He slid into the office and dropped the paper on her desk. Carrie forced her eyes away from it. She didn’t want to see what was on the page.
“Jace Holt has been spotted canoodling with a mysterious brunette on Madison Avenue.” Rick Allen stabbed the paper with his finger. “They didn’t name her, and the photo doesn’t show her face, but Carrie, I’d recognize that head of hair anywhere.”
Carrie grimaced, and she pressed her sweaty palms onto her skirt. “It’s not what it looks like.”
“I don’t care what it actually is. I care what it looks like,” Rick said. “If I can recognize you, so can other people. Even our clients.”
“I don’t know what to say.” Tears sprung into her eyes as she stared at Rick’s face. This was it. The moment she’d been dreading, though it had come much sooner than she’d imagined. She was about to lose her job because she was utterly incapable of controlling herself when it came to the one man she needed to stay away from most.
Rick’s face softened when he saw her expression. “Listen, I don’t care what you do or don’t do with him. That’s your business, not mine. Just keep it off the streets.”
Carrie blinked against the tears, unable to believe what she’d just heard. “What?”
“Do what you want on your own time.” He leaned forward and stabbed the photo again. “But if I see another scandalous photo like this in the news, I’m afraid I won’t have any other choice but to let you go.”
Jace opened the back door of the hotel, bracing himself for what was to come. It had been a long day, and all he wanted was to burn off his excess energy and expel his anger. There was only one way he knew how to do that, and she was standing right before him. Carrie stepped in through the back door, the sweet vanilla scent of her filling the thin hallway. She’d gone home to change before coming over to his penthouse for dinner. She was back in those tight little jeans and a sweater that clung to her breasts. She probably thought it would prevent him from getting aroused just by looking at her, but she was dead wrong about that.
If only she didn’t think he was a murderer, he’d take her right then and there.
“Carrie,” he said more formally than he intended. “I’m glad you came.”
“I just hope this means you’re going to tell me what the hell is actually going on here,” she said, following him as he led the way to the private elevator leading up to his penthouse apartment.
Jace frowned as they slid inside the steel box. She was going to be a little miffed when she realized that he was definitely not going to share every detail of the situation with her. He would tell her what he could, of course, if that meant he could convince her that he wasn’t the man she was starting to believe he was.
He frowned even more as the elevator chugged upstairs. Her words had hurt him, he had to admit. Of all people to think such a thing about him, he couldn’t believe it would be Carrie Simmons, the one person he trusted more than them all. He had claimed her as his, and she still refused to give herself fully to him, body and soul. Maybe it was time to introduce some punishment into the equation…
His cock hardened.
Once the two of them had made their way into the penthouse, Carrie crossed her arms and leaned against the black countertop of his kitchen island. She looked weak and tired, and all Jace wanted to do was scoop her up in his arms and deposit her into his bed, but she needed to understand that if things between them were going to continue, she had to trust him.
“Well?” Carrie raised her eyebrows. “I need an explanation.”
“I’ll pour you a drink,” he said, reaching for the wine glasses he’d had the concierge deliver to his room.
“Jace—”
“I’ll pour you a drink,” he said firmly. Carrie fell silent as he tipped the bottle of wine against the delicate glasses, the deep red liquid sloshing against the sides. It reminded Jace of the blood he’d seen on his floor. The blood that had begun this entire mess.
Jace handed Carrie a glass, and he watched as she took a large gulp of the wine.
“Good,” he said with a nod. “It will help you relax.”
“I don’t need to relax.” Carrie narrowed her eyes but took another sip despite her protestations. “I need you to tell me what’s going on.”
“Carrie, you’re making me want to bend you over and spank that pretty little ass of yours,” Jace said in a low growl. “You’re being a naughty girl by not trusting me.”
Carrie’s mouth opened wide and she gasped. “Jace!”
“You have to trust me if this is going to work.” He’d meant to take things slow, but he was unable to help himself. “If you don’t trust me, then you get punished.”
Her face flamed as she took the last gulp of wine. “Stop joking around. This is serious.”
“Oh, I’m being very serious.”
Carrie fumbled as she set down her wine glass and strode away from him into the living room. She dropped onto the couch, twisting her head so he couldn’t see the glow on her cheeks. But he’d caught the flustered expression before she turned away. Warmth spread through his body. She only looked like that when he was turning her on. He bet she was getting wet right now, and the very thought made him hard.
“Please just give me an explanation,” Carrie said, turning to look up at him with those big blue eyes. He groaned. Those eyes might be the death of him. He couldn’t look into them and not feel a little chunk of his carefully built control fall away.
“I’ll tell you what I can,” Jace finally said. He eased onto the couch beside her, unbuttoning his suit jacket and taking her delicate hand in his. “But you’re not going to like what I’m going to say.”
Carrie sucked in a breath. “Just tell me, Jace.”
“The situation has turned out to be more complex and dangerous than I originally thought,” he said, carefully choosing his words. He knew that he should let Carrie in on a few details—just enough to satisfy her curiosity—while keeping the bulk of the information to himself. “I did not kill Anders Holland, and I did not kill Madison either. I sent my assistant to talk to her that night after you told me her address, and by the time he got there, she was already dead.”
