Page 121 of Delicious Surrender
He washed her hair while she stood there in a trance. When he was done, she washed his back while he did his front. As he wrapped her in a big fluffy towel, she asked, “How long are you going to keep me on edge?”
“If you are good, I’ll put you out of your misery tonight before bed.”
“I’ll be good. I promise.”
He gave her a hard look. “I’ll know if you bring yourself off. You won’t like the consequences.”
“Always with the scare tactics,” she said, biting her lipnervously.
“Why don’t you go get dressed? I’ll meet you in the living room and you can read to me.”
29
Playing with Fire
Reading to him made her more skittish than any threats of punishment. The only thing scarier than letting a man read her dirty novel was having to read it out loud to him!
A fire crackled in the hearth. Gage sat on the oversized sofa with a plate of finger sandwiches and crudités while she fiddled with her laptop. She closed all the browser tabs in case he looked over her shoulder.
Her stomach was in knots.
“I’m not a patient man, Brynne.”
“I know! I just need a minute to find the latest version of chapter one. No one has seen this; you will be the first.”
“You look like I’ve sentenced you to the guillotine. Relax.”
She blew out a breath and shook her head.Here goesnothing.
Twenty minutes later, her face was on fire when she forced herself to look up from her screen. He had a crooked grin on his face. Was he trying to find something nice to say?
“Well. What do you think? Be honest.”
“It is very good. It flowed well. You captured my interest and I want to know what happens to the heroine next. You’ve also given the reader a taste of what kind of morally gray character Dante is. Well done.”
She beamed at him. “Thank you. I’m happier with this version, too. I reworked it so there’s more tension between them right from the beginning.”
“Thank you for sharing it with me. I’m looking forward to hearing more.” His smile looked genuine, and she was relieved. He suggested she have something to eat and take the afternoon to edit. He had some work to do before his massage therapist arrived.
Brynne returned to her room to work at her desk. If she stayed on the couch by the fire, she would fall asleep and get nothing done.
After editing two chapters, she went to the kitchen for a drink. On the way back, she saw a tall, slim blonde coming down the steps. Of course, the woman was gorgeous with a perfect body. She looked ill at ease until she spotted Brynne, then her eyes turned squinty as she looked with disdain at Brynne’s ratty pink robe and mussed hair.
The woman flipped her long hair and said, “You must be his latest sub. I’m Kylie, his personal massage therapist.”
Brynne pasted on a phony smile and replied, “I’m Bree, the flavor of the month.”
“Cute. But, you’ll see, no matter who is warming his bed, he still needs a professional to work out the kinks and give him a happy ending.”
Brynne laughed harshly. “Sorry Karlie, but I’m going to lay odds he had nothing for you today but sore muscles from all the fucking we’ve been doing. And while I’m here, he won’t be needing a happy ending. You can see yourself out.”
Brynne didn’t wait to see her leave, but she heard the front door slam. Did he honestly think it was okay to let that bitch touch his dick? If Brynne wasn’t seeing anyone else for the duration of this agreement, the same rules applied to him. How could she convey that point?
A little while later, Gage popped his head into her room. “How’s it going?”
“Good. I’m a little stiff though. I could use a massage after all this computer time. Can you give me your therapist’s number? I want to book myself a treatment.”
He hesitated for a second, then nodded. “Sure, I will text it to you. We will leave here at six. We are going to a hotel in Sleat with a fabulous chef. Your outfit is in the closet.”