Page 45 of Mark my Words

Sam: Ouch.

Sam: Speaking of fitting things inside... Do you want to crash at my place tonight?

Kristine: I can’t. I need to work on this manuscript Isobel just sent over.

Sam: You can bring it with you.

Kristine: Maybe next time.

Trying to tamp down my disappointment, I shoved my phone back into my pocket and finished the trek toward Adrian’s office, cringing when I heard him laughing loudly along with the muted tones of a feminine voice.

“Hey, Sam.” Isobel laughed nervously as she stood from where she’d been perched on the corner of Adrian’s desk, straightening her skirt and running a hand down the back of her hair. “We may have a new project for you next week.”

“Oh, come on, Is,” Adrian chuckled as he also stood, grabbing something from his printer and handing it to her before he sat back down. “You know as well as I do this is getting signed.”

“What’s getting signed?”

“Chase and Evan wrote a book together.” Isobel beamed as she looked over at Adrian. He gave her a wolfish grin, and I couldn’t believe they were so blatant about their flirtatious behavior. Typically, Isobel was just as buttoned up as Kristine, at least until you got to know her better.

“And it’s fucking insane, man,” Adrian chuckled, shaking his head. “It’s gonna be a bestseller for sure. So, you ready to brave the dragon again to work on this one?”

“Ad, seriously, we talked about this,” Isobel scolded as she rolled her eyes and sighed. “Stop talking like that. Sam isn’t the only talented copy-editing intern.”

“It was a joke.” He was trying to defend himself, but I knew he was referring to Kristine.

“I’m sure we can manage to work together again,” I confirmed, and Isobel smiled at me before reaching forward to squeeze my hand.

“Thank you, Sam. At least someone in this office acts like a professional. I’ll update you with details after I run this one through Sloane.”

“She’s not gonna turn it down, Is.”

“We’ll see,” she shrugged, stepping around me and heading toward the door.

“What kind of book?” I asked curiously. Evan had never worked outside of the mystery and thriller genres. I wondered how the romance could be introduced, since I knew that was Chase’s forte.

“It’s kinky as fuck.” Adrian tapped on his phone screen and then tossed it in my direction. “We didn’t get to read through more than a few chapters, but it’s hot, man. Check out the fifth chapter.”

I pulled open the chapter navigation on the PDF and selected the fifth chapter, quickly scanning the dialogue, my eyes widening when I got to the character’s narration.

Frances slowly circled Dominic as he knelt on the cold concrete floor, his hands bound lightly behind his back. Red rope trailed up his forearms and muscular biceps, creating an enticing pattern of exposed flesh and intricate knots. Shibari was always one of Fanny’s favorite forms of expression in their bondage sessions.

The way the stark contrast of his pale skin looked against the rope was uniquely bewitching, with slight indentations from the twist of the ply crisscrossing the ivory canvas of his arms.

He marked so beautifully, and his fair skin was flawless, just waiting to be turned pink with one of her implements.

While she could appreciate disobedience, Dominic was the ideal sub for Frances. He was always eager to please, even after almost a decade in their current dynamic. She’d never felt compelled to find another primary submissive because they worked so well together, and he was always open and honest in communicating with her.

It also didn’t hurt that he was endowed with the perfect equipment for her slender build. It was like the gods smiled on her the day Dominic had entered her dungeon for the first time. He was built just for her pleasure. She’d thought her life was fulfilled, granting other people’s fantasies, but he’d been a welcome reprieve—a safe harbor in the storm of her thoughts.

He’d made her a better Domme. She’d never told him the depth of her feelings, but the love they shared within their dynamic had kept her alive more than once when the darkness threatened to suck her back into her previous life of addiction.

“Are you ready for me?” she whispered as she trailed the soft leather of the crop across the bottoms of his feet.

“Yes, Mistress...” His voice was soft but powerful enough to bring her to her metaphorical knees.

“Stand, my angel,” she commanded and watched as he slowly rose to his feet without the assistance of his bound arms. The muscles in his back and bare cheeks flexed as he stood in front of her, stark naked, the red rope his only adornment.

Frances circled Dominic, thinking of all the places she wanted to leave her marks on his body; his lean muscles and soft skin were her favorite canvas.

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