Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 67211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 336(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 336(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
“Hi,” she says a little shyly.
“Hi,” I respond. “What the hell are you wearing?”
Her face falls and I feel like a douchebag, but only for a minute. Another guy walks into the lobby, tall and blonde, and stares at her. “You got a dom for tonight?” he asks.
Is he serious?
“Yeah, she’s got a dom for tonight,” I tell him, my voice holding an edge of warning. For Christ’s sake. “And the night after that, and the night after that.”
Braxton chuckles behind me, then I hear him leave.
I don’t know what I’m telling myself, or what I’m even declaring to him. To anyone, for that matter. The man holds up a palm as if to tell me he’s laying off, then walks through the door to the bar. Chandra blinks at me, then to my surprise, her eyes darken.
“What the hell was that?”
“Excuse me?”
“You just declared ownership of me.”
“This surprises you?” I cross my arms on my chest, surprised by the affronted look she’s giving me.
“We haven’t discussed this yet.”
I take her hand and pull her none too gently into the bar area. “I think it’s time we had that talk. Don’t you?”
“I—well…” she stammers.
“Good. That’s what I thought.”
“Axle,” she says as we move quickly. “You seem angry. Why do you seem so angry?”
“I’m not angry,” I tell her. “I’m determined. But you have your safeword,” I remind her.
That makes her freeze.
“Chandra.” My tone holds warning.
“Yes,” she says. “Yes, sir, I have my safeword. Geez, you don’t believe in foreplay, do you?”
God. So damn cute.
“Never said that,” I tell her. “Give me time, and I’ll show you. Did you forget how long I made you wait the other night?”
We enter the bar, now much fuller than earlier, and I take a minute to glance around again. Zack stands sentry over by the pool tables, and Tobias and Diana are in the hall as if they’ve just emerged from the dungeon or a private room. Brax and Chloe are on their way to the dungeon now. We’ve got this place tricked out with capable people. I can take some time with Chandra.
She wants foreplay? I’ll give her foreplay.
I pat a stool next to me, and she shops on up, but as she does, her skirt rides up so high I can see the lower curve of her ass.
Leaning in, I run my fingers along the back of her neck and tell her, “I should redden that ass of yours for wearing something so skimpy.” She leans into me, her pretty voice smooth as silk.
“Maybe you should. Does that mean when you find out I’m not wearing panties I’m getting punished?”
Jesus. My cock lengthens, and I draw closer to her.
“You are in so. Much. Trouble.”
“Get you two a drink?” Travis asks, wiping his hands on a bar mop.
I order both of us a drink, taking her hand in mine as I scan the bar again.
“Why are you on edge tonight?” Her hand comes to rest on my knee. “You’re acting like everyone’s packing a weapon and you’re ready to throw down.”
Travis pushes the icy glasses over to us, shoots me a grin, then walks away. I hand her her drink and take a sip of mine.
“Just watching things,” I tell her. “It’s just how I am.”
“It’s how you always were,” she says quietly. Silently, I wrap both of my hands around one of hers. I let her go once. I won’t make that mistake again.
“Axle? God, it’s weird calling you that, but I guess it makes things a little easier. Like this time, it isn’t Father Noah I’m with but a different man. And I don’t have that guilt tugging at my conscience like I used to.”
She felt guilty before? I let myself believe it was somehow freeing for her to be with me, but of course it wasn’t. It was risky as hell, and she knew the consequences if we were found out would threaten her future.
“And yet you are still the same person,” she says. “That’s what I love.”
“Should I call you something different?” I love teasing her.
Turning her whole body to face me, her eyelids lower and she looks at me from beneath the crescent of full, black lashes. “I thought you already did.” I watch as she swallows, and she tugs her lower lip between her teeth before leaning closer to me and dropping her voice to a whisper. “Baby. Little girl…” her voice trails off and she won’t meet my eyes. “Maybe over time we can move to the better terms.”
“Better?”
She shrugs. “Slave. Babygirl. Little one.”
Someone’s done her homework. Tugging a lock of her hair, I ask her, “What’s it gonna be? Slave or babygirl?”
That gets her gaze back on mine, her round, dark eyes eager. “Not slave, sir.”
No. Submissive fits her, but not at the level of total self-denial. As much as she likes the sterner side of things, she’s always craved the tender affection, too. I cup my hand around her jaw and kiss her forehead.