Reveal Me, Sir (Doms of Decadence 9)

“True. All right, I’m not hiding anything that might impact our relationship.”

“What relationship?”

Oh, she wasn’t going to give an inch. “Well, I thought we might explore this attraction between us.”

“Did you?”

“But even if we don’t, perhaps we could work together to find this person? What do you think?”

She chewed that over. “Maybe.”

Well, that was honest at least.

“Not sure I can really work with someone so rigid.”

“Rigid has its place.” He grinned.

She rolled her eyes. “That was terrible.”

“Honey, I have hundreds of them.”

She continued to eye him with suspicion. “Won’t you be leaving now that you’ve found the thief?”

“You don’t think Roarke will want to know who is blackmailing one of his staff?”

“I’ve never met Roarke.”

Ah, that explained it. “Well, I have. And he takes any attack on his people personally.”

“Sophie isn’t one of his people.”

“She works for him. That makes her one of his.”

“Ajax is mad at her. He doesn’t trust her anymore.”

“No. And you get why.”

She nodded reluctantly. “Will he really punish her?”

“I would if it was you.”

Her eyes widened.

“But only once you’d agreed to be my submissive.”

“Well, that’s never going to happen.”

We’ll see.

He didn’t say the words, but he could tell she saw them on his face.

“So, do you want to help me get this bastard?” he asked her.

She studied him, as though measuring whether he actually meant it. Then she nodded. “All right.”

“It will mean spending time together. Can you handle that?”

Her chin came up. “I can if you can.” She turned and started down the balcony towards the stairs. He let himself smile.