Dominant's Rise [Dominant Focus 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) Read online

  From the moment he pushed open the door to the dance studio, several pairs of female eyes, old and young, followed his every move. He had spent many years as a public sports figure, interviewed and photographed, but a situation like that would be a little unnerving for any man. In the background a soundtrack of smooth improvisational jazz cut off abruptly. Silence filled the room like another presence.

  “I’d like to speak to Ms. Kurienko,” he said politely.

  He waited, but no one moved.

  “Please.”

  The pretty young woman behind the long counter shook her head but pointed in the direction of a closed door marked Room One. At that moment, the door opened and Anja emerged.

  Their eyes met and she stopped. She was barefoot, flushed, and drinking water from a small bottle. She slowly lowered the bottle and re-capped it, but she didn’t move any closer.

  “I came to apologize,” he said. He couldn’t tell from the composed expression on her face if she was willing to listen to him or not, so he rushed ahead. He had been an ass in private, but if she wanted him to apologize in public, he was willing. “I behaved inappropriately, and I’m sorry. I’d like to hear more about this scholarship fundraiser for your student.”

  She looked around at their avid audience, all unashamedly eavesdropping, before stepping forward.

  “Please come with me,” she said.

  He followed her back into Room One.

  As soon as the door closed behind them he started.

  “I’m sorry for coming on so strong. I know I was in the wrong.”

  Anja blinked but said nothing.

  He tried again. “I understand that you’re upset with me, and I’d like to find a way to make it up to you.”

  She tilted her head to the side and considered him for a long moment. His heartbeat sped up and his gut clenched. Her face gave nothing away, and sweat bloomed on his upper lip. He was sure that she would deny him.

  “Yes,” she said.

  Zenn wasn’t sure what that meant. “Yes, you’re upset, or yes, you’ll let me make it right?”

  She hesitated then smiled a little and his heart thumped in his chest.

  “Yes to both.”

  He moved closer to her. “Let me take you out to dinner tonight at Zefrina’s. You can order the most expensive items on the menu and get your revenge on me by abusing my credit card. Later, I’ll let you pull me onto the dance floor and make me look like an uncoordinated ass. You can dance circles around me, I’m sure. And I won’t make a pass at you. I’ll be a perfect gentleman, even if it kills me.”

  She laughed at that, as he had hoped she would.

  From the look on her face, she probably would forgive him, but she’d be the type of woman who wouldn’t mind exacting a little material payback as well. She wasn’t pleased about his actions earlier and she wasn’t afraid to let him know it.

  Damn, that hint of spice in her nature pushed all his Dominant buttons and made his cock as hard as a pikestaff. In Zenn’s opinion regular people just didn’t understand that a Dominant wasn’t looking for a woman who had no personality of her own. There was no challenge in that, no thrill for him in convincing a doormat to submit to his will in the bedroom.

  Zenn would welcome the chance to make amends. And there was no denying that he would love another chance to get his hands on the exquisite dancer. To hold Anja while her lithe body moved to an incendiary dance rhythm would test his faltering control to the limit, but he would enjoy every moment of that torture.

  “Yes,” she said.

  He took her hand and pressed a light kiss to the back of her fingers. His lips lingered. Even that tiny taste of her made him hard.

  “Seven o’clock,” he said, and nothing could disguise the rasp of arousal in his voice. “I’ll pick you up here.”

  “Perfect.”

  He left quickly before he could push for more than she was willing to give. He wanted her like hell on fire.

  Chapter 4

  Anja hid a smile when Zenn edged the waiter aside and seated her himself. He was giving her his full attention. It was plain he was trying to live up to his word and be a perfect gentleman.

  It was too bad that a gentleman wasn’t really what she wanted. It never had been. She wanted the masterful lover who had controlled her so effortlessly earlier in the day. Now there was a man she would be pleased to know better. Perhaps she could tempt that side of Zenn into making another appearance.

  The corners of her mouth turned down. On second thought, maybe not.

