The Rules Read online

  I wondered if he was truly meeting a client for dinner or if the entire thing had been a fabrication to get me to read The Rules.

  It would appear he wasn’t going anywhere, and I saw no evidence to suggest he had a client coming to the office. The room, which had been full of light during the day, was now closed off from the world with dark blinds on the windows.

  Cade spoke, his words too soft for my ears. I lifted my gaze and discovered he was on the phone.

  He spotted me, however, and motioned me closer. His expression didn’t change. He was deep in conversation.

  I padded across the room and stopped a few feet from the table. Awkward didn’t begin to describe how I felt. This was my boss, the owner of the company. I was in his executive office on the top floor. I didn’t belong here. And I certainly didn’t belong here without panties. I stepped my legs together.

  I’d been there for hours, but the addition of a caller on the phone made me feel like we weren’t alone.

  I breathed heavier.

  He circled me and came up behind me, still listening to the caller. Every few seconds he would respond with a yes or a no or some sort of uh-huh. His breath landed on my neck as he swept my hair out of the way. He kissed me behind my ear, his tongue delicately swiping the bottom of my earlobe.

  I fisted my hands at my sides, well aware that Cade had me eating out of his hand.

  After he inhaled long and slow against my neck, he wrapped an arm around my waist and led me across the room. When we arrived at his desk, he angled me exactly where he wanted me to stand. And then he surprised me by plopping down in his office chair. He met my gaze, his piercing into mine until I shivered. He undressed me with his eyes. His gaze ran up and down my body while he continued to speak with the caller.

  Finally, he ended the conversation, but cut the other person off. “Okay then, Ben. Please just handle this. If you have to take them to task, so be it. Make sure we’re on schedule and the quality is up to standards. If you need to spend more money than we budgeted, do it. I’ll talk to you again tomorrow.” Cade ended his call and set his phone on the desk without looking away from me.

  We stared at each other for long moments, and then he smiled. “You’re nervous.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  His eyes closed slowly and then re-opened. “Do you know what it does to me when you call me Sir in that tone?”

  “No…Sir.”

  He chuckled. “Of course not. How did you sleep last night?”

  I swallowed. He made no mention of me not showing up at noon or the many hours I’d spent learning about his world. His rules. He skipped that as though it never happened and spoke to me about last night. I nodded.

  “Words, baby.”

  “Fine, Sir.”

  “Good. I’m sure you were exhausted.” He watched my face for a moment and then spoke again. “How far did you have to dig this morning to come up with an outfit that revealed so little skin?”

  I flushed. I did that a lot around him. And since his brazen pronouncements were the cause, I didn’t feel remotely apologetic. I also didn’t respond.

  “You know how I feel about clothes.”

  My eyes went wide. Surely he wouldn’t ask me to strip here in his office.

  “What did you decide about shaving, baby?” He leaned back farther and crossed one foot over his other knee. He looked so relaxed, and I felt the exact opposite.

  “I did it, Sir.”

  “Good girl. I hope there’s nothing but bare skin under that skirt now.”

  “Yes, Sir.” I swallowed, waiting for the inevitable, and aroused by it at the same time.

  The way Cade lounged in his chair was not something I’d seen him do at work prior to this moment. It was incongruent with the starched-to-perfection suit he wore.

  I grew fidgety.

  “Show me, baby. Take off your clothes.”

  I glanced around. I’d known he might request such a thing, but it still felt awkward. There were windows on two sides of his office. My gaze landed on the blinds.

  “No one can see in.” He sat up straighter. “And I’m not a fan of hesitation. Remove everything.”

  Moving as though I weren’t myself at all, I took off my clothes. I stood naked before him. Shivering. Embarrassed. My nipples straining toward him. My pussy wet.

  Cade stared at me for several moments. The only sign I had that he was ruffled at all was the pen he rolled between his fingers as he watched me squirm. “I’m going to show you how to stand, and I expect you to remember it and repeat it every time we’re playing.” He stood, pulling himself up as though he was tired or heavy. He circled behind me and set his hands on my shoulders to pull them back. “You’ll stand tall in this position. Pull your hands behind your back and grab one wrist with the other hand.”

