Kade filled a new glass and dropped into his chair. He pinched the bridge of his nose, hoping it’d relieve his throbbing headache. No such luck. He tapped his fingers against the top of his table, waiting for Nine. He knew if he wasn’t there to force her to get dressed, she’d go to the party in the purple one she arrived in and Kade couldn’t have that.
Soon enough, Nine stepped out from the bathroom and Kade stopped tapping the desk. He took her in inch by inch—her long exposed legs, slim hips, and narrow waist before stopping at her breasts. Amongst the distraction of beige fabric and glistening sequins, he saw her nipples—barely—but they were still there. Finally, he pulled his sights to her face. She looked anything but happy. At first, her expression was pinched into a scowl, but when her violet eyes locked onto his, her scowl fell away, and was replaced by a shy, uncomfortable cringe.
“Perfect,” Kade said, shifting forward in his seat. “Was that so hard?”
She gritted her teeth and stared at Kade with eyes so intense it made his heart race. He couldn’t let her get away with defying him. It would catch on and other Unfortunates would know.
“You disobeyed me. What do I have to do to get it through to you that I own you? Do I have to punish you? Do I have to humiliate you?”
She shook her head, her eyes suddenly pleading. “No.”
“I think I do.”
He relaxed back into his chair. “Get down on your hands and knees.”
“But—”
He shook his head at her and she stopped speaking. This would be much easier if his father had picked a competent Unfortunate—one who didn’t question his every order. She exhaled and slumped as she lowered herself onto her hands and knees. She looked at the floor, not wanting to watch him and Kade didn’t mind. He didn’t need her unique violet eyes distracting him.
“Crawl to me.”
She snapped her head up and opened her mouth to protest.
“One fucking word and I’ll lift up that pretty little dress and slap your ass so fucking hard you won’t be able to sit for a week.”
He’d like to think that he wouldn’t slap her—he’d never wanted to spank a woman before… then again, he’d never seen a woman so flawless. She crawled toward him, and with every inch she moved, the more excited he got. Her auburn hair cascaded to the floor and circled her arms. Eventually, she sat at his feet and her eyes locked onto his. He watched her, trying to convince himself to commend her for coming that far and to let the girl go… but he couldn’t. Not when she was at his feet with her chest rising and falling as rapidly as it was. His stare was affecting her… he bet she wanted him to touch her.
“Closer,” he demanded, keeping the arousal he so strongly felt from his voice.
She inched closer until her body was pressed against his leg. She was warm, he could feel it radiating through the leg of his pants. Master Kade, (knowing better, but refusing to listen to the voice in his head) leaned forward and hooked a finger underneath her chin. She gasped at his touch and he almost let her go. Almost. He guided Nine to her feet, bringing her closer and closer until she was sitting on top of him. With his hands on her hips, Kade breathed heavily, ignoring the throb between his legs that told him he was harder than he’d ever been before and it was pressing right between Nine’s legs. He gripped her ass and rocked her against him, once. Deep in her throat, she made a sexy noise and her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. The sound penetrated Kade’s fabric, seeped through his skin, and ignited his blood. He fought a smile, not wanting to ruin the moment—she was unsure, but she was definitely enjoying every second of it.
Her face was barely an inch from his and he could feel her excited, yet terrified breath on his face. Desire hot enough to rival the sun flared deep in his veins and he dropped his stare from her eyes to her mouth. She had a sexy, sparse upper lip, but a plump lower one—it was as if someone had sucked too hard on her bottom lip, taking the blood from the top. Her lips were moist, just waiting to be kissed. As he stared, Kade wondered if she’d ever been kissed before. There was no doubt in his mind that she had to have been a popular one in the Unfortunate camp… surely someone had taken advantage of her alluring mouth. If not, he was about to. Kade ran his hands up Nine’s soft body and around her waist.
She held his arms, her eyes burning as bright as his undoubtedly were. He leaned in, and as their lips grazed, she whispered, “Please, don’t kiss me.”
Kade stopped in his tracks, pulling his face back. He had no idea why he stopped—she was his, after all, and he could do whatever he wanted to her and no one could stop him… he didn’t. Her once relaxed body tensed and her bottom lip trembled.