Not that it made a bit of difference. The outfit she’d arrived in would have raised more eyebrows if anyone would have seen it than if she’d been completely naked.
He bent down to button her in and handed her the silver heels she’d worn to the club next. After perching on the sofa to get her shoes back on, she stood, marginally more awake than a few minutes ago.
“Ready?”
“Yes, Sir.”
He led her to the door, opened it, and then squared her shoulders with his and lifted her chin with two fingers. “I’m going down before you. I’ll get the car and pull up to the door. I’ll send someone to escort you downstairs in a minute.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine, Sir. Thanks.”
A female voice in the hallway made Faith glance around Rowen to find Sasha approaching.
“Oh, hey,” Sasha said, a smile lighting up her face. “Are you guys leaving?”
Faith’s face heated. She hadn’t spoken to Sasha since last weekend, and she definitely hadn’t publically acknowledged her relationship with Sasha’s brother.
Rowen spoke. “Yes. Would you walk Faith to the door in a few minutes? I’ll pull the car up.”
“Sure. Go on. We’ll follow.”
Faith groaned inside. This was so unnecessary. “I said I would be fine,” she whispered. “I’m a big girl. I can walk down the stairs and step outside without incident.”
Rowen faced her more fully, his brow furrowed, his back to Sasha. He lowered his lips to her ear and whispered, “Sweet girl, how about you stop arguing with me and let’s get out of here, huh?”
She nodded, lowering her gaze as she realized she had stepped out of her role and displeased him.
He gave her shoulder a quick squeeze, kissed her neck, and left her standing there. Shit.
Sasha was smiling, her head cocked to one side, when Faith lifted her gaze. “So you and my brother, huh?”
If Faith could flush more, she would. “Maybe?”
Sasha giggled. “Are you asking me? Because if you are, I’d say go for it. He’s a gem. And I sense you are too. You have my blessing.”
Faith wasn’t sure how much she should divulge to Rowen’s sister, so when her mouth fell open, she found herself tongue-tied. “Thank you. It’s…complicated.”
Sasha smiled again. “It always is.” She nodded over her shoulder. “Come on. I’ll walk you to the car.”
“Your brother is—”
“Overprotective?” Sasha joked, glancing over her shoulder. “Yes. Very. He forbade me from even joining Zodiac and I’m a grown woman. I’m not sure my situation improved any now that I got what I wanted.” She giggled. “After all, Lincoln might be even more overprotective. But at least I reap far more benefits under his care.” She winked.
Faith couldn’t keep from grinning at Sasha’s back. If by some miracle Faith and Rowen managed to work out their differences and forge a relationship, Faith knew she would have a fantastic new friend in Sasha. It was a longshot, though, so Faith kept the thought to herself.
“Why exactly does my brother think you need an escort to the front door?” Sasha asked when they were in the stairwell.
“I have no idea.” She shuddered.
Sasha twisted around to face Faith. “A few people asked where you were tonight.”
“Really?” Faith hadn’t spent much time thinking about how her absence might be perceived. Apparently, she was missed. “What did you tell them?”
“That I had no idea. I heard Brooke was here earlier too. She left before you got here, though.”
Faith winced. “Did she do a scene with anyone?”
“I don’t think so. Lincoln said she watched from the sidelines for a while.”
“I feel bad that I had to cancel on her. I was supposed to meet her before the club opened.”
“I’m sure she’ll understand.” Sasha turned to smile. They had reached the second floor, the floor where Zodiac would be in full swing, but Sasha stepped between Faith and the doorway to the club and swung a hand toward the next set of stairs, indicating Faith should keep going while at the same time blocking her from view.
Yeah. Sasha was a good person. Faith felt a tightening in her chest as she continued down the stairs. If only there wasn’t so much to work out between her and Rowen, so many unresolved issues, then she would feel like she could get to know this new friend better. His sister. She swallowed past a sudden wall of emotions. If Faith somehow managed to make things work with Rowen, Sasha would be like a sister to her. It stung that her biological sister, Hope, was so different from Faith that they were more like strangers.
Faith barely had a moment to thank Sasha for her help before she was swept into Rowen’s sports car and they pulled away from the curb. The lingering pressure on her chest made her stare out the window, hoping to control her emotional overload and not let Rowen see it.
The last thing she wanted to do was tell him why her mood had shifted in the five minutes she’d been with his sister.
Rowen was quiet too. Neither of them said a word while they drove to her apartment.
She wasn’t surprised when he parked and rounded the hood of his car to let her out. Nor was she shocked that he intended to walk her to her door. If the man was concerned about her taking two flights of stairs to his car in his own club, he would never drop her off at the front entrance of her building and drive away. He’d already proven that Saturday night.
When she pulled her keys from her jacket pocket, he took them silently from her and then held her hand as they rode the elevator to her floor. He guided her to her apartment with a hand at the small of her back and unlocked her door. A second later, he led her inside, set the black bag on the floor, and shut the door.
Without a word still, he faced her and unbuttoned her jacket.
