Temptation to Submit (6 page)

Tori held her mother until Betty fell asleep. Nancy didn’t say anything, thank God.

The next morning, though, Tori was a raw nerve, tired and emotionally drained. She sure as hell wasn’t up to banter with Finch. But she needed the money. She needed her damn job.

Maria showed up at ten minutes to nine, but it took Tori thirty minutes to get to the office. When she walked in, she knew she was in trouble. Finch had his arms crossed and glared at her.

“Come into my office, please, Ms. Rodgers.”

He shut the door behind her, and she realized she was terrified. Why, she wasn’t sure. But what shocked her into silence was that along with the fear, she was aroused. That couldn’t be normal. She was just tired, fucked up from the weekend.

On his desk was one stapled stack of papers, and he picked it up and handed it to her. “Read the fraternization clause, Ms. Rodgers.”

“I’ve read it before,” she snapped.

“Read it,” he insisted sternly.

“‘If any employee of ConFed declares themselves available for a Dominant/submissive relationship within the confines of company policy, they shall be employed by the most senior officer for such a relationship.’” She glanced at him. There were so many smart-ass things she should say like,
Is this ConFed’s version of eHarmony?
but the words dried up in her throat. After all, she usually mouthed off to Finch regularly, and she needed to misdirect him from that fraternization clause. If she didn’t need her job so badly, she would have.

But she couldn’t help the longing she felt too. She wanted to explore her kinky side in real life, not just online, but she was afraid of what she might uncover. Well aware she was damaged goods, she didn’t want to start revealing all that shit that probably lay beneath the surface. She made men run like hell most of the time anyway. Imagine if she started accessing all that crap during sex?

“Now, read section four.” His lips were tightened, and he seemed angry with her.

She focused on the words. “‘Punctuality is required for all job positions. Notification and reason must be given for lateness. An employee who is late for work will be reprimanded. If they are more than ten minutes late, the employee will receive a written reprimand.’”

Shit. Tori knew three write-ups in a six-month period led to termination.

Finch took the papers from her. “Your reason for being late?”

She could lie. She could say that she woke up late. For a moment, she considered it. Then she realized she couldn’t. Not to Finch. “I don’t have one.”

He didn’t seem surprised. “I see.”

She was aware that one write-up was not a tragedy. But she couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t have this issue again. Once again, it seemed like her job was on the line and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.

“I am going to give you a choice, Ms. Rodgers.” He sat in his desk chair and leaned back. “I won’t write you up, but you will receive a spanking for every minute you’re late.”

For a moment, she was stunned. “A spanking.” She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. Suddenly, a spanking was all she wanted from him. No. She couldn’t go there.

“You’re familiar with the details of that action. It’s part of the fraternization clause in your employee agreement.” His tone was nonchalant.

“You want me to agree to a Dominant/submissive relationship?” No way. Hadn’t she decided that she was too fragile for this? Hell no. “I can’t.”

“You can.” He held her gaze. “What is holding you back?”

She raised her eyebrows. “Other than the obvious problem of fucking a coworker? Too many to name.”

“Okay. Fucking is off the table.” He pulled out his keyboard and started typing. “What else? I’m willing to negotiate.”

“This is insane,” she muttered.

“I will add that you wish to remain clothed, no intercourse, and will have a safe word.” He finished typing and printed out the document. “Or would you prefer to take the write-up? I get the impression that you don’t.”

“That’s blackmail.” She glared at him.

“Yes, it is.”

She stared at him. Did he realize she had him by the balls? All she had to do was say yes to his suggestion, and she had him on sexual harassment. “You do remember the sexual harassment policy, right? You spent two hours going over it with me, Nell, and Gina at the conference.”

“I remember it.”

“I could crucify you,” she told him. What was he thinking?

He met her gaze. “I’m making you an offer. If you believe what I’m doing is sexual harassment, then I’ll deal with it.” The chair creaked when he stood up.

She forced herself to remain still as he stepped closer to her, his face serious. “You may not believe this, but I want you to be able to explore that side of you that you’ve ignored.”

