Page 62 of Compelled Obedience

“That kid in there is as sweet as can be. He spent an hour before I could get him to go to sleep talking about his sissy. Trust me, Kerri, when I say other than my buddy’s little boy calling me Unkie Grant, I have no clue what I’d doing with kids. Maybe I did the wrong thing by allowing him to color and just jabber away, but he was calm. He colored you three beautiful pictures, but he wants to give them to you himself. Finally, he allowed me to read him a book. I’m no actor, but I think he liked my voices. Maybe I’ll allow you hear my version of a donkey some time.”

I grinned on purpose, trying to break the tension in the room. Christ. I was more animated than normal, which shocked the hell out of me.

“I’m glad.” When she lifted her head again, I could see tears in her eyes, which I doubted occurred on a regular basis. She sucked in her breath, trying to hold back a sob. When it didn’t work, she pressed her hand over her mouth, her shoulders slumping.

“Kerri. Remember. I might be your boss but I’ll also your friend, at least I’m trying to be.”

“I know that. You just don’t…” A sob wrestled its way from her mouth. “You don’t know what… that means…” Unable to get out the words, she hunkered over, trying to cry as silently as possible. “I don’t want Casey hurt any longer.”

“By me or by your stepfather?”

Her twisted mouth gave me the answer. Both, but she was terrified that he’d get too close to me. If I was a decent man, maybe I’d leave right now, doing what I could to keep away from her. I wasn’t certain my influence or my lifestyle was good for a kid like Casey. But goddamn it. I refused to let go of her. She’d rocked my world and I wanted her to keep doing it.

Well, it would seem I’d made my final decision.

“Come here.” I placed my glass on the table, waiting to see her reaction.

She didn’t respond right away. When she looked at me again, her eyes glassy, I patted my lap.

“I said. Come. Here.” I kept my tone even and low but commanding.

Everything about the woman pulled at my insides, my need to protect her increasing every day.

She finally lowered the wine to the table, standing on shaky legs. Then she rubbed her palms down the tight little boy shorts, blinking several times as her chest rose and fell. When she finally maneuvered around the end of the coffee table, she remained several feet away, staring at me hesitantly.

“Trust me,” I told her.

“I do trust you.”

For some crazy reason or maybe to prove the point, she dropped to her knees without me asking her to. It was too soon to begin her training, at least in my mind. She was still vulnerable and if I handled the situation the wrong way or came off too authoritative, she’d never tolerate my command. Whether or not she was trying to prove something either to me or to herself remained to be seen. The electricity soaring between us was unstoppable, my pulse racing. The woman not only pulled at my sadistic desires but my heartstrings as well.

“My beautiful Kerri,” I said. “Such a good girl.”

My balls tightened as she dropped on all fours, taking her time crawling around the table toward me.

Exhaling, I realized my heart was thudding against my chest muscles. She was methodical in her actions, keeping her eyes locked onto mine as she inched closer.

I eased my foot to the floor, spreading my legs wide open and sitting back in the chair, watching her intently. She swung her head, her ponytail slicing against the floor. Then I heard a distinct purr and my cock pushed hard against my zipper. The girl had a way of getting under my skin like no other woman had.

Kerri continued her path and when she was between my legs, she rested her head on my knee, peering up at me as if looking for praise. I slowly lowered my hand, rubbing the top of her head. I sensed another portion of her tension flowing away, leaving her with more curiosity and desire, the scent of her need floating to my nostrils.

Fuck me. I wasn’t going to be able to control myself around her for long.

When she kneaded the inside of my calf, I took a deep breath and held it. She started to slide her hand up to the bulge between my legs, but I pushed her away gently, easing her to her feet.

I reached out to take her hand instead, lifting my eyebrow when she didn’t react instantly. Saying nothing, I allowed her to make the decision but when she grasped my fingers, I immediately pulled her toward me and onto my lap.

“I realize you don’t know me that well, Kerri.”

“I don’t know you at all.”

I lifted my gaze and she bit her lip. “Very well. You know almost nothing about me. However, you need to get it through that pretty head of yours that I’m not going to hurt you or Casey. I don’t know what you’ve heard about me and frankly, I don’t care. Have I done some bad things in my life? Absolutely, but I’ve never hurt a woman intentionally and I never will. And this has nothing to do with acts of BDSM. Do you understand the difference now?”

Some tension eased from her face. “I think so. I know you’re angry with me about hiding my identity, especially earlier, but it allowed me to see you differently. I was wrong about you, but—”

Before she could finish, I placed my fingers against her lips. I expected her to try to break free from my hold but within seconds, she pressed the full weight of her body against mine.

“Talk to me about the threats. What did Sanchez say to you?” I wasn’t going to allow her to get off that easily.

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