Free Agent (6 page)

He waved him off. “Yeah, well, you do your job, and I’ll do mine.”

Randolph gave him a mock salute, turned, and left. Todd grinned all the way to the dugout. They didn’t call him Bent for nothing. The guy had a wicked sense of humor he would miss. When things were grim, he could always be relied on to lighten the mood. His fun-loving attitude had lifted the team out of a losing funk into a winning frame of mind on numerous occasions.

He sure hoped his next team had someone like Bent.

Not likely. He’s one of a kind.

Todd managed a decent game. He wouldn’t make the sports reels tonight, no interviews, but he’d played well. No errors. A single in the third and a ground-rule double in the eighth that should have been a homerun. Probably would have been if he hadn’t been thinking about how pretty Brooke’s ass was, rosy from those first few swats, instead of focusing on the ball. Next time he put his handprint on her ass, it would be to arouse, not punish.

The thought put a smile on his face that remained there—until later that evening when he pulled into a parking space in the parking garage half a block from The Dungeon. He hadn’t offered a woman a contract in years. There simply hadn’t been anyone he’d wanted exclusively. A night of pleasure here and there had been enough—up until last night.

He pulled the envelope from his pocket. The document inside was as much for him as it was for her, particularly in regards to the termination clause. He’d modified it to state a specific date when their association would come to an end. It would be a stark reminder to both of them not to look at the months ahead as the beginning of something it could never be.

The impulse the night before to bind her to him forever had been an aberration. Her trust had momentarily blinded him to reality, and holding her afterward had been a huge mistake. One he wouldn’t repeat. From now on, he’d make sure she was in a sound frame of mind and body before he left her, but that was all. No cuddling. No talking about…stuff. They didn’t need to know anything about each other except how they liked their sex. And he was going to devote the next few months to exploring the subject in depth.

Chapter Six

Brooke looked up from studying the label on her water bottle to see Todd lounging in the doorway. In a room filled with men in leather and women in less-is-more outfits, he stood out in his tailored, navy blue suit and power tie. She imagined him presiding at the head of a table surrounded by lesser mortals, in command without uttering a single word. He was a natural born leader. It was the way he held himself, as if he knew something no one else in the room did.

She sat straighter, the slight motion drawing his attention to her. Automatically, she moved her hands to her lap and cast her gaze down in deference to his authority over her. They hadn’t agreed on terms, hadn’t signed a contract yet, but she’d mentally made a commitment and her body knew it.

He took the chair across from her at the small table she’d claimed in the back of the social area. They would have a measure of privacy to discuss the agreement She had the sudden certainty he knew a lot more about contracts than she did. He probably dealt with complicated business deals every day in his outside life, whereas the only ones she was familiar with consisted of preferences for cake flavors and whether the bride wanted fondant or butter cream frosting.

“I have a contract.” He whipped an envelope out of his jacket pocket and slid it across the table to her. “Take your time reading it. Feel free to cross out and initial anything you aren’t comfortable with. If there is something you specifically want that I’ve left out, write it in.” A pen joined the envelope on the table.

All business. No wonder he could afford expensively tailored suits. No one in his right mind would dare argue with him when he had that look of complete concentration on his face. He’d be a force to be reckoned with in the boardroom. Or the bedroom.

The thought brought a flush of heat to her skin. She quickly reached for the envelope, slid the folded contents out, and smoothed them on the table in front of her.

Professional. Concise and well written with headings, subheadings, and bullet points. Either he’d done many of these or he had a secretary who did it for him. Lord, she hoped not. This was too personal for anyone else to see.

“My safe word is soccer?” she asked, latching on to the least personal item of all.

“Do you have something else in mind?”

She shook her head. “No. I wasn’t expecting that to be part of the contract. Can I ask why that particular word?”

“It will get my attention.” His smile, all playful innocence, lit a fire in her belly.

She had an overwhelming urge to crawl across the table, wrap herself around him, and kiss him. “Oh. You’re a soccer fan?” she asked instead.

The smile disappeared, replaced by the stern business face, which held its own appeal. Her heart skipped a beat.

“No personal questions.” He gestured to the creased papers. “It’s in there.”

Sure enough. Section two. Point three.
“No discussion of our lives outside the confines of The Dungeon will be allowed except when pertinent to arranged meeting times or when they might otherwise interfere with the terms of this contract.”

“What, exactly, does that mean?”

“My job takes me out of town frequently. It will be necessary at times to discuss travel dates, as they will impact when I can be here for you. You might have late nights or early mornings at work, family obligations. If you have a swim party coming up, you might ask that I not leave any marks that would show when you wear your swimsuit. These are things I need to know.”

“Thank you. I appreciate your consideration.”

“I’ll always take care of you. Sometimes, like last night, it will be necessary to punish you. I don’t enjoy leaving those marks, but I do like to see evidence of the pleasure I bring you. Certain marks are meant to be reminders, to extend the pleasure for as long as they last, for you and for me.”

Her ass was still pink from his punishment. It didn’t take much to leave a mark on her fair skin, and they tended to linger, sometimes for days. “I understand.”

She read on. At the end was a list of various types of play with instructions to put a checkmark beside the ones she absolutely did not want to explore. Hard limits. He remained silent while she read, considered, and checked off boxes. When she finished, she was surprised to see how few she had ruled out. She slid the completed forms across the table.

