Mastering Lexie (Stronghold Book 4) Read online

  All she had to do was push him just a bit more, she could see how close he was to breaking. Maybe it was wrong to hope that his brain shut down in favor of his dick, but that's what she needed... Patrick to stop thinking and start doing.

  "Please let me show you, Sir," she said, catching the flash of hot desire in his eyes just before she lowered her own, tucking her hands behind her into the small of her back. A properly submissive position, one that she'd seen Adam put Angel in more than once when he didn't have her kneeling.

  "Step forward and put your hands on the desk."

  Triumph and excitement rushed through her. Please... please let this not be a joke. The rough quality of his voice was so freaking hot it went straight down to her pussy. If he was going to order her around just to give her a lecture, she really would scream. Or punch him in the face.

  Not daring to look up, determined to show him how perfectly submissive she could be when she wanted to - and she did want to, for him - Lexie stepped forward and put her hands on the desk. Her heels were just high enough that she had to bend over a bit, her legs slightly spread to keep her balance.

  Peeking at him through her lashes, she bit her lip to hide her grin as she saw that he wasn't looking at her face. Her pussy creamed even more to see his eyes trained on her nipples, with the pretty, silver hoops that she'd picked out just for him. It felt like the engorged buds were swelling even further under his gaze. He wanted her, he really did. Fuck yes.

  "Bend over. Down on your elbows." His husky voice rolled through her, and she didn't even think before she did exactly what he said. She loved that he was finally giving her orders that weren't brotherly or just for her safety. Heart swirled inside of her, making her pussy clench as she did a mental happy dance, almost disbelieving that this was really happening. "Look directly down in front of you and don't look up."

  It wasn't until she was in position that he moved, and even though she was dying to look at him again, to peek, she stayed perfectly still. There was no way she was going to mess this up now that he was finally giving her a chance. Because she knew this wasn't just about proving that she was ready to get off the main floor of Stronghold, it was also about proving that she could handle him. To prove that she could submit to him as well as challenge him – to prove she could be everything he'd ever needed or wanted in a woman.

  Besides, it didn't matter that she couldn't see him. She could feel him. What little body hair she did have was standing on end, as if attuned to him as he circled around her. Lexie bit her lip, willing herself to stand perfectly still as he stepped behind her, which would give him the perfect view of her upturned ass and her pussy. She could feel how wet she was, she could only imagine how it looked, especially since she'd gotten a Brazilian earlier this week. There wasn't a single wisp of hair to give her pussy even the faintest hint of coverage.

  The sudden swat to her backside had her jerking forward, gasping, at the unexpected blow. A gentle hand came down on the small of her back, just underneath the waist cincher.

  "Stay still."

  SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!

  It was the first time in her life that she'd been spanked and it was making her want to moan. The initial contact hurt, it stung, but as soon as his hand lifted away, she could feel the warmth on her cheek spreading straight to her core. Her pussy contracted every time he spanked her, her legs wobbling slightly as she struggled to maintain her position.

  Lexie had read books, she'd watched movies, and they'd always turned her on, but some secret part of her had also worried that maybe she just liked the idea. She'd been scared that when she got into position, when Patrick actually - finally - spanked her, that it would turn her off. No such worries at all.

  Yeah, it hurt, but it hurt so good. She'd never felt anything like it. Her butt was feeling warmer with every blow, it stung a little bit more with every swat, and yet she wanted to lift her butt up for more. Even when tears started to well in her eyes, her body's reaction to the pain that was starting to flare as he spanked her, she still didn't want him to stop. This was what people in the club meant when they talked about pain and pleasure melding together, the strange high that the mixture brought with it.

  It was everything she had dreamed it would be and more. The only thing that would make it better was if there was a mirror somewhere so that she could watch. She wanted to see Patrick's face, to watch his hand come down on her ass. Just thinking about it made her even hotter and wetter. She could imagine him doing this and then stepping behind her fully, fucking her in exactly this position while her ass was still all hot and red from the spanking.

