Page 40 of Hooked

Her eyes had drifted shut when he rose and moved from the chair to the bed. He stretched her out on her stomach, sat beside her hip, and applied a cooling cream to her cheeks. Aftercare was wonderful, but it always seemed ironic to her that these doms, like Joseph, who could be so strict with discipline were often bigger sticklers about the TLC that followed.

“I swear, master. No more secrets or omissions, and I promise, there are no more skeletons in my past to expose. Can you forgive me?”

He leaned forward and pressed his lips against the small of her back. “I already have, little one. You screwed up, but you paid the price earlier tonight when confronted with your lies and omissions, and just now with my hand, crop, and cane. Now we start fresh with a clean slate.”

“That makes me happy.”

“Me, too,” he whispered, dotting more kisses along her spine. “I won’t ask again what you learned because, by your answer, you learned plenty, but one specific answer I was looking for tonight was respect, pet.”

“Yes, of course.” She rolled onto her side and gazed up at him. “I respect you, Joseph, at home, at work, at play. I’m sorry if through my actions I implied I didn’t.”

“Apology accepted, pet. But think about this and take it to heart. Honesty, whether in an intimate relationship or friendship, builds a foundation of trust, and shows respect for another. If you respect and love someone, you want to be honest, so what you have endures.”

Tears filled her eyes. “I want to build that foundation strong, master, by always being honest and showing you my love and respect, so we endure. You should give me six more,” she declared, inching toward the edge of the bed. “I deserve it for not realizing that on my own.”

He stopped her, easing her onto her stomach again. “Who is the master here, pet?”

“You are, sir.”

“Correct. The master determines the punishment and when enough is enough. You’re done, baby.” He resumed the massage and gentle kisses. “Except for me taking care of you.”

Chapter 11

ON MONDAY, WHEN SHEand Joseph drove downtown and walked into the office together, things had changed for Livia. She no longer cared who suspected something was going on between them, or what rumors were flying, or if anyone saw the soft looks they shared or when he ran a finger down her cheek in the softest of caresses, which made her heart melt.

They weren’t over the top with PDA. Like he once said, he had no intention of doing it on her desk with the door open. They were still professional, but no longer willing to hide their love for one another.

By the end of the day, the office was still standing, and the HR director’s head hadn’t exploded. Being proactive, Joseph had called her and warned her, as well as the other partners, which helped. She had to admit it was more pleasant and much less stressful than the previous weeks when she’d felt distanced from him and little more than a dirty secret. She’d also gotten a helluva lot more work done.

“Ready to go?”

She glanced up and smiled, watching Joseph, briefcase in hand, shrugging into his suit coat.

“I just shut down,” she replied as she stood. “Just gotta get my purse.”

When she bent to retrieve it from the bottom drawer, she felt his gaze. Peering at him over her shoulder, she found him staring at the back of her skirt.

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