Page 53 of Taming Seraphine

He cups my face in his large hands. “You took your punishment very well, but I don’t want to train you into thinking that disobedience is acceptable. Do you understand?”

I shake my head.

“Obedience and good behavior are rewarded.” He slides the pad of his thumb over my cheekbone, a warm trail follows his touch, and my skin tingles. “Bad girls who don’t follow the rules go to bed with spanked asses and no orgasms.”

I whimper at the unfairness, even as heat flickers between my legs.“But I told you about my past. Isn’t that worth a reward?”

He stares into my eyes, looking for me to answer that question for myself.

“What if I gave you all the weapons I’m hiding?”

“That would be a start on making amends.” He steps back, giving me space.

I walk to the ensuite, lift the lid off the toilet tank, and pull out two knives I took from the dead men. By the time I turn back, Leroi is already standing in the doorway.

“Is that the last of them?” he asks.

“Yes, including the gun I left on the table.”

He nods. “Apology accepted. Put on some clothes and join me for dinner.”

* * *

The next morning, I’m in front of the chopping board, slicing through every item in Leroi’s refrigerator. All the sharp blades are gone, and all I have is a dull table knife. Stacks of vegetables pile on the counter, looking like they’ve fallen victim to a slasher.

I sat through an entire meal last night and ate everything on my plate, thinking that he would lead me back to the bedroom and give me an orgasm for my good behavior. At the end of the evening, he gathered up all my weapons, locked them in his armory, told me to get some sleep, and left me there. Alone and unsatisfied.

My finger aches from the heavy duty slicing. The only thing keeping me going is imagining each vegetable I hack up as one of Leroi’s body parts.

“What are you doing?” he asks.

I whirl around, finding him leaning against the doorframe, shirtless and in a pair of gray sweatpants. My gaze wanders down the planes of his chest, over the V-shaped muscles at his hips, before resting on the outline of his penis bulging through the fabric.

It’s long and thick and perfectly shaped with a bulbous crown. My breath quickens and my fingers close around the table knife. Heat pools between my legs, and I swallow. By the time I tear my gaze back to his face, he’s raising a brow.

Right. He asked a question.

“There’s nothing to eat, so I had to cut these vegetables.”

The corners of his lips twitch. “Do you answer every question with an accusation?”

“Maybe if you’d given me what I wanted last night, I wouldn’t have to imagine these vegetables were you.” I pick up a zucchini and start slicing it.

He steps closer, and his nearness makes my skin break out in a sweat. I clutch the knife and straighten.

“I have something for you.” He reaches around me for a wok and places it on the stove, then he opens the refrigerator and retrieves a bottle of oil.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“Making breakfast with the proceeds of your massacre.” He pours a splash of liquid into the wok and turns on the flame before giving my chopped vegetables a pointed glance. “Is there anything in there I should know about?”

It takes a second for his comment to fully register, and my cheeks burn. He won’t let me forget about that time I sliced through that man’s dick.

“I wasn’t...” I shake my head, refusing to be flustered. “That depends on what kind of meat you keep in your fridge.”

Leroi snorts. It’s the gentlest of sounds, his expression unchanged, and I can’t help but feel a thrill at having amused him. He reaches for the cut vegetables and throws them into the wok, creating an explosion of sizzling aromas.

He flicks his head toward the refrigerator. “Get a box of eggs, some soy sauce, and start cracking them into the mixture.”

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