Carrie’s hand tightened on his. “Franklin?”
“Yes, Franklin.”
“Jace…” Carrie shook her head slowly as a frown pulled down her lips. She shifted closer to him, and his eyes trailed down her body. The way she clenched her thighs together was a sure sign she needed something more from him than an explanation. “Are you sure you can trust this guy? The second he found out about our relationship, a man threatened to blab about us if I didn’t stop nosing around. And then he just happened to go talk to Madison right when she got killed? Something isn’t right, Jace.”
“I agree that it doesn’t paint a very good picture, but I’ve spoken with Franklin, and I assure you he’s trustworthy.”
“But how can you know this?” Carrie stood and began pacing in front of the couch. She had that look on her face she used to have in college when she was in the middle of a particularly difficult assignment for one of her advanced classes.
“Franklin found something in her apartment that he shared with me.” Jace frowned. He needed to stop here. Carrie couldn’t know anything else. “That’s all I can tell you. I need you to trust me, Carrie.”
Sighing, she plopped back on the couch next to him and searched his eyes. “I want to. Believe me, I want to. But you have to put yourself in my place and imagine what this must look like.”
Jace clenched his jaw. “Take your own advice.”
“What do you mean?”
“Imagine how this must look to me.” Jace leveled his gaze with hers. “Imagine things were reversed and you were in my position. How would you feel if I even entertained the thought that you were a murderer? Me, Jace Holt, doubting Carrie Simmons. It sounds absolutely preposterous because I could never do such a thing. I’d always believe in you over anyone or anything else. And I’d be able to rec
ognize you on a tape any day, no matter if it showed your face or not.”
Carrie’s eyes widened. “Oh.”
Carrie stared at Jace. He was right, of course. He would never doubt her, no matter what. Guilt flooded through her veins. It all looked so terribly condemning, but that had been the whole point, hadn’t it? Whoever was doing this wanted to frame Jace and make him look as guilty as they possibly could.
They’d done their job, and she’d almost fallen for it. No, Jace still hadn’t offered an explanation, and she needed to know what he was hiding, but she’d still stand by him even if he wouldn’t share.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I know you’d never kill someone. It just looks so bad, and you’re clearly hiding something from me.”
“There are some things you’re better off not knowing.”
“That’s not fair.” Carrie frowned. “You wanted me to be your lawyer. You forced my boss to put me on your case. If there’s something else I need to know, you have to tell me what it is. It’s the only way I can help you.”
Jace sighed and ran a hand down his perfect face. “You’re right. It was thoughtless of me to bring you into the middle of this.”
“Well, thank you for finally realizing it.” Carrie couldn’t believe he’d admitted he’d been wrong. She’d been trying to drill this idea into his head for days. Involving her in this situation had only led to too many complications, and it would surely lead to more by the time this was over with, especially if he wouldn’t share whatever it was that he was hiding.
“It’s far too dangerous.” Jace nodded. “I don’t want you looking into it any further. You’re off the case.”
Carrie’s face drained as his words sunk in. “Excuse me?”
“You’re right. You shouldn’t be involved.” Jace cocked his head when he noticed her shocked expression. “I thought that’s what you wanted.”
“It’s what I wanted originally.” Carrie couldn’t help but stand as she raised her voice. “But Rick has made it very clear I have to nail this case for you. My job is on the line here.”
“I won’t put you at risk,” Jace said. “Far too much has happened, and you’ve already been attacked once.”
Carrie clenched her hands by her sides. She couldn’t believe him. After all he’d done to push her into this, he was now throwing her out without the slightest hint of an explanation. Rick would be furious that she’d gotten herself fired. He’d bent the rules of the firm to appease Jace’s whims, and now Jace was flipping the table on both of them.
“Rick will be furious,” Carrie said through gritted teeth. “I’m furious. If you’re going to do this to me, at least tell me why.”
“You’re disobeying me again, Carrie.” Jace frowned, but a hint of mischief flickered in his eyes. She couldn’t believe he was back on this disobedience thing. He’d never talked about punishment and obedience before, but he seemed intent on it now. That combined with the way he’d been taking control in the bed lately, she wondered if something in him had changed since they’d been together. But she couldn’t say she was disappointed in this new side of him…
And she couldn’t help that a part of her was begging to find out more. Being tied up had been thrilling and electric. If his “punishment” was as good as that…
She crossed her legs and squeezed her thighs together. He was distracting her—again—from the far more important thoughts running through her head.
“You’re doing it again,” she said, her voice sounding throatier than she intended.
“Doing what?” He slid closer.
“We start talking about something important, and then you somehow manage to turn it into sex.”
“I don’t know why you expect me to concentrate on anything else when you’re here on my couch clenching your gorgeous thighs like that.”
Carrie blushed and tried to loosen the tension in her legs, but she only managed a twitch. Jace’s gaze was dark and hot and full of danger, just like him. What would he do if she continued to tempt him with her words? A part of her deep down inside really wanted to find out.
“You can’t take me off the case,” she said, turning slightly to face him.
