Bared by the Billionaire (17 page)

She closed her eyes then, caught up in the sensations, reliving the memory. “That’s when you started spanking my ass.”

Kyra’s eyes flew open and she screamed as she felt the crack of the hairbrush.

“Like this?” Harmon asked, drawing back his arm and letting fly with another harsh whack.

She was face up on the pillows, her knees to her chest and her bottom completely exposed. Instinctively, her hands flew down in a futile attempt to protect herself.

“Don’t even think about it.” His voice was rough. “Grab that vibrator with one hand and use the other hand to spread yourself apart so you can hold it right against your clit.”

Kyra moaned. The moan turned into a wail when he hit her again. With her legs up and apart, her bottom cheeks didn’t have any cushioning from his blows. Every whack seared her flesh like a branding iron.

He spanked her hard and fast, finally stopping to yank the vibrator out of her hand. “You’ve already come without me, remember? You don’t get rewarded by being allowed to come again.”

He got up over her then, straddling her body as he brought his cock to her mouth. “Now it’s my turn. Suck it. Suck my dick.”

Kyra opened her mouth. He rammed his cock down her throat and she struggled to take it in. Harmon fucked her mouth with the same raw fury he’d used to spank her ass. This was no game. This was no virtual world fantasy. It was all him. Demanding. Relentless. Powerful.

She felt his body tense and heard his harsh cry as he shot his come down her throat. Kyra closed her eyes, unwilling for him to see the hot tears welling up. She felt him get off the bed, heard him pull up his zipper. Then his hands grabbed her head, turning it toward him.

“I thought we were building something together, Kyra. I thought this was all about
us,
that you were happy and content to get your sexual satisfaction only from your dom. I didn’t realize that anybody—or in this case any
thing
—would do just as well for you.” He picked up the vibrator. Then, as an afterthought, he reached down and slowly pulled the plug out of her ass. “I’ll take the toys with me—since you can’t be trusted with them.”

He turned and walked out of the room without another word, leaving Kyra to sob her heart out, feeling empty and ashamed.

* * *

Harmon walked out of the room, shaking inside. He headed for the gym, determined to sweat off the remnants of his anger. He’d taken no real pleasure in that orgasm. It had been all about getting even. He tried for nearly an hour to get into a workout, but he kept seeing Kyra’s tear-streaked face, the misery in her eyes.

Finally he left the gym and headed for his private office. Without really thinking, he sat down behind the desk and found himself scrolling through his list of contacts, looking for someone he could turn to, someone to answer the questions he hadn’t even formed.

Dr. Matthews popped up, the last psychologist he consulted. Matthews was old, probably close to retirement age. But the guy had been surprisingly hip. Maybe because by now he’d seen and heard it all. Jake glanced at his watch as the phone rang, relieved to see that it was only ten p.m. Hopefully Matthews wouldn’t consider it too late for a call from a patient he’d seen only a handful of times.

He introduced himself.

“Jake. My man. What’s up?” Matthews’ voice was warm.

“I hope you don’t mind my calling, but I’ve got a problem and I don’t know where to turn.”

“That’s why I get the big bucks. Talk to me.”

Somehow it was easier to spill things out on the phone than it ever was when he was sitting in front of the guy. He told Matthews everything. Wanting someone he could actually have a relationship with, finding a hot chick with an incredible brain who was into domination. He laid it all out, talked about how he’d always been drawn to that as well, but had never found anyone who gave him the thrill he sought. Then he met Kyra.

Harmon described a little about her circumstances and his decision to bring her into his life. “I even did some in-depth research into the D/s lifestyle before approaching her.”

Matthews chuckled. “Of course you did. I would have expected nothing less from you.”

“I set things up, offered her a deal she couldn’t refuse. She moved in here and went to work for me. During the day, she’s been fantastic—a real asset to my business. After hours, things were going great too. It all clicked for me, for the first time in my life. Tonight I got home from a business trip and went straight to her room. I even bought her a present. I guess I had my hopes up. I fell into my own trap—set up a fantasy where she’d throw herself into my arms and we’d have a really hot night.”

