“Huh?” Holly looked up to see Abby staring at her in disgust.
“Look, it’s clear I’m getting nowhere with you. If you want to waste your life pining after a man you’re too afraid to go after, then be my guest.” Abby shook her head and stood up. “Just remember when you’re old and gray and all alone it’s because you were too chicken to take a chance.”
“Thanks a lot,” Holly muttered as her friend left the living room. For a moment she wondered if Abby might be right. She and Mr. Harris had a lot in common. Was it possible that her boss might share her sexual interests as well? And might he feel about her the way she felt about him?
Then sanity reasserted itself. No matter what a good, considerate boss Mr. Harris was, that was all he was—her boss. And he was so far above her he might as well be a star in the sky—something to wish on and dream about but not something she could actually ever have.
“Get over it, Holly,” she told herself with a sigh as she grabbed the remote and flipped on the vid-wall. “You’re his assistant, not his girlfriend. And that’s how it’s going to stay.”
Chapter Two
Grant Harris the Third wasn’t exactly sure when he’d fallen for his shy but intriguing assistant. Maybe it was the first time he’d heard her sexy little purr of a laugh. Or when he saw her reading a book that happened to be one of his favorites and found out it was her favorite too. Or maybe it was the first time he’d seen her bend over to pick something up and got to really appreciate that round, luscious ass she hid behind her boxy business skirts. Hell—maybe it was a combination of all those things. Whatever the cause the effect was the same—Grant wanted Holly like he’d never wanted a woman before.
Too bad she was off limits.
He paced around his spacious office, dictating business correspondence and watching her from the corner of his eye as she took notes on the iThink holo pad. The device was top of the line. It would record not just his image and words but his body temperature, heart rate and the mood he’d been in when the recording was made as well as Miss Sparks’ private notes and reminders. And Grant was watching his assistant every bit as attentively as the machine was watching him.
Holly wasn’t the kind of woman the world expected him to date—that was for sure. She wasn’t super slim or tall or blonde and tanned. Her hair wasn’t sleek and perfectly coifed. Oh, she always looked businesslike, twisting her auburn curls into a plump bun at the nape of her neck. But somehow a tendril or two always managed to escape their prison, giving her a sexy fly-away look. Instead of little black dresses she wore sensible heels and frumpy business clothes that didn’t show her true shape although it was plain enough that she was full figured, especially around her ripe, squeezable ass. In fact, if Grant had been a different kind of man he would have had his hands on that ass a long time ago.
No, can’t think like that, he reminded himself firmly as he went on dictating business by rote. Holly’s off limits and you know it.
Grant knew he should just forget his assistant and try to start dating again which he hadn’t been doing for the past year and a half since he realized Holly was the one he wanted. He ought to leave her alone and try to meet the kind of woman a man of his wealth and stature was supposed to go out with. The trouble was, he’d tried dating those women and they left him cold.
Running the largest hovercar corporation in the world didn’t leave him a lot of time to meet people. So for a while he’d employed a dating service that catered specifically to the super rich. But all the girls they set him up with seemed to be the same—tall, skinny, and just a little too interested in his money. Grant would never forget the last “date” he’d gone on with one of these supermodel-type gold diggers.
The woman had been perfectly coifed, her platinum blonde hair piled into a gleaming mass on top of her head. She was bone-thin, her tan skin stretched tightly across her exotically high cheekbones—so tightly it looked like her skeleton was trying to get out of her body. Adding the hair-do to the five inch spiked heels she had strapped to her exquisitely pedicured feet, she was almost as tall as Grant.
On top of being a perfect ten, his prospective date had a pedigree as long as his arm—something that would surely please his family—not that Grant really cared. Being a debutant and having a blood line you could trace back to Plymouth Rock didn’t automatically make a woman sexy or interesting or fun to be with. But the dating service had sent her so he felt it was his duty to at least try. Holly had only been working for him for about six months at that time and he hadn’t yet realized his feelings for her so he’d had his date meet him at the office.
