Echoes of Passion Read online

  But at that moment, Damon, his cock, his raw unsheathed virility, was making her clench and unclench her pussy in desire. She couldn’t wait.

  Damon gave her a few seconds to decide, something he had never granted any of his previous subs. That exception was enough. “Get on all fours!” His tone left no negotiation possible. Katie deftly fell forward and her breasts swayed. He came up behind her and squeezed her ass tightly.

  More spanks were on their way. Katie knew. She wanted the heat, the sting. It went straight to her pussy. Since he wasn’t going to let her cum with his fingers or cock, she had to make do with the spanks. It was going to happen. It has to! Just a few spanks and she knew she would erupt. She was that close to gratified absolution.

  Puck!

  The hit slashed onto her ass cheek and a split second later, it burned. She screamed and crawled forward, pulling away, sitting, and trying desperately to make the excruciating sting stop. Her bare hips rubbed on the carpet and he watched her with a contented, aroused smile on his face. She lurched again and again and the stings kept coming in waves, over and over again, while he observed her like a piece of art on display.

  His cock twitched as she pursed her lips, tears streaming down her face. The belt. His belt had almost sliced her ass on the place it landed. It was nothing but pain. All her arousal, everything just vanished into thin air. She lurched again, her eyes burning, and crawled away from him feeling pathetic and beaten.

  Damon’s eyes narrowed as she kept crawling away, until she reached the bedroom door. He strode forward and Katie’s eyes widened. “No no! Stop! Stay away from me!” she screamed and he paused, his hands in the air. His lips parted. He was genuinely shocked but Katie didn’t care. She did not give a damn because the bite, the slash of blaze on her ass consumed her limbs, her sense. Her whole body was taut in struggle with the pain.

  She watched him, panting, tears sliding down her cheeks. He stared shock still, watching the expressive beautiful face once again. This time, her stunning dark eyes weren’t alive with desire – they were wild with terror. She was afraid of him.

  Bile rose in his throat like lava and he turned away, grabbing his pants and disappearing into the adjoining bathroom. At that moment, Damon didn’t know if he hated himself more than he despised Katie.

  Katie jumped up instantly, snatching her clothes, pulling them on hurriedly. She bit her lip to keep from sobbing. What is he? What kind of depraved monster is he? She wasn’t made for this. This wasn’t what she wanted. The belt! She hadn’t expected it! No no no! She screamed in her head, deftly opening the bedroom door.

  The bathroom door opened just as she was leaving but she dared not look back. She was in the elevator swiftly, punching the buttons ferociously as if her life depended on it. There was no way she was ever coming back to the hellhole Damon called home. The elevator doors wouldn’t budge, and her heart slammed into her ribs as Damon appeared right in front of her, watching her expressionlessly.

  She gasped, glaring back into his eyes, terrified what he was going to do to her. He reached to the side and punched a button on his private elevator. The doors closed and her final sight was of Damon’s tempting eyes tinged with remorse. It was out of place and completely the wrong expression for him. Her chest knotted painfully in disbelief at the naked longing in his eyes. He hadn’t been able to hide it. She had caught the expression in a weak moment.

  She clenched her eyes shut, hugging her coat tighter around her shivering form. Her ass stung. But even as she was awash with relief, descending to the ground floor, away from the man who had been a shocking maniac in bed, her heart was constricting. Up until the point the leather belt had crashed onto her ass, he had shown her paradise.

  Stupid stupid, Katie!

  Her impulsiveness might have made her lose him forever.

  Echoes of Passion Book 2

  Katie opened the front door, and a large bouquet of red roses stared back at her.

  “Delivery for Katie Stevens?”

  “Yes. Thank you.” Katie held the bouquet a foot away from her body. She had never been a fan of flowers, but she was a fan of the sentiment. A green card peeped through the red petals, but she couldn’t seem to gather the courage to check it.

