“Do you really think you’ll be able to figure out who trashed my condo?”
He shoved his hands into his pockets again. “I think I can at least eliminate some of the people on the long list of suspects.”
She didn’t miss the tightness of his voice. “Does it bother you that I’ve conned that many people?”
He paused, staring at her intently. “No,” he finally said. “But it would be easier to understand if you just told me the truth.”
“Why can’t you accept that I was a con artist and I conned you? Why does there have to be more to the story?”
He leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers. “Because I know you loved me. I know you still love me. You want to be with me, but you’re scared. And I’m going to put the pieces together, whether you tell me or not.”
That’s what she was afraid of.
She pushed against his chest so she could see his eyes. “You said earlier that some sins were too dark to ever see the light of day. Why can’t you accept that mine should stay buried where they belong?”
He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close against his chest. “Because I can’t bear to think of you suffering. I want to make everything better for you.”
Circling her arms around his middle, she held him just as tightly. “Maybe I want to do the same for you. Are you willing to share with me why you’re unwilling to walk away as CEO of Hayes Industries?”
He paused before his hands slipped away. “No.”
She didn’t know whether she was relieved or disappointed. “Then there’s nothing else to discuss.”
Sawyer lumbered to the door, and when he turned around, it was as if the last few minutes hadn’t happened. “Are you hungry? We could go to dinner before we go back to the suite.”
She stood. “If my condo is clean, I think it might be best if I went there tonight.” Her eyes locked on his. “Alone.”
He shook his head. “I disagree. The hotel is much safer for you right now.”
“And it has nothing to do with our agreement?”
“I didn’t say that.”
She smiled. “You’re infuriating, do you know that?”
“I do.” He eyed her desk. “You realize I have to punish you for hitting me, right?”
Oh. Her jaw went slack, and her heart skipped a beat. He wants to play. “I thought you understood why I did it.”
“I do understand. But as your Dominant, it’s my role to make sure you never make that mistake again.” He seemed to get taller as he stalked toward her. “Pull down your pants and bend over your desk.”
Thank goodness. She might not be able to give him the truth, but this she could do for him. “Yes, Master.”
As slowly as possible, she slid her pants down her thighs and laid herself out on her desk, pushing the papers out of the way.
He came up behind her and caressed her ass. “Don’t bother counting.”
Gripping the edge of the desk, she waited impatiently for him to begin. She had a feeling he wouldn’t go easy on her.
When his hand finally landed, it came down with such force, it slid her forward on the desk. Again and again, he peppered her ass with hard smacks of his hand. He alternated sides, making certain to hit both cheeks as well as her thighs. She squirmed, the pain quickly morphing into pleasure that made her moan.
She threw him a glance over her shoulder, teasing him. “Is that the worst you can do?”
His expression grew feral, and his hands went to his belt. “Maybe a few strikes with this will help you learn your lesson.”
She turned back around, a wide smile on her face. “Yes, Master.”
He struck her hard, the sound of it and the bite of the leather belt hitting her flesh intensifying her arousal. If he kept this up, she’d come.
As if he knew what she was thinking, he stopped. She heard the crinkle of a condom wrapper, and a second later, he drove his cock into her pussy from behind. “Don’t come until I tell you to.”
With every stroke, her clitoris bumped the desk. Breathing through her nose, she tried not to come. But she knew it was a lost cause.
After a long groan and a single jerk of his body, he ceased his thrusting. When he slipped from her pussy, she realized he’d come.
“Get dressed,” he said, moving away from her. She looked over her shoulder to witness him zipping up his pants.
“Wait,” she got up from the desk and twirled around. “What are you doing? You’re going to leave me like this?”
His lips tugged up in a grin that could only be described as sadistic. “You didn’t think the spankings were your punishment, did you? That was just to make you horny, so that I could give you the real punishment—no orgasm.”