As he showed the tall blonde around, Grant had made a joke—he couldn’t even remember what it was now—he was just trying to lighten the mood and get the date off to a good start. He would never forget the blank look on the stick-thin girl’s face. He wasn’t sure if she didn’t think the joke was funny or if it had gone totally over her head. But as they’d left his office, he’d heard Holly’s quiet, sexy little laugh. He’d turned back and raised an eyebrow at his assistant and she’d shrugged apologetically. “Sorry, I know that wasn’t meant for me, Mr. Harris. It just tickled my funny bone.”
At that moment it was as though he saw Holly—really saw her—for the first time. The date with the blonde debutant had tanked, of course but after that day he’d begun to pay more attention to his assistant. He asked about her life and started getting her opinion on certain decisions. What he learned astounded him. Holly had great business sense and a wonderful sense of humor. A sharp intelligence was hidden behind those innocent deep blue eyes and as he came to know her better, he realized that they had more in common than any of the women the dating agency sent over. Accordingly, he stopped his contract with them and just concentrated on getting to know his assistant. And over the last year and a half he had fallen for her completely.
So why wasn’t he with Holly right now? Why didn’t he have her sitting in his lap with her arms around his neck while he kissed her senseless instead of droning on and on about some boring business meeting he could conduct in his sleep?
It wasn’t because she was his assistant. There were ways to work around that and he didn’t give a damn what anyone thought even though he knew his father, Grant Harris the Second, would probably have an aneurysm if he knew Grant was dating “the help.” Holly came from a middle class background with a mixed heritage that would make his mother cringe. But again, Grant didn’t care.
And it wasn’t because Holly wasn’t the trophy wife he was expected to fall for. It didn’t matter to him that she wasn’t tall and thin. He was tired of taking tanned skeletons to bed. The last girl he’d slept with had been as flat as a boy with non-existent hips and an ass so tiny and tight you’d need a microscope to find it under her perfectly distressed three thousand dollar jeans. During sex their hip bones had knocked together painfully and there was nothing for Grant to hold onto. It was miserable.
In contrast, he could just imagine what sex with Holly would be like. Under those boring business skirt and jacket combos she always wore he could tell her body was ripe and firm. He wanted to hold her heavy breasts in his hands and thumb her nipples while she moaned his name. Wanted to part those lush thighs and lap her sweet cunt until she came for him again and again.
But he couldn’t.
Because Grant needed more than intelligence and a good sense of humor in the woman he picked to stand by him for life. He needed more than shared interests, a pretty face, and a luscious body.
Grant needed a submissive.
A woman who was willing and eager to submit to him sexually, who wanted to be dominated in the bedroom. And someone who needed to be tied up, teased, and punished as much as Grant needed to hand out that punishment, was hard to come by.
If Holly had any idea of the hot, twisted things he wanted to do to her sweet little body, Grant was sure she’d run screaming for the nearest unemployment line. He hadn’t spent the past year and a ha
lf falling in love with her just to lose her because of his deviant desires.
So Grant kept his mouth shut and his hands to himself. Better to have her in his life as an assistant and a friend than to not have her at all. Occasionally it got to be too much for him though, and he wondered if there was any way to find out if Holly might be open to his sexual needs. He’d had her followed by a private eye for a while but with disappointing results. Holly didn’t frequent any of the D&S or S&M clubs in the city. In fact, she didn’t go out much at all. She spent most of the time she wasn’t at work in the small, eclectically decorated apartment she shared with her best friend, an irritating woman called Abby.
For a while Grant had even wondered if his assistant might be a closeted lesbian but the private eye nixed that idea, much to his relief. Holly never seemed attracted to other women and besides there was something—a spark of attraction between her and himself—that Grant was sure wouldn’t have been there if she didn’t have an interest in men. But as far as he had been able to find out, she lived the life of a nun—which made it even more likely that she’d run as fast and as far as she could get from him if he revealed what he fantasized about every time he saw her.
