“Are you sure?”
“Ask it or go get me coffee,” she snapped.
Reaux waited for one second, two. It wasn’t until she flicked her impatient gaze to his that she felt the trap settle around her, that powerful blue-green stare sucking her in and holding her prisoner; a tactic he’d used often during her initial training, the tool he used to read her thoughts before they even formed fully in her head.
“How many men have had what belongs to me in the time since you left?”
It blindsided her, although she really shouldn’t be surprised. Reaux preferred being direct, liked to hit hard and straight, dig into the meat of something rather than pick at the bones. He was well-versed in subtleties, knew how to use them to his advantage when it suited, but in general, he went straight for the heart.
Lost in his eyes, she understood the question but couldn’t bring herself to give him what he wanted. Her brain was blank, offering no communication between her control center and her voice.
How the hell could she admit there’d been no one since him?
It handed him a victory he didn’t deserve—and he would gloat, she was sure of it.
“No hesitation, Violet. We both know the answer.”
Oh yes, he would gloat. Hold it over her head for the next four weeks, use it at every opportunity to sway her back to him because, God forgive her for thinking it, he was right. She might hate every inch of his body, abhor the clever brain smirking smugly at her from behind the most stunning pair of eyes she’d ever seen, and despise him for every single second of heartbreak he’d caused her… but she still craved that body, admired his brain,lovedthe man who’d ruined her.
She was her own enemy here, and she was fighting a war on two fronts.
It was exhausting, and in the end, she would lose. She was stronger now than she’d ever been, more confident, more self-assured and aware of her own power, yet the last two years were underscored with doubts, loneliness, and the grief of a submissive who’d been shunned by her Dom.
The problem was, she couldn’t even brush him off with a glib retort. One wrong word would be construed as a lie, and yet her silence was just as damning.
A predatory gleam illuminated his eyes. “Are you going to say it?”
Violet bared her teeth. “My numerous lovers are none of your business.”
“Liar, liar, gorgeous pussy on fucking fire, Bennie,” Reaux said in a sing-song voice as he gripped the flannel shirt and ripped it open, shooting buttons in every direction, exposing her breasts. “Hardly a wonder she was so tight, milking my cock for all she was worth, when you’ve neglected her for two years.”
She swallowed hard when her back hit the mattress and he shifted to rip the duvet away. Her core clenched in preparation, understanding what her procrastination was bringing down on her. “I’ve hardly neglected myself.”
Reaux moved to the foot of the bed, leaning forward to hook his fingers into the waistband of her pajama pants. “If the only thing you’ve given her is an undersized rubber dick, you’ve done worse than that.”
“It was adequately sized, thank you.”
The flannel whisked away down her legs, leaving her open and vulnerable. She barely restrained a yelp when he locked his fingers around her ankles and wrenched her ass to the edge of the bed.
“Shameful, Bennie. She’s designed to take a good, hard fucking, not anadequatestroll to a mediocre orgasm.” Sinking to his knees, he set his hands on the insides of her thighs and shoved them wide. A heavy sigh of contentment escaped him ashe dropped his gaze to her pussy. “There she is. Don’t worry,la princesse, I’ll take care of you now.”
“Boudreaux—”
“Quiet.” The word was softly spoken, yet louder than a gunshot. “New rules, Violet. Amendments to the contract, shall we say. The days and evenings are yours to do whatever you want with me. I will be your adoring submissive, your obedient bitch, whatever you desire. But from night until morning, our roles will be reversed. Equality,” he said firmly, “in equal measure.”
“No. I’m not submissive—”
“Just as I am not, and yet I submit to you and only you.” When she tried to close her legs, he slapped her inner thigh sharply, then ran a fingertip along her slit. “I’ll do anything you ask of me, and you will do the same.”
She didn’t need to see the triumphant gleam in his eyes to know she was wet. “I draw the line at anal.”
“That didn’t stop you from shoving a steel hook up my ass,” he reminded her, parting her labia with his thumbs and humming in approval. “The law of reciprocation, Violet. Keep that in mind.”
“You mean law of retribution. What I do to you, you’ll return in kind.”
“Tenfold,” he corrected. “I’ll make you scream until you’re hoarse, come until the sheets are soaked and you’re limp in a puddle of your juices.” His dark head bent, his breath wafting over her wet flesh. “Hope you didn’t have anything planned for this morning.”
“Housekeeping…” She moaned when his tongue swiped through the wetness.
