Taken by the Tycoon (5 page)

“Never mind,” she sputtered.

“I’m just kidding. Really, I’m an open book. Let’s see… no other subs right now. I’ve had a few in the past. Had a couple of vanilla relationships as well, but no one regular.”

“Vanilla?”

“Yeah, meaning not kinky.”

“And how did that work out for you?”

“Not well, to be honest. But some women bring out my dominant side more than others.” He stubbed the cigarette butt out in the ashtray. “Like you.”

“I bring out your dominant side?”

He nodded. “You do,” he said, getting up and putting his clothes on.

He leaned over and kissed her. “Dear Violet, I could do this with you all day. But unfortunately, I have a meeting. How about I text you later?” His fingers wrestled with the tie around his neck.

“Here let me help you with that.” Violet knelt near the edge of the bed and finished tying his tie for him. “Perfect.”

He kissed her on the forehead. “You truly were a very good girl today. Next time I’ll bring my ropes.” His eyebrows lifted, the anticipation palpable for them both.

“Promise?” Violet asked saucily.

“If you are a good girl and promise not to touch yourself until I see you next week,” he said.

“What?”

He grabbed her by the waist and whispered in her ear menacingly, “That pussy of yours belongs to me.”

Her eyes widened. “It does?”

There was an intensity in his eyes she’d never seen before. “Do you want it to?”

She nodded.

“Say it.”

“Yes, sir. I want my pussy to belong to you.”

He nodded in response. “I’ll be in touch.” With that, he exited the hotel room without a glance back, giving Violet a prime view of his delicious backside and his strong broad back, slim hips. Damn, the man could certainly fill out a suit.

She pulled the covers up around her and considered what had just transpired between Stuart and herself. This made her shiver with desire, the kind she hadn’t felt in years. Covering her face with her hands, she wondered—what had she gotten herself into?

Violet’s phone rattled around on the counter.
Must be set on vibrate.
She was chopping onions for the wild rice casserole she was preparing for Margaret and herself. She finished stirring the ingredients together and spooned them into a greased baking dish then placed it in the oven. After setting the timer, she picked up the phone.

A text message from Stuart lit up the screen.

What are you doing?

A thrill zipped through her. He’d texted her!

She quickly texted back.

Cooking dinner. What are you doing?

Having a difficult time concentrating. I keep thinking about those magnificent breasts of yours jiggling in my face
.

A shimmer of delight washed over her. She, too, had been unable to keep her mind off their earlier tryst.

You’re bad
.

His reply lit up the screen.

You have no idea
.

That was the end of the messages, but the brief exchange kept Violet’s thoughts on Stuart all evening.

At dinner, Margaret mentioned Violet seemed distracted.

“Oh, I’m sorry, love. I’ve got a lot on my plate with Musical Mentors. We’ve lost a major sponsor and I’ve got to find another one right away.”

Later that evening, Violet retired to her room. She curled up in her bed and attempted to read, but had trouble concentrating on her book. Images of Stuart’s fantastic body, his inexhaustible cock, and that sly grin he wore kept replaying in her head.

She’d never had sex like that before, with a man dominating her so completely. It surprised her how easy it was to be submissive to Stuart. That sort of thing had never occurred to her before, and now he’d opened up a whole new world to her.

In “real life” she surmised she had more experience, make that wisdom, than Stuart possessed. But in the world of dominants and submissives, his knowledge definitely trumped what she’d learned from some measly Internet searches.

She re-lived everything that had transpired that afternoon. Every caress, every kiss, every thrust. Thinking about it, she became aroused all over again. Her pussy ached to be touched. Instinctively, she reached a hand between her legs before realizing Stuart had forbidden her from doing that very thing.

She stopped herself, cursing him in her head.

Would he really follow through and see her again? She didn’t want to build hopes just for them to be dashed.
I can’t let him disrupt my life. He’s too young for me, just a pleasant distraction
. She picked up her book again, determined to focus on something other than Stuart.

Her phone jangled.

“Hello,” she answered.

“Hey.” It was him.

