“I may be your boss, but I’m not paying you to like being treated like
a slave. That’s all you.”
She shivered, wrapping her arms more tightly around herself as her nipples tightened at the remembered arousal. Shit. He had her number, and now he fucking knew it.
“I don’t sleep with my employers.”
“Oh, I’m not offering you sex, Miss Korsgaard. I don’t sleep with anyone. Not even silly girls who like power games.”
“No one?”
“No one.”
“How long has it been?”
“You asked question three a long time ago, so I’m not answering that.” He chuckled, and it actually sounded like sincere amusement. “What a curious kitten you’ve turned out to be.”
She shook her head, confused.
“So we’re just going to keep playing your little game?”
“I like this game.” His voice was a low growl that made her want so much more than he was offering.
“You don’t like me, but you like the game?”
“You I barely know. The game intrigues me. You intrigue me.”
He wasn’t even shivering, meanwhile she was shaking hard. Some of it was even from the cold.
“Come on,” he said. “You need to keep moving or you’re going to freeze.”
They started walking again. This time he was so close she could feel where his body blocked the breeze from hitting her. When they reached the grounds, he moved up alongside her and brought her to the house.
As soon as they were safe inside, she started to relax. He wouldn’t do anything with Sutton wandering around.
“Go take a warm shower and change into dry clothes,” he ordered.
“I was planning to.”
“Meet me in my study after that.” His gaze was commanding, imperious.
She could say no. Should say no. If she got involved with him, things would inevitably go south, and she’d lose her job and her income. For a moment she pretended she had the willpower to refuse this. Refusing him might be just as detrimental to her position here, but she doubted it. The interactions with her that he liked so much were all voluntary.
She wished she was still tipsy so she’d have an excuse to back out, but she was already stone cold sober.
“Drop a lot of forks in your study, do you?” she finally asked, her tone sardonic.
“No. Things will be different in there.”
“But Sutton’s around.” Such a lame excuse, but a valid concern for her. She didn’t want the older woman knowing she was so weak.
“She went into town. She won’t be back until late tonight.”
They stared at each other for a long moment.
Fuck.
She swallowed, knowing there was no point in being coy anymore. “Is there something specific you want me to wear?”