Pawn of the Billionaire(44)

He walked across to his drinks cabinet. “Christ, I need a drink.” He slid the door open and sloshed a small amount of whiskey into his glass. Then he looked over at me. “You?”

“Just a cola, please.”

He poured it and brought it over to me, and then he sat beside me on the sofa. “So. Tell me how your app is going.” He didn’t look very happy, and I wondered what I’d done, or whether he’d heard about it and didn’t approve, or something.

I shrugged. “It’s going okay. Paul thinks it’s a good one, and it’ll work and make good profits.” I looked at him.

He nodded, looking into his glass and swirling the drink around. “Okay. Tell me a bit more.”

I thought. “Paul thinks it could be ready for asking people to try it soon.” I looked up at him. “I don’t know what you’re asking for. So I don’t know what to tell you. Paul’s saying that …” I stopped in the middle of the word as James grabbed my hand, nearly spilling my drink.

“Good God, girl! I don’t want to know what Paul thinks. I want to know what you think, whether you think it’s any good, if it’s really something you want to sink your life into?” He glared at me.

I stared back. What the hell was that all about? “I … I’m sorry. I thought that’s what you wanted to know.” I shrugged. “Yes, it’s just like I imagined it would be.” I tipped my head up. “I know it’s going to be really popular when people see it.”

“Good.” He’d shrunk back into disinterest, and I watched as he threw the rest of his drink down his throat. “But I need to talk to you about Paul.”

Alarm flared inside me. “What about Paul? Are you going to take him away to fix Chess?”

He looked puzzled for a second. “Oh. No. It wasn’t his coding that went wrong. Anyway, I told you this morning. He’s on your app until you don’t need him any more.” He placed his glass on the side table.

Then he turned his body to face me. “No, what I need to speak to you is about the way you behave towards Paul. He’s a member of my staff, a team member who has ambitions to work for my company for a long time.”

I was mystified. “I understand.”

“Do you?” James’ voice hardened. “So why are you treating him as a friend? He’s not a friend, he’s not even a colleague.” He leaned forward. “He’s a member of staff, and you’re getting much too familiar with him.”

I leapt to my feet. “How dare you? I’m just being nice. Or have you forgotten what it’s like to be friendly?” I took a deep breath. “For your information, Paul hasn’t put a foot out of line. He wouldn’t take advantage of me. He’s not an idiot!”

I realized I was standing over him, my hands on my hips, and I knew I’d gone scarlet with anger and embarrassment.

James sat there, his face dark with anger. “I would hope he hasn’t. Or he’d be out on his ass! No, I’m talking about your behavior, not his. The friendlier you are, the harder you’re making it for him as well as me — and yourself, in the long run.” Then he was on his feet, towering over me. “I think another lesson is in order, don’t you?”

And in that instant, I shifted from anger to lust. I felt my insides lurch and a throbbing need overtook me. I saw amusement in his eyes, and swallowed.

He took my arm, and he didn’t grab me or force me. Perhaps that lulled me into a false sense of security. He took me over to the chair he’d sat in when he spanked me before, and he sat down, making me stand in front of him.

“I think you need a firm lesson to drive home the need to treat staff as staff, don’t you?” His voice was deep and commanding.

“Yes, James,” I muttered, wondering what the hell sort of feeble girl liked being spanked. I must be mad. Maybe I should make a stand, tell him that I wouldn’t let him do this to me. But I was too late. He took my arm and drew me next to him.

“Lie across me.” His words were utterly compelling, but I hesitated. It wasn’t that I wasn’t excited by the thought of it, but the sheer humiliation of putting myself in the position was harder to bear.

“Do as you’re told.” His voice was incisive and reluctantly I knew I’d obey him. I set my jaw and bent over him, waiting as long as possible before I actually put my weight across his lap. Then I lay still.

“Good girl.” At his words, my hackles rose. There was the humiliation again, the patronizing words. But I clenched my jaw, the very humiliation was what made it exciting, what charged me. My ass, stuck up in the air. His arm, warm and heavy, across my back. Then I gasped as the cool air hit my ass. He’d lifted my skirt up over my back. Somehow the fact that I wasn’t naked made it all the more exciting, and I squirmed in discomfort. His arm pressed more heavily down on me.