Requested Surrender (13 page)

“I did.”

“When?”

He picked up the lone silky curl that rode her right breast when she breathed, and rubbed it between his fingers as he said another silent prayer for patience. “When you were in the bath yesterday.”

“You snooped?”

Now he could use a drink. She was the one caught red-handed, so to speak, and she was ready to make a production over this? She should have let it go. But seeing as how she hadn’t… “You don’t have to sound so offended. It wasn’t as if I went through all your closets and drawers. It was on the coffee table.”

She gasped. “You saw…”

“What?” he whispered.

“Them.”

“If by ‘them’ you mean the frogs, I did.”

“And you’re not mad?”

“Only with one of them.”

She nodded and leaned back against the workstation counter. “Ethan and Colin’s picture. It was very blatant with the raised paddle.”

“No, that didn’t bother me. It was the one you did of us.”

When he turned from her and walked over to the cozy seating area he’d had his guys put together in the corner, he was pleased she followed.

“You didn’t like that one? I thought it was cute.”

“Cute?” he repeated as he sat on the arm of the couch. “That’s a good word for it.”

“You see? Again, I don’t understand you. Out of the three of them the cute picture makes you mad?”

He sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Straightening his shoulders, he took his time tilting his head from right to left and back again. These types of longwinded conversations had a tendency to stress him out. Especially when there was a quicker way for him to get what he wanted from her.

“I was insulted.”

“Aw…” She fell into the couch opposite him, crossed her legs and smiled. “But I gave you the most adorable face.”

She was fucking with him again. When was she going to learn? “Precisely.”

“So what?” The leg she’d slung over her knee moved impatiently up and down. “You didn’t like being drawn as a reptile?”

He wasn’t going to answer that and if she pressed him to, there could be a problem. It was bad enough that she’d already insinuated that he wasn’t Dom-like, after he’d worked hard to push aside his needs to accommodate hers, so she was going to have to give some here. 

“Come on.” She uncrossed her legs and sat forward. “You were all drawn as frogs. If it makes you feel any better the underlying motif I was going for was that, deep down, you know under all that green skin, you’re really princes.”

Guts of steel. That’s what she had to sit there and feed him a load of bullshit like that. Sometimes “letting Lacy talk so he could learn more about her” panned out and sometimes it didn’t, like now. Time to cut to the chase.

“I liked the frog. What I didn’t like was the setup. It was too…vanilla.”

“Couldn’t be helped. That’s the way I saw it.”

“I want you to see it differently.”

“That’s not up to me, unfortunately. It’s the creative process. Inspiration comes when and how it wants.”

“Good to know.”

“I’m glad you understand.” She stood and turned, eyeing the workstation. “Are those oil or acrylic paints?” 

He stood as well. “Both.” When she didn’t turn, but remained with her back to him, he whispered, “Lacy?”

“Yeah?”

She spun around and he held her gaze. “You’re going to paint a new picture of us. A better one. So blatantly non-vanilla that it would make even hardcore lifestylers envious.”

“But I already told you I have to be inspired before the creative process...” Her words trailed off and she nervously licked her lips.

“I’m sure I can think of something to do that will help to inspire you. Tonight maybe? This afternoon I have to go pick someone up.”

“The same someone you’ve been dropping off and picking up all over the state? They must be very important for you to be doing this yourself and not sending Andrew.”

David knew she was jealous. He saw it in the way she moved. Too casual. “She is very important.”

Her mouth dropped open before she snapped it shut. Then she shook her hair behind her shoulders and tipped up her chin. “Your mother?”

“No.”

“Sister?”

He didn’t answer.

“I’ll take that as a yes. See you tonight.”

When she turned her back on him, she may as well have slapped his face. Jealous or not, he couldn’t let this slide. Not after she’d straight up told him he wasn’t very Dom-like. Once again, she’d mistaken his patience for something else.

In two quick strides he reached her.

