The Dominant
Authors: Tara Sue Me
TARA SUE ME
THE
DOMINANT
Copyright © 2013 Tara Sue Me
The right of Tara Sue Me to be identified as the Author of
the Work has been asserted by her in accordance with the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published in this Ebook edition in 2013
by HEADLINE ETERNAL
An imprint of HEADLINE PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by arrangement with New American Library,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Previously published in a Red Publishing edition.
Apart from any use permitted under UK copyright law, this
publication may only be reproduced, stored, or transmitted, in
any form, or by any means, with prior permission in writing of
the publishers or, in the case of reprographic production, in
accordance with the terms of licences issued by the
Copyright Licensing Agency.
All characters in this publication are fictitious
and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead,
is purely coincidental.
Cataloguing in Publication Data is available from the British Library
eISBN: 978 1 4722 0808 8
HEADLINE PUBLISHING GROUP
An Hachette UK Company
338 Euston Road
London NW1 3BH
Tara Sue Me
wrote her first novel at the age of twelve. It would be twenty years before she picked up her pen to write the second.
After completing several traditional romances, she decided to try her hand at something spicier and started work on
The Submissive
. What began as a writing exercise quickly took on a life of its own, and sequels
The Dominant
and
The Training
soon followed. Originally published online, the trilogy was a huge hit with readers around the world. Each of the books has now been read and reread more than a million times.
Tara kept her identity and her writing life secret, not even telling her husband what she was working on. To this day, only a handful of people know the truth (though she has told her husband). They live together in the south-eastern United States with their two children.
The Submissive
:
‘Tautly written, with smart, three-dimensional characters and scorching love scenes. . .a fantastic love story’ Christina Lauren, author of
Beautiful Stranger
‘For those
Fifty Shades
fans pining for a little more spice on their e-reader. . . the
Guardian
recommends Tara Sue Me’s Submissive Trilogy, starring handsome CEO Nathaniel West, a man on the prowl for a new submissive, and the librarian Abby, who is yearning for something more’
Los Angeles Times
‘The sex scenes are smoldering hot. . .
The Submissive
is a must read if you loved
Fifty Shades of Grey
. The writing is clean and very entertaining. I can’t wait to read
The Dominant
to hear Nathaniel’s point of view’
The Romance Reviews
‘A sexy and inviting kick-off to a new erotic trilogy,
The Submissive
should not be missed’
Romance Reviews Today
‘I HIGHLY recommend
The Submissive
by Tara Sue Me. It’s so worth it. This book crackles with sexual lightning right from the beginning. . .
The Submissive
has exceeded all my expectations. It has heart and the characters are majorly flawed in a beautiful way. They aren’t perfect, but they may be perfect together. Step into Tara Sue Me’s world of dominance and submission. It’s erotic, thrilling, and will leave you panting for more’
Martini Reviews
‘By the end of the first chapter I was hooked on the story and relationship of Abigail and Nathaniel. . . The book is told in first person so we only get Abby’s perspective of the relationship, but it’s one that I found real and compelling. . . This is one of those books that I will read and re-read’
The Book Reading Gals
‘Unbelievably fantastic!. . . Nathaniel is something special, and he has that. . .something “more” that makes him who he is and makes me love him more than all the others. Beneath the cold and detached surface there is a sweet and loving man, and I adored how Abby managed to crack his armour a tiny bit at a time. . . I can’t wait to continue this beautiful story’
Mind Reader
‘A blazing hot BDSM story between a billionaire and someone who’s admired him from afar. I really enjoyed this smoking tale and recommend it to erotic romance readers. . . I learned a lot about BDSM via Abby and Nathaniel’s relationship. I started to understand how things worked. . . I look forward to more books by Tara Sue Me. The sex between Abby and Nathaniel will have readers burning up’
Night Owl Reviews
‘Tara Sue Me’s
The Submissive
was a story unlike anything I’d ever read, and it completely captivated me. . . It’s an emotional, compelling story about two people who work to make their relationship exactly what they need it to be, and how they’re BOTH stronger for it’
Books Make Me Happy
By Tara Sue Me
In the Submissive Triliogy
The Submissive
The Dominant
The Training
Book Two in The Submissive Trilogy
Nathaniel West doesn’t lose control.