Right. Sure he did. “You’re so altruistic, so unselfish. What a guy,” she said sarcastically.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong,” he said softly. “I’ll be hard as a rock. But I’ve made you a promise, in writing. No direct skin-to-skin contact unless you ask me to.”

“But you’ll touch me.”
Finally!

“I’ll spank you, just as I said.” The heat off him was incredible and tempting.

“And if I don’t let you spank me, you’ll write me up.” And she’d lose her job.

“Victoria, you need this.” He stood there, solid, reassuringly constant, and waited for her to decide.

Just the thought of him spanking her made Tori’s heart flutter and her skin tingle. Why she felt she had to be punished led to feelings she didn’t want to examine at the moment. The fact was, he was offering her an easy out. She had no idea how long this thing with her mom would go on.

“All right, Finch.” She met his gaze. “I’d rather take the spanking than lose my job.”

A muscle in his jaw moved. “Are you sure you don’t want to explain why you’re late?”

She couldn’t tell what he was thinking from his face or his voice. “No, I don’t. I’ll take the spanking.”

His lips tightened. “As you wish. Read and sign.” He placed a contract in front of her.

“What is this?” She studied it. It was an agreement stating her terms and his. Her responsibilities were clear. She was to accept his punishment at any time he believed she’d committed an infraction. Then there was a list of infractions.

She swallowed. This was it. Once she signed this, she was in a “Dominant/submissive relationship.” Why wasn’t she running like hell? She closed her eyes. Because she wanted this. And she wanted it with him.

When she’d met him, there’d been an instant connection, a spark. And then, Gina told her that Finch was a Master complete with his own damn personalized paddle for submissives who misbehaved. It had fired her imagination, fueled her fantasies, and made her horny as hell. No one else did that to her. Only him.

After all, Finch wasn’t the only ConFed executive Gina had mentioned. But he was the only one Tori couldn’t get out of her head. No matter what she said out loud, in her heart, she knew Finch was offering her something she wanted. Maybe even needed.

She took a deep breath and picked a pen up off the desk. As she signed her name, the bands around her chest loosened. She could stop fighting it now.

He took the papers and said, “Bend over the desk.”

She licked her lips. “Now?”

“Now.”

She bent over the desk, the border of his blotter pressed into her just below her breasts. Instinctively, she put her hands over her ass, as if to protect herself. Finch used his left hand to shackle her wrists and slid them up to the small of her back. The restraint made her wet, and she shifted to move her aching pussy against the edge of the desk.

“Hold still,” Finch ordered.

Her breath was short already, and he’d barely touched her. She dropped her head to the surface of the desk and groaned. Just the act of bending over had made her so needy, so damn vulnerable. How had he known?

Gina had once said that with the right Dominant, a submissive could drop out of reality in a heartbeat with just a word or a touch. Now Tori understood what she meant as Finch took control and prepared her for her spanking. There was no room for embarrassment or fear, her body anticipating what her mind struggled to accept.

“Give me a safe word, Victoria,” he demanded.

Her mind was already checked out. It was difficult to focus. But she made herself say something. “Peanut butter.” That was something that would get his attention if she screamed it. Of course, the minute she said it, she felt stupid.

He didn’t even laugh. “Peanut butter it is.”

When his palm struck her ass, she was stunned at how hard he’d smacked her. Through the material of her skirt, she felt the heat of his hand. He didn’t hold back, making her ass throb from the stinging slaps. He alternated between her two ass cheeks until her entire bottom was on fire. How many minutes had she been late? Did it matter?

She realized it
didn’t
matter. If he chose to give her a hundred, she’d take them. And not because she was afraid of losing her job. The sting of his strikes did something strange. It unlocked her muscles, releasing her tightly held barriers and opening her up. The emotions that had been contained inside her were set free.

