Page 12 of On a Fault Line

“Now that sounds ominous.” But she follows behind me anyway as I lead her. “But why?”

“To fulfill your punishment.” Which at this point is a joke…

A year ago, Penny was a shell of who she is, fighting her everyday demons to swim up to the surface and come back to us. In moments like this, where she is carefree and excited for the unknown, I can’t help but think back to that time of seeing her broken.

And use that as a reminder that having Penny laughing—often at my expense—isalwaysworth it in comparison to her catatonic state at Soulful Mind.

“What happens if I like it?”

“If history is any indicator, then you probably will.”

She waves her hands into the air, pumping them a few times. “Oh, good.”

Yup—she’s way too enthusiastic. This girl is going to make me brainstorm and improvise more than I’ve ever had to do in the past to come up with more creative punishments.

Moving over to the wall of windows, I pull back the curtains to allow in more light. Then I sit down in my armchair in the corner of the room and relax into the cushions.

“Dance for me.”

“You’re kidding.”

“We both know I don’t joke.”

She looks at me through narrowed eyes. “Good point.”

“And let the removal of your clothes, one article at a time, be your goal.”

This wasn’t part of my particular plan walking into the bedroom, but seeing Penny in this cotton candy-pink wrap dress is inspiring me to dirty her up some.

She’s so fucking sweet and yet is the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.

It’s the contrast that gets me.

She’s like a filthy-talking angel.

She looks nervous, and I have no clue why. She is every man’s fantasy.

Who doesn’t want someone with a lot less experience who they can help sculpt?

“Get on with it, Penelope. I’m not a man with a lot of patience right now.” My words come out authoritative and a bit harsh.

But she stops overthinking and starts swaying her hips.

“You’re a fucking dream.”

Penny closes her eyes, probably trying to shield herself from my prying gaze. I allow her this one moment of privacy, despite not being able to take my eyes off her.

She just needs some time to adjust to my demands.

“Untie that dress. Slowly.”

With shaky hands, she fidgets with the knot. I can tell she’s getting frustrated. But after a few tries, she has the panels loosened.

“You are being such a good girl following my orders.”

If I wasn’t staring at her face for any subtle reactions, I would have missed the corner of her mouth lifting into a little half-smile.

“You like following directions, don’t you? Does it turn you on to be told what to do and to have no choice but to do it? You love it when I tell you how to move that delectable body of yours—don’t you? You enjoy not having to think about anything but what I tell you. Is that right, Princess?”

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