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Chapter 13
Once she finished her shower, she stepped aside for Monroe to hop in. “I’ll be out in a moment. I just need to do a quick suds and rinse. Do not put on clothes.”
Instead of responding, Mallory made a production of stretching and bending, showing all her wares. Monroe knew what to do with women who teased their men. “I’ll be fast, but until I do, I want you standing in the corner and think about why you are getting your ass peppered with twenty swats.”
“With your hand.”
“Mal, why am I going to spank you?”
“Because I love it?”
His eyebrow raised, and he had to work hard not to show his amusement. “Besides that. What did you do?”
She looked down at her feet and sighed. “I yelled at you, and then I tried to use sex as a weapon to make you do what I wanted. But to be honest, you didn’t want to listen.”
“Twenty swats, with my hand. And I listen to everything you say. We’ll discuss this further when I come back. I want to send you to put your cute as hell nose in the corner, naughty girl because it’s the only part of this that will be actual punishment. Think you can do that?”
Mallory didn’t say another word, though she looked like she wanted to say plenty. She had declared the couple of times he’d used it recently; she didn’t like it.
“I hate standing in a corner. It’s a colossal waste of time. I’m a professional, for heaven’s sake. Professionals don’t stand in the corner.”
He rubbed her arm as a physical connection. Although the bruises had finally healed, the memory still had her flinching if he reached toward her face while she looked at him. When she was held tight to him, she didn’t react in that fearful way. The first time she jerked her head away, it was a sharp, physical pain in his chest. Then the anger took over, and he wanted to kill Romaine.
“Colossal, huh? Your professional hat comes off when you aren’t at work. When you’re with me, you’re off duty and all mine. And what’s mine finds her ass in trouble when she steps out of line. And you are hot as hell standing there, so I can ogle your sweet bottom as an additional benefit for me. Besides, you know it gets you off to be dominated.”
“But not put on display.”
His eyes were warm and kind as he watched her plead with her eyes. “Baby, you need to recenter after all the changes. That’s why I use the corner, to give you some breathing space. You won’t take it otherwise.” His face grew stern as she opened her mouth to reply. He kissed her quickly. “And we both know it. I require you to do nothing but bring yourself back into focus.”
Mallory was well aware that Monroe was privy to most of her secrets, so she didn’t attempt to hide her arousal. In fact, the little minx had used it to her advantage. He’d given in on things he wouldn’t have, like sitting outside on the steps that were not shaded from the sun. She’d done it for too long, and her face and shoulders burned.
“I’m disappointed in you, Mal. You know better. Never fear. I know how to make it feel better.”
Yeah, he’d enjoyed that spanking. When Mallory showered and coated her skin in anti-inflammatory and aloe cream, he’d peppered her ass with his experienced hand and then brought out his paddle and landed two good swats. He’d transferred the burn.
Mallory was smart and didn’t want any swats added, even though he had no doubt her panties were slick with her arousal at the anticipation of just that. She slowly made her way to the nearest empty corner. She didn’t consciously want him to add an implement to the party but knew it would be his well-used leather belt if he did. His paddle was for real infractions. The safety kind. According to Mallory, the paddle was an implement she loved to hate, but the leather made her warm all over. He figured he’d switch to another belt for daily wear and keep the one he now used for swats to her begging butt when needed.
“Now,” he said as he strode to the bathroom, “I expect you will have thought about the way things went down and what needs to be different. Or not. You know I enjoy looking at that fine ass. In fact, poke that set of cheeks out more. Yes, very fine indeed.”
She wiggled at his sincere appreciation for her assets, and he liked that. He never wanted her to think he disapproved and was anything but eternally grateful that she had chosen him to introduce her around at the little gathering where they had met. From that moment on, his mind was on her.
Everything about her was vital to him. He walked into the bathroom, stripping as he went. He flipped on the shower and didn’t wait until it warmed up but jumped in the initial icy stream and let it invigorate him before settling into the much hotter typical shower he took.
Monroe wondered how hot Mallory liked her showers? He knew she favored a long hot soak, but it was just another thing that he didn’t know about her. He was trying to fill in the blanks as fast as he could, but it was going to take time. While he worked through them, he found himself frustrated he didn’t know it all.
Professionally, he was calm, collected, patient. He deliberated things and acted on his conclusions with conviction. That was how his personal life had been as well until Mallory. Now he was reactive, less patient with those in his way, and at times his determination wavered.
She unraveled him, and he hated the lack of confidence in his logic, but he loved having her in his life. The guys said he would work it out. He hoped it happened soon, or he would be a basket case. He rinsed off and got out, grabbed a towel, and dried off as he walked into the bedroom. Time to get his woman warm and tingly before he took her to the stars.
Chapter 14
Mallory could hear Monroe as he returned from his shower. She had memorized his routine, so she could imagine him toweling off in a particular manner. He dried the back of his neck and hair in a quick, rough manner. Then he went over his shoulders, dried his arms from top to bottom, first the left one, then the right. Next, he moved to his back, butt, and belly. Finally, he bent down to get his legs and then the jewel box, carefully covering that area.
The rest of his toiletry was fascinating too, but he would have skipped it and tossed the towel near the bed as he did when he wanted to have sex. Mallory wondered if he did the same thing as she did, visualizing her habitual actions. It was so intimate to learn his habits and routines so well that she didn’t need to see him perform them to know what he was doing.
She heard him open the drawer, but she couldn’t quite tell what he was bringing out. Next, it was quiet. Too quiet. What was he up to? Her brain earnestly tried to devise what was happening. Monroe could be a sneaky one.
“Mallory,” said the voice that meant so much to her, warmth, comfort, security, love… should she tell him? Would it push him away? It was too early. Was there a time minimum? What was the protocol? He whispered again, this time with a touch of amusement.
