Power Play: A Black & White Collection Story (5 page)

“No kissing.”

“Why?”

She shrugged. “Kissing is intimate and I don’t think either of us is foolish enough to think this is anything more than fucking. This fantasy wager is made in the spirit of competition—winner takes all. Kissing doesn’t need to be a part of that.”

His gaze traveled to her lips and he considered her comments. If she hadn’t declared kissing off-limits, there was a good chance he wouldn’t have cared or wanted it. Now he couldn’t help but wonder what her lips would taste like. Would she offer soft, sweet kisses or would her lips battle with his for dominance, control? He rather suspected she’d do both.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Are you agreeing to the wager?”

“Do you agree to my condition?”

He nodded.

“Then I accept your challenge. I already know my first fantasy.” She offered him a wicked grin. “You might want to brush up on your submissive skills.”

He laughed. “I was about to tell you the same thing.” He extended his hand toward her and she accepted it. They shook on the deal. For the briefest moment, Reed considered using her hand against her, pulling her forward in an attempt to claim her lips.

She waited for only a second before removing her hand from his. “Game on.”

Chapter Three

Frankie sat across from Reed in the conference room and tried to fight back her anger, her frustration. She’d spent a week developing her bid for The Golf Connection, working close to eighteen hours a day. She’d busted her ass on her presentation only to receive a cursory pat on the head from the CEO of the company who just happened to be golfing buddies with the man whose painful death she was currently plotting. She’d known from the second they stepped into this room she’d been set up.

She rubbed her eyes wearily. Hard work wasn’t the only thing that had cost her sleep. She’d lain in her bed night after night, tossing and turning at the image of all the fantasies she’d like to fulfill with Reed as her lover. He’d played the stranger role to perfection, but there was so much more she wanted to try.

He’d become a perfect gentleman the moment their wager had been placed. No doubt biding his time until today, knowing perfectly well what the outcome would be. They’d actually spent the last week in relative peace, talking about their careers, the company, future plans and goals. There had been moments when she’d actually felt a kinship with the man, their paths were so similar.

Reed had popped his head through the door connecting their offices just prior to the presentations and wished her luck. She’d thought the gesture charming and friendly.

She scowled at him again. Snake in the grass.

“So it’s settled.” Marcus Pruitt, the CEO of the Golf Connection rose and shook hands with Brian. “Awesome ideas, Bri, Reed. Gonna be great working with you. See you Sunday morning. Nine o’clock tee time.”

She stood as well and pasted on a smile, shaking the asshole’s hand while silently cursing the good old boys’ society that seemed to rule everywhere.

“Good job, you two. Well done.” Brian was grinning from ear to ear, but Frankie couldn’t understand what in the hell he was so pleased about. Surely he’d known it was a done deal before his buddy at the Golf Connection ever walked through the door.

Her face flushed hot with anger as she recalled Reed magnanimously saying “Ladies first,” as they’d walked in the conference room. She’d offered her presentation—the campaign she’d spent no less than a hundred hours of her life on. Marcus had smiled politely through her whole speech.

Then Reed stood up. Within five minutes of his presentation, Marcus slapped the table and rose excitedly. “You nailed it, Reed. One hundred and twenty percent. This is exactly the angle I was looking for.”

He hadn’t even made his entire pitch. Brian pulled out contracts and Marcus’s name was on the dotted line before she could even think the word
sucker
. She’d been played for a fool.

Brian offered to walk Marcus out and Frankie followed. She opted for the stairs, instead of the elevator, hoping the extra exertion would burn off some of her anger. Unfortunately one flight of stairs wasn’t going to touch it. Maybe she should clock out for the day. Go for a ten mile run.

“Everything go okay, Frankie?” Jessica asked from her station behind the receptionist’s desk.

“Just peachy,” she said through gritted teeth.

She entered her office and slammed the door harder than she’d intended. Storming to her desk, she began packing up her stuff, preparing to leave for the day. She’d have Jessica cancel all her afternoon appointments. She’d had enough of this place to last her a lifetime.

