Daye, Lavender - Bound By Trust (Siren Publishing Allure) Read online

  Bound By Trust

  Kerri doesn't know she is waiting outside a BDSM club until the hottest attorney at her firm pulls her out of the crowd and asks her to be his sub for the night. Not knowing what a sub is, she agrees.

  Kerri's first foray into BDSM is a surprise, a shock, and an awakening. Hunter is a man like no other she's known.

  Hunter is investigating a human trafficking ring, and she is getting an education in dominance and submission. Incredible sex and a healthy dose of intrigue are a heady combination, but when he adds his business partner, Richard, into the mix, all bets are off.

  Can she live in his lifestyle without losing herself?

  When his investigation closes, will he still want her?

  Genre: BDSM, Contemporary

  Length: 63,697 words

  BOUND BY TRUST

  Lavender Daye

  ALLURE

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED: Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to only ONE LEGAL copy for your own personal reading on your own personal computer or device. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden. If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at

  [email protected]

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Erotic Romance

  BOUND BY TRUST

  Copyright © 2012 by Lavender Daye

  E-book ISBN: 1-61926-582-6

  First E-book Publication: May 2012

  Cover design by Jinger Heaston

  All cover art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  Letter to Readers

  Dear Readers,

  If you have purchased this copy of Bound By Trust by Lavender Daye from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

  Regarding E-book Piracy

  This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.

  The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.

  This is Lavender Daye’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Daye’s right to earn a living from her work.

  Amanda Hilton, Publisher

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  www.BookStrand.com

  DEDICATION

  Special thanks to my husband, my own private Prince Charming.

  BOUND BY TRUST

  LAVENDER DAYE

  Copyright © 2012

  Chapter 1

  This can’t be happening tonight. The thought raced through Kerri Hudson’s head as she followed her friends to the club’s entrance. The Velvet Glove wouldn’t have been her first choice, but she’d lost that battle. The result was true and complete humiliation.

  Jase Benedict, her roommate and best friend since grade school, had talked Sara and Zoe into an evening of costumed fun and frolic, then enlisted their help in convincing Kerri. The pursuit of hot men in leather pants didn’t appeal to her. She preferred thoughtful, intelligent men who didn’t feel compelled to spend hours in the gym. However, Jase was nothing if not persistent. Three years of law school and Kerri still lost most debates to her. She might have logic on her side, but Jase never backed down. Never being the operative word.

  Yet here she was, out of her element in public, and there he was.

  Hunter Merritt, the attorney who had every woman in the firm privately panting in lust while they hid in fear of his temper, was stepping out of a sleek sedan in front of the valet parking kiosk. Kerri glanced down at the outfit Jase had concocted for her and cringed. Just her luck that she’d run into him tonight.

  Maybe it wasn’t Mr. Merritt. There was always the possibility that he’d have a twin. For a split second, Kerri considered the rare likelihood of two such intoxicating men existing in the same universe, in the same state, in the same Dallas parking lot. Surely, fate wouldn’t allow it to happen in this lifetime. Reality reasserted itself and Kerri focused on her current predicament.

  All her interactions with him had been at the office, not even in an office but in hallways. They’d never made eye contact. She couldn’t be sure what color eyes he had. But his immaculately styled dark hair, his professional demeanor, and easy grace made her wish she could know him personally. Not likely, since he was an attorney and she was a summer clerk. And she sure as hell wasn’t going to introduce herself tonight, dressed as she was.

  Slowing her steps, Kerri let Zoe and Sara step past her as Jase strutted up the sidewalk leading to the club’s entrance. To her surprise, a line of people similarly dressed as her friends stood at the entrance while an attendant checked identification.

  Hope flared. She could blend in, avoid him, and he’d never know she was there. Or he might not even recognize her. After all, he was the focus of more than a few female eyes at work and didn’t seem to notice any of them. Chances were very good that he had no clue who she was. And didn’t care to know, either.

  Kerri turned her back to him, idly scanning the waiting crowd, the parking lot, and the nightclub’s façade. Unlike the high-rise office buildings behind it, club looked more like a strangely themed two-story restaurant with a two-toned striped canopy hovering over the entrance. The upper edges of the place glowed with the final burst of color from a hot Texas sunset, and the intensity of the glare had her blinking.

  Kerri turned her gaze back to the crowd gathering on the sidewalk. One of her favorite hobbies was people-watching. Personal interactions, gestures, facial expressions that evoked emotion…human response was fascinating. A lifetime of observation would stand her in good stead when she finally began to practice law.

