She headed toward the door, but he blocked her so fast it reminded her of the Twilight movies where edward whizzed in front of Bella with vampire grace. “Not before you listen to me, or I’ll push you back against that wall and damn the consequences.” Her thighs trembled at the threat.

What the hell was wrong with her? She was sick to be so turned on by his caveman tactics.

“you’re not sick,” he said gently.

His ability to read her thoughts only enraged her more.

She crossed her arms in front of her chest and lifted her chin. “Talk. you have two minutes, and then I’m leaving this room. I swear if you try to stop me again, I’ll scream the building down.”

“Fair enough. Simply put, you respond to a more dominating sexual manner than other women. your mind is so strong and in charge, your body doesn’t get a shot. you’ll probably get more excited by restraints or a lover who you can surrender control to in the bedroom.”

“And how do you know all this?”

His face tightened, as if remembering painful memories. “I had some issues to work out, and I learned a bit about domination and submission.”

She rolled her eyes. “I don’t need to submit to any man.”

“Not submit. you couldn’t be any man’s plaything or slave, baby. Though in traditional roles, the one who submits is the one who always holds the power. No, I’m talking about simple surrender. Giving up control in order to get sexually excited and stay there.” He took a step toward her and his scent rose in her nostrils. She fought the urge to close her eyes and drag in a deep breath. Just his closeness turned her on like no other man ever had. “I want to show you that world. Give you pleasure. Since I met you, I’ve imagined you in my bed with your legs wrapped around my hips while I thrust inside you. your face when you come.

But I need you to trust me on some level first. Give me a chance.”

The fight sagged out of her body, and she was left with the bruising knowledge she didn’t believe him. Sure, he was able to get her close to orgasm, but she hadn’t managed to finish. She was probably caught up in the moment. Another planned encounter would never work.

“one night, Julietta.” His voice stroked and probed every dark corner like crushed velvet. “I want you, and I’ll do anything to get you. If I can’t give you an orgasm in one night, I’ll leave you alone. In fact, I’ll give you an incentive.”

A humorless laugh escaped her lips. “An orgasm and an incentive? How much better can it get?”

“I’ll put you in charge of the entire operation.”

She stilled. “What?”

“I said you had free access but I was the one with the final decisions. If you spend the night with me and you’re not satisfied, I’ll give you final approval over anything to do with La Dolce Famiglia.”

The consequences of full control when it came to her bakery flooded her with adrenaline. She had so many ideas that he might fight her on. This way, anything she wanted to try would be all hers. If she disagreed with his actions, she’d be able to overstep his command. It was almost a guarantee of success, because there was no way to lose—she’d never have to depend on his approval.

Sawyer laughed. “Ah, I knew you would like that. Think about it.”

“What do you get out of it? you’d lose one of the most important aspects in this deal—the ability to veto any decision.”

“I get you.”

His gaze locked with hers. Julietta was unable to keep her body from trembling or to mask the raw lust for more of him. To have him naked and demanding in her bed, pushing her to places she’d only dreamed about. Mio Dio, what was she going to do?

“only for one night.” Her quick words reeked of defeat.

He remained silent and studied her. Julietta shifted her weight onto her other high heel and tried to think. “What if I lose?”

His lip lifted. “Then we both win, don’t we?”

The intercom buzzed and interrupted the electricity zinging in the air. “Mr. Wells, your one o’clock is here.”

He never moved or answered. She envied his control over the situation, even as she realized he was still fully aroused. Time to retreat and get herself together. The man oozed pheromones that fried her brain. “I’ll think about it.”

Sawyer nodded, as if they discussed a business arrange-ment rather than a night of sex. “Very well. I’ll wait until you give me an answer.”

Julietta veered around him and gave up a small victory.

No matter. She’d have time to regroup, but right now his nearness needed to be avoided. His low chuckle confirmed he noticed, and she cursed under her breath as she scurried out the door in full cowardly retreat.

Damn him.

What the hell was she going to do?

…

The demons were back.

