Dominate Me

  Dominate Me

  By Stacey Lynn

  Haley

  The first time I felt Master Jensen’s presence beside me, I knew he would be the one to show me all the kinky pleasures of Luminous.

  That I would give my body to him. Begin my journey to sexual freedom at his feet.

  But when I dared raise my eyes to his, I saw he would get a part of me no man had had before: my trust.

  Jensen

  From the instant I saw her blush, I was captivated.

  There was power in her innocence—a power I quickly controlled.

  Every moan, every cry, every new awakening was mine. I pushed her boundaries and watched her sexual confidence grow...knowing that in the end, I would have to let her go.

  I know the price of love and I’m not willing to pay it.

  I dominated her body and she enthralled my heart. But I have to walk away before I ruin the one I love.

  Again.

  This book is approximately 73,000 words

  Carina Press acknowledges the editorial services of Penny Barber

  One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise! Find out more at CarinaPress.com/RomancePromise.

  Dear Readers,

  Happy New Year! I looked back at some of my Dear Reader letters from past Januarys going back six years, and it looks like in many years I’ve reiterated our commitment to bringing you great books, memorable stories and excellent authors. It’s always tempting to try and one-up the year before, with things like “buy our books and...watch us swallow fire!” and “...we’ll bungee jump off the tallest building in the world!” But the truth is, since I’m a reader at heart, I know the only promise I want from a publisher is to not try and trick me with misleading genre labeling and to keep giving me the stories I want to read. So that’s what the Carina Press team will continue to work to do for you, our readers, in 2017. Sorry, we’ll have to save the fire swallowing for another year (and the bungee jumping for never).

  We start 2017 off in the best way possible, with USA TODAY bestselling author Alexa Riley’s first full-length novel, Everything for Her. This contemporary romance, available in print, audio and digital, shows just what happens when a strong, possessive hero finds the woman of his dreams. Get ready to read this with an ice bath (or a snowbank) nearby!

  Appropriate for the new year, we have four other new series starting this January. First this month, from the author of the quirky urban fantasy series Monster Haven is a new spin-off series, Djinn Haven. When a reaper goes missing, djinn and expert soul chaser Kam must recover the reaper’s ring before the souls inside it are trapped forever—but the past she ran from a hundred years ago is about to catch her and change everything in To Catch a Stolen Soul by R.L. Naquin.

  Popular LGBTQ author Sean Michael joins Carina Press and launches the Dragon Soul series, five sizzling hot paranormal male/male erotic romances. There are dragons. And did I mention dragons? Meet the Beteferoce brothers. Five dragon shifters, each with a strong elemental power. And each with a fierce desire to find his soul mate. In book one, Branded by Flames, dragon-shifter-slash-firefighter Jake is beginning to tire of his search for a soul mate. Until he meets Shae, a former navy welder who’s into power play and rough sex...

  Welcome to Luminous: where your pleasure is our purpose. With her new erotic romance trilogy, Stacey Lynn tantalizes readers, bringing us into the world of deep desire, naughty play and all-consuming love. Don’t miss Dominate Me, book one in the Luminous trilogy.

  In Off Base, navy SEAL Zack Nelson wants peace, not a roommate, after trading the barracks for a fixer-upper rental. Especially not Pike, who sees the things about Zack he most wants to hide. A virgin hero and his flirty new love interest make this Out of Uniform spin-off series from #gaymers author Annabeth Albert a must-read.

  We say a fond farewell to the Black Ops: Automatik series by Nico Rosso with the final book in this romantic suspense trilogy that’s been called “an action movie in book form” and “romantic suspense at its finest!” In Seconds to Sunrise, former SAS operator James Sant gets a second chance to help people with Automatik, but when a protection assignment brings him close to war widow April Banks, he finds himself hoping for more of a connection than ever—and she’ll have to discover if she’s ready to start living again. You can also buy the first two books in the trilogy, Countdown to Zero Hour and One Minute to Midnight.

  Julie Moffett returns with No Living Soul, another Lexi Carmichael Mystery! An ancient secret is no match for amateur sleuth and professional trouble magnet Lexi Carmichael. Lexi and friends need to find and safeguard an ancient artifact before it falls into the wrong hands. You can start here or go back to Lexi’s beginning and read No One Lives Twice.

  Emery Harper follows up Person of Interest, her first Celeste Eagan mystery, with In the Bag. Celeste Eagan thinks she’s gotten her life back on track...until her BFF drags her into the middle of yet another murder investigation, one that has killers, the police and even a suspicious new friend all chasing after her.

  Last but certainly not least, ever-popular New York Times bestselling author Lauren Dane welcomes you back to the paranormal world of Diablo Lake, Tennessee: a town founded by witches, governed by werewolves and full of secrets. In Diablo Lake: Protected, tensions are building as the two main rival Packs vie for control, and the town is divided along lines of Pack loyalty. Aimee Benton and Mac Pembry are on opposite sides and he seems to find excuses to spar with her daily. He’s infuriating—not to mention charming, gorgeous and oh-so-lickable. Start with this book or pick up book one, Diablo Lake: Moonstruck.