  She didn’t want to go through another rejection so soon after the first. She wanted him so much that she doubted her judgment. Maybe she was reading something from him that just wasn’t there. It was a dilemma. She would back up a step and try to take her cues from him.

  “I took the chance and called ahead to order a selection of light appetizers. They should arrive momentarily,” Zenn said, his gaze fixed on her face.

  He seemed to be waiting for something, so she said, “Thank you.”

  He watched her, but when she didn’t say anything else, he leaned forward. At that moment, the waiter arrived with steaming platters of calamari, breaded shrimp, and tiny pastries bursting with spinach and goat cheese. After pouring glasses of a smooth rosé that smelled like summer flowers, another waiter left a basket of fresh bread on the table and departed with an elegant bow.

  Zenn served Anja an assortment of the small delicacies on a tiny gold-rimmed plate before taking a serving himself.

  The appetizers were subtle and flavorful and the wine was a delight, but the true pleasure for Anja was the company. Zenn was open about his opinions and encouraged her to share hers on every topic that came up.

  During the meal, they talked of Zenn’s business plans, Anja’s scholarship idea for her student, and her upcoming radio interview to promote the fundraiser. They discussed business, local politics, and the recent drought in the Midwest. But underneath the conversation Anja could feel an expanding layer of sexual awareness which flavored every word with a little extra spice.

  Zenn’s eyes were on her as though she was the only woman in the crowded restaurant. His slow smile and deep laugh turned more than one female head, and Anja watched in fascination. He was such a tall man, strong and muscular, but every move he made had a coordinated animal grace.

  By the time the meal was over, Anja was feeling good, flushed with pleasure at being the center of his attention and convinced that every woman in Zefrina’s wanted to be in her place.

  Zenn’s warm hand on the small of her back was a distraction as they walked out through the maze of tables and a signal to others of their unspoken connection.

  Anja reveled in the physical contact. Zenn affected her on every level and she was sure that her feelings were plain on her face for anyone to see.

  In the car, with every gear shift, Zenn’s knuckles brushed against Anja’s thigh. The light, casual touches and his clean masculine scent drugged her senses until she was leaning into the contact, anticipating each new flare of sensation.

  Waiting at a red light, Anja’s eyes were drawn to his hard profile. Zenn didn’t look at her, but his hand slid to the inside of her knee and up her thigh in a series of slow circles toward her burning core. Her breathing picked up speed.

  Her legs fell open and she lifted her hips, seeking more of his inflammatory touch. His questing fingers danced over her clit and a streak of electricity shot through her body. She had just enough time to gasp his name before the light turned green and they drove on.

  Anja struggled to regain her sensibility but it was a losing battle when she was still close enough to feel the heat from Zenn’s big body warming the car. She wanted to bask in that warmth more than she had ever wanted anything.

  Zenn helped her out of the car and on the tiny front stoop he took her key and opened the door for her. Anja drifted along in a sensual fog, hope and anticipation and fear mingling into a heady thrilling mixture in her veins.

 
She looked up at Zenn but couldn’t find the right words to express what she needed. She had never felt like this before. The experiences he introduced were so new and yet familiar, as if he knew more about her body than she did. Every part of her responded like she had been waiting for this man’s touch all her life.

  * * * *

  Zenn watched Anja’s soft eyes. He could almost feel the intensity of her gaze on his face and his skin prickled in elemental arousal.

  He had been fighting his Dominant instincts all evening while every subtle movement of her body and flash of warmth in her eyes raised the demon in him.

  If he truly wanted to keep his needs suppressed, he should stay far away from Anja and the temptation she presented. Her long slender limbs, gentle curves, and the sweet female scent of her skin all drew him like a magnet. But it was the sparkle of hope and maybe a hint of nervousness in her blue eyes that caught and held him. Everything about her was beautiful in his eyes and he wanted to spend hours exploring her fiery responses to him.

