Page 24 of Indecent Proposal

I fast-forwarded, trying to save my sanity. Claire slept in one of my shirts every night, unbuttoned just enough to be provocative without truly letting me see anything—knowingthat would drive me insane.

She did the yoga every morning, not just the once—though a part of me understood the need for fresh air after a few days cooped up in that small cabin. While out on the porch, I could see she’d brought one of the large kitchen knives out with her, sitting on the rail within easy reach. She left the door behind her open, and she didn’t play music or wear headphones while out there, either, always on alert.

After she showered, she walked around in a towel far longer than she had to, bending over and doing everything to get close to giving me a glimpse at her ass or breasts, or between her legs, without actually revealing anything.

The impudent minx was taunting me.

She wasn’t ignoring the rules because she thought they were stupid. She was breaking them to try and get me to discipline her again. And judging by how much she was flagrantly neglecting the rules, she wanted it to be a lot more than just a spanking.

The towel and wearing my shirts wasn’t breaking any rules, that was for sure. But it was deliberately teasing me. It was like she wanted to do something else to make it clear what she wanted from me, in case her breaking the rules like this didn’t do it enough on its own, or if I thought she didn’t want it to be sexual.

But clearly… she did.

I was torn. This was something that she clearly wanted. And there didn’t seem to be anything reluctant about it—anything that indicated she was doing this because it could serve as a form of ‘payment’ for services rendered. She’d been adamant that she was going to find a way to pay me in money for my help.

However, she was still technically a client. That would violate the rules that we had in place at the company. It created a conflict of interest and could reflect badly on us if word got out.

But… on the other hand…

Nobody else at the company knew the details of what was going on. She was at my place rather than at any of the safehouses owned by the company. I wasn’t using a ton of company resources, trying to keep our costs down since she had yet to pay us and I didn’t want to slap her with a terrifying huge bill when the time came.

If I was going to do this, nobody would know about it. It would be pretty easy to keep it between ourselves. So…

Why not? She wanted me, and I was eager and willing to show her how to submit, to take that fantastic spirit she had and mold it, to show her just how good it could be to let someone else give the orders. I wanted to give her the fantastic sex she’d never gotten. I liked it when my women were a little cocky, a little arrogant. Not resisting in the sense that they didn’t want the sex, but resisting the idea that any man could be good enough to really deserve their submission, like any man could really get them begging and desperate.

And I wanted Claire begging and desperate so goddamn badly I could practically taste her orgasm on the tip of my tongue.

We were two fully consenting adults who could have some fun if we wanted to. And I felt weirdly… protective over her. Or maybe protective wasn’t the right word. I felt annoyed that she’d been with this guy basically because of the pressure from friends and family, and she’d never really been able to be her true self. I wanted to give that to her.

Honestly, I’d seen that more than I wanted to in the course of my job. People who stayed in relationships, and got married, not because they really were in love but because in high society there were a lot of expectations, and people couldn’t handle the idea of their social circle judging them.

I turned off the security feed before I did something stupid like masturbate to it again.Oh no.I wasn’t going to waste a single damn orgasm on my own hand when I could be having it with Claire Turner.

I checked the clock. It was afternoon now. If I drove quickly I could be there just a little after dinner and stay the night. It would be a good surprise, considering all the ways she’d tempted and teased me on video.

Fuck it.If my friends found out about this later they could say whatever they wanted. I was going to give Claire the goddamn fucking of her life.

CHAPTER9

Claire

Iknew that Vaughn would check the feed eventually, but I had no idea when or how long it would take him. He was going to be busy, and while I liked to flatter myself that I was a hell of a good distraction, he was good at his job for a reason. He was going to focus on saving my life before he indulged in anything else with me.

For the most part, I was fine with that. He was keeping me safe and helping to give me my life back, and I appreciated it. And once I was used to the cabin it was… actually kind of nice? Relaxing even, if not a bit lonely. I hadn’t been out of the city in ages. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d taken a real break from my life in any way. Being out here in the woods with the fresh air, no city lights or noisy neighbors, getting to sleep in and just take in nature, watch movies or read books at my leisure… yeah, it was nice.

The only downside was the fact that I was not here for a retreat or a vacation, but to keep myself alive. I couldn’t ever fully forget that. Especially when I was doing yoga outside. I had a knife on me at all times. I knew it might not do much against an attacker, especially a sniper, but it helped me to feel like I was in charge of my safety a bit more. It helped me feel in control. I might not be skilled at combat but I would do everything to fight for my life if it came down to it. I’d never give in easily.

Speaking of giving in, I hoped that Vaughn didn’t think I was going to give in easily to him, either. He was going to have to earn my submission. The idea excited me. I felt almost like I was rebelling, making a man prove himself to me or I wouldn’t sleep with him. It was oddly powerful. With Richard I’d just gone along with everything but with Vaughn, it all felt so different and new. Sex was an open horizon, and it was exciting again.

I was just finishing washing the dishes from my dinner when I heard the Jeep pull up outside. I paused, my hand on the handle of one of the knives in the knife block, and waited. Vaughn had said that someone could steal or imitate the Jeep, or that someone could get the jump on him. I wanted him to see that I took his warning seriously.

There was the sound of heavy boots on the dirt, then the front porch—and then the security system beeped, showing that whoever was walking up had the other remote. I heard the key in the lock, and then Vaughn stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

Relief flooded me and I let go of the knife, setting it on the counter. I saw his eyes spark. “Ready for a fight?” he drawled.

“You’re the one who said to be better about protecting myself,” I pointed out.

“Glad to see you’re listening to me, when it comes to some things I’ve told you.” Vaughn took off his boots. “And about those other things . . . it seems like you still need a lesson.”

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