Sawyer rubbed the nape of his neck and pushed away from his computer. Hours of work usually focused him, keeping him primed and targeted toward his main goal. But after his encounter with Julietta, and trying to balance too many requests with the looming opening of his Purity, his nerves were shot.

He couldn’t get her out of his head. How long had it been since a woman had crawled under his skin and stayed there? Sure, he’d gone after particular females who interested him before, but he’d never experienced the intensity that encompassed not just his body, but his mind and emotions. The gorgeous flushed look on her face haunted him. Sawyer lifted his hand and pressed his fingers against his mouth. God, he still smelled her. Musky—with hints of vanilla and coconut swirled together. He remembered her soft lips relaxed, hips arching for more, completely in the moment with him and surrendering to her body.

He’d realized immediately after their first kiss she needed a man to control her in the bedroom. No wonder she had trouble responding. A woman so fiercely independent and in charge of a huge empire would loathe the idea of surrendering her body, and he bet her past lovers didn’t own steel balls.

Hell, that was what it’d take to challenge her, and most men had fragile egos. Coaxing a lukewarm response from a lover usually added to frustration for both parties. He bet she tried to lose her inhibitions and only received humiliation for trying. A woman like Julietta would cut her losses and move on, accepting full responsibility for her failure in the bedroom.

Assholes. They took everything passionate within her and forced her to believe she was frigid. Instead, she was a fucking dormant volcano ready to explode, all hot, creamy lava and lusty noises. The way she bit her lip hard to control her cries and tightened her muscles told him enough. She’d give him everything she got and more if she let herself go.

A smile tugged at his lips at the memory of her inner battle. He loved how she challenged him on every level and made him work for it. Sawyer had learned early that many of the aspects of BDSM called to him, and he’d dived into the experience once he had enough money to indulge his eclectic tastes. With his midthirties approaching, he now admitted he liked aspects of the push-pull of dom/sub, but it wasn’t a lifestyle he wanted to commit to. His normal play in private and some exclusive clubs tamed the beast for a while, but work began to feed his insatiable appetite in a more soothing manner. So far, women had been a tempo-rary enjoyment.

Until Julietta came on the scene.

He liked control. Needed it at all times in order to ne-gotiate his life now. But for just a moment, he almost lost it, unbuckled his pants, and slid into her wet heat without a thought. And that, as he learned, was dangerous. How many years had it taken him to finally curb the violence and anger? The frustration of being dependent on people whose only goal was to let him down? only two people in his world ever gave him a glimpse of something more.

Jerry White.

And Mama Conte.

The familiar twinge in his gut drove him to his feet and toward the back of his office. Toward the hidden door behind the mass of bookcases where a slice of peace and sanity were close enough to yank him from the abyss.

Fuck, he hated such weakness.

Sawyer stepped into the room. He took in the surround-ings made for physical torture—soundproof so no grunts of pain were ever heard. The mats were thick beneath his feet, and the various instruments were there for one single purpose.

Sweat.

He toed off his shoes, stripped off his clothes, and changed into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. He tied his hair back with a rubber band, shoved his feet into the sneakers, and donned the gloves. He started with the bag first, warm-ing up with some jabs and letting his brain empty out into his body, ready to ease out the poison.

one. Two. Three.

The memory flickered.

“You’re a fucking pussy, you know that.” It was Christmas Eve, but there was no tree, no lights, and no warmth in the hellhole. His foster father drank from a rapidly declining bottle of Clan MacGregor and the smell drifted sickly sweet and sharp to his nostrils, making him gag. He kept quiet, knowing the trick of the game was to say as little as possible.

He was chained to a chair in the dirty kitchen. The cheap yellow linoleum held an array of scratches and stains. He let his mind go and focused on the tiny circle by the broken chair leg. Round and round his gaze followed the pattern and his mind began to drift. The other kids were asleep in the basement. He’d locked the door behind him so Asshole couldn’t get in, knowing the holidays were one of his favorite times to play. It was easier to piss him off and get him to go after him than sacrificing the rest of the crew for a group party.