  I did so. My chest jutted out.

  “Good girl. Shoulders back, arms clasped. Always. Got it?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Now spread your legs farther.”

  I stepped out.

  “More, Amelia.”

  I flinched when he called me by my given name. I realized he called me baby when I was endearing and Amelia when I was exhibiting a behavior he didn’t care for. “My friends call me Amy.” I don’t know why I chose to blurt that out, but I did.

  “Good for them. I call you Amelia.” He rounded me, blowing off my suggestion. He lifted my chin. “Most Doms like their subs to dip their faces and keep their gazes to the floor. You’d have learned that from the material you just read. That’s not my style. I like your eyes on me. I know what you’re feeling with more accuracy when I can see into your eyes.”

  I nodded.

  “Did you take good notes this afternoon?”

  I nodded again.

  “Words, baby.”

  “Yes, Sir.” I was pretty certain I would die if he truly intended for me to summarize what I’d spent the last several hours reading.

  Cade chuckled. “I’ll let you take those pages home in case you need to remind yourself of anything you learned.”

  Cade walked away then, heading for the long conference table. “Come here, baby.”

  When I turned around, I found he’d spread sandwiches and drinks on the end.

  As I reached Cade’s side, he grabbed my waist and lifted me onto the table.

  I clutched his biceps during the flight, a squeal of shock escaping my lips. “Cade.”

  He ignored me, setting me down about a foot from the edge. “Lie back, baby.”

  I slowly lowered my body to the cold surface, shivering more than I had been.

  “Hands above your head.” He waited for me to comply, and then he grasped my knees and pushed them up and wide, the same position he’d put me in last night in his guest room. “My second favorite position. I like you on your back, your tits high on your chest, your pussy open for me.”

  I moaned and rolled my head to one side. His words made more moisture gather between my lower lips.

  Cade set my heels on the table and pushed my knees farther. “Keep them wide. I need to taste you before we have dinner. If you remain still, I’ll let you come. If I have to hold you open myself, I won’t.”

  I inhaled sharply.

  Cade’s mouth descended without warning, not on my lips, but on my sex. He sucked my clit into his mouth, and I nearly shot off the table.

  “So responsive, baby. Do you know how much that turns me on? Are you always like this? Or is it me?”

  I tipped my chin down to see his face. “I don’t know, Sir.”

  “Mmm.” He didn’t question me further. Instead he pressed my thighs open and licked a line between my lower lips. He moaned against my pussy, making me moan with him. In seconds my arousal went from twenty to fifty on a scale of one to ten. I had never been at one. I gripped my hands into a ball together and gritted my teeth as Cade licked and sucked and even stuck his tongue inside my channel.

  I’d come the day before around Cade’s fingers. Now I w
as seconds from coming against his face.

  Cade sucked my clit between his lips and grazed it with his teeth. And that was it. I went over the edge, a scream escaping my mouth so fast I couldn’t stop it. The pulsing of my clit against Cade’s lips went on for so long, I couldn’t see straight. When it ended, he kissed my pussy and released my legs.

  I left them open, unable to close them. And besides, I hadn’t been given permission. I was now Jell-O on the conference table.

  “My girl’s a screamer. We might have to do something about that if you don’t want the whole office to know when you orgasm, baby.”

  Heat climbed up my face. I froze for a moment before it occurred to me there was likely no one else on the floor at that time, probably the entire building. But I would need to heed his advice if we were going to keep doing this.

  Cade had more plans for me, however, and they didn’t involve me lounging around naked on his conference table. He pulled me to sitting before I had muscle control and lifted me off the table to set me on the floor next to him. “Kneel beside me, baby. Legs wide, arms behind your back. Same position I taught you to stand, only on your knees.”

