Soon, she would come begging me for punishment, surrendering her lovely body to me just as she’d done before.
“Yes, what wasn’t covered is that you will obey my commands. There will be no exceptions.”
She slowly allowed a smile to cross her face as she toyed with her wine. I watched in appreciation as she took a sip then dragged the tip of her tongue across the rim. “And if I don’t?”
I took a step closer. “Then there will be consequences, of course.”
“Consequences.”
“Yes.”
“Of course.” I sensed she was toying with her options, attempting to control the situation when she should know by now that wasn’t possible. Her smile remained, the twinkle in her eyes rivaling what I sensed I had in mine.
Perhaps I should call this a standoff.
When she tossed the entire glass of liquid into my face, I took a deep breath, able to close my eyes a split second before the warm cabernet splashed into my face.
The thump of the glass as she slammed it down was so hard it surprised me when the crystal didn’t shatter.
“I could suggest you don’t know who you think you are, but I know otherwise,” she tossed out. “You truly believe just by the snap of your fingers and the stroke of a pen that you can be the king of any given situation. Well, I’m here to tell you that you’re wrong. You can’t control me, Mr. Elliot. We entered into a contract with the details identified and checked by both our attorneys before our signatures were placed on the four copies. Both our signatures. I will not play by your alternate rules under any circumstances.”
Without looking, I reached for a kitchen towel, wiping my face then tossing it aside. When I took another purposeful step closer, she held her own with her head high. “This isn’t about controlling you, Ms. Blair, although I can see now I was wrong in thinking I didn’t need to.”
“Then what is this about?”
“Owning you. As of the moment you signed that contract you just touted, you belonged to me. As such, you will concede to my rules, or I’ll have no choice but to go through with the promises made to you. Now you’ll need to face the consequences of your actions and misbehavior.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“Like hell it isn’t.” Maybe I’d been goading her into a confrontation as I’d never felt so alive and excited as I did when I was with her. She brought out more than just the fire from my belly. She yanked out the dark savage she’d pegged me for from day one. I decided to give her a taste of what she claimed while satisfying my sadistic needs in the process.
I grabbed her arm, smiling as I pulled her closer and onto her toes. Her scent was practically intoxicating.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Giving you exactly what you obviously need. An understanding of consequences.” She didn’t have time to claw my face or retaliate in any other way before I managed to toss her over the edge of the island.
Her shock kept her immobile for seconds. Enough time I managed to drag her dress up to her waist just as I’d fantasized about.
The air was knocked from her system, but she quickly regrouped, pushing up from the counter. She even tried to kick me in the process. I forcefully pushed her down by the small of her back, grinning the entire time. She wasn’t going anywhere.
“Get off me,” she snapped.
“Not until you’ve learned your lesson.” I glanced around the kitchen, spying the perfect implement to use.
A wooden spatula. That should provide a general idea of how harsh her punishments could be in the future.
“This is crazy.”
“Tossing wine in my face when we were having a perfectly nice discussion was a bit crazy.” Reaching out, I realized my arm wasn’t long enough to snag the implement.
“No, it was a thoughtful retort to your insanity. I’m not a child. I’m not going to follow your orders.”
“You’re technically working for me.”
“I beg to differ. We’re now partners.” She stopped fighting as if realizing she’d entered into a contract with a man she acted as if she couldn’t stand.
Yet I knew otherwise.