“And it didn’t happen.”

“Hell, no. In fact, it was a disaster. She did something she shouldn’t have while I was gone, never mind what, and it pissed me off. I was furious. I deliberately humiliated her and punished her harder than I ever have. Then I walked out and left her in tears. She was the one who broke the rules. But I’m sitting here feeling like a total shit.”

“I’m going to tell it to you straight. You probably were a total shit.”

Harmon was speechless. No one ever talked to him like that.

“You’ve been brutally honest with me and I’m going to do the same with you, Jake. In my line of work, over the years I’ve learned some things about the D/s lifestyle from people who live it full time. In many ways, it’s no different than any other relationship. Being a dom doesn’t mean you get to take out all your anger and frustration on your sub/partner. She’s where she is because by now she truly cares about you. That’s why she accepts and even welcomes your discipline. The key word here is discipline. If you look up synonyms for it, you’ll find words like training. Correction. Control. Teaching.”

Matthews went on. “You said you bought her a present. You reached out to her, allowed yourself to be vulnerable. But it didn’t turn out the way you hoped it would. My guess is, below the anger, you felt hurt.”

Harmon wanted to argue, tell Matthews he was wrong. But instead he found himself saying, “Yeah, maybe I was hurt by what she did.”

“You made a mistake and punished her when you were angry,” Matthews said. “It wasn’t out of love or concern for her, to help her become a better person. It was to make her hurt, because you were hurting. That’s not domination. That’s not discipline. That’s retribution. And punishing someone as retribution, even in a D/s relationship, is wrong… because it doesn’t come from love or caring. It’s selfish.”

Matthews went on without a pause. “What every guy wants in a relationship, whether D/s or vanilla, is a woman who shows us that we come first in her life—sometimes even before her own needs and desires. As a dom, you’re going to be drawn to strong women. There’s no thrill in dominating a woman who just rolls over and does everything she’s told.”

“That’s for sure. I’ve had a few of those women, doing whatever they thought I wanted, hoping to score a rich boyfriend. Kyra’s not like that. You’re right. She’s got a mind of her own.”

“That makes her submissiveness to you a gift—a gift given freely, from her heart. And you have a huge responsibility to honor that gift. That’s why after a punishment spanking, you make sure to treat her gently. You show her all is forgiven and you still care about her. The slate is clean now and you’re willing to start over because she’s really trying to do her best to please you. Nobody’s perfect, Jake. She’s going to fuck up. Sometimes on purpose, just to show you she’s not a doormat. That underneath she’s still the strong, independent woman you fell in love with.”

Jake broke in. “I’m not in love with her. She’s just someone I spend time with when I’m not working… and someone I work with.”

“Of course not. Sorry. My mistake.” But Matthews didn’t sound sorry. In fact, he sounded mildly amused. “As you know, therapists don’t normally give advice. So I’m going to tell you this as a man, Jake, not as your therapist. A man who’s been in a wonderful relationship for over thirty years—and I’ve had to work my ass off every day to keep it that way. A relationship only succeeds if both partners keep on working at it. This woman is special. She’s helping you become a better human being in ways I never could. The fact that you, Jake Harmon, reached out to another person tonight for advice proves it.

“You have some work to do now, Jake, if you want this relationship to continue,” Matthews declared. “Go to her. Tell her you were wrong to do what you did. Tell her you’re sorry… and ask her to forgive you.”

“Thanks, doc. You’ve given me a lot to think about.”

Jake said goodbye to the doctor and hung up. He sat unmoving for a long time. Then he picked up his phone to send her a message. A text was waiting. It must have come in while he was busy in the gym.

I’m so sorry. Please forgive me and give me another chance.

He stormed out into the hall. Without even knocking, he yanked open the door and strode into her room. Kyra was huddled on the bed, eyes closed, her face streaked with tears. Harmon realized she must have waited anxiously for him to respond to her message and finally given in to exhaustion and disappointment, crying herself to sleep.

“Matthews is right,” he muttered out loud. “I am a total shit.”