  Sara touched her elbow, directing her attention to the parking lot. “See anything in particular about the cars in the lot?” she asked.

  “Hmm, besides the fact that most of them cost more than our townhouse?” Kerri responded with a laugh.

  “I have a feeling this place is a little over my budget,” Sara said.

  “Mine, too.”

  Jase turned with a quick swing of her long black hair. “Don’t even think about leaving, ladies.” She gri
nned at her friends, one of her best trust-me smiles. “Don’t worry. I’ve been here before. It’s a great place, wild music and even wilder guys.” She nudged Sara and nodded in the direction of a small group of buff men waiting in line ahead of them. “You’re going to have a great time. We all are.”

  “I don’t know,” Sara said, her eyes turning to Jase after watching a limo stop near the entrance. “This looks a little too expensive for my tastes.”

  “I’m on a budget, Jase. We don’t all have a trust fund like you do,” Zoe said from the back of the group.

  “Right. So, you’re paying tonight?” Kerri asked Jase with a laugh.

  “Kerri Leonard, you can bitch if you want, but we all know your budget is as flexible as mine,” Jase shot back, laughter in her voice.

  “That’s not the point. I want to relax, not hobnob with people flaunting their bank accounts. I can do that in Houston with my parents.”

  “Sure, but you’d never relax and enjoy yourself if your parents were around.” Jase bumped hips with her, a smirk dancing across her face. “Don’t worry. Those people are probably going to the private club that’s next door—huge membership fee, but you could probably swing it. Anyway, the bar is where we’re headed. Let’s go.”

  Kerri looked down at the outfit Jase had insisted she wear, feeling like it was Halloween in June. All four of them wore black with varying degrees of exposed skin. Jase had on the shortest skirt, barely covering her ass, and a red halter top. Sara was the most conservative with tight black jeans, a black and white blouse that clung to her curves, and a black choker Jase talked her into before they left the condo.

  Kerri fell into step with Zoe and groaned as they checked each other out. Black skirts, black tops with scooped necklines. Mirror images if they were the same build, but her friend’s shorter stature and larger bust line made all the difference. The black skirt was much shorter on Kerri and her breasts, though respectable, weren’t as impressive as Zoe’s. Kerri’s spike-heeled black boots were the defining difference. They hurt her feet like there was no tomorrow, but made her legs look long and lean. The boots were the only thing she liked about her costume. The rest was pure Jase and her outlandish ideas about the club scene.

  Jase stopped to talk to one of the guys she’d pointed out, and Sara dropped back to stand next to Kerri. Without thinking, she turned toward Sara, giving her a great view of Mr. Merritt over her friend’s shoulder. Smiling, she whispered, “Stand still for a minute. I’m trying to decide if that man behind you is one of the attorneys from work. No, don’t look. Are you out of your mind? I don’t want him to notice me.”

  “Is it the one you were talking about at dinner last night?” Sara asked.

  “Maybe, but I’ve never seen him outside of the office. He looks different,” Kerri said, trying to check him out without being observed. He didn’t look happy, which made him look more like the attorney she knew. Whoever he was talking to on his cell appeared to be making him downright hostile. “Damn, I think it is him. This is definitely not the impression I wanted to give when I met him away from work.”

  “And just what impression did you want to give? Were you hoping to convince him you’re a boring, prudish old lady hiding in a young body?” Sara’s grin was blinding. “Maybe he’s into this place. And just maybe he likes women that like to dress up and act crazy.”

  Her eyes met his across the sidewalk, and Kerri’s breath stuttered to a stop. The man handing his keys to the valet was none other than the sexy as hell lawyer she’d been eyeing at the office. But he didn’t look anything like a lawyer at the moment. Black jeans replaced his conservatively tailored gray suit—jeans that deliciously cupped the most important parts of his anatomy. A dark green T-shirt acted as a second skin, molding to every delectable inch of a well-sculpted chest, something never revealed when he wore the suit. And the carefully combed black hair was no more. It looked like he’d rolled out of bed and threaded his fingers through it a few times on his way here.

  Kerri cringed as he slapped his cell phone closed and slid it into his pocket. Just her luck, the hottest man in her office, the one she’d been sneaking peeks at for weeks, was striding in her direction and he didn’t look happy. In fact, he looked furious.

