Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

R aphaella

A fresh start.

A new job.

I was both excited and terrified, arriving at the office a little after six in the morning. I'd had to sweet talk a janitor to let me in. I'd simply wanted to walk the hallways, getting used to not working as a waitress.

Not that there was anything wrong with the profession, but I was tired of smelling like greasy food. Plus, this was a step toward achieving my goals.

Becoming an attorney.

I found a cubby hole in the kitchen area where I put my purse. This early, I doubted anyone would be in the suite of offices.

I was right.

As I meandered through the halls, I could swear the scent was exactly what I'd expected from the most powerful defense firm in the entire city of New York. Likely beyond.

A part of me was so giddy I found it tough to walk without gasping for air. My roommates had laughed at me, but I'd worked hard to get here.

As I moved to the start of the executive corridor, it felt as if I was on hallowed ground. Very cautiously I took steps forward. I'd turned on as few lights as possible, terrified of drawing attention to myself. When I reached the door at the end, his door, I felt a rush of adrenaline. While it was silly to feel as if the man was a rockstar, in my mind and world, he was.

Especially given the family I'd been brought up in, or as I liked to say had been spawned from. I hated to say that as a tiny part of me loved my parents, but they were…

Nope. I wasn't going to ruin this day.

I took a deep breath, glancing over my shoulder. What would it hurt to just take a peek inside, to get the feel of the man himself? I'd make it very quick then camp out in the small kitchen until the human resources girl I was meeting came in.

Sounded like a decent plan. No one could be angry with me. Right?

Hell, when had I worried about that kind of thing before? I wasn't a timid girl and I was an employee. Fuck anyone who acted as if I didn't belong here. I'd look at it this way. If the door was unlocked, then it was no big deal to enter. If it was locked, I would be a good girl and not break in. Although I had the skills to do so.

I closed my eyes and turned the knob. Voila. I was supposed to go inside. It was kismet.

Yeah, right. I certainly didn't believe in that shit.

The office was huge, almost as big as the apartment I shared with two other girls. I didn't want to make it seem obvious in case the janitor returned so I closed the door with only a crack open. It smelled of leather and citrus, cigars and whiskey.

A smile crossed my face as I walked further inside. The man's desk was regal, spanning several feet, much larger than any I'd seen. He had art splashed across the walls that was creative, not stodgy like I expected some attorneys would have. Bookshelves and a credenza lined one wall, two others floor-to-ceiling windows. I was breathless in awe from the leather sofa and two massive chairs placed on a decorative rug in front of one of the banks of windows.

The man even had a bar in his office. A real bar!

Sure, my dad had a nice office, but this was spectacular.

I moved toward the leather sofa, unable to resist sitting down. I was able to see a perfect view of New York. It was amazing who and what you could be with money. I could do the same, but I wanted to do this on my own.

I sat down just like a lady would, when at times I was anything but. I even crossed my legs appropriately for a woman in my position. Yet I still spread my arms across the back, taking in every scent as I closed my eyes.

Maybe ten seconds later, a bolt of electricity tore through me, enough so I shuddered.

Before I had a chance to open my eyes, I was certain my world was about to change again.

"Just who the hell are you and how did you manage to break into my office?"

His voice was deep and I'd consider it extremely sensual had he not been pissed. Not that I blamed him. I jerked up and almost tripped over the table.

Good going, girl. Just great. You're going to get fired on your first day.

"I'm sorry. I mean I didn't break in. It was unlocked." That was perfect too.

He huffed and puffed and all I could think about was how incredibly gorgeous the man was. I didn't need the bright lights turned on to gather exactly how sexy and chiseled he was, with whiskey-colored hair so thick I wanted to run my fingers through it while lying underneath him.

Whoa.

I was losing my bloody mind.

If this was, God forbid, Aleksander Semenov, then his reputation was incredible if you were a colleague, but not so very nice if you were an employee.

I could tell by the piercing, venomous look in his eyes that no excuse would be good enough for the man.

Beads of perspiration trickled down both sides of my face and I had the distinct feeling my armpits were already soaked.

"That's not what it looks like to me. Now, who the hell are you?" He tossed something onto his desk and stormed toward me.

I opened my mouth to give a snarky answer and only air erupted past my lips.

Why the hell was I tongue tied? I wasn't that girl. I was the one most likely to get in trouble because of her mouth. I was the one who could yell across an entire crowd if so desired to get my point across.

And I was the one who could talk down a rough six-foot-seven biker who hadn't left a tip.

