“Say when.” My fingers dug into her hips with the strain of waiting. She was tight around me, the wet heat almost too much.
Fortunately, I didn't have to wait long.
“I'm okay,” she said. Her voice was breathless, but I didn't detect any pain.
I moved slowly for the first couple strokes, not picking up the pace until she began to raise her hips to meet me. Only then did I hold her still and began to thrust into her hard and fast. I rolled my hips every few strokes, rubbing her clit against the base of my cock until she cried out.
From the other bed, I heard Robin make a sound that was halfway between a yell and a squeal. A grunting sound from Zeke followed, telling me that they'd both finished. I shifted my weight, leaning forward slightly so that every thrust would hit Janette deep and my pelvic bone would put pressure on her clit.
Her back arched, a nearly soundless cry falling from her lips as she came again. I didn't let up, slamming into her even harder than before. I was close. I felt the heat inside me, coiling into a tight knot of anticipation. Her pussy fluttered around me, muscles spasming from the overstimulation. I squeezed my eyes shut, unsure of who I was trying to see, only that I knew it wasn't Janette.
Finally, I came, tensing as the pleasure coursed through me, heat and electricity combining to give me momentary relief. But that's all it was, momentary. As soon as I started to come down, the world was back and I was awkwardly aware of Zeke and Robin watching.
As I flopped back on the bed to catch my breath, I wondered if this had been such a good idea after all.
Chapter 4
Part of me wished Curt would've been at work on Monday just so I could tell him that his suggestion of going out and having a life was completely fucked up. It hadn't really done much of anything except make me even more exhausted than I normally felt after working most of the weekend. I hadn't gotten much sleep, and what I had gotten hadn't been very restful. I hadn't gone to the gym either and that didn't help matters much. I was far from obsessive when it came to working out, but I liked to stay in shape, and the exercise always helped me clear my head and get ready for the new week.
Instead of that, however, my brain was still foggy and I had a slight headache. Even as I walked into the office, I felt irritable for no good reason. This was going to be one of those days, I just knew it. The kind of day that the slightest little thing was going to annoy the hell out of me and I would end up snapping at someone, regretting it later.
“Here's your coffee.” Emmaline smiled brightly as she held out my cup.
“Thank you.” It took way too much effort not to sound annoyed even though she hadn't really done anything. Bringing me coffee was going above and beyond. “Have you seen Christophe?”
“He was taking something up to your office last I saw him.” She followed me to the elevators. “I didn't think you'd mind.”
“I don't,” I said. And I really didn't. If I couldn't trust Christophe in my office, I couldn't trust anyone. “How's the beta testing going?”
Emmaline was part of a group of employees who were monitoring beta testing of a couple of new games as well as a minimum security firewall. They weren't programmers, but rather collected the data, collated it, and wrote up a report about the various products. Technically, she was more of the assistant to the group, running errands, that kind of thing, but she also paid attention to what was going on and offered her opinion when she could.
“It's going well,” she said.
She seemed pleased that I'd asked her rather than one of the senior members of the team.
“Guardian's Cross has been testing well in its demographic,” she continued. “And it doesn't seem to have too many glitches. I think someone mentioned some sort of problem with a graphic, but nothing big. Legions has been having problems on level five, but Nadine said she'd be able to get it fixed before the launch.”
I nodded, taking mental notes as she kept going, telling me other stats and tidbits she'd gleaned from the group as well as her own insights. One of the reasons I'd asked her, aside from the fact that she'd been right here, had been because I knew she'd give me everything. The others in the group might've tried to gloss over some things, figuring if they could get them fixed, I didn't need to know. I wanted to know though. If programmers were turning out faulty products, it was my job to deal with it. Glitches happened to the best of us, but repetitive issues meant I needed to take a closer look at people.
The elevator dinged and the doors slid open.
“Thank you, Emmaline,” I said sincerely. “I really appreciate you being so thorough.”
I had a mental list of things to check, but put them aside when I reached my office. Christophe was at my desk, a serious expression on his face. He looked up when I came in, cheeks flushing slightly.
“Sorry, Rylan. I knew you'd want to see this as soon as you came in and I didn't want to risk not catching you until later because I was off on another errand.”
“It's not a big deal.” I glanced down at the manila envelope on my desk. I wasn't close enough yet to see the address. “Who's it from?”
“The Justice Department,” Christophe said nervously. “Is something wrong?”
I shook my head, relieved. If it was coming to me rather than our lawyer, it didn’t have anything to do with the easter egg issue. If it had been a summons or something like that, it would've gone straight to me. The fact that Christophe had it meant it couldn't be too bad.
I took a gulp of my coffee and sat down. “Thanks, Christophe.”
“Anything I can get for you?” he asked.
“If you could start a pot of coffee, I'd appreciate it,” I said, not looking up at him. “Caffeinated.” I'd never get through today with decaf.
