Her Cravings Mastered [Dark Desires 2] (Siren Publishing Sensations) Read online

  She sucked in her breath as he leaned close to her and whispered in her ear.

  “Of course, there are some much better ways of ending up on the floor rather than tripping.”

  Startled, she looked up at him. He reminded her of a tiger sizing up his prey. The grin he gave her was all male and filled with danger.

  So close to him, she could smell the aftershave he wore, but underneath was that male muskiness and it was dragging her in. She took a deep breath of that heady aroma.

  He opened the door for her and released her arm. She went to race out of there as fast as she could. She would have to brush past him as he had only opened the door a fraction. Leaning forward again, he spoke softly.

  “Soon, Ms. Williams, very soon, I will be seeing more of you.”

  With that, he flung the door open wide and she bolted down the corridor. Jessica was sure he watched and was silently laughing. She made it to the first bank of lifts and jabbed at the button for the ground floor with an unsteady finger. Another song was playing softly in the background.

  She gave a wry laugh. It was I Put A Spell On You by Nina Simone. Oh yes, he’d put a spell on her, most definitely.

  Jessica wasn’t sure how she managed to drive home without running into something. She parked the car in the underground area and took the lift to the sanctuary of her home. Once inside she slammed the door shut and leaned against it. Her heart was still beating rapidly.

  Every part of her was screaming a warning—Beware, Aiden Dowling is a Dom!

  She had no idea how she knew, but know she did.

  She threw her briefcase on the table beside the door and almost ran upstairs. Tearing off her clothes, she got into the shower. Her body was so sensitive that even the water on her skin felt like fingers caressing her—his fingers. She shook her head. Jessica was going to make sure that Carl dealt with Mr. Aiden Dowling from now on.

  She was much too vulnerable.

  She was surprised to find she was crying. She turned off the water and wrapped herself in a towel. Walking into the bedroom, she looked out to the city skyline. The sun was just setting and the various building lights coming on. Tears were running down her cheeks.

  Jessica had no idea how long she stood there. The room was dark when she finally moved. She dropped the towel and pulled on a pair of silky pyjamas. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she hugged herself. Everything was upside down.

  The phone rang. It would probably be her father, as he was overseas at that moment and had rung last night but promised to ring again soon. She got to her feet. The number on the screen was unknown to her but she still answered it.

  “Hello.”

  “Ms. Williams, good evening.”

  Jessica stood stunned. There was no mistaking the sexy, masculine voice on the other end of the phone.

  “Ah. Mr.—I mean, Aiden.”

  “That’s better. I like hearing you say my name.”

  Oh god, she thought as she imagined calling him Sir.

  “I wondered if you’d care to dine with me tonight?”

  “Dine?”

  “Yes you know, we go out somewhere, order food and eat together.”

  She began to panic.

  “How did you get this number? It’s silent.”

  “Surely you must realise that what I want, I get, Ms. Williams.”

  He would have heard her noisily draw a breath.

  “May I call you Jessica?”

  “Um… Yes.”

  “Thank you. So, a meal?”

  “No.”

  “No? Are you sure?”

  “No. I mean yes.”

  He laughed. That deep, sexy laugh and Jessica felt her pussy clench.

  “Tomorrow night then, and I won’t accept no.”

  “But—”

  “No buts, Jessica. I’ll let you off tonight, but tomorrow night is definite. I’ll pick you up at seven. Give me your address.”

  Jessica looked around the room wildly. There was no way she wanted him to know where she lived. Thank goodness he only had her number.

  “I have a late appointment tomorrow,” she stammered. “You can meet me at my office.”

  “Excellent. I enjoyed meeting you today Jessica and I am certain tomorrow night will be very interesting.”

  Jessica could only give a breathless “oh” in answer. Her legs felt weak and she sank onto the bed. He laughed again. She could almost feel him run his fingers down her cheek.

  “Until tomorrow night. Wear your hair down.”

  No please, no request, just a command. She clamped her lips tightly together to resist the temptation to say “yes, sir.”

  “Good night, Jessica.”

  “Good night.”

  She quickly hung the phone up and looked at her shaking hands. What on earth had she gotten herself into? She was no longer a naive girl who had no idea what a Dom was. She was a woman who understood exactly what Aiden Dowling was without being told. Her senses had been all on alert from the moment he’d walked or rather prowled toward her. She shook her head and walked downstairs and out onto the deck.

  The cool night air brushed against her and she sank into the lounger to think.

  She’d been running from Dennis for fifteen years and in that time had avoided all contact with any man who looked like he had any hint of control.

  Instead she found the meek, mild types who would always say “please” and “thank you,” who would never consider tying her up. Who would never dominate a woman, who would be shocked at the thought of hitting a woman for mutual sexual pleasure.

  Yes, she’d lived a safe little dull and boring life since Dennis.

  But now she’d run smack dab into Aiden Dowling.

  She gave a sarcastic laugh.

  Dennis couldn’t even compare to Aiden. Dennis was a school boy novice in comparison. Instinctively, Jessica knew that Aiden would take her to heights she could never have imagined. She knew he would control her, dominate her, master her, and leisurely enjoy her body until she was screaming for more.

