Not so quick, darling. The second her back faces me, I lunge back to her.
I grab her wrist and spin her around, fast enough to steal the breath from her lungs. The robe flares open at the collar, and she stumbles right into my chest. I cage her against the counter again without thinking, because Ineedher close. I need her to feel me, torememberwho’s in charge here.
I dip my head to her neck, pressing my mouth against the soft skin just below her ear.
Not gentle. Not asking. Claiming.
Her pulse hammers against my lips.
Good.
I growl against her throat. “You don’t go looking for answers, Martine. Not behind my back.”
She stiffens under me, but she doesn’t pull away.
“You start digging,” I whisper, “and you won’t like what you find. And Iwon’tbe merciful if I catch you.”
I feel her chest rise sharply against mine. I drag my nose down the side of her neck, filling my lungs with her sweet scent and the slight tang of her blood from between her breasts.
Unable to stop myself, I dip my head down and run my tongue along her newly opened scab. Loving the taste of her body on my tongue.
She sucks in a breath but then surprises me by allowing her body to melt into me slightly.
And then…she exhales.
Defeated. Or maybe just done fighting.
Finally.
“Good girl,” I praise, loving how she whimpers whenever I remind her how well she’s behaving for me.
But just as I start to pull back, just as I think she’s submitted fully, she speaks.
Her voice is quiet. Controlled. Too calm.
“If I’m a prisoner, who can only attend classes when it fits into your whims,” she says, “I should at least be allowed visitors.”
I freeze.
She tilts her head, eyes sharp as glass. “I want Dale to come by the estate.”
Dale.
The name hits me like ice water to the spine. Of all the things I expected,thatwasn’t it.
My grip on the counter tightens. I don’t react. Not outwardly. But inside, I’m calculating a thousand moves at once. She wants Dale here. Wants to see her. Talk to her. Maybe lean on her.
Martine’s not asking for freedom; she’s simply asking for company in her golden cage.
Fine.
But she’ll learn quickly—even visitors play bymyrules.
The phone rings once. I don't flinch, but I feel the shift in her energy. How she instantly reacts to the moment rupturing. Her training and sensitivity to me are developing impressively.
Martine stiffens. I can feel her watching me, waiting for me to ignore the phone.
That ring only comes when I’m being summoned, not asked. And when they call, I go.
