The Assignment Read online

  The Assignment

  By Jade A. Waters

  What would you do if someone offered to fulfill your wildest fantasies?

  Seductive.

  Charming.

  Dominant.

  Dean Sova is everything Maya Clery craves. From the first touch, their connection is intense. After leaving her troubled past behind, Maya thought she was happy—she is happy—but meeting Dean forces her to acknowledge dark needs she longs to explore yet has never had the courage to face.

  Her perfect match, Dean encourages Maya to set loose the submissive urges inside her in a series of assignments intended to open her mind and test the limits of pleasure…but Maya isn’t sure she can fully let go of her inhibitions.

  What would you do if someone offered to fulfill your wildest fantasies?

  The answer seems obvious. You take the offer and hope the price isn’t too high.

  Book one of Lessons in Control

  This book is approximately 81,000 words

  Carina Press acknowledges the editorial services of Rhonda Edits, LLC

  One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise! Find out more at CarinaPress.com/RomancePromise.

  Dear Reader,

  I was supposed to write this letter in August. I procrastinated it to September. Because I didn’t want to think about December—holidays, shopping, baking, cleaning, shopping, shopping, cold and snow. I don’t know about you, but just thinking of the business of the holidays makes my chest a little tight with anxiety. And you’re probably reading this right in the middle of all those busy times! So it’s a good thing we have a few escapist reads for you this month, to help give you a respite from some of the stress of the season and take you away on a mental vacation!

  Ever-popular New York Times bestselling author Lauren Dane welcomes you back to the paranormal world of Diablo Lake, Tennessee: a town founded by witches, governed by werewolves and full of secrets. In Diablo Lake: Protected, tensions are building as the two main rival Packs vie for control, and the town is divided along lines of Pack loyalty. Aimee Benton and Mac Pembry are on opposite sides and he seems to find excuses to spar with her daily. He’s infuriating—not to mention charming, gorgeous and oh-so-lickable. Start with this book or pick up book one, Diablo Lake: Moonstruck.

  Jade A. Waters brings all the sexiness in her debut erotic romance, The Assignment, first in her Lessons in Control trilogy. After freeing herself from a troubled past, independent Maya Clery explores her wildest sexual fantasies with playful, dominant Dean Sova in a dynamic that challenges her inhibitions—leading her down an intoxicating path of passion, pleasure and true emotional freedom.

  Wattpad author and Harlequin’s 2015 So You Think You Can Write winner, Lauren D.M. Smith, returns to Carina Press with her next fantasy romance. In Enveloping Shadows, monsters, thieves and demons might stand between Terrwyn and the princess she’s sworn her loyalty to, but it’s the mysterious Zel who could be the most dangerous. Make sure you check out The Emperor’s Arrow, the book that won the SYTYCW contest and started Lauren’s publishing journey, available now!

  Adrian is an Alpha, a genetically and computer enhanced assassin who has spent years plotting revenge. The only woman he wants is the daughter of his greatest enemy. With war looming and people’s lives on the line, does he trust Charity, does he f**k her or does he kill her? Alpha’s Revenge by N.J. Walters is a futuristic erotic romance sure to heat up your holidays (and beyond)! Other titles in the Project Alpha trilogy, Embracing Silence and Assassin’s Awakening, are now available for your holiday shopping checkout-line reading!

  For those who want a little mystery in their reading to help satisfy those murderous urges—kill a character on page, don’t harm one of your fellow shoppers—Lisa Q. Mathews brings us the return of The Ladies Smythe & Westin as they hit the runway for their third case in Fashionably Late. This time they’re organizing a charity fashion show at Hibiscus Pointe to catch the killer of an elegant luncheon model who left a desperate plea for help—just before Summer and Dorothy found her body stuffed in a garment bag backstage.

  If you love the darker side of romance, Devil’s Slave, an American Monsters erotic male/male thriller romance, is going to send your socks up in flames, not just knock them off. To save his niece and help stop a human trafficking ring, former detective Hugh Kincaid offers a rich, dark and scorching hot dominant everything he has—himself. Dark, dirty and a more than a little forbidden, this love affair from debut author Lola Hale has all the hallmarks of what readers loved about Captive Prince, but in a contemporary setting.

  In the third installment of Jade Chandler’s down-and-dirty Jericho Brotherhood motorcycle club series, two hard cases deny the beyond-carnal bond that forms between them…until it’s almost too late. Deny: A Dark, Erotic Motorcycle Club Romance is sure to get all motors revving! Read the other two scorching romances in this series, Enough and Release, now available!

  Don’t forget Shannon Stacey’s Holiday with a Twist holiday novella, which released last month, and we also have a full backlist of holiday titles, if you’re in the mood for some romance with a holiday flair. Visit CarinaPress.com and find reads like All She Wants for Christmas by Jaci Burton, Lone Star by Josh Lanyon, Believe by Lauren Dane, A Christmas Reunion by Susanna Fraser, Breath on Embers by Anne Calhoun and dozens more!

  Whatever your celebration, wherever you are, this season the Carina Press team once again thanks you for your continued love, enthusiasm and support of our books and authors. We hope you’re surrounded by all the things you love this holiday season, and we wish you, as always, a month of reading books you love, remember and recommend.

