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The girl, all gorgeous curves and a pretty, girl-next-door sort of face, widened her eyes while the man next to her frowned so fiercely Lottie nearly slammed the door closed again to avoid his glare. He looked familiar, vaguely so, but she figured she would have remembered running into an absolute silver fox like him before.
“I’d like to ask you the same question.”
“Stand down, Damian. This is Charlotte, my…” Pushing away from where he’d been leaned against his desk, Braden frowned. “It’s complicated.”
Complicated? Complicated was what people said when they were stuck in a relationship they didn’t really want to be in. So much for all those sweet words he’d whispered in her ear that morning. Asshole.
Plastering on a bright smile, Lottie approached the couple with her hand out. “I’m his next-door neighbor. And the woman he’s fucking.”
“Charlotte!” Braden’s scolding tone might have made her wince if she wasn’t so pissed at him.
The woman beside Damian accepted the handshake with even wider eyes, which Lottie wouldn’t have thought possible until she’d watched it happen. “Nice to meet you. I’m Emily.”
“Lottie. I hope you don’t mind me saying so, but gosh you’re pretty. Is that your natural hair color?”
Emily raised her free hand to run it over her honey-colored locks. “Yes?”
“Seriously? I know women who pay hundreds for highlights like that. I might have to hate you just for that.”
“Charlotte!”
Rolling her eyes at Braden’s scolding tone, she let go of Emily’s hand and turned to face him. “What? It’s a compliment!”
“Apologize. Now.”
“Oh, that’s okay, Braden.” Emily smiled. “She doesn’t need to apologize.”
Lottie flashed Emily another bright smile. “We’re going to be such good friends.”
An adorable pink flush crept across Emily’s cheeks. “We are?”
“Definitely.”
“Braden, what the hell is going on?” The grouchy-looking older man somehow managed to look even grouchier as he glared at Braden. “Who is this and why the hell are you letting her act like a spoiled brat?”
“Probably because I am one,” Lottie supplied cheerfully. Tweaking Mr. Grouchy Pants was doing wonders for her mood, and she was almost able to forget about the painful ache between her thighs as she watched his silver beard twitch.
“Charlotte, please stop baiting my brother before you give him a coronary. I’m not sure Emily here will ever forgive us if we murder her fiancé.”
“Fiancé?” Squealing, Lottie spun back to Emily and held out her hand. “Let me see the ring.”
Her cheeks turning even pinker, Emily held her left hand up for inspection. Lottie gasped at the sight of the gorgeous cushion cut diamond, flanked on either side by sapphires on Emily’s finger. “It’s gorgeous. Mr. Grouchy Pants has good taste.”
“All right. Now that you’ve met everyone, you can march your naughty bottom over to the corner for five minutes. Maybe a time out will remind you of your manners.”
Letting go of Emily’s hand, Lottie turned to glare at her asshole of a Daddy. “Maybe I would be able to remember my manners if someone hadn’t been so mean to me all day.”
Braden smiled, a flash of teeth that made the butterflies in her stomach jump. “You haven’t seen mean yet, little one. Corner, now, before I decide you’d look much better wearing stripes from Daddy’s belt across your ass.”
The part of her that was pissed from being kept on edge all day wanted to fight with him. To push, just to see how far she could go before he followed through on his threat. Hell, that part of her almost wanted him to follow through. Maybe a good hard spanking would make her feel a little less antsy.
But there was something about being punished in front of his brother and Emily that just seemed humiliating. Even more so than when he’d plugged her and flogged her in front of the entire club. She just couldn’t imagine sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner and having to look them in the eye, knowing they’d watched her get her bottom spanked like a naughty little girl.
“Fine. I’m going.”
Tilting her nose in the air, Lottie turned on her heel and sashayed over to the corner Braden had pointed to.
“Dress up, panties down, Charlotte.”
