Braden Security: Tied Up In Knotts Part 6

"Are you done pouting? Think before you answer, I don't like to be lied to." James stared directly into her big green eyes.

Avery looked up at James. He was so close she could smell his aftershave. Well, he could try and intimidate her. But it wasn't going to work, Avery thought. But G.o.d, she wanted to give him another chance. He was crowding her and all she wanted was for him to kiss her. No, that was not what she was thinking. She shook her head at him.

"No I'm not, and for your information, I'm not pouting. Now go away and let me work." She waved her hand in the air as if to dismiss him.

James grabbed the hand waving in the air and pulled her to her feet. Walking around the desk to her side, he put his other arm under her knees and lifted her into his arms.

"Put me down, James, this isn't funny." Concern was now creeping into her voice.

"It's not supposed to be funny. This is very serious, and it's about time you know your place with me. I've let you have time, but your time's up."

Avery put her arms around his neck and hung on as he briskly walked to his office. He slammed the door with his foot and turned the lock.

Striding to the chair in front of his desk, he whipped it around and sat, flipping Avery facedown over his lap.

Now Avery knew he was serious and started to struggle. "Let me up, you brute. You can't do this. I have rights. Wait until I tell Clay, your a.s.s will be fired. "

"Maybe that could happen, but not before I warm your a.s.s for your behavior."

"My behavior. I'm not the one going into the alley and buying drugs." Avery turned her head up to look at him, her hair falling around her face.

"Why didn't you ask if you wanted to know what was going on? No, you just leaped to conclusions, and they are wrong. It won't get you out of your punishment. Now stay still and it will go smoother."

"Smoother for you maybe, but it's not your a.s.s on the line." Avery squirmed again, trying to dislodge herself from his hold.

James held her with a firm hand on her back and lifted her long skirt up to her waist, biting back a grin at her words. G.o.d, she was magnificent when riled.

Avery was glad she had at least worn her nice panties for today. Avery gritted her teeth. Why was she bothered to think about her panties at a time like this? Maybe she liked the controlling James. Avery dismissed her thoughts the next second. No way was he getting away with this he-man att.i.tude.

The next thing she knew, her panties were around her ankles and James had struck her with an open hand on her right a.s.s cheek.

"Ouch, that hurt."

"That's the point." James gave her another wallop on her other cheek. This time he held his hand over the area so the warmth was absorbed by Avery.

Five more were given with Avery yelling, "Ouch" every time. Her voice was now taking on a low tone, like she would be moaning if she allowed herself. James could tell she was holding back.

"Ready to give up and start acting like an adult?" James asked her in a no-nonsense tone. The heat had now started to make its way down to her p.u.s.s.y and she squirmed on James.

"No, I saw what you did, and you left my bed for a drug deal. I'm not stupid, I know what I saw."

"Why. Didn't. You. Ask. Me?" In between each word, James gave her another paddle on her a.s.s with his hand.

His hand was starting to feel the heat also and James almost gave up when he heard Avery moan. G.o.d, she was stubborn.

Reaching his hand down to her mound, he stuck a finger in her. She was wet, almost dripping.

Turning her up to a sitting position on his lap, James lifted her face up to his and wiped the tears that she didn't know she was crying.

What could he tell her? He couldn't tell her about their job. He hated lying to her, but it was necessary. He hoped she would understand when all this was over.

"I'm..." James started again. It wasn't like him to hesitate. "I mean Angel and I are trying to help the youth around here. Trying to get them off the streets and find a proper job."

"But I saw money pa.s.sing hands," Avery sputtered though her tears.

"Yes, you did. I would rather give them some money than have them run drugs for it."

Standing her up beside the chair, James pulled her panties back up and straightened down her skirt. Unlocking the door, he waved her through with a pat on the a.s.s.

"Be ready after work. We are going to go out for dinner and try again. And if you have any questions, don't think, ask." James closed the door behind her and she could swear she heard him sigh.

Walking back to her desk, Avery though of all James had told her. She really didn't know what to believe. Could it be true that what she thought she saw was just them helping the youth around here? G.o.d, she was confused. Looking around, she hoped no one had seen anything. She would be so embarra.s.sed if Clay or any of the others had seen their exchange.

