I blinked against my confusion. Why was he calling her—
Oh. Hurt seeped in. She was undercover, which meant I didn’t even know her real name. Fresh betrayal stung my insides, prickling my eyes.
“Can I say something?” she begged.
When Joseph released her with a shove, it sent her flying into me, and her hands landed on my legs. Her palms were warm against my bare skin, and it tingled where we were connected, even though I didn’t want it to.
“Speak,” he ordered.
“It’s Regan. The person I am when I’m here, when I’m with Silas . . .” She gazed at me with desperation. “When I’m with you—that’s the real me. I hid my whole life until I became Regan.” Her expression was pure and bare. “Andrea is the lie. You know the real me.”
I didn’t have a reason to trust her, but this, I believed.
It was silent for a long moment, until Joseph broke it with his cold command. “Pull up your skirt and bend over.”
-35-
Tara
Was Regan really willing to do this? For me? She’d do what she hated for the chance to earn my forgiveness.
My heart leapt into my throat as she reached down, grabbed the sides of her skirt, and tugged the fabric up to her waist, her ballet pink panties exposed. Her skin was so pale and the fabric so thin, she was essentially naked.
I had to lie back as Regan leaned over me, preparing to receive Joseph’s punishment.
“You’re like me,” Joseph said. “Good at reading people. You might even be better. Anyone else, and I would have caught them. But you,” he lifted the crop, sending my pulse soaring, “slipped right past me. I let you into my club, and it created a mess for Julius.”
The crop sliced through the air. Its violent stroke ended in a soft crack, and she jolted.
My mouth fell open. Not so much that she’d taken a hit, but that I was certain Joseph had pulled up at the last second and delivered a sweetheart blow. Barely more than a tap.
“That one was for me,” he said. “This one is for her.”
And on that strike, he did not hold back. The thin rod made a whooshing noise as it came down, and the sound of impact was very different. It was a sharp, biting crack, and it caught her by surprise. Pain colored her stunned eyes and her breath cut off.
Silas was on his feet again. I could see over Regan’s shoulder, and his death glare was pointed at Joseph. He waited, ready to pounce like a predator. All she had to do was say the word. But she didn’t.
Joseph gently laid the crop across my lips, and as I’d been trained to do, I bit down, holding it in place, at the ready for him.
“Tell her you’re sorry,” he demanded.
“I’m sorry,” Regan said between two breaths, recovering.
“Tell her you had no choice. Tell her you wanted to say something but couldn’t.”
“It’s true. I wanted to tell you so badly, but I wasn’t allowed.”
“Ask if she can forgive you, and in time, let you work to earn back her trust.”
Regan softened into me. She ran her hands over the silk robe, seeking out a better connection, and pressed her face against my stomach. She turned to the side, her red hair spilling over me. “Forgive me.”
I had no idea where he’d struck her. If it was across the prefect cheeks of her ass, it probably didn’t hurt much anymore. It would be red and hot to the touch, but the pain would fade quickly. If he’d whipped her across the backs of her thighs, she’d still be experiencing the dull, painful ache. It seemed to linger in that spot.
I couldn’t tell from her reaction. The only pain she seemed to be feeling was what she’d caused me. As her submissive, I lived to bring her pleasure, and watching her suffer was awful. It wasn’t necessary any longer.
He grabbed the crop and lifted it away. “Speak.”
“I forgive you,” I whispered instantly.