  Instead, when the blows stopped, he pulled her up and into his arms. Lexie sank against him, feeling soft and warm and a little bit sniffly. Her eyes were wet with her tears and her bottom was throbbing, but it was all worth it to be pressed up against Patrick like this after being spanked by him. So what if he was wearing a shirt? She kind of liked the fact that she was naked and he wasn't. She especially liked that she could feel his cock digging into her stomach. There was no way he could deny his attraction to her now.

  A little bit of aftercare before the fucking wasn't going to kill her... and this was nice. Sweet. Tender. Loving.

  Then he ruined it by opening his mouth.

  "You can't dress like this in the club again, Pixie. No showing off those rings while you work for me, do you hear me? Not ever."

  Despite his massive erection - and it was definitely massive - his voice was no longer hot and needy. It was flat. Controlled. Distant. Lexie pulled back, pushing at his chest so that he loosened his arms enough for her to tip her head back and look at him directly in the face. Her eyes wide, tears still staining her cheeks. For a moment, she thought she saw a flicker of passion again before he shut it down.

  "Is that why you spanked me?" she asked in complete disbelief. "For what I'm wearing?"

  He hesitated for just a moment before nodding.

  Damn him. Damn him to hell and back. Even if this really had been a test, he was going to deny it again now. Deny them. Lexie pushed harder at him, her fury rising, and he let her go. She almost stumbled back, and he reached out to catch her, but she knocked his hand away, righting herself on her own.

  Even now, he looked so freaking good. Tall, imposing, wearing black leather pants and a dark green t-shirt that clung to his muscles. The scar that ran down the side of his face just made him look dangerous, even though she'd been there the day he'd gotten it. But that stupid, closed expression on his face made her want to smack him at the same time she wanted to jump his bones.

  "Go home and change into something appropriate before you come back for your shift." Avoiding her gaze, pretending he didn't have an erection that was threatening to tear open the front of his pants, he walked back around to his side of the desk and sat down.

  No. Fucking. Way. She'd done everything perfectly dammit! She'd held still, she hadn't peeked, and if he didn't know how turned on she was from getting spanked then he was fucking blind. He was just going to blow her off?

  Fuck.

  That.

  “Seriously? That’s it? That’s all you have to say to me?”

  “That’s it.” The jackass didn’t even look at her.

  Tears sparked in her eyes. She felt humiliated. Not because of what they’d just done together, that had been mind-blowing, but because she’d put herself out there and been rejected again. He wanted her and he still rejected her. Because he had all the control, all the power, and she kept giving it to him. It was time to do what she’d been balking at for weeks now. It was time to safe word. Metaphorically, that is.

  "I quit." It was almost a shock to hear that snarling, growling voice coming from her own mouth. She'd never heard herself sound like that before. Neither had Patrick. His head jerked up in surprise. Then his jaw clenched, and he nodded.

  "Fine."

  "Fine."

  Snatching up her coat, Lexie pulled it back over herself with jerky, angry movements, spinnin
g on her heel so that he wouldn't see the tears in her eyes. The fabric brushed against her ass, which was still hot and sensitive from the spanking she'd just gotten. She felt exposed and vulnerable, and not in a good way like she had when she'd been bent over his desk.

  "Pixie..." His voice followed her out the door, but she slammed it behind her, practically running to get out of there. Thanking her lucky stars that the lobby was still empty.

  That stupid nickname. That stupid man.

  In her car, Lexie took several deep breaths to keep from sobbing. She had to get out of there and she couldn't do it while she was crying. If she took too long, there was always a chance that Patrick might come out here after her and she was so done with him for the day. She had about an hour until her friends were gathering at Olivia's, and she was so, so glad that she'd chosen to do this before a girls' night. She was going to need some serious girl time after today.

  Possibly some therapy too.

  ******

  Elbows firmly planted on the desk, hands on his scalp, Patrick rubbed them over his head. Wrong head to be rubbing over, but his erection had wilted at the look on Lexie's face as she'd run out of the lobby. The hurt. The tears that had nothing to do with being spanked.

