Restraint (Mistress & Master of Restraint) (7 page)

You’ve got to be shitting me!

“Don’t take that off…ever,” I imitate Master Ez’s voice and accent, nastily twisting the words. “No, shit! I guess he meant that. I wasn’t even given an option. He hijacked me in the hall, and pulled me into a dark room, and clicked the bitch in place. You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I hiss at the ceiling.

I gently thump my
forehead into the booth’s tabletop. I’m such a fool. One taste of lust-filled excitement and lose my ever loving mind.

“I’m stupid…” thumps my head. “Stupid...” thumps my head. “I let him distract me,” I chastise myself for allowing arousal to overpower my survival instincts.

Queen’s burst of laughter draws me up from scowling at the bracelet while I envisioned the freedom of taking it off. I smirk to myself, knowing exactly how I will be spending the rest of my evening.

Master Ez, you tricky shit, don’t underestimate me. You don’t have to give me a choice, I create my own.

Master Ez is going to learn that I am not submissive, I do not listen and follow instruction, and he’s going to rue the day he decided to play with me.

“Tha
t’s not all, look at the lock.” I see her eyes drift towards Fate’s wrist cuff. My eyes light on the padlock with Queen’s emblem adorning it.

I raise my arm and examine the lock
in the light. It looks pick proof and I don’t have a key- a challenge wrought is a challenge accepted. The impression on the face of the lock is an unbreakable circle of the word
Restraint.
Unlike the other bracelets, the letters hook together as a chain, a real raised chain. Inside the circle are the letters
E Z
created out of perfectly cut black diamonds.

“Jesus, I’m wearing thousands of dollars
’ worth of bracelet on my wrist, no wonder there’s a lock on it.” I shake my head in wonder. Either Master Ez put the lock on it so no one would steal it from me or he’s worried I’ll pawn the sucker.

“That’s not why there is a lock, Ho
ney.” Queen’s look of pity shakes me. Why the pity?

A flash of insight strikes my mind like lightning.
I was worried about the lock and the worth of the bracelet. The finality of the letters finally sinks in.

“I’ve been pwnt by the Boss.” I glance around t
he room trying to sight my new Master. I know he is watching. He is the Boss, ever knowing. I whisper, “Game on, bastard.”

Chapter
Six

My body is running on fumes and black coffee after staying up too late last night. Making matters worse is
the fact that I’m arguing with Monica… again.

“He’s the author, it’s his vision,” Monica’s whiny voice irritates.

We’re waiting on a very late and irresponsible Mr. Abernathy. Monica is allowing her emotions to cloud her vision. She’s been championing for Abernathy’s book all morning long, and I’m at my wit’s end. It’s a piece of shit and I wouldn’t want to put our publishing house’s name on it. Monica’s more worried about soothing her lover’s wounds.

And I’m just about ready to torch the bitch… the book… not Monica. Alright, maybe she could hold the book while I poured gasoline on it and lit a match… yeah… that’s the kind of day I’ve had.

“My job is to make sure Abernathy’s work makes sense.
Yours is to make sure it’s written properly. Your opinion doesn’t count.” I slam the draft on my desk. “And neither of our jobs is to blow smoke up Abernathy’s ass. If it sucks, I’m saying it sucks!”

“You can’t tell him what to write. I won’t let you.”
She defiantly hisses while scowling at me.

“Oh yeah,” I scoff. “What are you going to do about it?” I rhetorically ask, and I don’t give her time to respond because she’s gathering steam to give it right back to me. “Shut it,” I warn. “I don’t give a shit. I’m in charge. You do your job and I’ll do mine.” I move around my desk, lean my ass on its edge, and invade Monica’s personal space.

“Maybe I could do your job
better. Did you ever think about that?” She isn’t intimidated by my closeness and it unnerves me.

A haughty smile spreads
my lips as I cross my arms over my chest. “Nope, that thought has never entered my mind.”

