I sagged against him, thoroughly confused. My body was pulsing in time with my heartbeat. I was so turned on that I felt like one touch from Dominic would send me into a powerful orgasm. I also felt a little like crying, knowing he’d followed me because he was worried. It was nice. I’d just read it wrong because of how embarrassed I’d been by Logan.
Dominic pulled my panties up, barely touching my legs as he did, and then let my dress fall back down around my hips. Instead of pushing me away, though, he picked me up and carried me around the desk, sitting in his chair with me in his lap.
“Part of punishments like that one, Sugar, is aftercare. I’ll never do anything that would hurt you and I’ll never do anything without holding you after. Your safety matters to me. As does your happiness.”
I rested my head against his shoulder and touched his chin. “Why? You barely know me.”
“I know enough. That side of me just reacts to you. It’s a little inconvenient. I haven’t met someone I felt the urge to take care of in a long time and when I do, she has this no funny business rule that really cramps my style.”
I smiled into his neck and sighed. “It feels pretty stupid in this moment.”
“You made it for a reason. Until you decide that you’ve changed your mind, I’ll respect it.” He rubbed his hand up and down my arm, comforting me. “If you want me to curb this part of our relationship, I will. I know that the lines are blurry, and that’s my fault. For me, punishments and aftercare are important and don’t have to be sexual. I understand if it’s too much for you, though.”
I didn’t like the idea of asking him not to have anything with me. I didn’t understand it fully, but I knew that I wanted the side of him that he’d just given me. “What does it mean that I don’t want you to stop?”
A gravelly sound rattled through his chest, but then he cleared his throat and blew out a sharp breath. “That’s an answer for you to sort out, Sugar. I don’t want to lead you in any direction.”
I lifted my head and rolled my eyes at him. “You couldn’t if you tried.”
That got me another eyebrow raise. “Oh?”
“You think I haven’t been offered things like that? My ex tried to spank me to liven up our sex life afterFifty Shadescame out and I nearly knocked him out.”
“Interesting.” He smirked. “Guess you just like me, then.”
I grunted. “Does my insurance cover mental health visits?”
“Do you need another spanking already, Sugar?”
Need one? No. Want one? That was another story. One that ended explicitly. Since I wasn’t sure about my own boundaries yet, I shook my head. “No, Sir.”
“I’ll let you know if that changes.”
I laughed as I climbed out of his lap. “I see what you did there.”
“You should check in with Barrett and Holden before you get back to work. They were worried.”
He saw me drop my head and clicked his tongue. “Nope. That’s the thing about spankings, Sugar. It’s behind you. You don’t need to hold on to that guilt. It’s over with. Plus. I seriously doubt Holden, or Barrett, could ever hold a grudge against you. All you’d have to do is smile and they’d forget everything before that moment.”
My heart fluttered and I smiled at him before realizing what I was doing and stopping. He laughed and I hurried out of his office before I embarrassed myself further.
23
***SJ***
Barrettstoodupfromhis desk when I stepped into his office. “Sugar. You okay?”
I pouted because I felt bad and I wasn’t sure what to do with myself. “I’m sorry for getting mad at y’all. You were just worried and I know that now.”
He walked around his desk and gestured for me to sit down on his couch. His office was almost the same as Dominic’s, the only difference being that Barrett’s felt warmer because of the family photos on the walls.
“You’re fine. To be fair, I wasn’tjustworried. I was also pissed that the jackass kept touching you. It was written all over your face that you didn’t like it.”
I shook my head. “He didn’t do anything terrible. It was just embarrassing. Having my dating failures broadcast in front of you three made me want to run screaming into the woods that don’t exist downtown. I just felt humiliated.”
“It wasn’t your failure, Sugar. It was his. The fact that he let you go shows how much of a fucking idiot he is. I mean, after one night with you, Holden, our perpetual bachelor, would probably get down on one knee if you’d be willing to meet him at his bedroom door every day for the rest of his life. This kid gets you once and walks away? Fuck that. Honestly, I’m just floored anyone could be so stupid.”
I shook my head and slipped my feet out of my shoes. “The sex was terrible. Three minutes of uncomfortable silence that couldn’t have ended fast enough for me. When he dumped me, I was kind of glad I wouldn’t have to sleep with him again.”