“David! What are you—? Don’t.” She gasped as she tried to escape him.

“Stop,” he whispered against her cheek. Pressing his body into her and forcing her over the counter. The brushes and paint vials scattered. Some fell on the floor, but he ignored them as he waited for her to cease struggling and focus in on him.

“You’re crushing me.”

He did have his front against her back and he was using some of his weight to pin her, but crushing? Hardly. “How could a weak and un-Dom-like guy such as myself, crush anything?”

She went completely still before she spoke, “I never said you were un-Dom-like. I said not very Dom-like.”

He smiled into her hair and then let out a breath against it. “So you think I’m weak?” He wrapped one arm around her and slid his hand down the front of her pants, under the scrap of lace there and went right to her center. Finding her sweet spot, he didn’t bother to softly tease. No, he went full on aggressive. Rubbing and stroking the delicate flesh until she sighed and shuddered. Easing back against him. Giving him better access to her. “I think you do.”

“N-no.”

He nipped and bit a path down the line of her neck, using his free hand to cup her breast. Squeezing on her there with one hand as his other continued to explore the warmth between her legs. Sliding through it, he murmured, “You’re awfully wet.”

“Mmm…yes.” She groaned when he eased a finger inside her. Bucking impatiently against his hand with a throaty moan. He knew what she wanted but he was going to make her ask for it.

“Do you want more?”

“Oh...David.”

He held her steady and thrust a second finger in to join the first. All the way up and curling them over her G-spot. One stroke—she shivered—a second stroke—she shuddered—a third stroke—and her knees gave out as she sighed. She was putty in his hands, literally and he couldn’t have been more pleased as he gently eased out of her. Helping to right her. Shifting with her until she was clutching the countertop for support. But when she looked as if she were going to speak, he sank a hand in her hair and pulled back until their eyes met.

“Don’t say a word, angel. Not one.”

Her gaze flickered with uncertainty and he used that to make his point. “Remember. I will take away only those things I think truly matter to you. So be warned. And as to the other topic? If I have a weakness, it’s you. Why that is? I don’t know. What I do know is that I like my woman to be challenging, not combative. I want you to think about that while I’m gone.”

He waited for her to nod before he let go.

“Good. I’ll be back in a couple of hours and then we’re going to have date night tonight. Wear cocktail attire. We’ll be eating dinner out.” He got to the door and stopped. “Oh and after we get back from that you’ll go to your room, but before you get ready for bed there’s something I want to do with you. We’ll call it your first lesson in David’s form of inspiration. I’ll be leaving a package for you in your bedroom. When we get home you can open it. When you do, you’ll follow the instructions to a T. Understood?”

“Yes.”

“Perfect. Be ready at 6 for our date. I think after tonight you’ll never confuse who you’re dealing with ever again.”

***

Lacy couldn’t figure out why she was nervous. It was as if they’d arrived at a turning point in their relationship or something. David had wielded his power over her with a deft hand and very little effort. For the rest of the afternoon all she could focus on was thoughts of him. By the time she was ready for the evening and he’d explained they were heading to a party of sorts, she could barely concentrate. She was too caught up in what was going to come later. But then when they got in the limo, her focus returned. On his hand resting on her knee. He didn’t do anything more than that, thank God, because just that small touch from him was melting her. The fact that he was “date night” David was messing her up big-time. She didn’t know what to expect from him. So when they exited the car and he kept his hand on her in one form or another, she gave up trying to figure it out.

First the warmth of his hand wrapped around hers as he lead her up the huge concrete steps to The Arts center, then it was the heat of his palm pressing into the small of her back as they walked together into the ballroom. Where it seemed everyone attending wanted to make a beeline to talk with him. He wasn’t having it, though, as he wrapped an arm around her waist and possessively pulled her close. Sending out an unspoken message to the crowd not to bother him as they made their way to the table. It was weird and thrilling that such a popular guy chose to isolate himself with her, but that was David. In fact, before they were even seated, he greeted the few couples at their table, introduced her and then repositioned her chair closer to his. The sheer proximity made it difficult for either of them to speak to the others around them.

