Power Play [Pleasure Playground 2] (15 page)

The morning after was still a new concept for her and would take some getting used to. Or maybe today seemed difficult because last night's revelations still taunted her. The pretty woman who'd found her tied to the bed had insisted that she looked exactly like Daegan's dead wife.
A wife
. She sat heavily on the toilet seat. Not that she didn't come with her own baggage from the past. She fleetingly thought of her unwelcome phone call from yesterday before shutting it out.

Why should she be so surprised he'd been married before? A Dom like him wouldn't be unattached for long. While she'd never sought any long-term attachments, she'd heard plenty of other women talk about what they were looking for. Sexual domination, structure, and on many occasions, discipline. Daegan had all of those things in spades. In the past she'd easily brushed any stray thoughts of more than club play from her mind and kept her focus on work. Until now...

Exactly as the bastard had designed. Without her work to act as a buffer, other things consumed her thoughts. Mainly Daegan and how he made her feel. She hadn't even thought twice about coming here when she'd been upset. He'd made it easy for her to turn to him and in his absence, she'd made do with a form of his control by using the restraint he'd left on her bed.

Her stomach fluttered at the remembered safety of it. The closeness she'd felt with Daegan... Jennifer shook her head and tried to break free from those thoughts. Was she crazy? Next thing she knew, she'd be replacing pleasure with love. Love. Her spine straightened. No fucking way. It had only been a few days since their night in the Dark Room. Nobody fell in love that quickly. Especially not her.

What about his wife
? her conscience nagged.

Did she really resemble his wife? The thought made her stomach cramp. It would be bad enough to get attached, but it would be even worse to get attached to someone who was so obsessed with his dead wife that he was looking for a replica. He'd said it wasn't true. Blonde hair and body type could simply be a coincidence.

"Jennifer, are you all right?” Daegan wiggled the knob she'd locked behind her. “Why is the door locked?"

"Habit,” she answered. That and she needed to be alone with her thoughts. She wasn't ready to talk to him yet.

"I've got a meeting this morning uptown. I have to leave soon."

"Okay."

"Jennifer. I don't like this. We shouldn't be having a conversation through a door."

"I'll be out in a few minutes. If you need to go ahead and go, I understand.” Torn between running into his arms and hiding out in the bathroom, she hoped he'd let it go.

"Jennifer,” he growled.

No such luck. On a weighty sigh she gave in and went to the door, unlocked it, and peeked out. He stood scowling in front of her. Before she could say anything, he pulled her into his arms and banded her tight against him. “You're acting like my jackrabbit. So skittish. What's wrong?"

She pressed her nose into his chest and shook her head. This wasn't the time to get into it.

Daegan wrapped his fingers in her hair and tugged her head until she lifted her gaze to meet his. “You're so stubborn. Almost too much.” He bit at her lip, sending a sudden shiver of sensation through her body. “Do you always fret this much?"

"I'm not—” He covered her mouth with his and seared her with a hard kiss. His tongue pushed past her lips to slide against hers until she moaned in response. He touched her breasts and cupped her ass, making her forget what she'd been so worried about. He made it impossible to keep a level head in his presence.

His touch picked up tempo, and she pushed against the immovable wall of his chest. “You have to go."

"I have time.” He began undoing his pants. “You need this."

She shook her head in denial, waiting for him to call her the little liar she was. Instead he pulled a condom from his pocket and rolled it on. The immediate heat and wetness between her thighs would give her away the instant he touched her.

"If I didn't have a meeting to get to, you'd be on your knees sucking me first."

"But—"

"Enough. Stop talking now."

She managed to hold her tongue, but the groan of need slipped unbidden from deep within her. Why bother protesting? She wanted him so bad it hurt.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her from the ground. “Wrap your legs around my waist, love. If you spent half as much time feeling as you do thinking, this wouldn't be so hard for you."

She locked her legs behind his back and sucked in a sharp breath when the head of his cock probed at her wet folds.

"See? Hot and slick gives you away every time.” He lowered her onto his shaft, impaling her one slow, sweet inch at a time. Her tissues stretched to accommodate him, giving her a sense of fullness that made her head spin.

