Page 26 of Her Shameful Wedding Night (Corporate Correction)

Chapter Fifteen

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Bradley seemed distractedas they kissed goodnight, but Zoe attributed it to whatever had just come up on his call, which must of course have had to do with the Selecta case.

“Thanks for taking the time off for the honeymoon,” she said for about the zillionth time, looking up at him. She repeated the oft-spoken refrain mostly to have something to say—an excuse to study his eyes and to try to figure out from those handsome, serious hazel orbs whether he intended to do anything about what he had seen in the church bathroom.

Zoe felt her brow crease as she failed to find in Bradley’s handsome face any intention to take her up to her childhood bedroom and put her over his knee. The previous day the idea that she mightwantsomething of the kind would have seemed crazy. Now theconcepthad perhaps become a good deal more familiar, but her actual reaction still took her by surprise.

How could the shameful thought of a bare-bottom punishment by her fiancé in the house where she had grown up make her knees tremble less in fear than in need? How could it produce not repugnance but rather something much more ambiguous? No, she didn’twantto worry that her parents would hear, coming from her room, the sound of Bradley’s hand on her naughty backside, but...

“Of course,” Bradley said, his smile beaming reassurance at least that whatever had come up on the phone hadn’t threatened their three days in the Caribbean, though his face remained troubled.

“Alright,” she said, for lack of anything else. “Last chance to kiss me before the altar.”

Bradley smiled again, and bent down to kiss her long and tenderly. He twined his arms around her back and held her tight. Zoe expected him to put a hand on her bottom, and found herself rather wishing he would, maybe as a reminder—maybe with a growl in her ear to inform her of what he intended. Bradley didn’t do that, though, instead breaking the kiss but keeping the tight hug going.

“I love you so much, Zoe,” he said.

“I love you too,” she said, debating with herself for a moment whether to say the final word that sounded in her head, and then at last whispering it, “sir.”

The monosyllable seemed to make him hold her tighter for a moment. Then he said, “Can we go up to your room for a minute?”

The crease in Zoe’s forehead returned as she tried to puzzle out the reason for the request. Bradley didn’t seem unhappy with her, and he hadn’t told her shehadto go up to her room with him, the way he might have if he intended to spank her. Did he want to fool around? She would, she thought, definitely be into it—with her door locked, of course—but the expression her bridegroom’s face seemed too serious for that.

“Okay,” she said, and turned toward the staircase, putting her hand behind her for Bradley to take, as a sort of comfort in her confusion. His grip seemed surprisingly strong, as if he knew Zoe needed his hand to steady her.

“Not too much canoodling,” her mom called from the kitchen as they went by, but Zoe could tell she was happy to see the affectionate couple. Zoe hadn’t given her parents any trouble growing up, really—but she knew her parents had worried she might squander her talents in aimless small-town life. Bradley, she felt sure, represented a very welcome steadying force from her mom’s perspective.

You have no idea, Zoe thought, swallowing hard as she climbed the stairs. Though a spanking didn’t seem in the cards, she almost let go of Bradley’s hand so that she could put it defensively over her bottom.

“What’s up?” she asked as she closed the door behind them and turned the lock, making absolutely sure she had done it correctly and feeling a blush come into her cheeks at the memory of the church bathroom.

Bradley’s face had gone very serious, now—so serious that Zoe’s eyes opened very wide.

“That call was from Jake Davies,” he said. “He’s the guy at the state house who’s in charge of our case in the subsidy program.”

“Okay,” Zoe said slowly, very confused now.

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