“Ladies,” a
n amused, deep voice says from my open door. I could have sworn I shut it- in fact, I know I did.

I look up and my eyes enlarge
, my snide response quickly dies on my parted lips. Mr. Zeitler pleasantly smiles as he enters my office and flows across the floor to sits next to Monica in my other guest chair. His knee brushes mine and I freeze up. His proximity intimidates me as I’d hoped mine would intimidate Monica. She isn’t intimidated by Zeitler, either. She comfortably sits here with an anticipatory smirk twisting her lips.

I move to the other side of my desk
and sit in my office chair. “Um… Welcome, Mr. Zeitler.” For some reason my greeting ends with an upward inflection like it’s a question. I’m thrown from his appearance in my office. I was expecting the elusive Mr. Abernathy.

“Ms. Waters,” he
warmly says, a slight purr in his tone. “Ms. James,” he says with affections. I realize that I’m at a disadvantage. Monica and Mr. Zeitler know each other. He’ll probably take her side in the battle over Abernathy’s disaster.

“When will Mr. Abernathy be joining us?” I ask to fill the awkward silence. It’s awkward for me, not them. Monica looks vindicated now that our boss is here. Mr. Zeitler pleasantly smiles and it brightens his stormy-gray eyes.

“I’m sorry, he had pressing business elsewhere,” he says of the bratty author’s absence. Yeah, I’m sure he did. My boss knowingly smirks at me. The handsome bastard somehow knows what I’m thinking.

“Were we discussing Mr. Abernathy?
” surprise is thick in his voice, but I’d bet the entirety of my bank account that Zeitler was listening at my door before he enters- his timing was way too perfect. “Abernathy is a special case for us. I need an update on his progress. Monica what’s your opinion?” She preens under his attention.

As I watch his side-profile, t
he corner of his full lips lifts. I watch him as he looks at Monica, but I can feel one of those piercing eyes trained on me.

“I think we should let hi
m write his novel as he envisioned it. Katya has a different opinion, don’t you?” She sets me up to take the fall.

If Monica
thinks I would lie to anyone about anything she has another thing coming. Go ahead- throw me under the bus, Bitch. I’ve been there often. It’s my home base.

“Truthfully, it sucks.” I meet Zeitler’s gaze straight on. “The timeline is a disaster. The worst is the integrit
y of the storyline. If this was a standalone I wouldn’t care, but he has rewritten his own history for the series. I want it completely scrapped.”

“You’re wrong,” huffs
my editor. She tauntingly grins at me waiting for the battle to begin. She has me between a rock and a hard place. I either let this drop and look incompetent or I hold my position and deal with her. Either way, I’m fucked... and not in the way that makes your sexy parts tingle.

Boney bitch!

That’s it! I’ve had enough of her shit. Normally, I would’ve ignored her jabs, but not in front of Zeitler. It makes me look like I can’t control my own staff. Which is worse, throwing down with your underling or letting them run wild?

“I d
on’t give a fuck what you think, Monica,” I twist her name with that same annoying tone she uses on me. “As I’ve said countless times, you do your job and I’ll do mine. You’re the editor because you’re as imaginative as a white crayon.”

A masculine bark of laugher brings my head up. Last I remembered I was talking to Zeitler, now
I am leaning over Monica, seething. I hadn’t realized I’d moved. I’m losing it. I shake my head to clear it and sit at my desk. I hide my shaking hands in my lap.

“Ms. Waters if I were to tell you to leave it as is, what would you do?”
Zeitler tries to suppress his laughter. He gazes at me like I’m the most amusing thing he’s ever seen.

I think about his question
for a moment. I see things as black and white most of the time. The only time my world enters shades of gray is when I’m in my imagination. I lean my elbows on the desk and rest my chin in my open palms.

“Ultimately
, that is your decision to make, sir. It’s your money, and your company’s name that will look foolish. You want it kept as is, don’t add my name to the work. Personally, I think Abernathy’s just phoning it in. Before I take on a new client I read all of their works. His previous works were flawless. I will agree with my editor, Alec, it’s like Abernathy’s distracted. You can feel it page after page.”

