite defenseless and a nice, strong lawyer seems a safe bet. A hell of a lot better than taking the chance the prick I sprayed may be waiting to get even with me.”
“You know I saw you do that. You seem quite capable of taking care of yourself in situations you feel threatened in.”
“I know a little self-defense. If you did something I didn’t want you to for instance, you could be sure I’d take your balls in a vice-like grip and make you beg me not to rip them from your body.”
His laugh came from deep in his chest and she loved it.
“You’re pretty sure of yourself. And what if I did something to you, you wanted me to? What then?”
“I’m a big girl, I can take care of things. So, are you going to give me a ride or should I catch a cab?” She crossed her arms over her chest and waited to see if the man was all talk and no action.
“I should definitely put you in a cab. To be honest, I’m a bit afraid of you,” he said with a smile.
“I’m a bit afraid of you too,” she smiled back. “But what’s the fun in always playing it safe?” She didn’t even recognize the woman who was saying the words that were coming out of her mouth. This was not her, but her body was overruling her brain.
“By all means, climb into my lair, little girl.”
He held her hand as she got into the Escalade. Her heart pounded in her chest as she couldn’t believe herself. She stopped just short of moving all the way to the edge, staying in the middle.
His arm draped over the back of the seat and she leaned back and took in a deep breath. “I love the smell of leather,” she said as she let the breath out.
“Good.”
“Good?” she asked as she turned to look at him. “That’s an odd thing to say.”
Paul turned and looked back at the man. “Where to, boss?”
He looked at her with a smile. “Your place or mine?”
“Take me to my house, scoundrel. 555 Bayview Drive.” She looked at Paul. “Please, Paul.”
“Yes, my lady,” he said with a laugh and the privacy window between the front seat and the rest of the large SUV went up, making Steele shiver as they were completely alone in the very back of the long SUV.
The man’s arm moved down off the back of the seat to touch her shoulders. He pulled her closer. “Cold?”
“No, just out of my comfort zone,” she answered and ran her hands over her bare arms.
“You know, it’s okay to get out of that boring old comfort zone every now and again.” His mouth touched her neck for just a moment then he pulled it back. The way her stomach tightened had her thinking the man was probably going to be able to make her orgasm.
She turned to face him and found her breathing had increased and came a bit heavier than normal. He was exciting the shit out of her without even really trying.
Slowly, he ran his fingertips over her lips as he gazed at them. She decided to let it all go and be the bad girl that she never was until that night. Steele parted her lips and pulled his finger into her mouth. Sucking it gently and running her tongue around it.
He watched her and took one of her hands, placing it on his growing cock. Her eyes went wide, and she pulled her mouth off his finger and looked at the lump he held her hand to.
Her eyes darted up to his as she put her fingers on the button of his slacks. Steele had never given a blow job, but for some reason she could think of little else other than getting the man’s cock into her mouth.
He gave her a nod, and she found herself giddy with excitement. She unbuttoned his slacks and pushed the black underwear down and a giant cock sprang out at her, making her gasp in awe of it.
Steele found that it was one of the most beautiful things she’d ever laid her eyes on. It surprised her how large it was, with a perfect tan color to it and not too veiny. She looked at him and silently asked if she could take the monster into her mouth.
He gave her another nod of approval and she took the thick cock in her hands, finding it felt like silk wrapped around a steel rod. Slowly, she placed her lips on top and licked the head. His hands ran through her hair and he moaned.
She ran her tongue along the underside of his dick as she moved her mouth up and down the long length of it a few times. Her hands holding it to cover where her mouth left. With no idea if she was even doing it right as it was her first time after all she found herself wanting to ask him if she was okay at it.
She stopped and looked at him.
“Why’d you stop, baby?” he moaned as he pulled at her hair.
“I wanted to know if I was doing it right. It’s my first time and if I’m doing it wrong and you’re up here laughing at me, it would make me very upset. So, am I doing it right? Is there anything I should be doing better? Do you think I should just stop even trying?”
“Seriously?” he asked as confusion riddled his handsome face.
She nodded, and he pulled her hair, making her face come to his. He took one deep, hard kiss then released her mouth. Just that one kiss was better than any she’d ever had. Her body tensed with need, but she was still worried she wasn’t good at giving him the oral sex she was attempting to please him with.
“So, should I continue?” she asked.
“You’re doing a fantastic job. Please, get back to it.” He let her go, and she resumed her position, placing her hands on his massive member and her mouth on the tip of his dick.
Steele took him in again with renewed passion as he’d told her it was fantastic and that was more than she’d thought she’d get for her first blow job. Faster she moved her mouth up and down him. His hands fisted in her hair, pulling it and making her ache for more.
She’s never had her hair pulled and found it very stimulating. He was aggressive as he pushed her head down with each stroke, making her take him all the way down her throat. She was hot with the knowledge she could even do that without choking on the massive organ.
The car began to slow down, and she felt them pulling over. Her heart pounded as she heard the man say, “Fuck! It’s over!”
She pulled her mouth off him as the car stopped and saw the police lights out the back window. “What happened? Did your driver run a red light or something?”
The guy was looking at her with such sadness in his dark eyes that she couldn’t understand it. His hand ran over her cheek and he pulled her up and kissed her.
The kiss was so deep and she felt like he was kissing her like he might not ever get to do it again. She pulled his pants back up and buttoned him all back up so if the cops did look in the back then they wouldn’t see his giant dick out.
He finally ended the kiss and looked into her eyes. “You give great head, baby. I wish I could’ve felt the ending, but I can’t control everything.”
She was really confused by his behavior. Steele got back on the seat and waited to see what was going to happen. After a minute they saw the cop walk up to the driver’s window and then he walked back to his car and the light went off as the driver pulled back onto the road and drove away.
The window rolled down and Paul said, “Seems I accidentally left my driver’s license with that police officer back at that accident scene.” He laughed and rolled the window back up.
Steele kind of giggled as the man next to her grabbed her by the shoulders and growled.
“Thank God. Now no more fucking around.”
The buttons on her shirt flew everywhere as he ripped it open. Her expression had to have been full of surprise as he did it and she found him ripping her bra off next.
Sitting in front of him with her large breasts exposed had her not daring to breathe. He’d turned in an instant. She was afraid but excited as well. He pulled her off the seat and down to the floor with him. Flipping her over, he unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans and yanked them back to her knees.
She gasped as he easily ripped her panties off and said, “Put your hands on the seat.”
Steele did as he said with no hesitation. She heard his zipper go down then felt him force his cock into her. She was as wet as she’d ever been with the rush of excitement, but he was huge and he spread places that had never been spread.
It burned, and she screamed with the sensation. He yanked her hair hard. “No noise!”
Somehow, she cut the scream off and he pulled nearly all the way out then thrust back into her. It burned like fire and she wanted to scream so bad, but she didn’t know what he’d do if she did. She moaned a little with the intense burn and he smacked her ass hard.
Now she knew what he’d do if she didn’t do as he said.
No noise!
He pounded her with his massive cock and eventually the burn turned into more pleasure than she’d ever known. She rocked back against him, loving how savage he was. The little grunts he made and the sound of his body slapping against hers filled her ears.
One of his hands ran around and pinched her nipple then pulled it hard. She wanted to moan and tried hard not to but one slipped out and he moved the other hand and smacked her ass hard twice.
Her body started shaking on the inside and she knew she was about to have the first orgasm that she’d ever had with a man. He stopped his assault and leaned over her.
His hard chest was against her back and it felt like pure Heaven to her. His words hit her ear hot as he said, “I can feel you about to come. You don’t come until I tell you to or you’ll feel the sting of my hand until tears run out of your pretty blue eyes.”
Steele had never been talked to that way and even though she knew she should tell him to fuck off, she found herself wanting him even worse. His hand twisted in her hair, pulling her head back.
“Tell me you understand me.”
“I understand you,” she said then he kissed her hard.
Before he pulled his mouth off hers, he bit her bottom lip hard, but not hard enough to break the skin. Her body was on fire as he pulled his body back and resumed plunging deep into her from behind. His hands on her hips, dragging her back to him with each hard stroke.
“Fuck, you’re tight as hell. When’s the last time you got fucked?” he asked her through gritted teeth.
Every thrust was knocking her breath out and she gasped out, “About a year.”
He laughed “Fuck me, that’s seems impossible.”
An intense feeling was filling her, but she knew without a doubt that if she let the orgasm go he’d spank the shit out of her. She didn’t know if she was up to that so she held on.
“Good girl,” he said as he continued to pound her from behind. “You hold it like I told you to. It’s going to be better than you ever imagined it could be.”
To further make things harder, he reached one hand around her and pinched her clit between his fingers. The tiny pearl had swollen with desire and his touch nearly sent her over the edge. Only the fear of his punishment stopped her.
Steele closed her eyes and thought of nothing as she held back the thing her body wanted to do the most. His fingers left her clit and she let out the breath she didn’t even realize she’d been holding in.
He moved his body down on hers, pressing his chest to her back and his strokes went slow and somehow even deeper. “You on birth control or do I pull out when I come?”
“I’m on birth control,” she said with a hard pant.
“You want me to come inside you?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said with a little moan.
She wanted to feel his heat fill her body more than she’d ever wanted anything in her life.
His mouth fell hot on her neck and his teeth grazed her flesh as he sunk his cock into her with slow movements that she felt deep inside her. He pumped short hard strokes then bit her neck hard.
Finally, he released her neck and whispered, “Come.”
Steele was nearly shocked as her body did what he said the instant he said it. She felt him tense behind her and his dick throbbed as heat shot into her as the most intense orgasm crashed through her body.
She shook with the sensation and her mind went to another place. There was no way that she could hold the moan back, and it slipped out of her mouth. She heard his follow as he pulsed inside her.
She knew without a doubt that no one would ever be able to make her feel the way that this man did. He pulled out of her, leaving her feeling empty. She hated it and loved it all at the same time.
He pulled her jeans back up and picked her shirt up and helped her get it on as she tried to catch her breath. He handed her the bra which was torn up and the ripped panties and looked a little guilty about tearing them up.
He looked at her as she held the shirt closed. “I’ll have some new ones sent to you. What’s your apartment number?”
She shook her head. “No, that’s okay. Truth be told I’m most likely going to keep these to remember this by.” She laughed a little, but knew it was true.
He tapped the glass of the dark partition. “We can take her home now.”
Steele looked out the window and saw they were very near her apartment. The driver must’ve been circling the block. His boss must do this type of thing often.
Suddenly she felt pretty dirty and more than a little dumb. The car stopped, and she grabbed her purse off the floor and reached for the door handle.
His hand on her shoulder stopped her.
