“Fine.”
“I’m headed out now. Be good.” He kissed the side of my head and a little thrill went through me, even as I stood there gritting my teeth. “If you touch yourself when I’m gone, I will get a belt for you.”
“A belt?”
He pulled out his phone and showed me a picture of a metal chastity belt. The fact that he had a picture ready and waiting told me he still had a whole kinky checklist to work through.
The thought made me kinda excited.
“You better delete that before going to work. What if someone sees it?”
He chuckled. “You better worry about the pictures I have of you on my phone.”
“Cole! That’s blackmail,” I whined, as if everything he’d done so far was above board.
“Will it work to get you to behave?
“Maybe.”
He waggled a finger. “I need all the help I can get with you.”
“Fine,” I muttered. “It’s your reputation. I’ve got nothing to lose.”
He frowned. “What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what I said. You’re sheriff, and I’m a college dropout who just lost the only decent job she was likely to get. Stealing and selling pot are my only options.”
He just shook his head.
Silly me, I didn’t see the storm cloud building in his expression. I went on talking, “If you think about it, the best option for me would be turning tricks.”
His face hardened into something scary. “That’s not gonna happen. Regina,” he snapped, when I turned away. “Get over here.”
I went to him, feeling like a student called to the principal’s office.
He tapped under my chin to get me to look at him. “Here’s the thing, Regina. You’re smart. You’ve always hated authority.”
“No, authority always hated me. I was trailer trash, remember? I wasn’t supposed to be as bright or quick as I am.”
“You’re right,” he said after a pause. “But you always exceeded expectations. But now you’re trying to live down to them. And like I said, you’re above average intelligence, which means if you put your mind to it you could get into loads of trouble. You’re smart enough not to get caught.”
“So, you’re doing this just to thwart a potential criminal mastermind?”
A hint of a smile softened his features. “That’s right.”
I blew out a breath. I didn’t want Cole Townsend to think of me as his rehabilitation project. I wanted to be his dirty little secret. “No wonder you threatened to handcuff me to the bed.”
“I want you here, where I can keep an eye on you. And I don’t want your mind running in circles. I want you to stay focused on me.”
No problem there, stud.
“Okay,” I said, and stepped closer. Cole didn’t wear cologne, but something—his body wash or soap or something—smelled fantastic. I breathed in, imagining all those muscles wet with water from the shower. Freshly washed Cole, mmm…
“Oh and Regina.” His hard tone called my attention to his face. “You ever joke about prostituting yourself again, I’ll spank you so hard you won’t sit for days. And the minute the redness fades, I’ll do it again. Not to mention keep you tied to the bed until you forget all this nonsense. Understand?”
Good grief. There went those panties. I pressed my legs together and whimpered.
“I asked you a question and I expect an answer. Do you understand?”
