Praise (Salacious Players Club, #1)

by Sara Cate

He catches me staring. Glancing my way, he asks, “Did you enjoy yourself tonight?”

“Yes,” I reply. I’m not sure if he means in general or specifically the time we spent in the hallway. The answer applies to both.

“If you’d like to go back, your membership fees are waived. You’d have to go through the inputting process, though. Provide negati...

“I don’t want to go back wi...

“Thank you for taking me,” I tell him, and before I walk away, I lean close and press my lips to his cheek. I wish I could thank him for the hallway moment, but I don’t quite feel comfortable saying, Thanks for making me touch myself, but I wish he knew how big of a moment that was for me. Tonight felt like a turning point, and he may never know that.

Before I can pull away, his hand grasps the back of my neck, holding my face only inches from his. “Just for tonight,” he breathes as he touches his lips to mine, and with those three words alone, I understand what this is. Tonight feels special, like it exists outside of our regular Monday-to-Friday, nine-to-five reality. That just for tonight, he can touch me and make me come and kiss me, and it won’t have any effect on the rules and lines we’ve put in place.

But it’s too late. His footsteps reach the office door and they stop. The silence is heavy as he stands there and stares at me, and I don’t dare move. Keeping my eyes on my lap, I wait. “What…are you doing?” he asks.

“Being a good girl,” I reply, “sir.” I hear him take in a heavy breath. He’s going to say something harsh or tell me to get up or to stop. At least I tried. Instead, he takes five deafening steps toward me. When he’s close enough to touch me, I feel his fingers reach for my chin and tilt my head upward. There’s affection in his eyes as he stares down at me, warmth trickling over me. The way that look makes me feel is like gold. If I could bottle it up and sell it, I’d be rich.

“You are such a good girl,” he says, and I nearly melt into the floor. “You want to learn how to be a good sub?”

“Yes, sir,” I reply. His jaw tenses as he deliberates his response. “Fine. But no...

I try to fight back my smile, but it slips through an...

“I want there to be days when you’re just Ch...

It makes me wonder if the rest of them suspect I’m down here, doing this for him every day. They know what Emerson likes. They know he hires girls for this, and although he’s told them I’m just his secretary, they might suspect that I’m also doing this. For some reason, I really want them to know. Suddenly, I want everyone to know. I’ve never had a desire to be claimed before, but suddenly, it’s like I need the world to know I belong to Emerson Grant. Which is ridiculous.

You made me very proud today. And you are more than enough. You are perfect.

Straightening my shoulders and hiding my smile, I strut out of the bathroom toward where Drake and Hunter are waiting. They’re both watching me, and I hold back my smile. Then I see movement in Drake’s right hand. Suddenly, the toy hums in my panties, and my eyes widen. Oh, shit. It’s so good, sensations buzzing inside and out, and I feel myself getting wet already. “Wait, wait, wait,” I call. Drake laughs.

“Come on, that’s the lowest setting.”

Fuck. I’m about to turn around and run to the bathroom to take it out because there’s no way. Then, his hand moves again and the damn thing comes to life, buzzing even harder against my clit. “Drake!” I shriek, bowing toward the floor as I mentally force myself not to come. No, no, no, no. When it stops, I lunge toward him. “Give me that damn thing!” I yell, but he holds it ...

Against my will, the highest pitch, most humiliating sound slips through my lips. It’s like the soundtrack to a porno plays for one s...

“You’re such a jerk!” I yell clapping my hand over my mouth. I can’t believe I just made that sound. Poor Hunter is covering his face with his hand, looking beet red and trying not to watch as I fight Drake for the remote while ...

“You know you like it,” Drake replies darkly, and my eyes mee...

“What is going on?” a dark voice bellows from across the room, and my body turns to ice.

“Do you know why I ordered you to, Charlotte?”

“Because you knew I didn’t like her.”

“Because I wanted her to know you were more than just a regular secretary. I wanted to make i...

Oh. My lips open to reply, but no words come out. He was…claiming me? Showing her I was his new girl. Why didn’t I pick up on that? How do I even feel about that? “Why?” I a...

“Because that’s what you are, isn’t it? Unless you’d like to go back to the w...

“No,” I blurt out. “I just didn’t…I don’t know why I didn’t want to obe...

He gives me a subtle smirk again. “...

“I think I was j...

“Why would you be jealous? She was the past. You’...

Because deep down, I want to be everything. Past, present…future. But I can’t ...

“Emerson, please,” I breathe, begging for relief. My poor sensitive spot is raw, the vibration now feeling more like pain than pleasure.

“I like the way you beg,” he whispers. “Tell me what you’ll do to make it stop.”

With a small gasp, I look around to see if anyone ...

“Eyes on me,” he commands quietly, and I turn my ...

“I’ll do whatever you want,” I reply. “I’ll listen to you when you tell me to do something. I’ll n...

“Good. Are you going to accuse me of being with someone else ...

My gaze intensifies, and I shake m...

“You trus...

I...

“I belong to you as much as you belong to me, Charlotte. If I’m your Dom, I’m no one else’s. Don’t ever assume I w...

“Yes, sir.”

While I’m at my desk, my eyes keep tracking Emerson. Watching him work, thinking about Monica and how he smiled at her. Am I expendable? Will he be tired of me one day and replace me with someone new? Why does that hurt so much to think about? Because it’s more than a job now, isn’t it? My stupid, ignorant heart went and got attached, and I can’t help the way I feel about Emerson Grant.

“Here,” he says, digging in his pocket.

When he pulls out the sleek, black remote, my lips part and I think about what happened today in the restaurant. As excruciating as it was, I loved it. “Keep it,” I reply, knowing the implications of my response. “And I’ll keep the other piece.”

He tenses for a moment, and I feel like time stretches while I wait for his response. Finally, he nods and lets his e...