Page 51 of Dance of Ruin

“Come here.”

I begin to step forward.

“Crawl.”

I freeze.

“What?”

“Crawl. Not walk.”

His lips curl darkly in the corners as heat floods my face.

“Why?”

His voice drops. “Again, because I fucking said so. And because I want to watch you on your hands and knees like my little toy, doing my bidding. Fuckingcrawl.”

My face ignites. A thousand shards of humiliation prick my skin.

But I drop to the floor.

Each movement forward feels like I’m tearing myself apart, one fragile piece at a time. And yet, there’s a heat between my legs, pulsing with every drag of my knees across the polished wood for every second I’m like this—naked, obedient.

I hate him for this.

I also hate that my bodydoesn’t.

Nico pushes his chair back a little as I approach, a king waiting for entertainment, then taps the desk in front of him.

“Up.”

I stand, vainly fumbling to cover my nudity this close to him, and turn as if to sit on the edge of the desk.

“No no no.” Nico shakes his head, his eyes darkening as they sweep over my body. “On your knees. Facing away from me.”

Heat rushes to my face so fast I think I might faint. But I do it—I climb onto the cool, wooden desk, get on my hands and knees again, and turn away from him.

“Chest and face on the desk,” he murmurs.

Holy shit.

I can feel his eyes burning into me, barely a foot away from my most private places. But I obey. I lower myself down until my chest presses to the desk, my back arching instinctively, realizing with an electric throb just how exposed I am.

How bare and vulnerable.

I feel his breath on the backs of my thighs, and my teeth clamp down on my lip.

“Spread yourself for me,” he purrs.

I tense.

“Reach back,” Nico continues. “Grab your ass andspread yourselffor me.”

I want the floor to open up and swallow me whole.

But I do it.

My fingers curl into the soft flesh of my ass and pull. I’m shaking, humiliated, and yet?—

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