He knelt by the bed and took her gently in his arms.

“Kyra. I’m the one who should be sorry, babe. I hope you’ll forgive me.” Kyra opened her eyes and stared up at him. Before she could respond, he went on.

“I shouldn’t have punished you like that. I wasn’t only angry. I was hurt. I felt like I didn’t matter to you.” She started to say something then, but he put his finger to her lips, knowing he’d never have the nerve to bare his soul like this again if he stopped now.

“All my life, I’ve had trouble relating to people. I locked up my feelings inside, and my inventions, my creations, became my whole world. Since I’ve been with you, I’ve felt for the first time that I’m connected with another person. When I came in here, saw that vibrator and knew you’d used it to bring yourself to orgasm, it felt like I was just another machine to you, another mechanical device. If Jake isn’t available, well, there’s always something else that can satisfy you.”

She threw her arms around his neck. “Oh, Jake. Don’t you see? Don’t you understand? It was
all
about you. I got so aroused thinking about the things you’ve done to me, the things we’ve done together. Making myself come while fantasizing about you was a way to have you with me last night even though you were far away.”

He kissed her then, softly. And she kissed him back.

She pulled away and looked up at him with a mischievous smile on her face. “Permission to speak, sir?”

He looked down at her, wondering what brought the grin to her face. “Granted.”

“I understand now that what I did was wrong. Next time, if you’re out of town, and I get so horny thinking about you that I can’t stand it, may I call you? Then with your approval I’ll play with myself while we’re on the phone. I’ll describe what I’m doing all along the way.”

“No. That won’t work for me.” He saw the sudden flash of hurt in her eyes and hurried on, with a stern expression on his face. “Here’s what we’re going to do.
I’ll
call
you
next time I’m away, when
I
get horny… and you’ll do every nasty thing I tell you to do in front of the webcam I’m going to install in your bedroom. While I watch. And you won’t come until I say you can—or you’re getting a spanking over my knee as soon as I get home.”

“Oooh. What kinds of nasty things will you make me do?”

His hands moved then, roaming down her body. “I’ll make you do this… and this… and if I’m really horny, I’ll tell you to do
this
.” He slid into bed beside her, kissing her again. She kissed him back. But this time, instead of being soft and gentle, her kiss held a dark intensity that stirred his soul even as it awakened his raging manhood.

Chapter Thirteen

Harmon stared, unseeing, at the holographic images dancing across his computer screen. He had a hard time concentrating these days, and it was all because of her. Try as he might, he couldn’t relegate Kyra Thornton to one convenient corner in his life. She kept cropping up everywhere.

Last night, they’d spent the whole night together again, in his bed. She seemed to end up there more and more these days. He’d been alone for so long that at first he automatically sent her back to her suite after a session in the lab. But the night he’d brought her back to his room and pleasured her after punishing her so severely, he found himself waking every few hours to the warmth of her arms wrapped around him. Once he’d even rolled over and cuddled her tight against him, feeling her heart beating, listening to her soft breathing, as he fell asleep again. Now he found himself reaching for her in the darkness and a pang of loneliness hit him if the bed was empty.

Carmen was always singing her praises to him. At first, she’d grudgingly accepted Kyra’s presence in the penthouse. His cook and housekeeper saw herself as a surrogate mother to Harmon and she was determined to protect him from harm, especially harm he was naive enough to inflict on himself. She assured Harmon that she didn’t object to him having the woman as a sex partner, but she made it clear that he was a fool to include her so fully into his business and his life.

But over time, Kyra won her over. Not by trying. Simply by being herself—warm, caring, genuinely interested in other people. Now Carmen treated Kyra like the daughter she never had, teaching her how to make authentic Cuban food while they giggled and gossiped together in the kitchen.

Kyra managed to win the respect of his security force, too. She often ate meals with them and he’d hear them all sometimes, laughing and joking in the casual dining area adjoining the kitchen in the penthouse. Marcus was teaching her to kick-box and she was even giving Slade advice on his love life. The guy was crazy about Natalie but clueless when it came to what women want.