“I had a good time,” he said.
“Me, too,” she mumbled, not daring to look at him.
“When I talk to you, I want you to look at me,” he said with a commanding tone.
Her eyes moved up to meet his. “Okay.”
“Good girl,” his voice was soft. “I wish things were different, but they’re not so this is goodbye.”
The door opened as Paul held it for her.
“Bye,” she said and got out of the car not looking back.
She held her bra and panties in one hand and held her shirt closed with the other and felt bad because she should be feeling shame and disgrace at what she’d done.
Instead she felt elated and nearly overjoyed as her body felt like it had been cleansed. The car waited until she was inside then it drove away. She stopped and turned to watch it pull away once she was inside the lobby doors.
It was over. The brief moment of complete pleasure was over and she wouldn’t see that man again. She turned and walked to the elevator. She wondered what was happening in the man’s life that he would say he wished things were different.
The elevator doors opened, and she stepped out and went to her apartment. She mumbled out loud, “Why did it have to be goodbye? What could possibly be the reason we can’t see each other anymore?”
She unlocked the door and went inside, finding Gwen passed out on the sofa, a bottle of wine clutched in her fist. Steele took the half empty wine bottle out of her hand and took it to the kitchen.
The trash can was half full, and she contemplated tossing the bra and panties into it. Maybe it would be best to forget about what had happened if it could never happen again.
The memory would only serve to torture her and make it where no other man could ever please her again. She shook her head and kept the panties and bra and went to her bedroom. Tossing them in the dirty clothes hamper, she decided she would keep them.
God only knew when she’d ever get laid again, she may as well have a memento of the one time she let a man treat her like his property. The one time she allowed a man to take her the way he wanted to. The one time she had allowed a man to boss her so much he made her control a function she didn’t even know she had the ability to.
She pulled her clothes off and got in the shower to wash away his smell which was all over her. His cologne, sweat, and semen. It was the best smell she’d ever smelled, and she thought she must be more of a freak than she ever let on.
Steele ran her hand between her thighs and over her wet inner thigh. Wet with the mixture of him and her. Starting the shower, she climbed in and poured body wash on a rag and ran it over her legs then her arms and over her breasts.
The nipple he’d pinched was sore, and she smiled as it hurt when she ran the rag over it. Her whole body was a little sore, her vagina would hurt like a mother fucker in the morning, she was positive she’d have a hard time walking.
The memory of his huge cock in her mouth made her lean back against the wall and her eyes closed.
Why does it only get to be once?
She leaned up and let the water run over her face. She knew it was stupid, but she felt like crying that there would be no more. He was a onetime thing, and that made her stomach ache with the knowledge.
He was a thing she’d never tell a soul about. A secret she would keep forever from everyone. How could she tell anyone that she liked the way he threated to spank her until she cried if she climaxed without him telling her she could?
Gwen would tell her she was crazy and probably make her go talk a counselor or something. Maybe she was a little crazy. She never thought in a million years that she’d do something like that, much less find it so damn fantastic.
Rinsing off, she got out of the shower and went to lie in her bed with no clothes on. She never did that, but she felt like she was going to take this being bad thing all the way at least for that one night.
She climbed under the pink blanket and ran her hands over her body, another thing she didn’t do. She closed her eyes and pictured him. The man she only knew as A.C. Not even his real name did she know and she’d never even told him hers. Perhaps because he never asked for it.
He knew she was a onetime thing all along. Offering her no more than a nasty little tryst in the back of his Escalade. He’d called it his lair and her lips quirked up into a half smile as she thought that was an apt name for his car.
How many women had he taken in that car? How many rounded asses had felt his hand’s sting? How much more could he do to a woman?
Maybe he could be found in one of those clubs she’d heard about. She racked her brain to try to recall what she’d heard they were called.
Would she venture out and find a club like that and see if he was there? He had to be into that type of thing. Whips and chains were not a thing she ever looked at with any excitement. But if that man was holding a whip, she didn’t think she’d mind it.
She thought she might like it a lot more than she was supposed to. Steele stopped touching herself and closed her eyes tight. That wasn’t her. That was not the person she was or even wanted to be.
A powerful lawyer was not a person who wanted to be strapped to a bed and taken the way some man wanted. A powerful lawyer was not a person who was told what to do by some man. No, that was not what her future was about.
The gorgeous man had no place in her future anyway, so why did she have an empty place inside her that hadn’t been there until he took her the way he did? She felt like she was his, even though she knew she wasn’t.
Why couldn’t things just be easy?
For Desire Part 3
STEELE
Slow strides Steele made as she walked to her first class. The previous night’s activities with the sexy stranger had her body aching in a way that she’d never dreamed would make her so happy. A smile was plastered across her face and no matter how much she thought she should be ashamed of what she’d done and allowed herself to be treated, she just couldn’t feel a thread of guilt about it.
Her mind continued to replay certain scenes from the back seat of that Escalade and every single time the gorgeous man’s face entered her memories her smile went a little bit wider. She’d never felt more alive and hoped the afterglow of the night would never go away.
Steele entered the small classroom where her professor, an extremely successful criminal lawyer, seemed to be waiting for her arrival. She was one of his favorite students as she had such passion for the law and his criminal law class was her favorite.
Tanner Goldstein was a tall man with classic good looks for a forty something man. Salt and pepper hair made him look smart and seasoned. He was smiling at her as she walked into his classroom.
“Good morning, Steele,” he said as he moved from behind his desk to run an arm around her narrow shoulders. “I have something I want to offer you. Stay after class so we can talk. You and Rowan are getting a rare opportunity to learn more than any class could ever teach you.”
He let her go as she went to her seat on the front row. Rowan sat at the desk next to hers and offered her a small smile. He most likely wasn’t super happy about having to share the opportunity with her.
Rowan was extremely competitive. Steele smiled back as the smile had yet to leave her face anyway. She leaned over a bit and whispered, “Did he tell you what this is about?”
He shook his head. “He said he’ll tell us both after class. I do have an idea though. A criminal lawyer named Arsen Sloan is being looked at for a triple homicide. Serial killer style. Three young woman all bound and strangled to death. And all three of them were his past girlfriends. If you can even really call them that.”
Steele’s smile faded as she thought about the idea all the women had been strangled. A death she’d thought brutal and had turned into a real phobia for her. “That’s awful. I don’t know if I want to be on the man’s side.”
Rowan rolled his dark green eyes at her and ran a hand through his blonde curls which were closely cropped to his head. “Then you clearly don’t have what it takes. You should just let me do this on my own, Gannon.”
She sat back and thought about what the young man had said. Maybe she didn’t have what it would take to defend people she knew were guilty. But it was a thing she’d dreamt of.
She took notes as Professor Goldstein talked about a case where all the evidence pointed to one of his defendants, but when it came down to it there was a reasonable doubt and that alone had the jury giving the man an acquittal.
Steele decided by the end of the class she would accept the offer her professor gave her, no matter what it was. This was her passion after all and she’d have to toughen up if she was to become the success she wanted.
Rowan and Steele remained seated as the class was dismissed and Tanner came to talk to them about his offer. He crossed his arms in front of his chest as he said, “Arsen Sloan is a man in a tough spot and he’s retained my services in case he’s charged with the murder of three women who he knew well. I’d like to offer you both an internship on this particular case. It could lead to a permanent internship with my office.”
Rowan spoke up quickly, “I’m in, Tanner.”
Steele’s eyes shot to Rowan. She wondered when it got to be okay to call the man by his first name. She looked back at her professor.
“Count me in as well, Professor Goldstein.”
He smiled and said, “Call me Tanner, Steele. I want you to feel just like a real part of the legal team I’ll be putting together if Arsen is charged. We all are pretty informal with each other and I don’t want you two made to feel you’re anything but part of the whole team.”
She nodded.
“Thank you, Tanner. It’ll be quite a privilege to get this opportunity to work with you. So, Rowan told me a bit about what he’s accused of. Do you think he did it?”
“I don’t ever think like that. I just need to know the facts, every last sordid detail and there will be sordid details. The relationships Arsen had with the deceased women were violent in many people’s eyes. Have you heard of the term BDSM?”
Steele nearly passed out. That’s a term she’d been thinking of last night. Though she never could come up with the term exactly. She nodded, and a chill ran through her. “Whips and chains, right?”
“Among other things. Anyway, I want you two to accompany me to my first meeting with Arsen this afternoon. We’ll take my car over to his office, so meet me here at four-thirty and we’ll be on our way to meet the man.” He gave Steele a wink. “And Steele, try really hard not to be repulsed by his demeanor. He’s what you would call an alpha male. He may come off chauvinistic. You’ll come up against that a lot in this line of work and it is best you learn how to deal with that sooner rather than later.”
Steele nodded and gathered her things to go to her next class.
“I’ll be okay. See you this afternoon.”
Rowan walked alongside her as they left the room.
“Think you can handle the BDSM thing, Gannon?”
Inwardly she cringed as she’d thought of little else last night.
“I’ll be able to handle it. I’m no baby, Rowan.”
“No, but you aren’t exactly well experienced in sex.” He grinned at her as they walked down the long hallway.
“How the hell would you know?” she said as she blushed.
He shrugged his shoulders. “I just know. So, don’t you think the sordid details might make you sick? You really should consider dropping this case. Maybe the next one won’t be so bad. More your speed, you know.”
She found her fist balling at her side as she wanted to knock the crap out of the annoying man.
“I’m not dropping this opportunity, Rowan.” She sped up and walked away from him.
“See you at four-thirty, partner,” he called out after her.
The only reason she saw not to take the opportunity was the fact she’d have to spend so much time with Rowan and his way of trying to get her to quit just so he could gain the permanent internship with Tanner’s office. But she wasn’t about to hand the position over to him.
Steele sat between the men as they rode into downtown in Tanner’s town car. His driver let them know they were there and parked in front of the large building Arsen’s law office was in.
Steele’s heart was jerking in her chest and her stomach was tight as she went inside with Tanner and Rowan. The building was magnificent, and she looked around, hoping that one day she’d have her own suite of offices in a building like that one.
The elevators were in several banks in the huge lobby and Tanner took them towards one set of gold elevator doors. Etched in them at the top were the words, ‘The Law Offices of Arsen Sloan; Criminal Lawyer.’
“He’s loaded, huh?” she asked as they got on the elevator that went straight to the top of the building to the entire upper floor.
“A billionaire to be exact,” Tanner told her.
“How old is he?” she asked with raised eyebrows.
“Thirty-five,” Tanner answered. “Now, I don’t want you to think I agree with any of the things he does, but please don’t speak, either of you, unless he directly asks you a question. Just sit back and take notes.”
