Page 71 of Scorching Sienna

Not for the first time, I sense he isn’t joking. I mean, he must be right. But the way he says it holds no humor and not a glint of a lie. Is he capable of that?

I don’t wait to be told again and spin on my heel before heading toward the exit. Damon's eyes follow me until I am out of sight. I practically speed walk towards the door to the back offices, keeping my head low. I don’t feel like waiting around like a puppy, but I don’t have a car. I pull out my phone and order a cab, surprised when it tells me one will be here in ten minutes. I go to his office and plop down on the couch, reviewing everything that happened.

He publicly declares ownership of me, yet he hasn’t even said he likes me. I sigh in frustration and drop my head back against the couch. The painting above my head catches my attention at this angle, particularly a piece of paper sticking out the back. I reach up to tug on it and then jump in fright as the painting unhooks from the wall. Luckily, the couch cushions it’s fall else Damon would know I havebeen snooping.

The back of the painting is loose, and when I remove the cover, I realize there is another painting behind the one being displayed.

It is a painting of Damon as I have never seen him before. Here, he looks younger, less burdened by life, and free.

When I turn it over, the painting is signedJ. Scarva.There is also a folded handwritten note.

My love for you will never die, and now you know its depth. xxx

Reading this makes me feel uncomfortable. Jealously bubbles up, and I wonder if whoever wrote him this note was loved in return by the man infecting my heart. Perhaps they were. For this painting and note to be kept by a man who I didn’t think had any attachments must mean he had feelings.

The beeping of my phone, letting me know the cab is here, is so welcomed that I rush to put the painting and note away and then practically run out of his office and down the corridor.

Once out of the building, I feel like I can breathe. The driver hoots and greets me with a friendly smile.

“Hop in.” I do as I am told and then pop Damon a message to let him know I have left. He might be pissed, but I don’t care. I can’t be hanging around waiting for him. Besides, I am an adult. I can do what I want. For good measure, I even put my phone on silent once I confirm my message had gone through.

“So, you work atSin,hey? I heard that place is a vibe.” My driver, Abby, is glancing at me in the rearview mirror. She is no older than twenty, with big glasses and a bigger hairdo. She has styled it into some sort of 80’s updo that is strangely fitting.

“It’s okay, I suppose. I haven’t been to the club area, so I’m not sure.” We head out of the parking lot and follow the route home. To my new home. All the while, Abby talks my head off. Mainly about some guy she is dating who has a child and how she isn’t sure if she is ready to be a mother.

Her chattering stops after a few minutes as bright headlights illuminate the whole car.

“Who the fuck drives with their brights on. And why the fuck is he driving on my ass? Just pass!” Abby shouts as if the person can hear her while her hand flies back and forth to get her words across. While she is annoyed, I can tell she is also scared when the car overtakes. It is a black Astin Martin. The same one I arrived in a couple of hours ago atSin. Brake lights force Abby to do the same, and we all come to an abrupt halt in the middle of the road. Luckily, the road is quiet, and no vehicles are behind us.

The driver's door opens, and the devil himself climbs out. He is all fury and deliciousness, his suit-clad figure approaching the vehicle both making me wet and nervous.

He taps on Abby’s window, and without hesitating, she rolls her window down.

“I’ll take the passenger from here. How much do I owe?” Damon's voice, while sensual, holds an edge to it that those who don’t know him would miss. He is angry. Furious.

“I can pay for myself.” He ignores me and hands Abby two-hundred-dollar notes, bringing a huge smile to her face as she gushes her thanks. Some semblance of reality must hit as she remembers that I, too, have free will, which I might want to exert.

“Um, do you know this guy?” Abby looks at me in the rearview mirror, a little concern now flitting across her face.

“No. I don’t really know him.” I can’t help saying this, even knowingthat I am probably poking the bear.

“Rainbow, if you don’t leave this car willingly, I will come back there and haul you out.” Dammit. Instead of fear, a delicious shiver runs down my spine, and my core fizzles as if two rocks are being hit together and the spark of a fire is being created. I know where it leads—to an inferno. Blushing, I huff and then open the door, giving Abby a quick goodbye and reassurance that I am fine before I start speed walking toward Damon's vehicle.

Abby is out of there quicker than I can get to the car, and when I hear Damon's steps gaining on me, I do something ridiculous. I start running. I make it past his car, not realizing that his footsteps are no longer behind me. He has moved around the other side of the vehicle and is already by the bonnet—damn heels.

Two strong hands grip my shoulders, halting me in my tracks and pushing me backward. The grill of the vehicle hits the back of my legs, and I stumble, landing on my ass atop one of the most expensive cars in the world.

“Don’t run from me, Sienna. Do you know what that is to a man like me?” His hands are on the bonnet on either side of my thighs as he leans in, his cologne and unique scent sweeping over me. This whole situation is a sensation overload. And what if someone comes? That thought adds to the excitement as I stare at the shadow inching toward me.

“It’s like an invitation rainbow. A delicious calling card to catch you and then cage you until I tame you. With my words,” he whispers, dipping his head to my ear.

“With my touch.” He grabs my legs and pulls me forward as I slide down the bonnet and meet his groin, the hardon there grinding deliciously against my pussy.

“Until you submit to me like the good girl I know you are.”

“Would you like that, Sienna?” His dark chocolate eyes are nearly black, and his jaw twitches with restraint as he waits for me to answer. Waits for the words I know he likes to hear.

“Yes, Daddy Damon.”

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