But this man, this god on steroids I couldn't form a coherent sentence for?

"Uh-huh," he growled. "Just as I suspected. I'm going to call security."

"No, please, I mean… Don't do that." What the hell was my name? Was I terrified if I told him he would fire me on the spot? Yep. I wanted so much to dazzle the man, but this was…

Ugh.

He headed toward his desk to the office phone and I all but ran toward him.

"Don't." The single word sounded like I was twelve begging Daddy not to be angry with me. What the hell was with me?

"I'm afraid I have no choice. I suppose you don't have any ID on you either." His tone continued to be accusatory.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

"I can get it."

"Right."

When he placed his hand on the phone, I reacted. Okay, I overreacted and snapped my hand on top of his, even jerking it away.

"Don't!"

He slowly lifted his head to stare at me then shifted his gaze to our combined hands. I should have refused to admit shots of continuous electricity were flowing through from one set of veins to the other, but that would be a lie. Another lie.

I slowly pulled my hand away and he sighed. After a few seconds, he looked out the window while placing his hands on his hips. He even started pacing behind his desk as if he didn't have any clue what to do with me.

That made two of us.

A slight laugh eased from his lips and I wasn't entirely certain the man could laugh. "Alright. We can play this one of two ways. One is that I do call security and you will be escorted out of the building."

"The second?"

He continued to consider what he was thinking. "The second is we handle your discipline right here. Right now. My way."

I had absolutely no clue what he was trying to tell me. I knew I was squeezing my eyebrows together and it was entirely likely I had my mouth stuck wide open. Talk about sexy as hell. "I'm sorry. I'm not following you."

As he moved from around the edge of the desk, I was back to being certain I was going to pass out. He was huge, much bigger than my stance. And formidable as hell.

"Of course you don't. It's called old-fashioned corporal punishment."

Okay, his voice was sexy as any I'd ever heard before, but this was… ridiculous. I wasn't hearing the man correctly. I couldn't be. If I was, he was a chauvinistic pig. I'd fought them all my life. Bastards. Now I was riled, my real personality starting to take over. I could certainly tell him who I was at this point, but why bother? He wouldn't care or likely even believe me.

Besides, I wanted to see how far this would go.

I folded my arms, cocking out my hip as I smiled at him. "Please continue. What do you mean?"

The corners of his upper lip upturned and I was certain he was ready to toss me out. However, there was a gleam in his eyes as if he was enjoying this. "Alright. Since you insist. You bend over the edge of my desk and I'll give you a hard spanking before I escort you out."

I could tell seconds before a cough was coming. But I almost choked. The twisted aspect about this was he wasn't kidding.

Not in the least.

Who did this man think he was? God?

"I beg your pardon?" I asked, my voice thankfully stronger.

"I'm serious. You do know I am. Don't you?"

Yeah, the biggest asshole pig I'd ever met. "Sure, I do."

"Then you know security will be here as soon as I call, the police minutes later, and your case will receive personal focus from the chief of police. Right?"

Was he kidding me now? Who threatened a well-dressed girl who just happened to be in his unlocked office early in the morning? Oh, the man was exactly the kind I couldn't stand.

Pompous.

Arrogant.

Believing his shit didn't stink.

Too bad he was so gorgeous.

His look became even harsher and I had to think about stepping outside ‘that girl' mode. I swallowed and counted to five then ten, trying to yank my mind back into gear.

I could tell he was an impatient man. He cocked his head, sliding his gaze down to my cheap black heels as if criticizing me. Did I look like some homeless girl? Really?

"What's it going to be, sunshine? I do have work to do." Even his Russian accent, which was sultry as hell, irritated the hell out of me.

I weighed my choices and had a feeling explaining anything at this point wasn't going to do.

"You have five seconds and I'm calling security."

Now the bratty girl inside of me wanted to fuck with him. Hard. I cocked my head.

He looked at his watch, which cost more than the freaking building I was living in, and had the nerve to count down.

"Four. Three. Two."

"You are an asshole but fine." The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them.

"Good girl. Now, raise your skirt and lower your panties."

This man was nuts. Certifiable. "Over my dead body."

"Then time has run out."

He was dead serious. I was ready to claw his eyes out. I wanted to work for this asshole? I closed my eyes briefly, remembering I'd applied for somewhere in the neighborhood of one hundred intern positions. I had few choices, unless I wanted to wait tables for truckers for the rest of my life. "Why is that important?"

He gave me a look that most women would consider lurid. To me, he was just asserting his entitlement and dominance. "Simple. It hurts more."

