Shockwave (Impulse Book 1) Read online

  That logic she couldn’t argue with. She’d screwed up by not talking to Master Braxton before now. After exhaling to steady her nerves she asked, “What next?”

  “We’ll consider this a verbal warning. According to payroll records, you have accrued three weeks of vacation time, and you’re welcome to take some or all of that if you want. You can clear your mind, see if it helps. Or you can opt for unpaid leave.”

  “A verbal warning,” she repeated. “Maybe some time away. And going through retraining.” In all of her working years, she’d never received a reprimand. Even though she’d been considering a vacation, she wanted to do it on her terms. Being forced away was a different, awful thing. “Are those my only choices?”

  “I’m sending you home for the rest of the evening with no pay, no matter what.”

  “But it’s Friday.” She scowled. “I have clients.”

  “I’ve already asked Willow to reschedule.”

  Her world crashed around her, but Master Braxton seemed to have no concept of that.

  “It’s up to you to decide whether or not you want to return tomorrow.” He paused. “Turning in your notice is also an option.”

  What?

  “I’m not terminating your employment agreement, but I will accept your resignation, if you think that’s best.”

  She grasped the chair arms. Master Braxton had never been this inflexible before.

  There was a knock at the door. He called out, “Come in.”

  Even though she was surprised that he hadn’t told Willow he shouldn’t be interrupted, Alani resisted the impulse to turn around to see who’d entered.

  “Ah, Master Nathaniel.”

  Bastard. Tattletale. She’d rather have a meeting with the devil.

  “Since Master Nathaniel is back in Denver, he’ll be in charge of running the club while Karyn and I are away. So it makes sense for him to deal with this situation.”

  The evening had gone from bad to disastrous. “You’re going somewhere, Sir?”

  “I’m surprising Karyn with a trip to celebrate the one-year anniversary of her collaring. I wasn’t sure it would work out until Master Nathaniel came home.” Master Braxton nodded purposefully, indicating she should greet Master Nathaniel.

  Having no other choice, she gritted her teeth and turned to acknowledge him.

  The ridiculously handsome and rigid man regarded her before closing the door. His mouth was set in a firm, uncompromising line. But his green eyes sent a shiver of frost down her spine.

  With long, sure strides, he crossed the room to stand inches behind Master Braxton. “Bring me up to speed.”

  She waited for Master Braxton to respond but then saw both men were looking at her. She swallowed. “You know what happened during my scene with Master Richard.”

  Master Nathaniel folded his arms across his chest. “Explain it in your words.”

  In one sentence, he’d gone from nemesis to asshole.

  “I’ve already gone over it with Master Braxton.”

  “And I asked you a direct question.”

  Alani let out a long, measured breath to hold onto her temper and dug her fingers deeper into the chair. “I was having a scene with Master Richard. I wasn’t into it, and you caught me yawning.”

  “As well as rolling your eyes. Twice.”

  She flushed.

  “The yawn would have been forgivable if you were tired. It’s the combination of behaviors that has me concerned.”

  “So I understand.” She wasn’t willing to concede anything to him. “At the moment, I’m deciding what to do. I’ve been offered several choices. I can resign.”

  “Or?”

  “I can take some time away, or I can come back tomorrow.”

  “But whenever you come back, if you do, you’ll go through a retraining program,” Master Braxton clarified. “Overseen by Master Nathaniel.”

  “What?” She leaped to her feet and met Master Nathaniel’s gaze, measure for measure. “That was never part of it.”

  Even from the far side of the desk, the man had an aura that radiated his intensity. It was as if no one else were in the room. “Sit down, Alani,” he instructed.

  She remained standing.

  Master Braxton appeared to struggle against a smile. “You don’t want to add insubordination to your list of offenses.”

  Maybe she did.

  “Alani. I gave you an order.” Master Nathaniel’s voice contained a command she couldn’t help but respond to.

  She took her chair.