  It had been three days since she had left Damon’s apartment in a rush, and three days since she had regretted it. The pain on her belted ass had died down, but the memories had stayed alive. They repeated themselves all day, and her pussy reacted so strongly that Katie was amazed at her stupidity which made her leave.

  The phone rang and she jumped. “Hello?”

  “Hi, Katie. What you up to?”

  “Nothing,” she mumbled, her eyes glued to the green card, which would hold the sender’s name.

  “Do you want to go shopping in the evening?”

  Katie reluctantly looked away from the flowers. “No, Brianna. I don’t think I’m up for it today. Maybe tomorrow?”

  “Did you call back the freak?”

  Katie smiled at the nickname Brianna had for Damon. “No, I couldn’t do it. You know how embarrassed I am. He’ll probably hang up on me anyway.”

  “You just left his place without telling him. It’s not a cardinal sin for God’s sake!”

  Katie bit her lip. She had saved poor Brianna the gory details. She would have shuddered at the mention of how his hand had branded her ass with red and made her scream…

  She shook her head to clear it. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. I’ll call you back in a bit, alright?” With Brianna screaming on the other side, Katie hung up.

  Grinding her jaw together, she swooped down on the gigantic bouquet like an avenging angel and snatched the card off it.

  Damon.

  Shit!

  He sent me flowers? Why?

  Katie sat down, watching the handwriting. The first time she had seen his precise, scholarly handwriting was when he had freaked her out by sending her her address in a note. He didn’t really know how to go about…courting women, as some would say. She couldn’t bite back a smile, and Brianna’s words pounded in her brain. You just left his place without telling him.

  She was just going to pretend that her lie was actually true. If he had sent her flowers, it surely meant…he wanted to give their arrangement another chance. Try as she might, a committed relationship title for that thing, seemed inappropriate.

  Two hours later, she glanced at her watch as the elevator carried her up to the penthouse apartment. Her knees were shaking, and her high-heeled boots struggled to carry her quailing form. In her hands, she held a batch of freshly baked cupcakes. Now that she thought about Damon, all virile and masculine, she felt incredibly stupid. In a hurry, she looked around, wondering where to dump the offending cupcakes. The doors opened before she could find anything and Damon stood three feet away, his hands in his pants pockets.

  “I was expecting you,” he said brusquely, turning his back to her and striding off. Katie realized that it wasn’t going to be a pleasant chat. He was going to ask her questions and she would have to answer them. She was fresh out of excuses.

  Lifting her head in defiant anger, she strode forward, the cupcake box in her hands. As he sat down and faced her, his eyes fell on it. “What is that?” he grimaced as if she held a coiled snake that was ready to bite him.

  Katie attempted to say ‘cupcakes’, but blushed instead. What in God’s name had possessed me to bake cupcakes for him? He’s like a…panther. I should have brought a whole buffalo for him to eat. That would’ve been appropriate, she thought with a chuckle. Her mirthful expression made his brow furrow even more.

  “What are you holding?” he was annoyed now.

  “They’re cupcakes!” she announced with more fervor than the statement had required.

  Damon watched her, flabbergasted. With her long brown hair tied up in a ponytail, she looked like a high school student. Her black leggings, bright blue turtleneck sweater and boots made her appearance elegant and trendy at the same time.
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  But cupcakes? His anger, his plans for a serious face-to-face chat about what the hell she had been thinking when she ran away from his place, evaporated. He laughed, his head fallen back. When her face tensed in anger, he guffawed some more.

  “What’s so funny about cupcakes?” Her cheeks burned in embarrassment.

  “Why…no!” he choked, struggling with his hilarity. “It’s just that...never has a sub ever… bought me cupcakes.”

  Katie bit her lip, an answering smile threatening to split across her face. “I didn’t buy them. I baked them!”

  His jaw fell and another chuckle escaped his mouth. He stood up, standing in front of her in an instant. “Please excuse my rudeness. Thank you.” He took the box from her grasp with the most over-the-top formality. “Would you like some tea with these?”