A soft knock at the door between hers and Reed’s sounded. She closed her eyes and prayed for patience. Son of bitch was probably coming in to gloat.

He opened the door without waiting for her to bid him to enter. She turned, ready to eviscerate him for the rudeness, but he cut her off.

“I need to see you in my office, Frankie.”

She shook her head. “I’m leaving for the day.”

“This won’t take long. Be over here in five minutes.”

He shut the door before she could tell him to take his five minutes and shove them where the sun don’t shine. How dare he?

Then she recalled the wager. Surely he wouldn’t consider today’s set-up as part of the game. He’d cheated, stacked the deck against her.

No, she decided. Even Reed couldn’t be that callous.

She walked toward the door, only hesitating for a moment before reaching out and turning the knob.

“Come in and shut the door behind you,” he said when she stood in the doorway, refusing to budge. She was afraid to get too close to him. Afraid she’d lose the internal battle she was waging over kicking the man’s ass.

“Make it quick. As I said, I was just leaving.”

“Storming out, Frankie? Sore loser much?”

She narrowed her eyes. “That wasn’t a competition. That was a joke.”

“I don’t know what you mean. It was my bid he selected.”

“You cheated.” She crossed her arms over her chest, inadvertently drawing Reed’s attention to her breasts. She dropped them quickly, but it was too late. He moved closer.

“Cheated?” he asked, laughter in his eyes. “How could I cheat? We presented him with both options and he chose his favorite.”

“You play golf with the man. Obviously you pumped him for insider details on what he was looking for in his marketing campaign. Besides, he didn’t even watch your whole presentation. That was a set-up. Pure and simple.”

Reed shook his head, trying to look hurt, but not winning in the attempt. “I can’t believe you would think so little of me.”

She scoffed. “It wasn’t a fair competition. So the bet’s off.”

“No.” His voice was gruff, as he stepped closer. She wanted to take a giant step back, but she wasn’t about to give him the pleasure. She stood her ground even though his movement left him less than six inches in front of her. Much as it bugged her to do so, she raised her chin, looking up at him, refusing to drop eye contact.

“The deal still stands.”

“If you think I’m going to honor some bet when you—”

He reached out, gripped her waist, holding her tightly. Her hands instinctively flew to his upper arms. She tried to push him away, but his muscular arms didn’t budge. “Let go of me.”

“No,” he repeated. “I think it’s time you understand a few things about this world you’ve chosen to work and compete in. It’s dog eat dog, Frankie. Don’t ever let anyone tell you any different. I won that bid, regardless of the means, despite what you might consider fair play. I won. And you lost. Time to pay the piper.”

She started to contradict him, but his grip on her waist tightened and he pulled her closer. His erect cock rubbed against her stomach. She swallowed heavily. He was going to claim the prize, claim her. Of that there could be no question. She wanted to escape, run from the room, but she wouldn’t. She didn’t like to lose, but she did it with honor. While he may have used underhanded means to win, he had still won.

“Fine.” Once again she tried to shake off his grip, if only to buy herself an inch or two of space. “Tell me when you wish to collect on your prize and I’ll—”

“Now,” he interrupted.

“Now?”

He grinned, the look on his face proclaiming sex and victory. “Right now.”

She glanced back at the door. They were in the middle of his office in the middle of the day. Jessica was sitting just outside the door. Surely he was simply trying to annoy her.

“The door is locked. No one will disturb us. I made sure of that.”

“It’s highly unprofessional to even suggest that we do anything of a sexual nature here. I’m not comfortable with this. If you’d like, I would be perfectly willing to come by your place to—”

“I won the bet, Frankie. That means you’re mine. One sexual fantasy. I can take you any way I want to.”

“You’re not going to play nice, are you?”

His grin was wolfish and she wondered why she didn’t feel more threatened. Perhaps it was because she’d already entrusted her body to his very capable hands and he’d proven himself worthy of the task.

“I don’t remember
nice
being one of the requirements of the bet.”

“So what’s your fantasy?”

“Control.”

She fought to restrain the tremor that racked her body at his words. She didn’t give up control. Ever. Not at work, not in her relationships, and definitely not in the bedroom.