Rowan and Steele gave him a nod and the elevator doors opened. Steele’s jaw dropped as she saw a monster chandelier hanging in the reception area. A giant salt-water fish tank was the other centerpiece of the large and richly furnished room.
A tall blonde woman sat at a Cherry wood desk and smiled at them as they came in. Rowan’s shoulder brushed hers as he said, “Close your mouth, Gannon.”
Steele slammed her lips together and knew she had to be turning all kinds of shades of red. She was overwhelmed with the office and she’d yet to even see but the very front. She made a mental note to make sure her lips stayed closed, so she didn’t look like an idiot in front of the powerful man they were about to meet.
The receptionist who she noticed was a complete knockout led them to a large office with four overstuffed leather chairs that sat in front of a massive oak desk. It was meticulously cleaned and only one small stack of papers sat on it.
The man who they’d come to see was nowhere around. She took a seat on one side of Tanner and Rowan took the other as she tried hard not to drop her jaw again at the different crazily expensive items he had on a bookcase behind his desk.
Her mouth had gone dry, and she pulled out her notepad and a pen, getting ready to take down every word that was said at the meeting. She was determined to get the internship and one day an office just like this one.
“Okay guys, remember the rules. This man is professional to the hilt. Maintain that, or he’ll tell me I have to let you off the case. He puts up with nothing, and I do mean nothing.”
Steele’s mind went to the fact the man was into BDSM and said, “I suppose that would be how a man who likes the kinky stuff that he does would act.”
Tanner leveled his eyes on her.
“That’s right, so watch what you say. I can’t be sure he won’t threaten to spank the shit out of you if you talk without being spoken to and for God’s sakes, do not look him in the eye. So many rules with this man, but follow what I tell you or he does or you’ll get dropped and I’d hate for you to miss out on this.”
Steele nodded and the door to the office opened. Not sure if she was supposed to look, she just looked at her lap as Tanner got up and shook hands with the man who’d walked in.
“Hello, Arsen. I hope your day has been going well.”
“Not as well as I’d like it to,” Arsen said and Steele’s ears prickled with heat.
His voice was deep and sounded like the man from last night. She continued to look at the notepad in her lap and shook her head slightly, knowing that she just wanted to hear the guy’s velvety voice again that was all it was.
That had to be it!
Tanner came and sat back down. “These are a couple of students I may use as interns if we end up having to go to court.” He tapped Steele’s knee that was exposed as her black skirt had ridden up as she sat down on the large chair that barely allowed her feet touch the floor. “This young lady is Steele Gannon.”
Steele let her eyes flicker up, but not long enough for the man to think she was eyeballing him or whatever the dominating people called it.
“Hello, Sir,” she said quietly.
“Look at me when you’re speaking to me,” he told her.
Her heart was pounding as she’d heard the man from last night say nearly the same thing and with the same tone to his deep voice. Her eyes snapped to his, and she stopped breathing.
It was him. His hair had been cut, the silky waves shorn, leaving only the slightest curl at the end of his dark hair. His face was still covered by the meticulously groomed dark beard and his dark eyes danced as they stared into hers.
“I am Arsen Sloan, Steele Gannon. What a strong name. I don’t believe I’ve ever heard a woman called something that strong before.” His tongue ran over his lips with a quick motion that made her heart speed up.
“My father named me. Thank you for the compliment, sir.” She had no idea if she was supposed to drop her eyes or not, but she couldn’t stop looking at him. All she wanted to do was jump over the desk and pull his mouth to hers in a hot kiss.
“No thanks necessary.” He looked at Rowan. “And who is this, Tanner?”
“Rowan Stevens, my other top student,” Tanner said as he gestured to Rowan.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Sloan,” Rowan said.
“You too. Now tell me are the two of you supposed to work closely together if this becomes a case?” Arsen asked Rowan.
Rowan gave him a nod.
“Not to worry sir, we can work well together, I assure you.”
Steele was back to looking at her lap as all types of thoughts were storming her brain. The man from last night might be a murderer. Never had she done something so reckless and she’d gotten into a probable murderer’s car and allowed him to fuck her like a damn prostitute. Her stomach was twisting on itself and bile was rising in her throat.
“Can you?” The way his voice sounded he must be looking at her and she lifted her eyes and found he was.
“Of course, Sir,” she answered.
“Arsen, call me Arsen, Steele,” he said with a commanding tone.
“Of course, Arsen.” Her hands twisted in her lap and he looked at them.
“No need to be nervous, Steele,” he said, his voice much softer, reminding her of how soft he could be.
But he could be hard as hell too and she was still mentally berating herself for being so foolish and doing what she did with him. She wasn’t fool enough not to realize that telling Tanner she knew Arsen was not a thing she was supposed to do. But she felt like saying it then running from the room.
Tanner patted her knee and her eyes flew to Arsen. He was frowning as Tanner said, “She’ll be fine, Arsen. It’s just this is her first case.”
Steele could tell that Arsen didn’t like Tanner touching her, so she shifted in the chair, crossing her legs away from Tanner so he didn’t tap her knee anymore. Her actions had Arsen’s eyes darting to her and his lips pulled back into a smile.
She smiled too, happy for some damn reason that she saw what he wanted her to do and did it without thinking much about it. Steele knew she should stay far away from the man who might be a killer, but she was drawn to him like she never knew possible. To make him mad at her for any reason was a thing she didn’t want to do.
The meeting went on as Tanner talked just a little about the way the women were murdered, but Arsen put a quick stop to it. “There’s really no reason to remind me, Tanner. It’s really not a thing I like to talk about and won’t unless they charge me and I have to.”
Tanner looked at Steele then down at the notes she’d been taking.
“I understand that, Arsen. I would like to get ahead of the police on this thing just in case they do throw the charges at you with rapid fire. Your phone records I’ll need and access to all your email accounts.”
Incredibly, Arsen’s already dark eyes darkened even more as he said, “I know you need those things, Tanner. I’ll send it all to you in an email later today. For now, I really need to get out here. So, we’ll keep in touch.” He stood and so they then left Arsen alone in his office.
Steele fought the urge to stay and when Arsen called out after them she thought he might be about to ask her to stay. Instead he said, “Leave all of your cell numbers with the receptionist. In case I want to talk to the interns.”
Her heart sped up, and she thought he might be looking for a way to talk to her again. Steele knew that wasn’t safe or the right thing to do, but her body was overriding her mind by leaps and bounds.
After leaving their numbers they went back to Tanner’s car and were barely inside it when Steele’s cell rang. She pulled it from her purse and saw a number she didn’t recognize.
She nearly refused the call when Tanner looked over her shoulder at the phone.
“Answer it, it may by Arsen.”
She did as he said. “Hello, Steele Gannon here.”
“Save this number, Steele Gannon,” she heard Arsen’s voice tell her.
“Yes, Sir,” she said, trying hard not to smile.
“I want to meet with you alone,” he said.
She looked at Tanner with wide eyes. “He’d like to meet with me.”
Tanner nodded, and she said, “Of course. Where?”
“Get out of that car and into mine. Don’t you see Paul holding the door open for you a couple of cars over?” Arsen said.
She looked out the window and saw Paul dressed in a black suit holding open the back door of the Escalade Arsen had taken her in last night. She was sweating bullets as she looked at Tanner.
“He wants me to go get in his car.” She pointed to his waiting driver.
“Do it,” Tanner said.
“Okay, I’ll be in the car,” she told Arsen, and he ended the call without another word.
Before she got out she asked Tanner, “Are you sure about this? I mean he might be a murderer.”
“He’d be a damn fool if anything happened to you with the two of us knowing he asked you to meet with him and had his car take you. You can’t be a chicken, Steele. You have to get to know your clients and they all will be accused of terrible things. The closer you can get, the more you can find out and the better you can help them to get off the charges.” Tanner patted her leg. “Keep your wits about you.”
She nodded and got out of the car and walked up to Paul who smiled. “You,” he said under his breath. “Imagine that.”
“Hi, Paul. Yeah, it’s me.” She climbed into the car she had gotten into less than twenty-four hours earlier and found the smell of leather and Arsen’s expensive cologne making her head lighter than it already was.
Paul pointed to a small refrigerator.
“Get yourself something to drink. You should really calm way down before you see him again.”
“Is it showing how much I’m freaking out?” she asked with a nervous laugh.
He nodded. “By the way, Arsen told me your name. It’s nice to officially meet you, Steele Gannon.”
“You too, Paul.”
The door closed, leaving her in the dark backseat of the car. The buttons from her shirt he’d ripped open the night before were still all over the floor. She smiled and took a beer from the fridge.
What was his plan for her?
ARSEN
Pacing in his office, Arsen had never been more nervous. It was infuriating him that the young woman had such an effect on him. Never did a woman make him nervous, yet she did somehow.
When he’d walked into his office to meet with the legal staff he’d just hired to represent him if he was officially charged with the murders, he nearly dropped to his knees when he saw her.
The woman from last night. The woman who he thought he’d never see again. He didn’t know her name because he hadn’t asked it. He kicked himself all the way home for not getting her number, name and apartment number.
He knew he’d want to see her again, but the things hanging over his head were not things he wanted to tell her about. But now she knew about them, so that was an issue no longer. And she was being taken to his penthouse and would be waiting at home for him.
Arsen knew that he should leave the young thing alone. He had so much going on after all. He may not be around to keep her anyway.
She had to be freaking out about what she had done. Steele didn’t seem the type who did that sort of thing. Her tight as hell pussy sure didn’t seem to be used much, but she sure seemed to like it.
She did so well following his commands. Not many could hold back an orgasm just because he said to. She showed great restraint, and he loved that. Steel showed promise she’d make an excellent sub. But would she even want that?
The girl was trying to become a lawyer. A criminal lawyer. Would the lifestyle he led be a thing she could accept? Could she let him control her? Is that even a thing he wanted?
Why break a free spirit? If that’s what she was.
He took out a bottle of Jack Daniels and tossed a shot of it down his throat. Arsen should be calling Paul and telling him to get the girl out of his penthouse. That was the smart thing to do.
But his body was overruling his brain, and he was walking out the door to take his Jaguar to his penthouse. Thinking could come later after he saw if she’d let him have a piece of her again.
If she was smart, she wouldn’t!
He got into his car and crossed his fingers that she’d not be smart, at least for the rest of that day, anyway.
STEELE
A large window overlooked the San Francisco Bay and Steele held her third beer as she gazed out at it. The alcohol had taken the edge off and she was feeling quite lucid.
The sound of his shoes clicking and clacking as he walked out of the elevator which led to the penthouse she heard coming up behind her. She spun around and placed the beer bottle on a small table beside her and readied herself to tell the man she’d slept with the night before that she was never going to do that again.
