TWO

Elijah

Blinking several times, she was more confused than anything else. "A function? What the hell are you talking about?"

Her defiance remained. Fascinating but I would need to tame her before anything else.

"Yes, an important business function and your attendance could prove to be useful. Of course, I'll make certain my secretary provides the details and I'll send appropriate clothing. This is a catered affair, black tie to be exact. A car will pick you up at seven." I smiled, envisioning my father's face when I presented my prize.

"You're sick," she whispered, her lower lip quivering.

I locked eyes with her, curling my upper lip. "You will soon learn that you crossed the wrong man."

As she mulled over my proposal, I kept my eyes locked on her. What in the hell had caused her to make the kind of decision she had? The woman was obviously intelligent and had likely read all the wretched newspaper articles on what so many called the West Coast mafia. Her bravado rivaled several enemies I'd come up against over the years.

Another reason I wanted to taste her.

Use her.

Discipline her.

Own her.

"I need your decision, Reneigh. I do have other business to attend to today." I kept my tone even, without any emotion, even though my hunger was becoming insatiable.

Tick. Tock.

"Unfortunately, your—"

"I'll agree to your terms as long as we draw up a contract," she said quickly, interrupting.

"You're in no position to make demands."

"And I believe you're in need of a woman to hide behind, someone who will happily do your bidding." She actually smiled as if she'd gained the upper hand.

Only making me want her that much more.

I laughed, shaking my head. "Nicely done, Reneigh. You have a tiger hiding behind that lovely face. I appreciate that and will happily draw up a contract, but there will be additional conditions."

"I would expect no less from you," she said between clenched teeth.

I held out my hand and the moment she accepted the handshake, I could swear the electricity soaring between us was more like a live wire. Every blood cell exploded, desire bursting at the seams. "Then I suggest you undress."

"What?" Reality had hit home.

"I only handle spankings when the mischievous woman is fully naked. And I assure you that you will be receiving punishment on a regular basis."

She laughed bitterly. "That means you do this often, your mechanism of keeping obedience within the office?"

I was almost shocked by her audacity, but her attitude further fueled the beast dwelling within me.

An unforgiving man.

Someone who refused to take a back seat.

A man searching for the right partner.

I resisted snarling at the last thought. I enjoyed business and planned on increasing our firm's superiority up and down the West Coast as well as Las Vegas. I had no time for a relationship of any kind, no matter how enjoyable tonight might end up being.

"It hasn't been required before, but that's something to think about. Now, undress or I'll simply pick up the phone."

Reneigh curled her upper lip, turning away from me. "Such a bastard."

She had no idea.

I watched as she kicked off her shoes first, her entire body shaking as she fumbled to unbutton her lovely emerald-green silk blouse. The vivid color highlighted the shimmer of gold in her copper-colored hair. I crossed my arms, waiting even as my cock pressed hard against my trousers. I'd never been this aroused or had the desire to spank a woman as much as I did this... vixen. The word suited her.

When she finally managed to remove her blouse, she took several steps away, carefully placing the material over the back of the leather chair positioned toward the expanse of windows. Everything about my office was supposed to be intimidating, but she handled her actions with grace.

As she shimmied the thin skirt past her hips, I heard the single gasp she'd attempted to hide. There was no doubt by her trembling body that she was completely embarrassed. That only fueled the fire.

She repeated the move, carefully folding and placing her skirt on top of her blouse before taking several deep breaths. I couldn't take my eyes off the long length of her beautiful neck or the swell between her voluptuous breasts. Even the way her thin waist expanding into rounded hips and long legs managed to steal my breath. I forced myself to look away, still hearing the slight rustle of clothing.

"Fine. Let's get this over with," she hissed.

I took a deep breath of my own as I stood, taking my time to release my belt. When I finally looked at her, seeing the apprehension in her eyes, the way her mouth pursed was endearing in a crazy manner. I was a sadistic man, incapable of caring about anything but my own needs. I'd been taught well by a father who'd married four times, his last wife barely a year older than I was.

Our family values had been warped since inception.

The way she placed one hand over her breasts and the other covering what I could easily tell was her bare mound forced me to stop moving altogether. I wanted to exclaim that she was incredible, stunning in both body and spirit, but she was still an enemy of sorts and I needed to remember that. She'd noticed the strap in my hand, her eyes registering more than just apprehension.

"Lean over my desk," I instructed, pointing to the surface.

She gazed down the length of me before walking in a stilted fashion in my direction. The way she draped her body across the very expensive teak was almost provocative, telling me that she still believed she was in charge. The vile thoughts I had about taking her in filthy and debasing ways kept me on edge, an adrenaline rush shooting through me like wildfire.

I folded the belt, running my hands across the coarse grain of leather. Every nerve was standing on end as I pressed my hand against the small of her back. "You fucked up, Reneigh, and messed with the wrong people."

"So I've gathered."

Her words were biting and as she slapped both hands on the edge of the desk, clamping with a white-knuckled hold, I rolled the tips of my fingers across her bottom. The touch of her was still exhilarating, my mouth watering as I gathered a scent of the same perfume she'd worn for months. Damn it, I wanted nothing more than to sink my teeth into her then lap up every drop of her sweet cream.