Chapter One
Susan Shaughnessy stretched and yawned, nestling her bare toes under Marcus McCarthy’s firm thigh. Taking the Mimosa from Marcus’ hand she smiled like the cat that ate the canary. The last month had been an unbelievable ride and were it not for Kelsey Reed, her best friend sitting across from her with a slightly panicked look on her face, she would have thought it was all a dream.
A month ago Sue was working for a messenger service, riding a deplorable bike and hating every minute of it. Barely making enough money to keep a roof over her head, she hocked just about everything she owned, including her Grandmother’s silver, which almost broke her heart. Thankfully, that silver was now riding in the trunk of a huge, shiny black limo, courtesy of one Marcus McCarthy, best-selling author and client of the very elite matchmaking service, Sugar Babies, Inc.
Susan never even suspected such an organization existed until that fine summer day when she rode her bike smack dab into Sam Barringer, the CEO and owner. After helping her to her feet, cleaning the blood from her arm and gathering her spilled packages, Sam gave her his card. At first Sue had no interest, the only thing she was concerned with was getting back to workbefore her dickhead of a boss fired her, but three days later she changed her mind.
Returning to the depot, soaked to the skin and shaky from skipping lunch, the asshole had the nerve to dock her pay for damages to the piece of crap he called a ‘bike’. At that point, her Irish temper got the best of her and she told the jerk where he could stick the bike and his job, in very graphic terms with a few finger gestures added for good measure. Stomping off into the rain, she heard him yelling after her that he wanted her uniform back, so she kicked the first bike in a long line of bikes and sent them all toppling, one after the other with a satisfied grin on her face. Asshole!
Ending up at the park, Sue chose a bench that was totally unprotected from the rain; glad that no one looking at her would see her tears. Basically, she was out of options. Her rent was only paid for two more days and after that she would be out on the street. She had four dollars in her pocket, no friends she could put the touch on and her parents could hardly make ends meet . There was no way she would let them know the dire straits she was in, her father’s heart couldn’t take it. Pulling the wet card from her shirt pocket, Sue could just about make out the number. Sam Barringer seemed like an honest guy, and he did tell her he could find her a job, one she wouldn’t be fired from. Although, that seemed a little far fetched considering she’d never been able to hold any job for more than three months. Then again, she thought, what did she have to lose?
It was less than twenty-four hours from the time she placed that first call, until she found herself in a suite in one of the best hotels in the city. Besides that, she had unlimited access to hotel services and availed herself of the spa, the beauty salon and room service. The next day she got a roommate, Kelsey Reed, a sweet young thing trying unsuccessfully to conceal a hideous black eye.
Kelsey, formerly a waitress for some guy named Fat Rusty, was in even worse shape than Susan. She had been abused and nearly raped by her boss and when Sam appeared out of the blue, offering her an escape, she took it.
The rest seemed like a dream to Susan, and possibly a nightmare for Kelsey, if the expression on her face was any indication. Sugar Babies was an exclusive match-making organization that arranged meetings and possible matches between men and women, paying attention to certain specific needs. Their clients ranged from the merely wealthy to filthy, rotten, obscenely rich and Susan figured Marcus was somewhere in between.
That was fine with her, she thought with another grin. He was tall, dark and handsome, with the most beautiful blue eyes she’d ever seen. Their attraction for each other had been instantaneous, and there was no denying it. She found him sexy as hell, smart and amusing. Thankfully, he appreciated her brand of humor, along with her perfect ass of course. It was what he wanted to do with that perfect ass that worried her a little.
Marcus had a fetish, for spanking. He also wanted her body, in every way possible. That part was frosting on the cake, as far as Sue was concerned. That man could soak her panties with just a look and she was so looking forward to fucking his brains out for the next twelve months.
The spankings, um, not so much, although he had described, in detail, that there were many kinds of spanking and he intended to try them all.
She had to give him credit; he was totally honest about what he wanted; a long term relationship where he was the undisputed head of his household. He was a busy, focused man and he had no intention of wasting months courting a woman to have her run home to her mama the first time he disciplinedher. And he would discipline her, he’d already demonstrated his determination, and Sue had the sore bottom to prove it.