  He was kidding, making fun of her, and Katie was a good sport with that kind of humor. She knew it had been silly to bring sweet butter cream-frosted cakes for someone like him; it was a very hilarious situation. What was shocking her most was that he found it hysterical as well.

  “I'm fine, thank you,” Katie said smilingly. “Do you want to talk?” Knowing that he was capable of so much more than what she had remembered, she was feeling a lot more comfortable.

  He fell onto the couch. “Well that was good fun. Now let’s get back to business.” When she nodded, his expression smoothed out, all signs of conviviality vanished. “Would you like to explain what happened the other night?”

  Katie shuddered as she remembered the naked look of fury and distaste on his face. Then remorse. Those memories made her look up warmly, trying to penetrate his orbs and see into his soul.

  “I got overwhelmed.”

  He waited, as if expecting her to say more, but when she stayed silent he took a deep breath. “The thing is, Katie…I know this might not be something you will be interested in…”

  “No, no! I am!” Katie almost yelled out, and then covered her lips as she realized her volume had probably been too loud. She was sure he was going to throw her out on her ass. The same ass he had so enjoyed spanking and making sore. Now she knew where this was headed. He had called her over to apologize in his own way, and tell her that the deal was off.

  Damon gaped at her, watching the desperation in her eyes. She had been crazed with pain, and she had run like he was a demented monster. Now, she was begging to stay. “I don’t understand, Katie.”

  Katie exhaled sharply, blushing as she gathered her wits to speak out. “I know that I was a stupid, completely wrong…submissive. But I don’t want to…” She paused and he raised his eyebrows in disbelief. Finally, she managed to blurt out. “I don’t want to stop. I want to try it again.”

  Damon knew that he should explain. Despite what she may think, he had not sent her flowers to tell her that the deal was off. He had called her over to settle on a compromise, because try as he might, he hadn’t been able to push her out of his mind. His loins had been throbbing for her, and he had been killing himself with the knowledge that he had denied her an orgasm, and in turn denied himself his own.

  He wanted her with a crazed, desperate frenzy. He had called her over to tell her that he wanted to have a go at it again, without the submissive bit. His chest tightened and the heat traveled down to his navel as he recalled how her ass had looked – how she had responded to his caresses. She was fiery and completely innocent, and a vanilla to his world. Despite the fact that he had been willing to compromise, he still craved what he always wanted. He was a dominant, and he sought her submission to him with all her heart.

  “Okay,” he said, almost confused by her behavior, and she bit her lip to fight her smile.

  “Okay, then.”

  “Okay.”

  They stared at each other in awkward silence, and Katie squirmed in her seat. She knew, any second now, he would pounce on her and take off her clothes, start smacking her like there was no tomorrow. Her sharp indrawn breath somehow tipped him off of her thoughts, because he stood up and walked to the open kitchen.

  Katie sat there in uncomfortable reserve, wondering what was going to happen. She had shaved her legs, and was wearing her best perfume along with a sexy pair of bra and panties. All she needed now was to be given a command, so she could lie before him while he took charge.

  “Would you like sugar in your tea?”

  Katie gaped at him as he stood waiting for her. In his hand, he held a tea bag. “I uhh…” He’s going to make tea? “No. No sugar, thank you.”

  He nodded and walked off again, returning with two mugs of tea that he set on coasters. To her utter shock, he picked up the box of cupcakes she had baked and opened it. “Okay, then. Let’s try these. They smell yummy,” he said politely and Katie guffawed. The split second changes in his personality were endearing. He turned boyish and completely playful one second while the other second held no guarantee of cordiality. He could have her shaking like a leaf, or laughing like a giddy little girl.

  “Stop making fun of me!” Katie cried. “I’m jobless so I have plenty of time on my hands. But I accept, baking cupcakes for you was a little silly.”

  He tilted his head, his face devoid of any expression and his eyes shining with…adoration?

  “I love cupcakes.”

  Kate stared at his profile as he looked away and extracted a dark chocolate one from the box. “You do?”

