Power Play: Katie and the Dom Read online

  For Katie,

  In service.

  Liam

  She looked up at him, confused. “So… is this what you came for? To give me your book?”

  “I also wanted to take you to dinner.” It wasn’t phrased as a question, but he waited for an answer, his gaze moving over her face, like he was drinking her in. She touched her hair, piled onto the top of her head, pushing her reading glasses up her nose, knowing she looked like the quintessential librarian in her pencil skirt and v-neck blouse, and wished she’d at least left her hair down today.

  “Okay.” She tried to imagine sitting across a table with him, doing something so mundane as eating, and couldn’t fathom it. But she said yes anyway, without a moment’s hesitation. “When?”

  “How’s now?”

  She didn’t even check her watch. “Let me get my coat.”

  * * * *

  “So what do they call you?” Katie was feeling far more relaxed after two margaritas and she giggled when she cracked her crab and red pieces of shell exploded onto the tablecloth.

  “Don’t you love it when it comes out like this, instead of all shredded?” she asked. Liam watched her pull the crab meat out of its shell in one, long piece. She eyed it delightedly before dipping it into the butter sauce, not even bothering with a fork.

  “They call me Liam.” He answered her question, watching her lick butter from the tips of her fingers.

  “Not Master? Or Sir? Or something… you know… cool?”

  Liam snorted. “What did Patrick want you to call him?”

  “Dom.”

  “How original.” He rolled his eyes and she saw his jaw working as he put his fork down on his plate next to what little was left of his salmon. “This isn’t a game, Katie.”

  “I know.” She paused, licking butter off her lips, and took a sip of her margarita.

  “Patrick’s sin is pride.” He took a drink of his water—he hadn’t ordered wine or alcohol with dinner—catching the waitress’s attention. “Hubris. A Dom is humble. A servant, really.”

  She crinkled her nose at him, regrettably finishing the last piece of delicious crab. “But the submissive is the one—”

  “Sure.” Liam smiled at the waitress as she stopped at another table on her way to theirs, acknowledging her need to serve them first. “Everyone knows what the submissive is giving up. Your power. Your control.” His gaze moved back to Katie and she felt it immediately, rushing hotly through her, like the blood through her veins. “Your body. Your love.”

  “Love?” She swallowed, putting her fork down next to her place. Her hands were trembling and she didn’t trust herself to actually hang onto her utensils.

  “But the Dom is always in service to the sub,” he explained, watching as she started to nervously play with the corner of her napkin. “He is offering you his time, his focus, his attention. He has to be completely present with you in every moment.”

  She had never wanted anything more in her life than what he was talking about. And the way he said it! His words were fluid, sure. He knew exactly what he was talking about, had experienced it, lived it.

  “And the Dom has to be willing to accept the gifts a sub is offering.” Liam went on, his voice soft, and she focused on him, entranced. “It’s a precious thing, when someone is willing to give themselves to you that way. It takes trust beyond measure. It’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.”

  She nodded, feeling tears prick her eyes, and she quickly blinked them away, turning to her margarita and hiding behind it as she sipped. She wanted to give herself, wholly, completely, had wanted it for so long—and now… now she knew she’d found the man she wanted to give herself to. It seemed so simple, but her heart ached as she looked at him, fearing his rejection still, feeling as if she was at some sort of “submissive tryout,” trying to say and do the right thing, walking on eggshells.

  “But a Dom has to be worthy of such a gift,” he reminded her. “And he has to feel worthy of it.”

  Katie’s eyes widened. “That’s really Patrick’s problem.”

  “Yes,” Liam agreed. “That, and his damned pride.”

  He looked up as the waitress approached. She was the bright, shiny sort of pretty Katie always wished she could be—bubbly and blonde, she smiled easily and flirted with her customers, moving with a natural grace.

  “Tiramisu,” Liam ordered.

  “Two?” she asked, putting pen to pad.

  “Just one.”

