Caught: Punished by Her Boss (3 page)

That was the main thing that still kept her tethered to this day job and the warehouse unit. Once she got solvent again, she’d hit the road and go legit, renting real studio space and maybe even hiring someone to help her shoot more professional videos and to update her website.

Meanwhile, though, she realized she’d become complacent and gotten careless. This morning, suddenly faced with the very real possibility of losing her job, Jessie had felt as if the rug had been pulled out from under her. She was supposed to be the one in charge, the one in control, the one who had successfully played her boss and fooled them all.

That stupid jpeg popping up like that had changed everything, throwing her whole world off balance. If only Eric had given her the laptop. She was pretty sure it was clean, but what if there was something else lingering on there? Though she’d always been careful to keep her history log clear, she knew there were other ways to find out where she’d been.

Damn it, she would just have to pray her boss was too stupid to find anything incriminating. One thing was sure—she’d need to empty out the warehouse unit before he caught on to her. She didn’t dare go during the day—she’d need a truck to haul the stuff out and couldn’t risk being spotted. Good thing it was Friday. She’d rent a truck and go there tonight. She would load all her gear and return the cameras and equipment she’d borrowed to the office.

Maybe she could still get out of this without Eric being any the wiser. She’d always been a good actress—the proper, eager-to-please worker bee act had been a great cover. Eric, Tony and Blake had bought the whole enchilada. Over the two years she’d worked at the advertising firm, she had acquired an entire wardrobe of the ugly, boring clothes and hideous old lady shoes that helped her get into the proper headspace for the role. When she dressed in the mornings and pulled her hair back in a tight, unflattering bun, staring in the mirror at her face, completely devoid of makeup, she would slip into that alternate personality. After a while, it had become almost second nature.

That had been her mistake. She had gotten careless, assuming no one would ever catch on to her secret life. It was the shock of how it had happened, as much as anything, that had thrown her so off her game.

When she got home that morning with her mind in turmoil, the unopened bottle of bourbon one of her submissive clients had given her had looked awfully inviting. Now, as she struggled to answer the phone, she realized she must have had more than she thought. It had burned going down, but the burn felt good. Each successive swallow had pushed Chapman and her troubles a little further from her mind, until she’d fallen into a deep, sweet sleep, filled with beaches and naked slave boys and iced drinks.

Eric was still talking on the answering machine. “I want you to come into the office tomorrow at—”

Finally Jessie got the phone into her hand, righting the bourbon bottle at the same time, the reek of the spilled liquor filling the room. “Eric! Are you still there?”

“There you are. Yeah. I’m here. I’d like you to come in tomorrow morning. Nine o’clock. We have some things to discuss.” He sounded calm enough, but she could hear the edge in his voice. He wasn’t asking her—he was telling her.

Still, he hadn't said pack your things and get out. Maybe he hadn't figured things out as she’d feared. Maybe she could still get out of this free and clear. Best to go along with whatever Eric said for now to buy herself time while she figured out what to do next. Hopefully he would just deliver another lecture about her moral deficiencies and what it had cost the firm. She’d play the meek card big time and ramp up the tears.

“I’ll be there, Eric,” she replied in a tiny voice.

As soon as she hung up, Jessie hauled herself off the couch and went into the kitchen, where she made a strong pot of coffee. She drank two cups and made herself a sandwich. Feeling considerably more sober, she drove to the Lowe’s near her apartment complex and rented a truck.

Once it got dark, she headed over to the office in the truck. She pulled into the lot, relieved to see it was empty. She parked the truck just beside the entrance to the warehouse and hopped out.

Glancing left and right, she quickly let herself into the building and moved toward the studio. Stopping in front of the unit, she inserted the padlock key into the lock.

That was odd. It wouldn’t turn. She tried again, and again, but it wouldn’t budge. What the hell? She bent down, looking more closely at the padlock. It looked different, she realized.

A cold finger of panic moved down her back, sliding like ice along her spine. Though it looked the same at first glance, the padlock she’d used had been a different brand from this one.

Someone had changed the lock.

She heard a rustling sound and swung around. Eric stood there, his smile grim. Somehow he’d entered the warehouse without her hearing. Clearly, he must have been waiting for her. He was holding up a padlock key.

“Looking for this?”

Chapter 2

“
Dios mio
, you scared the crap out of me!” Jessie’s tone was strident, even indignant. She was dressed in a tight-fitting black tank top and black jeans over worn red cowboy boots. Her dark hair hung down past her shoulders and the color was rising in her cheeks.

Eric lifted his eyebrows, amused and intrigued by this new persona—the
real
Jessie, he now knew. He stepped beside her and put the key into the padlock he’d purchased that afternoon. Opening the door to the unit, he gestured her inside.

“Care to show me around?”

Instead of entering the space, Jessie took a step back. “Look, it’s not what you think—” she began.

“Oh? And what is it I think? Why don’t you tell me, Princess Lola.”

She turned her large, dark eyes on him. They filled with tears but Eric remained unmoved. “Please, Eric,” she said, now using the soft, submissive voice she used in the office. “I—I wasn’t doing any harm. I’ll get it all cleared out right away.”

No harm, except nearly killing some poor fucker,
Eric thought, but he held his tongue, not yet ready to tip his hand. “What’s your hurry? Aren’t you going to give me a tour? You’ve got quite the setup here.”

Jessie’s eyes darted nervously past Eric, her hands clenching and unclenching at her sides. As her eyes narrowed, Eric could tell she was weighing her chances, trying to decide if she could somehow get away. She took a sudden step to the side, but Eric, anticipating the move, took a long stride toward her, positioning himself between her and the exit.

He put his hand on her upper arm. “You’re not going anywhere, Jessie. Don’t even think about it.”

