She glanced back at the staircase and shook her head. “I’d love to see it, but maybe we could just talk about … uh…”

She froze. Oh, God, it was too weird to talk about this.

She’d never actually talked to him about the article. She hadn’t had to because Jessica had asked a longtime friend of hers who worked at a BDSM club in town if she knew someone whom Ash could interview. Surprisingly, she’d told Jessica confidentially that Helen’s stepfather, who’d just come back into town for business, frequented the club. Jessica’s friend had contacted Mr. Gallagher to see if he’d be interested in being interviewed by Ashley and he’d sent her an e-mail agreeing to the interview and setting the time.

“Domination?”

The word, even coming casually from his lips, sent her insides quivering. He was a Dominant. Dom, for short. He commanded women to do as he bid. They became his sex slaves, doing whatever he wanted them to do. Her breath caught and she felt her insides melting. What would it be like to be controlled by him? For him to tell her to strip off her clothes, then get down on her knees in front of him and …

“Relax, Ashley. I’m not going to chain you up or anything.” He smiled. “Unless you want me to.”

His words evoked images of her chained to the wall, naked, his hot gaze gliding over her body. Her skin began to tingle and she felt weak-kneed.

Oh, God, this had been a terrible idea. She’d had no idea this would have such a potent effect on her.

“Follow me.”

Instead of turning to the large living room off the foyer, he led her down the hallway past a formal dining room, into a casual living room off the kitchen. He sat down in a large, black leather chair. She glanced around, uncertain what to do. A bottle of red wine stood on the table, already open, and one empty stemmed glass stood beside it.

“Sit down.”

Her gaze flicked to his at the tone of his words. With a slight commanding edge.

She glanced at the couch in front of him and then at the chair angled toward it.

“On the couch.”

His tone brooked no argument.

She walked toward the couch and sat down.

“Thank you for agreeing to help me, Mr. Gallagher.”

“You can call me Dare for now.” He sat back in his chair. “I understand that you want me to teach you about Domination and submission.”

“Yes, I’m doing an article for the magazine and—”

He raised his hand in a stop gesture. “A yes or no will suffice.”

She stared at him, a little taken aback. His face hadn’t changed at all yet somehow it seemed stern.

“I want you to understand,” he said, “that we’re going to do this my way.”

Nervousness prickled through her. “But I have questions prepared that—”

His hard gaze stopped her flow of words instantly.