Not Just Another Romance Novel Read online

  “I just don’t understand why you wouldn’t have been honest with me from the moment you walked into my office and the door shut us into privacy.”

  What the hell was he talking about?

  Did he somehow guess my end goal of procuring a date with the millionaire so I could write about it in my report?

  There was no way. I’d been careful. Sure, I’d mentioned personal relationships, but it didn’t mean I wanted to enter into one with the CEO.

  That may have been my initial goal, but he was already married to his job.

  He picked up my cell phone from the desk and held it in his hand for a moment. His eyes met mine. His were green and luminous. Striking. Hot.

  He swiped the screen.

  He shook his head and chuckled, and then he handed me the phone.

  Oh, fuck.

  Oh. My. God.

  No.

  No.

  Nononono.

  “It’s a beautiful nipple, Ms. Andrews.” His voice was gentle as he handed me my phone. My jaw hit the floor. “I appreciate the offer, but you’re much too young for me.”

  How the fuck had this happened? I thought back to when I’d set the phone on his desk to record our interview. I must’ve somehow clicked into my photo album by accident.

  He turned slightly and I could actually see the slightest outline of rippled muscle under his oxford shirt. He pressed a button on his phone.

  “Sir?” Ms. McClelland’s voice came through the line into our private room.

  “Please have security escort Ms. Andrews out.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  He cut the call and turned back to me. “My apologies, Ms. Andrews.”

  “I—but…Um…I—” I sputtered. Logic left a while ago. I had nothing. I had no idea what to say.

  I took a deep breath and swallowed a few times. A lump formed in my throat. Oh no. God, no. I wasn’t going to cry, was I?

  A tear leaked from my eye and spilled down my cheek.

  Yep. I was definitely going to cry. In front of Conrad Greene, eligible bachelor millionaire CEO…the man who had called security on me after I’d shown him my nipple picture.

  God, could this day get any worse?

  I sniffed unattractively, and my phone buzzed again.

  From the sound of the buzzing, yes, it could definitely get worse.

  19

  Calling security hadn’t been as dick a move as it first sounded. It turned out Mr. Greene had noticed I’d been limping, and he asked me about my leg after I’d wiped away a few tears. I admitted I’d sprained my ankle only two days earlier, and he scolded me like an older brother would have for not using my crutches. He’d called security to literally escort me out, so I’d have someone to hold onto while I walked back to my car. It was actually kind of sweet. For a self-labeled controlling workaholic who’d seen my nipple, Conrad Greene turned out to be a pretty good guy in the end.

  Master Sebastian, however, was not as sweet.

  When I got back to my car, I had four new emails from him.

  Piper,

  Creative picture. Are you in a bathroom?

  -Master

  Piper,

  It has been ten minutes. Your punishment will arrive in your inbox within the next five minutes. If you reply before then, you’ll get the easier punishment. If you wait, you’ll get the worse.

  -Master

  Piper,

  It appears you want the worse. Let me think something up.

  -Master

  Piper,

  The easy punishment was going to be a short essay explaining why you are such a bad girl. The worse punishment will include that, but you will also need to issue five spankings to yourself. Include one paragraph in your essay that details how it feels to spank yourself. Due in two hours. You will hear nothing from me until I receive this from you.

  -Master

  Good God. I didn’t have time to write a freaking essay. I just wanted to go home and take a nap. I had actual school work to do, most importantly meeting with my friends for my last study session before our Clinical Psychology test the following day. The clock on my cell phone told me I had enough time to eat lunch and punch out a quick essay to Master Sebastian. He hadn’t given me a word count, so I’d keep it short and sweet.

  I drove home, and the throbbing in my ankle matched a new throbbing sensation in my head.

  I lay down on my couch for five minutes once I stumbled back into my apartment and threw my boots across the room. I was almost dozing off when my cell phone alerted me to a new text.

  How’s your ankle?

  It was from Dax, and it was incredibly sweet.

