“Like that, hey?”
“Like that.”
Fuck.They’d tasered me, and now this. I was in trouble.
18
CHARITY
The room he escorted me to was on the ground floor corridor, past the dining room. I recognized the double doors I’d first entered through. This would have once been the hotel’s front entry.SUNROOMwas on the brass plaque on a side door.
“These can come off.” Alejandro unlocked and removed the cuffs, ushered me into the room, then retreated outside and shut the door.
Only the doctor and Cassius were waiting for me, near a clutch of sofas gathered around a low table at the opposite wall. French doors led out into what must be a lush garden. It was definitely a room made for the sun, for the two walls were more glass than plastered wall—wide windows of older-style of glass that split into four panes. Ferns and trees smooshed their greenery against the outside of the windows.
The doctor looked grim. He cut a blue armchair out of the pack, swiveled it to face me, and sat down. Cassius had perched his ass against an armchair, and had his arms folded. Neither gave away what this might be. A murder session, a lecture, a lesson in kinky punishment?
I opened my mouth to speak, thinking to pre-empt them, and the doctor wentshhh.
After one second of internal mind-wrestling with my hands clasped at my front, I stilled.
“Floor, please, kneeling.” He clicked his fingers and waited.
I grimaced then complied. The flooring was a mosaic of large tiles, alternating between black and white, and they were hard on the knees. I still wore the clothes I’d worn to the Inner Sanctum—grimier, but the same black shorts and plum-colored T-shirt.
Staring up at the two of them was strangely calming, perhaps because I’d been in this position many times—many fun times.
“What did you think you’d achieve, Charity?”
What to say?
“Information, sir.” Yes, it was time for ass-kissing. “I was curious about you, about why the Inner Sanctum was off limits, and…” Heart in mouth, I dared to say the next, “I thought, maybe you wanted me to try, seeing how you made it so easy to find the key. Also, you had me tasered!” Pouting, I met his gaze, dead on.
The doctor stared, then burst into laughter. Cassius frowned at him.
“Was I wrong?”
“What a brat you are. Take off your clothes, all of them. Remain kneeling.”
Hmmm.Promising? Definitely, for I wasn’t dead yet. There was always a degree of trepidation when a dominant was angry, and I figured he was that. I stripped without standing, left the clothes to my right, then regained my knees.
“Are you sorry you did what I told you not to?”
“Not…yet. A little worried though. Is Cassius—”
“It’s not his house. My house, my decision.” He smiled. “I will correct that lack of sorry, soon. Why did you decide my punishment was worth risking?”
I screwed up my face. “To lose my soul? It seemed so melodramatic, and I thought you were joking.”
“Ha! Maybe I was a little.” He leaned forward. “I haven’t had a girl here like you for such a long time that I forgot to fix the holes in security, but I knew the key was there. I suppose I was daring you to try, subconsciously. I have lost my way a little. Should I flog you with barbed wire?”
That made me sit up and look. “You told me to surprise you!”
“She’s got you there.” Cassius didn’t move, though, or show distress at the sadistic suggestion.
“Barbed wire is a hard limit,” I whispered.
“She does.” The perplexed look that settled on his face was new. I could not recall a time when he seemed this disconcerted. “I don’t want to reward insolence, however, and I said the Inner Sanctum is off limits. My most valuable pieces are kept there. Apart from perhaps the two of you.”