Well, hell. At least he was honest.

I wanted so badly to tell him off but knew better. I turned away, my face likely turning beet red. This was the most embarrassing thing I'd been through and a lot of stupid stuff had occurred at the diner where I'd worked. I couldn't face him as I fought with the tight pencil skirt, almost ripping the material before I pulled it over my hips.

"Lie across my desk. I'll find the appropriate implement."

"Do you do this all the time?"

"No, but there's always a first time for everything." There was far too much glee in his voice.

I shoved down the heavy shame and lowered my thong, ready to smash everything on his expensive desk on the floor. But I did as I was told, thankful it was very early in the morning.

A few seconds ticked by with no noise.

Two minutes.

Oh, on top of this humiliation, the bastard was making me wait, increasing my level of anticipation? I would find a way to claw his eyes out.

If I didn't kill him first.

I finally heard either a drawer or cabinet being opened. Footsteps occurred later and I was ready to bark at him to get this shit over with. But I held my tongue. See? I could be a lady.

When I sensed he was right behind me, I sucked in my breath, mostly to keep from saying something I'd regret. I'd been through pain before including stupid acts like getting glass embedded in my hand from sticking it in the trash and slipping on a wet floor, flying halfway across the back room of the diner.

Humiliation was something else altogether.

"Now, grab the edge of my desk and remain in position." His voice was deeper, gravellier than before.

I tried to ignore the fact because it was sultry, my skin prickled. And worse, my core was heating up. Yeah, that would bode well for my first day on the job.

Now he was the one sucking in his breath, daring to tap my exposed bottom with something cold.

There was a strange sound, like metal being brought down quickly through the air. When the thin but highly effective implement was brought down smack across both cheeks, I reared up from the desk so fast, I thought my head would spin. This was an entirely different kind of pain, the kind that washed up from my toes and spread like wildfire to all my extremities.

This was some normal practice?

Barbaric.

"Stay in position." Was his voice always this commanding?

Before I eased back prone to the desk, I glanced out his window at the incredible sunrise shimmering across the New York skyline. What a view. I couldn't believe I was thinking that. Maybe my brain needed an escape. When I was back in position, my almost new boss brought what felt like a metal ruler down at least four times in rapid succession.

Did metal rulers actually exist any longer?

Well, he had one.

He was methodical with his chosen punishment, one coming right after another as I held back a single cry. Why give him a single second's worth of satisfaction he was getting to me?

But tears stung my eyes bigtime. I would need to spend time in the bathroom just to return to looking presentable.

"You're doing well. I hate that I need to do this, but bad girls deserve discipline."

"Do you do this to keep your girlfriends in line?" Great. I kept spouting off.

His sigh was just as exaggerated as it had been before. "I don't have a girlfriend."

The admittance surprised me. I almost said I was sorry, but I knew why he didn't have one. No woman could stand his arrogance and dominance. I certainly couldn't.

I chewed on my bottom lip as he returned to the spanking, even being enough of a jerk to plant three across the tops of my thighs. He certainly didn't want me to forget my infraction. I'd have difficulty sitting. No doubt.

After he doled out what felt like a hundred more, I kicked out finally, the anguish pushing every button. But as much as these terrible few moments shamed me, the fact was I couldn't stop my pussy from slicking my inner thighs, and likely his desk wasn't too far behind. My guess was he'd gather together with his buddies tonight over a few drinks, laughing at whatever woman they'd dominated that day.

At least I knew what the man was made of. I could hate him while still working with him. That way, I could never, ever become hypnotized by his magical lure. I was certain pretty much every woman whose heart was still beating did. Not this girl.

"Three more and that should do it."

Of course, the bastard decided to make those the hardest of all. As soon as he was finished, I couldn't have jumped backward any faster. I was still flushed, still angry, and would chalk this up to being stupid. For caring too much.

For longing for a better future that I could create myself.

I spun away, doing my best not to wobble on my heels as I raced for his door.

"I trust you'll be able to figure out how to get yourself to the street?" he asked.

It was so obvious he had no clue who I was that I decided not to burst his arrogant bubble. "Oh, I assure you, Mr. Semenov , I will do everything that's necessary just like a good little girl." Not only did I use a nasty tone, I slammed the door with such force, I heard at least two of his precious things tumbling to the floor.

Ah, darn.

What a shame.

But he was a rich man. He could afford anything he wanted, including a woman or five to humiliate as much as he liked.

Well, I wasn't that woman.

He could suck big donkey dicks for all I cared.