  Hurts like a bitch. How are your abs?

  His reply came a little slow. Fine. Why?

  I just like thinking about them.

  My phone rang a few seconds later.

  “Hey,” I answered when I saw it was Dax calling.

  “I like thinking about you, Piper. It’s getting a little out of control.”

  “Are you at practice?”

  “Yeah. We’re taking five. Brody had some calls to make. Your ankle doing okay?”

  “I’m okay. I just walked on it more than I should have.”

  “I wish I could be there for you.”

  “Just knowing you’re thinking about me helps.”

  “Never doubt that, sweets. I gotta run.”

  “Have a good practice.”

  We said our goodbyes and hung up, and I pulled my laptop on my lap to get started on my punishment.

  I wrote out the first paragraph about how I’m a disrespectful girl who deserves to be punished. And then I set my laptop on my coffee table, flipped onto my stomach on my couch, and lifted the skirt of my dress.

  I cracked a tiny slap across my ass. Getting the angle right for smacking myself was sort of tough. And I didn’t particularly want to inflict pain on myself, so I didn’t really hit that hard. I supposed Master Sebastian would be disappointed, but I did the best I could do.

  I wrote another paragraph detailing how humiliating—and difficult—it had been to spank myself, and then I emailed it off to Master. I sincerely hoped it was good enough, because I wasn’t really interested in additional punishments.

  I preferred the part where he made me give myself a big, hard orgasm.

  ***

  “Any new developments on your project?” Shannon asked me while we waited for Austin and Scott to arrive at our favorite table in the library.

  “Actually, I met the CEO this morning, and the dominant has been sending me tasks all day.”

  “Oh my God! Details! Now!”

  “For which?”

  “Both. Don’t leave out a single detail.”

  I giggled at Shannon as I recounted (and edited) the tasks Master Sebastian had requested of me all day. The painkillers had kicked back in, and I was feeling pretty good as I giggled with Shannon about the essay I had to write.

  Pretty good, that was, until Scott arrived.

  It was like he brought a thunderstorm in his wake.

  An uneasy silence followed when he sat at the table with a scowl.

  “What’s up your butt?” Shannon voiced the question in my head.

  “Nothing,” he muttered. Austin walked in right behind him, and the mood lightened considerably when he sat.

  We picked up on our study guide where we’d left off at our last study session. I couldn’t help glancing over at Scott. To my surprise, he was looking at me.

  I wished I knew what he was thinking. I wished he’d confided in me like he used to, that he’d let me back into his life. But his eyes revealed nothing. He glanced away quickly.

  My phone buzzed. “Fuck,” I muttered.

  Austin shot me a look and Shannon giggled, while Scott acted like I wasn’t even alive.

  “What am I missing?” Austin asked.

  Shannon answered for me with way too much glee in her voice. “She’s been getting honey-do messages from the dominant all day!”


  I rolled my eyes.

  “Read it to us!” Shannon said, a grin from ear to ear across her face.

  “Yeah, read it!” Austin chimed in.

  I rolled my eyes as I slid the screen of my phone and clicked the email app.

  I read it silently first. I had to. I couldn’t just read it aloud to my study buddies without previewing it first because I had no idea what he’d say. It turned out that it wasn’t so bad, so I read it to my friends.

  Piper,

  Excellent essay. You scored an A. Did you learn your lesson?

  -Master

  “What essay?” Austin asked at the same time Shannon said, “Can I write your reply?”

  “Oh my God, Shannon. No, you cannot.” I turned my attention to Austin. “He asked me to write an essay as a punishment because I didn’t write him back within his timeframe.”

  “This is all over email?” he asked. I glanced over at Scott, who studiously stared down at his textbook.

  I nodded. “I don’t know him. I may be stupid for even trying it, but I’m smart enough to know I shouldn’t give him my number.”

  “You’re not stupid. It’s all in the name of science,” Austin said.