  Katie opened her mouth to protest—dessert sounded delightful!—but she argued with herself that she’d had more than enough as the waitress continued to flirt with Liam, exchanging some pleasantries about where she was going to school, what she was studying. Katie hadn’t been paying close attention—she’d been too focused on how the girl flipped her hair and flashed her smile, the way her hips swayed under her black skirt when she walked away.

  “But you can read all this in the book.” Liam sat back in his chair as the waitress departed, taking his napkin from his lap and putting it over his plate. “Didn’t you say you learn best from books?”

  “I like hearing it from you.” Katie watched the waitress stop and take plates from another table, balancing them easily, even in heels.

  “You’re jealous.”

  “What?” Katie coughed, reaching for her water.

  He chuckled. “I can almost hear the voices in your head.”

  “I hope not,” she muttered, gulping water. Of course, he was right.

  “You don’t need to be.”

  She put her glass on the table, not looking at him. Instead she looked out the window where the sun was setting over the city. The view was stunning from this high up, snow falling steadily, melting into the lake far below.

  “Do you always flirt with waitresses?” she finally asked.

  “You can label it as you like.” He shrugged. “It’s really just an energy exchange.”

  “Is that what you call it?”

  “All relationship is about energy exchange. I’m sure you’ve read about Total Power Exchange?”

  She nodded. Of course she had—the 24/7 Dom/sub relationship. “Have you ever done that?”

  “Once.” He didn’t offer any more information and Katie didn’t ask. “Ah, here we are.”

  He sounded pleased and Katie looked longingly at the layered dessert while he thanked the waitress, picking up the spoon as she left. Liam glanced over at her as he slid the spoon through the creamy layers, smiling at her expression.

  “You’re distracted.”

  She licked her lips. “That looks yummy.”

  “You want it.”

  “Yes.” Looking between him and the dessert, she wasn’t sure which she wanted more.

  Liam smirked. “That’s why I ordered it.”

  “For me?” She brightened.

  “Close your eyes.”

  “Here?” Katie glanced around the restaurant. It was a Friday night—they were packed. When she looked back at Liam, she understood her mistake immediately. He’d given her an order and she had refused to follow. Stupid. She chastised herself, closing her eyes instantly, both to comply and to hide from his dark gaze.

  “Open your mouth.”

  This time she did as she was told and was rewarded with a delicious bite of tiramisu, incredibly rich and creamy, with that dark hint of mocha and a lovely finish of chocolate.

  “Keep your eyes closed.”

  He’d anticipated her opening them and Katie only got a brief glimpse of him before she squeezed her eyes shut again, chewing and swallowing the delightful confection.

  “How does that taste?”

  “Like… mmm…” She licked her lips, already craving more. “Coffee… and chocolate… oh heaven… light and fluffy…”

  “No words.” Liam brought the spoon to her lips, urging her to open, and she took another blissful bite. “How does that taste?”

  “Mmmmmm.” The ladyfingers in the dessert were moist and sweet against her tongue. They made fantastic dessert here! She’d have to remember this restaurant—although she probably couldn’t afford to come here on her salary, even alone.

  “I think you can do better.”

  Liam fed her another bite, smaller this time. Katie was far too aware of the sounds of the restaurant around her, the clinking of glasses, the scrape of utensils on plates, the sounds of laughter and conversation reverberating in her head. She didn’t want to make so much noise she called attention to herself, but that was clearly what Liam was encouraging!

  “Ohhhhhh.” She took his next offered bite with more enthusiasm and he gave her an even larger one. “Nnnnnnngggg!”

  “More?”

  She leaned forward, mouth open like a baby bird, eyes still firmly closed. “Mmm mmm mmm!”

  Liam continued to feed her, encouraging her noises, and Katie soon forgot where she was. The chocolate and coffee and cream melted in her mouth, the taste so delicious she couldn’t get enough. And it was sexy, she had to admit, Liam feeding her dessert, watching her pleasure—and she knew that was exactly what he was doing. Her belly protested, but her tongue wanted more, more, until she was making noises she knew would rival Meg Ryan’s orgasm in When Harry Met Sally, with Liam rewarding her, bite after bite.