As the playboy CEO of West Industries, he governs the boardroom during the day; as a strict dominant with exacting rules, he commands the bedroom at night. He never takes on inexperienced submissives, but when Abigail King’s application comes across his desk, he breaks his own restrictions and decides to test her limits.
Abby’s combination of innocence and willingness is intoxicating, and Nathaniel is soon determined to collar her as his own. As long as she follows his orders and surrenders herself fully to him, no one will get hurt.
But when Nathaniel begins falling for Abby on a deeper level, he realizes that the trust must go both ways – and he has secrets which could bring the foundations of their entire relationship crashing down...
The continuation of the tantalising trilogy by Tara Sue Me that has captivated millions and inspired a genre.
To my parents, who instilled in me a love of books, and to my
in-laws for their support of my writing.
Maybe one day I’ll share my pen name with you all.
But probably not
.
The phone on my desk gave a low double beep.
I glanced at my watch. Four thirty. My administrative assistant had explicit instructions not to interrupt me unless one of
two people called. It was too early for Yang Cai to call from China, so that left only one other person.
I hit the speaker-phone button. “Yes, Sara?”
“Mr. Godwin on line one, sir.”
Excellent.
“Did I receive a package from him today?” I asked.
Papers rustled in the background. “Yes, sir. Should I bring it in now?”
“I’ll get it later.” I disconnected and switched to the headset. “Godwin, I expected you to call earlier. Six days earlier.”
I’d been waiting for the package just as long.
“I’m sorry, Mr. West. You had a late application I wanted to include with this batch.”
Very well. It wasn’t like the women knew I had a deadline. That was something I would discuss with Godwin later.
“How many this time?” I asked.
“Four.” He sounded relieved I’d moved on from his lateness. “Three experienced and one without any experience or references.”
I leaned back in my chair and stretched my legs. We really
shouldn’t be having this conversation. Godwin knew my preferences by now. “You know my feelings on inexperienced submissives.”
“I know, sir,” he said, and I pictured him wiping the sweat from his brow. “But this one is different—she asked for you.”
I stretched one leg and then the other. I needed a nice, long jog, but it would have to wait until later that evening. “They
all ask for me.” I wasn’t being vain, just honest.
“Yes, sir, but this one wants to service only you. She’s not interested in anyone else.”
I sat up in the chair. “Really?”
“Her application specifically states she will sub for you and no one else.”
I had rules about prior experience and references because, to be frank, I didn’t have time to train a submissive. I preferred
someone with experience, someone who would learn my ways quickly. Someone I could teach quickly. I always included a lengthy
checklist in the application to ensure applicants knew exactly what they were getting themselves into.
“I assume she filled out the checklist properly? Didn’t indicate she would do anything and everything?” That had happened
once. Godwin knew better now.
“Yes, sir.”
“I suppose I could take a look at it.”
“Last one in the pile, sir.”
The one he’d held the package up for, then. “Thank you, Godwin.” I hung up the phone and stepped outside my office. Sara handed
me the package.
“Why don’t you go home, Sara?” I tucked the envelope under my arm. “It should be quiet the rest of the evening.”
She thanked me as I walked back into my office.
I got a bottle of water, set it on my desk, and opened the package.
I flipped my way through the first three applications. Nothing special. Nothing out of the ordinary. I could set up a test
weekend with any of the three women and probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between them.
I rubbed the back of my neck and sighed. Maybe I had been doing this too long. Maybe I should try again to settle down and
be “normal.” With someone who wasn’t Melanie this time. The problem was, I needed my dom lifestyle. I just wanted something
special to go along with it.