I opened the envelope as Christophe went to do as I'd asked. It wasn't anything bad. In fact, it was very good. I'd been selected as one of the frontrunners to receive a contract from the Department of Justice for digital security. I'd forgotten that I'd even put a bid in for it. I'd done it the week before Curt's accident, so I'd been a bit preoccupied at the time. No surprise it had taken the Justice Department so long to get back to me.
I smiled as I leaned back in my chair and called up my latest security program. I was still tired, but at least the day was looking up. The system I was working on now might be exactly what the Justice Department needed. There were still bugs in the system, but the big glitches had already been worked out. I hoped I could try it out on my system here within the week.
Like most things at Archer Enterprises, the program wasn't the work of a single person, though I'd done most of the detail work. I had programmers who wrote the base code for pretty much every system we put out. Then there were the second level people who specialized in certain areas like games or security. In groups of two or three, they wrote the rest of the code, and then sent the program to be reviewed by a select set of people.
I'd had other CEOs tell me I was crazy to let that many people have their hands on each program, but I'd found it worked much better. Not only was each person only working in their area of expertise, but they held each other accountable. The field we were in was a competitive one and if anyone saw someone else slip up, they'd point it out in a nanosecond. The multi-layered approach also allowed for teamwork within the competition. I always gave bonuses for work well done, which meant they had to work together if they wanted those bonuses.
I frowned as I looked at the time logs for work done on the security program. One particular programmer seemed to be logging extra hours, but doing it alone rather than with his assigned team. It wasn’t strange that someone seemed to be trying to show off by working overtime – that was fairly common. What was strange was that it was Ned Baker.
Ned was one of the quietest, most unassuming men I'd ever met. He was also a lot older than most of the other programmers. Well into his fifties, Ned had been on the cutting edge of technology from moment one. He'd not only been coding on some of the first personal computers
, but had kept up with changing technology.
That left another option. One I really didn't want to consider. Someone else was using Ned's information to work on a system they hadn't been authorized for. If that was the case, it meant two things. Not only did I have someone in the company who was up to no good, but my security technicians hadn't caught on yet.
I had three, two part-timers and one who worked full time. He was supposed to be in charge of the digital security here, making sure all the electronic records were accurate. If someone was using Ned's log-in, Truman should've caught it.
I frowned. Truman might not know Ned very well, so I did have to consider the possibility that it was an honest mistake. Still, something in my gut told me that I had a problem at Archer Enterprises and I needed to figure out what it was before something bad happened. When you worked at a place like this, bad didn't necessarily mean someone slipping an obscene image into a game. It could be federal indictment kind of bad. The last thing I needed after the recent flood of bad press was the NSA or FBI breathing down my neck.
I was tempted to simply fire Truman and hire someone else who could do things the right way. I didn't like the guy very much, but he had been the most qualified candidate who'd applied for the job. Plus, I couldn't just fire him. Well, I guess I could. Technically, I would have cause if I discovered Ned hadn’t made those log-ins. That part wouldn’t be difficult to prove. If that was the case, it meant Truman had missed it and I could fire him on the spot. But I had a bigger reason why Truman had to stay.
I didn't have anyone else. I supposed I could've done it, but I had enough on my plate as it was. If I added security to my duties, I might as well just move into my office. I might've been a workaholic and there had been times I'd crashed here, but that would've been taking it too far.
No, I needed to first figure out what was going on with this system and who'd been logging in without permission, then I could worry about finding someone to replace Truman.
I ran my fingers through my hair and scowled. Some days, I wondered why I'd ever bothered to start a company in the first place. Sitting in a small room, music blaring while I worked on a laptop, losing myself in the numbers and beauty of code...I missed that.
Chapter 5
I hadn't even bothered with the pretense of buying a drink and taking a seat. The Den was the only club of its kind in the city and I hadn't wanted to drive the extra distance to one of the others located between here and Denver. There weren't many, and if a person wasn't in the lifestyle, they'd never know about any of them. Discretion was how people like me managed to stay respectable for the public. Stupid, in my opinion, since everything we did was between consenting adults, but people tended to get weird about things they didn't understand.
I'd been worried that I'd run into Sarah at The Den, but I'd only seen her from a distance and she'd been thoroughly involved in giving a blowjob to a hefty man in leather. The club hadn't been very full since it was a week night, but I still had variety to choose from. After only a few minutes, I spotted a Sub standing on the outside fringes of the dance floor.
A little taller than average, she wore a tiny little dress that her nice curves accentuated. Long, straight blonde hair, the kind of platinum blonde that usually came from a box. Pouty lips and high cheekbones gave her a striking look.
It hadn't been her appearance that had made me go to her though. No, it had been the complete subservience that had gotten my attention. Her head had been down, eyes lowered so I hadn't been able to see their color. Her hands were clasped behind her back, her posture saying that she was willing to serve.
I'd approached her as I'd seen a couple other men do. They'd been turned away. I hadn't been. Lita, as she'd introduced herself, had been told by her master to stand here until a worthy man had approached. I'd considered walking away at that point, but then her master had come up and told me what he'd been looking for. Someone to dominate Lita, but not expect to ever see her again. There'd be no exchange of names, no plans made. It would be one night, and that would be all. It was nice to know I wouldn't have to worry about her wanting to see me again.
