He heard her close the door to her bedroom and minutes later thought he heard muffled sobs. It took all his control not to beat her door down. But he was afraid that would make him even more of an ass, so he stayed in bed, wide-awake, until he finally drifted off into a restless sleep.
He woke before she did the next morning, and he couldn’t help himself from cracking open her door, just to make sure she was still there and hadn’t departed without him knowing in the wee hours of the morning.
Satisfied that she was with him for at least the foreseeable future, he started coffee brewing. She came out of her room about twenty minutes later, look
ing adorably ruffled in her just-out-of-bed state.
“Morning,” she said, making a beeline for the coffee.
“Morning.” Guilt had plagued him all night, and seeing her now in the fresh light of day did little to ease that. “Lynne, again, I’m so sorry about last night.”
She was turned away from him, pouring coffee, and he couldn’t see her face as she replied. “It’s okay. It was a mistake, and it could have happened to anyone. I’m sorry I made such a big deal about it.”
“It’s not okay, and it’s never happened to me before.” He waited until she turned around before adding, “And you were right to make a big deal of it.”
She took a deep breath and smiled. “It’s our last full day here and I don’t want this to hang over our heads all day. How about we say I forgive you and you promise it won’t happen again?”
She was letting him off the hook way too easily, but she had a point about not letting it overshadow their day. “Okay, deal. I promise it won’t happen again.”
“Ohh, I like it when you see things my way.”
He snorted. “Don’t get used to it.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it, Sir.” But her expression told a different story altogether.
“Sure you wouldn’t. I’m going to order breakfast and then we’ll go see if there’s a class or demo we want to watch.” He didn’t want to do too much physically before the demo. Not to mention, she was probably still sore from the day before.
“Okay, I’m going to go take a shower.” She gave him a sly look, and then, as if to test his resolve, stripped in the living room and pranced into the bathroom.
Screw it, he decided, following her. If she was too sore, she could safeword.
• • •
Lynne took her time getting ready for the demo. Though, to be honest, she wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t like she was going to be dressed for the majority of the demo time anyway. No, that wasn’t it. She knew exactly why she took so much time. She wanted to look good for Simon. She wanted to reflect positively on him. Especially if anyone attending the demo today had heard about the practice yesterday.
She still cringed when she thought about that.
Fortunately, that was in the past and everything pertaining to it had been dealt with. They were going to move forward and focus on the future. A future she now anticipated including Simon.
She stood back from the bathroom mirror and gave herself the once-over. Her hair had been pulled back into a ponytail. That had been the one thing Simon had requested. Her makeup was light and natural, though she did add red lipstick. After hearing him talk last night about what red lipstick did to him, she’d decided she’d be a fool to wear any other color.
Even though she wouldn’t have them on long, she selected a tiny lacy bra and panty set. She went with white, simply because he probably expected her to pick black and she wanted to surprise him.
Over that, she slipped on a see-through cropped shirt and a tight miniskirt. To complete the look, she wore red fuck me now and don’t make it easy heels.
“You’ll do,” she told herself in the mirror. “Not too shabby for a nanny.”
Though she certainly didn’t look anything like a nanny was supposed to look. Which was a topic she had given some thought to, especially after their talk last night, and would take up later. She pushed that aside for the time being.
All her primping had been worth it for his reaction when she stepped out of the bathroom and Simon saw her for the first time. She wouldn’t say his jaw hit the floor, but his mouth did open and close repeatedly, like a fish she’d once had for a pet as a child.
“Lynne.” He shook his head. “You look . . . wow . . .”
She was pleased he liked her appearance so much, but decided to tease him. Placing her hands on her waist and cocking her head, she said, “Is that a compliment, Sir, or do I normally look like death warmed over?”
“You always look beautiful,” he said. “It’s just that today . . . wow.”
She decided to let him off the hook. After all, she’d rarely been called beautiful by anyone and she had worked extra hard to impress him. “Thank you.”
“And you wore red lipstick,” he said.
She refrained from doing the fist pump she wanted to do. “Someone told me it was their favorite.”
“Dammit, woman. I don’t know if I should beat your ass or fuck your mouth.”
“I vote for both, Sir.”
He took her by both shoulders and walked her backward to the wall. He pressed her up against it and pushed his hips into hers. “Better watch what you wish for, Lynne. The only reason you aren’t over my knee right now this very second is that if I were to spank you properly, we’d be late.”
“Does that mean you have time to spank me improperly, Sir?” she teased. “Because that sounds hot and like it might be even better.”
He laughed and moved back so she could step away from the wall. “You are so getting it when we get back to this room.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing, Sir.”
“Let’s go,” he said, with a swat to her ass.
They made their way down to the lower level where the demo was to be held. It wasn’t in the same spot as the practice had been. In fact, it was in a room she’d never been in at all.
The demo before theirs had ended more than an hour before, leaving someone plenty of time to clean up from the previous session and prepare what was needed for theirs. Simon, of course, brought his own bag, but the room was stocked with a St. Andrew’s cross as well as safety supplies and a first aid kit.
Because they’d wanted time to prepare before the demo started, they’d arrived early and were the first to show up. Lynne eyed the first aid kit.
“Have you ever had to use a first aid kit during or after a scene, Sir?” she asked.
He’d set his bag on the floor and was inspecting the cross. “Once or twice. Strip down to your underwear.”
“Will you tell me about those times?” She removed her clothing and folded it into a neat pile, leaving only her bra and panties on.
“One submissive had an unknown latex allergy,” he said. “We were doing a medical role play and I had latex gloves on. Halfway through, a rash popped up on her stomach.”
“Itchy.”
“Yes, very. Fortunately, we were at a club and there were several doctors and nurses who offered to help. She took some antihistamines and we got her checked out at the hospital. Just to be sure.” He snorted. “It was a long-ass time before I did another medical role play. I’ll tell you that.”
She was getting ready to ask what the second time was when her thoughts were interrupted by her cell phone.
Simon sent her a sharp look. “You brought your cell phone?”
The number said UNKNOWN. “I didn’t know there was a rule against it.”
“Answer it. Then turn it off. And put it in my bag.”
She cringed because he didn’t sound pleased. Honestly, she’d forgotten her phone was in her bag. It was actually a good thing it’d rung. This way she could turn it off and there wasn’t any chance of it ringing during the demo.
“Hello?” she answered.
“You little bitch,” Anna Beth said. “Do you actually think he wants you when he’s had me?”
Lynne froze in place and then remembered that no one had been able to locate Anna Beth after the disastrous practice the day before. “What do you want?”
Simon must have heard something in her voice, because he stopped what he was doing and came over to stand in front of her, arms crossed and wearing a frown.
“What do you think I want? I want Simon. I had Simon until your newbie ass threw yourself on him and he decided to have pity on you.”
“It wasn’t like that,” Lynne said, and then stopped. Why argue