Chapter 22 #2
She shuddered at the memory of him jacking off, of the way he’d spoken to her before.
“No,” she whispered. “I no longer think that he’s harmless.”
“Then you understand that the consequence should match the rule that was broken.”
“But you’re not going to spank me?” she asked, just wanting to make sure of that.
“No. Like I said, we’d have to be in a relationship or at the club.”
What did he mean by the club?
Was it a men’s club? A sex club? A BDSM club?
Was he a Dominant? She wasn’t sure she knew any Doms. Sometimes she wondered about Sav from the things Livvy had said. But that really wasn’t the sort of thing you could just come out and ask someone, was it?
“Are you a Dominant?” she blurted out.
Or maybe you could.
His eyes widened. He was still crouched in front of her, but he suddenly stood at her words. She stared up at him in shock. Was he going to walk away? Had she gone too far?
But he just sat on the armchair across from her.
“We don’t know each other that well,” he said. “Which makes it harder for you to trust me. So I’m willing to tell you some things about myself. Yes, I’m a Dominant. But that has no bearing on this job or my ability to keep you safe.”
Oh.
Did he think that she was horrified or maybe angry or something? She wasn’t.
“I don’t care if you’re a Dom,” she told him.
“Do you know much about BDSM? About Dominants and submissives?”
“Oh, um. Not a lot, no. I like to read sexy books sometimes that have BDSM in them. And I had an old boyfriend who enjoyed tying me up during sex. I really can’t believe I just told you that. What is wrong with me?” she groaned.
She glanced down at his mouth to find him smiling.
“It’s all right. Your secrets are safe with me.”
Even though he sounded like he was joking, she got the feeling that they really were safe with him.
“Thanks,” she said in a croaky voice. “I think I should go to bed now.”
“All right, we can have a conversation about your punishment in the morning. You don’t have to go to work until late tomorrow, right?”
Oh, crap.
She didn’t want to put off this conversation.
So she sat back down. “Or we can talk now.”
“I thought you might agree with me. So, here are the consequences. For running out of the house and over to Ryan without telling me, a hundred lines saying: I will not put myself in danger and I will follow the rules.”
“A hundred? I didn’t do that much writing at school! Can’t I just type them out on my phone?”
Writing them by hand seemed so old-fashioned and kind of barbaric.
“No. By hand. That’s part of the punishment. And for not obeying me when you were outside and going immediately inside and putting on socks . . .” he trailed off.
What?
What was this insane punishment going to be?
“What?” she finally asked, cracking. “No dinner tomorrow? Give you a hundred dollars? Do all your laundry? What is it?”
“I will never take your money. Nor would I allow you to go without a meal. You don’t eat enough as it is.”
She had no idea what he was talking about. She ate plenty.
“Extra chores is a good idea. But until I know what you don’t like, it’s hard to know what to give you. For all I know, you might enjoy laundry.”
“Who the heck would enjoy laundry?” she asked him in confusion. “Nobody likes cleaning dirty underwear and socks. Especially when they’re not your own! It’s just gross.”
“All right, are there any chores you do like doing?”
“They’re called chores for a reason.”
“For the rest of the week, you’re on dishes clean up,” he informed her. “You’ll be washing and drying all the dishes.”
Not so hard. She had a dishwasher that did most of that.
“By hand.”
My God.
He wasn’t just a Dominant! He was a freaking sadist.
Do all the dishes by hand for a week?
“I am really thinking about some of my life choices right now,” she muttered.
“Good. Then my job here is done.” He stood and held out his hand to her.
She might have refused to take it. But she liked touching him.
And she didn’t want to be a jerk.
So she slid her hand into his and let him pull her up. He led her to her bedroom and pushed open the door.
“Just so you know, I sleep lightly. Do not even think about leaving this house without me. Got it?”
She grimaced. “Ahh, yeah, I’m not going to do that again. My hand is already going to drop off from all those lines.”
“Maya,” he said quietly as she stepped into her bedroom. She stopped but didn’t look back.
She didn’t know what to make of that soft note in his voice. What was he about to say? Why did he sound so . . . tender?
It was unlike his usual tone. Not that he was harsh or anything. Just more calm.
“Yes?”
“You don’t have to accept any sort of consequences, you know. I actually don’t have that right over you.”
Yeah. She knew that.
She could tell him no. Maya wasn’t an idiot who just followed people blindly. But the thing was . . . she kind of felt like she deserved some sort of consequences. There was a gnawing feeling in her stomach that she knew was guilt.
And she hated feeling that way.
Maya often acted without thinking first. And then when she was in the wrong, the guilt she felt was immense. Maybe a consequence would help. Even if the thought of it made her feel a bit squirmy. What did she tell him to explain all of this, though?
“I deserve it,” she whispered. “I shouldn’t have done that. I knew the rules. And I think . . . I think it will make me feel better.”
Turning rapidly, she swung the door in his face. Then she winced.
Shit. That was rude.
“Sorry!” she called out, wondering if he was still within earshot.
“It’s all right, Spitfire. I get it.”
Darn it. Him being understanding wasn’t helping her embarrassment at all.
With a sigh, she rushed to her drapes and pulled them closed. No way did she want to invite any more peeping toms to stare at her. She drew off the jacket and dove into bed, holding Dicky the dolphin tight.
“That was so embarrassing, Dicky,” she whispered.
Dicky didn’t answer. But she could feel his condemnation. Honestly, dolphins could be so judgmental.
There was a scratching at the door and she groaned as she realized that she must have left Dougie out there. She turned on the bedside lamp. Gummy was still sleeping in her bed, totally unconcerned about what her owner had just been through.
Before she could get up, the door opened and she sat up in surprise as Dougie trotted in.
The door closed just as quietly behind him.
Maya sighed. “Really, Dougie? Did you have to bark earlier and alert him?”
Dougie stared up at her with those googly, unfocused eyes, managing to look both superior and disapproving at the same time. Then he let out a small woof that was filled with disapproval and got into his basket, giving her his backside in answer. Yep, that was some doggie condemnation right there.
Told off by her own dog.
Awesome.
Just what this day needed to finish it off in the right way.