Chapter Thirteen.

Avery looked in her bedroom mirror and took in the outfit she had chosen. She wore a knee-length black skirt and a white lace top. They had been buys at the thrift store, but didn't look worn. Avery hoped that James would approve. She didn't know why she wanted his approval. After this afternoon she should have just walked out. But something in her was drawn to James. It couldn't be his sweet disposition. If that's what she wanted, Clay would probably be the better bet. Clay seemed more even tempered and totally gorgeous in his own way, but he just didn't give off the spark James did every time he looked at her.

James watched Avery walking down the stairs to him. She looked good enough to eat. She had worn her hair down and it seemed to form a golden halo around her head. G.o.d, he was going to h.e.l.l with the thoughts he had running through his head. Smiling up at her, James took her hand as she neared the bottom.

"You look gorgeous. I really approve of what you're wearing tonight."

Tonight would be a good test to see how submissive she was. He was going to be overly demanding. He wanted to see if this could be long-term for them.

"Well I wouldn't want to disappoint you. After the lesson you gave me in your office," Avery answered back sarcastically.

"See, you're learning," James said with a grin Avery looked up at him. Was he serious? James looked down at her with a twinkle in his eyes and took her elbow and led her out of the office.

The restaurant James had chosen was an upscale Italian bistro. Could he afford this? It was on the other side of town. When they pulled into the parking lot, she could tell that his car stood out like a sore thumb. In between the Jags and Mercedes, even the parking attendant looked twice at the car before getting in and parking it.

Placing his hand on her back, James led Avery into the posh establishment. Avery looked around. James didn't seem to be uncomfortable so she made the best of it and tried to look like they came here every day. She sure hoped James wasn't trying to impress her and spending a week's pay on one night. Pulling at his jacket sleeve as they waited for the hostess to seat them, she looked up at James.

"I don't think we should stay. It looks awful expensive. Why don't we go back and just eat at the diner?"

Catching the hostess's attention, James nodded at her. For some reason the hostess didn't ask for his name or reservations, just turned and escorted them to a very private booth at the back.

Seating Avery at the table, James turned and asked the hostess to send over the wine steward.

Something was up. James seemed too comfortable in this environment. James was dressed nicely in a black blazer that enhanced his wide shoulders and tan pants, but not up to the standards that others wore around them, and her little black skirt wasn't up to snuff either. Where would James get money enough to afford a place like this? Avery jerked her head up and watched James order a wine she had never heard of. She was crazy. How many times did it have to come and bite her on the a.s.s before she got it in her head that drug money was the only answer? Pulling back into herself, she looked around. Could she just leave? There must be a way out at the back. James seemed to notice her eyes darting around, looking very uncomfortable.

"Everything OK? I hope that you will like the wine that I picked." Avery just nodded her head and kept looking around.

"What are you looking for? I can see that your mind is off someplace again. Need I explain to you again that if you have a question, just ask? I don't think your a.s.s could handle another spanking tonight. While I don't mind, I don't think the other customers in the place would like a floor show with you in the spotlight." James used his Dom voice as he looked at Avery. She looked like she was going to bolt at any second.

That got Avery's attention. She turned back facing him with her month gasping. "There is no way you can use that to threaten me here. You would get arrested."

James laid down his napkin and started to rise from the booth. Avery reached over the table and grabbed his coat sleeve. "Please don't make a scene. I think we stand out enough without the floor show."

Sitting back down, James placed the napkin back in his lap and raised an eyebrow at Avery.

G.o.d, she was starting to hate when he did that. She knew he would sit there saying nothing until she spilled her thoughts.

Nervously crumpling her napkin between her hands on the table, Avery looked at James through her lashes. "James, you can't be that stupid."

At James's stern look, she amended her thoughts, and tried again. "James, look around you. We don't belong here and if you're trying to impress me, this doesn't do it. I can't let you spend all this money on me no matter how you made it." Avery gave him a pleading look, wanting him to understand.

James now looked angry. "Well don't mince words, spit out what you think. I promise to keep my hands to myself. I did ask you to tell me the truth."