  “That was the last one.”

  Katie made a little disappointed noise, her throat constricting. That was it? No warning? Nothing? She almost opened her eyes in protest but then remembered he hadn’t told her to.

  “Did you enjoy it, Kitten?” Liam dabbed her mouth with the corner of his napkin. “Did you really experience the perfection of that last bite?”

  She sighed. “Well if I’d known it was going to be the last one…”

  “But we never know, do we?” His words were profound and opened her heart immediately, moving her nearly to tears. Over dessert, for pete’s sake! She chided herself for her overreaction, but she couldn’t help the emotion welling up.

  “Open your eyes.”

  Katie did, meeting his, trying to discern what he was thinking, feeling. Then she became aware of the noise around her, far diminished. Had everyone gone? Glancing around, she found herself sinking lower in her chair. It was as if the entire restaurant had stopped eating and drinking and talking just so they could turn and watch them. She’d never felt so on display in her life.

  Liam stood, tossing his napkin on the table, and leaned in to whisper one word into her ear.

  “Worthy.”

  Katie looked at the remains of the tiramisu—he hadn’t fed her all of it, there was about a quarter of the dessert left on the plate. She realized, looking up at him, that he’d actually stopped when he felt she was full. How?

  “Come with me,” Liam said.

  “But…where are we going?”

  He cocked his head at her. “If you come with me, you’ll probably find out.”

  “Don’t we have to pay the bill?” she inquired, looking around for the waitress.

  “I have an account here.” He sighed. “Come with me, Katie. I won’t say it again.”

  She practically jumped out of her chair to follow him.

  * * * *

  “Do you ever wear appropriate footwear for the weather?”

  Katie shivered, hugging her coat around her, eyes closed as directed. They’d been closed the whole way in the car, and now that they were out of it, she found it even harder to keep Liam’s surprise a real surprise. She wanted to peek!

  “I didn’t know I was going to be walking in the snow.”

  He sighed. “Never mind.”

  She squealed when he picked her up, just like he had in the basement, carrying her easily.

  “Keep your eyes closed.”

  How did he know she wanted to peek? She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her nose against the soft wool of his coat, smelling cologne and soap and something else, something utterly male. She could hear Liam’s footfalls on the pavement and tried to discern where they were going by the sounds. The evening air was bitter, the sun now below the horizon, her cheeks pinking from the wind. She turned her head toward their destination, eyes still closed, hearing a strange gurgling sound as Liam opened some kind of door or gate and stepped through.

  “Are you going to throw me into a witch’s cauldron?” she inquired, frowning.

  He laughed. “Okay, you can open your eyes”

  “Where are we?” Katie blinked, not quite understanding. They were still outside, the stars coming out over their heads, and in front of them, surrounded by piles of snow, was a bubbling hot tub.

  “The local health club where I work.” Liam set her down on her feet. They were standing in an alcove with tables and chairs all around.

  “You work here?” She blinked at the hot tub. It was huge—it could probably fit thirty people—the lights below the surface giving the frothy water a soft glow, with a very tall privacy fence surrounding it.“But I thought you were a Dom.”

  “I am.” He smiled, taking off his coat and tossing it over a chair. “But I also do this.”

  She frowned, watching him loosen his tie. “Are you a personal trainer?”

  “Something like that.” Liam’s tie and suit coat joined his other one on the chair. “Take off your clothes, Katie.”

  She blinked at him in disbelief, but she found herself unbuttoning her coat, putting it over the chair beside his. The wind whipped under her skirt, making her squeal. She was already shivering.

  “I’m not sure this is such a good idea.” She looked doubtfully from Liam, who was now taking off his shirt, to the hot tub.

  “The trick is to undress as fast as possible.” He tossed his shirt on the chair, working on his belt, and now Katie was transfixed by the sight of his thickly muscled chest and abdomen. No wonder, she thought. A personal trainer. I should have guessed. When he looked at her and smiled knowingly, she cleared her throat and looked back at the hot tub, trying to make it seem as if she wasn’t staring, but she was very well aware that he was stripping down to nothing beside her.