"Ahh,” she moaned. Sex had never been like this. She grabbed on to his shoulders to steady herself while his hands cupped the globes of her ass. His fingers dug into her flesh seconds before he thrust into her—rough. When she attempted to lift her hips, he growled, “I don't think so.” He tightened his hands and drove harder.

Helpless to do anything but feel, she squeezed her fingers, digging her tiny nails into his skin. Every new stroke sent shocks of pleasure careening through her system. On a hard thrust, he pushed her into the wall and released one ass cheek. He rolled and pinched a nipple between his fingers to hard, painful points. Under the onslaught of sensations, all her reservations fled her mind, leaving her a writhing mass of hungry need.

"Please, Daegan."

"Look at me,” he ordered. She was so close she couldn't think straight. “Dammit, Jennifer. Look at me.” He nudged her face, forcing her to lift her head. “Ask me properly, and I might say yes."

"What?” Realization dawned as soon as the word left her mouth. Instead of admonishing her like she'd expected, he thrust harder inside her, taking care to drag his cock across her clit on each stroke. “Please, Sir. Make me come,” she whined.

He pressed against her clit, making her whole body go rigid and taut. Her muscles clenched around him.

"Come now, love. Hurry.” He stroked deep and fast inside her. She thought she felt him swell.

Bright light flashed in her head, shooting skyward as her climax seized her and sent her careening into the nothingness. Her body jerked uncontrollably several times, dragging him over the edge with her. He came on a shout, hard and fast, his balls slapping her flesh. He buried his length inside her, pushing her tight against the wall and barely giving her space to breathe.

Shuddering from the shock waves of pleasure, she wrapped her arms around his neck and held on for dear life. Emotions roiled through her, out of control. Underneath the fear threatening to drown her, she heard the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. She nestled closer and focused on the cadence of his breathing. He'd practically dragged her out of the bathroom and fucked her against a wall. Hot, fast, and dirty, and she'd loved every second of it.

What was happening to her?

"Don't do it, love,” he murmured against her ear.

"What?"

"Don't try to analyze what just happened. I needed to have my stubborn sub, and I did. I only wish I had more time."

How much time did he want exactly? A week? A month? Forever?

Those thoughts left her scrambling to get out of his arms. Common sense overrode the crazy thoughts he planted in her head. No matter how hard she tried, she didn't know how to be what he wanted.

Daegan let her go on a sigh. Once on her feet, she longed to find something to cover up with. She started for the bed until a hand at her wrist stopped her.

"We shouldn't have done that.” There wasn't any other way to say it.

A dark cloud passed over his face. “And why the hell not?"

"It's getting too complicated. I'm not a replac—” She barely stopped before the word came out. Although from the expression on his face, it was already too late.

"Jennifer,” he warned. “Be very careful what you say next."

"Why? Am I right? Will you punish me for that?” She wanted to bite back the words. This wasn't the rational way to deal with this.

"Is that what you want me to do?"

"Of course not."

He lowered his face till their noses practically touched. “Little liar. Still afraid to accept what you want."

Torn between shoving him away and dropping to her knees, she ducked under his arm and slipped free from his grasp. “Like you said. Now is not the time for this. Don't you have a meeting to get to?"

She grabbed her shirt from the floor and tossed it over her head. “I don't have any more clean clothes. I need to go home this morning before I report to duty with Eve.” A shower in her own apartment sounded heavenly at the moment.

Daegan glanced at his watch. “Unfortunately, I do need to go.” He kissed her cheek. “I'll call you later. We're definitely not done here."

"I don't know..."

He tilted her head until their gazes met. “We are not done. Isn't it about time we both stopped running?"

Tears welled in her eyes. Dammit, why did she always have to cry? She had a reputation at the club of being frigid, yet she cried all the damn time. It was ridiculous.

She gave him a slight nod. “Fine,” she whispered.

He chuckled. “So stubborn.” He pressed another kiss to her lips. “Play nice today."

