Chapter Eleven

Jax

W . Carter Investigations Inc., Bayshore Boulevard, Bayshore Gardens, Tampa, Florida...

Jax strode into the sleek reception area, his presence immediately commanding attention. Vicky Newman, the young receptionist, perked up instantly. Her cheeks flushed enticingly as she caught sight of him.

"Ooh, Mr. Crowthorne, I wasn't expecting to see you today," she gushed, her voice pitched higher than usual.

Jax offered her an indulgent smile, acutely aware of the effect he had on her. Vicky was sweet, no doubt about it— fresh-faced and eager, with a crush as obvious as a neon sign— but to Jax, she might as well have been his daughter. Her youthful enthusiasm only highlighted the gulf between them and made any notion of romance feel uncomfortably paternal. Jax's tastes were for sassy women with rounded curves... or more specifically, one specific blonde, albeit one who was rather reluctant to trust in the connection they had made a week ago.

"Just dropping by to see Ms. Fowler," he replied smoothly as he started walking toward the hallway. "No need to announce me, Vicky. I know the way."

As he walked, Jax noticed heads turning in his wake. It had been that way for as long as he could remember— women were drawn to him like moths to a flame. He'd never sought the attention, never played the peacock. There was just something about him— a magnetism, a quiet confidence— that seemed to captivate the opposite sex.

It was flattering, sure, but lately, it felt hollow. The one woman he actually wanted to pursue seemed immune to his charms.

"That's going to change." The Crowthorne charisma was about to be amped up to full measure. "Little Miss Nanja doesn't stand a chance," he muttered as he approached her office. The nickname brought a smirk to his lips. She was a fortress, his little subbie, but he was determined to scale her walls.

Jax paused outside her door, taking a moment to read the nameplate: Ciska Fowler, Director of Cybersecurity. This woman wasn't just talented; she was brilliant, driven, and fiercely protective of her department. Her passion for her work was evident in every line of code, every deep dive search, and every security protocol. It was a trait Jax deeply respected, recognizing in her the same fire that had driven his own success. Employees like her were the kind of assets that made a company's success bloom.

For once, Jax found himself in unfamiliar territory. He was the pursuer, not the pursued, but he found it exhilarating. His entire life, women had flocked to him effortlessly. Even during the year he had an exclusive relationship with Mindy, he'd had to actively ignore the advances of others. Since then, it had been an endless parade of willing partners, each boosting his ego and satisfying his appetites. It wasn't an empty boast. The drawer in his study filled with ‘little black books' attested to that.

"But now I have a hunger only for one... my feisty Blondie... little Nanja."

Ciska was different from the other women. She challenged him, intrigued him. The connection they'd forged a week ago still simmered in his mind, but the stubborn woman was dodging his calls.

"Well, no more."

Squaring his shoulders, a determined glint entered his eyes as he knocked on her door, ready to face the formidable Ms. Fowler.

"Game on, Ciska," he murmured as her melodious voice ordered him to enter. A smile played on his lips as he opened the door. "Let's see how you fare in ignoring me face-to-face."

"What in the blazes are you doing here?" Her irritated reaction to him walking into her office brought a deep chuckle to the surface.

"And there she is," he smiled broadly. "It's so refreshing that you reacted exactly the way I expected."

The door closed behind him with a distinctive click. Her eyes flickered as he hooked his thumbs into his jeans but didn't move closer.

"You've been ignoring my calls."

"And yet you're still here. Much to be said for not getting the message, J-Ster ."

Jax was hard-pressed to keep his amusement from surfacing at the pout of her lips, clearly indicating the confidence sparked by being in her own domain. Calling him J-Ster in such a derogatory tone, however, was a challenge he just couldn't allow to pass.

Strolling past her to look out of the floor-to-ceiling window was deliberate, a way to further antagonize her and invite the brat to the surface. He loved that part of her. She did it so well, the devil inside him purred in anticipation as he noticed her eyes narrowing in his peripheral vision.

"Lovely view. The ocean always has such a calming effect on a person, don't you think?"

"Small talk? Really?" she snapped irritably. "What do you want, asshat?"

And the brat sparkled and bloomed as bright as he had hoped!

Before she had a presence of mind to him moving closer, their positions were swapped. He was sitting on her chair, and she was standing in front of him. He pointed to the floor.

"On your knees, little one."

"You are completely insane. Leave, asshat. I have work to do."

"On your knees, Nanja. Now." His dark Dom voice grated through his lips.

This time, her knees hit the soft carpet, and he could see in her eyes how she was still formulating another seething response. He reveled in her gaze widening as he unzipped his pants.

