Read Online Command by Sierra Cartwright - Free Book Online Page B

natural progression, like most things in life. Come here. Let’s get your palm print set up.”
    “I’m not sure whether I trust you or not.”
    “It won’t hurt a bit,” he promised. He pulled out a metal barstool and beckoned her forward. “Come here, little girl,” he said in his best mad-scientist voice.
    “There’s something about you…” Then they spoke simultaneously.
    “That you’re finding difficult to resist,” he said.
    “That scares me a little,” she said.
    He grinned. “Good.”
    “Good?”
    “A bit of fear or uncertainty is intriguing. It’s the elixir of arousal. I just don’t want to terrify you. Yet.”
    He saw her shift her weight as she crossed her feet. What he’d said had had an impact on her. Unless he missed his guess—which wasn’t likely—she wanted to know more. It might take her a while, but she’d walk into the net he was creating with his words and actions. Aria would need to feel safe before she’d move forward, which meant he had to take it slow as well.
    “Should I be scared of you?”
    “Maybe,” he replied.
    “That wasn’t reassuring.”
    “It wasn’t meant to be.” He waited a few seconds before patting the top of the stool.
    She licked her lower lip, betraying her confused emotions.
    With the portrait and their ensuing discussions, he’d given her a hell of a lot to think about. So he decided to change her focus.
    Once she took her seat, he moved in next to her. “Are you right-hand dominant?”
    “Yes.” Aria’s body was rigid.
    “One thing you need to know is that I won’t do anything you don’t ask for.”
    She turned toward him. They were only inches apart.
    “But I love it when a sub asks. It’s sexy. That’s not to say things don’t naturally evolve, but when you ask, even beg, that’s what I live for.”
    It took her a minute to respond. “I think you have me confused with some other woman.”
    “Perhaps I do,” he conceded. “Put your palm on the glass. When it has a good scan, the light will turn green. I want you to do it about a dozen times. Pick your hand up, put it back down with your fingers in different spots, more weight on the heel of your hand, then more on your fingertips, on your thumb. You won’t touch the palm plate in exactly the same place or in the same way every time, so I want to be sure we get good prints.” When he was satisfied, he lifted her hand back off the scanner. “Give me a minute.” He entered a few commands on a keyboard. The screen in front of them showed a series of whorls and lines and impact points, all in luminescent green.
    “That’s quite impressive, Mr. Kingston.”
    “Think of the potential to avoid fraud with this thing. But like you said, probably overkill for most applications—and way too expensive for the vast majority of firms.”
    “But that doesn’t stop your eyes from lighting up.”
    “Yeah. I love this shit.” The screen blanked then displayed a picture of her print. “Got it. Let’s test it. Try to leave the room.”
    She slid from the stool and moved to the doorway. When he nodded, she put her palm on the plate.
    Nothing happened.
    With a frown, she turned back to face him. “Something wrong?”
    He hit a key on the computer. The system turned green and the door whisked open.
    “You did that on purpose.”
    “Just making sure I can keep you hostage if I want.”
    She shook her head and removed her hand. The door slid shut. “You’re right. It’s cool.”
    Just then, music blasted from the speakers.
    Obviously shocked, Aria spun back to face him. “What the hell is that? It sounds like something from a blockbuster movie.”
    “Julien’s theme.”
    “You’re kidding me.”
    The words, “A genius is trying to reach you,” overlaid the music.
    “You’re not kidding me.”
    “Man likes to make an entrance, even when he’s not there physically.”
    “Hence the hologram.”
    He pointed at her. “Exactly.”
    “Greetings, earthlings,” Julien