  * * * *

  Hunter Merritt was truly fucked. His meeting with Mitch McKeon was in twenty minutes, and his partner just called in sick. She’d picked a hell of a time to get knocked up. McKeon was expecting a couple, not a single man, and the club where they were meeting wasn’t someplace he could take just anyone.

  He headed for the entrance. Working on his cover for almost a year, he’d been in and out of clubs like this one all over the country, preparing himself, as had Sheila. Now their plans were crap. He’d been here twice to scope out the clientele, both the bar area and the private club, but didn’t know anyone well enough to trust.

  Snapping his phone shut, Hunter stared into a group of bondage wannabes and froze. Damn, one of them was the new intern at the office. And she’d obviously seen him. Her face was flushed, but she was still standing tall. Hunter made a quick decision as he followed her group into the foyer.

  “Can we talk for a minute?” he asked, wrapping his hand around her upper arm and leading her into a quiet alcove to the right of the entrance. Her eyes widened, but she didn’t protest.

  “I know you recognize me from the office. I need your help.” Hunter kept his voice low, holding her close to his side in case they were seen together. Giving her instructions was one thing, an intimate conversation was another, and he needed to stay in character. “The woman I was supposed to meet here is unavailable, and I need you to fill in for her.”

  “What?” Her long blonde hair switched over her shoulder as she jerked her head up to meet his gaze.

  Shit, that didn’t come out like he’d planned. Hunter blinked hard, reaching for a reasonable explanation, one that would get her involved just enough to cover his ass but not enough to get her in too deep.

  “Not what you think. I’m meeting a business associate, and he’s expecting me to bring a date. Can you help me out?”

  “I don’t know. I’m here with some friends.” She gestured to the group she’d left as they cast worried looks in his direction.

  “I understand, but this is important. I’m not going to hurt you in any way. You’ll be completely safe.” Still, she hesitated and he couldn’t really blame her. Actually, she was extremely smart to question his motives. But it was hard to appreciate her presence of mind when the minutes were ticking away.

  “Look, you know me from work. I know you recognized me.” Hunter dug his wallet out and handed her his driver’s license. “Here, this is me. Give it to one of your friends right now, and you can return it to me at work tomorrow. I promise you won’t be hurt, but I don’t have time to explain the situation.”

  She took the license from his hand, her head moving slowly from side to side. He knew she was thinking it through, analyzing the situation as best she could. Hell, he could almost see the wheels turning in that brain of hers. But he was rapidly running out of time.

  “Just do it. You know you want to. And I’ll make it worth your while.”

  Her eyes drilled into his for a minute before she pivoted and moved back to her friends.

  He watched as she talked to them, watched as they argued with her while they checked out his license. One girl pulled out her cell and sent a text, most likely to check him out online. Finally, the girl he’d approached—damned if he could recall her name—handed the girl in the shortest skirt his license and crossed back to him.

  “Thank you for your help.” Hunter stepped back to give her a quick assessment, appreciating the shapely legs and luscious curves. Surprise niggled in his mind when a quick blush dappled her ivory face. Damn it, she was a little too young for him. But she’d do for the night. He’d figure something out tomorrow as far as the rest of this scenario went. He fished Sheila’s black choker out of his pocket and handed it to the lit
tle intern. “Put this on.”

  “What? Why?” The collar lay on her open palm, her blue eyes studying him. Damn, she had great eyes. He’d never gotten close enough to her at work to see them so clearly. Soft blue rimmed with navy. Hunter blinked again, trying to maintain his focus. He didn’t have time to get wrapped up in this girl. He had a job to do.

  “Put the collar around your neck. You’ll be my sub for the night. Keep your eyes down. Don’t look anyone in the face except me. Don’t talk to anyone without my permission. Answer me with only ‘yes, sir’ or ‘no, sir.’ Understand?”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” she asked, her voice low and smooth while the collar trembled in her hand. That quaking hand was the only indication she was unnerved.

  Hunter looked her over again, noticing the smooth, pale complexion, the scatter of freckles across her nose and cheeks. Shit, she was younger than he’d thought. “You’ve been here before, right?”

  “Uh, no. Jase, my friend, has.” She glanced back at the group of girls near the entrance to the club. One was still watching him carefully. “She’s been here once or twice. I haven’t.”

  Hunter struggled to keep the irritation out of his voice. It wouldn’t be productive. “You have no fucking idea what this place is, do you?” Instantly regretting his rough language, he watched her face flush a delicate pink.

  “It’s a club, you know, drinking and dancing, right?”