  Fuck she'd been perfect.

  Defiant. Submissive. Needy. Eager.

  It had killed him to pull back, to pull away, but he'd known that if he hadn't gotten himself under control, he would have taken her right then and there. Bent over his desk. And then what would he have said to Jake?

  With a groan, Patrick pushed away from the desk. He needed to get out of this room. As if he was ever going to be able to sit in here ever again without thinking about Lexie and picturing her perfect, hot pink ass, bisected by that tiny black string, in his mind. Or her shock and hurt at his rejection.

  When Jake finally got home, if he didn't punch Patrick in the face for even daring to think about Lexie in a non-brotherly way, Patrick was going to have a lot of making up to do. Maybe it was a good thing that she'd quit, now he wouldn't have to deal with temptation on such a regular basis. On the other hand, he was going to miss having her around too.

  He just couldn't win.

  Chapter 1

  Girls' nights were the best. As soon as they saw she was upset, Lexie's friends surrounded her with their love and warmth. They'd put her in the center of the couch, with Angel and Olivia on either side of her. Both of them were the mother-hen type. Olivia was the only Domme in the group, but unless Adam was around, Angel was more than a match for her bossiness. Across from her, Jessica and Hilary were looking at her worriedly, while Maria, Rick's girlfriend and the newest member of their group, kept glancing at everyone else as if trying to figure out what was going on.

  Olivia brushed a strand of hair back from Lexie's face, her touch so gentle and caring that it made tears spring to Lexie's eyes again. "What happened honey?"

  "Okay..." She took a deep breath, glancing at Maria again. Although she was pretty sure the other women knew exactly how she felt about Patrick, she didn't want Maria to feel left out just because she didn't know the background. "I've never actually come right out and said, but I think everyone knows I have a thing for Patrick." Ha, that was putting it mildly, but saying that she had a crush seemed like understating the issue and saying that she was madly in love with him just sounded overdramatic. Everyone nodded, including Maria, which made her smile just a little bit. Yeah, as she'd gotten more desperate for Patrick to wake up and smell the coffee, she'd also gotten a lot more obvious. "So today, I decided to go for it. I showed up at Stronghold and told him I had something I wanted to show him..."

  Recounting it for her friends made her heart ache, even though she kept the story to a bare minimum. Their excitement over her nipple rings helped though, especially when they started laughing about the probable reaction of all the guys. By which they meant, their men. All of whom were Jake's friends and acted like her big brothers. Her Sentinels.

  It fit too, because they all just blindly followed orders (mostly Patrick's) about her, whether it was what she wanted and whether it was even necessary or not. She called Patrick Master Mold, after the lead Sentinel. Because that's exactly what he was. Even Jake wasn't as protective of her as Patrick was, which she used to think was a good thing.

  "I did everything perfectly dammit. I did exactly what he told me to, but all he did was spank me and then kick me out of his goddamn office. He told me I wasn't allowed to dress like that in the club, ever, as long as I was working for him... so I told him... I told him I quit."

  It wasn't exactly professional, quitting without notice, but she still couldn't regret that she'd done it. As soon as she told them, Angel pulled her into a hug, and then Olivia came in from the other side, and suddenly Lexie found herself in a pile of women, all telling her how awesome she was and that she'd done the right thing and that if he couldn't see what was right in front of him then he was a blind idiot. The tears that Lexie had been holding back surged, and she found herself sobbing into Angel's shoulder, surrounded by the loving warmth of her best friends.

  They might all be older than her, but she'd always been more comfortable with people who were. Probably Jake and Patrick's fault, since they'd always let her hang out with them, and their friends had done the same.

  Her sobs finally started to slow, and the other women pulled back; Olivia handed her a tissue to blow her nose. Angel kept her arm wrapped around Lexie, lending her support.