  Happy reading!

  Angela James

  Editorial Director, Carina Press

  Dedication

  To Madeleine. My rock, my shoulder, my missing twin, my platonic soul mate—forever and a million times over, thank you.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Acknowledgments

  Also by Jade A. Waters

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  I’d long believed life was like a giant box of opportunities, just waiting for people to rummage through and take them.

  This was what I was gearing up to tell Selby about my fling last Saturday once she returned from helping her boyfriend with their annual barbecue. Alex had given her a smack on her ass in appreciation of the burger patties she’d delivered as he worked the grill, and her face was still crimson by the time she sat in the lawn chair beside me.

  “All right. Burgers at the re
ady. Continue,” she said. She offered up a bag of chips she’d grabbed off one of the backyard tables, and I fished out a handful.

  “There isn’t much else to say. I went after him because he danced like a pro, and you know I love that. And though I’ll never see him again, he did have some things going for him. Cute face, solid abs and good God could he fu—”

  “Maya!”

  “What? You’re not at work! There are no children present...”

  Selby bowed her head in her hands, and I admired the blond waves that fell loose from her ponytail. She’d reminded me of a lovely doll ever since I’d met her, her golden heart fitting the cute face she scrunched up as she shook her head. “You’re such a nympho sometimes,” she said.

  “So not true. You just like your sex tame, and I like things wilder.” I pretended not to notice Selby drumming her fingers on her legs, then grabbed another chip with my most innocent, wide-eyed expression. “Look, you know what I say. Life is too short. You’ve got to take the opportunities—”

  “And run with them.”

  “Exactly,” I said. “You have to breathe it and live it.”

  I popped the chip in my mouth, and Selby lifted her head with a roll of her eyes, but when she smiled at me, I made out the warm acknowledgment that said she knew what I was referring to. That was why, despite all our differences, we’d forever be close. I knew without her saying a word that she had the same flicker of memory back to the days that had inspired this theory in me.

  “But you don’t want to see him again? At all?”

  I shrugged. He was hot, and the sex had kept me entertained for most of the night—but something was missing, something I couldn’t explain to Selby without meeting the concerned look in her eyes. The only thing she’d understand was that running free suited me.

  I’d spent too many years trapped and I wouldn’t go back to that.

  “Eh, it was fun, but not what I’m looking for.”

  “I swear, sometimes I don’t know what to do with you.” Selby put her arms around me in a quick hug and stood. “I’ve got to grab the salads. You staying here?”

  “Yeah. This week was tough. Thank God for Memorial Day. I’m going to bask in the sunshine until dinner’s ready, if that’s okay.”

  “Of course, sweetie.”

  Selby wandered away, and I cozied up in my chair, dropping my sunglasses over my eyes. It was a perfect afternoon, the sun bright overhead and the air warm enough that I could wear my favorite tank top and jeans. I’d loved Alameda for the lifetime I’d lived here, and though I’d moved around the area a tad, this was the hub for me.

  I threw my hands behind my head and shut my eyes, enjoying the sounds of Alex and Selby’s friends shouting over beers and badminton, though the events at work attempted to creep into the front of my mind. A few of my clients at Women Organized for Change were doing okay, but one of them had started showing more signs of distress. The last week had been permeated with tension while I’d attempted to arrange a meeting with her, and at this point I couldn’t tell where it would lead. I breathed out a sigh. I’d needed a day to chill for months. I kicked off my flip-flops and stretched out my toes. But as I pushed my work thoughts away and settled beneath the kiss of the late spring air, someone blocked my sun.

  “You look like the most relaxed person here.”

  My eyes were closed when he spoke to me, so our introduction was based on that voice alone—gruff but smooth, demanding I pay attention. I had a second to register the gravelly tone before my lids popped open, as if they’d had a private conversation with the parts of my body that spontaneously goose bumped at the sound.

  I’ve never believed in love at first sight, but in the case of the man hovering over me—the sun coming in from behind his head like a halo that shadowed the dark olive skin of his face—I made an exception for lust at first sight.

  Holy hell.

  “Am I right?” he asked.

  I shoved my sunglasses up. My body had taken on a life of its own, responding to that voice with a surge of desire Selby would say perpetually occupied me—except right now, she wouldn’t be wrong. It was the kind of lust that shot straight into my core and made it difficult to swallow.

  “Maybe.” I couldn’t think of anything else to say while I stared up at him, and his lips curled up at the corner like a kid’s. That sole feature struck me as kid-like, a direct contrast to his wide, strong shoulders and the toned muscles of his chest so easy to make out through his T-shirt. He had to be at least six feet tall, but it was hard to tell from my position on the lawn chair. I tried not to reveal the flutters running through me and focused on his face. The light shining around his head darkened his eyes, making them look black like his neatly cropped hair. He had a small scar high on his cheek, a faint thing I noticed thanks to the gap in the black stubble across his face. I’d always been a sucker for a five o’clock shadow. Especially on a man like this.

  Hello.

  I cleared my throat in an attempt to calm the rattle of my nerves.