Since the last two encounters hadn't managed to completely clear my head, I'd agreed, thinking that something new might be just what I was looking for. The Dom had then given me the safe words as well as what I wasn't allowed to do to Lita. Nothing on the list had been anything I'd been into, so it was easy to agree.
I hadn't taken Lita to the house, just in case she and her Dom were thieves or worse. I didn't want to show them where I lived. I had excellent security, but being cautious was always a good idea. The hotel we were currently in was known for its discretion...plus I'd rented the penthouse, which meant it'd be less likely that any neighbors would hear me.
Well, that might've been an issue if Lita hadn't been under strict instructions from her Dom not to say a word unless it was her safe word. I had a feeling this was a game they played often, and how well she did would determine if she received a punishment or a reward.
I had no problem with that and, at the moment, Lita didn't have to worry about it since her mouth was full. The moment we'd entered the room, she'd gone down on her knees, clasped her hands behind her back, head down. As soon as I'd asked, the dress had come off, revealing she wasn't wearing anything underneath. I'd kept my clothes on, undoing my pants and pushing them down far enough to pull out my cock.
“Open.”
She did as she was told and I slid my cock into her mouth. I put my hand on her head, and she stilled, waiting for me to take control. I twisted my fingers in her silky hair and pulled her towards me. I was still soft enough that she could take all of me without a problem. I held her against me as she worked her tongue around my cock as it swelled. I waited for her to struggle, but she didn't. I pulled her back, letting her have a moment to breathe before I pushed forward again. Again, she took it all.
I moaned as the head of my cock slid down her throat. She swallowed, throat muscles massaging me. I put my other hand on her head, holding her still as I thrust into her mouth. I kept my strokes steady and even, not wanting to push her too far, but it still felt amazing. Her eyes stayed down, hands clasped, her body motionless.
After a few minutes, I pulled back, my cock glistening. I was hard, but didn't want sex yet. I needed to let off some steam.
“Stand up.”
She did as she was told, assuming the position with her feet shoulder distance apart. I circled around her, wishing I had some of the things from my playroom. A flogger, maybe a dildo or some other toy. I wanted to see if I could make her break her silence.
I pulled my belt from my pants. I didn't use one very often, but I knew how to do it without damaging her. I ran my hand over her ass and gently squeezed. Nothing.
“I'm going to use this.” I held up the belt so she could see it. “Spank your ass until it's red. Then I'm going to bend you over the bed and fuck you.”
I tapped her ass with the leather of the belt, but she didn't flinch. This wasn't her first time. I took a step back and snapped the belt against one cheek. A faint pink stained her skin. I swung again, harder this time. Still, no sound. As I continued, her skin turned from pink to red, but I didn't get a gasp or a moan. Nothing to indicate if she was enjoying herself or if she bore this because she had to.
I scowled, tossing the belt onto the bed. This wasn't doing anything for me. I wanted a response, to know what she was feeling. I understood her instructions from her Master, but she didn't even appear to be struggling against the command. That was the problem with dealing with a Sub who'd been trained by a singular Dom. They knew what their Master liked, not necessarily how to please others.
I wrapped my hand around my cock and stroked it, the feel of familiar flesh under my palm. “Bend over the bed.”
She walked over to the bed and did as I asked. No complaint, no attitude at all. I preferred a woman with some fire, even in a Sub. I walked up behind her and put one hand on her hip. I reached between her
legs and found her wet. I guess that answered whether or not she was enjoying herself. That was something, at least, I supposed.
I rolled a condom over my cock and positioned myself at her entrance. I thought about going slow, but decided against it. I snapped my hips forward and finally felt a response. Her body jerked and she sucked in a breath. I wasn't sure it counted as a sound, but it was something.
I slammed into her, gripping her hips hard enough to bruise. Her breasts swayed with every thrust and her ass burned against my skin. I slid a hand beneath her. Her master hadn't said she couldn't come, only that she couldn't make a sound. I intended to find out if she could come silently.
My fingers found her clit easily enough, swollen and throbbing. She hissed as I brushed my finger across the sensitive flesh. I rubbed it harder, not quite rough, but hard enough that whatever she was experiencing was doubled in intensity. Fast enough to hurt. Judging by the way her body started to push back against me, that was what she liked.
I drove deep into her as I pinched her clit and she came with a moan. It wasn't a loud sound, but it was a sound nonetheless.
“Your master isn't going to be happy with you.” I fisted her hair, twisting her head back to look at me.
“Since I'm to be punished already.” Her voice was thick with desire. “May I ask a request?”
“Ask.”
She writhed back against me. “Fuck my ass.”
Not what I was expecting.
“Please,” she asked.
“Don’t you want to come again?”
“If you fuck my ass, I will.”
I pulled out of her and took my hand from between her legs. My fingers were slick with her arousal. I pressed my finger against her asshole, working it in much easier than I'd expected.
Lita moaned. “More.”
I slapped her ass with my hand, hard enough to make my palm hurt.