As he slid it off her body and set it over the back of her couch, she shuddered. Somehow the silence made her self-conscious. She wanted to cross her arms to cover herself, but she forced herself to grip one wrist with her other hand at her back instead.
Was he pissed?
Rowen pointed toward the hallway. “Do what you need in the bathroom. I’ll be right behind you.” Finally, words. But what did they mean? She couldn’t read him.
For the first time since she’d started submitting to him, she felt nervous. She made her way to her bedroom and straight to her closet on wobbly legs. After removing her heels, she angled for the bathroom to remove her makeup and brush her teeth.
The entire time, she wondered what Rowen was thinking? Maybe he was just tired. Or maybe he was the sort of man who didn’t need to constantly be talking. Or maybe he was done with her…
She was absurdly nervous when she stepped out of the bathroom to find him standing in her bedroom. He’d pulled the comforter down on her bed. “Sir?”
“Come here, sweet girl.”
Ah, so sweet girl… If he was still using that endearment, the world surely wasn’t too far out of whack.
She approached him, clasping her hands into fists at her sides, head bowed, shoulders pulled back as far as she could manage.
He was fully clothed, as usual. She was fully naked, as usual.
He met her gaze. “I can be pretty demanding, Faith.” He set his hands on her shoulders and ran them down to her biceps.
“I see that.”
“It’s in my nature. It’s who I am. It’s the reason why I’ve never had a permanent submissive that lasted more than a short time.”
“Because you’re overprotective?”
“Did my sister say that?”
She shrugged, her skin heating from her chest to her cheeks. “She didn’t have to. I already gathered that.”
“And yet you argued with me. Twice.” He lifted a brow.
She swallowed. She should have known he wouldn’t go for that. It was possible in her subconscious mind she’d topped him on purpose to test him. He’d passed. “I’m sorry, Sir. I didn’t think. I was trying not to inconvenience you or anyon
e else.”
“When I make a decision, I expect you to follow it without argument.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“I shouldn’t have to explain myself.”
“You’re right, Sir.” Damn, but he was right. And he was unbelievably in control at all times. Even Victor hadn’t been this dominant with her.
“I think you tested me on purpose.”
She flushed. “Perhaps, Sir.” And he called her out on it too.
He lifted her chin with a finger, forcing her to meet his gaze more fully. “Do I have your attention?”
“Yes, Sir.”
He lifted a brow. “Why do you think I went out of my way to sneak you out of the building with an escort?”
She winced.
“Yeah. I was hoping to spare you having to run into anyone from the club and face questions about where you’d been. The members only know you as a Domme. I thought you might appreciate keeping your submission to me a secret for now.”
Shit. She hadn’t thought about it from that perspective. “I’m sorry, Sir.”
His fingers slid to hers and he lifted her hands to his lips, kissing her knuckles. “We’re still feeling each other out, but I’ve made it pretty clear I’m incredibly dominant.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“And if I’ve read you correctly, you thrive under the control.”
“Yes, Sir.” He was right. She had fucked up.
“Then I need you to keep that in mind next time you feel like arguing with me. The reason I brought you home was because I need to work later than I expected. I need to close the club tonight.”
She nodded. “I understand, Sir.”
“And I didn’t make arrangements to have someone escort you to my car because I thought you couldn’t walk down stairs without falling. I did it to shield you from being bombarded by questions from the members.”
She lowered her face farther.
He dropped her fingers and cupped her breasts, his thumbs brushing over her nipples. His voice was deeper when he continued. “You were naked under that coat.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“When I give you an order, it’s for a reason.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“I know we hadn’t intended to see each other tonight, but I’m glad you came to my office. I’m glad we had the chance to clear the air between us. And I want us to finish this week as originally planned. I want you to submit to me for the rest of the week. I’ve been hard on you. Are you still interested?”
He was also testing her. “Yes, Sir.” Her pussy had been clenched in frustration for the last half hour. Suddenly wetness coated her skin. The tone of his voice did that to her no matter what his words were.
“I’d like to take you out Saturday night. A date. Dinner. Is that okay?” Just like that, he was done explaining himself.
She leaned closer to him. Nothing had ever sounded better. “Yes, Sir.”
“We can go to the club afterward. But first something normal.”
She lifted her face. “When you say normal…?”
He narrowed his gaze and hauled her even closer until their faces were inches apart. “When I say normal, I mean we’ll appear to be a regular couple to everyone else we encounter, but you’ll still be submitting to me.”
At that, the moisture between her legs increased until she felt a line of it on her thigh. “Yes, Sir.” Her voice was hoarse.
Rowen slid a hand down her belly and then farther to cup her pussy. When his fingers pushed her lips apart and dipped inside, he smiled. “You like the idea.”
“I do, Sir.” She swayed closer to him.
His hand disappeared as fast as it had arrived. “I have to punish you now. You won’t be permitted to come.”
She gulped. “Yes, Sir.” Did she expect him to forget? If she were honest with herself, she would have been disappointed if he let her off the hook for being argumentative.
“We haven’t discussed other forms of punishment yet, so I’m going to spank you. Five swats. Hard. When I spank you for punishment, you’ll know the difference. You won’t argue with me Saturday night.”