With obvious reluctance, Jessie allowed herself to be propelled into the room. Eric quickly closed the door and used the unit key to lock it. Jessie watched, biting her lip, anger and fear warring on her face.

Pocketing the key, Eric moved toward the rack of BDSM gear and picked up a wicked looking cat. “You really need to know what you’re doing to handle one of these, eh?” He put it back, lifting out a flogger with dozens of thick, soft leather strands. Running his fingers through the supple leather, he turned to her with a smile. “I prefer one of these babies, at least to start with.”

Jessie’s eyes widened.

“What?” Eric asked with feigned innocence, enjoying the look of surprise on her face. “Think you’re the only one with secrets?” He put the flogger back and selected a cane, whipping it through the air, smiling as Jessie winced.

The cane still in hand, Eric sauntered over to the high-end video camcorder—his camcorder. “Were you planning to clear this stuff away too?” He looked her over, dressed as she was in black, like a criminal come in the dark of night to clean out the place and disappear.

“No, no, of course not!” Jessie exclaimed. “I would have returned it. I just forgot this time. Um, I mean, this was the first time—”

“Spare me.” Eric cut her off. “I’m not going to believe a word you say, so save the act.” He turned to face her. “Cut the crap, Jessie. You’re busted. I found the link. I know about your site. I know
all
about it.”

He watched Jessie’s face to see how she reacted to this, but her expression was hard to read. “There’s nothing illegal going on. I swear,” she said earnestly. “I don’t have sex with those guys for money. I just make the videos and post them on the site. That’s all.”

“That’s all, huh? And just how much are you grossing for this little operation?”

Jessie frowned, her face closing. “That’s none of your—”

“Business? Oh, I think it is. You’ve been using my property and my equipment to record your dirty films. I want to see the books. I want to see how much you take in and I want a piece of the pie.”

Jessie opened her mouth, as if about to protest, but then she stopped, shock and confusion registering on her face as she digested what he’d said. Clearly she hadn't expected his wanting in.

“That’s what I said,” Eric reiterated. “A piece of the pie, a share in the profits.”

“You have no right—”

“I think I do. Your little indiscretion this morning cost me a bundle. I want restitution, and I want it in cold, hard cash, babe.”

He moved toward her and she backed away, fear sparking in her large, dark eyes. He was easily a head taller and a hundred pounds heavier than she. He could break her in half if he wanted to. He continued to advance upon her until he’d backed her against a wall. Placing a hand on the wall on either side of her shoulders, he leaned down, moving in close.

“You’ll agree to my terms and you won’t make a peep of protest, you hear me? You won’t try to take off. If you do, I’ll find you, and I’ll make your life a living hell. You see, I’m onto you,
princess
.” He paused, watching her eyes widen, aware he had her. “I found the outtake, Jessie. I saw how you nearly killed that guy. I’m sure the police would be very interested in that video—”

“No, listen to me—”

“No, you listen to
me
. This isn’t just about you and your sordid little porn site. What you did could have ruined me. It might still come back to bite me in the ass.” Eric tried to control the sudden rush of fury as he again contemplated the ruin Jessie could have, and might still bring down on his head. “I don’t know what little arrangement you made with that guy to keep him off your back—”

“It’s all taken care of. I paid for his medical bills and gave him a lump sum as compensation. He’s a good guy. He won’t make any trouble.”

“Uh huh, sure.” Eric stepped back. “I’m not sure you get just how serious the implications are of what happened during that shoot. The accident occurred on company premises, and there was activity going on that
clearly
is not specified in the terms of my lease. Even if it wouldn’t stick in the end, this guy could cause me serious trouble if he took it into his head to sue us. The publicity alone would be enough to destroy this company’s reputation beyond repair. This is even worse than your fuckup with Franklin Foods. That’s one account. This kind of negative publicity could put me out of business. Your incredible lack of judgment might end up being the ruin of me and all I’ve worked for. You owe me and you’re going to pay.”

Jessie seemed to shrink in on herself, closing her eyes. Eric reached for her, putting his finger under her chin. “Look at me, and pay attention.” He waited until she opened her eyes, keeping his finger under her chin. He felt a sudden, hot surge of power moving through his loins. What would it be like to dominant this woman? She was no stranger to real BDSM, not like the women he’d dated in the past. She would know what it meant to submit. She could dish it out, but could she take it?

Ignoring the sudden tug in his groin, Eric continued. “Here’s how it’s going to be. You’ll stay on at Chapman Advertising during the day, and after hours you’ll continue your porn biz. However, there’s going to be a change of venue. We’ll use that truck you have outside and move all this stuff of yours to my basement.”

“To your basement? Are you kidding me—”

Eric put his hand over Jessie’s mouth, excited by the fear flickering in her eyes. “Shut up. I’m talking. You’re listening. Got it?” He kept his hand clamped hard over her mouth and glared down at her until she finally nodded.

Satisfied, Eric took his hand away. “As I was saying, I’ve got a basement—a rarity around here, but the place was built by an architect in the mid-fifties who was convinced we were going to be bombed at any moment by Soviet missiles. He spent a fortune having the ground dug up when most other builders were already using concrete slabs. The basement is water tight—I’ve never had a leak, not even during the worst flooding. It’s soundproof too, which will come in handy in your particular business.

“There’s a separate entrance through the garage. We’ll bring your, uh, clients in through that way. You’ll be safer, too, with me around. Where the hell did you pick those guys up, anyway?”

Jessie shrugged, some of the fire returning to her eyes. “BDSM clubs, Craig’s List, the usual.” She put her hands on her hips. “Look, I’ve had to make it on my own since I was seventeen. I rely on nothing and no one and that’s how I like it. I know what I’m doing. I’ve never had a problem.”