Wringing her hands in her lap, she waited while he flipped through the pages. She hadn’t made any changes, but she guessed he wanted to make sure he hadn’t missed something. When he got to the last page, he took his time with the list of hard limits. At the end, his gaze moved back up the page to one particular item she had left unchecked.

“You like to be watched?” he asked, one eyebrow elevated.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. It’s a fantasy of mine, you know?” She paused, searching for the right way to express herself.

“I need to know,” he said, encouraging her. “I can’t make your fantasy come true if you don’t clue me in.”

“I know. It’s just…I don’t want just anyone to watch. I want
you
to watch.”

“That’s why you didn’t check off additional partners.”

“It’s just a thought. I’m not sure I would want to do it, but I didn’t want to mark it as a definite hard limit. Just in case.” She was babbling, talking too fast to cover her nervous embarrassment. If she couldn’t voice her fantasy to the man she wanted to make it a reality, how on earth could she ever go through with it?

“We’ll see. I’m not opposed to the idea. We have a limited time together, and I want to help you explore your limits. See what you’re capable of. So, when I’m gone and you seek out another master, you’ll have a better understanding of your submissive nature.”

“About that,” she said. “You’re leaving in November?”

“A transfer. I wasn’t looking for a long-term relationship. I told you that upfront. I don’t know why I’m doing this, but after last night….”

“I know. I felt the same way, too. I want more time with you, sir. If all I have is these next few months with you, then I’ll take it.”

He spun the papers around to face her, slid them back to her side of the table. Decision time. Six months with Todd as her master. Or nothing. He hadn’t said as much, but it was implied. If she didn’t sign the contract, he would walk out and she’d probably never see him again.

She picked up the pen and signed her name in the designated spot. He stretched one hand across the table. Brooke placed the pen in his palm. He pulled the papers to him, spun them around. Head bent over the document, he glanced up at her and smiled.

He fixed his signature to the line below hers, folded the papers, and slid them back into the envelope. “I’ll bring you a copy next time.”

Standing, he tucked the envelope back into his pocket, and reached out to her. She allowed him to pull her to her feet.

The top of her head barely came to his shoulder. He exuded power. A shiver, part fear and part exhilaration at having trusted her life to this man, ran through her.

“It’s going to be all right. I won’t hurt you.”

You already have.
She kept the thought to herself. She’d agreed to the contract, knowing his leaving would shatter her heart. But that was her problem, not his. She put on her bravest smile and said, “I know.”

“Room nine is ours again. I’m going to change into something more suitable, and I’ll be there in a few minutes. I don’t want to waste a single minute of our time together, so while I change I want you to go to our room, remove your clothes, and wait for me on your knees. Leave the two-way mirror open. We might as well begin working on fulfilling your fantasy tonight.”

***

She was perhaps the strongest woman he’d ever met. She’d been brave enough to confess to her fantasy, and he’d pushed her a step beyond what she had admitted to, telling her to leave the two-way window open. It had been a test, one she passed with flying colors.

Brooke had no idea what she was capable of, but he knew. She had the power to change all his plans. The contract said six months, but if he wasn’t careful, he’d be here for a lifetime trying to make her fantasies come true, and that wouldn’t do. He deserved some happiness of his own, and a big, fat, eight figure, seven-year contract would accomplish that. Since the Mustangs couldn’t or wouldn’t offer him what he wanted, he
would
be leaving. Just not right now.

Six months.
He’d teach her what she needed to know about herself as a sub. She’d come out of their liaison in a better position to find a long-term relationship with an experienced master, and he’d enjoy regular gratification for a change.

He’d never wanted exclusivity with a sub, but the idea of this one doing what she’d done to get his attention for anyone else made him caveman crazy. Even letting someone see her like this, naked and vulnerable, was more than he was willing to do yet—no matter he’d promised to test her limits in that regard. He would. Just not today.

Thank goodness the room he’d reserved was at the end of a hallway so no one had an excuse to go that far down unless they’d been invited. Nevertheless, he’d changed into his leather pants, vest, and boots as if the place was on fire in order to get back and make sure no one was taking an unauthorized peek at what was his.

Mine.

The word felt foreign, but when he said it out loud, “Mine,” it tasted sweet.
I’ve got her. So, what am I going to do with her?

“Make her happy,” he mumbled to the mirror. “I’m going to make her happy.”

She didn’t look up when he entered, another giveaway that said she had some experience in the role of a sub. The knowledge both reassured and annoyed him. He stopped in front of her, dropping the bag he’d brought from home at his feet.

“You’re beautiful.”

Her pert breasts begged for his touch, and since touching them would bring both of them pleasure, he gave in to the impulse, testing their weight and the way their generous size fit the palms of his hands.

“Has anyone ever clamped these?”

“No, sir.”

He rolled both nipples between his thumbs and forefingers. Already taut, they grew harder. “Look at me.”

She raised her face. Tugging gently on her nipples, he watched her reaction, saw the flush of arousal, the slight flare of her nostrils and softening of her mouth.

“You like that?”

“Yes, sir.”

He pinched the tight buds between his fingers and tugged harder. She inhaled sharply at the initial pain. Her jaw quivered slightly as she absorbed the sensation.

“Good. Very good.” He knelt in front of her and eased the sting by placing his palms flat over the tender skin.

Her gaze automatically dropped.

“Look at me. I didn’t tell you otherwise.” Once he had her attention, he continued. “We’ll start slow with your nipples. Light clamps for a short period of time at first. I’d like to bind your breasts at some point. Perhaps even have your nipples pierced later on. There’s a woman who does them here, by appointment.”