Quinn gave him a wry smile. “Because in my heart, I didn’t believe you would leave Aria high and dry, the way Romain left me. Turns out, I was right. You big bloody softie.”
“And if I had?”
“Then you wouldn’t be the man I thought you were,” said Quinn simply, “and this would have been our last job together. Fortunately, Jack Marx, you’re no Romain.”
“I suppose not. Mind you, I’m no Chauncey, either,” he observed.
“Gimme that bottle,” said Giles. “I’m now of a mind that I never should have admitted a thing.”
“That’s all right,” said Quinn, getting up and putting an arm around the man’s broad shoulders. “We all have secrets to keep…Chauncey.”
***
When Jack walked into Aria’s quarters a little while later, he found her lying on her stomach on the bed, engrossed in reading something on a portable tablet. He took a moment to admire the curves of her body, especially her gorgeous bottom, before sitting down next to her. “Found something interesting to read, my darling?”
Aria’s eyes sparkled. “You have no idea.”
“Oh yes?”
“I’ve been doing research,” she said mischievously.
“And what, pray tell, have you been researching?” asked Jack.
Aria fluttered her eyelashes. “I’ve been learning all about BDSM.”
Jack nearly choked. “You’ve beenwhat?”
Aria set the tablet down and wriggled closer to him. “Well, I was thinking about sex when I was in the shower this morning and trying to figure out why it turns me on so much when you spank me. I realized that I knew next to nothing about dominance and submission, so I thought, time to learn!”
Jack sat back on the bed. “Well, I wasn’t expecting this,” he said, bemused.
“Do you not like me doing research?” asked Aria innocently.
“Oh, I’m definitely not saying that,” he replied. “So, what did you learn today?”
“An awful lot of things about anal play,” said Aria.
“Really?” Jack raised his eyebrows and ignored his rapidly stiffening cock.
“Do you have any butt plugs?”
Jack cleared his throat. “Well, as it happens, yes I do.” He gestured to the locked bottom drawer of the dresser. “There’s a few things in there, actually.”
“Show me?”
Jack moved to the dresser and keyed in the code that opened the bottom drawer. Aria wriggled to the end of the bed to get a closer look.
“Oh my,” she said, “I guess we can call you a bit of a collector.”
“I have something like this,” offered Jack, pulling out a silvery bulb. It was made of steel, sleek and not too thick.
“I wonder what that would feel like,” murmured Aria.
“We can find out,” observed Jack innocently. “I usually employ a butt plug to help discipline a young lady.”
“It was rather naughty of me to research all of these things without your permission,” said Aria, batting her eyelashes innocently once again.
Jack’s cock grew stiff as rock. “On your hands and knees.”