“Hey,” she said shyly.

“Have you been playing with yourself?” he asked, a hint of “I caught you” in his voice.

“What?” she asked indignantly. “Of course not.”

“Good. I told you not to.”

He knew she’d been tempted. Oh dear, she felt like he knew all her secrets, but how could he?

“How would you like to meet for drinks Friday night?” he asked.

“Friday? Let me check… Um, okay, Friday’s good.” He couldn’t know her calendar was free every night this week.

“Great. How about the Ultimate Grill on Seventh? Do you know it?”

The Ultimate was a popular happy hour spot with the business set. Violet had eaten dinner there before, but she’d never attended their happy hour. Their Tex Mex cuisine was to die for.

“Sure, that works.” Her nails drummed the top of her bedside table. Just talking with him excited her and also made her jittery.

“Good. Would you like to meet me there, or should I send a car?”

“Thanks, but there’ll be no need for that. I’ll meet you there.”

“Six o’clock?”

“Wonderful. I’ll see you then.” She hung up, not trusting herself to converse with him further. She wanted to preserve a bit of mystery, but the very idea of that made her snicker aloud. After what they’d done today, she needed to drop the notion of there being much mystery left between them.

The Ultimate at six on a Friday. As happy as she was to spend more time with Stuart, it worried her to be seen with him in such a public place. What would people think? He seemed closer to her daughter’s age than her own. How old was he, exactly? She made a mental note to ask him. Would she look like a fool chasing around after a younger man?

Like most places, Sugarland was a hotbed of local gossip. While
she
might be able to fly under the radar, she doubted if Stuart Swearingen could.

What would her friends say? Her daughters’ friends? She considered how her ex-husband would react and smiled to herself. He wouldn’t like it.

Marvin was dating a young secretary at his company. Violet counted her blessings that her ex got together with his new girlfriend after they had divorced, rather than before. Divorce was bad enough without infidelity, and she couldn’t imagine how bad it would have been if there’d been another party involved.

Over the years, she and Marvin had grown apart, lived separate lives. On a good day they were two friends raising a daughter together. On a bad day they were two people who couldn’t stand the sight of each other.

But it hadn’t started out that way. She and Marvin had been college sweethearts. In the early days, he’d worked as an inspector at a local manufacturing plant while tinkering in his shop on the weekends. He’d invented a complex pulley system that could be implemented at his manufacturing plant and others like it. Violet had believed in her husband and his invention. For many years they sunk all their money into the patent process, existing on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and ramen noodles.

During those early years, when Margaret was a baby, they’d been a team. Later, when Marvin’s invention became mass produced and utilized by hundreds, then later thousands of manufacturing plants—he’d started to shut Violet out.

When she made suggestions, he discounted her. When she offered her help, he rebuffed her. He’d convinced himself he’d gotten to where he was all by himself, thanks to his intelligence. Rejected, Violet threw herself into her music again, playing late into the night while their daughter slept.

In hindsight, it amazed Violet how long you could sleep in the same bed with another person and never touch. The last time she’d tried to seduce Marvin, he couldn’t stay hard. Trying to be helpful, she told him about the drugs available now that could help with his problem. Perhaps he should see a doctor, she offered.

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say
. He’d blasted her, sputtered around, and then blamed
her
for his lack of interest.

Well, it was refreshing to know there were still some men who found her attractive. If earlier that afternoon was any indication, one incredibly eligible man did. Violet hugged herself. She’d never had a problem with low self-esteem, but having her value as a sexual partner validated and echoed by such an enticing and eligible man was divine.

Though she had no idea where things with Stuart were going, she intended to enjoy every moment of it.

Violet arrived a few minutes early at The Ultimate, hoping to scope out the crowd.

Whew! She didn’t see anyone she knew.

Finding an empty seat at the bar, she ordered a margarita, not sure if it was nerves or the anticipation of more mind-blowing sex that had her stomach all tied up in knots. Probably a combination of the two.

She observed the people in the bar and steadily sipped her drink. Her glass drained, she was about to order another when something tickled her neck.