  He wanted to try every damn thing he could think of, but only with her. His sleeping instincts were waking, stretching, insisting that Anja would be the perfect partner. Even here in the shallows of their shared passion, he knew that he could take her so much higher, beyond where either of them had been before.

  She knew it too. It was in her eyes as she watched him. He was sure that, if pressed, she wouldn’t be able to put it into words, but the instinctive knowledge was there for him to see.

  He couldn’t fight it any longer. Her responses were sending him an unmistakable message and he was so damn tired of struggling against the undeniable chemistry between them.

  “I’d like you to invite me in, Anja,” he said. He tried to keep his voice smooth and even. He didn’t want to make it an order.

  It would be all too easy at this point to use her need for his strength to force her decision in his favor. But strangely he didn’t want to seduce her into choosing him. He wanted it to be Anja’s choice. He had already made his.

  He watched a shiver chase across her skin and his cock twitched and lengthened further. He had been half aroused when he picked her up for dinner, and as soon as his hand brushed her skin he had hardened to the point of pain. He had been fighting a losing battle to subdue or ignore a brutal erection ever since.

  She took his hand and he pulled her closer. She settled against him with her cheek on his pounding heart. He rubbed her back and waited.

  The Dominant in him wanted her to verbally acknowledge that they would connect tonight. He needed those words to free him from his self-imposed prison.

  “Anja, tell me what you want, what you need. Trust me and I’ll give you everything.”

  Her body shuddered and her sigh fanned the open throat of his shirt where his tie hung loose. His skin tightened and he pressed his lips to her hair and inhaled. She smelled so damned good.

  “Invite me in.”

  “Yes,” she said dreamily. “Please.”

  His blood leaped and his cock surged, trapped in the stiff cloth of his trousers. It was enough. It would have to be enough, because he couldn’t wait another minute to have her.

  He swept her into his arms and walked into her little home, toeing the door closed behind them. There was a light on in the hallway and he used the soft illumination to find her bedroom.

  He set her on her feet and swiftly stripped her down to her panties. The fragile lace was a pastel shade of pink which complimented the pale sheen of her skin. In the semi-darkness her slender limbs and the curves of her breasts gleamed like a rare pearl and the delicacy of her body awakened the demon in him.

  Her busy hands loosened his silk tie.

  “On your knees.”

  Was that savage rasp his voice?

  Anja’s eyes flew to his and for a moment he thought she would balk, but then she sank gracefully to her knees. A surge of lust blasted through his blood and ripped at his control.

  He fingered his silk tie and watched her pupils dilate. He circled her as she knelt, all the way around. A shiver chased over her exposed skin as he started the second pass.

  He pulled off his loose tie and trailed its smooth fabric over her arm and shoulder. His tie raised goose bumps on her flesh and her tiny shudder was his reward. She was very aware of him. He gently gathered her hands together behind her back.

  “Zenn.” His name was a breathless question on her lips.

  He tied the silk around her wrists, leaving a little wiggle room between the knot and her flesh. He didn’t want to leave a single mark on her lovely skin.

  She tested the binding as if she couldn’t help the motion and her breathing quickened. Her eyelashes fluttered and a blush rose on her cheeks.

  “You may use my name, but it will mean the same as master to you,” he said.

  She licked her lips and he waited.

  After a moment, she said his name, and there was a different quality to her voice. His heart pounded at the sound. She was willing to play.

  “Pick a word, a word that will free you.”

  She inhaled but said nothing. He wondered if she understood this part of the game or if it was all new to her. She responded so beautifully he couldn’t tell and bitter past experience had taught him not to rush the beginning stages.

  He would torment her with as much pleasure as she could stand and push her limits a little, but he never wanted to cause her pain. He wanted to worship, to make her feel the beauty he saw whenever he looked at her. He wanted his name to become the meaning of pleasure. He wanted to care for her.

