“Good girl,” he said once she’d engaged the locks. “Sleep well.”
Sleep? Yeah, sleep was the absolute last thing she had on her mind.
Chapter Two
“Dylan owns a bar?” Tara questioned her as they jogged along slowly. Tilly had made a New Year’s resolution to get more exercise and Tara had decided to join her.
Tilly nodded, puffing a little. Damn, she really was out of shape. Of course, it was March and this was only the second time they’d gone jogging all year so she was bound to be a bit out of breath.
“How come he kept it a secret?”
“He said he’s a silent partner,” Tilly replied before slowing and waving her hand at Tara. “You keep going. I’m going to walk for a few minutes.”
Tara studied her with concern. “You look kind of pale. Maybe we should sit for a while.”
“I’m just really out of shape. I’ll be fine.” Although she did feel slightly queasy and lightheaded.
“I’ll walk with you. I don’t know about this exercise thing,” Tara said as they walked along. “Sweating is just gross.”
Tilly chuckled.
“So, what else happened last night? Spill.”
Tilly raised her eyebrows. “You want me to kiss and tell?”
“Of course! I’m an old married woman. My life is boring.”
Tilly snorted. “You’ve been married a whole five weeks and you just got back from a cruise around the Greek Islands. I really don’t think my date with Dylan can compare to that!”
“I’m just glad you said yes to him. I thought we’d all be old and gray before you finally went on a date with the poor guy.”
“I figured if I went on a date with him, then he would see I was nothing special and move on to someone else.”
“What?” Tara stopped and grabbed her hand, turning her. “Are you kidding me? Tilly, you’re a blockhead! I hope you didn’t say that to him.”
She shook her head.
“No, I don’t suppose you’d be able to sit easily if you had,” Tara teased.
Tilly winced.
“What? What happened?” Tara asked demandingly before dragging her over to a nearby bench. She was surprisingly strong. They both sat, Tara still holding her hand as though afraid she might bolt. Tilly knew she’d pester her until she told her everything.
“He spanked me.”
“He did? On your first date?” Tara grinned at her. “You go, girl.”
Tilly rolled her eyes, but she smiled back. “It wasn’t like that. It was a few spanks over the top of my clothes. Although they still stung.”
“Well, he does have hands the size of dinner plates. Why’d he spank you?”
“It’s personal.” She didn’t really want to hear Tara lecturing her about her self-image.
Tara’s eyes gleamed, but she didn’t question her further.
“He asked me to play with him on Saturday night at the club.” Actually, he’d kind of told her she was going to play with him. She was glad he’d made the decision. If the choice had been left to her, she’d probably have wimped out and ended up miserable with regret. Sometimes she wished she could be a little less cautious when it came to men, but she just didn’t trust her instincts anymore.
“I need to go home and get ready for work,” Tilly told Tara, who nodded. They both headed toward the bus stop.