Off Limits: A Bad Boy Romance Read online

  “Hmmm, maybe,” I said, looking around. “I’ve got a good idea on most of it, but I’m kind of looking for something special.”

  “Oh?” the clerk replied, seeing a sales opportunity. If she gave good service, she had no idea just how rich an opportunity it would be. “And by special you are looking for?”

  “Sexy,” I replied directly. “You know, something that sends all the blood from his brain to somewhere else and leaves him drooling.”

  “I don’t think that should be a problem for you,” the clerk replied. She squinted her eyes, then tilted her head to one side. “Say, do I know you? You look familiar for some reason.”

  “I doubt it, this is my first time in Portland,” I said. I knew I wasn’t done up like I would be for a modeling shoot, but it wasn’t unexpected that someone would recognize me. I wasn’t a household name on the level of some of the girls, but I’d done a lot of shoots over the past five years, and the clerk was in the exact target age for a lot of my clients, eighteen to twenty-five.

  The clerk nodded her head. “Well, if this is for a special guy, I don’t think you could go wrong with this,” she said, showing me a few pieces that were quite beautiful. “What sorts of parts are you thinking of showing off for him?”

  “I was thinking demure but still seductive,” I said. “Something easily removed.”

  “This would be perfect on you,” she said, holding up one item. “It’s called the Bare Slip, and while it’s not see through, there’s a lot of deep cuts, and could probably be taken off with a warm breath and a shoulder shimmy if you want.”

  “Excellent. Let’s get a few other things, and try them all on,” I said. The girl stayed with me for the next few minutes, helping me select two other potential items including what they called a V-string t-back that looked slightly larger than a postage stamp, but not much more.

  “If you need any help, I’ll be outside, but you probably know more about sizes and stuff than I do.”

  I thanked her and started trying on the items. Following the rules, I didn’t put the panties on directly but only over the granny panties I was already wearing, just to check size and get an idea. The slip, however, I tried on fully, letting the nylon and clingy fabric slide over my skin. The cool friction made my nipples get painfully tight, and I thought again of Kade. Looking at myself in the mirror, I thought he’d be more than pleased. My nipples were highlighted against the fabric, while the thin spaghetti straps allowed everything from my cleavage up to be seen. The idea of him taking it off of me made me flush with arousal, and I fought the urge to pinch my nipples through the slip. “Later,” I promised myself. “If he wants.”

  Quickly taking off the lingerie before I lost control, I came out to find the girl with a hopeful expression on her face. “How were they?”

  “Perfect,” I said. “So how much of a commission do you get for this stuff?”

  “A flat amount for certain items the company highlights on a monthly basis,” she admitted shyly. “Sorry. But I’m not trying to push items on you, honest.”

  “That’s okay, I was just curious,” I said, surprised. The girl was looking at me with deference, which I didn’t have happen to me often. Envy, jealousy, desire, sure. Deference? Not often.

  “Thank you,” she said. “I’m actually not supposed to talk about that part, but I guessed you’d understand, you having inside knowledge and all.”

  I actually didn’t; that was the business side while I was just a model, but I nodded anyway. “What items are on your list for this month?”

  She told me, and I grinned. “Tell you what, let’s get you a nice check for the night.”

  In the end, it wasn’t all that much. By selectively shopping, I was able to get her an extra sixty dollars while only spending about three hundred myself. Almost all of it was practical too, like panties, bath lotions, and other everyday things. The girl, who I learned was named Jenny, was beaming as I handed over the credit card. “Thank you, Miss . . . Prescott?”

  “Nova,” I corrected. “That’s a company card.”

  “As long as your PINs good, I’m fine with it,” Jenny replied. “You just made my weekend. Mom’s going to be so happy about the paycheck, that’s for sure.”

  “You’re living at home?” I asked as she swiped the card. Jenny nodded and handed it back.

  “Yeah, I’m in college, taking classes at Oregon Health and Science,” she said. “I’m going to be a nurse.”