His dark eyes leveled on hers as he pulled his dark blue tie loose and ripped his shirt open at the top, the top couple of buttons flying away. Her heart pounded as he strode towards her. His face was set, jaw tense, and muscles bulging.
Her mouth opened to speak, but he was on her before a word could pass her lips. His mouth crashed on hers hard and his tongue thrust into her mouth. His tongue raked over hers and his hands were everywhere, holding her body to his.
One hand grabbed one of her legs hoisting her up to wrap her legs around him. Steele’s mind was gone, and she did as he wanted. Because she now knew that she wanted it too and no matter how strong her mind was, the attraction they had was stronger.
His erection throbbed against her soft core and she moaned in desire for him and quickly stopped. But he did nothing to stop it as he began walking, carrying her to another room.
His mouth held hers as he kissed her like a man who thought he might never get to again. The sound of a door opening then slamming shut she barely heard as her heart was beating so hard and loudly she could barely hear a thing except that.
His mouth left hers and she looked at him as he tossed her onto a bed. She looked around the room and found it done in dark colors, red, and dark chocolate browns. It looked like something a man with his wants would have.
“Strip,” he said as he stood back and started unbuttoning the rest of the buttons on his white shirt.
She noticed the black jacket he’d taken off, and he was stepping out of his dress shoes. Steele thought about saying they should talk, but once he dropped his pants and his huge erection sprang out, she forgot what she wanted to say anyway.
Steele shimmied out of the tight, black pencil skirt and pulled the blue blouse off over her head. She managed to get the bra unclasped before he pounced on her as he had finished undressing.
He pulled it off this time without ripping it, but her black lace panties were history as he ripped them off. Arsen pinned her body beneath his and kissed her again. Hard and wanting, he kissed her as his huge cock pushed into her.
The pain reignited, and she writhed under him. He pounded into her as she wiggled as the burning sensation was nearly unbearable. His hand wrapped up in her hair and he pulled it hard.
His mouth left hers and he ran his tongue up her neck then his teeth bit her earlobe. “Be still,” he said.
Steele stopped wiggling. “It burns.”
“After how I fucked the shit out of you last night, it better burn,” he said as he continued to thrust hard strokes into her.
His words had her going to another place and for some reason she thought how hot it was that he was so brutally honest with her. She raised her knees to better accommodate him and he pushed even harder into her.
The pain turned to pleasure quickly, and she arched up to meet his thrusts. The wind left her lungs with every hard thrust he made. Her hands ran over his short hair and she moaned at how silky soft it was.
He let her moan, and she whispered, “I wish I could’ve run my hands through it when it was longer.”
“Shh,” he said in her ear. “No talking, only fucking.” His hot mouth moved down her neck then over her chest. He landed on her breast and bit her nipple hard.
“Oww!” she yelped and he let it go and stopped moving.
His eyes searched hers, darting rapidly back and forth. “Did that really hurt you?”
His eyes were narrowed at her and she found herself wondering if it did really hurt. “Not really, just surprised me I guess.”
“If I really hurt you, our safe word is rose. Okay? Do you understand me?” He ended his sentence with a tender kiss to her nipple which kind of ached for him to bite it again.
Steele nodded. “Rose, I got it. Okay, and just so you know, you can bite it again. It’s kind of nice.”
His smile went all the way over his gorgeous face and she couldn’t help herself as she took it between her palms and pulled him into a kiss. Her lips touched his softly, and he returned a gentle kiss. His tongue stroking her lips.
Arsen pulled his head back and looked at her. “You’re beautiful, Steele. I’m so glad I saw you again.”
“Me too. I could hardly get you out of my mind,” she confessed.
“Me too,” he said then kissed her again softly as he made long, slow strokes.
His hands roamed over her soft body, and he moaned as he caressed her silky skin. Her hands ran over his muscled back and she loved he way the muscles felt.
His body was perfect, and she wanted to taste every inch of it. He was being gentle with her and she liked it, but she loved it when he was rough. She raked her nails over his back and his kiss hardened.
Arsen ran his hands back and took hers into them, pulling them over her head and holding them down with one hand. He pulled his mouth off hers and smiled.
“Scratching, huh? I can fix that.”
He got up and left her lying on the bed. She watched him grab his tie off the floor and come back. He looped it around her wrists, then the other end over the bedpost. She smiled at him as he resumed his position above her.
“Now I’m going to let you have it. Remember, no coming until I say or I will have to.”
She smiled and interrupted him, “I know, spank me until I cry. I remember, don’t worry.”
His eyes went dark, and he growled. “Why did you have to come into my life at this horrible time? You’re fucking perfect for me.”
With that he took her breast and bit it hard, her body arched up but she stifled her scream as he slammed back into her. Her body shook with relief as he pounded her again.
The way he took her like a savage was a thing she found more than exciting. Every nerve was on fire. Every fiber of her being was relishing in the assault his body was making on hers. One of his hands fisted in her hair and he pulled it hard.
Her arms strained against the bond he had her in and she ached to run her hands over his body. She could see the muscles as they rippled over his back with his harsh thrusts. He was using every one of them to pound his hard cock into her tender pussy.
She shuddered as an orgasm began to build and she knew she couldn’t let it go. She wrapped her legs around him to try to hold herself back. She found herself aching to let it all go.
She knew damn well he knew she was fighting to hold on and he reached between them and squeezed her clit between his fingers. He sucked on her breast hard, making her stomach tighten in some deep place with every hard suck he made.
He was going to make her come and then what would he do to her? She held on, clenching her teeth and then she decided to try to make him come so he’d let her.
She did a few Kegel exercises and after about ten of them he groaned and took one last pull on her breast then looked up at her.
“Come.”
Steele found the sound she made a thing she didn’t know she was capable of as her body let go and she felt as if an enormous wave was crashing over her.
Arsen’s body tensed as he shot into her. He groaned like an animal then lay on top of her, letting their bodies pulse around the others.
ARSEN
Arsen had never let anyone control him sexually since Mistress Sinclair. He wasn’t about to let the young thing get the best of him. He finally pulled his head up after both had caught their breaths. He kissed her lips softly then pulled back to look at her.
Her skin was flushed, and she smiled weakly at him.
“My arms hurt.”
He rolled off and untied her, then rubbed her wrists and arms.
“Better?”
She watched him as he carefully rubbed her shoulders.
“That was something, thanks.”
He tweaked her nose and put his hands on either side of her.
“I know what you did to get me to come, Steele.”
She blushed. “You did?”
He nodded. “Sneaky, don’t you think?”
She shook her head. “It got the job done is what I think. You were torturing me.”
One eyebrow raised. “Was I?”
“Well, you know, not actual torture, but my body wanted to release so bad and you were adding more and more stimulation until I was about to come without you telling me to and I knew where that would leave me,” she said and ran a hand across his cheek.
Arsen ran his fingertips over her collarbone and spoke softly, “Steele, I can’t allow that sort of thing. I realize you didn’t know that, so this time there’ll be no punishment for it, but if there is a next time then there will be.”
“Well, what will the punishment be because I may be able to put up with that to get what I want,” she giggled, and he kissed her to quiet her.
“That isn’t how this works, Steele. The punishments are meant to get you to stop the behavior I don’t approve of. If it doesn’t detour you from doing what it is I don’t want you to do, then I’ll have to go to the next level and you don’t want that, do you?” He stroked her arms.
“Arsen, I’m not one of those women. I don’t want to be controlled.”
His laugh came from deep in his chest.
“You sure about that? Because your body begs to be controlled by me.”
Steele looked away and sighed. He pulled her face back to look at him and kissed her softly again. When he released her lips, she said, “You’re right.”
He smiled. “Another thing I think is perfect about you is that you’re truthful. Many women are stubborn and hate to admit things. I wish I didn’t have this thing hanging over my head. I wish you weren’t on my legal team and not really a woman I should be even thinking about making into my submissive.”
“Wait? What?” she asked her face riddled with confusion.
The way her eyes went wide had him thinking he’d jumped the gun and said too much.
“I can see that’s something which hasn’t occurred to you.”
Steele pulled her body to sit up, and she leaned against one of the mountainous pillows on his bed.
“Okay, time to talk, Arsen. Those women who you might be accused of killing. Tell me about your relationship with them.”
His face went void, and he got up, strolling in all his glory to the bathroom adjoined to his bedroom. He left her waiting for him to return and when he did he brought in a bottle of water. He took a long drink then handed it to her.
“Drink.”
She took the bottle and a drink then handed it back to him.
“Okay, now tell me.”
She’d wrapped the blanket around her tightly, covering her breasts.
“Steele, I didn’t ask you to come here to tell you anything. I don’t want to talk about them.”
“But I kind of need you too. You see, you’re accused of some bad shit, Arsen. Should I be afraid of you?” Her blue eyes hammered him as she looked at him more than he’d ever allowed anyone to.
“Yes and no,” he said. “You see, I’m sure to make you do things you never thought yourself capable of doing. But as far as killing you, no, you have nothing to fear. I’m innocent of those crimes.”
She let out a sigh, and he knew she was thinking that he might have been guilty.
“I didn’t think you really could kill anyone, but I don’t know you at all.”
“No one really does, so don’t feel bad,” he said as he climbed up next to her and ran his arm around her shoulders. “My story is long and full of terrible things I don’t like to recall. The things I’ve done with women I think are my business and mine alone. Don’t you feel like your sexual business is yours to keep to yourself?”
Steele was eerily quiet, and he found that disturbing. Finally, she said, “I don’t want to tell anyone about how much I enjoy what it is you do to me, if that’s what you mean.”
“Why is that, do you suppose?” he asked then left a kiss on top of her head.
“The obvious reasons. It would make me seem weak and you seem controlling and mean,” she answered.
“As long as you don’t see me like that is all that matters to me,” he said. He tilted her face so he could see her expression. “You don’t think that, do you?”
She shook her head and smiled. “I just never knew I’d want to be done that way. But I don’t want to tell a soul about it, to be honest with you. And to stay in the strain of being honest, I don’t want to be your submissive. I wouldn’t mind dating and seeing where this leads though.”
“Dating,” Arsen said as if he’d just tasted something awful. “I’m not a dating kind of man.”
“I bet you’re not. And the fact is that we can’t really be seen going to the movies and holding hands as we walk through parks,” she said then laughed a little.
“Not that I’d do that sort of thing anyway,” he said with a chuckle.
“Nah, you’d never stoop to such a low-brow thing.” She ran her hand across his chiseled chest.
