The Master Read online

  “Okay,” she said, as she subconsciously fiddled with the silver chain around her neck while tapping her lap with her other hand. What if George Hartwell changed his mind or one of his board members raised an objection at the last minute? There was still time for it to go wrong.

  Dylan studied her for a moment then covered the jittery hand on her leg with his own. As if by magic, Jodie’s nerves calmed as she absorbed his warmth. She looked up and met his gaze, aware that his fingers still lingered on hers. It’s funny how she had never noticed the tiny specks of amber in his hazel eyes before. Or how his nose was ever so slightly crooked as if it had once been broken. Not that that spoiled his looks. His strong angular jaw gave him a hard edge that warned others not to mess with him, but, in contrast, his whole face softened when he smiled, revealing the warm and intelligent man behind the tough exterior.

  “Mr. Hartwell will see you now.”

  Jodie tore her eyes away from Dylan’s face as the receptionist smiled at them with the professional efficiency one would expect from a corporate host.

  “Here goes,” muttered Jodie under her breath and rose to her feet.

  Dylan waited for her to pass then stood up and followed her. “It’ll be fine. Come on, let’s do this.”

  George Hartwell greeted them as they entered the same meeting room they had met in on Monday. “Dylan. Jodie. It’s good to see you both again,” he said, reaching out to shake Dylan’s hand before turning to her.

  Jodie smiled back, somehow reassured by Mr. Hartwell’s use of their first names. That had to be a good sign, surely? “It’s nice to see you too, Mr. Hartwell,” she said, as he enclosed her small hand in a firm handshake.

  “Call me George,” he said amiably as he gestured for them to take a seat.

  Jodie wasn’t sure she would ever feel comfortable calling someone like George Hartwell by his first name. He had an air about him that made it clear he was the boss, no matter how friendly he was. His blue eyes were razor sharp and the firm set of his lips hinted at a man who always got what he wanted. Despite his jovial manner, Jodie couldn’t help feeling slightly intimidated by him. But, no matter how ruthless he was as a businessman, she had only seen the charming person who believed in her and was prepared to risk his bank’s reputation and money to help her achieve her goal.

  “Coffee?” he asked, picking up a porcelain coffeepot.

  Not wanting to be rude, Jodie accepted the cup Mr Hartwell had poured for her, but didn’t put any sugar or cream in. She would just have to make sure she didn’t spit it out in disgust when she tasted it.

  “Right, this is all pretty straightforward. Both our legal teams are happy with the contract so all that remains to be done is for us to sign it.” He nodded to the receptionist and another young woman waiting by the top of the table. “Angela and Cressida will witness our signatures.”

  Jodie stared at Mr. Hartwell as he clicked his expensive-looking pen and started scribbling his name on the piece of paper that was the key to her whole future. This was going so smoothly that something was bound to go wrong at the last minute. Surely it shouldn’t be this easy? But when Mr. Hartwell pushed the document toward her and offered his pen, Jodie finally allowed herself the luxury of a smile as she started to scrawl her name with a shaky hand.

  “Congratulations,” beamed Mr. Hartwell as she put the pen down, “welcome on board. Now, I’ve organised for a photographer to take a few pictures then you’ll meet with the marketing team so you can discuss things like branding and publicity events.”

  As if in a dream, Jodie watched as a tall man carrying a professional camera started to set up his equipment in the corner of the room. She was then ushered to stand in front of a white screen with the bank’s logo at the top and given a flute of sparkling champagne. Mr. Hartwell joined her, holding his own glass up in a toast.

  “Smile, please,” said the photographer as his camera clicked away. “That’s lovely. Now, put your glasses down so I can take some shots of you shaking hands.”

  As the flashes momentarily blinded her, Jodie blinked as reality finally caught up with her. Bloody hell! This really is happening. She glanced up at Mr. Hartwell’s beaming face and was so overcome with gratitude that she could almost have hugged him. She smiled so much that her face ached until the photographer was finally finished and started to pack up his kit. Jodie took a few deep breaths to steady herself then looked across the room for Dylan. He grinned when she caught his eye and her spirits soared even higher. This was all thanks to him.