  “Congratulations,” I said earnestly. “Good luck with it.”

  “Thanks,” Jenny replied. “You too, have fun with your purchases.”

  I grinned and nodded. “Oh, you know it.”

  I left the store and turned right, walking toward the bookstore. As I did, I heard the chimes warning everyone that it was nearly nine at night, and that the mall would be closing soon. Surprised, not realizing I’d spent so much time inside Victoria’s Secret, I broke into a light jog the rest of the way and to the bookstore.

  “I’m sorry, we’re closing,” an employee said as I went in. “Please, no more purchases.”

  “I’m not, I’m meeting someone here,” I said. I looked around, and saw Kade in the back. I pointed. “Him.”

  I understood, it must suck to try and check people out after the store is officially closed. It delayed getting home after a long day.

  “What did you find?” Kade asked, putting a book on art and philosophy back on the shelf. He had a shopping basket of his own, which had what looked like eight or ten books inside. “Anything good?”

  “Lots,” I answered. “I’ll be happy to show you when we get home, but here’s something I can show you now.” I pulled out a tube of orange scented body scrub and popped the top for him. “Do you like it?”

  “It’s certainly you,” Kade replied. “Vibrant, youthful, and very clean. The rest?”

  “You’ll see. So what about you? That’s a lot of books for a working lawyer.”

  Kade grinned and shook his head. “Only one’s for me,” he said, showing me the cover, a mystery novel it looked like. “The rest are for you.”

  I knelt down and looked in the basket, growling and groaning at the same time. “The New ACT Prep Book? The Dummy’s Guide to College Mathematics? Beginner’s French? What’s this for?”

  Kade knelt down and took my hands in his. “You’re here to become a university student, right? But you said it yourself, you’ve been out of the academic game for a few years now, so you’re going to be rusty at least. If anything, you need to take the SAT or ACT test again, and re-learn how to be a student. So, that’s going to be your day job.”

  I looked into his eyes, and knew that while he was using a gentle voice, there was a command in his words. “Yes, Kade,” I said softly, looking down. “Could you help me with them, though?”

  “Me? Of course. My plan was, once you’re settled in, you can come with me to the office a couple of days a week. Get a professional environment around you, and you’ll respond that way. Also, Monica and Vince are great, and would probably be willing to help you as well. Just watch out for Vince, he’s got a thing for models. Although he already asked me to introduce him to Karla McDonald if I ever got a chance. I think it’s the accent.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” I whispered back. “I’m already taken.”

  “Please bring all purchases to the front of the store to check out, the store is now closed,” the woman at the front announced over the store intercom. “Thank you for shopping with us today.”

  CHAPTER 16

  KADE

  A s we drove home from the Lloyd Center, the air between Alix and me was thick with desire. She rode in the passenger seat with her hands politely in her lap, but twice, out of the corner of my eye, I saw her start to reach for me before pulling her hand back. For my part, I felt the same way, and was glad we’d discussed that rule. For safety’s sake, no touching in the car. At least, not while it was moving.

  “Do you really think I can get through these
books in time?” Alix asked to distract herself as we drove. “I mean, doesn’t it take a few weeks for you to get your scores back from taking the SAT or ACT?”

  “It does, but remember, we can put in the application to a university before you even take the test, then forward the score to them once you get it back,” I replied. “As for the books themselves, I don’t think you’ll even need to. Like the math book: when I looked, at least half of it is stuff you’ll get in freshman or even sophomore classes. I got it, though, because it has lots of sample problems you can work through. I know doing it on a computer would be easier and cheaper, but you have to take the test the old fashioned way with a paper and pencil, so you might as well practice it that way too.”

  “Yes, Kade,” Alix answered, sending a warm thrill through me. She knew how those two words affected me, and she smiled.

  “When we get home, get changed. Something sexy that you bought,” I said, warm anticipation rushing through me. “I have something to show you.”

  Alix nodded and didn’t question me at all. “Yes, Kade.”

