Page 348 of The Christmas Wife

"I’m from Brooklyn. Of course, I have.”

"Brooklyn, huh?"

"And what am I doing in London, you ask? It’s the furthest I could get away from my family."

"Don’t get along with them?" His tone is mildly curious.

"My dad’s okay. But I wanted to be on my own. Find out what I like and don’t like, before?—"

"Before?"

I bite the inside of my cheek. "Never mind."

"Never cut off your thoughts like that. If you have something you want to say, do it with confidence."

I blink. I’ve never had anyone tell me that. With my father, I’ve always minded my words because I don’t want to disappoint him. With the rest of my family, I’ve preferred to keep my thoughts to myself because I don’t want to upset them. With my friends growing up, I hid my true sentiments because I wanted to fit in. It didn’t help I went to a private school where everyone was too busy trying to keep up with the latest trends. It all seemed so empty, so pointless. I bottled it all up, until one day, I rebelled in spectacular fashion.

For the first time ever, I skipped school to hang out with another girl. The funny thing is, she wasn’t even my best friend, just someone who always seemed so ‘with it’. So when she invited me out, I couldn’t refuse. We were caught smoking potand chugging down beer in her car. Looking back, it seems like a relatively innocent escapade. It’s not like I was caught having sex. But my father was so disappointed.

The worst part? He didn’t scold me. He simply drove me home in silence and told me to go to my room, and that made it so much worse. I vowed not to ever let him down again. Yet, here I am, an ocean away, in the car that smells of that dark spiciness and ozone with my boss, and I'm about to find out what the sexual acts I read about in the NDA mean in real life. This…is not what I had in mind when I wanted to claim my freedom. This is not what I envisioned when I said I wanted a say in how I live my life… Did I?

He must see the apprehension on my face for he arches an eyebrow. "Scared, Ms. Young."

"Please call me Mira."

"Ms. Young, don’t change the topic."

I blow out a breath. "I’m not sure if I want to do this."

"Do what?"

"This." I stab a thumb over my shoulder to where he tossed the NDA. "Whatever it is."

"You don’t have to take part in anything. You simply need to be with me and take notes when I tell you to."

"Take notes about the s-s-sex acts you mean?"

"About the kink you’re going to witness, yes."

Heat flushes my cheeks. "You said that word simply to get a reaction from me."

He pauses to think, then nods. "You’re right, I did."

"At least, you don’t lie."

"Unlike you."

I set my jaw. "I am being honest when I say I don’t want to witness sexy—huh—kinky stuff."

He stares at me steadily. His features are inscrutable, but there’s a bend in his lips which indicates he’s amused by this conversation.

"There’s nothing funny about this situation."

"Except for the fact you’re curious about said acts. Except, you’ve always wanted to know about kink but never had the courage to find out. Except, you can’t wait to get out of this car and accompany me to the yacht, but you don’t want to admit it."

"I don’t."

"Hmm." He taps his fingers on his wheel. "Slide your fingers into your panties."

---