“You get me, Steele. Somehow I can see that you get who I am without really knowing a damn thing about me,” he said as he ran his fingers along her neck. He pushed the blanket away from her breasts and ran his fingers over one of them. “Your body is beautiful.”
“Said the man with the perfect body.” Steele sighed. “This is such bad timing. But maybe it’s really the perfect time as you don’t seem the type to conform and I, well, I have a goal to get to and being anyone’s submissive isn’t on my agenda.”
With her words Arsen felt himself shifting inside. Could he bend the rules for her? Could he live life a bit differently? Or could he manage to get her to come to see why he needed things the way he did?
“I have no idea if I even have the time to do this with you, Steele. I could be picked up by the police at any given moment after all. But I might not either. The thought of not being with you like this anymore is a thing that makes my stomach hurt. And I’ve already exhibited way too many of my past weaknesses with what’s happening to me. You make me feel strong and hopeful. With you a part of not only my life, but my legal team as well, I think I can manage to live through this crisis in my life.”
She looked at him and took his face in her hands. “Arsen, please never talk about not being able to live through anything. You can make it through whatever is thrown at you. I’m sure of that. The thought of dropping your case and walking away from you is a thing that would break me down. I think above anything else, you can teach me strength. In more than one way.”
Arsen was confused by his feelings for this young woman who laid in his arms. She was a child in so many ways, but she had something about her that told Arsen she was so much more and she was meant to be in his life. Maybe his life needed changing. Maybe hers did too.
“The things I could teach you are things you’ve never even thought about, I bet. For instance, did you know you hold so much power to influence people using your body, and I don’t mean giving it to them?” He stroked her hair and had to lean in and smell it.
“Body language, you mean?” she asked as she lay her head on his chest and ran her fingers in circles over his abs.
“Yes, but it’s so much more in depth than just how you do little things. The moment I saw you, I had a strange reaction to you that I’ve never had before. I also have never talked this much to anyone, especially a woman. You do something to me, Steele.” He leaned over her and kissed her cheek. “This is crazy and I know it, but please try this thing with me. We can hide it until all this legal shit is over.”
Steele’s body froze in his arms as she tensed up.
“Arsen, are you asking me to see you in secret?”
“I am, but much more than that. I want you to start to learn about how it is I want this relationship to be. Fuck, I can’t believe I used the word, relationship. I haven’t had one since, well, in forever. And that one ended horribly, but I always say that you should do what scares you or your life is no life at all. It’s time I follow my own advice.” He pulled her up so they could be face to face.
Her large breasts were a bit distracting, and she was breathing a lot with what he figured was excitement. “Arsen, I can’t be everything you want in a woman. If you expect me to not look at you unless you tell me to, I can tell you right now, that shit will get old quick. Some crazy sex I can handle, but all the rest, I think that’s going to be impossible.”
“All the rest can come in baby steps, and it doesn’t have to be any more than what you want.” He cupped her chin and gave her lips a feathery kiss.
“I could be really good for you and you for me, once I show you how great life is when you follow my rules.”
“Your rules,” Steele said. “I do have to say that you must be right about holding onto an orgasm until the other person is ready to climax too. That was right. You do have to speed up your climax though.” She laughed.
Arsen frowned.
“If I asked that of you would that be appropriate?”
Steele looked as if she was contemplating what he said, yet another thing he absolutely adored about her was the fact she would think about things before answering. Steele said, “No, it wouldn’t.”
“So a small set of rules for you to get used to wouldn’t be too much to ask for a woman who is not my sub as of yet?” he asked.
“Or maybe never,” she said. “How would you feel if I never felt like being put in that category?”
Arsen had to stop and think. He had to be honest with himself as well. He was a man who had a single purpose for women in his life. Not a night had passed with him staying in a sub’s bed or her staying in his. Would Steele understand that?
“How about we both bend some of our own personal rules for ourselves? For instance, I’ve never allowed a sub to stay in my bed all night, nor did I stay in theirs. But, I’d like you to stay the night with me. This is a huge rule that I’m letting go for you, so you can let something go for me. I’m all about your safety at all times.”
Steele’s face pinched as she asked, “Your girlfriends never got to spend the night with you?”
Arsen frowned. “None of the women who have been my subs or other sexual partners were my girlfriends. For that matter, nor will you be. I don’t do girlfriends, Steele. I do business transactions.”
“You’re the one who said the word relationship, not me,” Steele reminded him.
Arsen found himself at a loss for words. He was being a man that he wasn’t. He was being the same stupid boy he was with Beth, offering her all he had to give only to be tossed away like trash when he couldn’t stand up to her father.
“I might be wrong about this whole thing,” he said. “Forget about it. I’ll have Paul take you home. Go get a shower and dress.”
Steele could tell something had gone through his mind that shut him down. “I’ll do it, Arsen. I’ll take your secret relationship offer and we can see how this works out with no one being any the wiser if it doesn’t. You can set some rules for me and I can see if I can live my life while following them. You have proven to me that at least one of your rules makes me quite happy after all.”
Arsen shook his head, had she said what he thought he’d heard?
“Are you sure, Steele? I mean, I can’t make you any promises. I can’t tell you there won’t be punishments for breaking my rules. You have to understand that.”
She snuggled into his wide chest and smiled up at him. “As you told me, that’s how I learn to stop doing the thing that makes you crazy, right?”
“Right,” he said.
“So, what are your rules, Arsen?” she asked.
He had so many he had to think. He couldn’t dole out any hard ones or she might not stay and he wanted her to stay more than he’d ever wanted anything in his life.
STEELE
After a hot shower while Arsen left her alone to go write his rules down for her, Steele toweled off and wrapped the fluffy white towel around her body. Her arms ached a little from being tied up, but she loved it and ran her hands up and down them, remembering how awesome the whole thing had been with Arsen earlier.
The bedroom door opened and Arsen came in wearing only black pajama bottoms. Steele’s breath halted as she thought him the most beautiful man she’d ever seen.
“Hey,” she said.
His reaction was instant.
“Don’t speak to me until I speak to you, Steele.”
She looked down as his tone was harsh and it was a reaction she didn’t seem to be able to control. She pressed her lips together in a hard line. Standing still, she had no idea of where he wanted her.
He took her arm and pulled her to sit on the edge of the bed. Arsen handed her the paper that was full of his rules. She looked up at him as he paced in front of her.
“You want me to read these now?”
He stopped.
“Yes. Out loud please and ask me about anything you don’t understand.”
Steele cleared her throat as Arsen resumed his pacing.
“Steele must do as Master says at all times.”
She stopped and shook her head. He looked at her.
“What? Of course you know that’s the first rule, Steele.”
“Um, I’m not your sub and you’re not my Master, so that word will have to be stricken from this document if you expect me to take it seriously.” She looked directly into his dark eyes and found them boring into hers.
“It’s just a term, we use. How would you have me write it?” he asked.
“Just put your name in place of every single use of the word, ‘Master.’ I can’t express to you enough how degrading that feels to me. I will not be degraded at any time, Arsen.” She looked back at the paper.
“Fine, I’ll change that since this is not a dom/sub contract. So, go on and read the rest,” he said as his eye twitched and his hand flew to cover it.
Steele noticed though and frowned. “I’m making you upset, aren’t I?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m just not used to this kind of behavior out of any woman of mine and it’s taking some getting used to. Please continue.”
With a shrug of her shoulders she read, “I’ll just read this as if you’ve already changed the word then. Steele must do as Arsen says at all times. Steele will stay every night with Arsen.” She looked up at him. “You want me to live with you?”
“I don’t want to call it that, no.” He stopped his pacing and looked at her. “You share an apartment with another person and that’s not appropriate. Your things can stay there, for now anyway. You sleep in my bed, so I know you’re safe.”
“But Gwen depends on my financial help. And I don’t really want her all alone every night. That makes her not safe,” Steele argued.
“She’s not mine to worry over. You are, or will be, if you accept this. This rule is non-negotiable I’m afraid. Perhaps you could help her find another roommate. You can still help her pay the bills if you want to as I’ll be giving you a credit card to take care of all of your expenses. And you should, as you need to keep that room, you know in case things don’t work out.” He resumed pacing. “Keep reading.”
“We’ll discuss the credit card thing later as I will not be taking money from you. That’s a thing a prostitute does and I’m anything but that. Okay, next rule is, Steele will make herself readily available to Arsen at all times. She will be given a cell phone that is to be used only to communicate with Arsen and she will answer his calls and texts, if not immediately, then within thirty minutes. It should be noted that there will need to be a valid excuse for not answering right away and any excuse deemed unworthy will have repercussions,” she said then shook her head. “I have school, Arsen.”
“And I’m aware of that and would never ask you to come to me or answer my calls when you’re in classes, Steele. You need to trust me. I have no intention of ruining your education. I’d only like to enhance it and will if you allow me to exert my expertise with you. You can be assured I’ll never do something that would harm your career or your mind, body, or soul. I’ll care for you more than you ever thought possible.”
“Okay then, moving on,” she said as she continued. “Steele will not pleasure herself unless Arsen asks her to. What the hell, Arsen? Gee that’s really gross.” She kept reading. “Steele is not allowed to orgasm until Arsen tells her to. Yeah, I got that one. Moving on. Arsen has a say on who Steele is friends with.”
“That red head is out, Steele. She’s a real bitch and I don’t want her to have any influence on you.” He took her chin in his hand. “That won’t be a problem, will it?”
She shook her head. “I hate her anyway. I will have to stay firm on Gwen though. She’s my friend and will always be.”
“Then I will schedule a time for us all to be together so I can see how you two interact with one another and I will deem if the relationship is one that enhances your life..” He let her chin go and walked over to grab a bottle of water from the night stand. “Please continue.”
“Steele’s body is only to be given to Arsen to do with as he wishes.” She looked at him and frowned. “So you want to be exclusive I see, but I’m not your girlfriend. Okay. And what about you? Are you going to be only with me?”
“You have to trust me. I don’t plan on being with anyone else and if I am, I will be honest with you about it. But you have to realize I am the master of myself and as such, I can do as I please. As long as you are pleasing me then I see no reason why I’d even want to have sex with another, but that is my decision to make. Also, if you ever do decide to move all the way with this thing and become my sub then I can allow another to have sex with you if I want as your body will be mine.”
“Fuck that, Arsen!”
“I should’ve put that in there as well, but I’ll be sure to add it soon. That language is not to be uttered out of those precious lips of yours. For now, just know that it does not please me for you to utter curse words. And when I’m not pleased, it will reflect on how I treat you. Do you understand me, Steele?”
“I sure do. But please be advised that I will not be given to anyone else at this time. Not unless we do make a dom/sub contract. Which is getting more and more unlikely. And just so you know, if you think I’m going to be the only faithful one in this relationship then you’re far from correct.”