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Daegan headed to work with an optimistic outlook despite the reservations still plaguing him. Jennifer had slipped into the role of submissive with such ease, even she hadn't noticed. It chapped his ass that Cathy was the one who had found her tied to the bed instead of him. His little sub's need to find comfort in his restraints made his dick rock hard every time he thought of it.

Unfortunately, when he thought about why, a darkness spread inside him. Her family pissed him off. Why anyone in their right mind found it necessary to be so cruel to another human being made his head hurt. He was certain if he knew all the details of the phone call she'd received, he'd be on his way to Florida right now, not a meeting uptown. A fierce need to protect her washed over him. She deserved to be cherished and cared for. He shoved his fingers into his hair and scrubbed his face. Was he getting too close? Jennifer's needs were rooted in her past with a deep-seated desire to love and be loved. Not that she accepted that.

He couldn't take another repeat of Claire. If Jennifer didn't have a handle on her submission, how far would he be expected to take her? He didn't want a slave. He loved that Jennifer had a career and had no intentions of interfering once they got beyond the walls she built around herself. He laughed. Not that he'd have any trouble pulling her back if she got out of hand again.

There was no shame in needing or needing to give discipline. He relished the idea of setting rules and protocols that would keep her naked and ready any time they were together. But for the most part he simply wanted her sexual submission. If she butted heads with him on occasion, all the better. He wanted the challenge.

Claire had gone so deep in her role as his slave, he'd spent every waking moment dealing with every detail of their lives. From the time she woke up to the time she went to bed, he had to plan every minute for her or she'd curl in a ball and accomplish nothing. Over time he'd gotten tired and begun to dread going home.

Guilt ate away at his stomach like an insidious acid every time he remembered their life. She was his wife, whom he'd vowed to love forever, and all he could remember was the bad. No wonder Cathy hated him so much.

He doubted Jennifer would stay with him if she knew the whole truth. He'd been reluctant to mention his wife because if she asked for the details, he'd give them. Lying about it simply wasn't in his nature.

Stop.

He needed to keep his attention on Jennifer and what she needed. Her past didn't preclude her from a happy future. She only had to learn to believe. Her heart and body needed to overcome her brain. No matter how much she resisted him, when he took control and gave her orders, she melted every time. Hot, slick, and needy. The depth of her arousal pulled him in, giving them both the outcome they were looking for. It was a yin and yang type of thing. They fit. God, did they ever. Even now thinking about how hot she became when he fucked her made it bloody hard to concentrate on his work. For the first time in a long time she gave him something to look forward to besides a job.

What then? If they continued to enjoy each other, and he coaxed her from the hard shell she withdrew in. What then? When this job was over, would he simply help her find a permanent Dom and return to his old life in Ireland? He could return to his old routine and find a nice sub to serve him when he needed it. The thought didn't entice him at all. She'd slipped under his skin and getting over her would take some time.

Daegan tried to imagine another Dom touching Jennifer, tying her to a bed, and sliding his dick into her sweet cunt. He rose from his chair.
Mine.

His gaze swept his desk. There was a pile of paperwork he had to get to. The day was slipping away, and he needed to focus and finish. He wanted to spend all evening with Jennifer, and that wasn't going to happen if he didn't get his head out of his ass and concentrate on the job. They'd have all night. And what a night it would be. He needed to explain Claire. But first there was a matter of some punishment.

The end of the day came and went without so much as a break for Daegan. It wasn't until the sun went down that he realized just how late it had gotten. He picked up his cell phone and called Jennifer. She didn't answer. With a frown on his face, and a bad feeling, he left his office and headed down to Altered Ego. There was still a chance she and Eve had worked late, and he'd find her amid empty boxes and paint cans. He stepped into the cool interior of the new jewelry store and stopped in shock at the transformation. Two days ago when he'd signed off on the go-ahead to begin setup, he'd left them with a blank white square. He turned to one side and then the other. The walls had been painted a deep blue color with some of Chase's amazing photography hung strategically around the room. One picture of Jennifer caught his eye, and he moved closer.