“You don’t have to do anything to get spanked, little girl. Sometimes I just feel like doling out the pain.”
I smile. Because despite my protests, this is total bliss for me. He’s definitely a man who speaks my language. “Good thing that works for me.”
“Good thing.”
This man is every masochist’s dream, but there’s no way I’m going to point him to the BDSM scene to discover there’s a whole slew of submissives like me who would gladly offer up their bodies to this perfect, wealthy dominant.
“I can’t believe some girl hasn’t latched on to you to be her sugar daddy before.”
He pops me twice on the ass—one spank on each cheek. “Is that what I am now?”
I giggle. “Well, you did just get me a new apartment.”
He wraps his hand in my hair and uses it to bow my back up and lift my face. “I’m happy to spoil the shit out of you, doll, if that’s what you like.”
I get wet, even though I’m not the type who goes crazy over money. I’ve made do on very little since I was emancipated at the age of sixteen. But we just said this isn’t transactional.
“I’m just here for the sex,” I say with a saucy smile. “And because you own me.”
He slaps the backs of my thighs, which makes me kick in earnest. “I do own you. And I’m going to take every advantage of that.” He drags his thumb between my butt cheeks and I squeeze even harder.
“What happens if we break up?”
“What?” He tugs me up to straddle his lap and pushes the hair back from my face.
“With the money? The arrangement? What happens then?”
“Then we make a new arrangement.”
I still have all kinds of yellow flags, if not red. My better judgement still thinks I should be running for the hills right now. “Have you ever hit a woman?” I have to know if this guy would get violent with me. Like if he got jealous, or we had a fight.
“What?” His brows slam down, nostrils flare.
I’ve really offended him.
“Never.” He shakes his head emphatically. “I would never hit a woman. Not for any reason, other than the one you already know.” He squeezes my ass to make it clear which one that is.
I suck in a breath. Crazy Caitlin wants to get this all settled and out in the open. “Have you ever killed a woman?”
“No. But I don’t answer questions like that, Caitlin. Don’t ask me about anything illegal ever again. I won’t answer—for your own protection. Capiche?”
A shiver runs down my spine, but far from scaring me off, I’m just more turned on. My nipples pebble up. I don’t even know why that turns me on. He’s dangerous, but he has this code he lives by. He doesn’t hurt women. He doesn’t talk about what he’s done.
It’s far different from the way my dad would endlessly brag about the small-time operations he was a part of.
I initiate the kiss this time and he lets me lead, fingers tightening on my back.
“I’m sorry I offended you earlier,” I say.
He shakes his head. “I wasn’t offended.” But I know it’s not true. And now that I’ve seen a little sliver of the man beneath the tough guy, I feel more comfortable with our arrangement.
Relationship.
With being his girlfriend.
I’m still nervous. I still have reservations, the main one still revolving around my father’s death. Like—did one of his brothers do it? One of their soldiers? He’s already told me he won’t tell if he finds out. Can I really open my heart to an actual relationship with a man whose family is responsible for the wrecking of mine?
It’s a hard hump to get over.
But I can try.
Chapter 9
Paolo
“Take that!” Caitlin jumps up and down on the bed naked, throwing pillows at me. When she runs out of missiles, I tackle her to the mattress and spank her ass.
It’s been two weeks since we entered our arrangement. I’m not the kinda guy who’s ever really considered happiness, but I think I’ve found it. I split my time between Caitlin’s apartment and my house, trying to leave her enough time to study and teach her classes and, of course, work out, because those are the things she enjoys.
And the rest of the time I do my best to spoil her with food, sex, experiences. I keep her wallet loaded with money, not that she ever spends much.
“It’s the weekend, what should we do?” I ask, biting her shoulder. “Do you have a lot of work?”
“I always have work, but let’s do something. Let’s—” She gasps. “I know!”
I roll her over so I can see her face. “What?”
Uncertainty flickers there. “Um, do you want to go to Vegas?”
I slide my fingers between her wet folds. “Do you?”
She squeezes her thighs around my hand. “Well,” she says breathlessly. “I’ve never been. And I heard there’s this really great casino there.”