  She was terrified.

  Because…

  She whispered to herself. She was terrified.

  Because she wanted him to.

  Part II: Today

  Chapter Six

  Jessica finally stood. So much had happened in the past twenty-six years since she had walked out of the house. Everything since then, no—since her mother’s death—had shaped her into who she was today.

  Now it was time, it was time to make a decision one way or another.

  Would she, or rather could she, take a chance that things would be different this time?

  That Aiden was not another Dennis.

  No, that was silly, there was no way she could ever compare the two—Aiden was a man, Dennis a boy. What she really meant was could she take the chance that Aiden wouldn’t totally dominate her and end up abusing her?

  Now she needed to decide, would she go out tomorrow night? She could easily ring Aiden and tell him her meeting had been changed, would be going much longer, and she wouldn’t be able to make it. She could tell him that she only wanted to keep things professional between them.

  Oh yeah, that was a joke!

  If he replied and said he’d wait, told her he had no intention of keeping things professional, she would agree in a heartbeat.

  Part of her wanted to run away. Her father had given her a set of keys to the coast house. She had the urge to race downstairs and drive there. Wrap herself in her father’s love. Hide away from facing the truth.

  And just what was the truth?

  A stray tear ran down the side of her face.

  “No,” she whispered.

  Yes, said that hidden voice deep inside her. Yes, it whispered seductively.

  “No!” she cried aloud.

  But that little voice boomed up and shouted Yes!

  The truth was she missed it, she craved it. It was always in her mind. Definitely not the humiliation, not the abuse, not the torture. She misse
d those first few months, when she’d begun to learn the delights of being a sub.

  When she was dominated and controlled.

  She missed being tied spread-eagled.

  She missed feeling the erotic touch of a flogger kissing her skin.

  She missed the feel of a rope caressing her body.

  She knew with Aiden, just a touch would make her burn, make her ache, make her plead. Just the feeling of his hand under her elbow had affected her. When he’d shaken her hand she’d practically come. Could she take the chance that Aiden wouldn’t turn out to be another Dennis?

  Could she open the hidden door inside her head and face what was behind it, face all her fears? She avoided looking at them for all these years. Because she knew until she faced them, she could never have any relationship.

  Oh yes, she missed what she instinctively knew Aiden could give her, but…

  Yes, that was it—but.

  But.

  Such a tiny word with an enormous meaning. It had the ability to chance her life completely.

  * * * *

  After a restless night, Jessica showered and pulled on a pair of jeans and clean shirt for work. She stood in the middle of her wardrobe and looked around. What to wear tonight?

  Yes, she was going to dine with him but that was all. She intended to tell him that they would keep everything professional.

  She had her favourite LBD—it hugged her curves the right way. It always made her feel sexy and beautiful. Even after all these years she still had trouble believing she was attractive and yet many men had called her beautiful and gorgeous. So the black dress?

  Yes, it would give her confidence a boost, and she’d need it with Aiden. She lifted it out and rummaged for her black heels, then underwear.

  She giggled to herself when she looked at what she’d chosen—a tiny black G-string and a sexy see-through lacy bra. Ammunition against the Dom. She had no intention of letting Aiden see them, but like most women, the knowledge she had sexy underwear hidden gave another confidence boost.

  She put the underwear, shoes, and a black clutch in a bag, along with makeup and hairbrush, picked up the dress then headed off to the office. When she arrived, she called in the troops and began to explain the problem at Dowling Industries.

  She gave Carl the folder with computer information in it as well as a plan of the complexes. She gave them a rundown of the security systems they had in place.

  “First thing. Get us into the building. I want a card for Carl and myself. Wilson, can you see if there is any way you can hack into their secure area and download something that will make them sit up and take notice?”

  Wilson was muttering under his breath, but they took no notice. In all probability, he was working out different ways of hacking in his head. He was crazy, but he was the most amazing hacker she’d ever met. They all put up with his eccentricities because of his talent.

  Carl looked thoughtful. “We’ve got that RFID duplicator. Do you want us to try for an active card while we’re there? We can scan it copy it onto a blank.”

  “I don’t think so. We’ll just see how Dowling reacts when we ‘invade.’ If us breaking in doesn’t impress him then we can make an active card. Take the duplicator with you just in case.”

  “Right.”

  “Okay, folks, you all know the drill, so get to it. Alain, can you bring me up to speed with the Burkoff account?”

  They all left the office except for Alain. He was a skinny forty year old whose talents had been wasted in his previous job. Walter Brownley had actually rung her about him a year ago. He’d recognised his genius and realised he was stifled in the office environment he was in. He knew Jessica’s crew were all oddballs with amazing talents and had a feeling that Alain would slide in perfectly.

  He’d set up an interview with Jessica and was pleased to see Alain come to life when Jessica was describing her company and how he could be used in it. He was practically jumping up and down, begging for her to take him on, so she had.