  “Better.” He folded his arms. “Now I want an explanation. Why did you allow your attention to wander, little sub?”

  “As I said, Master Braxton and I have already discussed that.”

  “Indulge me. I want to hear it for myself.” He tilted his head, and she remembered the powerful way he’d captured her chin and forced her attention back to the scene.

  He was tall, broad, intense. And maybe, just maybe, a bit intimidating.

  “Okay. We’ll do this the hard way. Braxton, I’d like a few minutes with our Alani, if you don’t mind,” Master Nathaniel said.

  Eyebrows knotted in a puzzled frown, Master Braxton turned to look at his partner.

  “Now.”

  Master Braxton nodded.

  What the hell? Alani cleared her throat. “Uhm…”

  “Alani?” Master Braxton asked.

  For a moment, she was tempted to use the club’s safe word, but she didn’t want to give either of them the satisfaction of knowing that Master Nathaniel had rattled her. “That’s fine. I can deal with Master Nathaniel.” She buried her niggle of doubt beneath a pile of bravado.

  The door clicked shut behind Master Braxton, leaving her alone with the terrifying Dom. The atmosphere crackled, chasing up her spine like lightning.

  Instinct urged her to run, hard, far and fast. Her traitorous body refused to obey her brain’s command. Part of her looked forward to the upcoming challenge with a ferocity that bordered on desperation. In this moment, even though it was unwanted, excitement pinged through her. She was more alive than she’d been in months.

  He pushed the empty chair back toward the desk.

  She refused to shrink away from him. Instead, she tilted her chin.

  “When I ask a question, Alani, I expect an honest and quick answer.” Tight, leashed energy vibrated in his tone.

  In spite of her resistance, every part of her responded to his power.

  “Am I clear?”

  “You are.”

  He nodded. The slight acknowledgment that he was pleased scattered tiny pulses of pleasure through her.

  With a few purposeful strides, he rounded the desk and closed the distance between them. He propped a hip on the side of the desk, less than a foot away from her, filling her senses.

  “Talk to me. I’m listening.” He spoke with intensity, but in a softer, more compelling tone. The man knew how to use his voice in a way that made her thoughts scatter. “Give me an explanation for your behavior.”

  He regarded her. His fierce green eyes were cold, and she wondered what they would look like if they weren’t? If he desired her? If he were her Dom? She squirmed.

  “Alani?”

  “It wasn’t so much that I allowed my mind to wander.”

  He waited, and she realized he wouldn’t be satisfied with the answers she’d given Master Braxton.

  Master Nathaniel wanted the unvarnished truth. If she gave it to him, she might lose her job.

  “You’re bored, aren’t you?”

  She opened her mouth then closed it without speaking. He was more perceptive than she’d given him credit for. Then, choosing her words with great care, she responded to his question. “With the management details? No. But with Master Richard and most clients, yes. There’s never anything new.” She searched for the words. “It’s all acting, isn’t it? None of it’s real.”

  “Tell me more.”

  “I’ve been paddled half a dozen times for knock
ing over nonexistent lamps and punished for cheating on tests that I never took. I squirm and cry and protest, but I don’t experience…”

  “Don’t experience what?”

  “Anything.” Even when an occasional lash stroke seared, it didn’t reach that part of her that needed soothing.

  “You don’t have a Dom who satisfies you?”

  She brought her chin up. “This isn’t an appropriate discussion.”

  “We can stop at any time. And you don’t have to answer.” He lifted one shoulder. “Your job isn’t on the line.” His tone was easy. But there was something else laced there. Interest. As if he wanted to understand her, rather than persecute her. “It’s up to you.”

  On some level, she wanted this—a relentless man to see her struggles, help her cut through them, refuse to accept a half-hearted answer. “The only place I scene is here.”

  “Is that part of the problem? You’re taking care of others but you have no outlet?”

