Chapter 19
Saige
Oh, the man was so infuriating. He really thought he could get the better of me.
Who did this guy think he was?
How could I forget? Superman.
Only the cape’s red hue was from an entirely different reason.
Blood.
His hands were stained with blood.
If so, why was I bargaining my way into his life? Did I honestly believe I could guide him and his entire family into being more mainstream, or did I simply have a more corrupt streak in me that I wasn’t aware of earlier?
I’d say the latter because a rush of excitement was building alongside a kick of adrenaline.
However, they’d need to jump past the utter embarrassment.
The bright color washing over my face was exactly what he was going for.
Did he really believe he could use the scandalous information against me?
Even if he tried, it wouldn’t matter. The shame had already drifted permanently into excitement.
“I would understand your need to do so.”
With the slight flash in his eyes, I could tell I’d surprised him once again.
Neither one of us moved. While everyone who knew me would ask why the hell I was willing to toss my livelihood, my freedom, and potentially my life away, there was only one decent answer.
Power.
And he exuded extraordinary power all wrapped in Tom Ford and Gucci.
“Very well, Ms. Mitchell. I’ll allow you the opportunity to present your full report and your ideas about how we can flush out the person who is trying to destroy the Chertov regime. But for my generosity, you will agree to my terms, my rules, and my requirements and they are entirely different.”
“I can do that.”
“Which will include being disciplined should you fail to follow those obligations.”
My mouth was suddenly dry. “Yes, sir.” That’s what he wanted. Full obedience.
“Good girl. An excellent start.” Was it possible his lips could be any closer to mine? No. They were so close all I’d need to do was to stick my tongue past my lips to taste him.
I refrained because I sensed that’s what he wanted. Was this nothing more than another test?
“Mmm…” he growled and pulled away, immediately pulling off his jacket.
Easing back, I had no idea what would happen now. A few seconds later, I was provided with a hint when he unbuttoned his cuffs and began to roll his sleeves over his elbows.
“What are you doing?”
“Moving forward,” he said. There was no emotion.
No sense of what he was thinking. But his body language screamed loudly enough.
He was going to ensure I knew who was boss.
A tiny thrill rolled through me. “As I told you before, I value loyalty more than anything. That loyalty includes being able to count on decent, hardworking behavior and the people closest to me following the rules.”
With the slow and steady actions of a predator, he moved around the side of the desk, shifting directly in front of me. “Understood.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that, which is why you won’t fight me when receiving your punishment.”
My first reaction was to groan, which pleased him to no end. “What does that entail?”
“Simple. Removing your clothes and leaning over the edge of my desk.” As he started to unfasten his belt, another series of shivers prickled every inch of skin, every muscle in my body.
Now my mouth was Sahara dry. “Do you punish the men who disobey you?”
He stopped long enough to stare at me with furrowed brows. “I think you know that answer.”
Yes, and I didn’t want the differences spelled out.
“You not only broke into my office, you also managed to do the same with my computer and locked files.”
“You’re terrible with security. I found your password easily.”
His movement stopped long enough to open his eyes wide, laughing under his breath. “It’s up to you, chastnaya tantsovshchitsa. You can accept your punishment and we’ll move forward, or clear your desk out, which I would hate.”
He was purposely using his pet name for me against me.
Damn the man. Damn how handsome he was and how manipulative he could be in turning the tables.
He’d backed me into a corner given the advantage he’d had.
With his dazzling ice-blue eyes staring into mine, I felt as if I was being sucked into his world whether a deal was struck or not.
“I’ll want an office and a promotion, more money and benefits. ”
He cocked his head, more amused than I’d seen him. Ever. “At this point, you aren’t in a position to demand anything. We will see after the report. This is a business arrangement, Saige. Is it not?”
I was already unbuttoning my skirt. “Yes, it is. Nothing more.”
As his head lifted, I could tell he wasn’t pleased with my response. “Very well.”
We both continued with our respective tasks, him removing his belt in preparation and me removing my clothes. While he wore his usual air of arrogance, I was flushed all over. Yet something had already changed between us, a business arrangement that didn’t and wouldn’t make any sense to anyone.
However, the electricity surged between us.
My skin was on fire by the time I was completely naked. I was feeling extremely vulnerable, worried and frustrated that others would discover our secret. He wasn’t worried at all, so damn confident I could smell it on him just like the aura surrounding a true predator.
When he moved his computer to the side, my pulse shot up more than before.
“Across the desk, Saige.”
His tone was commanding, devoid of any real inflection.
With every tug in pulling the thick strap free of his beltloops, I was pushed into a hypertense bubble.
Somehow, I managed to follow his orders, stretching my body across the oversized desk so I could grab the edge on the other side.
Very slowly and very much on purpose, he moved around me in a wide arc until he vanished from view. But I could feel him, his presence and power, the current running through his veins keeping the air in the room energized.
At the same time, the air was oppressive enough I couldn’t breathe. This didn’t seem real any longer, although I could say it stopped being real the minute I’d stepped foot inside the stupid club.
He moved closer. I knew that because my body tensed.
When he was looming over me, he gently caressed my skin by rolling his fingers down my spine.
The fact he was taking his sweet time meant he was purposely pushing the anticipation on high.
