“No panties, Ginger?”
She closed her eyes, savoring the tortured quality to his voice. “I can’t wear any with this dress. The outline would be noticeable.”
“I see.”
Derek’s hand came down hard on her exposed backside, jarring her stomach against the edge of the counter. The slap of his large palm against her bare flesh echoed through the room.
“Oh!”
Shocked by the sudden sting, it took Ginger a few seconds to realize he’d spanked her. She wasn’t given time to think any further because he did it again. And again. He spanked her five times, each time harder than the last until her bottom smarted painfully.
Despite the burn each slap earned her, Ginger couldn’t help wishing him to continue, despite her warring emotions. His punishing slaps heightened her senses, making her aware of every breath leaving her lungs, every groan escaping Derek’s throat. Warmth pooled low in her belly and spread to her legs until they felt like jelly. Her thighs shook with the need to press together, but his foot, inserted firmly between her high heels, prevented it. She was unnerved by her reaction. She was excited by it.
The fifth time Derek’s palm connected with her flesh, she found herself pushing higher on her toes, presenting herself to him. Asking for it. Sensations and emotions clouded her brain. She tried to straighten, to make sense of the heat coiling low in her belly, but he placed a hand firmly on her back, keeping her bent over the counter.
“You like that, beautiful girl?” When she whimpered, he leaned over and spoke directly into her ear. “Good. That was for the hard-on I’ll be walking around with tonight. And you’ll goddamn wear the imprint of my hand on your ass for it.”
His arrogant statement brought Ginger out of her momentary state of shock. She pushed away from the counter, forcing him off of her. The blatant hunger on his face gave her pause. His cheekbones were flushed red, his fists clenched at his sides as if he struggled not to reach for her.
“If you bend over, even slightly, in that dress while we’re out tonight, I will spank your beautiful ass again in front of everyone present. Do you understand me, Ginger?”
She yanked the dress back into place over her still-stinging backside. “Go ahead. It still wouldn’t be the worst date I ever had.”
His eyes narrowed dangerously. “Don’t test me on this. I’m already less than thrilled about bringing you out in public looking like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like a walking wet dream.”
Her mouth opened and closed. To hide her shock, she turned and snatched her clutch and shawl off the counter. “I’m not changing, so deal with it.”
“I just did.”
“You’re an arrogant jackass, you know that?”
He nodded. “Let’s go. We’re running late thanks to you.”
Chapter Eleven
Derek took Ginger’s shawl and handed it to the coat-check attendant, grimacing when the black dress revealed itself once more. It was going to be one bitch of a long night.
The black, silky material displayed every curve and nuance of her body to perfection, exposing just the right amount of cleavage to keep a man watching and begging for her to lean forward a little too far. Her skin glowed against the dark material of the dress, making his hands itch to touch.
How could he have been so close earlier and not tasted her?
An irritated sound drew his attention back to Ginger’s stunning face to reveal those plump lips pressed together in displeasure. “I don’t care if I’m wearing four-inch heels, I will walk home if you’re determined to frown at me all night, Derek.”
God, she’d just had to remind him of the damn shoes. Each of her legs looked a mile long in them. He wanted to rip off the dress and wrap those legs around his waist.
He needed to get a hold of himself. The fact that she’d still agreed to come with him tonight after his earlier behavior blew his mind. He’d spanked her. Hard. Something he’d wanted to do since that night on the roof, but never dreamed he’d act on. In every one of his fantasies about Ginger, permission was never required, but this hadn’t been a fantasy and he’d acted on impulse. Seeing her walk out in that dress nearly brought him to his knees, but her lack of panties had pushed him hurtling over the edge.
For as long as Derek lived, he would never forget the vision of Ginger bent over his kitchen counter to receive her spanking. She’d been the perfect combination of defiant and vulnerable. He could still hear the slap of his hand against her bare flesh ringing in his head.
Every day, the need within him grew greater, more painful. His actions tonight proved just how little restraint he had left. The fact that she didn’t reprimand him for his actions, and in fact enjoyed if not craved his ministrations, only made him want to push her further.