"Can you afford this because of drugs? Are you working pushing drugs? I know you said you weren't, but I know that sometimes money speaks louder than words." By this time Avery had twisted the napkin into a knot and was trying to undo it.

James reached out and took the napkin from Avery. He untied the knot and pa.s.sed it back to her before saying anything. G.o.d she was onto the drugs again. He had just wanted to take her to one of his favorite restaurants, he wasn't trying to impress her. Well maybe a little, but he hadn't really thought it through enough. He was slipping. How could he give her an explanation without letting his personal life into the equation?

Looking at Avery, James could see she was concerned and worried. She was trying to shrink into her seat. Taking her hand in one of his, he looked into the big green eyes that he could drown in.

"Clay gave me a bonus for landing a big client this week. I thought I would like to do something nice for you. There is nothing else, no drug money involved. I want you to trust me. I didn't lie, ask Angel. He came from a neighborhood just like the one around the office. He tries to help whenever he can. I'm trying to give back a little, too. You never know when you might need a friend, and in that neighborhood its best to know who you are dealing with."

Avery looked down at the trembling hand that James still held. Now she felt terrible. She had lived in the area for quite some time and had never given thought to helping others. She just tried to stay out of everyone's way and had even looked the other way a few times so she didn't have to acknowledge what was going on around her.

"I'm sorry. I know that you're probably getting tired of hearing me say it, but I tend to jump, then think." Avery looked up at James with regret in her eyes.

"Really." James grinned at her as he turned to the waitress that arrived at the table to take their orders.

James looked at Avery. "Any allergies?" Avery shook her head. "Are you vegetarian?" Another shake.

"We'll both have the filet, medium, and a baked potato, with a salad to start. Dressing?" he inquired of Avery.

"Italian," Avery said, the first thing that came to mind.

"Both with Italian dressing." James ordered for both of them without a menu or asking for her input.

"Tell me more about yourself?" James asked after the waitress had left.

"Can we step back a minute? You can't just order for me like I wasn't here." Avery was now sitting up in her seat. She felt sorry for questioning his methods of making money, but she was not going to let him steamroll her again.

"But I just did. Is there something that I ordered that you don't like?"

"No..." Avery couldn't lie, she liked everything he had ordered.

"Well what's the problem?" James took her hand, playing with her fingers. "Let it go. I ordered a nice meal that you seem to just approve of, so let's get back to your story. Tell me more about yourself? I am interested in everything about you. I know you feel the same pull that I do. All I'm asking for is that we explore this thing developing between us and see where it goes. I think you want the same, but are too afraid to let yourself acknowledge it."

Pulling her hand from his grasp, Avery tried to relax and leaned back against the booth. What could she tell him without giving up too much? She didn't know him well enough to judge. He said she could tell him anything, but most people, when they heard your parents were drug runners for the cartel, parted ways as fast as they could.

Trying not to lie, well, not too much, she told James about her childhood and the nice neighborhood that she had lived in. About being an only child, the family, many trips, and college. She kept to just the facts and didn't embellish. She knew it sounded like a recital but she just didn't want her mouth to get carried away and reveal too much. The only way she knew she could do that was to stick just to the facts. She sounded boring but he was the one that wanted to know.

"Boring, I know." She looked up from her meal and laid her fork down, surprised at the amount that she had eaten with her nerves in disarray. "I was just an ordinary kid, like a hundred others raised in the suburbs. Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself? I know you and Clay are friends."

"Yes, Clay and I are friends from way back, but don't try to change the subject. I heard what you told me, but it was like you had read it from a book. I want to know the real Avery. The good and the bad. I know with your quick wit and stubbornness that you must have been a more rounded person than you are letting on. I know you still have doubts about me, but I can a.s.sure you that I have no hidden agenda, other than getting to know a very beautiful lady."