  “What are you going to say to him?”

  I typed it out, and then I read it back to my friends in a silly, sultry voice.

  Master,

  I most certainly did learn my lesson. I promise not to be a bad girl ever again. What else do you have for me to do? And, if I may ask, will you tell me a little about who you are? I’ve been doing things to please you all day and I want to be rewarded.

  -Piper

  Austin and Shannon giggled.

  “Can we get back to studying?” Scott asked, his voice irritated.

  Austin shot him a look, and Shannon made eyes at me as if to say the big stick in his ass was still firmly in place. I giggled at her even though I felt belittled by Scott’s tone.

  But the really weird thing?

  It also sort of turned me on. He wasn’t demanding by nature, but something in his tone was demanding. And it was hot.

  We were nearing the end of the study guide when another email came through.

  Shannon grabbed my phone. “Can I please please please read it first?”

  I shrugged. “Go for it.”

  To my dismay, she read it aloud.

  “Piper, It’s lovely you want to be rewarded, but it’s not your place to ask. A submissive must do something to please her Dom in order to earn a reward. You have not done that. What are you going to do to please me? I want auditory proof this time. I can’t tell you much about myself. Suffice it to say my life is in the public eye. You’d probably recognize me if you saw my picture. It tends to be splashed across the tabloids on a daily basis. The only people who know I’m a Dom are my subs. I hope you’re enjoying your first look at this type of relationship. My job is to always ensure your needs are taken care of, so I hope you will do something that pleases you in order to please me. –Master”

  Shannon and Austin giggled, Scott shifted, and I flushed.

  “What are you going to do to please yourself?” Shannon asked. Of course she would pick up on that part of the email, while I wondered who the hell this guy was. “And auditory proof? Like what? Moaning into your phone in pleasure?”

  “Jesus, Shannon,” Scott muttered.

  “Something along those lines. Can we get back to studying?”

  “Don’t you only have ten minutes to answer him?” she asked. I’d told her that bit back before the guys had arrived.

  “Shit,” I muttered, grabbing my phone from her.

  I typed out a quick message.

  Master,

  How long do I have to complete my task?

  -Piper

  The email back told me I had one hour, so we powered through to finish our study guide in thirty minutes and then I drove back to my apartment to take care of my task. I popped a painkiller, but I wasn’t really sure if it was because of my ankle or if it was to get me though my assignment from Master.

  I wasn’t really a phone sex kind of girl. I took care of my needs occasionally, but I’d never really thought about doing it twice in one day.

  I still contended that if I was going to do this with the good Master, I had to do it one hundred percent.

  So I hit the voice record button, dipped my finger into my panties, tweaked my nipples, and moaned for Master Sebastian. It wasn’t my style at all, and I felt like a royal fool doing it, but the painkillers definitely helped dull the embarrassment.

  And just when I was getting good and worked up, my phone started to ring.

  I took a few deep breaths and forced myself to swallow a few times. I checked the screen. It was Dax.

  “Hello?” I answered. My voice came out raspier and breathier than I’d imagined it would be.

  “Hey, sweets. Did I catch you in the middle of something?”

  I giggled. I couldn’t help it. If he only knew what he’d just caught me in the middle of…well, let’s just say it was something he’d been looking forward to. “Nope. What’s up?”

  “I just had a few free minutes and I wanted to spend them with you.”

  My heart squeezed in my chest. “Oh, Dax. That’s really sweet of you to say.” I thought about all of the opportunities available to someone like him. I thought of his plush lips perfect for kissing and even better for dragging across my skin. I thought about his hard body rubbing against mine. I thought about him up on stage, women everywhere ogling him and wanting him.

  And he had called me during his free time. Me!

  “I really mean it.”

  “I think Friday night I should skip the painkillers.” The sentence somehow blurted out of my mouth. I knew I needed at least one more day of painkillers, but somehow the idea of sex with Dax made me feel like the pain wouldn’t be so bad.

