case.’”
Sara’s
stomach fell to her feet. ‘Just in case’ meant a spanking. He didn’t punish her
often, but when he did he always gave her a few swift blows with her heavy oak
hairbrush, usually after a hand spanking. She gulped and donned her best poker
face.
“That’s
funny,” she said. “I used it before bed last night.”
He
raised an eyebrow and rounded the bed to approach her. “That’s funny,” he
echoed. “Because I didn’t see you use it last night. In fact, I haven’t seen it
once since we got here four days ago.”
Sara’s
mouth went dry as Rick tipped her chin up with one finger. “I’m sure it’s
around here somewhere in all this mess. I’ll look for it after my shower.”
His
dark eyes bored into her. Even in nothing but a pair of boxers, he was quite
intimidating. Guilt stabbed at her heart. She had disobeyed him and
intentionally left the hairbrush behind at home, promising herself that she
would be on her best behavior and he’d never find out. As if disobedience
wasn’t bad enough, now she had added lying to her pile of transgressions.
Rick
detested lying in all forms. She repressed a shudder as she imagined how hard
he would spank her – and with what implement – if he discovered her sins. Her
bottom tingled in memory of all the times she had felt the sting of a spanking.
He
dropped her chin and stepped back. “For your sake, I hope the hairbrush turns
up.”
He
went downstairs to start the coffee while Sara hopped in the shower.
What
was she going to do?
Her
mind spun in useless circles. There were only two ways out that she could see.
Option number one: confess the truth to Rick and endure whatever punishment he
deemed fit. Option number two: make an excuse to go shopping alone and try to
find an identical oak hairbrush.
In
her heart, she knew option one was the best choice. She felt dirty for even
considering option two.
Her
spirits sank deep as she realized what she must do. She finished showering and
got dressed, choosing a short yellow dress and a pair of wedged sandals. She
dried her auburn hair and swept it up into a ponytail – using a cheap plastic
hairbrush she’d brought along. As she inspected her appearance in the mirror,
an idea came to her. Magic option number three: confess the truth and seduce
Rick simultaneously.
She
reasoned even if he didn’t forego the spanking entirely, he would probably
shorten her spanking in order to move on to more passionate endeavors.
She
ripped her ponytail out and replaced it with pigtails. Rick went wild whenever
she wore pigtails. She plugged in her curling iron and curled the ends. After
one last glance at her reflection, she straightened up the mess he’d left in
the bedroom before rushing downstairs.
“Can
I make you some pancakes, honey?” she asked as she entered the kitchen.
Rick
looked up from his iPad. His eyes went wide. “Christ, Sara, are you trying to
kill me?”
She
grinned as she twirled a curl around one finger. “That’s the idea.”
The
chair scratched the floor as he stood up. He stalked toward her with a heated
expression. “We can have pancakes for lunch. I’m in favor of skipping breakfast
entirely.”
“Is
that so, Mr. Anderson?”
His
stubble burned her cheek as he buried his face in her neck. “I should spank you
for teasing me like this.”
Uh
oh. Not spanking. Sara needed to get spanking off Rick’s mind. She tilted her
head back, inviting him to trail kisses over her collarbone. Soft whimpers left
her throat as his erection pressed into her stomach. So far her plan was
working perfectly. Except for the part where she casually slipped her
confession in during the seduction.
She
raked her hands up and down Rick’s back. Heat pulsed between her thighs. God,
she wanted him inside her right now. Right here on the kitchen table. But she
would feel worse about her lies if they were intimate before she confessed the
truth.
Pulling
back a bit, she met his eyes and traced
Marina von Neumann Whitman