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“What about you, though? Is there a part of you that aches to be loved the same way?”
His question took me aback. My knee-jerk reaction was to lie through my teeth, but I’d promised him honestly.
“Of course. All girls dream of being Cinderella and finding her handsome prince, but girls grow into women, and reality conquers childish fantasies.”
“Ouch.” Joshua chuckled, clutching his hand to his chest in mock injury.
“What?” I laughed. “It’s true. We grow up and kiss what we believe to be Prince Charming, only to discover we’ve been making out with a toad covered in warts.”
Joshua shook his head. His eyes twinkled with delight. Gliding his hand to the nape of my neck, he pulled me in close. “I may not have a castle or ride a white horse, but you already know I don’t have warts. Come on, my cynical gorgeous beauty. Let’s dance.”
He stood and extended his hand. A ripple of delight zipped through me as I slid my fingers into his palm. Drawing me tight against his toned body, I closed my eyes as Joshua guided me over the dance floor. Clearing the fears and worries that had cluttered my brain, I let the sure command of his palm at the small of my back and the decadent heat that leached beneath his dark suit consume me. It was enough…more than enough.
“You haven’t asked why I didn’t call you yesterday. Were you not curious?”
“Oh no, I was very curious.”
“Then why didn’t you ask me?”
Quirking one brow, I shrugged.
“Should I start keeping a list of punishments?” he asked in a soft, serene tone. I wondered if I’d heard him correctly.
“Punishments? What for?” I blinked in surprise.
“Communication, little one. I expect simple, honest communication.”
Joshua wanted to flex his Dominant muscles. Fine, but I had no intention of rolling over to show him my underbelly, at least not yet.
“Well, since we’ve not had five minutes alone to even talk about the weather, I don’t think it’s fair you want to punish me for not blurting out such a personal question in front of everyone at the table.”
“You’re such a sassy thing,” he chuckled.
“I prefer to call it playful.”
“Playfully telling me what you think I should do as a Dominant, huh?” He smirked.
“Uh, yeah,” I answered incredulously.
He scowled. “Since you’ve not accepted what I’m offering, I’ll let your cheeky retort slide. Just be aware, once you decide to give me your submission, you can bet your sexy ass that I will keep lists…lots and lots of them.”
A rush of heat washed through me, followed by a quiver of anticipation. Should I dare tell him I looked forward to it? No, not yet. It was still too soon.
“So, my slate is clean?” I asked with an impish grin. He shook his head. “I’m not misunderstanding things, in regard to punishments you think I’ve earned. Do I get to plead my case or am I guilty without due process?”
Joshua threw his head back and laughed. “You’re going to have a red ass twenty-four-seven. You know that, right?”
I couldn’t help but giggle.
“Okay, since I don’t want you to think I’m a heartless bastard…”
“Just a greedy one,” I reminded with a grin.
“Indeed,” he chuckled. “I’ll give you one last chance to ask why I didn’t call you. Then we’ll be starting with a clean slate. But, fair warning, I’m not usually this generous, so don’t expect an offer like this again.”
“I expect a lot of things from you, Josh…err, Master Stephen, but leniency isn’t one of them.” I smirked.
“Oh really?” His brows arched with intrigue. “Like what?”