  “I’m going to have to leave you now as I have another meeting to attend.” Mr. Hartwell gathered his papers then turned back to Jodie. “I’m very much looking forward to watching you win that gold medal, Jodie.”

  Jodie flushed as she reached out to shake his hand again. “I’ll do my best, Mr. Hartwell. I won’t let you down.”

  It was another two hours before Jodie and Dylan finally left the bank’s premises. The marketing team had been keen to make sure that the bank’s brand would be on as many of Jodie’s clothes and equipment as possible and were adamant that it should be clearly visible. Jodie had been stunned to learn that they had already arranged for her to attend two corporate events as guest of honour and had even arranged for her to attend a press conference the following week to formally announce the sponsorship deal.

  “Are you hungry?” asked Dylan as they descended the steps from the building.

  “I wasn’t, but suddenly I’m starving.” She grinned up at Dylan as little bubbles of happiness fizzed through her veins. Then, unable to control herself, she threw her arms around him and kissed him on the lips. It was only supposed to be a quick peck, but before she knew what was happening, Dylan groaned then gripped the back of her head and pulled her toward him. Then he thrust his tongue into her mouth and took command of the kiss. Jodie’s knees weakened as Dylan’s hold on her tightened—it took all of her will to stay on her feet. Dylan kissed like a dom, controlling and hard, and Jodie responded with the surrender of a true submissive. At that moment he could do anything he wanted to her. He could push her to her knees… spank her… fuck her…

  But, as suddenly as the kiss had started, Dylan pulled away, staring down at her in shock.

  “I’m sorry,” he gasped. His eyes blazed with a mixture of hunger and regret. “That won’t happen again. Come on, let’s eat.”

  Jodie stared after him as he strode away from her then put her hand up to her bruised lips and smiled. He might not think it was going to happen again, but she would make damn sure it did.

  Chapter Three

  “We need to talk about upping your training schedule.” Dylan took a mouthful of his pasta without looking up.

  Jodie frowned. Bloody hell, how can things have gotten so awkward in such a short amount of time? She sighed and pushed the salmon around on her plate. “I’ll hand in my notice at work tomorrow so I’ll be free to train full-time from next week.”

  “Good.” Dylan put his fork down and took a deep breath. “Look, about what just happened…”

  “Oh, for God’s sake, Dylan, it was a kiss. No big deal. Just forget about it,” snapped Jodie.

  “It mustn’t happen again. I’m sorry.”

  Jodie sighed and tried to hide her mounting irritation. “It was me who kissed you so stop bloody apologising. I’m not sorry, okay?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “Shut up. The subject is closed.”

  Dylan raised his eyebrows and gave Jodie a stern glare. “That’s the second time you’ve told me to shut up this week.”

  Jodie grinned. “So, what are you going to do about it? Spank me?”

  Dylan’s laugh finally broke the tension. “If you were my sub, then yes. But, lucky for you, you’re not. Okay, we’ll forget it ever happened.”

  Not a chance. Jodie smiled sweetly and nodded. “While we’re on the subject, can I ask you a question?”

  He tilted his head to one side and eyed her suspiciously. “Go on.”

&n
bsp; “What were you doing at the club on Friday? Were you looking for someone to play with?”

  “Not particularly. As I’m still fairly new to the area I thought I’d check out the local scene. I didn’t have any plans to play. I was there just to observe, but then I bumped into you.”

  Jodie grinned, warmth flushing her cheeks. “I’m glad you did.”

  Dylan gave her the sexy dom look that made her muscles turn to jelly—stern and uncompromising. “That was supposed to be a punishment.”

  “Yeah, and it was. It bloody hurt. But it reminded me of why I got into the kink scene in the first place.”

  “Oh?” Dylan raised his eyebrows and fixed his eyes on her, as if trying to see inside her head.

  Jodie’s belly flipped as the power coming from them seemed to strip away her outward bravado. She knew without a doubt that he would always see right through her and would never let her get away with anything but total honesty.

