“I-I wouldn’t-even if she wanted to,” I stammered, feeling flustered at where the conversation had gone.

Did he think I would be submissive to any dom? I didn’t understand that, and I was just too embarrassed to ask. I wasn’t just interested in James because he could dominate me. I wondered, for the first time, if he felt that I used him for only that aspect of himself. I wanted to ask him, but the words just wouldn’t come out. I never felt used by him, and I had just assumed that a man so perfect and confident couldn’t feel used. Not by someone like me.

He kissed my hand softly as we pulled up to my house. “I know. But in some circles, having a dom so much as approach your sub is a huge breach of conduct. It’s not something you have to worry about. And I don’t feel threatened by Frankie. It would please me if you two could be friends, actually. Would you be willing to go have dinner with her sometime? The three of us, I mean.”

I felt a little mortified. I had very nearly been openly rude to the woman. “If she still wants to, I would be willing to. I feel like a fool. I was so jealous of her. I thought for sure you two had been lovers.”

He just smiled that smug smile again as he ushered me out of the car. “She won’t be fazed by that. I’ll set it up.”

I had only thirty minutes to get ready once we walked in the door. I hurried, packing up my suitcase before moving to get dressed.

I had just slipped off my bra, grabbing the one I preferred for work, when James pressed up behind me.

He had already changed into dark blue slacks and a pale blue polo that hugged his chiseled torso distractingly. He had been ready before I’d even finished packing. He gripped my breasts, kneading at the supple globes. He moved his fingers to my nipples, twisting them almost cruelly.

I gasped, arching my back. He released the captive flesh abruptly. I felt him digging into his pocket, still pressed hard against me. I looked down at my quivering breasts while he fastened nipple clamps to each hardened crest.

He slapped my ass, hard, before stepping away. “Okay, get dressed. And don’t even think of taking those off. I’m driving you and Stephan to work. He’s already ready and waiting.”

“Won’t you be late for the flight if you drop us off first?”

He just gave me a look. “I’ll make it. But you need to quit arguing and get dressed. If I have to take the time to spank you, then we’ll both be late.”

I scrambled into my clothes, double checking my suitcase to make sure I had everything.

“Remember, you don’t need to pack for New York anymore. You’re all set up there, and you can buy anything you want, if I overlooked something. By the way, I was a little distracted, but your hair looks lovely. I like the cut. It brings out those devastating eyes of yours.”

I shot him a look. He thought my eyes were devastating? The irony wasn’t lost on me, his exquisite turquoise gaze captivating me at a glance.

“Thank you. Thank you for the spa day. It was a very nice treat for my friends and I.”

“Anytime. You can take them as often as you like. The staff knows that you have carte blanche status.

You don’t need an appointment, or even to call ahead, though it’s never a bad idea to give them a heads- up. Everything that’s mine is yours, love. I mean that in every sense you could imagine. Feel free to test it.”

I straightened my tie as he spoke, feeling the clamps on my heavy breasts acutely.

I moved to my vanity, clasping my watch over the angry marks on one wrist. I studied the other one, wondering how to cover it. It really wasn’t even uncomfortable. It just looked rather conspicuous. As I studied it, James circled it with long fingers, reaching into my silver jewelry box. He pulled a smaller box out of it that I hadn’t even noticed before. He opened it, showing a platinum bracelet that closely matched the band pattern of the rolex he’d given me.

“You’re shackled and collared, my love,” James said as he fastened it onto my wrist. They did indeed look like shackles, I thought, as he led me from the house, pulling my suitcase. “Do they chafe your wrists too badly?”

“No, not at all. My wrists aren’t bothering me at all.”

“Good. I have plans for you. We get to spend some time in our playground tomorrow, before we have to get ready for the gala.”

I had nearly forgotten about the gala. He had swept me up so thoroughly from the moment we had reunited, I had forgotten about everything save for my Mr. Beautiful.

Stephan started in on James almost the moment we all got into the car. “Bianca thought that tattoo and piercing thing was a joke. You can’t hold her to it, James,” he said, looking ready for an argument.

James smiled. Contrarily, it was a rather fond smile, and all for Stephan. “I wouldn’t dream of it, Stephan. Bianca, would I hold you to doing something like that, if you didn’t want to?”

I shook my head, giving Stephan an exasperated look. I was blushing involuntarily. I sooo didn’t want to talk about things like that with Stephan, especially not in front of James. “Stephan, he knows I thought it was a joke. Please don’t get upset about it. James is crazy, that’s all.”

Stephan gave a very heartfelt sigh of relief. He had been dreading the confrontation, but had obviously felt a strong need to say something. “Okay, okay. Sorry, I just saw those tattoos, and remembered what you two had said at the bar. I didn’t know you had it in you, James.”