  The words smacked her. She needed the escape that came from a prolonged scene, a thrashing that left marks to remember and savor, an hour or more, complete with tears and aftercare. Alani wanted to be the focus of a Dom’s attentions, ministrations, demands. More than that, she wanted to be pushed over the edge then be remade into a stronger version of herself.

  Thoughts coalesced in a way they hadn’t until Master Nathaniel’s prying and persistence had coaxed them out. She hadn’t understood why restlessness churned through her as a constant, hungry companion.

  “Alani?”

  She shook her head to clear the troubling emotions rattling through her brain. He was right. But how did she confess that to him? Not only was he her boss, he was a near stranger.

  “When was the last time it was real for you?”

  “I don’t know.” She frowned. “Months. Maybe a year.” Becoming a submissive had seemed like a perfect job. Now she was realizing it had taken her further away from the release she craved rather than closer to it.

  She met his steely gaze.

  “Is that what you want? Something real? Something you can feel? Something to remember?”

  God. Yes.

  “It’s been a while for me, too.”

  Her blood turned sluggish before surging.

  “You’ll have to ask for it. Beg, even. I’ll want you in front of me, on your knees.”

  She sucked in a breath as she scanned his features, looking for giveaways in his expression. He was joking. Teasing. Taunting, maybe. Offering what she wanted, but didn’t dare accept.

  “And, Alani? You’d better make it good. No acting, like you do with other men. I won’t settle for anything but your absolute raw need. I’ll know the difference. Don’t even dare try to fool me. I’m demanding everything you have to offer.”

  This Dom was different. She noted the strength of his forearms, the honed angles of his body. He was a warrior, accustomed to battle. His strength and mental acuity awed her.

  “How brave are you?”

  For a moment that hung suspended, she wondered herself.

  Chapter Two

  Nathaniel hooked a thumb in his belt loop and studied her, waiting for her response.

  Oh, she’d do what he asked. No doubt. But he wondered if she’d fight him and herself before her inevitable surrender. He’d prefer that she be honest and capitulate to his authority, dropping onto her knees and begging him to spank her sexy, rounded ass. But because she was skeptical, she might need to test him. He was fine with that.

  More than she might realize, he understood her. He returned again and again to hostile environments because he feasted on the adrenaline that came from being challenged. Training exercises where both sides used blank rounds didn’t satisfy him. He wanted the danger of hand-to-hand combat, of live fire, of outwitting someone who could kill him. A civilian shrink had suggested that Nathaniel was fucked up. He’d accepted the comment with a shrug then boarded a plane and returned to duty.

  Under his scrutiny, Alani toyed with her hair. Was it from nerves or indecision?

  Either way, the action was revealing. He’d first met her when she’d been a receptionist, and he’d appreciated her smile and competence. Once, when he’d filled in for Braxton, Nathaniel had dealt with Alani on some payroll-related issues. Her thoughtfulness had impressed him. When Brax had recommended they promote her, Nathaniel had agreed.

  Until forty-five minutes ago, he’d been content to let Brax and AJ run the club. Things had changed when he’d witnessed Alani interacting with Master Richard.

  First, he’d been pissed that one of their employees would be so disrespectful. Second, and much more dangerous and intriguing, he’d wondered if he could make her behave.

  When he’d captured her chin earlier, Nathaniel had watched her transformation—from a yawn to wide-eyed arousal. He wasn’t a fool. He’d known her reaction had come from the fact he’d engaged her…from the way he’d imprisoned her face to the way he’d spoken and the way he’d looked at her. Submissives were complex little devils—which was part of the reason he didn’t play often. They demanded a hell of a lot of work. And it was more than the physical act of swinging a flogger. For him, it was emotional, as well. He planned to get into her head and connect in a way no other Dom had.

  Alani’s reaction had intrigued him enough that he wanted to be in charge of handling her disciplinary action.

  When he’d informed Braxton that he intended to retrain her, Braxton had warned Nathaniel not to do anything stupid. Since his friend had broad boundaries, that left Nathaniel a lot of room to maneuver.