  “Pick a safe word,” he repeated. “If you don’t like something I do tonight, just say the safe word and I will stop immediately. I will control your body tonight and give you pleasure like you’ve never imagined, but one word will end all of it and give the control back to you. One word will keep you safe. Do you understand?”

  Anja shifted a little.

  “One word, Zenn?”

  “One word of your choosing. Pick a word that you won’t say by accident in the middle of a hot date, but something easy for you to remember. One word will free you.”

  She was silent for so long that he thought she was reconsidering. Waiting for her to speak was the hardest thing he had ever done.

  “America,” she said finally, and in his elation he understood that the name itself meant freedom to her.

  “Good girl,” he said and was pleased by the even tone of his voice. “Let’s play.”

  Her eyes were wide pools of blue, her cheeks flushed with pink. She waited for his cue.

  Zenn stroked his hand down her face and cupped the back of her neck. He drew her slowly forward, showing her his desire until her pink mouth was a breath away from the hard flesh straining against the front of his trousers.

  Anja closed the distance and nuzzled him with her nose and pursed lips. His cock leaped in answer, wanting more. He reined it in with an effort.

  Zenn let her explore him just a little, let her get comfortable with the situation. He kept his hand on the back of her neck.

  “Unzip me,” he said.

  She looked up, uncomprehending, mouth still against the fabric of his fly.

  “Unzip the zipper with your teeth.”

  Her long limbs quivered. She stretched up and forward and as her teeth tugged on his zipper, Zenn caught a glimpse of her hands secured behind her back and he thrust once involuntarily.

  Anja paused, smiled, and continued to pull the zipper down. Slowly.

  Zenn could count his heartbeats in the pulsing of the hard flesh at his groin. The little witch was torturing him, making it last until he could feel each individual tooth of the zipper as it released against his straining penis. He hated it and he loved it.

  He stood for long moments, taking the torture until sweat broke out on his forehead and rolled down his hairline. When her clever tongue insinuated between the layers of fabric and licked him, he gripped her hair and pulled her head away.

  He popped the b
utton on his pants and pulled his cock free. He was sure he had never been so hard and he wondered what the stiff, blood-darkened flesh would look like to her.

  Anja’s sigh was audible. Her lips opened and she pulled a little against his restraining hand. The sight of her tongue and teeth shredded his control. That was her first reaction, to open her mouth in welcome? He knew he had to do something fast or he would lose it. As much as he wanted a fast, hard ride, he wanted to play more.

  “On the bed,” he growled.

  Was that a flash of disappointment in her eyes? Did she think it would end so quickly? Well, she would soon find out that their shared passion would go on and on. He would exercise his control to the limit and pleasure her all night long if she would let him.

  He was about to repeat his command when Anja rose fluidly and sat on the edge of the bed. He had never seen a woman move so gracefully with her hands tied. His cock throbbed and a bead of semen dampened the head. All that dancing made her strong.

  When she would have reclined, he stopped her with a word. He moved to untie her hands so that he could secure them in a more comfortable position, but when the tie loosened, she looked at him as if he had slapped her.

  Chapter 5

  Zenn untied her hands, and Anja just looked at him. She couldn’t believe it was over already.

  Surely he would not reject her now, send her running away again? What had she done wrong?

  He seemed to sense her panic and brushed her cheek with one big hand.

  “Trust me,” he said softly.

  He guided her to lie on the bed and when she was comfortable, he took her hands and raised them above her head in the classic pose of submission. He used his silk tie to secure her wrists to the wide post of the headboard.

  When Anja realized that he was just repositioning her, that their encounter wasn’t over, she felt a surge of relief so strong that it raised the delicate hairs all over her body. She relaxed into a long sigh and let him have her.

  Zenn finished tying the silk and leaned back to view her body. His eyes heated as they travelled from her bound hands down her legs to her feet. Anja felt her toes curl and she arched and rubbed her feet on the comforter. She was so aroused she thought she could finish just by rubbing her thighs together, but then he might punish her. The thought sent a jolt of electric energy through her.