All she’d wanted to do was seduce him, kind of try him out for size before she signed a contract that would give him rights to her body for the next year. She’d teased and pleaded to no avail. Marcus remained firm, no making love until the deal was made and they got to his mountain lodge in the Adirondacks. In a blatant attempt to change his mind, Sue had begun pleasuring herself, right in front of him. Apparently, that was not going to be allowed, ever, because it had earned her a trip across his lap and a painful one at that.
Sue sighed, wiggling her toes and a slight pout came to her lips just thinking about his edict. It was a shame really, because previously she frequently enjoyed quite a good time all by her lonesome. Oh well, for twelve thousand dollars a month, which was now her personal allowance, she figured she could control herself, or be very, very quiet if it turned out he wasn’t the man she thought he was. Either way, she would be smiling all the way to the bank.
“You’re pretty quiet, Red,” Marcus observed, interrupting her thoughts. “Everything okay?”
“Things would be better if you hadn’t taken my shoes,” she informed him coldly as she pulled her bare feet free and waggled her toes at him.
Marcus laughed. “ I did warn you. It was your choice to meet me this morning wearing those dangerous stilettos, even after I forbade it. You’ve nearly broken your neck a number of times in those things and we’re going to an isolated lodge, not The Hamptons. Maybe next time you will realize I mean what I say.”
“Well, just what am I supposed to wear when we get there?” she snapped. “Do you expect me to walk around barefoot?”
“I expect you to wear sensible foot ware,” he answered calmly.
“Yeah, well if I were a sensible kind of girl, I wouldn’t be on my way to God knows where with a man who wants to spank my butt on a regular basis.”
“Good point, Red,” Marcus agreed smiling. “That’s actually one of the things I like best about you. You’re going to need a lot of guidance,” he teased.
“I guess that’s one word for it,” she groaned.
Kelsey watched the exchange with trepidation. She was certainly glad she ended up with Marcus’ twin brother. While identical in looks, they had totally different natures. Marcus was a bulldozer in getting what he wanted, where Ty was much more reserved. A veterinarian, he was kind and gentle, soft-spoken and caring; a perfect match for the tiny blonde with the face of an angel. Kelsey wished she could be more like the feisty, green-eyed redhead across from her. Then at least she wouldn’t be so frightened she could hardly speak. What if she’d made a mistake and Ty turned out to be more like Marcus than she’d thought, they were twins after all. Or what if she fell in love with him and he decided at the end of the year to terminate their contract? Sure, she had five thousand a month to put away and she vowed to be very careful to spend as little as possible, but she was already falling for him. Could she survive another loss?
Seeing Kelsey’s fear, Ty slipped an arm around her and nestled her head on his shoulder. He was crazy about her and it worried him that she might change her mind. He had no intention of doing anything she wasn’t agreeable to and at this point he just wanted to hold her. The poor thing had been through more than he could probably imagine.
Susan took matters into her own hands and scooted across the wide seat, planting her butt on Marcus’s lap. Wigglingaround until she was perfectly comfortable, her short skirt hiked up past mid-thigh she put her hands on his face.
“Come on,” she said grinning as she felt him harden beneath her. “We’re scaring the kid,” she whispered, her lips almost touching his. “Give me a kiss, and make it good. I might forgive you for stealing my shoes.”
“I did not steal your shoes. From the moment you signed on the dotted line, your safety became a priority with me. I asked you on several occasions not to wear such high heels and on at least two of those I have saved your pretty little ass from a serious fall. No, don’t bother pouting,” he advised, slipping a hand into her thick red hair. “It only makes me want to spank you more than I already do, so suck that lower lip right back in,” he told her, pulling her mouth to his.
In the blink of an eye Susan went from thinking about the several pairs of gorgeous stilettoes she had hidden in her luggage, to wondering what he looked like naked. His arms were strong as they held her tightly against him. The thighs under her were rock hard along with another extremely important part of his anatomy. Lust, dark and sweet rushed through her. Her nipples became hard little beads against her lace bra. Slippery honey leaked from between her legs as her heartbeat accelerated. His tongue fought hers for superiority and won as his large hand slipped up her bare thigh and stroked it gently, inches from where she needed it most. Susan was so far gone she never even heard Ty’s discrete cough, but Marcus did, releasing her lips. Still holding her head in place he stared into her cloudy eyes and felt her tremble. It was the self-satisfied expression on his face that snapped her out of her hormone induced haze and she pushed his arms away and scurried back onto her side of the seat.
“How much farther?” she demanded, smoothing her skirt and sending Kelsey an apologetic grimace.
