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Startled by the vehemence in his tone, she blinked at him. “Why?”
“Because I don’t trust him to be alone with you,” he replied succinctly. “And right now, until I decide differently, you’re mine.”
She opened her mouth to argue how ridiculous that demand was, but he gave his head a firm shake and cut her off. “My rules, Bella,” he said, his voice a low, uncompromising growl. “And you will abide by them.”
She bristled at his boorish attitude. If he expected her to turn into
a meek and passive female at the snap of his fingers, he was about to learn, if he hadn’t already, that her small stature didn’t mean she was docile. “And if I don’t?” she dared.
He slowly set his fork down on his plate as the corner of his mouth curled into a wicked smile that was both a threat and a promise. “Then it would be my pleasure to punish you accordingly. Don’t underestimate the persuasion of a good, hard spanking, Bella. Trust me, the burn of my handprint on your smooth, bare ass will be a stark reminder for days of why it’s not in your best interest to defy me.”
Gulp. Her face flamed and she stared at him wide-eyed, stunned to realize that the thought of being bent over his lap and feeling the smack of his palm against her tender flesh actually made her squirm restlessly on the barstool. Holy crap, was she one of those women who’d enjoy being dominated by a man sexually? Or got off on experiencing a little pain with their pleasure? She couldn’t deny the images in her head definitely aroused her.
“Any other issues with my orders?” he asked calmly as he took a bite of his crispy bacon, his too casual attitude belying the undercurrents of lust flowing between them. “Or maybe you’d like to sass me one more time and find out what I’d like to do to that warm, lush mouth of yours to remind you who is in charge here?” he challenged.
She absently bit her bottom lip, which, in hindsight, probably wasn’t the smartest idea considering how avidly he was staring at her mouth just hoping she’d oppose him. God, what did it say about her that she was tempted to issue a smart-ass remark just because she was curious to know what it was like to submit to such a powerful man? The thought of giving herself over to Maddux’s desires made her weak in the knees.
She smartly remained quiet, and he took her silence for compliance.
Maddux went back to eating his scrambled eggs, as if he hadn’t just turned her inside out with a shameless kind of wanting. “So, now that you understand the repercussions of defying me or any of my orders, here is your own personal key card to the building and the elevator,” he said, putting the credit-card-like piece of plastic next to her on the counter that already had her name on it. “When you use the key card, it will notify me when you come and go from the penthouse or the building and what floors you might stop on with the elevator. Tempest and Hunter live on the two levels below mine, and if they aren’t home or don’t want visitors, they can lock out their floor, as can I.”
All Arabella could think about was the fact that this key card essentially had a tracker on it. And why not, since MadX-Tech was the king of all things security? “So, basically you’ll be stalking me?” she asked wryly.
“No, not stalking,” he replied, unoffended by her comment. “I’m going to keep track of you, because you’re an asset and I always protect what’s mine, Bella. You’re no exception.” Finished with his breakfast, he pushed his empty plate aside.
“And what about work?” she asked, feeling more exasperated by his restrictions, even though she’d willingly signed up for this. “I have a job and I don’t want to give it up.” She’d go stark raving mad if she had to sit around in this pristine penthouse castle all day and night.
“I wouldn’t expect you to give up your position as a digital data analyst and curator at the university library,” he said, stunning her with the fact that he knew her job description and where she was employed. “You’ll be assigned a private security detail who will be with you at all times when you leave this building, and he’ll make sure you’re dropped off safely at work and picked up when you’re done, as well. He’ll report directly to me.”
“That is ridiculous and unnecessary,” she said, the irritable words slipping from her before she could censor them.
He arched a brow and crossed his arms over his chest, his stance more imposing now. “This isn’t a negotiation, sweetheart. If you don’t like my rules, you’re free to leave.”
Maddux’s comment was casual, but it was the hard look in his eyes that told Arabella that if she walked out, her father’s life would collapse as a result, and she wasn’t ready or willing to take that chance. She’d knowingly traded her life for her father’s, and this unsparing man in front of her wouldn’t let her go without exacting some kind of vengeance from her father in return.
“Okay, fine.” She pasted on a fake smile, but her annoyance remained and she couldn’t keep it from seeping into her voice. “Your rules, your way, Mr. Wilder. Got it.” She even saluted him for good measure. “Maybe you might even want to inject me with one of those human tracking devices just to be on the safe side.”
Her deliberate impudence made his golden-brown eyes flare with something so searingly hot and purposeful it stole her breath and sent warning signals throughout her body.
“Last night I thought I was dealing with a sweet, compliant female. But today this impertinent mouth of yours is pushing all my fucking buttons,” he murmured, shaking his head as he slowly rounded the counter toward her, each step ratcheting up her rapidly beating pulse, especially when she caught sight of the solid, immense column of flesh outlining the front of his jeans.
Clearly, the buttons she was pushing were purely sexual ones.
When he stood next to Arabella, he grabbed her chin between his fingers and tipped her head back so she was forced to look into his blazing eyes. “I seriously think your mouth is begging to be taught what happens when you push and provoke a man who has no issue disciplining insubordination,” he said, sliding his thumb up a few inches and pushing it between her parted lips until it invaded her mouth and rubbed erotically against her tongue. “I’ve already warned you once this morning, and what you don’t seem to understand is that my dick would be more than happy to provide that lesson, Bella.”
She made a soft, inarticulate sound in the back of her throat, and the beat of her heart skyrocketed in her chest, but it was the ache between her legs that had her instinctively, seductively closing her lips around his thumb and grazing her teeth against the pad of his finger.
“Fuck,” he groaned, his jaw clenching tight with carnal hunger as he withdrew his finger from her damp mouth and buried his fist tight in her hair instead. “Get on your knees, Bella. Right here, right now, and part those pretty lips for me.”
CHAPTER NINE
Arabella sucked in a startled breath. It wasn’t a dare, or even a suggestion. His explicit words were a blatant, aggressive demand that jolted through her like a touch of electricity that was connected straight to her sex. Oh, God, she’d instigated this, had pushed him when she knew the repercussions because he’d made them very clear. And now she was caught in a web of her own doing and had a choice to make, and not a whole lot of time to decide judging by the impatience flashing across his features.
Even knowing she had the ability to say no and trusting that he’d back off and let her go, a very wanton and curious part of her wanted to please him, and she didn’t question her feelings or the need to give him what he wanted. She wasn’t sure what that said about her when she’d never been so brazen before, but just as she made the decision to obey, a chiming sound echoed throughout the apartment.
Maddux cursed vividly and immediately let go of her hair, though he pinned her with a stern look. “Don’t fucking move.”
Confusion rippled through her, but as soon as she spotted two people strolling into his penthouse from his elevator a few seconds later, she realized that with Maddux standing beside her, she at least covered his erection from the man and woman heading their way, giving him time to cool down.
