“Someone sure as hell needs to,” he went on.
“Yeah, well, there is no one in my life up to the job,” she murmured. The harsh reality—that she would be going home to an empty apartment without anyone caring if she’d almost fainted today or not—set in. Having an alpha male to protect and care about her sounded pretty damn good right now. As crazy as it seemed, there was a part of her that wanted to have a man who would punish her for not putting her health first.
Sawyer crossed his arms against his chest and repositioned his weight. “Then I guess I just got elected.”
“To spank me?” she asked. Why was she not appalled by the idea?
“Yes,” he stated simply. “But I need to hear your consent. I want to hear you say the words.”
Okay, she was going to let him spank her. Was she letting him? Or would he regardless? No… he wanted consent. She had the control—for now. She took a deep breath as she readied herself for the first step. Oh dear lord.
“I may soon regret this, and I may be insane, but yes. I would like for you to—you know—well, you know what I’m trying to say.” She couldn’t say the word ‘spank’. If she did, she was positive she would start giggling right then and there.
“So you agree that you deserve a spanking?” Was he smirking? And why could he say the word and not laugh out loud?
“Deserve?” Does a grown woman ever really deserve a spanking?
He nodded. “Yes, deserve. Why do you think I should spank you? Why did you just agree?”
“Well…” She paused, and seriously thought about those words. Did she deserve a spanking? Sure, he had told her to eat and bring a snack. He’d stressed for her not to forget, and had even sent a text on the morning of the tattoo as a reminder. She’d chosen to ignore his warnings completely, and she couldn’t drive home right away. It now put him out, having to babysit her, so she had messed up. She’d acted irresponsibly, she hadn’t taken her safety or health into consideration, and she was imposing on Sawyer. Was that all deserving of a spanking? Maybe. “I don’t know.”
She looked down at the ground and attempted to will the embarrassment away. No doubt her face was beet red right now. Being a true redhead definitely had its disadvantages sometimes. There was no way to hide it when she blushed. Did they really have to talk about it? Couldn’t they just get this over with, and she could finally see what all the fuss was about?
Sawyer walked across the room, grabbed a simple wooden chair and carried it over. He placed it in front of where she was sitting, and lowered himself into the chair without saying a word. He leaned forward and grabbed her chin with the tip of his finger, forcing her to look into his eyes.
She locked her stare with his and found herself lost in his gaze. His eyes… Jesus, his eyes.
“I’m not into playing little spanking games, Rebecca.” He still held her chin so she couldn’t look away. “This is real to me.”
“I understand that.” She swallowed back the nerves as her voice shook with her words.
“I don’t make a habit of spanking my clients for not listening.” Was he second-guessing this? She couldn’t read his expression, although his eyes never left hers. “I need to know why you would agree.”
She tried to pull away, but he tightened his grip on her chin and wouldn’t allow it. “I guess I’m curious,” she said, barely above a whisper. “When you suggested it, even if you were joking, the idea didn’t repulse me like it has in the past. I sort of, well, I… sort of… was intrigued by the idea.” Never before in her life had she been so honest. What was it about Sawyer that just pulled that confession out of her?
He sat back, crossed his arms against his chest and studied her in silence. His eyes narrowed a bit and his jaw was clenched. Rebecca didn’t look away—even though there was a part of her, the sane and rational part, that wanted to. But she knew she needed to convince him that she was going to take this seriously. She knew enough about Domestic Discipline from her friends to know that this sort of thing wasn’t taken lightly.
“I don’t usually spank people I’m not dating.” His eyes narrowed even more and he licked his lips. He clearly was pondering the idea. A long moment of silence lingered between them, as though he was waiting for a response. But what was she supposed to say to that? He took a deep breath and patted his lap. “Come here.”
Oh God. Was this it? Her stomach flipped, and she suddenly had to go pee.