  “Yeah.” He peeled the liner and took a big bite, eating off half of the cupcake. “Mhmm. It’s good!” While she was still reeling from the incredible sight of him being so…normal… he swallowed. “What? Can’t a dominant enjoy some cupcakes once in a while?”

  “It’s just…I didn’t picture you …like this...”

  He handed her a cupcake and she timidly peeled off the liner, regretting her decision to not call him earlier, regretting ever running out on this sweet, adorable man. What he did behind the closed doors of his bedroom, in private, didn’t make him a bad person. She had enjoyed it, and hell she was a good person. She was nice and kind, she didn’t do anything illegal, and she liked cupcakes too. Her gaze warmed as he tucked into another cupcake.

  “What did you picture me doing? Eating meat off babies?”

  She chuckled. “No. Not babies.”

  They laughed and he sucked his fingertip clean of frosting, then reached over to rub her face. His fingers slipped beneath her ear, and his thumb stroked gently over her chin. Abruptly, as if he had belatedly realized something, he jerked his hand away.

  She blushed. It had felt good. Suddenly, the word ‘committed relationship’ didn’t sound so bad.

  “Are you here because you want a job, Katie?” he stared straight into her eyes, his voice cold and hard.

  “What?”

  “Are you here…because…you need me to get you a job at my company?”

  “What? No no! Why- ” He was judging her, staring pointedly into her eyes, her whole face.

  What he found was utter shock, but maybe that was only because he had been so blunt about it. “I just want to make sure that you’re not here and willing to go through the whole disgusting ordeal just so you can wring employment out of me.”

  “How dare you!” She seethed and stood up, placing the cupcake back in the box.

  “Sit down!” he snarled and she stepped back from the naked fury in his words.

  “I thought you were real. I thought you wanted this to work but you just seem to have an aversion to women. If I needed a job, I wouldn’t go about sleeping with you to get one.”

  “That’s not what I meant.” He stood up and his face was a foot above hers, staring down at her like impending doom.

  “I don’t care what you meant. If you think I could stoop so low, you’re just…”

  “Okay, I get the point. You don’t want a job. You just want to get laid. Sit down now.”

  She blushed beetroot red. She had never been so ashamed in her life. Helplessly, she pursed her lips.

  “Oh, come on! I’m messing wi
th you, Katie. Sit down.” When she remained still, he stared up at her. “I'm saying nicely, Katie. The next time wouldn’t be so nice and sweet. Now sit down!”

  Katie fell onto the sofa. She was never going to know if he was serious or kidding at this point. “You meant what you said about me wanting to get employment out of you.” It was a statement not a question, and Damon knew she was just trying to make sure he didn’t think she was stupid.

  “Yes, I did. Let’s just say I’m not really good with trusting girls who run out, then come back bearing cupcakes. I tend to get suspicious of such ridiculous changes of heart.” His face was hard, and he took a sip of his tea.

  Katie blushed. He was right. Anyone in his position would have assumed that. It wasn’t just him.

  “So, can I get you a job?”

  “No, thank you.”

  “No, I’m serious. I could. We don’t have a vacancy but I could arrange one for you.”

  She chuckled. “I'm not going to work for you Damon. I can’t.”

  His jaw clenched and he stared at her lips, transfixed. The sound of his name on her lips had been so…titillating. He felt warm and aroused and wanted nothing more than to hear her say his name over and over again. Maybe even scream it out a couple of times. Never did he allow his subs to take his name during sex. They were submissives, they had to have a certain level of…reservation between them.

  He pictured her screaming out his name while he smacked her with a paddle. His throat went dry. Yes. That’s a good fantasy. Maybe she could be permitted to take my name.

  Katie noticed the flash of lust in his eyes. It was momentary but the chemistry, the electrical current flowed from his body to hers. He wanted her; she knew it as surely as she knew that she wasn’t going to leave without sleeping with him first. Sleeping. With Damon. It was such a wrong word. Making love. Sex. Everything is inappropriate. He fucked. She blushed at the hot reminder and squirmed.