His fingers once again slid down my arm, leaving their warmth on my skin, getting my attention, and he pulled me with him towards his bedroom.

As we walked towards the place where we were about to get kinky for the first time, his voice was resonant and impressive. “Just remember your safe word, Clover. Let’s go do some we-shouldn’t-be-doing-this things.”

Duke walked to the bookshelf above his bed, and the candles he lit cast dancing shadows on the walls, making it awash with warm light, which gave the entire room a soft warmth.

“Nothing quite like a cozy ambiance for a good spanking, no?” I quipped.

The only other light came from a wide window stretching the length of the entire wall. The moonlight streamed in and cast a soft glimmer on what I could see of his room. It was masculine, lots of dark wood and furniture, with a king-size bed.

His voice was a low growl as he pulled me across the room to the bed. I felt alive and tingly when he kissed my neck. The feelings coursing through my veins were almost unbearable.

Suddenly, he pulled back. “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice low and earnest.

A wave of guilt washed over me for having let things go so far with a man who my father would never approve of, but it wasn’t enough to quell the force driving me ahead. That force being lust, pure lust, and nothing but lust.

“Yes,” I said, my voice feeling strange in my throat. “I’m fine.”

He nodded, his eyes still studying my face. “Good,” he said, “because I want to respect you and your wishes, no matter how much I want to keep going.” He smiled down at me and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

“Please, proceed,” I quipped, sounding much braver than I felt.

Duke sat on his gigantic bed, still fully dressed, thank goodness, and patted his thigh, bidding me to sit on his lap.

I did as he asked, feeling overly large while perched on his thighs. I couldn’t help myself, and so I leaned in and took another whiff of his delectable smell. Did the guy bathe every day in fudge, or was it his natural scent that made me want to lick him like chocolate frosting off the spoon? Dear God, it made me crazy.

Still sitting on his lap, I leaned against his sturdy chest, and he ran his fingernails up my side, making me shiver as pulses of pleasure throbbed in my veins with a steady beat.

I whispered, “Cattle prod.”

His body stiffened beneath me, and his formidable erection was the most rigid of all. I counted to five and felt bad to see his brow creased in concern.

“That was just a practice run. I wanted to see if the safe word would really work.”

He pulled away, and a wry smile played on his lips. “You’re too much of a tease, Ms. Clover.”

“I’m sorry. Are you going to punish me for being bad?”

7

CLOVER

Okay, yes, I was asking for it. Exactly what I was asking for, I wasn’t sure, but I needed him to show me what he could do. Needed to feel him against me. I’d give anything to discover what it would be like to feel the hot slap of his hand on my ass, even if I was too shy to ask for it directly. It was time for Duke to toss me around and show me who was really in charge.

I wanted him to be the boss of me.

And not the kind that signed my paycheck.

I held my breath as I waited for his response. His gaze was steady, and the electricity between us crackled and sizzled like a live wire. He cupped my chin with one hand and bent down to press his lips against mine, and embarrassingly, I moaned out loud. I melted against him, falling into his embrace, my inhibitions dropping away as the kiss deepened and his powerful arms wrapped around me.

“You’ve been a very naughty girl, Clover,” Duke breathed against my lips. “And naughty girls deserve a spanking.”

My eyes widened in anticipation, and I made an awkward squeak as he flipped me onto my stomach and positioned me over his solid thighs, which felt like logs under my belly. His large hand rested on my lower back, pinning me tightly enough so I couldn’t move, but not to the point of discomfort. He brought his open palm down hard against my butt, creating a sharp sting that echoed off of the ceiling. I gasped, and my hips bucked in surprise, but Duke held me firmly in place.

Five spankings, and the sensation sizzled through every part of me, not isolated to my buttocks. He started up again, and my body started shaking, brain reeling, and being trapped by him, swatted by him, didn’t feel like punishment.

He was working me into a frenzy, and I writhed on his lap, hips pumping slightly to lose the burning ache between my legs.

“I love how well you took that spanking for me,” he said, then asked in a stern voice. “Do you want me to stop, Clover?”