for the last couple of years and tell me what’s going on.”
“If you know already where the problems are, why do you need me? Why not just put your house in order yourself?”
“Mrs Richmond, do you ride a bicycle?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“A bicycle, Mrs Richmond. Do you own one?”
“No, of course not.”
“You should try it. Excellent cardio-vascular exercise, although I confess I do rather enjoy giving you a workout myself.” He paused to caress her breast, his palm massaging the soft mound before he took her nipple between his finger and thumb and rolled it gently.
Thea gasped and arched her back, loving his touch. “Thank you, Sir. You are very good for my heart rate. I don’t believe I’ll be purchasing a bicycle any time soon. I did have a bike as a child though.”
“I see. Did you fall off it much? Crash it into trees, that sort of thing?” Tony continued to squeeze and stroke her swelling nipple and Thea found her concentration wandering once more. A firm pinch brought her back into focus.
“From time to time. I survived.”
“I’ll bet you were good at pedalling.”
“Yes. I suppose. I was fast.”
“I can imagine that, your little legs pumping. But without your hands on the handlebars and your eyes looking where you were going, you’d have gone round in circles. Crashed. Probably ended up in the canal or worse. Then where would your faultless, fast pedalling have got you? It would be better not to pedal at all than to do it without direction, without a sense of where you’re going. Do you agree?”
“Yes, I suppose so. But neither can you just sit there pointing your front wheel at things. You need to make it go.”
“Exactly. I run my company. I have my hands on the handlebars and I’m looking ahead. I keep Dart Logistics out of the canal, Mrs Richmond. But I rely on others, you, to do most of the pedalling. You could say I’m a leader, a figurehead. You though, you’re a manager. And a bloody good one. It’s because of good managers that businesses run well. I can steer, but you do exemplary pedalling, Mrs Richmond, and that’s why I need you. We’re a team. Or we will be.”
“I couldn’t do what you do. Take charge.”
“I don't want you to, not here in my home, or in the dungeon. And not at work either. But I do need your technical skills, your understanding of systems and such like. I’m not good at that stuff. So I need someone on my team who is. That’s you, Thea.”
His persistent manipulation of her pebbled nub had ceased. Thea turned in his arms to face him, kneeling in his lap.
“But, you seem so confident. Always. You don't need me. You don’t need anyone.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Mrs Richmond. I do need you. So, where do you think we should start?”
“You keep on about me working for you, and maybe you’re right, perhaps it could work. But it’s hard. Terrifying in fact. I can’t just dump the habits of a lifetime...”
“Do you need to revisit your contract, Mrs Richmond? I believe I may still have some ginger in the fridge.”
“No! I don’t mean that. You made your point and I’m not arguing with you. I just need to take this slower. If you’ll allow that. Please.”
“I need you on the case, Thea. Now.”
“I know, but…”
“How about if you work remotely? At least at first?”
“What? How do you mean?”
“I mean, all my systems at Dart are online. You could log in from anywhere, here for example, and start by overhauling them.”
Thea stared at him, struck not for the first time at his ingenuity and his inventive, flexible approach. In her business life as much as in her kink he was able to anticipate and overcome her issues, her hangups. He made it safe for her. Why had she ever doubted she could work with him as well as play?
She nodded, slowly. “Yes, that could work. I’d be happy doing that for you.”
“Excellent. So, I’ll ask you again. Where would you like to start?”
“Start? I’m not sure I…”
“Please try to keep up, Mrs Richmond. I mean, now that we’ve sorted out the methodology, where are you going to begin your overhaul of Dart Logistics?”
Thea’s head cleared, the ground once more solidifying beneath her. For the first time in days, ever since she’d walked into his office to discover her worlds colliding before her eyes, she felt in charge, certain.
“Oh, finance. Definitely. If the money’s