Arsen frowned and said, “Like I said, as long as you’re pleasing me I don’t see that happening.”
Steele smiled. “It’s just that I think I’d be really jealous is all, Arsen.”
“Noted,” he said as he ran his hand over her cheek.
“Okay then, Let’s see. The last thing here is pretty long. Steele must follow a diet and exercise program that Arsen develops for her. If she is caught straying from the diet and exercise program in any way, she will be punished. All foods and drinks must be consumed within a twenty-four-hour period. The program will include required times to go to bed and wake up.” Her eyes moved to him. “So, you want me to lose weight?”
Arsen got on his knees in front of her. He took her hand in his and kissed the top of it then looked up at her. “Not at all. I love your body and as such I want to keep it healthy. I want you around for a long time after all. These rules are all only to help you be the best you can be. The addition of punishment for falling off the program serves to help you stay on the plan, that’s all. You’re beautiful and I want you to know that. Everything I will do is only to your benefit.”
“I see, okay then.” She laid the paper on the bed. “So these are the rules for now anyway. I suppose as time goes on you’ll be adding to this.”
He nodded and got up and sat beside her, still holding her hand. “In time when you see just how much I’m doing for you, making things better for you, I think you’ll understand why the dom/sub thing is important. You should want to please me in every way that I want. You should want to show me how thankful you are for me. You should want me to dominate you and make you mine in every way possible.”
“You make it sound kind of romantic,” she said and ran her hand over his leg.
“Romantic? I wouldn’t say that,” Arsen said then stood up. “So, if I change the word Master to my name then you’ll sign it and we can start this?”
“Let me really look it over one more time before I say yes to that. It’s a lot to take in you know,” she picked up the paper and gave it one more read through.
Arsen watched her carefully as she read. He seemed to be noting every little frown she made and Steele was wondering if he was second guessing some of his rules. In the end, she found they were all something that she could live with, or try to anyway.
“Change those words and I’ll sign, Arsen.”
Arsen looked as if he had to stop himself from jumping up and down and Steele was shocked to find him grabbing her up into his strong arms. So un-dominate-like, she thought.
Her next thought was what had she gotten herself into?
For Acceptance Part 4
STEELE
Step for step, Steele matched Arsen’s strides as they ran side by side in the park near Arsen’s penthouse. Both were wearing the running shoes Arsen had researched and bought them, New Balance 1500v2s.
After only one week, Steele knew more about Arsen than she thought possible. The man himself that was. Not the man he had been or anything about his dealings with the women who had been found dead.
No, not the past Arsen. Only the present Arsen and that man she was falling for more and more with each passing day. He was strict and demanding in many ways, but he was also caring and at times she saw something in his dark eyes that told her he was beginning to soften.
He made his list of rules and she’d followed it better than he thought she would be able to. Arsen showed her respect for how well she managed to understand what it is he wanted from her and why. Her only real weakness with the rules thus far was her love of soda.
The diet he placed her on did not allow any soda ever. Nor caffeine in any form. Her mornings had been hard and the one glass of orange juice that she was allowed each morning was just not cutting it. That’s when he came up with the morning’s activities to get her juices flowing each day.
Steele could say this about the man. He may have strict ways, but when she told him how her body was reacting to the sudden loss of the things that she’d used to get her going, he came up with alternative ideas to get it going again. Though he seemed tough as nails and a real chauvinistic bastard at times, he really was thoughtful and concerned with her overall health and safety.
They ran in the dawn’s light. Earlier than most so they wouldn’t be spotted together. Their relationship was being hidden because of his legal problems. But he had managed to fit in some lunches and a dinner as he introduced her as part of his legal staff when people who knew him came around.
Paul waited at the end of the trail for them. Each morning he took Steele back to her apartment to get ready for school and Arsen back to his to get ready for his day at the office. Then he’d take Arsen with him. They’d pick up Steele and drop her at college, then go downtown to take Arsen to his office.
Steele thought that it was absurd, but Arsen refused to let her take her truck to school. He was more than over-protective and that was about the only thing which grated on her about the man.
They slowed their pace to a walk as they finished up their run. Without looking at her, he said, “I have to commend you on how well you’re keeping up with what I’m asking of you. I think next week I’ll add a little more to our run, maybe another mile.”
“Sounds good,” she said and grazed his hand with the back of hers as if on accident but it was on purpose.
“Thank you for the compliment, Arsen.”
He gave her a sideways glance and took her hand in his.
“It’s deserved, Steele.”
Paul was waiting and opened the door for them to get into the Escalade. “Morning.”
Steele smiled at him. “Good morning, Paul. Thank you again for the ride.”
Arsen helped her in first then climbed in behind her. He did as he had done every morning and tapped his leg for her to put her foot up on. He unlaced her shoe and rubbed her foot for three minutes then did the same thing to the other one.
He’d explained to her about the tendons that needed massaged as she had never been a runner and it would take some time before her feet were in the shape that his were. She found it endearing. People thought he was a man who thought himself better than all women, but that just wasn’t the case with Arsen.
Steele was feeling especially thankful for him and asked, “May I run my hands through your hair, Arsen.”
He nodded without looking at her. She ran her hand up and felt the damp hair under her palm and wished they could go back to his penthouse and shower then dress and go off to their day, like normal couples.
She let out a sigh, and he looked at her. “What?”
“I wish we could just do this thing out in the open is all.” She ran her fingers lightly over his bearded cheek.
“Soon, I hope.” He looked back at her foot that he’d been massaging and after a couple of more seconds he stopped and placed it gently on the floor.
“Is your roommate asking you any questions about why you’re never there?”
Steele shook her head.
“No. She usually doesn’t come in until late anyway and I’ve been telling her I started this new diet and exercise plan so I get up really early. She thinks I’m insane and told me I didn’t need to change a thing about myself.”
“And you said what to that?” He looked at her and her eyes migrated to his.
“Nothing, because it’s none of her business anyway.” Steele’s eyes lit up as she said the words. She knew that was what he wanted to hear. And they were true after all.
His smile told her he was happy. The warmth of his hand on the back of her neck sent chills through her body. “So perfect,” he muttered as he pulled her face to his and took her lips with his.
Steele melted into him and her hands ran over his shoulders and down his muscled arms. She nearly moaned with how well developed his biceps were, but thought better of it.
She’d done so well with his rules that she hadn’t earned even one punishment. Only fantastic sex was her reward for making each day with no infractions of his rules. Steele found it easy so far, but she had to be honest with herself, the soda thing was beginning to haunt her.
He ended his sweet kiss and pressed his forehead to hers. “Since it is Friday I can take you to visit your horse this evening before it gets dark. I assume that you miss him since I hired that service to see to him.”
“It would be nice to see Tripper. Thank you, Arsen.” Her fingers trailed over his shoulder.
The car stopped in front of her apartment and after one more kiss she got out and went inside. It was only when she physically got away from Arsen that her brain would begin to work again. His mere presence seemed to take the air from her lungs and replace it with some need for him.
Even as she walked into the house and made her way to the bathroom to shower she ran her tongue over her teeth relishing the taste of him still fresh on them. She sighed as she put toothpaste on her toothbrush and cleaned the remnants of him away.
The shower finished the job and she no longer could smell him on her. But soon enough she’d be sitting in his car with him as he took her to school. Then she’d get a fresh kiss and as he ran his arms around her with a hug before she left him for the day, his cologne would linger through the day, making memories of the night before crop up in her head. Usually at the most inappropriate times.
After dressing and grabbing her laptop Steele found her cell buzzing at her, telling her Arsen was back. Gwen surprised her as she came out of her room, rubbing her sleepy eyes.
“You didn’t come home last night. Where were you, Steele?”
“Um, oh, just out with a friend. I’m going out again tonight, I think,” Steele said with an edge of nerves that suddenly cropped up.
“Well, let me know at least. I was worried about you.” Gwen gave her a wag of her finger.
Steele laughed and opened the door. She didn’t realize that Arsen was already walking up to the door, a frown covering his handsome face. “Okay, Mom,” she said to Gwen.
Gwen’s face looked odd and when she turned to see what she was looking past her at, she saw Arsen. “What’s taking you so long?” he barked.
Gwen was quick to ask, “And this is your friend, Steele? The one you’ve been staying with all these nights?”
“Yeah, I have to go, Gwen.” Steele hurried out and Arsen took her by the arm, hurrying her along to the car.
“You know my time is important. Standing around and chatting it up isn’t a thing you should do while I’m waiting for you.” He threw the door open, and she slid in.
“Sorry, she caught me off guard.” She positioned the laptop on the seat next to her as Arsen got in. “And I was coming, you shouldn’t have gotten out of the car. What if someone saw you?”
“I don’t give a fuck!” He straightened his tie and looked at her. “You’re a person who works for me after all. It’s not beyond the realms that I might give you a ride here and there.”
“Okay. Man, you’re kind of grumpy. Did something happen I should know about?” She ran a hand over his thigh as a tiny piece of lint had somehow found its way to his slacks. “You look incredibly handsome today in this dark blue suit. Is it an Armani?”
He nodded. “Very good, Steele. You are learning about fashion like I told you to.”
“I’m trying. It’ll take some time. I’ve never been into clothes and shoes and things.” She moved her hand to run it over the tan skirt she was wearing and noted it looked nowhere near as nice as his suit.
“Once this is over, you’re throwing away every last piece of clothing you have and I’m buying you a new wardrobe. One that’s fitting for the woman in my life. I provided those things and cars as well to all my subs.” He took her chin in his large hand and made her look at him as her eyes had not left her lap. “You’re coming along so well. I think you should really start contemplating what it will mean to be my sub, Steele.”
“I’ll think on it then. So far it’s been a breeze, but something tells me I won’t cotton to every aspect of that lifestyle.” To make her point she ran her hand up his arm, stopping to feel his bulging bicep. “That arm there tells me you can probably wield a belt like nobody’s business.”
“I can do that to you now if you break any of my rules. You do realize that, don’t you?” He reached out and ran his hand over her breast. The white shirt she had on wasn’t buttoned up entirely, and he ran his hand from her breast the mere inch to her bare skin and shook his head. He buttoned the buttons all the way up. “I don’t want to see that again, understand me?”
She sighed, making her chest heave and said, “Yes, Master.”
His eyes cut to hers but she was looking away. “Look at me, Steele,” he said, sharply. She did as he said as it seemed nearly impossible to not do what he said to when he used that tone of voice. “That sighing shit is proving something that pisses me off, so no more of that. Understand me!”
Steele nodded. “So two more things to add to your list of rules for me then?”