“David, isn’t this rude?”

“Relax. I want you all to myself.”

Ten minutes later, just when she was beginning to enjoy his undivided attention, he took hold of her hand and kissed it. “I have to go do something—”

“You’re leaving me?”

“For ten minutes tops. Then I’ll be back.”

She scowled up at him. “But the awards are about to start. Where are you going?”

“Don’t worry about that.”

She twisted in her chair and tried not to sound upset, but she was a little. “I am worried.”

He leaned down and pushed her purse closer to her. “Don’t be.” He winked and kissed her cheek. “Take out your phone. I may want to text you.”

Lacy was still blinking after he’d gone when her cell buzzed. It was him texting her.

Stop fidgeting.

Where are you?

Waiting for someone. Talk to me.

K.

What’s your biggest fear?

She didn’t have to think about that.
Deep water.

Interesting. Why? Did you have a bad experience once or…?

Nothing like that. There are things in there that can see you but you can’t see them.

Things?

As she texted her reply she made a mental note to ask him why he had such an aversion to the word thing. It was a perfectly good word in her book.
Sharks.

Not in the Great Lakes. They’re safe to swim in.

Was the guy nuts?
No way!

I like it when you shake your head like that.

Okay, where are you?

She scanned the room and when she came up empty she punched in.
Come back to the table.

Can’t just yet. Soon. Why did you answer no way? You think a trout is going to nibble your bum?

Haha very funny, but if I were you I wouldn’t be laughing. They found a Pacu fish in one of those lakes you know?

Never heard of it.

She couldn’t contain her smile as she enlightened him.
It eats men’s testicles.

Get the fuck out of here. Is that true?

On my grandmother’s grave, I swear. How brass are those balls now to swim in the Great Lakes?

I’d take my chances if you came with me.

Aw…
Sorry.

Did you know that more people are killed by vending machine accidents every year than sharks?

She frowned.
I don’t believe it.

True. Do you hate spiders?

Do you have to ask?

More people are killed every year by flying champagne corks than poisonous spider bites.

Okay she had to ask.
Are you Ripley’s cousin or something? How do you know these bizarre facts?

You have to have something to talk about when you’re playing strip poker with a bunch of women.

She could see that game unfolding. Five minutes in he was probably the only one dressed at the table
.
The visual made her chuckle.
Did you win?

Of course. God, I love it when you laugh.

A rush of warmth stole over her. To counter it she typed.
Ugh. Where are you? The MC is getting ready to present awards.

Have you thought about what’s in the box in your bedroom?

No.

Liar.

She grinned.
Maybe a little.

I’ve been thinking about the contents. All. Night. I can’t wait to get home. I’ll see you in a few minutes.

She wasn’t grinning now as she took a steadying breath and willed her heart to stop racing. How was it he managed to do this to her? She should be paying attention to the stage. She should be grown up and respectful and instead she was acting like a teenager rudely burying her nose in her phone and texting. One deep breath later, she repositioned herself in the chair and had a look around the table. A pair of empty chairs on either side of theirs, but the rest of the table was filled. Fortunately no one was paying attention to her so she turned her attention to the stage and froze.

David was walking across it to accept his award.

“Unbelievable!”

“Did you say something?” The woman closest to her on her right, which wasn’t close at all, leaned toward her, cupping a hand around an ear and shouted over the burst of applause. “I can’t hear.”

“No. He looks spectacular, doesn’t he?”

That was all she could think to say before she turned to listen to his short speech. He thanked the governor, a state senator and the city police department for all their support. By the time he was finished Lacy had a new understanding of the The Three Kinkstateers. That’s what she’d dubbed Ethan, Ted and David, but now she was rethinking the title. A nonprofit youth recreation center they’d built and consequently donated? That was impressive.