Page 3 of Bet On Me, Daddy

“Thank you, Ruby.”

Turning on his heel, Braden strode away, with the two silver foxes trailing after him and Ruby sagged against the bar in relief.

“Where’d you send them?” Lottie whispered from her spot on the floor.

“To the private rooms. It won’t take them long to check, especially if they’re all booked, so if you’re going to make a move, you better do it now.”

“Thanks.” Pulling herself up, Lottie brushed at her dress and flashed a bright smile. “I’m going to go hide in Daddy’s office and pretend I have no idea what’s going on. Wish me luck!”

She hurried off too quickly for Ruby to point out that she had about five pounds of glitter in her hair, ruining her chances at plausible deniability. For her sake, hopefully Braden would have cooled off by the time he thought to check his office. But that was Lottie’s problem. Ruby had done her part by her fellow brat, so whatever happened next was out of her hands.

“That was very naughty, Ruby Red.”

A familiar, amused voice pulled her attention away from Lottie’s retreating form to the man leaning against the bar, watching her with a smirk on his ridiculously handsome face.

Nobody, and she meantnobodyhad a right to look as drop-dead gorgeous as Beckett Stone managed to on a regular night. And certainly no man had any right to retain that sexy-with-a-hint-of-dangerous aura Beckett had when that man was covered in sparkly, shimmering multicolored glitter.

Doing her best to ignore the sudden throbbing need between her thighs, Ruby greeted his smirk with one of her own. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

One dark eyebrow raised in a look that never failed to make Ruby’s knees weak. “Now you’re lying to me, too.” Letting out a heavy sigh, Beckett shook his head as he slid onto the seat directly in front of her. “Those tallies are adding up, naughty girl.”

For months, they’d been dancing around each other. Flirting and teasing, with her playing the brat and him hinting that someday, maybe in the near future, he’d take her to task for it.

So far, he hadn’t done more than shake his head and give her those butterfly-inspiring looks, much to her disappointment. From what she’d heard, Beckett Stone’s prowess with a flogger and other implements more than lived up to his smoldering good looks.

Tonight, however, she was feeling bolder than usual. Folding her arms on the gleaming wood of the bar, she leaned in. The move had their faces—and their lips—closer than ever and she could barely think with the adrenaline pumping through her veins. “You know, they say you should start the year off with a clean slate. What do you say, Master Beckett? Want to clear my tallies?”

He smelled… spicy, she decided. She’d never gotten close enough to actually smell him before, but whatever cologne he wore was weaving itself around her senses, teasing her with promises of things he’d been holding out of her reach for weeks now.

The few other times she’d thrown out a casual suggestion of a scene together, he’d shut down immediately. She should have given up on him long ago, but there was just something about him. There was the dominance he wore as well as the expensive designer suits he favored, but it was more than that. Beckett Stone was a challenge, and she’d never been able to resist a challenge. Especially where a hot, bossy man was concerned.

Tonight, however, Beckett didn’t pull away like he usually did. His head tilted slightly to the side and his gaze, unnervingly steady, stayed locked on hers. “Would you like that, Ruby Red? Would you like me to hurt you, so you can start your year with a clear conscience?”

She didn’t actually feel guilty about any of the ‘naughty’ things he’d supposedly been keeping tallies of. Not even about lying to Braden. But did she want him to hurt her?

Oh, hell yes.

Heart pounding, mouth drier than the Sahara, she gave him a raised eyebrow of her own. “If I say yes, are you just going to run off like you usually do when the topic of us doing a scene together comes up?”

Some Doms would be put off by such a forward question. But Beckett didn’t so much as flinch. “No. No, I don’t think I will, Ruby Red.”

Well… shit. That changed the game a bit. Normally, their dance ended with her casually daring him to follow through on some threat he’d made and him flashing her a charming smile as he turned her down. She hadn’t actually expected him toagreeto a scene.

Now that he had, though, she couldn’t be the one to back down. Her pride was on the line here, just as much as her ass. So even though her heart felt like it might very well pound right out of her chest, she nodded. “Then yes, Sir, I would very much like for you to hurt me.”

“How badly do you want it?”

Fuck, if he kept talking to her like that, in that low, almost growly tone, she was going to need a mop for the puddle she was leaving on the floor. “Sir?”

“Convince me, Ruby Red. Make me believe you want me to clear your slate for you.”

A dozen scenarios ran through her head, most of which consisted of her on her knees, doing some very enthusiasticconvincing. “What did you have in mind, Sir?”

“Come clean to Braden about helping Lottie hide and lying to him, and let him know I have your punishment well in hand.”

He could have requested she strip naked and do the hula in the middle of downtown Charleston and she wouldn’t have blinked. But tattling on herself to Braden?

Hard pass.

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