“Seems so,” he said and picked up his phone and clicked away on it.
“May I ask what you’re doing?” she asked and leaned over a little to try to see.
“Adding those things to the list.” He tapped away, and she found herself getting angry. “And the one about no cursing as well, so it’s officially on the list now so watch yourself or you will feel the sting of my belt.”
“Arsen, are you being for real? I mean, are you keeping that list on your phone?” She managed to see he had a page up on his notes and there was the list of rules. “That’s not smart. What if the police take your phone and see that?”
“Your name isn’t on it.” He turned it so she could take a good look. It was headed with the words, ‘Terms of Agreement.’ “A contract is made up of the things we’ve mutually agreed on up until that point and it’s essential that I keep up with the rules so I can make a contract up when you agree to.”
“Which I may never do. By the way, I didn’t really agree to the last few, you just told me you were adding them.” She saw the school ahead and took the laptop onto her lap.
His eyes narrowed as he gave her a sideways glance. “Eager to leave my company, Steele?”
“Never, but thanks to Gwen, I’m running about one minute late and will need to rush to my first class now.” She leaned forward. “A goodbye kiss?”
He sighed, and she looked at him as she pulled back. “Oh you can sigh but I can’t?”
“There are a great many things I can do that you can’t.” He took her chin and pulled her back and pressed his lips to hers. She started to run her hands around his neck and press her body to his, but he stopped his kiss which remained only on her lips, no tongue and no hug. “You were a bit disagreeable this morning, so no mind-blowing kiss for you. Think about that for future reference.”
“But, I kind of need one to get through my day. I was kind of counting on it,” she said as she stayed leaning in as close as he’d let her.
“I suppose you’ll think better of making me wait and leaving your top buttons open and making over the top sighs then, won’t you, if you need my kisses so badly?” The car stopped and Paul was opening her door before she could even think of what to say to that bull crap.
She scooted out and turned back. “Have a nice day, Arsen. I’ll miss you.”
“You too,” he said not looking at her but at his phone instead.
His cold nature was making her stomach hurt for some reason and she turned back after she got out. “Arsen, I’m sorry.”
He glanced at her. “Thank you for the apology. We’ll be here at four-thirty sharp.” He looked back down at the phone in his hand. “Let’s go, Paul.”
Steele felt as if she’d been slapped and when Paul’s hand touched her shoulder, she looked back at him. “Oh, sorry, Paul.”
Rowan stopped short as he walked from behind the car. “Steele, what the hell?”
Steele took off, trying to hurry away from Rowan, but he easily caught up to her and grabbed her by the shoulder, making her spin back around. “Rowan, don’t,” she said under her breath.
“What are you doing with him?” he demanded.
Her eyes went wide as Arsen came up behind Rowan. Arsen’s voice was low and stern.
“Hands off her, boy.”
Rowan lifted his hand from her shoulder and turned to face Arsen.
“This isn’t right. You could be a murderer.”
And just like that Arsen knocked him out.
“Oh, God!” Steele fell to her knees as Rowan lay on the ground. She looked up at Arsen. “Not necessary, Arsen!”
She patted Rowan’s reddened cheeks. He moaned and his eyes fluttered open.
“Bastard, you sucker punched me.”
Arsen leaned over and sneered. “That was no sucker punch and you will keep your hands off her and mind your fucking business.” He looked at Steele. “What are you doing? You need to get to class, Steele.”
She stood up and took off towards her class. She glanced back once to see Arsen pulling Rowan up and dusting him off roughly. Steele was shaking as she went into the classroom of Professor Goldstein.
“Mornin’ Steele,” he said happily.
“Good morning,” she said back and Rowan came in after her, a bit of grass on the back of his head and a swollen jaw.
Rowan went straight to Tanner and said, “I need to talk to you after class.”
Although Tanner was whispering, Steele heard him.
“What the hell happened to you?”
“Arsen Sloan happened to me and it seems he’s been happening to Steele as well.” Rowan looked directly at her as he said it and she dropped her head.
This will be very bad!
ARSEN
Arsen had pulled a bag of ice from the office freezer and he held it over his red knuckles. He cursed Rowan. His cell phone rang, and he cursed again. When he saw it was the San Francisco Police Department, he cursed one more time.
“Arsen Sloan,” he answered.
“Hi, this is Detective Riddle, Mr. Sloan. I need to talk to you this morning. Now I can come to you or you can come to me, but I need this taken care of before noon.”
“I’ll come to you. I’ll leave now,” he said and hung up.
After making a stop in his office to purposely leave his phone in a locked drawer, he left his office. Before he left it, he called Paul from the office phone and told him to be outside.
Something told him this day would not be a good one, and it was all falling into place. A numb sensation was filing his body, and he thought about not being able to hold Steele anymore if he went to prison.
The young woman was creeping under his skin. Her subtle defiance was a thing he couldn’t stand in most women, but she had him thinking of her as strong instead of head-strong. He never thought he’d find himself experiencing such feelings again, not after what Beth did to him all those years back.
Arsen cursed again as he realized he needed Tanner to be there. He pressed a button and the privacy screen went down.
“I need to borrow your cell, Paul.”
Paul handed it back and Arsen made the call to his attorney. Tanner told him he’d meet him there and not to say a damn word until he got there. Arsen gave the phone back and tried to settle back into the seat. His eyes caught something on the floor and he picked it up.
He saw one of her buttons from the first night they’d been together. Letting her go is what he should do. He was nothing but trouble and the poor thing would be devastated if he went to prison. But his selfishness knew no bounds as he wasn’t about to give her up.
He put the button in his pocket for reasons he didn’t even know. It was a piece of her that he could keep close to him and it brought him a tiny thread of security. In this insecure world there was Steele, and he was beginning to hate himself for needing her so damn much.
Arsen had never found it so hard to maintain his disciplined demeanor. When she was looking at him, when he refused to give her the goodbye kiss he had given her each morning before dropping her at school, he had to mindlessly look at his phone in order not to give in to her.
He shook his head and sighed deeply. His world seemed to be falling apart. It seemed almost nothing was in his control any longer and he hated it all. The car pulled to a stop and when he looked up, he saw the police station.
What can they possibly have found?
STEELE
Heart pounding, Steele followed Tanner up the stairs of the police station. He’d taken her and Rowan out of their second class to go with him to be there. Some detective was going to talk to Arsen.
Fear was coursing through her veins and she wanted to break down and cry so badly it physically hurt to hold it all back. Rowan had told Tanner what he saw and suspected. Tanner told Rowan there was not a thing illegal about it so he should mind his business with a man like Arsen. Steele was relieved Tanner didn’t ask her anything about it.
She bound up the stairs in front of Tanner and Rowan, making Rowan remark, “Worried about your boyfriend, Gannon?”
She ignored him and made her way inside. Finding him sitting on a chair, waiting. His eyes met hers as she came through the glass doors and he stood up. “He brought you?” he asked her.
She nodded and stopped short as she nearly had thrown her arms around him and this was not the place to be doing that.
“Are you okay?”
He nodded.
“I’m glad you’re here,” he whispered.
Her heart pounded with his admission and she brushed his hand with the back of hers.
“Me too.”
Tanner and Rowan made it in and Arsen’s eyes darted to the young man he’d punched earlier. His jaw still swollen.
“He brought him too, huh?”
“Yes, Tanner is his mentor as well.” She looked back to find Tanner telling the officer at the main desk something then he gestured for them to follow him as a man in a white shirt and tan slacks opened a side door. “Here we go then.”
She and Arsen walked side by side behind Tanner and Rowan as the officer greeted them with a smile and a nod. “This way please.”
They followed the detective down a long hallway and eventually into his small office. Only two other chairs, besides his, were sitting in front of his small desk that was strewn with papers. She and Rowan had to stand behind Tanner and Arsen.
Steele took out her notebook and pen and prepared to write down every word. She stood right behind Arsen and looked at the detective as if he was the devil himself.
The detective sat down.
“Mr. Sloan, I have a few questions about your relationship with Meagan Stanley, the first homicide victim.”
Arsen nodded but kept his mouth shut. Steele’s stomach knotted as the detective turned over a picture on his desk and revealed a caramel-colored woman who was naked and had marks around her neck that clearly showed where someone’s fingers had gripped her throat. Her wrists and ankles were bound with rope.
The detective pushed the picture towards Arsen. “Would you like to tell me when you made these marks on Meagan Stanley’s neck?”
Without any hesitation Arsen answered, “At two in the morning on the date of September third of this year.”
Steele wrote the words with a trembling hand. He had choked the young woman and had just admitted to it.
“Care to clarify why?” the detective asked.
“She asked me to do it.” Arsen ran his hand through his hair and Steele knew he was nervous.
“I see. So this is a thing you practice often? Choking women?” The detective leaned back in his chair and his eyes roamed up to Steele. “You’re a woman near Miss Stanley’s age. Do you like to be choked, Miss?”
“Miss Gannon,” she answered. “And no I don’t.”
The detective looked back at Arsen.
“Was Miss Stanley your current sub at that date, Mr. Sloan?”
“No. I had no sub at that time.” Arsen’s foot began to tap a little.
“But she had been your sub at one time. I do have the contract you gave me on your relationship which had ended about when was that?” The detective moved some papers around and picked up a stapled stack of three pages.
Steele knew it was the contract he’d made with the dead woman and her heart was pounding so hard she was afraid they all could hear it. She had to swallow hard to get the bile which had gathered at the top of her throat to go back down.
Detective Riddle looked at the papers and turned to the very back. He turned it for Arsen to see. “See here at the bottom where she and you both signed, terminating the contract some two years before you choked her?”
“I do, and I understand there was no written agreement about that at that time, but it was consensual. She was into that kind of thing. I don’t know what to tell you. But we both know that was not what killed her. Those marks were days old.”
“A couple of days old, Mr. Sloan. Forensics also found your semen still in her.” The detective laced his fingers and placed them behind his head.
“I don’t see how. I used a condom,” Arsen argued.
“I didn’t say it was in her vagina, did I?” Riddle smiled. “I’m sure I don’t have to spell it out for you.”
Arsen shook his head. “So are you telling me that she was murdered after I left her house?”
“You tell me. It seems you two were having sex pretty often.”
Arsen fidgeted in his chair.
“Three nights in a row. The first night is when the marks on her neck were made. The second night was different, and no marks were left and the third night there was no actual penetration but there was oral. But she’d made me remember why it is we didn’t work out in the first place and after she gave me oral sex, I left with no intention of seeing her again.”
Steele was reeling and had to lean against the wall. Her face had paled and the detective saw that. He stood up and excused himself then left the room, coming back with a chair. He placed it next to his then went to Steele and took her by the arm, placing her in the chair.
