Page 37 of Merciless Sinner

His words knocked some of the outrage out of me. Maybe I’d been thinking and acting too rigidly…maybe.

“I’ll think about it.”

Jeremy nodded. “I’d offer you good luck, but I don’t think you’re going to need it. But I will wish you patience because you definitely need that.” He lifted my hand to his mouth and pressed a quick kiss to my skin before dropping it and walking away. I watched him move down the sidewalk until his form became a speck in the distance.

You’ve got it all wrong.

His words taunted me. Did I? My body shivered every time I thought of Alex’s hands touching me. Although it was the sound of his voice whispering commands in my ear that made me tremble with the need for more. I’d convinced myself that if I just gave it enough time I’d get over him and the way he made me feel.

I was back in the kitchen elbow deep in flour and sugar when I realized that Jeremy had never answered my second question. He couldn’t have meant what he said. I knew what a collar was, but why would Alex want one for me?

Now Jeremy’s cryptic messages had me more confused than ever. It looked like he was going to get exactly what he wanted. If I wanted to understand or move on I’d have to face Alex and tell him how I really felt.

Too bad I feared saying goodbye in person was going to rip my heart out for good.

Chapter Fifteen

Harper

Alex had agreed to meet me at a coffee shop near Central Park. Not exactly my side of town but still one of my favorite places to enjoy a walk when I needed to clear my head. I’d explored the area a lot so I knew it well.

He’d said nine p.m. sharp and it was already fifteen minutes past that. The fear of being stood up enveloped me. Although why he’d go to all this trouble to not speak to me made no sense. I had no other plans for my evening so it wouldn’t hurt to wait.

I stirred another packet of sugar into the hot black coffee I’d ordered while I waited, observing every person that stepped through the door. Zia had tried to talk her way into coming along, but I’d flatly denied the need for a chaperone. We were a little beyond that now. Besides, it would be hard enough to open myself up to Alex alone, I certainly didn’t need an audience to make me even more nervous.

My stomach rumbled with hunger. I’d been too nervous to eat dinner and now my body demanded food. I eyed the pastries in the case and decided a cookie or cake probably made days ago by some factory and then warmed in a microwave wasn’t going to cut it. I’d get through this meeting and then grab something on the way home.

Instead I thought about the last two weeks. Alex had gotten under my skin from the moment I’d opened my gift to discover a riding crop with a beautifully crafted rose on the end. I’d thought it quite clever to change up a simple whipping tool into a device that almost looked romantic.

The night of the yacht party, when we’d returned to my apartment I’d only gotten a small taste of how it felt to have it strike sharply across my backside. But that tease had me aching for more. Heat built in my core now from imagining it.

My pulse picked up speed. I wanted Alex.

“Waiting patiently, kitten?”

I nearly jumped out of my seat at the sound of his voice behind me. His big hand landed on my shoulder, a warm touch I wanted to sink into after days of nothing.

“I do enjoy people watching,” I answered, a smile ghosting across my face.

He bent behind me and brushed my ear with his lips. “I know you do, but you’ll have to do it another night. Right now I want you to gather your belongings and walk out the front door. No questions. No hesitation. I expect you to obey. My car is waiting outside at the curb. Go now.”

I swallowed, a rush of doubt consuming me. I really wanted to do as he asked, God did I ever. But… If I couldn’t be his for more than a night or two, what was the point? I’d been unable to stay unaffected for one night, let alone two. What would a third do to me?

“Alex—”

“The car, Harper. Now.”

His demanding tone heated my body to boiling in seconds flat. Fuck it. I’d deal with the consequences tomorrow. I gathered my purse and the white box holding the present I’d planned to return and headed for the front door. I didn’t even take the time to look behind to see if he followed me or if anyone noticed what had happened. Nothing seemed to matter at the moment other than the man who wanted my submission.

Brisk winter air blew in my face when I pushed through the front door and out onto the sidewalk. A glance at the street indeed showed a sleek black limo parked at the curb waiting invitingly. His I presumed.

If I got in, there would be no saying no to this man. I craved his touch more than air at the moment and I had the slickness between my thighs to prove it.

“You still have a safeword you can use anytime you want.”

I jumped this time. How he kept sneaking up on me I didn’t know.

“It’s not that.”

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