  “I… er… well, I’ve always found the whole concept of D/s fascinating. You know, a submissive giving up control for her dom and that dom punishing her if she deserves it and rewarding her if she’s been good. BDSM had become a bit of a game for me. I’d go along to the clubs and scene with someone because it was fun, but there wasn’t any actual D/s involved. In most cases, I’d end up telling the dom what to do. Anyway, that night, when you spanked me, you reminded me of what it feels like to be a real sub. Your punishment made sense and left me feeling grounded and chastised. I liked that feeling,” she finished in a whisper. Oh, God, what am I saying? “Shit, that sounds weird. Sorry, just ignore me.”

  Dylan smiled, dropped his fork then rested his hand on hers. “It’s not weird at all. It sounds to me like you are a submissive who just needed a little reminder about the true nature of D/s.”

  Jodie stared at him, the mouthful of salmon she had just swallowed sticking in her throat. She could only nod as bittersweet emotion swept through her. Dylan was the first man who seemed to understand her and yet he was bloody off limits. Well, he was for now. She needed a change of subject before she made a complete fool of herself so she coughed to clear her throat then pulled her hand from under his and reached for her glass of sparkling water. “Yeah. Anyway, what did you have in mind when you said you wanted to discuss my training schedule?”

  “Er, yes.” Dylan paused, as if regrouping his thoughts, then fixed his formal trainer look back onto his face. “We need to set you up with a sparring partner. It won’t be easy finding someone as good as you, but you need the challenge of an equal.”

  “What about Tanya Monroe?” Jodie liked Tanya and respected her as a fighter. “She lives in Croydon so it shouldn’t be too difficult to arrange some practice sessions.”

  Dylan frowned. “Isn’t she hoping to make the Olympic team as well?”

  “Yes. That’s not a problem, is it?”

  “It could be. As far as I’m aware, the current Olympic squad only has space for one more athlete in your weight category. As she’s the same weight as you, it could mean that you’ll both be competing for the same place on the team.”

  Jodie shrugged, unconcerned. “That’s okay. I’m better than her.”

  “Yes, I know, but if you practice with her she might find it easier to predict your tactics.”

  “Yeah, but by the same token, I could also benefit from learning hers.”

  Dylan nodded thoughtfully. “True. Okay, I’ll get in touch with her coach and see what I can do.”

  Jodie picked up her fork and speared a chunk of salmon onto it. “Great. I like Tanya so it should be fun,” she said, before popping the fish into her mouth.

  Dylan threw her a cautionary look. “It’s not about having fun anymore, Jodie. This is serious now.”

  Jodie rolled her eyes and grinned. “Yes, Master Dylan.”

  * * *

  “Focus, Jodie.”

  Jodie glared at Dylan after his foot had connected with her head. “You caught me off guard,” she snarled, furious that he had taken advantage of the split second she had let her concentration wane.

  “We’re moving into competition phase and you need to be ready for the start of regionals next week,” he said, glaring at her with his hands on his hips.

  “I will be.” Damn, she had worked harder than she ever had before since she’d signed that contract two weeks ago. There had been no further mention of that magical kiss and no more conversations about D/s or kink. It was as if it had never happened. Jodie refocused her thoughts back to the training, but she was tired. So tired that her muscles ached and her body sagged as she faced Dylan for another round. It was just the two of them in the large training hall. Everyone else had left over an hour ago, but Dylan had insisted on her staying longer for some sparring, situations and contact practice.

  “Okay, last one and we’ll call it quits for today,” Dylan said, as if finally noticing how exhausted she must have looked.

  Desperate to get it over with, Jodie decided to deliver a spinning kick to his head before he’d even had a chance to prepare himself. But the moment she raised her leg, an excruciating pain tore through the front of her thigh, sending her crashing to the floor. She grabbed hold of her leg and doubled over in agony.

  “Jodie? What’s wrong?” Dylan dropped down next to her and put his hands on her shoulders to steady her.

  “Cramp,” she managed to groan through the pain. Fuck! She’d had cramps before, but nothing like this.

