Page 44 of Tamed

She’d curled herself up, looking all sleepy and warm and sensual, giving me a smoldering look from underneath silky red lashes. My cock was all for that, the traitorous bastard, but I ignored it as she took the tumbler.

“Don’t look at me like that, Isabel,” I said, because it was best she knew straight up. “It’s not going to happen.”

One red brow lifted. “What’s not going to happen?” Her clear voice was husky, a caress of soft fingers trailing over my chest. “As I recall, you wanted to show me what I could and couldn’t handle, and so far, all I’ve done is handle it. Did you miss something, maybe?”

Jesus, she was such a fucking brat.

There was an edge to her challenge now, a sensual edge that hadn’t been there before, that had everything male in me gathering tight, wanting to show her exactly what I’d missed.

But I’d decided nothing else was going to happen and so nothing would. She wasn’t in charge of this, I was, and I’d had twenty years of staying in control. I wasn't going to let her goad me into doing anything else. After all, she’d never beaten me at chess. Not once.

“I'm done teaching stubborn children lessons.” I kept my tone deliberately dismissive. “Drink your scotch. You’re going back to the penthouse apartment for the night and then tomorrow we’ll have a little chat about your extra security needs.”

Her eyes narrowed, the glitter in them going from smoldering to sharp in seconds flat. “I see. So, you spank me, get me to suck your cock, and now you’ve taken what you wanted, you’re getting rid of me.”

So, we were back to fighting again, we were? A part of me regretted that, but not enough to change my mind. It had to be this way and the sooner she understood that the better.

“Don’t pretend for a second that you didn’t want me spanking that ass of yours.” I kept my tone devoid of expression. “And don’t pretend you didn’t enjoy sucking my dick, before coming hard the instant you touched your clit. We both took what we wanted, Isabel. But it ends here and you being sulky about it isn’t going to make me change my mind.”

She flushed but didn’t say anything immediately. Instead, she took a slow sip of her scotch and after a couple of moments asked, “Why does it have to end now? Because if you’re worried about anyone finding out, no one knows I’m here, Caleb. Only you. We could do whatever we wanted and no one else would know.”

It was true, but I didn’t need that thought in my head, not when my cock was busy trying to convince me otherwise.

“No,” I said. “And don’t ask again. I don’t like having to repeat myself.”

She leaned back in the chair, the movement making the fabric of her dress slide down further over the curve of one breast, and she made no move to adjust it. She didn’t look the slightest bit cowed either. “Or what?”

“What do you mean ‘or what’?”

That sensual edge glinted in her eyes again. “I mean what will you do if I ask again?”

Fuck. Somehow, she knew, didn’t she? Somehow, she knew I liked it when she’d challenged me. It had been obvious that I’d enjoyed spanking the hell out of her too, since I’d made her deal with the consequences.

Still, if she thought she could manipulate me, she had another think coming.

It had been fifteen years since Old Nick’s betrayal. I’d taken his throne and the minute I had I’d stopped being the weapon he turned on other people who didn’t do what he said. I’d become the one who wielded it instead. No one used me and no manipulated me, still less some little girl annoyed at not getting her way.

I met her gaze and let her see the will in mine. “Then I’ll get security to deal with you.”

“Why? Not man enough to deal with me yourself?”

It was a clumsy strike, and she probably knew it, My masculinity wasn’t so fragile that her scorn could crack it. So, I didn’t rise to the bait, looking at her instead, seeing beyond her sullen anger to the hurt that lay beneath it. Because of course she was hurt. I’d rejected her.

But that was too bad. Everything about this was wrong and if I had to hurt her in order to frighten her away, to make her reconsider this ill-advised crush, then I’d do it. I’d never shied away from doing the difficult things.

“Put your claws away, Isabel,” I said without heat. “You know they don’t work on me.”

She stared back and I should have known then that she wouldn’t let this go, because Isabel never did. She had a will on her that could have rivaled my own, especially when she wanted something.

Abruptly, she knocked back the rest of her scotch, then put the tumbler down on the table beside her. And before I could say a word, she slid both straps of her dress off, giving her shoulders a little wriggle so the fabric slipped down. Then she pushed it down further, over her hips and off, taking her thong along with it.

She sat back in the armchair, completely naked save for those strappy golden sandals, chin lifted high. “How about now?”

Brat. Fuckinggorgeouslittle brat.

She was all flushed creamy skin and the prettiest freckles everywhere, like a scattering of golden stars. Breasts just as full and round as I’d suspected with delicate, shell pink nipples. And as I already knew, the curls between her thighs were as red as her hair.

I’d seen too many naked women to count so the naked body of this one shouldn’t have affected me. Tits were tits and a pussy was a pussy, nice to touch and to taste, and to get me hard, but if I didn’t want to get hard, then I wouldn’t.

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