In His Cuffs(12)

Over the years, she'd been with many Doms. Most of them had been  fantastically good and had made sure she was satisfied. But David had  been focused, pushing her, demanding her full participation.

Feeling conflicted, wanting to pretend it was another in a long series  of one-off scenes, but already picturing a continuation, she had tried  to leave, only to be stopped by Master Damien. It would have been rude  to brush past him, and really, when the house's owner requested a  moment, a sub gave it to him, no matter what he or she was dealing with.

He'd looked at her enquiringly and let her know he'd checked on her while she played with Master David.

She'd promised Master Damien she was okay, but she suspected he'd seen  through her tremulous smile. She'd reassured him that David had been a  considerate Dom.

After a few more questions, Master Damien had allowed her to leave.

She'd caught the first available bus back to Winter Park. When Vanessa  had arrived at the hotel sometime after midnight, she hadn't cared that  Maggie was in bed. Instead, Vanessa had flipped on a light, poured them  each a glass of wine and demanded to know every last, little detail.                       
       
           



       

Since they were best friends, they were always there for one another.  Therefore, Vanessa had vicariously lived through the whole fiasco with  the company's acquisition. Maggie had felt a bit betrayed by her  mother's lack of honesty about the firm's financial situation. Because  her lax attitude towards bills and collections had put them in a  precarious position, Gloria had opened the door to the takeover.

Vanessa had made Maggie see a brighter side, and they'd laughed as  they'd painted a picture of David Tomlinson with horns and a pointy  tail. More than anyone, Vanessa knew how complex Maggie's relationship  was with David.

Upon learning Maggie had just been screwed by the handsome  devil-Dom-literally as well as figuratively-Vanessa had bounced on the  bed's edge and predicted that Maggie would beg Master David to spank her  again, within a fortnight.

Hearing Vanessa call her boss Master David had made Maggie a little  dizzy. To her, Master David was a totally different person than the one  she worked with and was obligated to. Wasn't he?

Maggie wasn't sure how she was going to act towards him today. Cool?  Professional? Nonchalant? Or maybe warmer than normal? For certain, she  would not behave like a submissive. She'd meet his gaze, talk to him as  an equal.

She'd half expected to hear from him yesterday. But the phone had remained silent. Her nerves were taut.

Reminding herself she wasn't a coward, she determinedly unwrapped her hands from the death grip she had on the steering wheel.

She gathered her purse and briefcase, kept her sunglasses on her face to  disguise the weekend's lack of sleep then exited and locked the  vehicle.

Pretending this was a day like any other, she purposefully walked  towards the brick building that housed World Wide Now. As she neared the  entrance, her shoulders slumped a little. She could be in denial all  she wanted. But most Monday mornings she didn't arrive at the office  bearing a welt her boss had left on her ass.

She drew a breath, smoothed her skirt and hair, dropped her sunglasses in her purse then opened the door and stepped inside.

The receptionist sat at the front desk, a huge mug of coffee in front of her.

"Morning, Mags," Barb greeted.

"Tell me there's more of that coffee?" she asked hopefully.

"Are you kidding? I just put on the second pot. Should be about done."

"How long have you been here?"

"Eleven minutes."

Maggie laughed. Good thing coffee went on the office supplies line item  in the budget. Mr Tomlinson didn't have to know how much was actually  spent on staples and paperclips as opposed to caffeine. "So," she said.  "What kind of mood is David in today?"

The receptionist shrugged. "No idea. I haven't seen him yet."

"Meaning he's in his office with the door closed?"

"Meaning he hasn't shown up yet. I was the first one here today."

Maggie blinked. World Wide Now had flexible work hours, except for  certain prescheduled meetings. David Tomlinson was a by-the-rules and  by-the-clock owner. Employees coming and going at all hours didn't sit  well with him and was one of the reasons he often reached for one of the  many primary-coloured stress balls that he kept on his credenza. In all  the time he'd owned the company, he'd never shown up late.

"He didn't call in or anything." Barb shrugged. "Since he's not here, it's kind of a mini-vacation for us. You should enjoy it."

Maggie felt like a deflated balloon.

It had taken her all morning to psyche herself up, and he wasn't even here?

After getting a much-needed cup of coffee, she headed for her office and slumped into the chair behind her desk.

She checked her emails and voice messages. There was nothing from David,  but she had a response from a potential client she'd been trying to  schedule a meeting with. She also had a message from their preferred  caterer. Maggie and her mother had decided to host an open house as a  way to increase business and introduce David to their existing clients.  It would keep her busy for a while and, honestly, give her something to  fixate on other than her boss spanking her again.

She wished the scene at the Den hadn't met so many of her turn-ons.

Damn.

With determined focus, she sent a list of possible times to the  potential new customer, studied the catering menu and made some notes to  go over with David, since he now had to approve her budget. An hour  later, her coffee was gone, she'd handled all the urgent tasks and she  still hadn't heard from her boss.

Her mother, however, showed up in a long, flowing skirt and tank top,  with jewellery dripping everywhere-necklaces, bracelets, earrings, even  toe rings. She'd obviously dyed her hair over the weekend, and her  fingernails were manicured. She looked fresh and radiant and, as she  theatrically threw herself into a chair, every inch a creative diva.                       
       
           



       

"What are you drinking?" Maggie asked, looking at the plastic cup her  mother held. The liquid was deep green with chunks of something floating  at the surface.

"Green tea latte. With soy."

"Lactose intolerant again?" she asked.

"Still," Gloria corrected.

She hadn't been on Friday when Barb had brought in flavoured cappuccinos with whipped cream on top.

"Where's the tyrant?"

"David?"

"Who else would I be talking about?" Gloria sipped through the straw and wrinkled her nose before schooling her features.

Maggie was betting the green tea phase wouldn't last past Wednesday. "He's not here yet."

"I need his signature on a contract."

With a sigh, Maggie nodded. For so long, it had been just the two of  them. Since she'd joined forces with her mother about five years ago,  they'd made quick decisions then moved forward. Gloria had signed all  the contracts. Between the two of them, they'd handled all the  negotiations. Now David double-checked everything, verified the math,  set deadlines and reviewed every file. It was time consuming.

But, if Maggie were honest she'd admit that his attention made  everything at World Wide Now run smoother than it ever had in the past.  Last quarter, they'd posted their first double-digit profit. They had  projections of how much profit they'd make per job.

On a daily basis, the staff complained about his interference, but the  truth was, the business would have needed to downsize or relocate to a  less expensive zip code if he hadn't come along when he had. Her mother  might chafe at answering to a man, and a young one at that, but there  was no doubt she was now producing her best work.

David Tomlinson believed in exploiting each person's talents. Sometimes  that meant assigning them to a new position. In Gloria's case, it meant  getting her entirely out of the bookkeeping. She no longer saw bills.  Even better, someone else was tasked with handling collections. Getting  the financial burden off her shoulders had given her a lot of freedom.

He'd been right to restructure the staff's responsibilities, but she  wished her mother's confidence hadn't been undermined by his high-handed  ways. Then again, that was probably the only way he knew. The man was  assured, directive. Domineering.

"I'd like this contract to go out today," Gloria said.

"Call him?" Maggie suggested, grateful her mother had interrupted her musings.

"Maybe Barb can."

"Mother, he's not an ogre."

"That's the first time I've heard you defend the man."

Was it? Had she really been so swept up in her disdain for the  employment contract that she never said anything good about him? "Maybe I  need more coffee."