Pretty Little Thing
Page 24
“Ms. Payne,” he corrects, “don’t you think this discussion could happen somewhere a bit more private?”
I shrug. “Nah.”
I snap the belt along his back and he tenses. An audible gasp lingers behind me but I don’t bother turning around. Let them watch.
“Tell me, Mr. Snow,” I say, pausing to tap him again, “if your submissive lied to your face… what would their punishment be?”
Clive hesitates. I hear him inhale but no words come out.
I hit him again, this time a little harder. “When I ask you a question, I expect an immediate response.”
“I…” He breathes out. “I don’t know.”
“Would you tie them up for a public flogging?” I ask. “How many lashes would make up for lying?”
“Depends on the lie,” he answers.
I whack his shoulder. “Conspiracy to commit theft. How many lashes for that?”
He sighs. “Nora…”
“Saying I love you.” I hit him as hard as I can and he grunts. “How many lashes for that?”
“I didn’t lie about that.”
“Bullshit.”
I raise the belt as Clive spins around. He catches my wrist in mid-air and forces me to stop.
“I didn’t lie about that,” he says again, his eyes locked with mine. “If you walk away from this believing anything, make it that.”
I look away from him but he nudges my chin right back up.
“Nora, I love you.” His fingers slide to my cheek. “I might be your chocolate or your strawberry or your rocky road, but you… you’re my vanilla.”
Melanie frowns. “The fuck?”
I ignore her as Clive leans in a little closer.
“You’re the…” He smiles and he lowers my arm. “You’re the silky-smooth, under-appreciated staple that I should have embraced a long time ago. You make everything sweeter. And I can’t imagine a life without you.”
He takes a step back and lets go of my wrist. His hand falls from my face as he puts a little space between us. My heart aches. I’ve lost my anchor again.
“But if this is what you want, Ms. Payne, then… you should do it right.”
Clive loosens his tie and pulls it up and over his head.
I blink with confusion, my eyes widening as he takes off his jacket and starts flicking the buttons open on his shirt. “Clive…”
“Ten,” he says.
He tosses his clothes back at the table and Trix snatches them in mid-air.
“Ten?” I ask.
Murmurs and chuckles rise behind me. He stands tall in nothing but his pants and shoes, his epic arms and chest on full display. My jaw drops along with everyone else’s but no one seems to do a thing to stop this.
“Conspiracy to commit theft,” he says. “Ten lashes.”
He turns around and places his palms on the table again.
Trix gasps at his shirtless chest. “Oh, Daddy...”
“It’s happening,” Melanie whispers, tilting her phone for a better angle.
This went a lot further than I thought it would…
Uh-oh…
“Ms. Payne,” he says, “I’m ready for my punishment.”
I glance at the belt in my hand.
Oh, my god…
I bite my cheek, my eyes locked on his muscular back. It feels strange to be on this side but utterly exhilarating, too. My pulse quickens and my sex begins to throb.
I raise my arm and snap it down. The belt hits his right shoulder blade and he cringes.
“One,” I count.
I hit his shoulder again, leaving a light pink spot on his skin.
“Two.”
A smile creeps across my lips.
I slap his left shoulder, two quick taps just a little bit faster.
“Three. Four.”
Clive lets out a light groan but his hands don’t leave the table. An intense spike of curiosity trembles me. I wonder what it would take to make him move… make him cry out for me.
I whip him three times in a row, slapping as hard as I can.
“Five. Six. Seven.”
His back stiffens, the tight muscles quivering beneath his skin. Heat fires through my core. Just three to go.
I raise the belt but I don’t hit him. I let it dangle along his spine, gently tapping until a laugh exhales from his throat. I toy with him the same way he toys with me. He’ll make me regret it later, I’m sure.
And I can’t wait.
I smack him again. “Eight.”
And again. “Nine.”
I pause, letting the final suspense last.
Finally, I jerk my arm and whip him on the ass.
“Ten,” I say.