"What are you doing?" She slapped his hands away and zipped him up with her eyes darting to the door. "Have you lost all your marbles, Jax Crowthorne? Gods in heaven, I can't believe you have the audacity... and why? Because we had sex once?" She offered him another searing glance. "You have no rights on me, sucker. Most definitely not coming here and..."— she pointed to his crotch—"whipping out your... your sword , expecting me to, what... give you a blowjob?"

"Such a clever subbie you are."

"Not. Gonna. Happen." She clamped her fingers around his hand as he once again reached for his zipper. "Don't you dare. I am at work, and anyone could walk through that door."

"Then I suggest you go and lock it." His deep, dark voice rasped from his throat, "Now, Nanja."

This time, she didn't hesitate and rushed to the door to lock it. Pivoting to face him, she jabbed a finger in the air, her assertiveness returning now that there was distance between them.

"You can wipe that satisfied grin off your face, asshat. There'll be no blowing you off. I'm only doing it so Vicky doesn't have a heart attack when she walks in here." Ciska all but rolled her eyes. "I can already envision it. The poor girl will swoon and faint at the sight of your ungodly-sized and ugly, manscaped dick."

"Ugly or not, it got the job done the other night, didn't it? More than once, if memory serves." One eyebrow crawled upward lazily. "Quite a bit of begging was also involved in getting more of my ugly, manscaped dick inside you."

"I just knew you would boast about it, which is exactly why I have been avoiding your calls." Her hands landed on her waist as one toe tapped out an angry staccato on the thick carpet.

"You're the one who seems to have a fixation on my cock, Nanja, so—"

"I most definitely do not," she cut him off. The toe tapped faster and with more intent.

He ignored it with a twinge of his lips and continued, "Let's not beat around the bush any longer, shall we? We both had equal amounts of pleasure and satisfaction that night. If you're the kind of woman I believe you are, you should be honest enough with yourself and admit there's more than a sexual spark between us. We made a connection that goes far beyond physical attraction and lust."

"As long as the connection turns into a relationship as your submissive at the club, I suppose." She snorted acerbically. "So, you'll whip and have sex with me at the club, then run around fornicating with all the celebrities and heiresses more suitable who could be seen with you in public— the kind you'd choose as your wife one day. Is that what you're offering? Me as your... sideline ?"

"To the contrary," Jax leaned back in the chair as he unzipped his cock and lazily stroked it, hiding his smile as her cheeks exploded in a rosy bloom, and her toe stopped tapping altogether. "What I want from you is an exclusive relationship, in and outside of the club."

"So, you wish to turn me into your sex slave, dominating me every second of the day?"

"No, Ciska. You've seen the relationship Max and Willow have. That's what I want for us. I'll only ever dominate you sexually. I have no desire to take over any other aspect of your life. Who and what you are is exactly what attracts me to you."

"So,"— she waved a pointed finger in his direction—"I imagine this right here is one of those dominating sexual moments. Just for interest's sake, not that it means I'm going to or am even remotely considering your proposal, but just how often and when and where would this... switch happen?"

Her toe started tapping again as he allowed his gaze to tiptoe over her from head to feet and back.

"That depends."

"On what?"

"On when and where you act like a brat."

"Oh really? Just how was I the brat when you waltzed in here and summarily whipped out your dick? Lemme tell you, J-Ster ... there was no provocation whatsoever from my side."

"Let's agree to disagree." His gaze dropped to his cock, turgid and swollen, ready for her hot little mouth to ease his growing lust. A single drop of precum glistened on the mushroom-shaped tip— an invitation as much as a plea for some action. "Well, Nanja," his voice turned Dom-dark. "Are you going to come over here and ease your Dom's needs?"

"You're asking? I thought it's all about ordering and demanding."

"I see you didn't pay much attention after all. It's about an exchange of power that you, as my sub, willingly offer because you wish to please me as much as I do you by offering you what you need."

"And what is it that I need by sucking off your dick?"

He paused, a heartbeat of hesitation as his eyes snared hers. When he spoke, his voice was a primal rumble, like the distant echo of thunder resonating from the depths of his chest.

"Confirmation of the power you hold over me."

The words were imbued with a raw, almost feral intensity in a tone that demanded her attention and left no room for misunderstanding.

For once, the fiery blonde was left speechless, her usual quick wit seemingly evaporated. He watched as her body softened and her weight shifted ever so slightly. Her gaze, which was initially locked onto his, began a slow descent to trace the lines of his body with a palpable intensity. He reveled in her reaction, in the hitch in her breath, and the way her teeth sank into the plump flesh of her bottom lip to leave it glistening and slightly swollen. Her eyes, those piercing orbs, were drawn to the motion of his hand as he caressed himself.

Her darkening gaze was an intoxicating cocktail of fascination and desire. It was a heady sight, one that sent a surge of satisfaction coursing through him. The Dom in him reveled in the knowledge that he held her rapt attention, just as she held his.