Page 28 of Bound to the One-Night Stand

“Kessily told me you’re stuck.”

“It’s not funny,” her muffled voice flits through in a sullen huff.

Closing my eyes, I rest my head against the door and hold back the laugher threatening to rise to the surface. I can almost see her in there, sulking like an errant brat. However, as much as I want to take her in hand, I need to get her to open the door first.

I shake my head and pull away, keeping my tone as neutral as possible. “No one said it was.”

“I can hear it in your voice!” This time, she’s a little louder, as if possibly screaming.

This won’t do. Making a scene will only make matters worse. Dropping my voice into ‘Dom mode,’ I lean in closer so nothing I say is missed. “Keep acting like that, and I’m definitely going to laugh at you.”

Small vents near my face pop open, revealing a set of wide eyes blinking at me. “You shouldn’t laugh at people.”

“If you don’t want people laughing, then you shouldn’t be acting like a brat,” I counter.

She slumps down, disappearing from view. “I’m not acting like a brat.” Again, her tone turns sullen—a clear hallmark of a brat in need of taming.

“Your petulant tone begs to differ,” I counter, willing my erection to flag.

The last thing I need is a hard-on while trying to coax my skittish bride out of her enclosure. It’s hard enough to think when her scent coats me from the inside out.

Again, she pops back up, her gaze blazing. “It’s not petulant!”

“Wanna try that again?” I raise my eyebrow at her, the Dom in me stirring to the forefront once more.

I’m more than happy to give her space, if that’s what’s needed. What I will not do is allow her to continue acting like this without giving me just cause.

“Sorry, Master,” she whispers, her gaze lowering to the floor.

My cock surges up again as arousal strangles my brain. It must have been my tone. I certainly wasn’t expecting her to use my honorific from last night. Does this mean she’s far more receptive to being my slave than we both originally thought?

Maybe beneath this icy veneer, what she really needs is for me to take her in hand. Could I really have been that blind? Should I have just taken her over my knee and spanked her the moment her mood shifted?

No. There’s no way that would have helped anything. I am, however, filing this interaction away for future study. Craning my neck forward, I look past her submissive stance to the buttons I can see.

“Press that red one. See what it does.”

All traces of submission leave as she glares up at me and plants her hands on her hips. “Don’t you think I tried that? It’s the button that closed the damn doors to begin with.”

Taking in a deep breath, I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I understand that. But I want to see what it does. Nothing more. Nothing less. I’m not calling your intelligence into question.”

The look she gives me seems doubtful, but she does what I tell her to do. Nothing. Not even a hint of gears grinding to work. Odd. Stepping back over to my side, I press the button and wait as the doors close.

Pressing it again, they open without a hitch. “Try holding the button for five seconds then press it again. Maybe there’s a lock feature we don’t know about?”

I wait as she fumbles about, but still nothing. “I don’t know what else to do,” she wails, panic lacing her tone.

The sound claws at my chest as I stand outside, helpless. My one job is to protect her, and yet, I’m already failing. More than that, we haven’t even gotten to Greece yet and I can’t make her happy.

“Hold tight. I’m going to get a flight attendant.”

“Right,” she grumbles. “As if I have anywhere else to go.”

My fingers clench as I press against the vents. “I’m sureyou’re going through something right now, but I will not allow this disrespect to go on any longer. I have no problem spanking you on this plane, if that’s what you need.”

Her face turns red, but she remains silent. “Is that what you need?” I goad her, my voice raspy with need. “Would a good spanking to set things right?”

“No, Master.” Her voice is soft, barely a whisper, but I hear her.

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