  Then she felt his hands on her shoulders, moving under the collar of her shirt, massaging over her collarbone, making her shiver again, this time not with cold.

  “Get undressed, Katie,” he whispered against her ear, his fingers tracing the top lace edge of her bra under her blouse. “Or I’m going to spank you for disobeying me.”

  She closed her eyes at his words, savoring them. They were far more delicious to her than tiramisu. Unbuttoning her blouse with shaky hands, she watched Liam walk toward the water, completely nude. And she’d thought he was good-looking with his clothes on? She’d never seen a finer specimen of a man in her life.

  Turning her back, she shrugged off her blouse, wincing at the cold, her nipples so hard they hurt. Teeth chattering, she unzipped her skirt, pulling it and her pantyhose off, stepping out of her heels, whimpering as her toes touched the hard, frozen concrete. Now it was just her bra and panties, and she could go into the hot tub. She unclasped her front-hook bra, wondering if Liam was watching, but too afraid to turn around and look. He’s already seen you naked, she reminded herself, but still… she couldn’t do it.

  Katie hooked her bra again, turning around to see Liam in the corner of the hot tub, arms stretched out along the sides, relaxing. He was watching her. She left her bra and panties—just plain white cotton—decidedly on. She was undressed enough for hot-tubbing, she reasoned, hurrying around the pool through the snow toward the steps, squealing the whole way, her feet numb with cold. She sighed in relief as her toes hit the water, but the sudden temperature change made it feel so hot her skin burned.

  She glanced at Liam as she waded into the effervescent froth. He was still just watching, not saying anything, as she sank deeper, still shivering, the water searing her flesh, steam rising all around them in a fog. There were seats along the edge and she made her way around, closer to him, wondering what he was thinking—what he was planning. That thought made her feel far hotter than any Jacuzzi.

  “I don’t like playing games.”

  She bit her lip, frowning. “What do you mean?”

  “I told you to get undressed.”

  “Oh.” Katie shrugged and then smiled, a little slyly. “Well, you didn’t say fully undressed.”

  “That’s what I mean by playing games.” Liam didn’t return her smile. His face was deadly serious. “What you are is a brat. Do you know what a brat is?”

  “Yes.” She blushed. By definition, it was a submissive who caused trouble or acted up to get her Dom’s attention.

  “You’ll find that I say what I mean and I mean what I say. Now stand up.”

  “But it’s so cold!” Katie hesitated and then saw the look on his face. She rose up out of the water, the bitter wind biting at her skin, making her yelp in surprise.

  “Your underwear is see-through when it’s wet.” Liam’s gaze moved over her.

  When she stood, the water lapped and frothed around her thighs, just below the crotch of her panties. She glanced down, realizing he was right. The dark triangle between her legs was clearly visible and the cold made her nipples so hard they practically poked through her bra. Her areolas were dark stains under the material, framing the jut of her coffee-colored nipples.

  “And I’ve seen it all before.”

  She blushed at his reminder. That day in the basement, how gentle and kind he’d been, how he’d taken charge of the situation. And then the drive home. She’d never felt closer to anyone. How was it possible? Just being with him with her clothes on left her feeling raw and vulnerable. How much more exposed could she get?

  He was slow and lazy, like a cat, and like a predator, she had the sense that he could pounce at any moment. “Put your arms at your sides.”

  She hadn’t realized she was hugging herself for warmth—or maybe trying to cover herself. She dropped them, shivering, teeth chattering.

  “Bend over.” He was moving towards her and she found herself instinctively moving away, looking for an escape. She knew what was coming. He said what he meant and he meant what he said.

  “But—”

  Liam shook his head and sighed. “Stand on the ledge.”

  He pointed to the seat that ran across the inside edge of the pool. It was submerged in the water, but much higher than the bottom of the hot tub. She didn’t protest this time, although now almost all of her body was out, the water gurgling at about mid-shin level.

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