  Now he was a Security Architect for her, designing security systems or major components of security systems with Carl. The software for the Burkoff account was almost finished and he filled Jessica in on the final stages. He would be setting up the system for them the next week.

  Jessica complimented him on his work as he left the room. She dealt with some paperwork, then studied the reports Alain had given her.

  By the end of the day, Carl had added both himself and her into the personal files for Dowling Industries and made security passes for them both.

  “They won’t get us into the secure rooms, Jess. Those areas need the smart chips. I can organise just one if you like?

  “No, like I said, we’ll hang off, at least at the moment. I just want to get into the building and show how easy it is at this stage.”

  Carl laughed. He enjoyed proving clients wrong. They all thought their security systems were spot-on, but he knew there was none that a determined hacker couldn’t break. The idea was to make the companies they worked for just too much trouble for a hacker and hope they moved on to easier targets.

  Wilson wandered in as the staff were heading home and told her he had managed to break into one of the computers in the secure area. He looked at her with his head on the side.

  “They are so stupid! They’re connected to the fucking Internet!”

  “What?”

  “Yep, the computers in the secure areas are on the site’s intranet but also connected to the World Wide Web.”

  Jessica shook her head in disgust.

  “No wonder they think their being hacked. They’ve made it easy for the opposition. Thanks, Wilson, tomorrow can you download something that looks important. Carl and I will give them a little surprise when we invade.”

  Wilson burst out laughing. He was almost rolling on the ground in hysterics, another of his quirks. He tended to get over excited when they, as in the company, could invade another company.

  He said good night and left the office, still giggling to himself and muttering.

  Jessica sat back in her chair. It was six fifteen. She stood and went into the bathroom. When she’d first taken over the office, there were two small powder rooms but nowhere to shower if you wanted to. Sometimes they would pull an all-nighter and nothing made you feel better than being able to shower and put on fresh clothes. She’d arranged for one of the smaller offices to be converted into a bathroom.

  She showered and dressed, noticing her nervousness increasing exponentially as the minutes ticked passed. She put on light makeup and then brushed her hair. In defiance, she twisted it into a knot on the top of her head.

  Mr. Aiden Dowling would get the idea that she wasn’t a pushover.

  She wondered who she was trying to fool—Aiden or herself?

  Jessica looked at herself in the full-length mirror. The woman who peered back at her had a look of wariness and underlying fear. She held her hands out in front of her and saw they were shaking. Walking back into her office, she transferred her wallet, keys, and phone into the clutch. Glancing at the clock, she felt her stomach churn. It was five minutes to seven.

  She actually felt physically sick.

  She heard the elevator rising. As it rose, so did the churning in her stomach. Her heart was pounding and she was sure anyone standing near her would be able to hear it.

  She picked up her purse and hesitantly walked to the front foyer just as the lift doors opened. Aiden stepped out and looked at her.

  A flash of annoyance crossed his face, then he walked to her and smiled.

  “Good evening, Jessica.”

  “Hello, Aiden.”

  He held out his hand and she had no choice but to put hers in it. He lead her back to the open lift and inside. Pressing the ground floor button, he looked at her and shook his head. She knew immediately he was admonishing her for putting her hair up and she wanted to rip the pins out and let her hair fall loose.

  She resisted the temptation as they arrived o
n the ground floor and Aiden walked her out to a car parked in front. He opened the back door and settled her in, then got in alongside her. He instructed the driver to move off.

  He’d taken her hand again and she could feel that thumb rubbing sensuously against her hand. It was as if he were rubbing the sensitive areas of her body. She tried to ignore it.

  “And how was your day, Jessica?”

  She cleared her throat.

  “Fine. I think you’ll be interested.”

  “No work tonight, but let me assure you I am very interested.”

  There it was again, that double-speak. She tried to ignore it and look relaxed, but knew she was failing dismally. They pulled up at a tall building. She knew there was a revolving restaurant on the top floor. Aiden gave instructions to his driver and then helped her out of the car. They walked inside and waited for a lift. Aiden pressed the button for the fifteenth floor and they rode up in silence.

  When the doors opened, they were greeted by the maître d’ and ushered to a seat. Jessica looked out. The view was nice but nothing compared to the one from her home. She was another ten floors higher and her building was one of the tallest in the city.

  She felt tongue-tied. Normally she was now the expert at small talk after dealing for years with the “safe” men but with Aiden she found she could barely think straight, let alone talk.

  The waiter handed them menus and she opened hers. She noticed her hands were still shaking. She glanced over the top of the menu to find Aiden’s eyes on her.

  “Is there anything in particular you’d like or shall I order something for you?”

  Oh yeah, he was a Dom all right.

  She was determined not to submit to him.

  “Actually, I’ll have the Ravioli of lobster, langoustine, and salmon with oscietra caviar and sorrel volute.”

  He gave a laugh, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. He gave her order to the waiter and ordered Isle of Gigha halibut with Atlantic King crab, flavoured with ras el hanout and finger lime for himself. He ordered a wine after discussing various bottles with the sommelier. When her glass was filled, she took a large mouthful to try and give herself some Dutch courage.