Pulling the clip out of her hair and putting her over my knee so that all those long red curls hang down as I push up her skirt. She’ll struggle and cry while I pulled down her panties but we both know she needs to take her punishment. With the panties out of the way I can finally see the creamy, white skin of her luscious ass. Once I start spanking her all that beautiful pale skin will turn as red as a sunset and Holly will writhe and moan, begging me not to stop. To never stop…
“Mr. Harris—you were saying?”
He looked up to see Holly staring at him curiously, her fingers poised over the iThink. Great, apparently he’d drifted off to fantasyland in the middle of business dictation.
“I…um…” Grant cleared his throat, hoping his erection didn’t show under his four thousand dollar suit pants.
This was ridiculous and incredibly frustrating. Grant had been born to wealth and privilege and for the past five years, since his father had passed the reins, he’d been running a multi-billion dollar company. He was a man who was used to having what he wanted and right now what he wanted was the girl sitting not ten feet away from him, waiting patiently for him to find his train of thought and continue dictating. The girl he could never have because he was afraid to scare her off.
Off limits, he reminded himself and cleared his throat. “I was saying that I, uh, I’m sorry, Miss Sparks but I’m afraid I’ll have to take a business trip over the Christmas holiday after all. I’ll understand if you can’t come—I know you have family obligations this time of year and—”
“I’ll come,” she interrupted quietly. “Is it really being held on the moon?”
“Yes, it is. That’s neutral ground for Psi-no Industries so it’s the only place they’ll agree to meet. Especially since they think we’re trying to take them over.”
“And are we? I mean, are you?” Holly corrected herself, blushing.
“Well, they are our biggest competitors and rumor has it that Howard Meeks, their CEO, is having some serious financial difficulties. I might consider it but it’s a very delicate situation. You just can’t force these things—it takes finesse.” Grant squeezed one hand into a fist to illustrate his point. “Sometimes you have to dominate quietly by sheer force of will.”
“Oh…oh really? You have to, uh, dominate them?” Holly’s voice sounded slightly breathy. Grant wondered if he was imagining it—wishful thinking maybe?
“Yes,” he asserted. “And once I determine if they’re worth acquiring I’ll make my move. Of course, the employees will be frightened at first. They’ll think I want to do them harm—strip them bare and leave them naked and helpless.”
“Naked and…and completely helpless,” Holly repeated. Her cheeks were flushed and she was definitely breathing harder now. This time Grant was sure he wasn’t imagining things.
“Yes,” he murmured, taking a step toward her. “Of course, nothing could be further from the truth, Miss Sparks. The world perceives me as ruthless but I would never hurt anyone under me. I might have to whip them into shape a little and let them know I expect to be obeyed but I would never do them permanent or lasting harm.”
“No…no of course you wouldn’t.” Holly was nearly panting now. “And if you had to whip them—punish them—it would only be for their own good.”
Grant was intrigued. Was she actually getting turned on by his analogy? “You find the idea of a whipping intriguing, Miss Sparks?” he asked, watching her intently.
“Oh yes! I mean…” Holly looked flustered. “I mean, only if they need it. Those other employees, I mean.”
“Of course,” Grant murmured, smiling. “Only if they need it.”
“So, accommodations.” Holly cleared her throat and sat up straighter, obviously trying to get back to business. “Where would you like to stay during this trip?”
“You pick.” Grant was sorry to leave their current topic of conversation but at least now he had food for thought. Maybe there was more to the demure Miss Sparks than met the eye? He certainly hoped so.
“The Pleasure Dome,” Holly said, surprising him yet again with her choice of hotel.
Grant raised an eyebrow at her. “The Pleasure Dome? You do realize that’s right in the heart of the red light district?”
“Yes, I realize that.” She met his eyes with an obvious effort.
Grant shook his head. “I would have thought you’d choose the Moon Hilton or someplace equally prestigious and shall we say, less disreputable. Everyone knows The Pleasure Dome caters exclusively to tourists looking for sex, scandal, and general debauchery. Explain your choice.”
