I snort.
“Guess it’s hard to train a mad dog not to bark.”
“Mad dogs get put down. Is that what you want, Kaito? To be discarded?”
My throat locks. Fuck no. That’s theoppositeof what I want. I want his hands on me, his rage focused, his control absolute.
“No,” I grind out, the word scraping raw.
“Then stop barking.” His fingers trace the rope cinched tight around my thigh, right where the muscle strains. “You understand your failure? Explain it.”
My jaw works. Where the fuck do I start? Stalking him like a creep? Mouthing off in front of his coworkers? Dragging him into that shitshow? Fuck.
“Got loud,” I mutter, not even able to look him in the eye. “Drew attention.”
“Specifics, Kaito.”
“Followed you into that izakaya ‘cause I was pissed you were with those boring-ass assholes.”
“Was that the whole reason?” He presses. His hand moves higher, fingers skating over the sensitive skin of my inner thigh, dangerously close to my cock, still painfully hard. The proximity makes me jerk, ropes biting instantly.
“Thatbitchwas flirting with you. That’s why.”
He snorts a little laugh.
“So you were jealous.” His fingers dig into the muscle of my thigh. I gasp, arching against the restraints. “You acted without thinking because a woman smiled at me. You decided to behave like a spoiled brat because you wanted my attention. You embarrassed me in front of my boss, Kaito, just because you still haven’t learned trust.”
“Didn’t mean—”
“You nevermean,” he interrupts, cold anger finally bleeding into his voice. “You act. Like an animal.Every time.”
His hand leaves my thigh and moves to the loose tie still draped around my neck. He pulls it taut, not choking, but a firm, inescapable pressure against my windpipe.
“Count.”
I don’t ask what, becausethat’sthe answer to my question.
The first slap cracks across my ass cheek, stinging as hell. Pain flares, bright and clean.
“One.”
“I didn’t plan to use pain on you tonight, Kaito. You’re a man already used to it. But you need to feel what it is to beunable to answer back.”
The second slap lands on the same spot, harder. The sting doubles, turning into a deep, burning ache that throbs through my hips. I can feel the muscle twitch under his hand, my whole body fighting itself not to twist away.
“Two.”
“You need to learn that, with me, your hands are useless and your mouth stays shut.”
Another slap.
“Three.”
“I can feel how your body wants to answer with violence. I can feel the muscle wanting to strike.”
Another slap.
“Four.”