Clive spins around to face me. His bright eyes lock on me and I can barely take another breath before he grabs my arm and yanks me closer.
He kisses me hard. I fall into his arms, accepting the embrace as our tongues come together and his body heat blends with mine.
Trix and Melanie erupt into hollers and applause, prompting several other tables behind us to do the same.
“Okay,” I say, taking a breath. “I forgive you now.”
Clive pulls away but he’s not done with me yet. Not by a long shot. He takes his belt from my hand and turns to retrieve his shirt and jacket from Trix and Melanie.
“So, what do normal couples usually do after a public flogging?” he asks me.
I smile, my chest heaving. “Well, according to my expertise… a fuck-ton of sex. Immediately.”
He looks over my shoulder. “You ladies got the check?”
Trix grins. “Yeah, we got it.”
He grabs me and tosses me over his shoulder. I yelp in surprise, laughing hard as excitement and passion rip through me.
He takes a few steps but turns back and points at Melanie. “Was that video?” he asks her.
“I got every second,” she answers with a laugh.
“Send it to her phone, will ya?”
She swipes her screen. “Way ahead of you, Daddy.”
“Thanks.”
Clive carries me around the clapping tables toward the exit. My skin tingles as every eye in the place watches us go. I don’t even try to hide my face. I wear my smile proudly.
He is my Dom. I am his sub.
And I’ve been a bad girl.
We pass the hostess station and Roger rushes forward to hold the door open for us.
“Have a good day, folks,” he says with a wink.
He reaches down and low-fives me as we leave.
Thirty-Eight
Nora
Judy lays the card on the counter between us. “And there you are, Ms. Payne,” she says.
I pick up the card. It’s still a little warm from her laminating machine. I admire the scarlet-branded logo and smile at the one word glistening in its corner.
Member.
“Thanks, Judy,” I say as I slide it into my clutch along with my debit card.
She smirks at me with a hand on her hip. “I knew I had a good feeling about you.”
I hide my clutch in the pocket of my trench coat. “Well, when you’re right…”
Her hand falls beneath the counter and she unlocks the door. “Enjoy your stay,” she says.
I walk in. My eyes adjust quickly to the darker lighting and I stop by the bar for a bottle of water before heading right to the stairs.
A dark form passes me halfway up.
I flash a quick wink at him. “Hey, Roger.”
He gestures at me with his black latex hand. “Ms. Payne,” he greets.
I continue on without stopping. It’s what I was told to do.
The second floor is crowded, making goosebumps raise on my skin. It’ll be all right, though. He’ll make me feel safe. He always does.
I head toward the St. Andrew’s cross in the corner and stand in front of it. My reflection stares back at me and I smile into it as I open my trench coat.
The blood red corset hugs me so tightly I can barely br
eathe. I suppose that’s the point but I have a bit of a history with not breathing on crosses. I would like to not repeat it.
But I have my instructions.
I slide the coat off and let it fall to the floor. I step up to the X-shaped cross, my feet feeling twice as heavy in these thigh-high leather boots.
“Oh—”
I step down and bend over to fish into my coat pocket for my blindfold. Wouldn’t want to forget that.
I return to the cross, take one last look at myself in the mirror, and place the blindfold over my eyes. It blocks out every sliver of light around me, plunging me into an epic darkness that sets my nerves on fire.
I place my palms on the cross and wait.
My hearing piques and I listen to the sound of feet and voices behind me. I focus on my breathing, counting each inhale and exhale until I lose count. I feel eyes on me but I can’t tell whether or not they’re his. Is he here already? Standing behind me and staring this whole time… just to see if I’ll break?
Finally, a flogger tickles my bare shoulders.
I smile. “Mr. Snow?”
“Hello, Ms. Payne,” he says, his voice so close. He moves in behind me and kisses the back of my neck. “You look beautiful.”
I roll my head back and his lips graze my ear. “Thank you.”
