"Well then." She sat back and took a sip of her latte. "Damn. You could bring one to the office for me every day."
"You have to come and get them," he said.
"You're a tempting man, Mr Tomlinson." She took a second drink before sliding the cup onto the deck behind her.
"Anytime, Maggie."
He sounded as if he meant it.
"How does your body feel?"
"Horny." She grinned.
"In that case, after breakfast, I'll cuff you to the Cavendish."
"Cavendish? Is that what you're calling your kinky apparatus?"
"It is."
Less than an hour later, he had her spread wide, arms above her head, cuffed to the Cavendish, facing away from him. He'd stripped off his clothes and put on a condom. The scent of her heat already hung on the air. He could turn her on without touching her.
She craned her head to see what he was selecting from the toy box. She winced, wishing she hadn't seen anything when her gaze fixed on a single tail. With that thing, there would be no subspace for her, she knew. But it might leave a mark.
She closed her eyes as she heard him test snap the leather.
Her mouth dried, and for the first time, she considered using her slow word. This was going to hurt.
"You'll manage," he said.
At least that's what she thought he said. Over the sound of the blood rushing in her ears, she could hear little else.
The lash caught her thighs and wrapped around to sear again. "Fuck." She yanked at her restraints, fighting the agony.
He waited for what seemed a long time while she fought for breath.
Before she was ready, he landed another.
She bounced her heels off the ground, trying to help dissipate the sensation, but it didn't help. This wasn't a spanking, nothing close to it.
He struck her several more times in quick succession, and she did scream. No matter how she tugged and struggled to get away, she was helpless in his cuffs.
"So beautiful."
She hadn't been aware of it, but the whipping had ended. He pressed his cool body against her heated one, forcing her into the structure. He entered her pussy in one powerful thrust.
"You were made for this, sub," he said against her ear as he bent his knees to gain leverage to surge up into her.
Maggie cried out again and again as he rammed her, impaling her against the wall.
"Do you want to come, Maggie?"
"Yes, yes, yes. Please, please, please. Sir." Every part of her vibrated with the need for him to possess her. Her legs and buttocks burnt as if he'd branded her. But damn, the intensity made an orgasm claw at her. "Fuck me. Let me come."
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pounded her. Nothing soft or gentle. Just a raw and primal pulse.
She babbled incoherently, shamelessly moving her body to take him deeper.
"Tight, hot cunt," he said.
"Yours," she said with a gasp.
"Come for me."
She lifted onto her toes and he surged into her again. She felt shredded as she bucked, her pussy convulsing with her orgasm.
She whimpered as he ejaculated.
He dropped his head onto her arm, a revealingly intimate gesture. Part of her wanted the moment to last forever. All too soon, he pulled away, and she felt the physical distance between them. The interlude would end and they'd both return to work tomorrow-she had no idea what that meant for them. Last night he'd been clear that he wanted a personal relationship with her. She'd been trying to convince herself that she could compartmentalise her life. Maggie was no longer as certain.
David unfastened her from the structure then removed the cuffs and collar. She thought it was in some way symbolic, but suspected he wouldn't agree.
"You'll have at least two marks from that," he told her. "No matter how much cream I put on them."
After they'd had lunch on the deck, she put her clothes back on. He walked her to her car and lifted her skirt to swat her butt, reigniting the pain before she got into the car.
Feeling awkward, she drove away without saying goodbye. On the way home, she kept her phone close in case he called or sent a message. He didn't.
* * * *
That night, the bad dreams found her. When she summoned up her inner warrior and turned towards the blue-eyed monster, he vanished, leaving her alone. That chilled her, and she sat up with a start.
Unable to shake the vestiges, she got up earlier than normal and took her coffee onto her small patio to watch the sunrise.
She shifted in her chair, uncomfortable from one of his stripes. Mr Tomlinson's. Master David.
In such a short amount of time, he'd demolished the blocks she had in place to keep him at bay. Sceneing with him had been disastrous to her equilibrium. She'd avoided BDSM relationships because she wanted to be a bedroom slut, not adopt the lifestyle. But he'd made his position clear when he'd stripped her of her clothing, told her she could not attend the ladies' night functions at the Den then asked her to call him Master.
She put down the cup before she sloshed her coffee over the rim. Her worst fear was realised. The more she got, the more she wanted.
By the time she entered the office, she was no closer to figuring out how she'd behave when she saw him at work today.
"Did you have a good weekend, Mags?" Barb asked.
"It was uneventful," she lied. "How was yours?"
"Saw a play for my mom's birthday. Strolled the Sixteenth Street Mall and had too many drinks at a rooftop bar in LoDo."
"With your mother?"
"Woman can put away the vodka."
"You should introduce her to Gloria."
Who, evidently having heard voices, breezed out of her office. Today she had on a turquoise pantsuit with a multi-coloured blouse topped with a contrasting scarf that should have clashed but didn't. The drink in her cup was a shade of purple not found in nature.
"You're here early, Mother."
"We're meeting with the Arctic Fox people today. Did you forget?"
The company designed cold-weather gear for the least habitable places on earth and they were planning to open their first US store in the trendy Larimer Square area. World Wide Now was competing with several other companies to land the opening. They were having an informal sit-down with some of the higher-ups to get a better feel for their ideas. "Anything I can do to help?"
"Make sure the tyrant shows up. They want to meet him."
"I'm putting my foot down. Unless David is out of line, no more calling him names behind his back. He heard us the other day, and it's unfair. Agreed?"
It appeared Gloria tried to frown, but apart from the pursed lips, it was hard to tell. "You got more injections in your face," Maggie said.
"You should both go with me. Dr Smythe knows all the tricks to keeping us looking young. Maybe we could get a group discount."
Barb choked on her coffee. "Not for me, thanks."
"Let's get back to my point," Maggie said. "I'm serious. There will be no more bad-mouthing the boss. We have to set the example around here."
"I think you need a cup of coffee, dear. See if Barb will let you use some of her nice creamer," Gloria said as she grabbed her drink and walked off, jewellery jangling.
Maggie sighed. "It's going to be a long day."
"Sorry about calling David names. Embarrassing that he overheard."
"You know, he might not be as bad as I thought."
"Skip the coffee," Barb said. "I'll call an ambulance. Obviously you're not feeling well."
Shaking her head, Maggie went to her office to finalise details for Friday afternoon's open house and to send David a reminder about their upcoming visitors. She could have asked Barb to touch base with him, but Maggie wanted to handle it herself.
David showed up for the Arctic Fox meet and greet and impressed the VP of Marketing. After the meeting, the two of them moved to the far end of the conference room while Maggie and her mother chatted with two members of the creative team.
A few minutes later, David and the female VP excused themselves, saying they were going out to lunch. She frowned, and David inclined his head, letting her know he'd noticed her displeasure. What the hell was wrong with her? He could eat meals with whomever he wanted.
She didn't see him the rest of the day, and that evening she traced the single welt his whip had left behind. A thousand emotions splintered inside her. She masturbated in the shower, resting her forehead on the tiles as she thought of him.
Since he hadn't contacted her today, she knew it was up to her to approach him again.
* * * *
Maggie had another fitful night and got to the office late.
Her mother was wringing her hands near the reception desk, and Barb had a hand on Gloria's shoulder. "What's going on?"