James grinned, hugging me to him. He kissed my forehead rather sweetly. “I didn’t, not until I met my perfect Bianca.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

The flight was an agonizing ordeal. Every time my aching breasts pulled or strained at the clamps, which was constantly, I thought of James, and it left me yearning and hot but still with a job to do.

It was a full flight, the only empty seat the one next to James, as was his habit.

I rushed and served and passed him again and again, my sensitized breasts sending little jolts right to my sex every time I so much as thought of him.

He barely glanced at me, working on his laptop. He didn’t even look up as I asked him direct questions, just gave brief answers, his bored gaze on the screen of his laptop. He was the disinterested master tonight. It made me want to scream, I was so agitated and keyed up. I wanted to hit him, I was so frustrated. The fact that he wouldn’t even look at me drove me crazy.

It was nearly two hours into the flight before the cabin began to get quiet and sleepy. Most of the first class passengers were drinking heavily, so I had been on my feet in the cabin, serving almost constantly.

Stephan headed back to help coach as soon as our regular service was done. Javier was on the flight as a passenger, though he hadn’t been able to snag a first class seat. Flying non-revenue, we only got first class seats when there was space available. He had been lucky to find a seat at all, since the flight had been overbooked. That would have been a waste, since he had taken days off to join Stephan on our layover.

My passengers were all taken care of, most falling asleep or already there. A few alert faces could be seen, but I was suddenly too desperate to care, my usual professional reserve escaping me in a brash moment.

I sat down in the empty seat next to James. I leaned over the console that separated the two seats, grabbing his wrist, pulling it from the keyboard of his laptop. Finally, he looked at me.

His gaze was amused, and I wanted to scream. “No touching, Bianca. That’s an order.”

I dropped his wrist like it was on fire, breathing heavily as I glared at him. His smiling eyes were wickedly infuriating. I tried to compose myself, tried to smooth my features. I knew I failed. “Please, Mr. Cavendish, I’m desperate. Why are you ignoring me? You’ve put these…things on me, and I can’t think of anything but you. Meet me in the restroom. I need you to touch me.”

He shook his head, still just looking amused. “Not tonight, Bianca.”

I clasped my hands together tightly, nearly overwhelmed with the urge to touch him. “Are you punishing me?”

He ran his tongue across those perfect teeth. My sex clenched, and I felt a rush of moisture between my legs. “No. Just teaching you. Sometimes we have to wait for what we want. I have been extremely lax in this part of your instruction, but you need to learn.”

“I’m so wet, James. And I think if you just keep talking, your voice alone could make me come.

Please.”

His eyes turned a little hard. “You won’t entice me into changing my mind, you little vixen. You’ll be punished if you try that again.”

I wanted that punishment, wanted it badly, but I wanted to please him more. “I can’t bear this. What should I do, Mr. Cavendish? I could go into the bathroom and pleasure myself. It’s not what I want, but I think it would help.”

His eyes narrowed into an almost mean glare. “No. You’re not allowed to touch yourself, either.” His eyes moved to a spot behind my seat. “You need to move, Bianca. That seat is spoken for.”

I got up, moving away, feeling baffled and bereft. I noted absently that Javier took the vacated seat, giving me a polite nod. I nodded back, moving away as Stephan stepped in close to them, thanking James for relinquishing his extra seat.

That was nice of him, I thought absently. James began to chat amiably with Javier, not sparing me another glance.

I went into the galley, not knowing what to do with myself. I took off my serving vest, leaving just my white dress shirt and tie. My nipples stood out like sore thumbs with the clamps on them in such a thin shirt. I decided I didn’t care. I wanted James to see how conspicuous they were, how impossible to ignore. He had left me wanting, and seemed unaffected himself. I wanted to affect him.

I returned to Javier, asking him politely if he needed anything. I felt James’s gaze on me then, since I had interrupted their polite small talk.

“Just a bottle of water, please. Thank you, Bianca,” Javier said with a smile.

I smiled back, not looking at James. I turned away, heading back to the front of the plane.

“Bianca,” James called, his voice very casual.

I looked at him over my shoulder, my brow arched.

“Put your vest back on, Love. Now.” James gave me a bland smile, as though he hadn’t just given me an arbitrary order in front of Javier, in front of strangers.

I fumed as I went back into the galley. I hadn’t gotten around to putting my vest back on when Damien stepped out of the cockpit to use the restroom. He stepped into my galley when he saw me, smiling warmly. I had seen him briefly on the crew bus, but we had been in too big of a hurry to chat. His smile dropped a little when he saw that I was visibly agitated.

“Everything all right?” he asked, concern in his voice.

I just nodded, meeting his eyes while I took deep breaths. I should have realized that the action would accentuate my conspicuous breasts, but I didn’t, not until his eyes roamed there, widening when they saw the outline of my clamped nipples. I didn’t think he could see the actual clamps, but I really wasn’t sure.

I thought he must have just seen my over exaggerated nipples. Whatever he saw, it seemed to freeze him in place. He couldn’t seem to look away from my chest.