  “Okay, we need to get your dobok and protective gear off so I can get to your thigh,” said Dylan as he started to untie her black belt. “I’m trained in sports massage so I’ll soon have you sorted.”

  With Dylan’s help and despite the burning pain in her quadricep muscle, Jodie managed to wriggle out of her uniform until she was left in just her skimpy shorts and tight sports bra. It hurt too much for her to care that she was half naked although she did notice Dylan’s eyes lingering for a split second on her chest that glistened with sweat from her earlier efforts.

  “Sit back so I can get to your leg and try to relax while I release the contraction,” ordered Dylan, crouching in front of her.

  Jodie leaned back, using her hands to support herself then closed her eyes in the hope that she could block out the pain. She moaned in agony as Dylan gripped her thigh and started to massage the affected area. His fingers worked deep into her tissues until, finally, the muscle started to release along with the intense pain.

  “You need to take an ice bath for about ten minutes when you get home and make sure you stretch out thoroughly.”

  Dylan’s voice brought Jodie back from the hazy fog that had clouded her head during her ordeal. She opened her eyes to let him know that she would do as he’d said, and met his gaze head-on. Her breath caught in her throat as the power emanating from him seemed to paralyse her. The heat from his hand, which still rested on her thigh, seeped through her skin and reached deep inside her. She stared at him, her breaths becoming shallow as an electrical current seemed to crackle through the vacuum of space between them.

  “Master Dylan,” she whispered, unable to look away from him.

  Without warning Dylan grabbed her ponytail and levered her head toward him. When his lips smashed against hers, she melted and opened her mouth as he thrust his tongue in and took control of her. He kissed her with a passion that matched her own, the force of it leaving her shaking with a need for more. As if sensing this, he tightened his grip on her hair then pushed her down with his free hand until she lay on the floor with Dylan on top of her. Like before, the kiss was hard, demanding her surrender, and Jodie gave it willingly as her body responded.

  When he finally ended the kiss, he released her hair and grinned down at her. But Jodie wasn’t ready for him to stop so she reached up to pull him back down for more. Before she could even blink, though, Dylan straddled her then pinned her arms down to her sides and held them there with an iron grip. She couldn’t move, couldn’t control the situation, and this knowledge sent h
er pulse soaring. A deep heat was building between her legs, making her arch her pelvis toward him while he glared down at her, his eyes smouldering with raw power. Her hunger was becoming unbearable. She needed him. Needed his cock to fill her and ease the ache in her pussy.

  “Dylan…”

  “Yes?” He gazed down at her, a grin hovering on his lips.

  “I want you to… to…”

  “What do you want me to do, Jodie?” he asked, the velvet tone of his voice teasing her.

  “I want you to fuck me. Please…” Do I sound desperate? Probably, but she didn’t care.

  “No.”

  “But…” She pushed him back angrily. “Look, if you’re about to tell me again that this shouldn’t have happened, I swear I’ll hit you.”

  Dylan narrowed his eyes at her. “Are you threatening me?”

  “Yeah.” She grinned up at him, loving the fact that he still had her imprisoned underneath him.

  “Hmm, I think I’m going to have to teach you a little lesson in respect,” he growled.

  “Yes, please.”

  Dylan sat up and finally released her as his face became serious. “Okay. Trying to deny how we feel clearly isn’t going to work, but that doesn’t mean I’m entirely comfortable with the idea of having any kind of personal relationship with my student. We need to take this slowly, okay?”

  Jodie sat up then reached out and ran her fingers along the rough stubble on his chin. “We can take as long as you like so long as I know I’ll have you in the end.” She bit her lip, wondering if she could push him a little farther in the right direction. “So, are you still going to teach me a lesson?”

  Dylan took her hand, which was still touching his chin, and held it firmly. “Yeah, but not in the way you think. I’m not a dom who allows his sub to top from the bottom. If we do go ahead with this, Jodie, make no mistake that any punishments will be for real. The spanking you got at the club would be just the tip of the iceberg. I mean it. I’m a strict dom. Are you sure you’re strong enough to submit to me?”