Page 9 of Until Daddy

“I think you should put it down, Carissa.”

She didn’t put the wine down, nor did she take a sip. Spinning and pulling free of his grasp, she pressed herself against the bar. The edge bit into her back. She had nowhere to go. Jamison butted up against her chest, the scent of his aftershave filling the small space between them. How odd that just a scent, a tiny little smell, could raise her heartbeat so quickly.

“A bit overdressed?” She slid into her comfortable armor of snark and wit.

Just as she’d fantasized, he wore a tailored tuxedo. Every bit of her mind had been right as to how devilishly gorgeous the man would be. Not a single man in the room compared. Jamison looked like he owned the room. Hell, from what her digging told her, he did.

“It’s New Year’s Eve, like you pointed out.” His lips curled into a grin, though any amusement was well hidden. “I’m supposed to be hosting a big bash with Garrick tonight.”

Still gripping the wine, she was tempted to gulp it down before he could snatch it from her. Her nipples tightened, going against her mental refusal to react to him.

“Oh.” At least all of her social skills were still intact.Get it together, Carissa!

“There was something I had to do, though, so I left.”

She swallowed.

“You’ve been ignoring me.” His eyes darkened with the accusation.

“You stopped messaging a few days ago. I assumed you got the hint.” She lifted her right shoulder and kept her expression disinterested.

“Oh, I got the message just fine. But you see, it’s rude to just ignore someone. You need to learn to use your words, Carissa.”

She shifted down the bar enough to put another few inches between them. “And you’ve never just ignored a girl you weren’t interested in?”

He huffed a laugh and moved toward her, putting his hands on the bar, trapping her perfectly. “You can pretend you aren’t interested. But we’d have to add lying to your list of naughty behaviors.”

Her stomach twisted. Only wine would cure what ailed her at the moment.

“If you take even one sip of that, little girl, you’ll regret it. Now put it down.”

She couldn’t let him think he had the upper hand. They hadn’t spoken in two weeks, after all, and she’d blown him off during that time. The edge of the glass slipped between her lips while she kept her eyes focused on his. Tiny wrinkles formed around his eyes as she tipped it and poured the liquid happiness into her mouth.

“I see.” After her sip, he nodded and removed the glass from her hand. Before she could protest, he gripped her arm and pulled her forward. The crowd of people milling around the lounge area seemed to part for him as though he were some god. Though it probably had more to do with the dark glare he gave everyone. She’d seen it when she tried to yank her arm free. One glance back at her, and she gave no further protest. He probably wouldn’t mind publicly punishing her if she pushed him too far.

When he dragged her down the hallway, she kept her eyes on the nursery door, sure he was leading them there. But he pulled her past that one and moved to the next.

“I don’t think we’re allowed in there,” she said as he jiggled the handle.

He pinned her with another glare. “Stand right there.” He released her arm and dug through his pockets, pulling out a keyring and fumbling through the set until he found the one he wanted.

Once the door was unlocked, he moved to the side and waved her in.

She could run. She could turn around, head back into the main room and leave the club. Even if he caught up to her, a simple word uttered loudly enough would keep him away.

“Looks like you’re thinking, which is good. Something you haven’t been doing much of these past weeks.” His eyes darkened, the pupils expanding and depleting his iris.

“That’s not fair.” She managed to stop the pout in her voice, but the dampness in her panties was beyond her control. Damn him and his deep, unyielding voice. “Iwasthinking.”

His shoulders rolled back and his jaw released some tension. “Come inside, Carissa. We’re going to talk.”

“And that’s it?” She tilted her head to one side.

The crease around his mouth deepened with his grin. “You’re adorable. Get inside.” His smile dropped, and he jerked a thumb in the direction of the empty room.

She forced herself to move forward, past him, through the door and into the room. A desk sat prominently in the middle, with two chairs, and in front of it, a circle of folding chairs. The familiar smell of chalk and leather hit her. On the far wall, several leather straps hung from the wall, and spanking benches sat in two corners.

“Is this supposed to be a schoolroom or something?”

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