  Helping her with her bags, I immediately took them all to Alix’s room. An unfortunate side effect of the facade that we had to put on was that she would have to maintain her own bedroom. I had guests, employees, and other people over far too often for the fact that she wasn’t keeping her own bedroom to go unnoticed. In this case, though, it was probably a good thing, as it gave her more than enough drawer and closet space for her to not feel crowded. “You change here, I’ll change in my room. Wait for me to call you out.”

  I left Alix in her room and went into mine. Opening my closet, I chuckled at the fact that I had exactly nine hangers inside, and four suits, each with two pairs of pants that were hung on a special hanger that kept the set together, a sport coat that I could wear with three different sets of other pants, each on their own hanger, and a tuxedo that I kept only for special occasions. Dress shirts I had laundered and folded at a dry cleaners, while my everyday casual and exercise shirts I just washed myself. Hanging up my pants and tossing my shirt into the laundry bin, I turned to my dresser, opening the third drawer down.

  Each drawer in my dresser has a very specific purpose. The top drawer was reserved for socks, underwear, and pocket squares, mostly work stuff. The second drawer contained my undershirts and dress shirts in two matching stacks. I had a hand steamer that I used to make sure my shirts had no wrinkles before wearing them if I had to go jacket-less in a work situation, but other than that, I really didn’t care if Vince or Monica saw me with a fold line circling my body somewhere between my nipples and the bottom of my rib cage. I’m particular about my work attire and my clothing, but I’m not Patrick Bateman.

  The third drawer, though, that one was very different, and very private. I looked inside and took out the handmade black silk pajama bottoms, which I tied around my waist since they had no elastic in their construction at all. While some Doms are into leather, that isn’t my sort of thing at all, but I do appreciate the power infused into the color black. I tied the drawstring with a square knot, not so tightly that I couldn’t get it off, but one that I could not just yank free easily.

  Next came the lotion, which I rubbed over my chest and arms, and across my back as much as I could. Meant to moisturize, it also lent a gleam to my skin that made me look more powerful. Not quite baby oil, which I’d experimented with but hated due to the lack of friction, it would soon absorb into my skin to leave it touchable and tastable. There was no reason for Alix’s tongue to be dragged through nasty, chemical-laden residue.

  The last items I pondered for a moment, wondering if Alix was ready, then nodding to myself. I would wear them, but remove them if she was worried or scared. The gloves came first, then the black mask.

  There was one more item in my drawer, which I took out last. The silver key glittered in the light of my bedroom, and I palmed it before turning and going to the door to my playroom. Officially the third bedroom of my condo, I had spent quite a bit of money customizing it to my needs and desires, including the lock on the door that Alix had not seen at first. I put the key in the lock, then stepped away. “Alix, come here, please.”

  “Yes, Kade,” she said from her bedroom, which I mentally reminded myself to help her redecorate to her liking over the weekend.

  As soon as she stepped out of the room, my knees turned to jelly she was so beautiful. She hadn’t added any makeup, Alix is so naturally beautiful it isn’t needed, but she had brushed her hair out from the simple ponytail she’d been wearing to go shopping, letting it hang freely around her face and down her back. Even more alluring was the red slip, which hung from her body just enough to hide her intimate areas, but little else. Not lace or see through at all, it still revealed enough of her ripe, beautiful body to me that I had to struggle not to sweep her off her feet right there and take her back to my bedroom to make love to her again. Only the promise I made to her and to myself that I would let her in when she was ready let me stay in control of my passions.

  “You look very beautiful,” I said, reaching up and taking a strand of her hair between my fingers, rolling the silken strands and then inhaling their subtle scent. “Is that orange?”

  “Just some. I remembered you said you liked the scent in the bookstore,” Alix said, looking me in the eyes but still demure. She was learning so well and so quickly, it was eerie and a bit frightening at the same time. How had I gone so long without someone so perfect for me? “Does this please you?”