“
Yes, Abernathy has been extremely distracted for a long while now,” Zeitler muses as he gazes at me. “So be it. I will tell him to scrap it.” He slaps his palms on his thighs signaling the finality of his statement.

Monica abruptly jumps up from her chair and bolts for the door. Well, I will pay for this later. She may have no imagination, but she is highly aggressive when it comes to retaliation.

“Don’t blame Monica too harshly.” Did he just roll his eyes? “Mr. Abernathy is the one who brought Monica into Edge Publishing. They were an item,” he whispers conspiratorially. Huh? Mr. Zeitler likes to gossip.

“That explains why Monica has
made my life a living hell for the past eight hours.” I lean back in my chair and wonder why Zeitler’s still here. What does he want? I’m at a loss.

“That’s an interesting bracelet
,” Zeitler croons. “May I?” He reaches over to take my wrist. I tried hiding the damn thing inside the cuff of my shirt, but I hadn’t realized it escaped- sneaky platinum bastard.

My boss’
warm hand engulfs mine, and he runs his thumb over my wrist in soothing circles. The sensation feels vaguely perverse, like Master Ez’s hand cupping my breast- salacious and seductive. It looks innocent to the outside observer, but inside me, it ignites my libido. I suck in a large breath and hold it. I have to close my eyes to regain my composure. What is wrong with me?

When my
eyelids lift, Mr. Zeitler is staring at me, studying my response. The way my body warms to his touch assures me he is in the lifestyle. I don’t doubt it for a second. I feel his need mirroring my own.

I tilt my head to the side and study
him as well. I want to watch his reaction to my bracelet. Zeitler’s lips lift in a devastating smile, enjoying my eyes on him. He’s an arrogant bastard, I’ll give him that. His fiancée is a lucky woman.

“Someo
ne has excellent taste,” He softly says as he lovingly caresses the lock like a lover’s flesh.

“It’s a very nice dog tag or maybe…
an expensive leash,” I say snidely.

Yes, that was extremely rude to both Mr. Zeitler and Master Ez, but I can’t get the thing off my wrist. I’ve tried everything I could think of to the jimmy the lock. I even went as far as trying to cut the thing off. I would have slid it over my small hand, except I swear I was measured for fit.

Kayla enters my office, leaving me to wonder what response I would’ve received. My eyes glue to her. Earlier in the day, she’d had on a tight sweater buttoned up, leaving little to the imagination. Now her buttons have lost their fight from the strain of holding her tits. Her shirt is gapping just enough to catch sight of her bra. I can’t stop my eyes from feasting on the flashes of flesh as she approaches.

Her beautiful
, light pink bra is sheer and I can see her perfect, pink nips peeking at me. I close my eyes against the sight of her bouncing towards me.

I look at Zeitler and he has a smug look on his face, extremely satisfied. I’m sure it’s not with me. I doubt anyone one would feel proud of their female employee ogling their female assistant’s assets. Maybe he enjoys the view as well.
It is a nice view.

“
Ms. Waters, this came for you earlier.” Kayla leans around me and places a wrapped box on my desk. As she rises, her breasts brush my forearm, begging for my attention. I’m starting to think Kayla is a little tease. I’m sure her buttons unhooked themselves, and there was a reason to brush herself against me. Naughty Kayla, you better hope you don’t meet me in a dark alley sometime.

I raise an eye
brow at Mr. Zeitler’s expression. It’s as if he can read the wicked thoughts scrolling through my mind.

“Thank you, Kayla. Excuse us, please.” I don’t look away from my boss as Kayla slides the box in front of me and sashays from the room.

Since Zeitler isn’t leaving, I examine my package. I try to block out the fact that the perfect square foot package is wrapped in paper with little logos. I don’t react or I would run from the room as if were on fire… and the package contained a bomb.