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roaring fire that bathed the room in warmth and shifting illumination, she was keenly aware of the sense of walking straight into the lion's den. When he stood and turned toward her, a pang of unease joined her mounting desire. Jackson was the epitome of the Dominant male. Strength, power and confidence radiated from him.
    “When we are in this room, I am in complete control of everything that happens.” He unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it aside.
    “Okay?” she whispered with a healthy dose of “I'm not sure what I'm agreeing to” in her voice. With his gorgeous chest displayed magnificently in the flickering firelight, she would have agreed to almost anything if it meant she could run her hands and lips over the muscled flesh.
    “I won't deny that your immediate, although tentative, agreement to my statement is highly arousing,” he swept her with an appreciative gaze, “but you need to understand exactly what I expect.” When she didn't attempt to speak but instead simply watched him and waited, Jackson continued, “I decide what we do and how we do it. You will not question me. You will do what I say without argument or hesitation. Failure to follow the rules will result in punishment.”
    “Punishment? What kind of punishment?” Her eyes widened as she licked her suddenly dry lips.
    “Anything I deem necessary, Eleanor, and that question just earned you your first one, should you decide to play by my rules.” A sinister grin punctuated his point. “You'll pick a safe word, which you can use if you feel things have gone too far, and I will stop immediately. Understand, however, the strength and finality of that word. Once it is spoken, playtime is over, period.”
    Relief, increasing interest, arousal and budding annoyance warred inside Ellie. Her hands balled into fists at her sides, and she curled and uncurled her toes in the thick fur rug as she fought the urge to blurt out what swirled through her mind. The whole unknown punishment thing was intimidating to be sure, but the desire to tell him to get over himself and quit issuing ultimatums was strong. She wasn't so naïve as to not get what he was talking about in theory, and a very big part of her wanted to explore what he offered, but he was being awfully light on the details and heavy on the macho. So far, this sounded as if it were all about him. She blatantly scowled at him.
    “You have my permission to speak, Eleanor.”
    “So then you'll be mad at me if I stop things?” Ellie groaned inwardly as soon as the question tumbled out. Where was the well-deserved rebuke? Where was the counterproposal of acceptable behavior? Where was her backbone?
    “Not in the least.” In a few purposeful strides, he was close enough that she could breathe in his intoxicating scent. “It's imperative you understand my rules. The safe word is a last resort, not to be used in an effort to attempt to control what's happening.” He brushed his lips across her forehead. “Of course, I will be monumentally disappointed if you don't trust me to know your limits and what will bring you ultimate pleasure, but what goes on in this room stays in this room.”
    Taking stock of her throbbing core, not to mention her racing pulse and tingling nipples, there was no denying how much his proposal aroused her. Ellie studied the muscled perfection of the man while she contemplated her situation. Again, Jackson was opening himself to her, being honest about who he was and trusting her to accept him. And caution be damned, she did trust him, with her body and her heart.
    “Pumpernickel.”
    Ellie's heart jumped at Jackson's look of sheer male satisfaction.
    “Very good.” He went and sat on the edge of the bed. “I want you naked, now.”
    With her fingers shaking from both adrenaline and self-consciousness, the job of getting undressed was just that, work. Once she'd finished, she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do next. Jackson wasn't being much help, what with sitting