Her hair was brushed back, and his moist breath blew in her ear, “Hello, gorgeous.”

She whirled abruptly. “Stuart!” Her greeting was a combination of reprimanding schoolmarm and flattered schoolgirl. He looked fantastic in a pair of navy blue slacks and a pale yellow button-down shirt. His sleeves were rolled up, giving her a glimpse of his sexy forearms, muscular and tanned, like a tennis player’s.

He stepped back, giving her an appreciative once-over. “Violet. Mind if I join you?” The casual grace with which he conducted himself worked like a magnet on her, drawing her to him. Life seemed easy for Stuart, and he made you want to be around him in hopes that things would be easy for you as well.

“Please.” She looked around and whispered, “But don’t you want to sit somewhere a little more private?”

“Why?” he asked, straightening his tie. “Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?” The corner of his lip turned up.

“It’s not… well, I… I thought you might be,” Violet stammered.

“Why would I be embarrassed? Or are you trying to hide me from your ex-husband? Still hung up on him?” He planted himself on the barstool next to hers.

“No, of course not,” she said, befuddled.

“Good. Because I’d hate to have to fight him for you.” He raised her palm to his lips and kissed the inside of her wrist in a slow, sensuous manner. Violet glanced around to see if any of the other patrons had noticed the intimate gesture.

“What’s that about?” he asked irritably, letting her hand drop.

“I’m sorry. It’s just…” she began, but was interrupted by the bartender taking Stuart’s drink order for a Jack and Coke.

When the bartender moved to the other end of the bar, she continued, “It’s just—you’re so much younger than me.”

“So what?”

He clearly didn’t understand what it was like to be an over forty-year-old woman, or what she imagined it would be like for everyone to call you a “cougar” behind your back.

She pouted. “Men. You never have to worry about anything. You can date younger women and everyone thinks it’s fine, but when a woman dates a younger man it’s a big deal.”

“It is?” He took a gulp of the drink the bartender placed in front of him.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know how it is!”

“I guess I don’t.” He shrugged.

She heaved a big sigh. “Seriously?”

“Seriously. I’ve never liked women my own age. Big deal. Nobody else’s business.”

Violet frowned. She hadn’t expected him to be so unconcerned about public opinion. With his wealth and position, she’d thought he’d be the type who towed the line and did what was expected of him. Instead, he seemed to hold the opposing philosophy that he could do whatever he damn well pleased. This made her like him even more.

“I don’t know. What do you mean you’ve never liked women your age?”

“I mean I’ve always liked older women. Guess I’ve always been attracted to women with more
experience
.” He raised an eyebrow seductively when he used the word “experience.”

“But why?”

“You’re full of questions. Is this what the rest of the night’s going to be like?”

She shook her head. “Not if you’ll just answer that one question.”

“Why I like older women?” he clarified.

“Yes.”

He rolled his eyes and took another sip. “It started with the nanny.”

“Your nanny?” Her heartbeat quickened. This man was full of surprises. She lowered her voice. “You and your
nanny
?”

“Well, by the time I was that age you would probably consider her more of a babysitter. But yes, and it got me sent away to boarding school. But it wasn’t until Harvard that I realized I liked to dominate women. The older women I met were much more game for that than the sorority girls at school.”

“But how did you know these older women then, if they weren’t girls from school?”

“I had this buddy who introduced me to the pleasures of bedding older women.”

Violet’s mouth hung open. She searched for words, but couldn’t come up with anything.

He continued, “Yeah, married women who stray are open to lots of things.”

“I’ll bet.” She pursed her lips in disapproval.

“Sometimes the husbands liked to watch…”

“Creepy!” Violet interjected. Was he trying to shock her? Because it was working.

To her surprise he agreed. “Yes, ultimately I realized that sort of thing wasn’t for me, but Violet, when you’re a young man—you will do all kinds of stupid things for a piece of tail. It wasn’t as odd as you would think. The husbands didn’t bother me too much. Occasionally they got jealous when I satisfied their wife better than they did. That led to some situations getting out of hand a couple of times.”