Chapter Four

Jax

T he sky dungeon of NY Club Decadent Skies...

"Amazing," Jax drawled with darkening eyes. "No sassy comeback. Such a pity." He found it difficult to suppress the amusement at Ciska's tightly pressed lips. It was evident she was biting back the words itching to spurt from her mouth.

He couldn't remember when last he had so much fun sparring with a submissive— or rather a woman since she was adamant she didn't have a speckle of submission inside her body.

Of course, as a powerful dominant, he knew differently. He had homed into her inner submission that day he had walked into the boardroom at W. Carter Investigations. The sparkle in her eyes every time she sassed him was mesmerizing. It awakened the beast inside him, the devil who would love nothing better than to watch her submission unfurl and subject to him... not because he demanded it from her, but because she needed to.

Six months. He had kept his distance from her for six long months because he respected the fact that she wasn't into the BDSM lifestyle. Now, she was here. On the GoldenEye II, inside the NY Club Decadent Skies. His domain, his lifestyle. She had chosen to enter his world, and there was no need to restrain himself any longer. Her presence here revoked his personal gentlemen's vow on vanilla women.

Leaning closer, Jax inhaled deeply, detecting the floral notes of her shampoo followed by the fresher undertones of her subtle perfume. "Hmm," he murmured, letting his breath graze her neck. And there it was, the scent he had been seeking— the tangy, spicy aroma of her growing arousal.

"Such a wondrous bouquet. A smell I'll never tire of... and one utterly unique to every woman." Another deep breath caused hers to stutter wildly in her throat. He smiled as she attempted to shuffle away from him. His body responded viscerally to her nearness as his muscles tensed with the effort of maintaining control. Soon, very soon, her inner submissive would surface.

"Keep still, Nanja. You don't move unless I tell you to."

A thrill coursed through him as he watched Ciska's internal struggle play out across her face. Her eyes flashed with defiance, yet he could see the curiosity lurking beneath. A surge of satisfaction raced through him at the way she worried her lower lip between her teeth as she fought to hold back a sharp retort.

"Fascinating," he murmured, his voice dropping to a low rumble. "Seeing you so... restrained is rather enlightening."

He leaned in closer, hyperaware of every minute reaction from her. The slight hitch in her breath and the almost imperceptible tilt of her head all spoke volumes. Jax's pulse quickened, and his senses sharpened as if attuned solely to her presence.

"You know," he continued in a tone colored with amusement. "I'm thoroughly enjoying our little verbal sparring matches that your sassiness sparks." He chuckled as her eyes flashed irritably. "Don't stop now, little subbie."

Her nostrils flared slightly, and Jax could almost see the gears turning in her mind as she formulated a response. He was captivated by the play of emotions across her face. At how indignation warred with intrigue, and defiance battled curiosity.

Jax shifted his stance, deliberately invading her personal space just a fraction more. He was acutely aware of the heat radiating between them, the electric charge that seemed to crackle in the air. His fingers twitched at his sides as he resisted the urge to reach out and trace the line of her jaw.

"Soon, I'll know exactly what's going on in that clever mind of yours, little Nanja," he promised in a low purr. "And then... there'll be no further denying that you are a submissive... my submissive ."

Again, the possessive tenor in his voice startled him. So was she, he realized as he noticed her shoulders tensing and her spine straightening as if preparing for battle.

"Yes, little one, I know it's there." He kept prodding gently since he didn't miss the flicker of vulnerability that she quickly tried to mask. Protectiveness raced through him, tempered only by his growing respect for her strength.

"Remember," he said softly as he tilted her head back with a thumb under her chin. His eyes locked with hers. "Here, in this space, you're safe to explore. To be curious. To question. To enjoy and, most importantly, to be free from the chains holding you back to be who you're yearning to be." He paused, allowing his words to sink in. "All you have to do is trust me to take you on a journey of self-discovery that will blow your mind."

"Good try, Master J ," she snickered, placing emphasis on his title. "I walked the path of self-discovery quite some time ago. It wasn't a pretty journey, and retracing my steps doesn't interest me one little iota."

Jax's expression softened, his thumb gently caressing her chin.

"No one is expecting you to. The journey is one of the present and the future. I'm not a believer in living in the past, Nanja, and neither should you be. Unless you close the door behind you, you'll never truly move forward. You'll always be held back, shackled to past mistakes, hurts, and demons. Bury them and move on. Who knows, you might just like what you find." He cupped her cheek, enveloping her with his presence.

"The past has shaped you, Ciska, but it doesn't define you. Every moment is an opportunity for reinvention, for growth. Here, now, you have the chance to explore facets of yourself you've kept hidden, even from yourself."

With her breath caught in her throat, she searched his face. "And what if I don't like what I find?" she whispered. For the first time, she allowed vulnerability to seep through.

Jax gently caressed her cheek. "Then we face it together. Your life is the sum of the choices you made. You cannot escape your past, but this isn't about erasing who you are, Nanja. It's about embracing all parts of yourself— strength, vulnerability, curiosity, and fear. It's about integrating your past with your present to create a future that's authentically you ."

He pressed his chest closer against her back. His voice rumbled low and intimate against her ear.