“You’re mine.” Jace reached around her neck and grasped her hair tight in his fist. Carrie gasped, dropping back her head in response to the pleasurable pain. “And you’ll do as I command.”
A thrill went through her body, and her thighs ached. She couldn’t believe how much she wanted him to keep dominating her like this. It felt as if she were flirting with danger, letting everything go so he could do exactly how he pleased.
“And if I don’t?” she whispered. “What will you do then?”
Jace’s eyes flashed with desire, and she slid her hand down his chiseled chest to feel his cock. It was so hard it strained against the seams of his pants.
“You’ll take my punishment.”
“Well, I’m not going to listen to you,” Carrie said barely loud enough for him to hear. “So, you’re going to have to punish me.”
Jace stood from the couch. He grabbed her and spun her around, lifting her ass high into the air. Standing behind her, he unbuttoned her jeans and slid them down to her feet before ripping her silky thong in half. Her pussy grew wet as her breath barely escaped her throat, her heart pounding so hard it shook her chest. She’d never seen him like this before, and it made every inch of her scream with desire.
Groaning, Jace roughly grabbed her ass before sliding his fingers between her thighs to feel her wetness. “You’re enjoying this, are you?”
Carrie’s face felt hot and sweat dripped down her back. She’d never felt more turned on in her life, with her ass sticking up in the air and her face pressed into the slick couch. Submitting to Jace was like submitting to her deepest desires. Lack of control meant lack of thought, lack of worry, lack of doubt.
Carrie heard Jace unzip his pants, and a moment later, the soft sound of material hitting the carpet. Her pussy ached as she lifted her ass higher in the air, yearning for him to push his cock inside her and show her how bad she was to disobey his commands.
“Oh no you don’t,” he said with a laugh. “You haven’t had your punishment yet.”
Carrie squirmed, panting, gripping the sleek material of the couch in her fisted hands.
A moment later, a sharp slap rang out as pain radiated across her ass. He’d spanked her, hard, but it left her gasping for more. She lifted her ass again and gripped the couch even tighter.
“That’s one,” Jace growled before smacking her ass again. Fire licked along her skin from where he’d made his mark. “That’s two.”
He spanked her again, this time so hard her cheek smashed into the couch. She blinked against the pain, her thighs dripping from the intensity of her need. Jace grabbed her hips, and his cock pushed inside her. She moaned into the leather, rocking back against him. He thrusted hard and fast, picking up speed with each passing beat. She could barely control the desire ripping through her, and in only moments, she was screaming in pleasure, wave after wave of her orgasm consuming her every thought.
Jace spanked her one last time before pulling away. Carrie gasped, stars dotting her eyes. She didn’t know what the hell had just happened, but she wanted it again.
That had been the best sex of Jace’s entire life. Carrie had been so excited, so eager to submit. It had been more than he’d ever hoped was possible with her. After he’d given her exactly what she needed, he’d drawn her a luxurious bubble bath and left her to relax in the jacuzzi while he ordered up some dinner for the two of them. On her way to the bath, he’d rubbed his knuckles into her shoulders, and he’d noticed the knots that had been there only days before were gone.
Jace smiled. He’d been the cause of that.
Unfortunately, the smile was very short-lived. The reason for the punishment in the first place was due to Carrie’s insistence on staying involved in his case. He couldn’t let her do that, and he hoped that her words had only been meant to
drive him into bending her over and giving her a good spanking on that tight little ass.
There was a knock on the door, and Jace strode to answer in only his black boxer briefs. It would only be the concierge with their food. Jace wasn’t exactly a modest man, and his private concierge was immune to Jace’s various states of undress by this point. But when Jace swung open the door, he frowned when Franklin stood there with his hands tucked into his pockets and a frown displayed on his face.
“Franklin.” Jace crossed his arms and pulled himself tall. “I hope this is important. I’m in the middle of something.”
“I can see that.” Franklin’s eyes flicked to the pile of clothes scattered around Jace’s living room before landing on Carrie’s ripped thong. “Unfortunately, there’s a situation downstairs.”
“A situation.” Jace frowned.
“The police have arrived with a warrant for the security footage. I tried to stall them long enough to come tell you, because I assumed you’d want to review the document before giving access to the tapes.”
“Yes, of course.” A flicker of annoyance went through Jace. He’d expected this to take a little longer. Franklin may be good at what he did, but he hadn’t had much time to take care of the issue. “I’ll be right down.”
Jace closed the door behind Franklin and went into his bedroom to change into a crisp suit. Carrie called out from the bathroom, and he stepped inside to see her sleek and glowing skin. Every inch of her was wet, her face flushed, her nipples hard. She was ready for another round of his punishment, he could tell. This was terrible timing.
“What are you doing?” Carrie frowned as she took in Jace’s clothes. “Why are you getting dressed?”
“The cops have arrived with a warrant for the tapes. I need to go down and keep an eye on things.”
“What?” She shook her head and stood, putting her entire gorgeous body on display. Bubbles and water droplets trailed down her glowing skin, and for a moment, Jace couldn’t remember what the hell he was supposed to be doing.
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