Requested Surrender (20 page)

“Is this about some of the albums not being cleaned?”

“No.” But now that she’d mentioned it, he’d have to check on that.

“The broken piece of paperclip that’s wedged in the lock on the bottom desk drawer?”

“No.” Jesus, exactly how much mischief had she gotten into while he was gone? He didn’t want to know so he directed her. “It’s about going somewhere when you weren’t supposed to.”

“Oh.” She was too relieved. What the hell? “The garden. Sure, I went there and I, ah, was throwing the other stuff I said out there…well, because it
could have
looked like I didn’t clean a couple of albums. They were pretty dirty and hard to scrub.”

He took a deep breath through his nose, folded his arms across his chest, and then let the air out of his lungs in one frustrated shot as he stared her down.

“And the paperclip fell.”

She said this so fast it took him a second to comprehend. “Excuse me?”

“It, ah, fell and…it was a heck of a thing to get stuck like that in the drawer lock.”

If there was a reason she hedged and fibbed rather than deal honestly with him, he had yet to find it. But now wasn’t the time to go on that journey, so he decided to leave her ridiculous excuse alone as that paperclip would have had to levitate sideways after it fell to get wedged in that lock, and said, “I wasn’t referring to the gardens either.”

“No?” Did she just gulp? “They’re quite lovely.”

“Lacy.”

Plopping back down on the stool, she whispered, “Yes?”

He uncrossed his arms and stepped forward. Getting within two feet of her when she cried, “I’m sorry. I never should have gone in there. I didn’t mean to. It just sort of—”

“Stop. That’s enough. You know as well as I do there’s two handles on that bookcase door. So you’d really have to
mean
to open it before you got into my dungeon.”

She stood so fast she almost fell. “What? David, I…”

 He held up a hand to silence her as a calmness settled over him. She looked so confused that his earlier anger dissipated. This was Lacy. She wasn’t that woman. The
only
other woman he’d ever invited into his home. The one submissive who had gotten to him and in the end didn’t have enough faith to stay and work things out. Even though he’d thought Lacy had deserted him for a few minutes earlier, she was still here. And that other woman? She was another time. Another David. This wasn’t about desertion. This was about Lacy. The woman who willfully disobeyed him. “Tell me why you went in there after you were told not to?”

“I don’t know. I shouldn’t have. You were being so patient with me.”

He closed the distance between them and took her by the arms. “You don’t want my patience. You want the slap of my hand or the sting from my belt on your ass. Why? Would that make you feel better after you’ve done something wrong?”

“No.”

Not very convincing. Maybe it was time to give her a choice. He’d intended to have her pick between two things as punishment, but now decided to add a third. “Prove it to me.”

He let her go and walked to the workstation. Pulling the two items out of his breast pocket he put them down on the counter.

“David?” She had a right to be worried. And she was, he heard it in her tone.

“I want you to decide. After disobeying me by going into that room when I told you not to, there are going to be consequences. You have three choices. You can choose the chalk and write what I tell you to write on that chalkboard three hundred times in a row. Or you can take this hair tie and use it to tie your hair back as you strip naked and then stand in the corner for fifteen minutes thinking about what you did.”

“Or?” she prompted when he hesitated.

 “Or you can choose to come to me.” He went to the winged back chair in the bay window and sat. “At which time I will take your pants down and bend you over my knee to receive five hard strokes for disobeying me.”

She hesitated, but when she came toward him it was a telling moment, and he hoped, another turning point in their relationship.

Chapter Fifteen

 “This is my first time so I’d rather get this over with quickly.”

Lacy seemed so sure of that happening David felt sorry for her. “Your first, angel? Trust me, this is going to last a lifetime. Come here.”

She started to undo her pants and he stopped her. Willing her not to look away from him when he told her, “I said I will take them down. No, don’t turn your head. I want you to watch me.”

Her cheeks were bright red, but she used the guts he’d constantly accused her of having, because she didn’t move and she didn’t turn away either. Which was good. It gave him the opportunity to take his time.