"The journey I'm offering isn't about retracing old steps. It's about forging new paths, discovering new horizons within yourself. It's about shedding the burden of expectations— both those of others and your own— and allowing yourself to simply be."

Ciska's eyes fluttered closed for a moment as her resolve visibly began to waver. When she opened them again, there was a new determination in her gaze.

"What if this path isn't for me at all?"

Jax smiled with pride and understanding in his eyes.

"Then you walk away, knowing you had the courage to explore. There's no shame in discovering a path isn't for you. The shame is in never daring to step onto it in the first place." He took a step back, allowing her the space to breathe.

"All our futures are still unwritten, little one. Like mine, yours is a blank canvas waiting for your personal touch. All I'm offering is a chance to pick up the brush and see what masterpiece you might create... what we might create together."

"Very well, Master J. I'm all for new experiences. It's the one thing my apeshit life has taught me to embrace. So, I'm willing to be your submissive for tonight, but be warned. If I tell you to stop and you don't, I'm going to scream so loud, this air tin will drop from the sky."

"I sincerely doubt that," he smiled broadly.

"Doubt what? That I'll scream loud enough to sink this plane?"

"That you'll tell me to stop."

"Well, I already know you're a dominant, so your excessive confidence in the effect you'll have on me is to be expected." Her chin inched up in a regal manner. "Just don't be surprised when you fail to turn me into your little submissive bunny." She stabbed a finger against his chest. "I know your reputation, Jax Crowthorne, and it stretches much wider than the panels of this plane. I will not become one of your conquests."

"Conquests?" His eyes swirled with a devilish promise as he crooned in a low voice. "Anything but, my beautiful Nanja. You're about to achieve what no one else could... you're going to become mine. All mine... as I will be yours."

"Yeah, right. Let's not fool each other, please. You are who you are. Physics isn't going to change that, nor does a little bit of chemistry. I'm not a fool, and I have no doubt the entire New York City's women you take to your bed experience that spark when you cast those chocolate brownies at them."

"Hmm... so, you're not one of those who is going to fall for my warm, enticing gaze?"

"Since I have no interest in being classed among those who add to the chips on your headboard, hell will freeze over before that happens, J-Ster ."

Jax didn't respond immediately. Unbeknown to Ciska, she had just sealed her own fate. He was a self-acknowledged Casanova. Hell, he loved women... in a magnitude of variety. Why not? They love him, too, and since he was rich and single, he could afford it.

Except, he'd become bored with the life he lived. Out of his skull, to be honest. For over a year, he had been struggling playing the field. Something had to change, and since he saw how happy Max was with Willow, he needed that kind of shift in what had become a mundane life of overindulgence. He needed more. One— he needed one woman. His own woman, who he could weave in his personal dominant web as his submissive at Club Decadent Skies... and at home.

Jax Crowthorne, billionaire and player extraordinaire, had just found her. Ciska Fowler was going to be his— in body, heart, and soul.

Play time was over. He had the pen in his hand and was going to write his future with sure, firm strokes.

Little Nanja didn't stand a chance.

"Hmm... J-ster , again. It seems you don't take warnings seriously, so let's get your first punishment over, shall we?"

"You're not serious?" She stared at him wide-eyed.

"I never joke about punishment." His eyebrows lowered warningly as she opened her mouth to protest. "You were warned... numerous times." Taking a step back, he regarded her with open amusement.

"Here's some free advice, little subbie. Never try to manipulate a dominant. It's the one thing our radars are attuned to. We even have a nice phrase for it, too... topping from the bottom. In other words, using tactics to obtain a specific reaction from your Dom. It will never work with me." He gestured toward the dungeon entrance. "Agreeing to be my sub didn't negate the need for punishment for your continued subordination. Shall we?"

"I didn't agree to become your sub. I said I'll be your submissive for the night. There's a big difference, and I only agreed because it's in that freaking contract I signed."

"Well... proof is in the pudding, as they say, so I suggest you have a taste of the dessert first, then we'll discuss the semantics around becoming my sub or being my submissive for one night."

"Look here, Master J. This is a once-off thing for me. Yes, I'm willing to explore something new, but only for tonight, right here and now. I won't be back, and it will never happen again."

"Know the phrase Carpe Diem, Nanja?"

"Of course, I do, but subjecting myself to a man with a whip in his hand is not the way I would ever seize the day!"

"Hmm... I guess we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?" His lips grazed the base of her throat. "Challenge accepted, little subbie." He reveled in the tremor she couldn't suppress.

"I'm not a little subbie," she said snippily as she quickly took a step back. Her eyes blazed like hot coals. "Nor was it a challenge."

"Oh, but it was, Nanja. Always remember, Master J never walks away from a woman begging to be spanked until her bottom glows like a red lobster with the sole aim to be fucked into Kingdom Come."

"I didn't... you're demented... I would never... I didn't beg... you... you..."

"Need a thesaurus, little one?"

"Go jump off the plane, Master J!"

His delighted laughter drew many eyes as he took her arm and led her under the wide arch and through the black door into the bowels of what he was sure she believed to be hell, if her expression was anything to go by.