I had to leave. His hand secured me against the desk, even as I tried to stand. He spanked me a third time, the smack resounding between my legs.
“That one was for squirming,” he said. “Now, fix the comma, e-mail it to me, and you can go home.”
I remained glued to the desk in stunned silence. It was as though he expected me to act as if nothing had happened. I couldn’t. I was enraged. You couldn’t spank a grown adult—and certainly not one who worked for you. My impulse to flee had passed, and now I was seemingly immobile. My throat closed as I urged myself to speak up, to put him in his place, to run through the office screaming about what had just been done to me. My ass smarted, just enough to keep his commands fresh. I finally found it in myself to get into an upright position. Instead of all those things I wanted to do, I kept my eyes on the floor and hurried back to my desk.
My eyes blurred with tears as I fixed the document. It hadn’t particularly hurt, though. It’d sent something up my spine—almost like a thrill. His firm touch lingered on my shoulder. Shock and embarrassment were red-hot on my ass. I almost wanted to feel that slap again, but more than that, I wanted to race home and tell my dad everything so he could handle this. Perhaps with a lawsuit or public shaming to all of their mutual friends. The press might even be interested in hearing about the kinky bastard behind Brittany Industries. Certainly I wasn’t returning to that office again—ever.
Back in my dorm, I found my cell phone in my purse and dialed my dad immediately.
“Hi, Sunshine,” he said. “How was work?”
“It was—you wouldn’tbelieve…”
“That bad, huh? Dean hasn’t eased up at all?”
Silence descended on the line as I grasped for a response. How could I tell Dad his precious Sunshine had just been spanked by his best friend? And for something so ridiculous? “Um, not really.”
“Let me talk to him.”
I squeezed my eyes shut and played that conversation in my head. My ass throbbed at the memory of Dean’s office. I squirmed in my chair. And…there was my beautiful gold dress. “It’s okay,” I said, surprising myself. “It’s only a week. I’ll take care of it myself.”
“Proud of you,” he said. There was a smile in his voice. “You’ve got this.”
I went to bed early, still unsure of how to handle the situation. What Dean had done was so basely wrong that I couldn’t help wondering what made him believe he’d get away with it. I touched my backside. Any indication of my punishment was completely gone. Was it a one-time thing? Did he treat his other employees that way? I pictured June in my position on the desk, her large breasts squished against the surface. I frowned. Maybe he hadn’t looked at my breasts because June was his type. She was older, more mature, and I doubted she ever wore pea-green. I was just his friend’s kid, pretending to be an adult for a week.
It wasn’t until I was drifting asleep that I realized I hadn’t thought of Trey in hours.
CHAPTER 4
In the elevator, I squared my shoulders and tugged on the hem of my new navy blazer. I had no idea what I’d say to Dean, but I couldn’t just let this go. Today he would be embarrassed and apologize. Once he’d taken the night to consider what a sexual harassment suit could do to his company, he might even grovel. The question was whether I’d forgive him and let it go.
As soon as I’d set my purse down, he called for me from behind his closed door. I entered without knocking, and when he looked up, my eyes narrowed. Instead of shame, amusement etched his features. His cocky half-smile was a slap in the face, but unexpectedly, it also made my cheeks hot. His smirk was… what?
June’s crass declaration came to mind.“I’d fuck him.”
His smirk was somehowsexy.
“I expected a call from your dad last night,” he said.
I shook my head. “I didn’t tell him.”
“And you returned.”
“Only to tell you how wrong—howterribleit was.” I took a step farther into the office and raised my chin. “You shouldn’t have done that.”
“You’re right. I shouldn’t have.”
“Because that’s completely inappropriate for the workplace.”
“Then you’d be okay with it outside the office?”
“What? No,” I snapped, flushing even redder. “That’s not what I meant. Why would I want you to–to dothatto me? Ever?”
His face twisted as he tried unsuccessfully to suppress a grin. “Come over here.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Are you leaving?”
