Just One Taste(9)

She nodded silently.

“Well, then I suppose we’ll have a very abstinent training period and then we’ll go our separate ways when it comes to the club. I guess Big Tag and the shrink aren’t as smart as they think they are.” He wasn’t about to give up. This was only the beginning of a very long battle, but it was time to retreat. “We’ll talk about the contract later tonight and set up all the rules. I’ll still have to touch you during the scenes, but I’ll make it as impersonal as possible.”

“We don’t know that we have chemistry,” she said quietly, making no move to grab the bags.

He shrugged. “I guess we won’t know.”

He turned to begin helping her. He would take the bags out to her car and then let Grace know she was on her way. Someone would meet her in the parking garage to help her bring everything up. He would spend the afternoon planning menus with Chef and heading to the farmer’s market to find fresh vegetables for dinner.

A hand on his arm gently pulled and he turned.

Deena was standing right there, her face turned up to him, her eyes wide. “Shouldn’t we know?”

She went on her toes and pressed her mouth to his. He went still, unwilling to frighten her away. Soft lips moved over his as her hands found his waist. She was tentative, but he could sense the fire in her. Those hands told the real tale. They moved restlessly, as though she had them on a leash. He wanted that leash taken off.

When she ended the kiss and stared up at him, he decided to go for broke. She wanted to see if they had chemistry? He could show her how volatile they could be.

“My turn,” he whispered before he took control. His hands slid up her neck, fingers sinking into the soft, silky strands of her hair.

He kissed her, moving his lips over hers, commanding her. The minute he took control those hands of hers started to move, sliding up the muscles of his back, her body pressing in. He felt her relax as though happy to not be the one in charge. Deena could take control of a room of diners and work that floor with an iron will, but she was shy about this. She needed him to take charge of the physical part.

He could do that. It wouldn’t be sexy if she weren’t so together in the rest of her life. He kissed her again and again, his tongue finally moving over her full bottom lip. She groaned and her mouth opened, welcoming him inside.

The kiss turned wild, their tongues playing against each other as their bodies came together. He could feel her rubbing against him. He would bet her body was soft, her pussy already getting slick and ready for him.

He was so ready for her.

And if he took her right here on the prep table, she would likely run away forever. She wasn’t ready. Not even close.

He broke off the kiss, brushing his lips lightly against hers one last time. He’d promised her control. It was damn iron will that got him to take his hands off her. She was so sweet looking with her hair mussed and her lips puffy from kissing. This was how he wanted to see her all the time. Sweet and willing and ultimately satisfied.

Satisfaction would have to wait.

“We have plenty of chemistry, sweetheart.” He kissed the top of her head and stepped back. “It’s all going to be fine. I’ll take care of everything.”

It seemed to take her a moment to come out of her daze. She stared and then shoved her sunglasses back on. “I have to go.”

She was out of breath and obviously flustered. That was a good sign. “Let me help you.”

She shook her head. “I can get it.”

“Deena, I’m going to help you,” he ordered, deepening his voice.

He was happy when she complied.



* * * *



“Thank god. I’m starving!” Phoebe Murdoch located her lunch with a smile. The rest of the group was milling around, grabbing their orders and getting settled.

A redhead Deena didn’t know very well sat down in her seat, her face a complete blank. She had a notebook in front of her and her phone, but she seemed to simply be waiting. Deena looked down at the boxes that were left. Big Tag, Erin, and Master Alex.

Alex McKay. She had to get used to that. One night in Sanctum and she’d had to stop herself from referring to Alex and Liam as Masters.

And Eric. Master Eric. Her Master for the time being. She could still feel his lips, his big body cradling hers. She wasn’t sure what she’d been thinking when she’d kissed him. It had been impulsive, but something about the way he’d said the word “chemistry” had made her a little crazy. He said it like he’d known they had chemistry. Like he was an expert. No one knew. Not until they’d tried it.

So she’d kissed him. Yep, they had chemistry like she couldn’t believe.

