Owned By Fate by Tessa Bailey Read Free Book Online Page B

the heat of the moment? Surely he didn’t actually intend to be her… master . Caroline ignored the deep fluttering she encountered at the thought of such determination to, essentially, own her. She certainly hadn’t expected him to pursue her. Why would he? She’d been emphatic about having zero interest in his world. A world that defined him . He owned the club and lived right above it, for chrissakes.
    If he’s here, he knows you were at Serve for the article.
    Caroline felt instantly stupid for having romanticized Jonah’s presence. Stupid, naive, and riddled with king-size nerves. What was his plan? Blackmail? Yes. What else could it be? This was why she’d wanted to go eat dumplings with Eliza on Friday night instead of sticking it out at Serve. Dumplings would have kept her out of this mess, seconds from being outed as a hypocrite in front of Oliver and his would-be associate.
    Caroline tried to focus as Asher began his presentation, but she couldn’t help sneaking another glance at Jonah. Of course, he was watching her steadily from underneath the brim of his tweed newsboy cap, dark blond hair peeking out at his collar. His body was sprawled back in his chair in a deceptively casual pose, but she knew from recent experience it would go rigid with authority at a moment’s notice. The leather bomber jacket he wore looked so comfortable and lived in, she had the sudden urge to crawl inside it with him.
    Oh, that’ll never do. He’s here to burn you, make you eat crow . As if sensing her thoughts, he quirked up a corner of his mouth. Caroline quickly looked away.
    “Working closely with Oliver, I’ve put together a series of ideas we hope will interest you,” Asher was saying. “As you know, our primary target is the wealthy and adventurous. More and more, we’re finding interests that used to be taboo and relegated to the bedroom are now discussed openly. Tastes that were once considered peculiar are now acceptable. Encouraged, even. With books such as—”
    “I know the book to which you’re referring, Mr. Laurie,” Caroline interrupted quickly, ignoring Jonah’s soft chuckle. “I’ve done quite a bit of research for the article.”
    “Yes, of course you have.” Asher smiled. “And our goal in merging with Preston’s would be combining finance with these certain activities, which are now emerging as mainstream. Why not give it all to our customer in one place?” He spread his hands wide. “Read about gold futures on page six; discover safe ways to practice suspension on page seven.”
    Caroline’s hands clenched the newspaper in her lap until she forced them to relax. She opened her mouth to patiently explain to Asher why his idea happened to be ridiculous, then stopped cold. It became painfully obvious to her that any negative comment she made would paint her as a fraud. Jonah would recall as well as she did the way her engine had been so obviously revved by simply watching that woman being flogged. If she’d reacted with disgust and left at that point, she’d be in the clear to call the merger a ludicrous idea, but she hadn’t. Instead, she’d willingly gone with Jonah, a Dom, to that room. Heck, she’d pulled down her own panties for him. She’d called him Master .
    “Uh, Mr. Laurie…” Caroline removed an imaginary piece of lint from her skirt. “Do you honestly believe that the demographic—the financially sound and otherwise kinky—is large enough to warrant its own magazine? Keep in mind, we’ll be losing more than half of our current readers who have no interest in”—she refolded her newspaper a different way—“whatever goes on at these places.”
    Oliver leaned forward. “That’s the thing, Ro. It’s not just what takes place in clubs . People practice it at home. Role-playing, bondage—”
    “Dear God, stop. Please.” Caroline pinched the bridge of her nose. “The fact that I have to hear my brother talk about this stuff is reason enough to veto the