  Also from Lauren we have the next book in the Cascadia Wolves series. In Wolves’ Triad, Tracy Warden’s search for her mate leads her to not one, but two sexy alphas. But not everybody is as thrilled about that as Tracy, and when outside forces threaten their bond, the triad will have to fight for their newfound happiness.

  As you can see, we’re starting 2017 off right with a great mix of romance, mystery and urban fantasy. And still not bungee jumping off tall buildings. We look forward to delivering to you plenty of excitement without the need for drastic measures, and we hope you’ll let us know some of your favorite books throughout the year.

  As always, until next time, my fellow book lovers, here’s wishing you a wonderful month of books you love, remember and recommend.

  Happy reading!

  Angela James

  Editorial Director, Carina Press

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Cha
pter Twenty-Three

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  Also by Stacey Lynn

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Haley

  “I have to do this, Anya,” I said, whispering into the phone. The door to my office was closed, but none of my employees at the resort I’d recently taken over needed to know I was visiting a sex club in a matter of hours. “I’ve met Master Dylan and he’s been very forthcoming, answering my endless questions. Tonight, he’s going to give me a tour, explain what goes on at the club.” The mere thought of what I might see made my inner thighs tremble. God, I wanted this. I had wanted to explore this part of me for so long. “I’m only observing tonight, sweetie. I’ll be okay, I promise.”

  “You’ll call me when you get home?” Perched on a stool in her kitchen and studying lesson plans, I knew Anya was twirling her bright red hair and frowning.

  “It will probably be late.” Anya’s husband, Lance, tended to get up for work before the sun rose and they went to bed early. I hated the thought of waking either of them.

  “I don’t care, Haley. This is new, and I want to support you but I can’t lie and say I’m not worried. Send me a text or call, just so I know you got home okay.”

  Damn I loved her. We’d been friends since we were on the tennis team in high school, thirteen years ago. Through college and my horrific marriage, we’d always been there for one another.

  “I’ll call you, honey, I promise.”

  She sighed.

  “Do you want details on what I see, too?”

  She laughed nervously. “Uh, no. This is your thing and I don’t get it, but you know I love you.”

  And that was exactly why I loved her, too. “You know I feel the same. I’ll call, I promise.”

  “Good. Be safe.”

  I hung up and stared at painting of the original Portsmouth Inn, one large turn of the century mansion my great-grandparents renovated into a B&B. Over the years, my grandparents—and then my parents when they took over—renovated the original house as well as expanded the property.

  Now, Portsmouth Inn was one of the most luxurious resorts on the East coast of Lake Michigan. It wasn’t the largest, but my family had spent three generations making a name for ourselves in Denton, Michigan. I loved my small town and I loved the quaint owner’s home I grew up in on the same grounds as the resort. I had never wanted anything more than to take over my family’s legacy.

  Then I’d met Timothy my senior year of high school and I was swept away with his grandiose dreams and sexy swagger. I fell in love with a boy who I learned, shortly after we were married right after college graduation, was all dreamer. Timothy always envisioned incredible things happening, but after he lost job after job, the in-between times of unemployment stretching longer and longer, I accepted that’s all he’d ever be.

  A dreamer. Not a doer.

  I stayed for five years, trying to force my marriage to work until I finally had enough.

  I had dreams of my own, and none of them involved being the sole supporter of a man-child who’d rather sit around playing PlayStation all day, imagining all the world travels he wanted to do someday.

  I groaned and picked up a stack of invoices that needed to be paid and pushed thoughts of my failed marriage out of my mind. The invoices could wait, I decided, tossing them aside to verify the check-ins for the upcoming weekend. If there were a mistake here, I’d be hounded with phone calls all evening.

  I’d been working long hours and the work was never ending, but tonight was just as important and I couldn’t be disturbed.

  I was taking a step into investigating and exploring a lifestyle I had always been curious about. But shortly after Timothy and I were married, I knew I couldn’t trust him with that part of me so I pushed it down.

  After my divorce a year ago, I threw myself into research and meeting people through KinkLife, an online social network for people interested in the kink community. I wanted someone I could submit to. I wanted someone who would take control, however they wanted to do it. I imagined submission outside the bedroom as well.

  Two weeks ago, I’d finally located a Master in Grand Rapids, and learned his club was accepting new members.

  Tonight, I’d see all the fantasies that I’d read about and imagined since I was a teenager. I would determine if the lifestyle was really for me, or just a way to fantasize while pleasuring myself. My thighs trembled again and my skin flushed.

  Yeah, I wanted it.

