Surrender Read Online Free PDF Page A

smiled. “You don’t have to say it. Point taken.”
    I didn’t want to hope that confession might spark a little guilt, leading to him cutting me free of our deal, or at least certain elements of it.
    “Why, then? Why’d you do it?” I asked. “If you haven’t done this before, haven’t crossed that line. Why did you do it to me?”
    He studied me for a long moment. “I don’t know. If someone had told me a few months ago that I would basically blackmail a woman into being my submissive, I would’ve—”
    “Submissive?” I cut him off. “That word was never mentioned. What does that mean, your submissive?”
    “I’m using the term loosely here, to mean you are being made to do whatever I ask, whenever I ask it, including performing certain sexual acts.”
    Submissive.
    For some reason that term didn’t bother me so much. It was better than office slut or prostitute for some reason.
    Submissive.
    “Is that what you truly expect from me? Am I your submissive?” I asked.
    Once again, he didn’t answer right away. “Yes. I’ll draft a contract. We’ll put it all in writing. Then you’ll know exactly what you’re agreeing to. I’ll get it to you by the end of the day.” He flipped the top over the remaining food in his lunch container and handed it to me. “Please put this in the refrigerator. I have a lot to finish up before five o’clock.”
    Taking his actions as a command to leave, I closed up my lunch, put both in the small refrigerator built into the wall unit opposite his desk, and closed myself in my office.
    I was alone now. Safe in my little office. Away from those piercing eyes of his and his deft hands and wicked mouth.
    Alone with the memory of what he’d done to me.
    Here.
    In this very chair, just a short time ago.
    My insides pulsed.
    I was (maybe) about to sign a contract, becoming Kameron Maldonado’s submissive.
    What if it was more than I could handle?
    What if he put things in there I couldn’t do? What if he expected too much? What would I do?
    I needed to find a new job today!
    My cell phone rang, and I glanced at it.
    My brother.
    What was it now?

3
    “A bby? Where are you?” It was my brother. He never called me with good news. Never.
    “I’m at work. Why?”
    “It’s no big deal. I just need some money.”
    It’s no big deal. How many times had I heard that line? My insides twisted. Already he’d caused me hell this week. What was next? “What’s going on? Why do you need money?” I asked, afraid I wouldn’t like the answer.
    “Well . . . I’m sorta in jail.”
    “Jail?” My gaze jerked to the door between my office and Kameron’s. Had he lied about going to the police? “The bastard!” How could he? I shot out of my chair.
    “It’s no big deal, Abby. I was caught driving with a suspended license.”
    “Oh.” I stopped in my tracks, circled back around to my chair, and flopped into it. God, the crazy ups and downs this kid was taking me on. “Joss. Dammit. There’s going to come a day when I can’t help you. You’ve got to stop—”
    “I’m sorry,” he said, interrupting my tirade. “I swear it won’t happen again. I gotta go. My time’s up. Will you come?”
    I wanted to pull my hair out. Dammit, what was it going to take to get my brother to straighten up? What was it freaking going to take? I was so tired of it all—the drinking, the fights, the arrests. It had been going on for so long. Too long.
    “Please. This time was different,” he said. “And that other stuff. I didn’t do that.”
    It was always different. It was never his fault. “I’ll see what I can do.” I shoved my fingers through my hair. It would probably look like hell, but I didn’t give a damn right now. It felt like I had the weight of a semi truck on my shoulders. For one small bit of time, I wished I could shove that weight off and just breathe.
    “Thanks. Sis?”
    “Yeah,” I said on a sigh.
    “I’m sorry I’ve made your life a living hell these