  "I just thought... I don't know what I was thinking. I've had a crush on him for so long, and then I grew up and I think I might be in love with him, but how can I be in love with someone that I've never done anything romantic with?" She sniffled again. Not that it mattered. She'd tried to date other guys, to get over him, but everything always came back to Patrick. Besides, would she feel this heartbroken if she wasn't at least a little in love with him? "He was just always my white knight, you know? Rushing in to save me from whatever... but then instead of getting kissed, I always got a pat on the head."

  Angel squeezed her. "I'm sorry honey, but sometimes your knight in shining armor is just another idiot in tinfoil."

  Staring up at her, Lexie choked on a giggle. Then giggled again, and then suddenly everyone was laughing hysterically... it was somehow all too easy to picture Patrick wrapped in tinfoil, stomping alongside her or hovering over her in the lobby of Stronghold. Scaring off all her other potential suitors along the way. Like he'd done whenever he thought one of them wasn't good enough for her. Which seemed to be all of them.

  "I think he definitely has more than friendly or brotherly feelings for you," Olivia said, looking around the room for support, and getting a bunch of nodding heads in return. The redheaded Domme had known Patrick for a long time, and she was really good at reading people. Lexie felt a little surge of hope that Olivia thought Patrick was into her. Yeah, she'd gotten hope today when he'd been turned on, but maybe that had just been a standard male reaction to a naked woman. She'd started to doubt that it had anything to do with her personally. "He just doesn't know what to do about them. He’s the biggest control freak out of the bunch, and he has no control over how you’ve grown up. My guess is that he has no idea what to do now that he sees you as a woman and not a little sister."

  Lexie rolled her eyes. "It's not that hard. Naked girl in front you, insert penis here." She pointed between her legs, at which point Angel lost it completely and burst out laughing again, setting off another round of hilarity. Lexie smiled, a little reluctantly, because she hadn't actually meant it to be funny. She was still hurt that she'd been so thoroughly rejected... seriously, what guy didn't want to stick his dick in a naked and willing chick when she was standing right in front of him?

  "So... if you quit, are you able to go back to the club?" Maria asked, once they all got their giggles under control.

  "I can bring her, any time she wants to go," Olivia said. Her smile was almost evil. "In fact, it would be my pleasure."

  "Yeah, b
ut that's not really going to help the issue," Lexie said sadly. It wasn't like she hadn't thought about that in the past, but it just wasn't the same. "All the guys still see me as a little girl. What I need is to actually do a scene at the club; prove to them that I'm old enough to know what I want, that this is what I want, and that I can handle it, but there's no way Patrick would approve me for an Introductory Scene."

  "I could do a scene with you," Olivia offered, although she didn't look very enthusiastic about it.

  Lexie immediately shook her head. "No, although thank you. But it's the same problem. They'll see you as safe because we're friends and no matter what you do, they'll feel like you're going easy on me. Plus it's not like there'll be any sexual tension. They'll think it's like play time or something, or like you're placating me... Patrick will find any excuse to see something other than what I'm trying to show him. I’ve learned that lesson by now. I need to shove it in their faces, in a way that they can't ignore, but there isn't a single Dom there that would help me do that. Whenever I've been on the main floor, no one even approaches me. They're all too intimidated to do something that might cause trouble with Patrick or the rest of the Sentinels."

  Silence fell over the room, and Lexie curled in on herself. She'd been going over all these same problems in her head for far too long and hadn't been able to come up with a better plan than the one that had failed so miserably today. Obviously the other women were at a loss too. Jessica and Hilary were looking at each other like they were having a silent conversation, but they didn't know any more Doms than Lexie did. Definitely none outside of their group of friends. Jessica was in a threesome relationship with two guys, but they were two very possessive guys who didn't share with anyone but each other. Hilary was even newer to the scene than Jessica and newly engaged to her fiancé, Liam, and she'd never had a chance to get to know any of the other Doms either.

  Olivia had been at the club the longest, but Lexie knew all the same Doms that she did, and she knew they wouldn't help.