Clive reaches around me and pinches my chin. He draws me toward him for a kiss but I don’t dare move my hands from the arms of the cross. I feel his skin on my back and his body heat blends with mine. He’s not wearing a shirt.
His fingers move down my shoulder, traveling up my arm to my wrist. “Are you ready?” he asks.
I tremble, unsure. “I think so.”
“Tell me when it’s a yes.”
I take a deep breath, holding it in as it nourishes me, but it’s his capable hands on my body that brings me home.
“Yes,” I say. “I’m ready.”
He steps back but his presence never leaves my side. He takes my hand and wraps a thin rope around my wrist before binding me to the fasteners on the cross. I smile, enjoying the thought of submission. I’m in no danger. He’ll take care of me.
Clive ties up my other hand and fixes the rope to the cross. “How does that feel?” he asks.
“Good,” I answer.
He presses in behind me again, unable to resist a few nibbles on my neck. I sure as hell don’t mind. I let out a quiet moan as he feels up my curves.
“We shouldn’t stay too late,” I remind him. “You have an early meeting tomorrow.”
He laughs and drops his hands. “Don’t you ever clock off?”
“It’s important for the new app! I am your boss…” I tease.
“Only from nine-to-five.” He curls his arm around my waist and draws me closer to him. “In here, I’m the boss,” he says into my ear. “Say it.”
“I’m the boss.”
“No…” He scoffs. “Say that I’m—”
I giggle. “You’re the boss, Mr. Snow.”
His fingers twist my hair. “Bad girls don’t get rewarded, Ms. Payne,” he growls. “Bad girls get punished. Do you understand?”
I quiver in his grip. “Yes,” I sigh.
“Do you remember your safe word?”
“Yes.”
He runs his mouth between my shoulder blades. “Do you want me… to make you use it?”
I shudder as I squeeze the ropes above me. “Yes, Mr. Snow.”
He kisses my back. “Good girl.” I feel his lips curl into a smile. “I have something for you.”
His hands move out in front of me and he lays something around my neck and fastens it. He pinches my blindfold and pulls it over my head to show me.
I look at our reflection in the mirrored wall. It’s a thin, black choker just like the one he gave me before. Simple and classy with that shiny, dangling—
My jaw drops. “Wait, is that real?”
He smiles. “Yes, it is. Figured I’d put my first good paycheck to decent use.”
“Wow…” I admire it for another second before my gaze finds its way to his bright, blue eyes. “Thank you.”
“I want you all to myself, Ms. Payne,” he says. “If you’ll let me. Again.”
I turn my head to kiss him and he wraps his loving arms around me.
“Yes, Mr. Snow.”
The Bitches Will Return In…
Pretty Dirty Trick
A Rich Bitches Novel
January 2018
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Also by Tabatha Kiss
RICH BITCHES SERIES
Pretty Little Thing
Pretty Dirty Trick
SWEET CRAVINGS SERIES
Sugary Sweet. Sinfully Dangerous.
Stand-alone Romances.
Muffin Top
Hot Sauce
THE SNAKE EYES SERIES
Stand-alone romances. Interconnecting stories.
One unforgettable adventure!
Bodyguard
The Hitman’s Dancer
Love and Wargames
Bloodlines
Hard Bounty
No Fury
THE BAD BALLER BOOKS
Irresistible Stand-alone Sports Romances!
Whiplash
Johnny Deeper
Home Run Baby
THE MIDWEST ALPHAS TRILOGY
Romance, Suspense, and MMA!
Untouched
Unbroken
Undying
STAND-ALONE ROMANCES
Bad boys, billionaires, and so much more!
Blind Girl
Ruin Me
Lumberjack BOSS
Old Habits
2 in the PINK
For more, go to tabathakiss.com
About the Author
Tabatha Kiss lives in Chicago, Illinois. You can probably catch her huddled up in a hoodie, reading a good romance beneath a tree in Jackson Park with her trusty husky by her side. She enjoys roller derby, sushi, and is always searching for her forever bad boy.
In the meantime, she writes.
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