Holly sat up straighter. “Staying at a hotel in the red light district instead of a more respectable location will throw Meeks off. He’ll think you’re there for the…distractions offered only on the moon instead of serious business.”
Grant nodded thoughtfully. Holly was always full of surprises but this one was more surprising than most. Still, she had an excellent reason for her choice and he liked her logic. “A very good point,” he said at last. “Very well, The Pleasure Dome it is.”
“Excellent.” Holly’s slim fingers hovered over the iThink. “When do we leave and what’s the length of our stay?”
“Hmm, it’s a nine hour trip by private shuttle and then Meeks wants to meet on Christmas day—I think he thought stipulating that would make me back down. But since I’m not all that eager to eat my mother’s latest efforts at roast goose, I agreed.”
Holly made a face. “She’s really going to cook a goose?”
Grant shrugged. “Her book club has been reading the classics lately and right now they’re doing Dickens. If Christmas goose is good enough for Ebenezer Scrooge it’s good enough for my mother.”
She giggled and then tried to pull a straight face. “I’m sorry. That isn’t funny.”
“Actually, it is,” Grant said mildly. “And it doesn’t make it any easier that she never goes near the kitchen until this time of the year. She barely knows how to turn on the stove but she suddenly expects to be able to whip up a ten course holiday dinner—this year including a chestnut and sage stuffed goose with leek butter and lobster infused crème fresh.”
“Ugh.” Holly made a face. “Sorry but that doesn’t sound very good.”
“I don’t expect it to be.” Grant smiled at her. “Which is why I plan to be two hundred and thirty eight thousand miles away when it’s served. And as there are bound to be many, many leftovers, I’m in no hurry to come back, either.”
“I don’t have any holiday plans either,” Holly said, her fingers still hovering over the iThink.
“So then—shall we say we’ll stay five days to a week? A little time for pleasure as well as business. You’ve never been to the moon, have you?” Grant asked.
; She smiled slightly. “A ticket to the moon cost roughly what I make in a year. So, no, I’ve never been.”
Grant frowned. “Hmm, we’ll have to remedy that. I’ll get in touch with human resources immediately and put you in for a raise.”
“No, no. I mean—I wasn’t asking for a raise.” Holly’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “I just meant that, uh, ordinary people like me don’t usually get to go to the moon. That’s all.”
He leveled a look at her, holding her dark blue eyes with his gaze. “Miss Sparks,” he growled softly. “I have known you for nearly two years now and I am convinced you are anything but ordinary.”
“Oh…thank you.” Holly looked flustered which pleased him immensely. Even though he couldn’t have her, he still enjoyed making her blush.
“Book us into The Pleasure Dome for a week,” he said, nodding at the iThink. “And be sure to get us the best rooms they have. We non-ordinary people have to travel in style.” Already he was anticipating showing Holly everything the moon had to offer. The finest restaurants, the most cutting edge entertainment—he was going to take her everywhere.
This was going to be one business trip he really enjoyed.
Chapter Three
Holly couldn’t believe her luck as she unpacked her suitcase in the lurid red and purple room at The Pleasure Dome. The moon—she was actually on the moon! Ever since she could remember it had been the ultimate dream vacation. Of course, when the lunar atmosphere domes had gone up around 2060, the government had been hoping to make it a new colony to ease the overcrowding on Earth. But the incredible cost of getting there and back again made it impossible for any but the very rich to make the trip. Accordingly, the moon had become the new Vegas, complete with ultra luxury hotels, high stakes gambling, and of course, sexual variety that couldn’t be found anywhere else.
And it was this last feature that made Holly so glad she was finally here. Not that she was looking to hire a male escort—not exactly, anyway. But the moon was the home base of a company she’d done a lot of research on—Anyone U Want Androids Inc. In fact, from the moment her boss had told her they were probably going to take a business trip to the moon, it had been all she could think about.