Temptation to Submit by Jennifer Leeland

misbehaved. It had fired her imagination, fueled her fantasies, and made her horny as hell. No one else did that to her. Only him.
    After all, Finch wasn’t the only ConFed executive Gina had mentioned. But he was the only one Tori couldn’t get out of her head. No matter what she said out loud, in her heart, she knew Finch was offering her something she wanted. Maybe even needed.
    She took a deep breath and picked a pen up off the desk. As she signed her name, the bands around her chest loosened. She could stop fighting it now.
    He took the papers and said, “Bend over the desk.”
    She licked her lips. “Now?”
    “Now.”
    She bent over the desk, the border of his blotter pressed into her just below her breasts. Instinctively, she put her hands over her ass, as if to protect herself. Finch used his left hand to shackle her wrists and slid them up to the small of her back. The restraint made her wet, and she shifted to move her aching pussy against the edge of the desk.
    “Hold still,” Finch ordered.
    Her breath was short already, and he’d barely touched her. She dropped her head to the surface of the desk and groaned. Just the act of bending over had made her so needy, so damn vulnerable. How had he known?
    Gina had once said that with the right Dominant, a submissive could drop out of reality in a heartbeat with just a word or a touch. Now Tori understood what she meant as Finch took control and prepared her for her spanking. There was no room for embarrassment or fear, her body anticipating what her mind struggled to accept.
    “Give me a safe word, Victoria,” he demanded.
    Her mind was already checked out. It was difficult to focus. But she made herself say something. “Peanut butter.” That was something that would get his attention if she screamed it. Of course, the minute she said it, she felt stupid.
    He didn’t even laugh. “Peanut butter it is.”
    When his palm struck her ass, she was stunned at how hard he’d smacked her. Through the material of her skirt, she felt the heat of his hand. He didn’t hold back, making her ass throb from the stinging slaps. He alternated between her two ass cheeks until her entire bottom was on fire. How many minutes had she been late? Did it matter?
    She realized it didn’t matter. If he chose to give her a hundred, she’d take them. And not because she was afraid of losing her job. The sting of his strikes did something strange. It unlocked her muscles, releasing her tightly held barriers and opening her up. The emotions that had been contained inside her were set free.
    She couldn’t cry, unable to release the grief and fear that overwhelmed her. But she could snarl and curse. She curled and uncurled her fists in time to her increased heartbeat. But it felt good, safe, cathartic. She wasn’t just taking punishment; she was anticipating Finch’s hand, begging for more. And he gave it to her, even as she struggled against his hold and growled at him.
    When he stopped, she shuddered, unable to stop shaking. Every nerve was exposed; every throb of blood through her veins roared in her ears.
    She was a mess.
    He wrapped his right arm around her waist, lifted her away from the desk, and turned her into his arms. He pressed her head into the crook of his shoulder and held her there until she stopped shaking.
    Floating, she laid her cheek against his chest and listened to his heartbeat. There was nothing inappropriate about the way he held her, but it still had a sexual flavor to it. He said no words, but the warmth of his arms and the way he allowed no space between them made her heart clench.
    But she couldn’t let herself fall into this. He’d spanked her. It was just kinky shit, not anything more. Hadn’t she been worried about releasing all this emotion? Well, she’d been right. All he’d done was spank the crap out of her, and she was an emotional basket case.
    As she eased away from him, she tried to hide her face, but he wouldn’t let her. He gripped