She shook her head slightly, wanting to protest his choice, but she couldn’t. She knew it. She’d made the bet and walked into this deal with her eyes wide open.

“Take off your panties, go bend over my desk and pull up that blasted skirt. I want to see your bare ass in ten seconds or you’ll be punished.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Ten, nine, eight…”

She stood spellbound until he reached five, and then her body reacted before her mind could talk her out of it. By the time he hit one, she was in the position he’d requested. She wanted to feel like a fool, but she was too busy marveling over the sudden gush of arousal gathering at the vee of her legs to summon the emotion.

He walked over to her and without preamble slapped her ass twice. His blows were hard, unexpected and she cried out.

Reed bent over her body as she lay prone against his desk. “That’s for being a smart ass.”

“Oh, I’ll show you a smart ass.”

Her words provoked him to spank her again. She wanted to shut out the impact of his hand striking her, but he made it impossible. He shoved her feet apart, dragging his hand along her slit from clit to ass. She shuddered.

She’d never let a man put her in this position, take control of her like this.

He leaned over once more. “Open your mouth.”

She fought like the devil to ungrit her teeth enough to obey. He pushed a finger between her lips. “Clean my finger off.”

His finger was soaked with her body’s juices. She licked the thick digit, squirming as the sensation of tasting her own arousal produced even more. Her body felt like he’d lit it on fire with just a few swats of his hard hand and a simple touch of his finger. Dammit. She wasn’t this sort of woman. What the hell was he doing to her? Her body and mind were engaged in hand-to-hand combat, struggling against the intensity of his touches, his demands.

“You’re soaking wet, Frankie. Your cunt is drenched. You love this.”

She wanted to refute his words as he removed his finger from her mouth, but the proof was suddenly sliding down the inside her of her thigh.

“Just remember payback is a bitch, Reed. You may have won this fantasy, but there are two more bids at stake. I’m about to kick your
it’s a man’s world
philosophy
down your throat.”

He spanked her again, his blows growing in intensity, strength. God help her if anyone was standing outside the door. There was no way they could mistake what was taking place in this room as she cried out louder after one particularly hard slap. Jessica was probably getting one hell of an education.

“Goddamn you,” she muttered when he pushed two fingers in to the hilt. The unexpected claiming sent her to the tips of her toes, her body responding to his touches, divorced from her brain. She was encouraging his rough thrusts, moving into each shove, silently begging for more.

She was mere seconds from having an orgasm when he withdrew his fingers, his hand resting on her sore ass.

“Fuck you!” she yelled. “Finish it.”

He chuckled and she started to push up, ready to do violence to the man if he didn’t stop teasing her. She needed to come.

A firm hand against her upper back held her to the desk. “No,” he said, his voice full of authority, his tone proving he wasn’t finished claiming his prize. “I haven’t given you permission to stand up.”

“I don’t need your permission.”

“The hell you don’t. Don’t make me gag you, Frankie.”

She opened her mouth, her words the only thing she had left to fight with.

“I mean it.” He punctuated his warning with a finger in her ass. She reared up, but he continued to hold her upper body against the hard top of the desk. His finger, wet from her juices, explored her ass and she couldn’t help thinking his touch felt almost clinical, like he was on some damn fact-finding mission.

“Why don’t you stop messing around and start using that finger like you mean it?”

He froze and for a moment, she feared she’d pushed him too far. She really didn’t want to be gagged.

“You might want to be careful what you ask for, Carlyle.” Despite his words, his tone proved he was playing with her, tormenting her for his own enjoyment. The worst part of this game, she decided, was how much she loved it. Her body was on fire, her skin sensitive to the touch. He’d managed to trigger every sexual need in her in one fell swoop. It was frightening, incredible.

His finger began to retreat from her ass and she clenched her muscles against his desertion before she could think better of it. Reed laughed lightly and she was torn between wanting to punch him in the face or knocking him to the floor and fucking the hell out of him. He continued pulling out until just the merest tip of his finger remained, then he pushed back in—hard.