  “Sweet Jesus, Piper,” he said, his voice a husky rasp around my name. He knew exactly what I implied by that, and hearing the way my words affected him…well, they affected me.

  I was already partway to my impending release. It would only take a few more strokes of my sensitive bundle of nerves to get me there, and having Dax’s voice in my head provided just the ticket.

  I had enough panting for Master Sebastian. What happened when I hung up the phone with Dax would be just for me.

  “I think you should, too,” he said softly.

  A certain athlete popped into my head. I had a date on Friday with Hayden. If I had a sex appointment with Dax after my date with Hayden, I could be fairly certain I wouldn’t be focusing on making the most of my time with the athlete.

  But I really wanted to make that appointment with Dax.

  “We’re at Emerson’s on Friday, but I’ll be done around midnight. You’ll be awake?”

  “I’ll stay awake, Dax. It’ll be worth it.”

  “God. I’m really glad I called you, except now I have to go onstage in twenty minutes with this giant hard-on.”

  “Don’t let the other girls see it. Make sure they know it’s for me.”

  He moaned into the line, and I smiled. I loved the effect I had on him.

  “Are you sure we have to wait until Friday?” he muttered.

  I giggled. “I’m just giving you something to look forward to.”

  “I always look forward to time with you, sweets.”

  Good Lord, he was swoon-worthy.

  “The feeling’s mutual.”

  “Are you busy tonight? Can you come to the bar?”

  I frowned even though he couldn’t see me through the phone. “I have a big test tomorrow in Clinical Psychology.”

  “Stupid school always getting in the way.”

  I laughed. “Right? But I don’t have anything going on tomorrow night.”

  “Stop by if you can. Bring your friends.”

  “That sounds fun. I’ll talk to them.”

  “Piper?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I like looking at you while I�
��m up on stage.”

  “I like looking at you while you’re up on stage, too.”

  He chuckled. “I have to run, but I’ll talk to you soon.”

  “I’ll be waiting by the phone.” I said it as a joke, but it was sort of true.

  I still couldn’t believe this local rock star wanted anything to do with me, but I’d take it. I thoroughly enjoyed his company. I really liked him.

  So why was it Scott’s face that popped into my mind as I finally pushed myself into the orgasm that had been waiting since my phone rang a few minutes earlier?

  20

  I felt pretty good as I turned in my test the next day. I’d gotten back on my crutches in the hopes that staying off of my ankle would help it heal quicker. I had allowed Shannon to drive me to class so I wouldn’t even have the pressure of pressing down on the gas pedal. It was healing slowly, but I figured if I took really good care of it today, tomorrow it might not hurt so bad.

  Scott finished the test first, naturally. He’d tapped the eraser of his pencil against the paper twice and then got up to turn it in. He walked out of the room, presumably to our tree. I finished second. Austin and Shannon were still working. I debated what to do. I could sit with the test and pretend to check my answers until either Austin or Shannon finished, or I could go out and face Scott.

  I took the coward’s way out.

  I couldn’t face Scott with the knowledge I’d fantasized about him—however brief it may have been—while I’d been pleasuring myself the night before.

  So I stared down at my test as I thought about the Master’s last few emails to me. He had been pleased with my auditory sample. He told me I sounded sexy. He asked me for a picture, only if I was comfortable. I gently let him know I wasn’t ready for that—or anything else, really—and he said he understood. And that was the end of it. It ended as abruptly as it had started.

  All in all, my day as a submissive had been…interesting. I learned a lot, most important that I wasn’t cut out for a dom/sub relationship—at least not online. It wasn’t necessarily a fair judgment of the lifestyle since it wasn’t in-person, but it was enough of a taste for me to realize I was far too stubborn to follow someone else’s directions all the time.

  Besides, my schedule felt full as I found myself falling for a rock star. If I was a submissive, I’d feel the need to commit to being with just my Master full time. And I wasn’t ready to give up Dax.