  “How long do you plan to block my light?” I asked.

  He released a throaty laugh and stepped back, then grabbed the chair Selby had left behind. She was probably caught up with her work pals in some teacher story.

  The man lowered himself into the chair, his arms flexing and catching my eye.

  Her absence didn’t bother me at all.

  He rubbed his hands along the knees of his jeans. I scooted sideways in my chair to talk to him, but the words fell short again. His eyes up close weren’t as dark as I’d thought, instead a slate gray or blue, like the color of the ocean rolling beneath the Bay Ferry when it got stormy in the winter months here. They were nothing short of mesmerizing.

  Okay, he was nothing short of mesmerizing.

  “I’m Dean Sova.” He stuck out his hand. His fingers were thick and long, and the lusty version of me had a few thoughts about this that I tempered with a smile. I slid my palm into his, and he gripped my hand firmly without crushing my fingers. I didn’t let go, and neither did he. “I’m Alex’s friend. Which one of our hosts do you belong to?”

  “I don’t belong to anyone.”

  Dean coughed in surprise before letting my hand go, then ran his fingers through his hair like he was nervous. But I didn’t read nervousness off this guy—not one bit. I couldn’t decide if that annoyed or excited me.

  “However, I am Maya Clery, Selby’s best friend.”

  “Oh, the legendary Maya! I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  His eyes sparkled as he said it, and despite the heat in the air, a chill ran through me. I hadn’t heard a thing about this handsome man sitting across from me, which I’d need to have a chat with Selby about, stat. “Well, it’s nice to meet you. I hope you heard all good things.”

  Dean grinned. “So far.”

  I laughed.

  “I’d heard Greek-Irish beauty with a flirty personality. I’d hoped to meet you one day. It all seems accurate.”

  My laugh halted in my throat. “Oh... Selby has a tendency to exaggerate sometimes.”

  Dean cocked his head.

  If I’d seen this guy on a dance floor, I’d be hunting for an in—but here he sat, talking to me, sending the fiercest rush of heat up the back of my neck. It felt strangely like he’d reversed the game on me, and without even moving, he circled me.

  Deep inside, something stirred.

  “Okay, then. Let’s start from scratch,” Dean said. He arranged his legs with one foot on the chair, his knee bent so he could prop his head on his hand. “I’ll pretend I haven’t heard anything about you. But for the record, that beauty part is dead on.”

  The blush moved into my face. He laid it on heavy, but somehow, I didn’t mind. “Thank you. You’re not bad yourself.”

  Independent me wanted to stage a
revolt against my mouth.

  Dean folded his hands. His grin widened, lifting that scar on his cheek. He’d make an excellent aftershave model for a commercial, scar and all. “Thank you,” he said. “You haven’t heard a thing about me, have you?”

  “Nope.”

  “I see. So Selby has been hiding and protecting you.”

  The phrase caught me off guard. I opened my mouth to ask what he meant, but Selby reappeared.

  “Dean,” she said. We’d been friends for almost thirty years, so I could recognize Selby’s discomfort in a second. While she didn’t strike me as disgusted with Dean, her demeanor had a hint of coldness to it. I didn’t like it, not with how my body nearly vibrated this close to him, throwing me off. I was normally the huntress. I was the pursuer.

  The urge for this guy to hunt me down and ravish me was intensely alarming.

  “Hey, Selby.” Dean stood to kiss her cheek.

  Selby loosened up, hugging him before sliding her hands into her pockets. “Glad you could make it. It appears you’ve met Maya.” She glanced at me.

  “Yes.” Dean smiled, and I felt the tug again. I couldn’t explain it if I tried, and the warmth of my face had drifted south. My sassy coyness was taking a terrible hit right now.

  Alex called out from the barbecue, breaking our spell. Selby had finished setting the table, and currently Alex carried piles of burgers to add to the rest of the food.

  “Guess we should eat,” Dean said.

  “Let’s,” Selby said.

  All three of us were quiet while we walked to the table. Selby sat next to Alex, and when Dean pulled the bench out for me to sit with him at the opposite end, I was compelled to join him. Beside me, his lengthy torso made him look extremely tall—but his height hadn’t been lost on me in our walk over. He was the epitome of tall, dark and handsome, and as I sat with him, I attempted to rein myself back into the aloof and in-control woman I considered myself to be.

  For the next hour, the four of us talked with the rest of Selby and Alex’s friends over an abundance of burgers, fruit salads and drinks. Dean conversed with a couple across the table, but when he chatted with me, I made a point to find out more about him. It turned out he was an architect from Half Moon Bay who’d grown up on the other side of the continent, in Rock Hall, Maryland, a place I’d never heard of. He lived alone on the coast and loved his work, and shared a little of his passion for building before those across the table brought up housing prices. Still, the smile he occasionally flashed fired something in me more than he already did sitting there beside me. I couldn’t explain it, but I felt it—this sense of authority, of control. There was a presence about him, carried in the broad width of his shoulders and the potent way he locked eyes with me while we spoke, and it demanded I listen and respond. I don’t know why it drew me in, but by the end of dinner, when Dean had turned his conversation to me, I didn’t want it to stop.