Page 9 of Forbidden Pawn

“Take off your shoes,” I demand, still unsettled by all the naughty ideas that are twirling around inside my head. “We don’t wear shoes here.”

She bites her lips and bends down to untie her shoes. I slip out of my mine as well and place both of our shoes in the built-in closet right next to the door.

“I never want to see your dirty sneakers lying around in the foyer,” I tell her, as I point at the closet. “They belong in here. Always. Understand?”

She looks up at me from under her lashes. “Yes, sir.”

I glare at her, and she glares right back, albeit with a hint of alarm in her expression. Even in that oversized hoodie and her worn out jeans, she looks irresistible to me, and I can’t silence the voice inside of me that wishes she were here under different circumstances.

But then my eyes fall onto the bag in her hands, and I’m struck with another thought. I searched her bag, but if I want to make absolutely sure she’s not bringing anything into the house I don’t want her to have, I should search her, too.

I need to check if she’s hiding anything under her clothing.

She almost takes a step back when I close the distance between us. Tilting her head back into the neck, she stares up at me, her dark green eyes wide and curious. This could actually be fun.

“Undress,” I tell her.

Chapter 6

June

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” he says, jutting his chin forward. “I need to search you.”

“I’m not wired, if that’s what you’re worried about,” I try to save myself from this humiliation. Because that’s what this is about, right? He just wants to exert power over me and make me feel small and insecure.

“You can say that, but I don’t trust your words,” he insists. “I only trust my own eyes.”

He crosses his arms in front of his chest and waits.

“I’m not taking my clothes off,” I say.

“Oh, yes you will,” he maintains. “Or do you want me to do it for you?”

He steps closer, and when I jerk away, his hand flies up and reaches for my me. I wince when his fingers snake around my arm, digging into my flesh, as he keeps me in place.

“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” he seethes. “One way or another, you’re going to undress and prove to me you’re not keeping any secrets from me.”

My heart hiccups in fear, and his grip only tightens when I try to free myself from him. I am keeping secrets from him, but he won’t find them in my underwear.

“You can’t be serious,” I hiss.

But he’s dead serious. I can see it in his eyes.

Is he going to rape me? Is that what this is about? This is something I was afraid of, but I will take the risk, because my aim is more important than my dignity. It’s more important than anything in the world.

I said I will do anything to avenge my father’s death, so that’s what I will have to do.

Anything.

“So, what’s it going to be?” He probes. “Will you take off your clothes for me, or do I have to do it?”

“I’ll do it,” I say through gritted teeth. “If you let go of me.”

He hesitates for a moment, and pins me down with a dark stare that reaches right into my soul. I want to avert my eyes and hide the truth he could see in them, but I don’t want to give him the satisfaction.

His fingers loosen, and I pull away from him as soon as I’m free of his unyielding clamp. I take a step back to bring some distance between us and pull my sweater over my head in one rapid motion without thinking about it. His face doesn’t move when he looks at me, while I’m standing before him in my bra and jeans, feeling awkwardly exposed already.

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