And I lost one more to the inevitable fallout of Kate’s unsanctioned little field trip. Because therewillbe consequences. She left the premises despite my specific command to the contrary, and she manipulated Ms. Sutton to do it.
Dinner will be hell tonight.
I linger in my office until five after six, testing a new sorting algorithm I intend to sell to my banking clients. But I’m just delaying the inevitable. Steeling myself for certain fireworks, I make my way to the dining room, only to find that Kate has not yet arrived. I fiddle with my silverware. Consider pouring myself a stiff drink. Decide to keep my head clear for what’s about to happen.
Fifteen minutes later, Kate finally strolls into the dining room. She isn’t wearing a stitch of clothing.
Her hair is loose around her face, every curl springing in a different direction. The scrawl on her chest has faded slightly, but the words are still perfectly clear:Fuck You.
It’s cold in here, or she’s excited: Her nipples stand at full attention, flushed darker than her lips. A clinical part of my brain wishes we were down in the basement. I haven’t used clamps on her yet.
I may not have the opportunity for quite a while.
Her belly rises and falls with her rapid breathing. She settles her hands on her hips, daring me to comment. Her legs are spread just enough that I can glimpse the cutting scars on her left thigh. They range from pink to crimson against her pale, taut flesh. Her Red Cap tattoo is lost in the shadows.
Meeting her gaze without blinking, I say, “You’ll want to take your plate into the kitchen. Raid the refrigerator.”
“Anna didn’t cook?” She sits on the edge of her chair, as if she always eats without the armor of her clothing.
I should have poured that drink. It would give me something to look at now, something to concentrate on without staring at Kate’s body. “Anna is across the street,” I say. “Sitting with your grandmother.”
She pushes back from the table so fast, her chair screeches a complaint. “What’s wrong with Granny?”
I force myself to smile as if I’ve won a boardroom battle. “Nothing,” I say. “But Ms. Sutton’s replacement won’t arrive until morning.”
She tries to swallow. Can’t. “Why is Ms. Sutton being replaced?”
“Because she let you roam free.”
“It wasn’t her fault!”
“She knew the rules.”
“I lied to her. I made up a story.”
“Rules.”
“Goddammit! Granny liked her!”
“That’s unfortunate. But she’ll get used to her new caregiver just as quickly as she got used to Ms. Sutton. Faster, maybe. Because now she’s had practice.”
Kate throws herself back in her chair. From the set of her jaw, she knows it won’t do any good to argue.
“Go get something to eat,” I say.
“I’m not hungry.”
“You need your strength,” I say. “For your punishment downstairs.”
I need my strength too. It’s taking all my willpower not to pull her out of that chair and fuck her on the table. I clench my fists to remind my eager cock that we have our own rules to follow.
She says, “I’m not going downstairs with you.” It’s her turn to fiddle with silverware. I know she’s doing it to avoid looking at my face.
“That’s why you came to dinner naked,” I manage to answer levelly.
“I came to dinner naked, because you planted some sort of tracker in my clothes.”
“I need to protect my wife.”