  I lowered myself at his side, glad for the rug beneath my knees, leery about the way he bossed me around. I was unable to deny his effect on me. After the day I’d spent doing his required reading, I was putty. And he knew this.

  He lifted my chin. “That was beautiful. I love watching you come. I’m going to want to see you do it often.” His thumb landed on my lower lip and stroked along the edge. “I won’t give you that release every time, though, baby. Sometimes I’ll leave you right on the edge, especially if you displease me.” He released me and gave me a pointed look before he pulled the sandwiches closer.

  There was no doubt what he meant. I’d displeased him this afternoon when I hadn’t shown up.

  My mouth watered. I was hungry, especially after that orgasm.

  Cade brought a bottle of water to my lips and wrapped his hand behind my neck to tip my head back. He let me drink my fill and then set it on the table. “I like you at my feet, baby. A lot. Sometimes I’ll let you sit at the table and eat. Other times, like today, I’ll want you on your knees beside me. I’ll feed you myself.”

  It didn’t escape me that to him this relationship was a foregone conclusion. He’d told me last night I was his. He’d spent the entire afternoon staking his claim in a way that could not be denied.

  Cade held a sandwich to my lips, and I opened for him to take a bite. At first my mouth was uncooperative. My teeth refused to chew. But soon my taste buds awoke, and I savored the bite, eventually swallowing.

  Cade didn’t speak while we ate. He enjoyed his dinner, and fed me as much as I wanted. Every time I opened my mouth for him, I slipped further under his spell. His hand curled behind my neck as he fed me, so gentle, caring. He tipped my head back when he offered me a drink. He brushed crumbs from my mouth. All the while, I remained kneeling at his side, my legs spread, moisture accumulating between them even though I’d come before we ate.

  I wanted to stop this madness, stand and grab my clothes and run from the room, run from this city, run from my life. But I couldn’t do it. I wanted Cade’s attention even more.

  I was horny and intrigued. And I knew deep down he was right. I was submissive. I craved his touch. I craved his cock. I silently prayed he took it out soon and slid inside me. Wasn’t that the goal?

  When we were done, I tipped my face to the floor and waited for him to address me. My actions were a direct result of the book I’d just read. If Cade had insisted I learn every detail of that book, he meant for me to put it to application. So I did.

  Cade cleaned off the table and padded across the room. When he returned, he swiveled his chair to face me directly and resumed his seat. A pop made me flinch, and I lifted my face enough to see him pouring two glasses of white wine. “You may be at ease, baby.” He held one glass out to me.

  I sat back on my ankles, another thing I’d read that day, and took the offered glass.

  Cade swirled it. “It’s a 2009 Hanzell Chardonnay, one of my favorites. I think you’ll be pleased.”

  I took a sip. My taste buds exploded around the flavor. It was divine.

  Cade took several sips and set his glass on the table. He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “Look at me, baby.”

  I lifted my face.

  “That’s my favorite book on the subject. The most comprehensive and the closest I’ve come to finding something that fits how I perceive D/s.”

  “Okay, Sir.”

  He smiled and stroked a finger along my jawline before releasing me. “You make me so damn hard, baby.”

  I swallowed.

  “Do you understand me better now?”

  “I do, Sir.”

  He narrowed his gaze. “I’m not going to address your blatant disobedience today, except to point out that I don’t want it to happen again. Are we clear?”

  I licked my lips. I was clear. I just wasn’t sure I liked it. Well, actually, the real problem was I did like it. I liked every bit of the way he spoke to me. I liked that he chose to take my choices out of my hands. I liked that he intended for me to obey him and would handle me as he saw fit if I didn’t. I loved every single aspect of this. My body hummed with need. I could have gone my entire life without feeling a tenth of what Cade Alexander made me feel in two days.

  But I was also a smart girl. Was this a smart choice? Giving up my free will to a man?

  “I see your hesitation. I know you have questions. I want you to be assured I’ll address every single one of those in due time.” He leaned in closer, his face inches from mine as he continued, “You’re mine, baby. I know you’re struggling with that knowledge. That’s to be expected.”

