Continental Life by Ella Dominguez Page A

they?”
    He waggled his eyebrows lewdly causing everyone to laugh. Bella swore her face must’ve turned fifty shades of embarrassed because yes they did get wet, quite wet .
    “His building is right over there. He’s this big-time CEO billionaire,” Christopher kept going as he pointed in the direction of Pettifor Industries.
    Everyone scanned the building in the distance and so began the revealing and less than professional portion of their get together
    “I really shouldn’t, but I’ll let you all in on something,” Christopher leaned into them, all-too-eager to share his secret. “My Mistress used to be an instructor at the DDTC ten years ago.”
    Her mouth gaped as did the others. So much for neutrality.
    “ But I still had to wait over a year to get into the program, so I guess they really mean it when they say they’re proud of their stance on being unbiased.”
    She looked down at her hands and avoided eye contact. Okay, so maybe they were neutral after all. Except when it came to her, that is.
    Christopher continued. “ She also had a hand in getting one of the Lords his position on the board, but she wouldn’t tell me which one and promised that if I ask again, my ass will pay for it. Any guesses?”
    Immediately Dalberg popped into her head. He seemed like the type who would have a scandalous affair. Maybe it was the Mistress who had scarred him.
    “Lord Pettifor,” Clarissa chimed in. “He seems like he might have a submissive nature hiding somewhere beneath his hard exterior.”
    Bella let out a breathy laugh at the ridiculous statement. If they only knew just how domineering and officious Xander really was there would be no question in their mind either…“Pfft. No way.”
    “You nev er know, Bella. Maybe he was more pliable when he was younger,” she kept on.
    “ Absolutely not,” Bella responded a little too quickly.
    Without delay Christopher picked up on her defensiveness. “You know something, don’t you?”
    The blood rose to her cheeks and she shook her head vigorously . “No, I just like to think I’m a good judge of character, that’s all.”
    His eyes narrowed as he continued to stare at her suspiciously, his cocoa-brown eyes stabbing into her accusingly. She met his gaze boldly until he finally backed down and grinned at her boyishly. “You’re a real doll, Ms. Darcy. It’s too bad I already have a Mistress,” he licked his lips in a lame attempt to entice her.
    Rolling her eyes, she crossed her arms over her chest . “And it’s too bad for you I prefer grown men over little boys, and someone who knows how to satisfy my needs and take control,” she simpered.
    He waved his hand in dismissal but smiled. “Never mind then. I take it back. This little boy needs a strong woman, not a submissive.”
    “Then we’re doomed, aren’t we?”
    “Maybe in another life,” he shrugged his shoulders and laughed.
    Not likely. She was bound in this life and the next, for eternity, to the one and only Lord Pettifor, the most un-submissive man she knew.
    ***
    Two weeks down, four more to go . Xander’s hunger for Continental Breakfast was starting to make concentrating at work difficult. He couldn’t imagine going another month without Bella. Fortunately his weekend had been spent on a business merger at the other end of the country so his time was spent dealing with the particulars of that venture rather than distressing over what was next on the agenda at the DDTC - disciplinary exercises.
    Bella had been very good at giving him what he was asking for each night, but already, he was getting bored with it. Jacking off just wasn’t satiating his needs and he was beginning to feel ridiculous, like a teenager watching porn, even if this version of porn was far better than his older brother’s skin mags he had access to when he was younger.
    The last week of class had been spent prepping his students for the practicum sessions the following week. Mondays and Wednesdays were the