Page 20 of Donovan Blake: Adrenalin

“If you’d bothered to pull back the bedspread you would have found microfiber sheets.”

“I don’t even know what they are.”

“They’re incredibly soft and sensuous,” he said, lowering his voice. “Did anything else catch your attention?”

“Um…”

“Tell me. I promise it will be our secret.”

“Very funny. I’ll make you a deal.”

“A deal?” he repeated. “What kind of a deal?”

“I’ll tell you what caught my eye if you tell me more about that jade statue. You go first.”

“Okay,” he said with a grin. “The statue is genuine Imperial Jade and comes from the Qing Dynasty.”

“How did you acquire it? Is it valuable?”

“I bought it from another collector, and valuable is a relative term. It’s not priceless, but it’s worth a fair bit. Your turn. What caught your fancy?”

“A few things.”

“Only a few?”

“Well, no,” she said with a grin. “Many things, but I was curious about a particular piece of furniture.”

“Not good enough. Be specific.”

“This is weird,” she said with a sigh, wondering why she was suddenly embarrassed.

“Phoebe, if I have to ask you again it will be over my knee.”

“Seriously? Is that your answer for everything?”

“Pretty much. Come on, out with it.”

“Fine…that thing,” she declared, pointing across to the spanking bench. “There are so many parts to it how do you know what goes where?”

“Climb on and I’ll show you.”

“Now?” she exclaimed. “But I just woke up and I feel a bit weird.”

“I suppose I can grant you a reprieve just this once,” he said with a wink. “What else?”

“Well… the wall with all the floggers. I never knew there were so many types. Are you—uh— familiar with all of them?”

“Are you asking me if I’ve used them all?”

“I’m not sure. Have you?”

“Come with me,” he said, taking her hand and leading her from the bed and across to the display. “As I’ve said more than once, I’m a collector. I buy things because they appeal to me, not necessarily because I plan to use them, though I might if I’m so inclined. For example,” he continued, showing her an old wooden paddle. “This is from England and was apparently used in a private spanking club during the Victorian years.”

“The Victorian’s had spanking clubs?”

“They certainly did, some of them quite elite. And it wasn’t just women who were bent over getting their tails tanned.”

“You’re kidding?”

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