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“Is that part of your approach to BDSM?”
“It can be.”
His shockingly clear eyes radiated power. A lot of executives wore comfortable clothing, but she thought his tailored suits were sexy and classy. Once again, her gaze traveled to his tie as she had a sudden fantasy about being restrained.
“Besides, I like looking at your body. It’s easier not to give in to the temptation to fuck you if I’m dressed.”
“I wondered about that.”
“We haven’t discussed it. I want to you to understand that BDSM and sex are often separate things. One doesn’t have to lead to the other.”
“If…” Had she lost what little remained of her mind? Hope cleared her throat, then tried again. “I’m open to it.”
“Me too.”
The growl threaded through his words heated her. Maybe he was right that she didn’t need to worry about getting cold. She removed her shoes and left them near the bottom stair.
He rolled the glass between his palms as he watched her. She discarded her blouse, then her bra. Beneath his gaze, her nipples hardened.
“You could do this for me every day, and I would appreciate it.”
Rafe made it easy to be brave. She unzipped her skirt, then worked it over hips that had always been too wide. It whooshed to the tile floor. Then she stripped off her panties.
“You can either bring your clothes upstairs or put them over the back of the couch.”
She opted for the couch, though the old her would have clutched them in front of her body to use as a shield.
“Precede me, please.”
Obeying with this request was more difficult than some of the others, even the one to drag the rose up her bare thigh. Her body’s flaws would be exposed to him.
Affecting bravery, she pulled back her shoulders and began to walk up the stairs. She had reached the landing before his footsteps echoed behind her. He was following, but at his own languid pace.
“Take a left turn at the top,” he instructed.
The second story was as spectacular as the first. He had a guest room with a large window that was covered with a blind. It had its own private bathroom.
His home office was as tidy as the rest of the house. One wall was covered with renderings of various Sterling hotels, some in winter settings with snow covering the nearby mountain peaks, another with an open-air lobby with the warm waters of the South Pacific beckoning. There were others in Asia, the Le Noble in New York City, the Maison Sterling in New Orleans, and the Sterling Parkland in Washington, DC, complete with a view of the White House or Lafayette Park. A coffee-table book of the company’s history lay atop his credenza.
Pictures and portraits lined the walls, and there was a framed family tree.
Earlier she’d suggested that it must have been exciting and wonderful to be the wealthy heir apparent of the Sterling empire. Obviously, it was also a burden. Though he was a young man, he had a weariness about him that spoke of grave responsibility. “This is part museum.”
“That’s on purpose. It reminds me of what I’m working toward.”
“As if you’d forget?”
He showed her the bonus room with a television and more unused couches. A full-body workout machine stood near the window. “It has interesting possibilities for securing you in place while I do nasty things to you.”
She glanced over her shoulder. He wasn’t smiling, and a diabolical gleam spiked through his eyes.
“The tour is over. I’m impatient for a taste of you.”
He invited her to precede him into the oversize master bedroom. There were windows on two sides, meaning it would be a sundrenched space during the day. And he had a small table and chairs.
“I’d start every morning off right here, I think.” It would be a perfect nook for journaling or planning her day.
“You’re welcome to see how it works for you.” He placed her almost-untouched water glass on the nightstand.
Another temptation. She wondered if this was how she would end up in hell, by eating one forbidden fruit at a time.
“Come here.” His tone was sharper than it had been earlier, skittering her pulse into a frenzy. He pointed to a spot in front of him.
She crossed the cool floor to stand where he indicated. Then, unsure how to act, she shifted her weight.