  I couldn’t freaking wait.

  Jensen

  Despite hiring more attorneys at my firm, I sat behind a mountain of files, my workload growing larger every day. It was the price paid when you operated one of the most successful law firms in three counties. I couldn’t complain, but I still wished there were more hours in the day to get through all of it. I was flipping through reports I’d received that morning from my private investigator when my phone rang, displaying Dylan on the caller ID.

  I never ignored Dylan. “What’s up, old man?” I grinned. It pissed him off that I gave him shit about going gray when he was only five years older than me.

  “Got someone I want you to meet. Need you to come to the club tonight.”

  “You know I won’t.”

  For two years, Dylan had been pushing me to get back into the scene.

  “You know I can’t.” I couldn’t. I wouldn’t, even if my sex life, while abundant, had been less than fulfilling. Didn’t mean I was ever going to risk losing control again. My muscles tightened until they burned. “I can’t even believe you’d ask me this.”

  “You know I wouldn’t ask this of you if I didn’t think it was important.” He was a Master. He had mentored and trained me. When he spoke in his authoritative voice, I listened. “I’ve got someone new coming in. She’s made for you.”

  I’d thought that once about Courtney. I had never been more wrong in my life. “Dylan—”

  “New to the life,” he continued as if he couldn’t sense my growing rage. “Curious, beautiful as hell, Jensen. She needs someone and she wants someone, badly. Hell, if I wasn’t thrilled with Gabby, I’d take her in hand. She needs a strong one, a controlled one. I wouldn’t trust anyone but you with her.”

  Damn him. He knew all the right things to say. My palm burned at the thought of marking someone again. It’d been too damn long. “You know I’m out.”

  “And you need to get over Courtney. What happened wasn’t your fault, and you’d know it if you let go of it. She was messed up, Jensen. None of us had any idea and couldn’t have known.”

  Blah-fucking-blah. We’d been over this. My response was always the same and since he’d heard it before, I didn’t bother sharing it again.

  As her Dom, it was my job to know. And I’d been too busy, too distracted, to notice the signs. Or hell, I had noticed them. I’d just been so enthralled with Courtney’s beauty, her willingness to please me, I’d brushed them off. That was where I failed. I wouldn’t do it again. “Not happening. Anything else you need? I need to get to work.”

  He cursed before his voice turned even more serious, but compassionate. “I need you to at least consider this, Jensen. You know I wouldn’t force you to draw back in to Luminous unless I knew, deep down in the fucking deepest part of my gut that this woman is for you. I’ve seen her, I’ve met her, I’ve vetted her personally, and I’m only telling you this so you know how serious I am. She’s clean as the fallen snow, Jensen, swear on my life. Fuck, I swear on Gabby’s life. That’s how much this would mean to me for you to promise me you’ll think about it. This woman doesn’t have shit in her past that would hold her back from you. She’s new but she’s knowledgeable and she’s coming tonight for a tour. She wants to meet a Master or a Dom, and I’ve told her that’s her call, but I know right no
w the only man who can tame her and handle her is you. Don’t make me turn her away.”

  Tame her. Handle her. Control her. All the things the innermost parts of me craved. As much as I shouldn’t, as much as I couldn’t, everything Dylan said lit up parts of me I’d forced into dormancy two years ago.

  He was handing back to me the biggest part of who I was. The part that when I fell asleep next to a beautiful woman, after making her come several times before finally allowing myself release, I still left her bed unfulfilled. Regardless of how good the sex was, how receptive the woman was, it still wasn’t enough for me.

  I needed to nip this shit in the bud. “I need to get to work.”

  But damn...my cock was already hard at the thought of a woman like Dylan described.

  “Think about it,” Dylan commanded. “And be here tonight at ten. I’ll tell Joe to expect you.” He hung up.

  I tossed my cell on my desk, buried my face into the palms of my hands, and groaned. Screw Dylan for making me think of Courtney and the two years I had her. She was not only beautiful, but expressive and receptive. I’d thought she’d been the perfect sub to train. And God, I had gotten off on her body and her pussy and the taste of her along with the way my marks looked on her backside and her thighs.

  How everything went so horrifically wrong, I still didn’t understand, even though I’d replayed the last six months of our arrangement over and over again.

  I had too many unanswered questions. Too many concerns.

  Yet, despite my better judgment, I hit the intercom button and told my assistant Clarice to cancel my dinner appointment and move it to the following evening.

  Chapter Two

  Haley

  I wiped the palms of my hands together. They were cold and clammy despite the heat and thickness of summer humidity covering me.

  I was doing this. Soon I would see in person things playing out in front of me that I had only envisioned in my mind.

  Fear and excitement coursed through me in equal measure. Would I despise it? Would the reality be too much for me? Or would the thought, the possibility, of me being one of the women on display, being handled by a Dom who knew what they were doing, turn me on?