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She was also surprised at herself. As horrible as she felt for letting Jake con her into leaving with him the day before instead of calling the police like Tiffany had begged, Bri was more sure than ever that she needed to fight until her last breath to make it up to Markus. As afraid as she was about what other humiliating punishments Lukus had planned, she was even more terrified Markus wouldn’t give her a chance at forgiveness. She needed to stay strong and stop letting her own fear press her into tears.
Lukus was every bit as sadistic as Jake had ever been, but in spite of all of the horrendous things he’d done to her in the last twelve hours, he still seemed somehow trustworthy. She’d seen him watching her carefully while James was punishing her. It was as if he were standing guard, making sure she wasn’t truly hurt. Remembering his protectiveness made her heart flutter.
Could it be true that Markus had been a member of the Punishment Pit before meeting her? On the surface, she’d have said it was impossible, and yet she saw many similarities between the two strong men. Bri had absolutely no trouble believing they were best friends. Hell, they even looked alike. On a professional level, Markus was as alpha male as Lukus any day. It was only in private they were so different. So why in the world had Markus completely hidden his dominant nature from her?
If only he’d been honest with me from the start, we might have been able to avoid this whole mess in the first place.
That pesky voice in her head cried bullshit on herself, reminding her she’d been silent about her own taboo sexual needs as well.
Bri spent over twenty minutes alone in Lukus’s private bathroom before she finally felt ready to face him again. When she opened the bathroom door, Lukus was waiting just a few inches away, leaning casually against the door jamb. He had a tall glass of ice water in his hand, holding it out for her. “Here. Drink this. You haven’t had enough liquids.”
The water was like heaven and she drank it all.
Handing the glass back to her unlikely host, Brianna felt a small sense of relief. She still had no clue how she was going to convince her husband to forgive her, but she knew she couldn’t give up trying yet.
“So now what?” she asked quietly.
“Now, I take you back into the bathroom and run you a hot bath. Then we’re going to talk and you’re gonna explain to me why the hell you cheated on Markus. It’s abundantly clear to me that you do love him and I have my suspicions… but I need to hear it from you.”
“Why do you care?” she asked. “Why not let me call Tiffany and have her pick me up? You could just get rid of me.”
“As tempting as that sounds, I really do owe Markus. He pulled my ass out of the fire this week so I’m not just going to shirk my responsibilities. He entrusted you to me, so you’re stuck with me.” For the briefest of moments, Lukus’s face softened before his dominant mask returned. “Don’t think just because I’ve backed off all of a sudden that I’m any less pissed that you hurt my best friend. I was there. I saw his face when you broke his heart. You still have a lot of explaining to do and, mark my words, if I don’t like the answers, your punishment will continue indefinitely until you sign the fucking divorce papers. Understand, sweetheart?”
Brianna broke into her first smile since meeting him. “You talk big, but you really are a pretty nice guy, you know that, Lukus?”
Lukus snorted and was about to answer, but Bri cut him off, holding up her hand to silence him.
“Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me. I promise not to let anyone know the Master has a heart.”
He shook his head, looking uncomfortable with her teasing. Recovering, Lukus grabbed her by the elbow to tow her back into the bathroom. “Come along, little girl. Time is wasting.”
Lukus marched her to the sink and rooted around in the cabinet below, coming out with a brand-new toothbrush. Next, he dug in a drawer for toothpaste, leaving her behind to brush her teeth while he headed to an enormous whirlpool tub in his luxurious master bath.
She kept tabs on him in the reflection of the huge mirror. The tub was on a raised platform and Lukus knelt on the marble steps, leaning in to start the water. He reached into the nearby cabinet for what looked like feminine bath oils. It was then that Bri wondered just how many other women had enjoyed a bath in Lukus’s private haven.
Brianna had joined him next to the bath by the time the tub was full. A lilac scent wafted up from the warm steam. Lukus turned on the whirlpool jets before reaching back to assist Brianna. She self-consciously allowed the robe she’d donned before opening the door for him to drop as she climbed the steps and lowered into the luxurious bath.
A groan of unadulterated bliss escaped Brianna’s lips as the heated water began to soothe her sore and weary body. She sunk back, closing her eyes, and lay her head against the soft bath pillow conveniently waiting for her tired head. She lost track of time as she enjoyed the feel of water from the powerful jets pulsing against her aching muscles.
She snapped back with a jolt, surprised to see Lukus still sitting on the side of the tub, his eyes watching her intently, an unreadable expression on his face.
“I’m so sorry. It felt so good, I kind of lost it for a few minutes,” she stammered. Suddenly self-conscious, she lifted her knees enough to try to hide her pussy while raising her hands to cover her exposed breasts. “Are you gonna sit there and watch me? It’s kind of creeping me out.”
Lukus’s face broke out into a broad smile. “Really? After all we’ve experienced together in the last twenty-four hours, it’s having me watch you bathe that has you creeped out?”
Bri chuckled. “Well when you put it that way, it does sound ridiculous. But still, I really can take a bath by myself, you know.”
“I know. But it’s been my experience that women open up better in the comfort of a whirlpool tub. Of course, I usually like to climb in with them and, well, encourage them, if you know what I mean. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the smartest of ideas today so I thought you could start answering some of my questions while I soap your back and wash your hair.”
Bri’s heart fluttered at the thought of Lukus helping her bathe. While it was true he’d inspected her most hidden body parts, having him wash her back and hair ridiculously seemed more intimate. She felt like she should say no, but when he grabbed a bath sponge and lathered it up with body soap, the objection died in her throat. She told herself he was still the Master, and she was just following orders as she’d agreed to do. But deep down, she feared they were both feeling the same dangerous tug of something she was afraid to acknowledge.
“So, why don’t you start at the beginning,” Lukus urged. “Who the fuck is Jake and why the hell did you feel the need for the touching reunion?”
“Seriously. We’re really going to have this very personal discussion here… now… while I’m naked in the tub?”
“You bet. Like I said, I suspect you won’t be able to hide the truth from me here.”
“Honestly, Lukus. I don’t want to hide anything. Not anymore.”