She also likely couldn’t handle it. She wanted some pleasure, some experimentation. Eric Vail was the kind of man a girl married, not the kind who fucked her senseless and was happy to let her go at the end of the night.

He was the kind of man she could fall in love with, and she wasn’t doing that again. No way. No how. She had to finish the job here and talk to the big guy because this situation wasn’t going to work for her. Of course the thought of talking to Master Ian scared the crap out of her.

She picked up the box and walked over to the redhead. Erin. She knew the name. She’d seen Erin a couple of times before at Top, but she’d never had a conversation with her. Deena had seen her with Chef’s brother, Theo. Theo Taggart had died a few months back while on a mission. It was hard to believe that happy, laughing man was gone.

“Hey, this one is for you.” She set the box down in front of Erin.

Cold eyes glanced up at her. The woman was quite pretty, but there was a chill to her that made Deena want to take a step back. “I didn’t order anything and I don’t want it. Thank you.”

She wasn’t sure what to say to that. The name was right there. Someone had ordered it for her. “You have to eat, right?”

A single brow cocked. “No. No, I don’t. I don’t have to do anything.”

Case Taggart moved over to the table. “Yes, you damn well do, Erin. I ordered it and you’re going to eat it. You have been eating nothing and I’m done with it. If you want to stay in this meeting, you’ll eat everything I ordered for you. Or you can go and have a session with Kai. It’s your choice.”

Erin’s palms flattened against the desk and the whole room seemed to go quiet. “Fine. I’ll eat.”

She opened the box and took out the sandwich Eric had prepped for her.

Case sighed as though happy the battle hadn’t been longer. “It’s your favorite. Pulled pork.”

Erin shoved it away and stood up quickly, her face going a nice shade of pale. “Eat it your fucking self, Case.”

Erin practically ran out the door and down the hall.

Case’s eyes closed. “Shit. What do I do now?”

“I could get her something else,” Deena offered. It was obvious the woman wasn’t into the pork, though Deena happened to know it was delicious.

Grace put a hand on Deena’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. There’s nothing wrong with the food. It’s simply something we’ve been worried about. We’ll take care of Erin. Why don’t you take Ian his lunch? He’s not joining the rest of the crew today. He’s working on a special project in his office. And don’t let him growl at you. He’s a pussy cat.”

She got the feeling she was being gently but efficiently eased out of the room so the team could start whatever discussion was about to begin. She grabbed Master Ian’s box…Ian Taggart’s box and stepped out into the hall. She knew where the big guy’s office was since she was the one who brought in lunch once a week. He wasn’t so scary. He was just a massive, gorgeous man who happened to know how to kill a person forty different ways and was famous for his sarcastic outlook on life. And for being a hard-ass Master with every sub in the world but his wife.

It would be fine. She would explain the problem and he would be reasonable. After all, the D/s world was built on communication. Even the night before, Master Alex and Master Liam had lectured about the importance of Dom and sub communication. How could the Dom know what the sub wanted if she never told him? How could the sub understand the Dom’s needs if they weren’t explained?

She needed a new Dom because she was far too invested in the current one for her peace of mind. How could Master Ian know that if she never told him?

Also, she had slipped a slice of lemon cheesecake in with his lunch. Everyone knew the big guy liked Macon’s desserts.

It was going to be all right. She would explain the situation to Master Ian and then she and Eric could go back to being normal, absolutely no chemistry between them coworkers.

She knocked on his door.

“Come in,” came the deep-voiced command.

That man used his Dom voice twenty-four seven from what she could tell. There wasn’t a lot of difference between Big Tag, the boss, and Master Ian, the Dom.

She opened the door and the man himself was sitting behind his massive desk, his eyes on the computer in front of him. Behind him were floor to ceiling windows with a spectacular view of Dallas.

Taggart didn’t look up from his computer. “Did Erin eat her lunch?”

Wow. It looked like the whole crew was very into that poor woman eating something. “Uh, no.”