  I blinked at him.

  He sat back and ran his hands through his hair until its messy disarray stood out in sharp contrast to his suit and tie. He reached for his tie and tugged until it came loose. Perhaps he was having as much trouble breathing as I was.

  “We’re going to explore this thing,” he finally said. “Thoroughly. Not half-assed.” He paused.

  I watched his chest rise and fall as he breathed.

  “Are you wet, baby?”

  “Yes, Sir,” I whispered.

  “Have you ever in your life been that wet?”

  “No, Sir.” I shook my head. It was the truth.

  “You just came hard. Was it enough?”

  I shook my head.

  “What do you want right now?”

  I inhaled sharply. My lips parted. I had never used such language.

  “Say it, Amelia.” His impatient voice came out.

  “Your cock, Sir.” The harsher words of BDSM had seeped into me while I read.

  “Good girl. That’s the point. That’s why we’re here, baby. Your submission to me makes you so hot you can’t stand it. Correct?”

  “Yes, Sir.” I gripped my wineglass with both hands, trying not to drop it.

  “Take a drink, baby.”

  I sipped. He watched.

  “Do me a favor. Give me the benefit of the doubt here. You know you’re aroused by the idea of submission. I’m cocky enough to assume I’m a factor in that arousal.” He lifted his eyebrows and gave a short grin. “What’s to lose? You give this a try. If it doesn’t work, we go our separate ways. If it does, we have the best sex in the world for the rest of our lives.”

  Those last words jarred me. Was he seriously thinking this could last? And what about the problem of me leaving my self-respect on the floor to get stomped on?

  “Amelia.” One word. He wanted me to consent.

  “Okay, Sir.” I couldn’t believe I agreed. And I couldn’t possibly say no.

  “I don’t expect you to follow that book to a T. There are aspects I choose to handle differently, starting with eye contact, which I’ve already told you I prefer.

  “I’ll guarantee you several things. I won’t injure you in any way. That isn�
��t to say that I won’t spank you. But I won’t lay a hand on you in anger, and I’ll never leave a mark that lasts longer than a few hours.”

  I nodded. How was I, a grown woman, kneeling naked in front of a fully clothed man, accepting the fact that he intended to spank me?

  “You’ll have a safe word. Red for now. You’ll use it when you’re in pain, emotionally or physically. Understood?”

  “Yes, Sir.” At least there was that.

  “Many aspects of the book are up for negotiation. Many are not. For example, what we’re doing right now is playing. How much of our time is spent in that role is negotiable. We’ll explore it together and come up with an arrangement that suits us both. If the situation changes, we renegotiate.

  “On the flip side, as I said before, your obedience to me is not negotiable when we’re playing. The reason for this is I need you to trust me to know your limits and make the best choices. If you can’t trust me, we have nothing. I realize this is a huge thing to ask since you don’t know me yet, but I’m asking you to trust me and go all in.”

  “Okay, Sir.” Could I do that? Again, could I not?

  “Is there anything you can think of that needs immediate address?”

  “Yes, Sir.” I did. About two hundred things, but I would start with the most urgent. This job. “I worked hard to get this job. I don’t want you to favor me at work. I don’t want you to draw attention to the fact that you’re��seeing me. I don’t want anyone in this building to know about us.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “And I want you to let me quit.”

  “What?” He stiffened, his eyes going wide.

  “I can’t work for you and date you, or whatever this is. It’s insane. I can’t think around you.”

  He smiled. “I like that you can’t think around me. Glad I’m not alone. But no, you can’t quit.”

  “Cade—”

  “No, Amelia. Anything else?”

  I stared at him, my mouth hanging open.

  Cade narrowed his gaze. “No, Amelia. Absolutely not. I want to know where you are. You may not quit. End of discussion. I will, however, keep this private. That I’ll promise you.”

  “Mr. Alexander—”

  “Do not call me that again, Amelia.”