  “Very much. You’re a vision of an angel right now,” I said, brushing the hair in my fingers back behind her ear. “I asked you here because I’m giving you a choice. There is a key in the lock of this door. You didn’t notice yesterday, but I keep this door locked for a very specific reason. Any visitors who ask are told I keep legal files in there, but that isn’t true, as I’m sure you know. It’s my playroom . . . our playroom. First, a question. Do you want this tonight?”

  “Yes, Kade. Very much.”

  Her eyes were so wide they looked a deeper blue. She was so aroused, and I couldn’t deny it, I was too. “So here are your choices. We can go to my bedroom, and make love with no control, no Dom or sub or any of that. Or, you can unlock the door.”

  I saw the questions in her eyes as she thought about what to do. I hadn’t told her anything about what was going to happen in there, and was asking her to trust me and my judgment, as well as my control. That was a lot for someone who’d only had sex with me once before. On the other hand, she was worried that if she said no, that I would be disappointed in her. I was just about to reassure her when she reached forward and twisted the key, the lock to the door making a small snick as it opened.

  “I trust you, Kade,” she said simply, looking into my eyes. “What else is needed?”

  I blinked, tears blurring my vision for a second as I nodded, then smiled. “Thank you. And as a reward, you may ask questions tonight. But there is only one way to refuse, as you know.”

  Tudor Rose. Her safe word, it flashed through her eyes before she mouthed it silently. I nodded, and she smiled. “May I kiss you, Kade?”

  “Inside,” I countered, twisting the door handle. I pushed it open slowly, letting Alix see the playroom. “You first.”

  My playroom is painted in reds and blacks, red walls and black molding, with the various implements installed on black rails. In one corner I had the spreader bar attached to a heavy-duty pulley in the ceiling, used normally on the wrists, but Rita had, one time long ago when she had visited Portland and we were both feeling adventurous, let me use it on her ankles. There were eyelets in the floor as well for attaching to ankle cuffs, but I found them more of a hassle than anything else. They were only useful for restraint when inflicting pain, which if you needed to be restrained for, was too much in my opinion. I had no plans of ever using the floor eyelets with Alix.

  In the other corner was my wall of toys, including handcuffs, leather arm and leg hobbles, and my cat o’ nine tails. Alix
’s eyes fixed on it, looking at me with trepidation. “There is a technique to it,” I said simply, leading her over and handing her the device. “First, I never swing it full strength. Secondly, the lash must land on your back flat, not wrapping around or the tips getting a last second turn into your skin. That can tear and cut, which I’ll never do.”

  Alix nodded and handed the cat back to me, where I hung it back on its peg. Her eyes then found another of the toys on the wall, a vibrating dildo. She shuddered and backed away, her already creamy skin going pale. “No . . . ” she said, fear in her eyes.

  “Alix,” I said. “Stand still. Trust me, and stand still.”

  I could see her eyes flicker from the toy to me, then back to the toy, then back to me. She was fighting herself, her inner will to say her safe word, and I was heartened when she regained control and stood still, her hands by her sides. “Yes, Kade.”

  I took the dildo down and looked at it. “Tell me why you’re afraid of this.”

  “Not afraid. Ashamed,” she replied, looking down at her feet. “The blackmail photo and video that Sydney has . . . he had me use one just like that.”

  The idea that such a monster had done such a thing to my Alix caused my blood to boil, but I let my temper die, seeing that even with such pain, she trusted me enough to not run away.

  “Alix, look at me,” I said. She raised her eyes, and I held it up slowly. “I can’t say I haven’t done the same thing with some of my subs. But only because they enjoyed it. If you didn’t, that’s fine. We never have to use this at all. But we won’t be doing anything with that tonight. In fact, I’ll put it away,” I said, as I tossed it into a drawer and closed it.

  “Do you feel better now?”

  “Yes, Kade,” she said, her eyes glistening in relief. “Thank you.”

  “Now, you did break some rules today,” I said, mock growling as I came closer. “I do think you need a bit of punishment for it.”