“No, if you get rid of those boxes for me, I’m all set. Go get your fuck on.”

Banner nodded to him cordially and grabbed Kate by the hair. “We might even make it out of the parking lot first.”

*   *   *

The candles he’d lit around the space, as well as turning off the lights, did wonders for his new apartment. He’d fed her, and now they were relaxing on the couch, watching a movie. It was possibly the most relaxed but ready for action he’d ever been on a date.

“You have to quit feeding me so much,” Everly groaned.

“Food is all I have going for me.” He smiled and switched to massaging her other foot.

She sighed and melted against the armrest. “And massages. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear you were trying to get me into your bed. Or would that be too inappropriate for one of your students, Professor?” She gave him an innocent smile and buttoned her blouse up, as though flaunting her cleavage throughout dinner had been an accident.

The hem of her skirt had ridden up, and she tugged it down modestly, just as he was starting to think he was going to get a glimpse of what she was wearing underneath. Sexy, sweet, or nothing at all—he couldn’t decide which would be more of a turn-on. Even her smoothing her skirt down was doing it for him.

“I don’t think it’s that odd for a professor to want to get to know his students,” he said, playing along. “We’re all adults, after all. There’s no reason to treat you like a child.”

“No, Sir.” Everly pulled her foot away and slipped her black flats back on. “Actually, I needed to ask you something.” She slid the tip of her finger between her lips and sucked on it, and for a painful moment his dick seized his full attention and he forgot to answer her.

“Uh . . . yes?”

“Well, as you know, my grades on your assignments haven’t been very good. I’m not sure why, Sir. I seem to be doing pretty well in my other classes. I was just wondering if . . .”

He cleared his throat because he was pretty sure his heart was beating in it. “If what?”

“If there was anything I could do for extra credit?” She twirled her finger in her hair and blinked at him.

“Well, I doubt that. I’m a bachelor, so I don’t have much that needs doing. What do you have in mind?”

There was a hint of mischief in her eye, but she masked it. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe I could . . . polish your silverware?” She bit her lip and he struggled to squelch the laugh that threatened to escape.

“My silverware? Do I look like I have silverware?”

“Maybe not, Sir. But what else could I do for you? I’d do almost anything.”

“Almost?”

She stood and moved to stand in front of him. The flash of bare thigh he saw past the sway of her skirt fascinated him. He wanted to put his mouth there, taste her, and maybe mark her.

“Yes, Sir. There are some things good girls like me won’t do.”

He’d see about that.

“Come with me.” He took her hand, and she hesitated before letting him lead her to the desk.

“You want me to do paperwork for you, Sir? Filing?”

He moved his laptop onto the counter. “Lean over the desk.”

She gasped, then swallowed hard. “But why?”

Inside him, something sinister sat up and growled.

“When I saw you at lunch, you had quite the sassy mouth on you.”

She hung her head. “I’m sorry, Sir. I was so upset about my grade that I kept saying the wrong thing. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?” Her expression turned hopeful.

“Lean over the desk, Everly. That’s two. If I need to ask again, you’ll just be making things worse for yourself.”

Something clicked. He could see it behind her eyes.

“Well, what if I don’t want to lean over your desk?” She tilted her head in challenge.

“I don’t recall giving you the option of disobeying me.” He wrapped his hand around her arm.

“Heyyy! Let go!”

He spun her around and shoved her down over the desk. She tried to rise, but he pinned her down with one hand and lifted the back of her skirt with the other.

“Spoiled little girls like you need to learn to mind their manners.”

“No!” She tried to hide her simple white panties with her hands.

He groaned aloud. Between the modest underwear and the feigned reluctance, his pants were getting uncomfortable. That and the fact that Everly had the sweetest fucking ass he’d ever seen.

He grabbed her wrists and fought her hands down until they were wrapped around the opposite side of the desk. “Hang on like this, Everly, or you’re not going to like what happens.”

“I’m not?” she asked anxiously.

“No.”

He let go of her hands and her fingers stayed obediently where he’d placed them.

With no need to hold her down, he lifted the back of her skirt again, draped it up on her back, and stood there staring for a moment. Would it be horribly rude to gawk at her and jerk off on her ass? Probably.

He hooked his fingers into her panties and slid them down slowly, inch by painful inch.

She whispered something he couldn’t hear, but the tone sounded embarrassed and aroused.

“What are you doing?” she whined.

“You’ve been a naughty girl, so you need to be punished.”

“Nooo. I won’t do it again. I promise.” She squirmed but didn’t let go of the desk.

Ambrose opened the drawer and took out the strap he’d made to use on her. Fuck the store-bought shit. He preferred his own handiwork.

She was studying him, and when she caught sight of the strap she grimaced. “Aw, fuck.”

“Language, young lady.” He tapped her luscious ass with the leather, and she froze in place. “For your sass earlier today, you’re going to get twenty. Understood?”

The drone of the television in the background would have covered most noise she made, but they were in the middle of nowhere and she could scream her head off without anyone else hearing a thing. Was it creepy that it turned him on?

“Twenty? But I won’t have any skin left!”

“Then maybe you should have thought about that beforehand.” The sadist in him was wondering how much he could punish her before she begged for mercy. He imagined her sweet round ass rosy and her voice high and pleading. He had to close his eyes and calm his breathing. Going into a punishment too excited was a novice mistake.

Ambrose put the strap in front of her face. “Kiss it.”

She glared at him, and he grabbed her by the hair and shoved the strap in front of her mouth. For a moment she melted, kissed the strap, and whimpered. His adrenaline spiked, and he readjusted his dick, which was urging him to forget this punishment business and fuck her already.

Patience.

Ambrose delivered the first five before she finally went up on her toes. Admittedly, he was starting off light, but he was deeply enjoying the way her ass jiggled and the way she gasped with each stroke, trying not to get more turned on, even though he could see her arousal glistening along her slit.

“Flat on your feet, young lady.”

“Sorry, Sir,” Everly whispered. She looked over her shoulder at him, and her sultry expression came close to making him forget what he was in the middle of doing.

She was getting cocky because he was being nice. Of course. Brat.

That was the end of her warm-up.

The next two were hard. She gasped in surprise and wriggled for him, but moaned and leaned into him when he ran his hand over the welts. Not good enough.

He picked up his pace and increased his force. Eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve.

Everly was screeching and writhing now.

“Ow, ow! Please, Sir. I’m sorry. I’ll be good!”

Thirteen, fourteen.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” she babbled.

Fifteen.

“I doubt you’re sorry enough to satisfy me.”

Sixteen.

“Please, Master. I won’t sass you anymore!”

Seventeen.

“This one is for lying.”

Eighteen was especially hard. She shrieked, dancing up on her toes.