Page 52 of Moonlit Thorns

I sigh. “I don’t think he’s going to give up until he’s dragged her back here.”

Lord help us when he does.

I finish my breakfast and walk to my office, ready to lose myself in work and stop fucking daydreaming about what it would be like to have Anabelle at my mercy. What I might do to her. What I might make her do to me.

When I swing open my office door, I pause. She’s already there, sitting on the chair by the fireplace, waiting for me. Like yesterday, she came dressed to do battle. She’s wearing another form-hugging dress that hikes up to mid-thigh since she’s sitting, and her hair is down and wavy, falling in front of one shoulder. Her makeup is heavier than normal, and like yesterday, her lips are painted red. A color I wouldn’t mind seeing wrapped around the base of my cock while tears destroy her makeup and saliva slides down her chin.

I have to give my head a shake to loosen the image from my mind. I step into the room, closing the door. “Good morning, Miss Boudreaux.”

She doesn’t bother to return my greeting. “I want in. I don’t need to think about it until Friday. I know what I want.”

I sigh and set my hands on my hips. “Anabelle…”

She stands from the chair and stalks toward me. “Don’t treat me like I’m a child, Asher. I don’t need you to protect me. I might not be thirty-six.” She rolls her eyes. “But I’m not a child. I’m an adult, and I can make my own decisions.”

I take her in, head to toe, and yes, there might be quite the age difference, but she is indeed all woman. And I can see clearly that she’s a woman who will not be swayed. “All right.”

She blinks a couple of times. “All right? I thought you’d put up more of a fight.”

So did I. Which just goes to show that I can’t rely on my better judgment where this woman is concerned. I have none.

“It’s obvious you’re not going to back down. Maybe you will after your first experience.”

She juts her chin higher. “Not likely.”

I chuckle because I admire her bravado. “We’ll see.” Then I walk toward my desk.

She follows. “What happens now?”

“What happens is that you’ll undergo a health check—everyone has to between parties. Are you on birth control?”

Her cheeks pinken, and she nods.

Jesus, if she can’t even handle me asking her these questions, how is she going to handle putting on a show in front of everyone?

“Good. The theme for next month is leather and lace. I’ll provide you with what you should wear.”

She walks closer to the desk and sits in the chair across from me. “There are themes?”

There’s still a lot I haven’t told her about how things work down there. “Yes.”

“Will you tell me what you plan to do to me ahead of time?” She bites her lower lip, something I’ve realized is a tell for when she’s anxious.

“No. Though we will discuss a safe word ahead of time.”

She sucks in a deep breath and nods.

“You sure you want to venture down this path? That you can handle it?” I arch an eyebrow in challenge.

“Oh, I can handle it, Mr. Voss. Can you?”

That’s the three-million-dollar question, isn’t it? Because if this woman burrows any deeper under my skin, I’ll have no choice but to send her away, for both our sakes.

Chapter

Twenty-Four

ANABELLE

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