She probably expected him to pull her pants down and put her across his lap for a good old-fashioned spanking. No doubt Colin had filled her in on that process. Ethan was old school and loved that kind of shit. David loved it too, but usually as a prelude to better things to come. Like his woman. Unfortunately there would be no coming for Lacy this afternoon. This was lesson time.

Leaning back, he moved the edge of his suit jacket off his right leg and then off his left. All the while eyeing her as he unbuckled his belt and then pulled it free of the loops.

“What are you going to do with that?”

He didn’t answer her. He just laid the belt over his lap and sat forward. “Don’t move.” As efficiently as he could he undid her jeans. When he parted the zipper and saw the little scrap of a thing she called underwear he had to steel himself. Pink, soft and inviting, like the skin beneath it. Damn.

One quick tug and both her pants and underthings were crumpled in a pool at her feet. He remained staring up at her as he collected the belt off his lap and slowly folded it until it was doubled up.

“David. You’re not going to use that on me are you?”

She was so transparent, he smiled. Where were her guts now? “I am.” When he touched the leather to her outer thigh she jerked and he used his free hand on her hip to steady her. “Easy. I want you to feel this.”

“It’s…it’s soft.”

“Very and in a minute it’s going to be warm too. You’re skin’s going to take care of heating it before it returns the favor.”

“This is crazy.”

He deepened the pressure of his hand on her and whispered, “Relax and talk to me.”

“About what?”

He dragged the doubled-up edge of his belt up her thigh, over her hip and through that delicate silky patch of hair he loved so much. “Why you had the need to go exploring when I specifically told you not to?”

“I don’t know.”

At least she blinked when she lied to him. “You know.” He continued to caress her with the leather. This time going to the opposite hip and tracing the belt edge around his hand and down her leg. “Tell me.”

“I was curious.”

“Don’t close your eyes.”

She looked down at him. “It’s hard not to when you’re…when…the leather is much warmer now.”

“Did you think you’d find a lot of freaky stuff?”

She nodded.

He smiled. “I have a plethora of freaky stuff.”

Her eyes widened. “But—ow!”

Without warning he’d landed the belt on her upper thigh. “If you had been patient I would have introduced those items to you. Put your hands behind your back please.”

Her scowl was impressive and so was her pouty little tone  when she whined, “It stings and it’s itchy.”

“You best get used to that.”

“Can I scratch it?”

“No.”

“Ow.”

“Lacy.” He gave her a warning as she tried to use her hand to rub the spot on her ass he’d smacked. “Keep your hands clasped together and think about what you should be saying at a time like this.”

“You’re hurting me?”

And there were her guts.

“Y-e-o-o-o-w!”

This time when he landed the belt he did it twice as hard as before. Hopefully she’d get the message and stop being a brat.

“I’m sorry.”

“Better.” To make sure she didn’t misconstrue his actions he caressed her right butt cheek with the belt before he smacked the leather against it. Not very hard. But hard enough.

“I shouldn’t have gone into that room.”

“And?” He held the belt up, ready to land the last smack. Waiting.

“And I will never go in there again.”

And now she was fucking with him.

“O-w-w-w!”

That one was going to leave a mark. “I think you’ll be going in there again. Only when you do it will be with me, understood?”

She nodded again.

“Good. Let me help you.” He worked to right her clothes and then brushed her hair off her face and asked, “Are you okay?” He wasn’t worried that he’d physically hurt her. He was more concerned about her emotionally. This kind of thing touched some women very deeply.

Without an invitation she straddled his lap and hugged him tight.

Tighter still when he reciprocated and whispered, “What’s the matter?”

“It’s that stupid saying.”

“What saying?”

“The one you make me…The one I say before I go to bed.”

“I see.” He rubbed her back when she laid her head on his shoulder.

“No, you don’t. Not at all. You’re the first one whose ever… I mean… You’re paying attention.”

David frowned. He thought about those words as it occurred to him that exactly what he wanted from her was the one thing she was craving from him. He’d have to think about that. “I think you need someone in your corner, don’t you?”

He felt her nod against his neck and her agreement pleased him to no end. After a moment of silence he asked, “Is there something you aren’t telling me about today?”

