Page 31 of Pretty Little Thing

He doesn’t answer. He just stares at me with one edge of his smirk curling up.

My jaw drops. “You mean...” I point back. “The equipment? In the rooms? With the benches and the spanking?”

“Yes,” he says.

“For... you and me?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Ms. Payne, how do you expect to learn if you never crack open a book?”

“I’m your boss,” I stutter. “That wouldn’t be appropriate.”

“Not in here, you’re not.” He leans down. “Pick one.”

I hold my breath, locked in place under his intense, yet friendly, eyes.

I make a quick gesture at the unoccupied St. Andrew’s cross in the far corner. Clive looks over and smiles. I can’t be sure if he’s excited and amused. Maybe both.

Clive grabs my hand. “Come on,” he says.

He clings to me with hard, strong fingers and leads me across the floor. My chest twinges with slight pain as my heart pounds harder with each step we take toward the cross.

Clive looks back at me. His lips move but the words and sounds I hear don’t match up.

“What?” I ask, a bit too loudly.

He turns around. “What are your limits?” he repeats.

Right. Limits. Hard, soft. I try and recall the kinky shit Melanie told me but I can’t even hear my thoughts over my pulse pounding blood in my ears.

“Everything,” I joke.

Clive smirks and spins me around to face the cross. He guides my arms up and rests my open palms on it.

“Don’t move,” he says in my ear. “Keep your eyes forward. You look at nothing but the wall. Understand?”

I chuckle. “What?”

He tightens his grip on my wrists. “Understand?”

His voice travels down my spine. I swallow hard and look forward. “Yes,” I say. “I understand.”

Clive takes a step back, his hands dropping from mine. I almost look as he walks away but I stop myself. I’m not supposed to look away from the wall.

I stare straight ahead through the two wooden arms of the St. Andrews cross at the red brick wall behind it. Dozens of eyes stare at me, making the hairs on my neck stand straight up. I fight the urge to turn and look for myself. I fight the embarrassment bleeding out of my skin. I fight all of it in order to do as I’m told and—

Christ. This guy is one of my employees.

What the hell am I doing?

I drop my hands to my sides and turn around to leave.

“Where are you going?”

I gasp as I run right into Clive. His feet are planted on the floor and his arms are crossed over his chest.

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