Much like he’d done with my vibrator. I’d say it again. Damn the man.
The only indication he was ready to start doling out my punishment was when he tapped one butt cheek. There was no sense of bracing for the moment or what to expect in the level of pain. Other than by use of his hand in what seemed a lifetime before, I’d never been spanked.
Sure, it had been a fantasy, a thrill that it seemed all good girls had, but never in my mind had I envisioned agreeing to one.
The waiting and wondering were tossed aside the moment he brought the belt down. All sense of foreplay was over.
A gasp left my mouth more from shock than anything. My body was obviously trapped in the feeling as there was no pain, maybe mild discomfort.
Stash’s heavy sigh was a sign he was just beginning, proven when he cracked the belt against my sit spot two times.
Heat began to build on my upper thighs, which seemed strange. Very slowly the warmth crawled to the tender area under my bottom.
He waited for nothing, smacking my buttocks several more times, one coming right after the other.
“Oh. Fuck,” I hissed, jerking up from the desk, panting. The spanking before had been child’s play in comparison. When he chuckled behind me, I threw my head over my shoulder. “There is nothing worse you could do to your male employees.”
“Yes, my private dancer. There is. Let’s hope it’s something you never need to witness.”
After taking a deep breath, he crowded the space between my legs. enjoying the hell out of himself by caressing my back before rolling the rough pads of his fingers in a slow and steady pattern on my butt.
Worse, he dared slip his palm between my legs.
As soon as he did, my entire body stiffened.
He caught me. Both the conversation about becoming a very naughty girl and the spanking had made me very wet, my core heated to a thousand degrees.
There was no doubt even with his light touch he could tell just how excited I’d become.
He said nothing, returning to his duties of teaching a lesson in obedience. The man was obviously very practiced in providing discipline for wayward women. Plus, he was enjoying himself.
I wiggled and bucked hard against the desk with every brutal crack of the thick leather. Images of humping his workspace filtered into my mind, which was ridiculous. There was nothing gentle about what he was doing, one strike turning into another until I lost count.
The pain was vibrant, keeping me breathless and tingling all over. I could hear several moans, ugly little whimpers that gave away what was happening.
Thank God no one was in the office, or I’d never set foot inside ever again.
At least I noticed his breathing was as heavy as mine and could feel a different level of tension spiraling around us. I dug my fingernails into the underside of the wood.
When was this going to be over?
The answer came quickly when he rubbed his hand between my thighs once again, but instead of pulling his fingers free after only a few seconds, he acted as if my possible promotion gave him the right to touch me in my most intimate place.
His fingers found my slit and my body stiffened in response. Quiet in his actions, when he shifted his hand, plunging several of his fingers inside, I pressed my face against the cool wood, pleasure instantly overriding pain.
In those quiet few seconds, my body was completely electrified.
“You can get up now,” he stated in a voice that dripped with authority and sensuality. Everything about him was perplexing, more so tonight. I couldn’t read him, at least not completely.
I pushed up from the desk, tipping my head over my shoulder. His chest rose and fell as if the man was in agony. The belt was still in his hand, his fingers white knuckled, twisting around the thick leather. He wasn’t looking at me, instead concentrating on something on the floor.
But I knew better.
I’d pushed him into a corner as well, something he couldn’t tolerate. He was a take charge kind of man.
Only when I’d pushed fully up from the desk did he react, moving to his chair and sitting down.
I watched in fascination as he turned it so he was facing the window.
From there, he sat back, his hands crossed against his chest. Maybe he was so disgusted with me he could no longer look me in the eyes.
I grabbed my things, furious with myself for playing the hand of cards. Who was I kidding? I’d played my entire hand with the man and obviously, I’d lost. He was shutting down even more than before.
Turning away, I was determined to leave his office with some modicum of dignity remaining. I was completely cognizant when the temperature in the room changed. I even headed closer to the door to ensure he knew my intent.
And that he’d won.
“Where do you think you’re going, Saige?”
“To clear out my desk. Obviously, you’ve decided our partnership isn’t worth your time.”
“I said no such thing. Did I?”
With every nerve in my body on fire, I slowly turned to face him. “Then what?”
He pointed to the floor. “Come here.”
When I hesitated, I was offered another even deeper growl than I’d heard before. The sound was as thrilling as it was unnerving.
“I said. Come. Here. Do not make me ask you again.”
The trepidation was real. So was the excitement, but I did as he asked until I was standing only a few inches away.
He swept his gaze from my bare feet, allowing his eyes to travel along every curve as if mesmerizing what I looked like. Reaching out, when he took the clothes I had clutched against me into his hands, I held my breath. Only after tossing them aside did he lift his gaze to my eyes.
“We aren’t finished yet, my private dancer.” Once again, he pointed to the floor, the moment rocketing into an entirely different level.
There was the man I’d first met, the one that had convinced me why men had been created by God. Simply by the way he was looking at me. For a few seconds, the heat of his stare dragged over me, a promise made, one of darkness that I would never escape.
His jaw flexed, a subtle yet powerful look given.
One of possession and hunger, a fervent need that wouldn’t be denied.
My pulse stuttered.
With his command not to be questioned, I made the only choice that made any sense.
I dropped to my knees.