Chapter Thirteen
As Phoebe slowly opened her eyes and saw her reflection she broke into a smile. She was in Donovan’s dungeon on an incredibly soft bed, surrounded by all manner of wicked toys and furniture.
“I see you finally woke up.”
Turning her head she saw him walking slowly towards her. The cream cashmere sweater and khaki slacks did nothing to hide his muscled physique, and she remembered how heavenly it had felt being wrapped up in his arms. Though he was still a stranger—and a mysterious, possibly dangerous one at that—she couldn’t deny the intense attraction. She was beginning not to care who he was or what he did.
“Are you feeling okay?” he asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Just a bit sleepy,” she replied with a yawn. “I guess I was much more tired than I thought, or that horrendous scene during the storm totally drained me. How long have I been down here?”
“A little over an hour. You can sleep some more if you want. We have nowhere to be and all the time in the world to get there.”
“I think I should probably…whoa…I’m dizzy,” she muttered as she sat up. “Where did that come from?”
“Just sit there for a second. I’m sure it will pass.”
“You’re right. I’m okay now.”
“Good. Now tell me what you think of all this,” he said, dramatically waving his arm towards the room. “Does anything strike your fancy?”
“For starters, this bed. It’s amazingly comfortable.”
“If you’d bothered to pull back the bedspread you would have found microfiber sheets.”
“I don’t even know what they are.”
“They’re incredibly soft and sensuous,” he said, lowering his voice. “Did anything else catch your attention?”
“Um…”
“Tell me. I promise it will be our secret.”
“Very funny. I’ll make you a deal.”
“A deal?” he repeated. “What kind of a deal?”
“I’ll tell you what caught my eye if you tell me more about that jade statue. You go first.”
“Okay,” he said with a grin. “The statue is genuine Imperial Jade and comes from the Qing Dynasty.”
“How did you acquire it? Is it valuable?”
“I bought it from another collector, and valuable is a relative term. It’s not priceless, but it’s worth a fair bit. Your turn. What caught your fancy?”
“A few things.”
“Only a few?”
“Well, no,” she said with a grin. “Many things, but I was curious about a particular piece of furniture.”
“Not good enough. Be specific.”
“This is weird,” she said with a sigh, wondering why she was suddenly embarrassed.
“Phoebe, if I have to ask you again it will be over my knee.”
“Seriously? Is that your answer for everything?”
“Pretty much. Come on, out with it.”
“Fine…that thing,” she declared, pointing across to the spanking bench. “There are so many parts to it how do you know what goes where?”
“Climb on and I’ll show you.”
“Now?” she exclaimed. “But I just woke up and I feel a bit weird.”
“I suppose I can grant you a reprieve just this once,” he said with a wink. “What else?”
“Well… the wall with all the floggers. I never knew there were so many types. Are you—uh— familiar with all of them?”
“Are you asking me if I’ve used them all?”
“I’m not sure. Have you?”
“Come with me,” he said, taking her hand and leading her from the bed and across to the display. “As I’ve said more than once, I’m a collector. I buy things because they appeal to me, not necessarily because I plan to use them, though I might if I’m so inclined. For example,” he continued, showing her an old wooden paddle. “This is from England and was apparently used in a private spanking club during the Victorian years.”
“The Victorian’s had spanking clubs?”
“They certainly did, some of them quite elite. And it wasn’t just women who were bent over getting their tails tanned.”
“You’re kidding?”
“I don’t want to bore you, but—”
“You’re not boring me, not at all,” she said hastily. “Tell me more.”
“It involves a bit of history but I’ll try to make it brief. Men attended all boys schools and the cane was common. When they were home they had governesses, and from what I understand, many of those women could be fearsome and did not spare the rod. All this corporal discipline must have made quite an impression. I don’t know when it started, but there were so many British men traveling to France seeking out dominant women it became known as the English vice. Whether this paddle was used by men on women, or the other way around, I have no idea. Possibly both.”
“That’s fascinating,” she murmured, taking it from him. Then shooting him a grin, she said. “Maybe I should try it on you.”
“What did you just say?”
“Don’t pretend you didn’t hear me,” she quipped, waving it in the air, then suddenly began to laugh. “Oh, my gosh, you should see the look on your face.”
“Phoebe, I’m giving you fair warning. You’re treading on very thin ice,” he said, though he was grinning. “I strongly suggest you give that back to me, and I mean, right now.”
“Why? What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”