In the Zone by Sierra Cartwright Read Free Book Online Page A

away.
    Master Nathaniel reentered the office and closed the door behind him.
    “You may get up,” he told her.
    Her trench coat was draped over his forearm, and he held her purse in one hand. Obviously he’d had Willow use the master key for the lockers. Somehow the oversize leather bag didn’t take away from his masculinity.
    Since she’d been in that uncomfortable kneeling position for so long, it took her a moment to stand. There was nothing beautiful or elegant about her motions, and she hated that.
    “Get dressed.”
    His voice was flat and disinterested, as if ten minutes ago he hadn’t had his mouth on her pussy as he sucked her clit hard enough to make her scream out her orgasm.
    He watched her every motion. She scooped up her thong. Her hands shook as she stepped into the material, and the lace snagged on one of her heels.
    He continued to look at her. He may have sounded distant when he spoke to her, but the expression on his face wasn’t. His eyelids were narrow over his icy green eyes, and he regarded her intently.
    She was suddenly self-conscious in a way she hadn’t been when stretched across the top of the desk.
    Being displayed for a dom’s punishment was more familiar than having that man study her every movement.
    She snatched up her blouse and shrugged into it. She only fastened the top couple of buttons. Master Nathaniel regarded her, not hurrying her at all.
    “You told me you can find your car on your own, Alani. No doubt that’s true. But again, this is about what I want. It’s why I don’t believe you for a moment when you tell me part of being submissive is realizing you need to please your dom rather than yourself. It pleases me to make sure you make it to your vehicle safely. It pleases me to care for you. Your constant arguments prove you’re saying one thing but believing another.”
    She reached for her skirt and pulled it on. She fumbled with the zipper. The harder she tried, the worse she failed.
    “Stop,” he said softly.
    He placed her coat and purse on a chair and moved toward her.
    “Drop your hands to your sides and turn around.”
    Compelled by the no-nonsense tone in his voice, she obeyed.
    He drew up the zipper. “Quit fighting yourself,” he said. “Quit fighting me. What we just experienced was powerful.”
    “We? I’m the one being beaten.” She took a breath, and added a belated, “Sir.”
    “I was there too, Alani,” he said against her ear.
    A shiver—maybe of anticipation?—traced up her spine.
    “I was as affected by it as you were,” he said. He placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her back to face him. He captured her chin between his thumb and forefinger, but in a different way than when he intruded on her scene with Master Richard.
    He threaded the fingers of his left hand into her hair.
    Controlling her physically, he forced her to look up at him.
    “Think about what you want, Alani, what you really want. There’s nothing wrong with you deciding this job isn’t for you. People quit jobs every day. But if you’re going to be here, we expect you to be fully into what you’re doing. Your doms deserve it; you deserve it.”
    He continued to hold her for almost a minute. She noticed his jaw was clenched. A tiny pulse ticked near his temple. She waited for him to say something, but he remained silent.
    Tension stretched. Abruptly he let her go and reached for her coat.
    As if she were his date rather than his punished employee, he held it while she slipped into it.
    She knotted the belt tightly at her waist.
    He handed her the purse, and she slung it over her shoulder.
    “Jaron!” he shouted.
    The head of security, in his tailored suit, immediately entered. The man was black and lean with a shaved head. More than one sub fantasized about him. Even though he didn’t play, at least at the club, he’d had plenty of offers, from doms and subs alike.
    Jaron had been at Zones since it opened, and he’d always been unfailingly polite and