Page 91 of Puppy on a Leash

My reaction really was annoying. I didn’t understand why I still responded to him the way I did. Sure, I didn’t have a lot of experience with actual relationships, but I would’ve imagined the whole “reacting to every single touch like a live wire” would’ve passed by now.

I guessed it was good that it hadn’t. I imagined things would get boring pretty fast otherwise, but I didn’t like the lack of control. I didn’t like that Tony was getting better and better at disarming me in two seconds flat.

How was I supposed to keep up the fight if I was panting and gasping before he’d done much of anything?

“Now,” Tony drawled, his voice measured, as if this was nothing out of the ordinary and there was no reason for my impatience. He was good at playing the long game when I didn’t have enough wits about me to challenge him at every turn. “Now, you get your reward.”

I blinked.

I liked the sound of getting a reward, but one could never be too sure. Was I getting a reward or was this some setup? I couldn’t think of one reason why I’d be getting a reward. I hadn’t done anything, had I?

Unless.

Laughter spurted out of me. “Because I got the uni to side with me against Gerlach?”

I’d sent Tony the screenshot that morning while he showered and before I headed to my own morning class. To be honest, I’d promptly forgotten about it, which was unlike me, but… Hey. Character development.

Then again, it was probably the fact that I was still lowkey miffed I’d had to begrudgingly admit Tony had been right. After Tony had finally deemed one of my drafted emails as passable, Gerlach had retaliated by grading one of my essays way lower than he should have, and I’d had to do as Tony had said and go through all the bureaucratic channels to get it revised and later on get the dean and a committee involved.

It had been a lot of back-and-forth, and they’d only come to a final resolution this morning. Or yesterday evening?

Whatever. They sent me a very official email this morning with my fixed grade.

No apology from Gerlach for his asshole ways, but the email had thanked me forbringing important issues to light.

“And you didn’t blow anything up in the process.”

I snorted. It had been a close call. “Is the reward boba tea?”

Of course it wasn’t going to be boba tea. I just liked testing his patience, and going off about the Taiwanese drink was one of the easiest ways to do it.

As predicted, Tony gave me one of his trademark glares. “I’mthis closeto looking into becoming a shareholder, but no, pup. Get your ass upstairs.”

“Playroom or…?”

I wasn’t trying to be difficult. The last time I’d gotten it wrong, he’d used it as an excuse to blindfold me for the rest of the evening. It had been hot, but there was no way I’d acknowledge it out loud.

“Bedroom.” Tony smirked as if he knew the exact trip down memory lane I’d just taken. “Start walking.”

He patted my outer thigh. I gasped. How the fuck was I the problem? He was the one who’d gotten me on the couch to begin with.

“Yes, Sir.” I rolled my eyes. “You know the whole keeping me waiting to build anticipation doesn’t work, right?”

It didn’t. I either got too distracted playing solo or I started plotting ways to get back at him.

Tony smirked.

Uh oh.

“Good thing I plan to be right behind you.”

Right. “So you wanna ogle my ass?”

“I’m the one who asks the questions here, pup.”

I spluttered. “Since when?”

Should I even be offended? I was pondering the merits of it when Tony slapped said ass.

---