  Her gorgeous eyes were still wide, unblinking, and her finger wound endless circles around a strand of hair. He’d unnerved her. And he liked it.

  “I worked on the most recent revision of the employee manual. It turns out the owners don’t engage in corporal punishment of the club’s employees.”

  “Of course they don’t. This has nothing to do with our employer and employee relationship. This is man to woman.” He dropped his voice to add, “Dom to sub.”

  As she considered, he took in her loveliness. Her full lips, with a hint of kissable red lipstick, were parted. Although her chest rose and fell in rapid spurts, her breaths were more even than they had been.

  With calculated deliberation, he turned up his cuffs farther, baring his forearms. He meant business and he wanted her to see that.

  He gave her a good fifteen seconds before opening the file folder that sat on top of the desk. “Let’s dispense with the work-related issues.” Nathaniel moved a piece of paper toward her. “I need you to sign the acknowledgment of receiving a verbal warning. As you know, it doesn’t mean you agree with it, just that you’ve received it.”

  She stopped twirling her finger in her long, thick hair. With a slow exhale, she unwound the lock, leaving a tight curl near her cheek.

  He had a sudden, cock-stirring urge to see her face streaked with real tears.

  With a scowl, she grabbed a pen from the metal holder. Her grip was tight on the barrel and her hand shook as she scrawled her name on the bottom of the page. Instead of replacing the pen when she was finished, she tossed it onto the desk’s veneered top.

  He let her disrespect go without a comment. “There’s another copy for your records.” He reached for a second piece of paper.

  “Keep it. I don’t want it.”

  With a sharp nod, he tucked the copies of the reprimand back inside the folder then looked at her. “So we understand one another…Master Braxton has given you the rest of the evening off without pay. As of now, you’re no longer on the clock.”

  “He said I could come back tomorrow.”

  “If you wish. Call me by noon. Let me know if you’re reporting to work or if you’ve decided to take some time off.”

  “I don’t like this.”

  “No. I don’t expect that you do.” He gave her a minute to process that. “You’re welcome to accept my offer. Or you’re free to go home.”

  She drew a s
mall breath, and indecision warred on her expressive face. Her eyes were wide, their brown color deep, revealing, inviting.

  He didn’t recall ever having this kind of reaction to a sub…woman.

  Her motions elegant, she stood, took a few steps toward him then lowered herself to her knees.

  Until that moment, he hadn’t realized how much he’d hoped she’d make this choice. He wanted Alani as much as she seemed to want him.

  Without prompting, she severed the connection of their gazes and looked at the floor.

  He held his breath and waited, wondering if she’d take the next step. The clock ticked, and the pause between the sounds reverberated with tension.

  “Please, Master Nathaniel. Give me what I want.”

  “And that is?”

  Her hair fanned her face, hiding her features. “A beating, Sir.”

  “Strip for me.”

  “Strip?” With her fingertips, she brushed back the strands.

  In the club, she was never naked.

  He offered a hand, and she accepted.

  With the grace that was one of the reasons she was so requested at the club, she stood.

  After she pulled away, she reached behind herself to unzip her skirt. She wiggled and shimmied, exaggerating the movements. It was no fucking wonder her tips were so much bigger than the other subs’, male or female.

  The garment fell to the floor. After glancing at him, maybe to be sure he was watching, she stepped over it, leaving the material in a pile.

  Every one of her motions enticed him and he swept his gaze over her, letting her see his appreciation. “Remove your underwear,” he told her. Smart girl had worn them over her garter belt.

  After a moment’s hesitation, she slid her fingers beneath the waistband.

  Oh, yes, Alani was as willing as he was. The thrill of the new, the exciting, the unexpected. “I will take more than you’ve ever offered anyone else. And you’ll thank me for it. Keep going.”

  As if doing a striptease, she took her time removing the silky panties then dropped them on top of the skirt.