I took a long sip of water and looked at my watch. Five o’clock. It was highly doubtful I’d find my something special in the
last application. Since the woman had no experience, it really wasn’t even worth my time to review her paperwork. Without
looking at it, I took the application and put it on top of my
To Shred
pile. The three remaining I placed side by side on top of my desk and read over the cover pages again.
Nothing. There was basically nothing differentiating the three women. I should just close my eyes and randomly pick one.
The one in the middle would work
.
But even as I looked over her information, my gaze drifted to the shred pile. The discarded application represented a woman
who wanted to be
my
submissive. She’d taken the time to fill out my detailed paperwork and Godwin had held up sending everything because of Miss
I-have-no-experience-and-want-only-Nathaniel-West. The least I could do was respect that woman enough to read her information.
I picked up the discarded application and read the name.
Abigail King.
The papers slipped from my hand and fluttered to the ground.
I was a complete success in the eyes of the world.
I owned and ran my own international securities corporation.
I employed hundreds of people. I lived in a mansion that had graced the pages of
Architectural Digest
. I had a terrific family. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I was content with my life. But there was that one percent . .
.
That one percent that told me I was an utter and complete failure.
That I was surrounded by hundreds of people, but known by very few.
That my lifestyle was not acceptable.
That I would never find someone I could love and who would love me in return.
I never regretted my decision to live the lifestyle of a dominant. I normally felt very fulfilled, and if there were times
I did not, they were very few and far between.
I felt incomplete only when I made my way to the public library and caught a glimpse of Abby. Of course, until her application
crossed my desk, I had no way of knowing if she even knew I existed. Until then, Abby had symbolized for me the missing one
percent. Our worlds were so far apart, they could not and would not collide.
But if Abby was a submissive and wanted to be
my
submissive . . .
I allowed my mind to wander down pathways I’d closed off for years. Opened the gates of my imagination and let the images
overtake me.
Abby naked and bound to my bed.
Abby on her knees before me.
Abby begging for my whip.
Oh, yes.
I picked her application up off the ground and started reading.
Name, address, phone number, and occupation, I skimmed over. I turned the page to her medical history—normal liver function
tests and blood cell counts, HIV and hepatitis negative,
negative urine drug screen. The only medication she took was the birth control pills I required.
I went to the next page, her completed checklist. Godwin had not lied when he said Abby had no experience. She had marked
off only seven items on the list: vaginal sex, masturbation, blindfolds, spanking, swallowing semen, hand jobs, and sexual
deprivation. In the comment field beside sexual deprivation, she had written, “Ha-ha. Not sure our definitions are the same.”
I smiled. She had a sense of humor.
Several items were marked “No, hard limit.” I respected that—I had my own hard limits. Looking over the list, I discovered
that several of them lined up with hers. Several of them did not. There was nothing wrong with that—limits changed; checklists
changed. If we were together for the long term—
What was I thinking? Was I actually thinking about calling Abby in for a test?
Yes, damn it, I was.
But I knew,
I knew
, that if the application were from anyone other than Abby, I wouldn’t even give it a second glance. I would shred it and
forget it existed. I didn’t train submissives.
But it was from Abby, and I didn’t want to shred it. I wanted to pore over her application until I had it memorized. I wanted
to make a list of what she had marked as “willing to try” and show her the pleasure of doing those things. I wanted to study
her body until its contours were permanently etched in my mind. Until my hands knew and recognized her every response. I wanted
to watch her give in to her true submissive nature.
I wanted to be her dom.
Could I do that? Could I put aside my thoughts of Abby, the fantasy I would never have, and instead have Abby, the submissive?
Yes. Yes, I could.
Because I was Nathaniel West and Nathaniel West didn’t fail.
And if Abby King no longer existed. Or if she was replaced by Abigail King . . .
I picked up the phone and dialed Godwin.
“Yes, sir, Mr. West,” he said. “Have you decided?”
“Send Abigail King my personal checklist. If she’s still interested after reviewing it, have her call Sara for an appointment
next week.”