“Next time, you’ll be good when I tell you to. Boys who behave get treats. Boys who don’t get nothing.”
He huffed, rolling his hips against me. “This doesn’t feel like nothing.”
It was then I realized he could feel the way my own length had hardened. As he started to move again, I stopped him with a flat palm to his chest.
“Pip.” My voice was all gravel. “Now is not the time. Tonight, you can have a reward if you behave for the rest of the day.”
“What kind of reward?”
I took a step back. The sensation of him was messing with my mind. I needed to get myself in order before we left, which meant getting some distance.
“You get to choose.”
He shivered. “Anything I want?”
“Within reason,” I amended.
I knew he’d push the boundaries of this arrangement as far as he could. Then again, I didn’t know if he’d be able to follow instruction for the rest of the day. Pip had a restless personality. He would struggle to do as I said.
“Then I’m going to be the best, most well behaved, good listener ever.” The way his voice lilted told me he was overexaggerating his response. It bolstered my confidence about how the day would go.
“Now that this is settled, we need to get back to work.”
Pip stepped away from the door. He pulled it open, then waved his hand for me to go through. “After you,” he said.
I eyed him as I passed. The way he so easily agreed to everything felt off. I knew he enjoyed getting a rise out of me. Part of me wondered if this was just another one of his ploys.
But then I thought of his nightmares. I remembered how he’d sunk into the role of—well, fuck. The role of submissive.
I’d never have classified Pip as one before this past week. There was no denying he had the ability to submit to what I wanted. He almost seemed eager to do so.
Had I been wrong about him all along? Was there more to Pip than I’d thought? And what did it mean that I kept entertaining this thing between us?
For as long as I’ve known him, Pip has been someone I’ve kept at a distance. His point of contact was Pharrell, which meant I only saw him in random, short intervals.
Since he’d come to settle with us this time, I’d had more of a chance to observe him. In the short time, I’ve seen pieces of him I found intriguing. I wanted to delve deeper into him. I longed to discover what those nightmares were about.
It was fucking terrifying to think of getting closer to him. He wasn’t one to stick around. And I wasn’t the type to do relationships.
We couldn’t be anything more than a bit of fun. His joke earlier about being in love with him had struck a nerve. I couldn’t possibly let Pip get that close.
Our time was limited.
Why would I set myself up for failure?
CHAPTER 9
Pip
Henny hadno idea what he’d done. The man thought I couldn’t keep in line. He believed he had a guaranteed out because I wouldn’t “behave” as he wanted.
If he stopped to reflect on all the years he’s known me, then he’d know I wasn’t the type to back down from a difficult task. Usually, it made me more determined.
This time was no different.
Back at the casino, I trailed Henny as he worked through his to-do list. He mostly ignored me during the first hour. I knew it was probably to make me believe I could let my guard down. Once I grew comfortable, he’d test me in some way.
Mind games weren’t anything new for me. I’d mastered them long ago.