“Yes, Sir.” Her mouth was suddenly dry.
He sat on the edge of her bed and angled her to his side, leaning her over his lap. He didn’t clasp her hands at her back like he had last time. This time he permitted her to brace her upper body on the mattress, elbows on the bed.
He smoothed his hand over her butt cheeks. “Safeword?”
“Red, Sir.”
When he lifted his hand, she stiffened, holding her breath. He’d spanked her two times Saturday night, but she wasn’t familiar enough with him yet to know what to expect, so she tensed.
The first swat took her breath away. It stung. There would be a pink mark where he’d spanked her. Instead of striking her butt again immediately as she expected, he smoothed his palm over the burning skin, rubbing it.
Finally, the second swat landed, followed by him commenting, “Your bottom is so gorgeous with my palm print on it. Maybe I’ll enjoy having you disobey me more often.”
She held her breath, thinking she too would enjoy being spanked by him more often. She wouldn’t suggest such a thing out loud, but it felt so good to have someone take control of her like this. It had been so long. She’d nearly forgotten how it felt to turn over the reins to a Dom and let him manage her every move.
She hadn’t thought anything of it when she’d argued with him about getting herself to his car without help earlier. Old habits. She was rusty. She hadn’t submitted so thoroughly to anyone for so long that she’d slipped from the role. But Rowen meant it when he said he was demanding. He’d also meant it when he said he liked to have complete control at all times.
She craved his kind of dominance. It brought her back to life. The feel of his palm on her ass was something she longed for so badly that emotions climbed up her throat, choking her.
Thank God she wasn’t facing him.
A tear slid from her eye. She shouldn’t permit herself to get used to this. It wouldn’t last. If nothing else, he would probably stomp from her parents’ home Sunday night and never look back. And that stung more than anything she’d endured in the last eighteen months.
Alone. So very alone.
She needed to find a way to break the engagement. No way was she taking him to meet her parents. There was little to no chance she could keep up this charade with Rowen if she sabotaged it by bringing him home.
No fucking way.
His next strike yanked her from her thoughts. Higher. Harder. Perfect.
It felt so good to feel.
She’d never been a brat. But maybe she’d consider it if it got her to feel like this.
Another strike. That was four, wasn’t it? It landed on the other cheek. Her entire butt was on fire now.
And then the fifth. Right in the center, close to her thighs. The burn was intense on top of already stinging skin.
She lowered her face to the pillow and moaned. Her pussy ached for attention even though he’d given her two amazing orgasms earlier.
He wasn’t kidding. When he spanked for punishment, he did so in a way that shouldn’t have made her horny. But it backfired on him. It backfired on both of them.
She’d never been the sort of submissive who got off on being punished. At least not before. Had she changed? Or was she so empty inside that any amount of dominance for any reason would get her off?
“Sweet girl…” His voice trailed away. “Your bottom is so damn sexy. And my cock is so damn hard.”
She couldn’t respond. It wouldn’t be prudent. So she bit her lip.
“You enjoyed that, I believe.”
Still she didn’t move.
He rubbed her skin for several more moments and then slid his hand between her legs to stroke through her folds. “Oh, yeah. My sweet girl indeed enjoyed that. Fuck me.”
He dragged his fingers through her wetness again and then glided them back to her burning skin. “Warm,” he murmu
red. “Tomorrow morning I want a picture of this bottom on my phone as my morning text.”
Her breath hitched.
“Nothing else. Just your bottom. Take it in the full-length mirror so I can make sure you didn’t bruise. I told you that will never be my intention.”
“I bruise easily, Sir. I don’t mind a few marks.” Never before had those words left her lips. No one had ever struck her hard enough to leave a mark beyond the pink glow from a spanking. But suddenly Faith felt a new desire wash through her body. She wanted Rowen to leave a mark. She wanted to see his palm print on her butt. In fact, she wanted to run into the bathroom and see what he was looking at.
If she could make out his fingers, it would send a thrill down her spine.
What the hell was happening to her?
“We’ll revisit this topic another day. For now, I want proof that my palm print is no longer noticeable in the morning. If you can’t or won’t provide that proof, I’ll find other ways to discipline you.”
She whimpered.
“Don’t worry about the picture. No one will see it but me, and no one would ever know whose bottom it was if you take the picture carefully enough.”
“Yes, Sir.”
The thought of photographing her own ass still didn’t sit well with her. Funny how earlier in the evening she had pondered the desire to have him take pictures of her roped arms. She hated that she would never see the beauty of his work.
Maybe one day she would let him take pictures of her. Except that day would never come. It required a level of trust that took weeks, months, or even years to build. She didn’t have that kind of time with him.
Chances were Saturday night would be their one and only date. Sunday, she would either piss him off by refusing to bring him to her parents’ home or she would drive him away by bringing him. Either way, Rowen Easton was not going to be hers by the end of the weekend.
She’d be selfish to bring him with her. It would be easier to cut him off beforehand and wallow in her pity party without the drama. Because she knew with certainty it would be a deal breaker for him if she refused to take him to her parents’.
Obeying Rowen Page 18