She hated it. She was able to see Arsen’s face then, and she found she could barely look at the man. He wasn’t happy with it either. His eyes bore into hers and she looked down at the notebook.
Arsen let out a sigh and said, “Look, there had to be someone who went to her house after I left it. That’s where you need to be focusing on. I’m not a killer, Detective Riddle.”
“But it does seem that your hands are the ones on the other two women as well. Do you mean to tell me they all liked to be choked?” The detective leaned over and looked at the notebook Steele was writing in. His shoulder touched hers and she turned her head, finding him much too close. “Do you know any women who like to be chocked, Miss Gannon?”
She looked up and shook her head. Then her eyes traveled to Arsen’s finding him frowning at her. She crossed her legs in the opposite direction and leaned more to the other side so the detective was no longer touching her.
Arsen spoke between clenched teeth, “I do believe Miss Gannon does not frequent the clubs those women did. If you had ever been in one, Riddle, you would find the majority of the women there beg for it. They want the marks left on them. Personally, I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as they did.”
“Hmm,” Riddle said then tapped his fingers on the desk. “I’ve been reading up on this whole dom/sub thing that you seem to be all about. You must have a lot of controlling issues that you should most likely be seeking therapy for, Mr. Sloan.”
Arsen stood up and Steele’s eyes flew to him.
“Now you listen to me, you sawed off piece of shit. I did not kill those women and you are wasting precious time finding out who did while you fuck with me. My sex life is not what’s illegal here and you damn well know it. Now if you have nothing better to do then I have business to tend to and really need to get the fuck out of here.”
Riddle smiled as if he’d gotten just what he wanted from Arsen.
“Temper issues too. Hmmm.”
Arsen slammed his fist on the desk and Steele stood up abruptly.
“Arsen! Stop!”
Every man in the room looked at her as if she was insane. But Arsen sat back down.
“I’m sorry, Riddle. Perhaps I should see someone about my quick temper.”
Steele sat back down and looked back at her notes. Riddle cleared his throat and said, “Okay then. I do need you to go ahead and give us your prints and we’ll be taking some whole hand prints for our forensic specialists to verify the marks on the women’s necks. You see, they all were strangled and if the prints match then you are our only suspect.”
Arsen’s tanned skin paled a bit and Steele knew it was because it was his hands that had made the marks and he would be taken in and most likely proven guilty. Her heart ached for him, but her mind was asking her how the hell she could trust he was telling the truth.
ARSEN
He wiped the black ink away from his hands with a towelette they had provided him after taking his prints. The things which would damn him. He took the stairs out of the police station as Steele walked by his side.
Arsen could hardly look at her after all he’d said. He wondered if she thought he was a murderer.
“Will you ride with me?”
“I think that’s a bad idea,” she mumbled as Tanner came up on the other side of Arsen.
Tanner said, “Look, I know it’s just a matter of time until they pick you up. The prints will come back as yours and we both know that. But the plan is that I’ll get you out as soon as they set bail and then we can begin an investigation into the murders on our own. I’ll need you to really think about all you did with the women so we can see if any of the places you went had surveillance cameras that might have caught someone of interest following you when you were with the women.”
Tanner’s car was parked in front of Arsen’s and they all stopped at it. His driver opened the door and Tanner gestured for Steele to get in first. Arsen grabbed her hand and pulled her back and whispered, “Steele, I really need you.”
She pulled back and looked at him. Then she looked at Tanner.
“I’m going with him.”
Rowan rolled his eyes and said, “Are you an idiot?”
Tanner gave Rowan a swift pat on the back.
“Get in the car, Rowan.”
He did as Tanner said but looked at Arsen.
“Nothing better happen to her.”
Fire flashed through Arsen.
“Little boy, you should watch what the fuck you say to me and her for that matter.”
Tanner tried to ease the tension.
“Watch your temper, Arsen.”
Steele took Arsen’s hand in hers and gently pulled him.
“He’ll be fine, Tanner. Come on Arsen.”
He allowed her to pull him away and as they walked he squeezed her hand. “Are you mad at me?”
She shook her head. “How can I be?”
“Are you disgusted with me?” He stopped and turned her to look at him.
The way her eyes darted back and forth answered him and he dropped his eyes and led her to the car where Paul waited for them with the door open.
Steel slid in and Arsen moved in next to her. After Paul had closed the door she turned to face him and took his face between her palms.
“Arsen, you can tell me anything. Even if you did do it, you can tell me.”
Fury filled him and he pushed her hands off his face.
“So you don’t trust me! Steele I have to have your trust or we have nothing!”
“Arsen! How the hell can I just blindly trust you?” she shouted back.
“Cursing, that will cost you,” he said in a low growl. “Or are we done?”
She looked away, and he could tell she wasn’t sure.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that I’m very confused and I know it all happened before me, but I’m jealous too.”
“Jealous? We both have pasts, Steele. Nothing can be done to change that.” Arsen grabbed a bottle of liquor from the little fridge and took a long drink. He sat back and held the bottle.
After another long drink, Steele placed her hands over his around the bottle. “Arsen, that’s not a wise decision.”
“I know that, Steele. Believe me, I know that I make poor, mother fucking decisions all the fucking time. You are a poor decision. I should leave you the fuck alone and I know that. I’m about to rot away in prison anyway. If I can’t get you to trust me and believe I didn’t kill those women, then I’m fucked for sure.” He took another long drink then let her have the bottle.
She put it away and got on her knees in front of him, placing her hands on his thighs.
“Arsen, don’t think like that. I’m sorry. I wish it was as easy as you telling me you didn’t do it and all the doubt could disappear, but I would be lying to you if I told you that.”
He took her chin and ran a finger over her lips.
“I need you to believe me, Steele. Or this is over.”
He could see her thinking and pulled her up to sit on his lap. He had to convince her. She looked at him and he saw she desperately wanted to believe him, but her brain was battling her heart.
Arsen pressed his lips to hers and felt her body turn into liquid. He pushed his tongue through her lips and ran his hand up her skirt, finding her warming already. One finger he pressed against her clit and she moaned and ran her arms around his neck.
He stroked her clit until she was squirming with the need to release. He stopped moving his finger and took his hand away then pulled his mouth from hers. She was panting and looked at him with confusion.
“Steele, do you trust me?” Arsen looked hard into her eyes and he found the answer behind them.
“I do,” she whispered.
“You cursed and you have to be punished. Do you understand that?” He searched her eyes again.
They actually brightened.
“I do.”
He lifted her off his lap.
“Drop your panties and get on your hands and knees and lift the skirt up over your hips.”
She looked at him for a moment then did as he’d told her. She turned away from him as she went to her hands and knees then lifted her skirt.
He pulled his leather belt from his slacks. Arsen ran his hand over her smooth, white ass then placed a kiss on one ass cheek. He knew this would make them or break them, and he gritted his teeth as he swung the belt.
STEELE
The sting as the leather bit into her flesh had her making a small scream before she choked it back. Steele had no idea how many times he would hit her and she was trying hard not to let any tears get away from her.
Another hard whack and she flinched with the pain. Arsen’s voice was tight as he said, “Do you think you’ll curse again?”
She shook her head but didn’t answer out loud. Another smack across her ass, this one harder had the tears springing forth.
“Out loud, Steele.”
“No, sir. No, Arsen,” he words were laced with her tears and she felt his hands running over her ass.
Sobs began to come out of her and she knew it was from so much more than the pain. It was for everything. She was about to lose the man she was pretty positive she was beginning to love deeper than she imagined possible.
His arms were suddenly around her and he turned her to him. He pulled her into his wide chest and shushed her with soothing sounds and soft caresses.
“It’s okay, Steele. It’s all going to be okay.”
She took his lapels in her hands and pulled at them as she leaned back and looked up at him. Tears ran in rivers down her reddened cheeks.
“No it isn’t. None of this is going to be okay. They’re going to take you away from me. I just found you and they’re going to take you away.”
His hand ran over her hair and she found him smiling at her. He kissed her slow and soft.
“I just gave you your first punishment and you’re thinking about what might happen to me instead of being angry with me?”
She sniffled and said, “How can I be angry? You just did what you said you were going to. And it did hurt and it will definitely make me think about what comes out of my mouth.” Steele eased her cries. “The truth is I don’t think I would’ve even cried if I hadn’t been holding it back since Tanner came and told me they’d called you in.”
Arsen moaned as he pulled her hair back, exposing her throat.
“You’re so fucking perfect, Steele.” He pressed his lips to her neck then ran his tongue up until he reached her mouth.
He kissed her hard and laid her back on the floor. Her skirt was still hiked up, and he ran one of his hands to hers and moved it to his swelling cock.
“Take it out,” he told her then continued his kiss.
His mouth was hard on hers as she fumbled to unbutton his slacks and release him. She knew she should be mad at him for spanking her, but a part of her wanted to know what it was like.
The fact was it allowed her to release the tension she’d been holding and with that came a lot of freedom. Unbelievably, she found it had stimulated her as well and she was wetter than hell and aching for Arsen to be inside her.
She finally freed his erection and guided it to her. He pressed into her as soon as she lined him up and she moaned with how fantastic it felt as he filled her.
Hard, deep thrusts he made, as she wrapped her legs around him. She arched her body up to meet each thrust and ran her hands through his hair. He ran his hands back and took hers in them, holding them over her head.
She wondered if he hated being touched during sex. He seemed never to want her hands on him. He pulled his mouth from hers and looked at her as he pounded into her.
“Say it,” he said, and she found herself confused.
“Say what?” she asked.
He shook his head and took both her wrists and held them with one hand as he took the other and smacked her thigh.
“Say it.”
She searched his eyes as he continued to thrust into her. Something in them was making them shine, and she suddenly knew what he wanted to hear.
“I love you, Arsen.”
He smiled and kissed her hard, thrusting his tongue to the back of her mouth, claiming every last part of it as his. She found her heart pounding with what she’d said. But was aware he’d not said it back to her.
Somehow it didn’t really matter as she could tell he did have love for her. She arched up as her body was aching to release. And for the first time he pulled his mouth from hers and said, “You come when you want to. As many times as you want to.”
A knot formed in her throat and tears began to fall as he watched her. She let the orgasm overtake her and he watched her as it did. A smile moved over his face as he continued to thrust in and out of her.
“My God, you’re beautiful when you come, baby.” He kissed her long and deep and she felt more for him than she had before.
His body tensed and he spilled into her. She was shocked to find herself coming again with his release. They lay on the floor, flooding the car with their gasps. Arsen released her mouth as their bodies began to stop throbbing against the others.