The lump in her throat was so big she could barely swallow. Hot tears pricked the back of her eyes but she forced them away. She would not cry. Not here. She would not give him the satisfaction. If he was going to fire her, he could hurry up and get it over and done with, she would leave, then when she was at her car, she would cry alone. And not a second before.
“I warned you what would happen if you were late without letting me know again, didn’t I?” His voice was stern, dominant, unyielding. And it made her pussy flood, drenching her knickers, despite her fear.
Damn. What was wrong with her? She could not be normal. She was about to get fired and her traitorous body was getting all turned on by his scolding. Aroused by this man who held her fate in the palm of his ginormous, sexy hands.
“Um.” She looked at him, mustering up all her courage. “Not really, sir,” she said. She twisted her hands in her lap nervously. “You said there would be consequences. But you didn’t say what those consequences would be. You didn’t tell me if I would be fired or if it would just be a formal warning or what...” Her voice trailed off as she shrivelled under his accusing glare.
“What sort of consequences do you think you should be facing, Miss Watson?” That dark eyebrow rose again, making him look even sexier and sterner than before. Powerful. In charge. “Considering that repeated tardiness is listed in your employment contract as serious misconduct and is grounds for instant dismissal?”
Jilly tried to inhale but the air around her was too thick to breathe. She felt herself begin to panic. She couldn’t do this.
“I, uh... I don’t know, sir.” How could she do this? How could she beg for mercy? How could he even put her in that humiliating position where she had to plead and grovel in order to keep her job? She’d rather be fired. There were other jobs. But none that pay as good as this one, her inner voice reminded her.
Matthew’s sexy, dark eyebrow rose further, his stern expression growing impossibly sterner. A shiver went through her again.
“I hoped that you might be lenient just one more time, and give me a formal warning, instead of terminating my employment.” Her voice shook, and it took all her effort to bring it back under control. “Please, sir. I have a daughter to support. Please give me another chance.” She hated doing this. Hated that she had been brought so low. Hated begging. But she had no choice. This was a good job. She needed to do everything she could to keep it.
“I’m not going to fire you,” Matthew told her. Relief rippled through her but when she took in the determined, stern look on his face, she wondered if her relief might be short-lived.
“What you need, young lady, is a daddy.”
“What?” She looked at him in horror. What on earth was he talking about? She was an adult, not a child.
“Listen to me, Jilly.” The firm command broke through her shock, bringing her back down to earth. “What I mean is you need someone in your corner. Someone to hold you accountable. To take care of you. To set you rules and boundaries that protect your welfare, and enforce them.”
“Right.” Jilly’s head was spinning. None of this made sense. “So you’re not going to fire me, then?”
Matthew shook his head. “No. I have no intention of firing you. I kissed you, Jilly, you’re mine. I want to protect you. I want to take care of you.”
“Uh-huh.” She nodded slowly, pretending she understood, but really, she didn’t understand at all. This was completely foreign territory to her. Totally uncharted waters. She was fiercely independent; always had been. What made him think she needed protecting?
“I want your submission.”
Now it was her turn to raise an eyebrow. Submission? Wasn’t that what she already did? She spent all day following his orders.
“Your complete submission. All of it. Not just doing the work required of you in the office, but deeper than that.”
He paused, but she didn’t notice the pause very much. His words twisted round and round inside her head. Your complete submission. All of it. All of it.
“Hang on. I’m completely confused. What do you mean? This isn’t just about me being late, is it?”
“No, Jilly, it’s not. Just so you know, the ball is entirely in your court, here. But before you decide what way to throw it, let me explain what I mean.”
Although he had a pretty good poker face, she was almost certain he was nervous. His hands, which normally looked so strong and steady, were shaking just slightly as he locked them together, and the confident tone had disappeared from his voice.
“If you’re interested, I’m looking for a certain type of woman. One who is a little girl at heart, who is vulnerable, maybe a bit frightened, shy. Someone who wants the protection and care that I can offer. I’m a very dominant man and I want a little girl. Not a child, mind, but a woman with childlike tendencies, who wants to be taken care of, completely. Someone to obey my rules, submit to punishment when those rules are broken; someone to let go of their control and let me take care of them completely.”
Jilly’s head spun. This was crazy! He was crazy! And she was crazy for being attracted to it, for even considering it. But as she thought about it more, she had to acknowledge that she was attracted to it. She felt the same way now as she’d done when he’d so gently tended to her stapled finger those few weeks ago. When he’d carried