"Oh, you lay it on thick." Avery smiled at James. "OK, just a little. Then you have to return the bio. I was raised in the little picket fence house that everyone wants to own. John and Amanda Knotts were my parents. I went to school, and while I tried to follow the rules at school, I just kept getting into trouble. Looking back I think my parents were too strict. When I went to school I just wanted to be free. I wanted to ask questions and get answers. I didn't want another person telling me that they knew what was best for me, without my input. That got me into a lot trouble, my mouth, as you know, runs away from me sometimes. So I spent a lot of time in the princ.i.p.al's office. My parents couldn't understand how the quiet girl they raised could get into so much trouble when out of sight. Many nights I was sent to bed without supper. My parents didn't allow questions and their word was law. I didn't have many friends growing up. Most couldn't stand the rules at our house, so they just didn't come. Birthday parties were frowned upon. Anything that would upset their orderly life was out of bounds." Avery knew her mouth was starting to get away from her, but if he wanted the real Avery, he was going to hear it.

James just sat there trying to take in the beautiful woman before him, and he would have to readjust his thinking now that he knew about the life that she was brought up in. He knew his gut had been right about her. Avery was innocent in all this, and he just had to prove it. He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice for a moment that Avery had stopped talking and was looking at him. Picking up his fork that he had laid down when Avery had started her story, he finished his meal.

Avery knew he was thinking. She just wished she knew what about. Come to think of it, she had sounded pretty pathetic. Maybe he wasn't interested now that he knew what a doormat she really was and not the strong person that she had been trying to portray.

Noticing that Avery was not eating, James looked at her. What to say? He felt sorry for the little girl, but he wanted the woman that she had become. He just had to clear her and get the Feds off her back.

"Thanks for that. I can see you're a deeply private person. I want you to know that I'm privileged that you shared that much." Crumpling up his napkin, he laid it on his plate. "Are you done?"

"No, I'm not."

James looked down at her plate that was still half full. "But you stopped eating."

"Oh I'm done with the food, but not with you. It's your turn. I told you my story, I want to hear yours. Before you make up some excuse and tell me there's nothing to tell, I will warn you that I will ask Clay and you know how friends like to gossip and stretch the truth. So either you tell me or I get the probably R-rated version from Clay. Your choice."

Well, the little girl had learned to stick up for herself.

Nodding at her to continue her meal, he knew she hadn't eaten enough to keep a bird alive. Waiting until she picked her fork back up, James began.

"There is really not much to tell." Avery glanced up at him with a disbelieving look.

"OK, OK, here it goes. I was raised not too far from here. My father was a cop and my mother a teacher at the local high school. I have a brother, younger, and a pain in my a.s.s...I mean in my side, when we were growing up. He still is, but now at least we can string a sentence together without arguing. Mother hated the fighting, but Dad always said we had to grow up and learn to make our own place in the world and to let us be. I went to school then into the army for a stint. That's where I met Clay. We were in the same unit. Angel and the others joined the unit later. And that's how we all ended up together and our friendship has lasted all these years. After the army, we drifted into business together. Now we run an investment firm."

"How did you get into investments after the army? It doesn't seem to be something that would go together." James had to think fast at her question. He really didn't know too much about investing and with her quick mind, he was sure that she would pick up anything that sounded wrong.

"My brother made a name for himself while I was gone. Since I didn't want to be a cop like Dad, I thought I would give it a go." James gritted his teeth at his next statement. "My brother taught us everything we know. We are very grateful to him."

"Who's your brother? Maybe I've heard of him."

"Nosy much?" James couldn't lie about this, she already knew his last name and Avery was smart, she would put it together soon.

"His name is Chase Braden. He has an investment firm on the other side of town." James couldn't stop the pride sounding in his voice. His brother was a pain, but he was still proud of all he had accomplished.

"Oh, I heard of him. Isn't he some golden child when it comes to investments? Didn't he make his first million before he was twenty-five?"

"Yes, that's him." At James's answer Avery had a fascinated look on her face.

James was starting to feel very uncomfortable the way the conversation was going. He had to get her back on track and talking about herself.

"Why aren't you working for him uptown? If I was a millionaire I would take care of my family," Avery asked again, taking him away from his thoughts.

"Oh, he does help us other ways, just not money. The guys, me included, wanted to do it ourselves. By the way, you didn't tell me what your parents did for a living?" James tried to get her off the subject of his family and turn the conversation back to hers.

Avery threw her napkin on her plate and reached for her purse. "I think it's time that we leave. It's a long drive back to the office. I don't know about you but I'm getting sleepy." Covering a fake yawn, Avery escaped James's question.