She couldn’t cry, unable to release the grief and fear that overwhelmed her. But she could snarl and curse. She curled and uncurled her fists in time to her increased heartbeat. But it felt good, safe, cathartic. She wasn’t just taking punishment; she was anticipating Finch’s hand, begging for more. And he gave it to her, even as she struggled against his hold and growled at him.

When he stopped, she shuddered, unable to stop shaking. Every nerve was exposed; every throb of blood through her veins roared in her ears.

She was a mess.

He wrapped his right arm around her waist, lifted her away from the desk, and turned her into his arms. He pressed her head into the crook of his shoulder and held her there until she stopped shaking.

Floating, she laid her cheek against his chest and listened to his heartbeat. There was nothing inappropriate about the way he held her, but it still had a sexual flavor to it. He said no words, but the warmth of his arms and the way he allowed no space between them made her heart clench.

But she couldn’t let herself fall into this. He’d spanked her. It was just kinky shit, not anything more. Hadn’t she been worried about releasing all this emotion? Well, she’d been right. All he’d done was spank the crap out of her, and she was an emotional basket case.

As she eased away from him, she tried to hide her face, but he wouldn’t let her. He gripped her chin and tipped her head up. “Good girl,” he said.

Something warm spread across her chest and loosened the tightness in her throat. She’d done it right. She shook her head. Where had that thought come from?

“I need to repair my face,” she said and cursed herself for sounding breathless.

“First you need to thank me, Victoria.” His tone was stern. God help her, it made her heartbeat faster and her pussy clench.

She knew how to do this. “Thank you, Sir.”

He nodded and dropped his hands, allowing her to escape.

THOUGH ATTICUS HAD known what he was getting into, Victoria’s response had destroyed him. She was wound so tightly that when she let go, it was like a damn tornado. Normally, with a fragile sub like this, he’d have held her, fucked her if she needed it. But Victoria had immediately shut him out, backing away, building that damn wall between them.

When she left his office, he waited two minutes before he followed her. She disappeared down the hall and into the executive bathroom that had an outer door and an inner door. He was able to slip through the outer door to make sure she was all right.

He’d ripped away some of her shields, and he didn’t want to leave her mired in the shit he’d uncovered. If she was in that bathroom sobbing, he’d tear the door off the hinges and make her accept his aftercare.

That wasn’t what he heard.

She moaned his name. Her tone was desperate, but not broken with tears. Shit. She was touching herself. He could picture her, leaning against the vanity, or maybe pressed against the wall. Through the door to the inner bathroom, he could hear her gasping breath. He breathed with her as she groaned, spiraling toward her release. He placed his hand on the door, wishing he could be there, watching her, spurring her on. Did she knead her breasts as she stroked her cunt? Did she use her thumb to slide over her clit as she thrust two fingers into her sweet, wet pussy? He heard her breath catch and her broken sigh, mixed with the sound of frantic movements, signaling her climax.

He closed his eyes and let the sounds wash over him. She’d masturbated to a fantasy about him, and he wanted to make every one of them come true. His cock strained against his pants, and he fought the desire to slam into the bathroom, lock the door behind him, and fuck her until she came for him and only him. He snapped away from the door as he realized she was finished and barely exited the outer door before he heard the inner one open.

No, it wasn’t a lover who was causing the pain. He knew Victoria well enough to know that if there’d been a man in her life, even one she no longer loved, she would not have allowed Atticus to spank her.

He left the door to his office open and watched as she returned. She immediately went to work, catching up on the reports she’d missed the day before. He’d been right. She just needed to focus, and the spanking had done that.

It would be easy to find out what was really going on with Victoria. He had investigators he could call. Hell, he could put Dimitri on it, and he’d find out. But Atticus wanted her to tell him, to trust him enough with her secrets.

Of course, at the moment, he was just hoping she’d be late every damn day.

* * * *

No one was more surprised than Atticus when his secretary was late for the next three successive days. Whatever Victoria was hiding, she was unwilling to share it and willing to take punishment for it.

That Friday, she came into the office so agitated he thought she looked like she was going to puke. He was going to go easy, let her off the hook from her morning spanking, until he noticed what she wore.