Instinct told him she was holding back something.

“Uh uh.”

Clearly, whatever it was she wasn’t prepared to share at the moment. She would eventually though. He’d make sure. “Hey, do you like surprises?”

Finally she eased her grip and sat back. “Depends.”

“On?”

“Whether they’re good or bad.”

He grinned. “I’ll have to keep that in mind.”

Avoiding him, that’s what she was doing as she looked down and fiddled with his collar, asking, “How did Phil take to boot camp?

“He didn’t. That’s why I got back early.”

Now she seemed interested at least. She looked up. “Oh?”

 “Yeah,” Now who was doing the avoiding?  He turned away, feeling like a total ass admitting, “We had a thing.”

“Hm.” She tugged on his tie until he was forced to look at her. Then she asked in a cheeky little voice, “And what does
thing
actually mean?”

“Call it a meeting of the minds.”

Her eyes widened and she said, “Interesting, seeing as how he doesn’t speak English and you don’t
hablo español
.”

 “It was the meeting of guy minds.”

She nodded and reached up to curl a lock of his hair over his ear. “Oh yeah, I totally get that, as men speak a language all their own.”

This time he couldn’t ignore it. He grabbed her around the waist and tickled her. “Careful.”

She squeaked and then squirmed. His favorite thing. “Stop. Please.” And when he did, she said in earnest. “Seriously. You and Phil really did communicate?”

“Yeah. We bonded.”

He didn’t like the way her eyes got a dreamy glaze over them as she drew out, “Aww…”

“It wasn’t like that.”

“But you didn’t drop him off at The Canine Academy and you’re calling him Phil instead of sneaky bastard. I heard you yesterday, you know?”

David sighed and plucked some of the dried grass off her blouse. “Well, don’t be reading more into this than there is. Phil is a dog.”

She looked down and brushed some grass off herself. “Yeah, but when Phil was Phyllis, she was princess. A spoiled one at that.”

“Don’t remind me.” He helped her up and then moved to put his belt back on.

“My ass is still itchy.”

“Good. “ He finished doing up his buckle.

“Why is that good?”

“It will serve as reminder.” Standing, and before she argued, he added, “Do you want to know what the surprise is?”

“Is it a good one?”

“I think so. I want you to pack. Enough clothes for a day and a night because I’ve decided we can leave this afternoon instead of tomorrow morning.”

“To go where?”

“Silver Lake. The gang is going to be up there tomorrow for a few hours and I thought—”

He didn’t get a chance to finish what he was saying when she flung herself into his arms.

“Jo and Ted, too?”

“Yes. Hey.” He leaned back and looked down at her. “Did you call your parents and tell them we’ll be going to your brother’s party next week?”

“Um hm.” The smile she gave him was a tight one. “I’m counting the days.”

Even though he knew she was kidding he said, “I’m glad.” Then he took her by the hand and added, “Now before you pack, I want to show you something.”

When she figured out he was going to take her to his dungeon, she started to backpedal.

“I wanted to tell you that I didn’t really get a good look at the room. I swear. So I may be shocked if you’re going to show it to me now.”

“Good to know.” He opened the door, turned on the light and pulled her in. “Now, if you had waited for me to show you this, you may have been impressed.”

“I am. Really, I didn’t mean—what’s that?”

He held up the controller. “A remote.”

He almost laughed when she pointed at him and said, “You are James Bond.”

Pressing the release, he held the button until the back wall slid open revealing some of his more interesting stuff. “Freaky enough for you?”

She didn’t even attempt to close her mouth as she stared at his toys.

“What do you think?”

After a thirty count, she turned and curtly nodded to the wall. “I think I’m going to have get an inventory list and then revisit my hard limit territory with you.”

“And I think”—he pressed the button and while the door closed, he tilted up her chin with the edge of the remote— “you need to pay attention to what I tell you and do what I ask. Agreed?”

The door locked and when it clicked, she jumped. “Yes.”

“Good, now go get packed. We leave in an hour.”

Chapter Sixteen