“That’s a rather pessimistic view of the world,” I countered.

“You disagree?”

I thought of my own dark side and the things that I kept hidden. I thought of my stepfather, and how the world had seen a hero when I had seen a monster.

“No,” I admitted. “I don’t.”

“And that sounds like a story as well. Don’t worry,” he added. “I’m not going to ask you to reveal your secrets.” His mouth curved up in the faintest of smiles. “Not yet, anyway. But I am going to ask you to do something else for me.”

He’d taken a step toward me as he spoke, and his voice took on a low, commanding quality. “Stand up, Sloane. Stand up, and take off your clothes.”

I had to take a deep breath and replay the words back in my head. “My clothes,” I said stupidly. “You want me to take off my clothes?”

“Oh, yes,” he said, as his gaze drifted over me with the same gleam of anticipation as a man about to unwrap a present. “I want it very much. But first things first. Stand up, Sloane.”

He held his hand out, gesturing for me to rise. I complied, though my legs were a bit unsteady, and once I was upright, he turned away from me and picked up the house phone. I heard him hit the button for the operator and then speak to someone, but the conversation was too fast and too low for me to make out.

Throughout it all, I simply stood there, a little shocked, a little frazzled, and, yes, more than a little aroused.

When he turned back, his eyes were flat, and his mouth curved down in the slightest of frowns. “My rules, Sloane. And though we got a little sidetracked, you did say that you wanted to play.”

I swallowed, but I lifted my chin. My body was flush, my skin hot. My fingers twitched as if reaching for my weapon, but at the same time I could imagine the dress sliding to the floor. Me stepping out of it, going to him, and folding myself in his arms.

Could imagine it—the touch of his mouth upon my breast, the caress of his fingers over my sex—and wanted it.

I was nervous. I was overwhelmed. But god help me, I was desperately turned on.

But we were playing a game now, and I wasn’t ready to concede victory quite yet.

For a moment, we just stood there at an impasse. Then he took a single step toward me.

“There are consequences for breaking the rules.”

I shivered as memories sliced through me, potent enough to cut me to pieces. Consequences. Yes, there damn sure were. But I wasn’t a child anymore. And I wasn’t hiding. Not now. This wasn’t about pain or about fear or about monsters who hid in the dark.

“Sloane?”

That was all he said, just my name. But I heard the worry underneath it. I didn’t want that—didn’t want him wondering about the secrets I held close, and didn’t want him backing off now, afraid that he’d pushed too far. That I’d changed my mind.

I hadn’t.

No matter what else, I wanted this. And not because of Amy. Not because I’d planned an op. But because I liked the way he made me feel, and because I wanted more. Break the rules? Yeah, where Tyler was concerned, I think that’s exactly what I wanted to do.

I lifted my head, managed a teasing smile. “Consequences?” I repeated. Slowly, I dragged my teeth over my lower lip. “Are you going to punish me?”

The corner of his mouth twitched. “I’d say that’s a fair assumption.”

His eyes roamed over me, the worry now gone, replaced by control and anticipation. We were playing now, and knowing that sent swirls of heat reeling through me.

“I wonder if that sweet ass of yours has ever been spanked.”

Oh. I felt an unexpected tingle at his words, but I wasn’t about to admit that. Instead, I casually lifted a brow. “So that’s the fetish.”

“No. Just a delight.”

The dark intensity of his voice kicked casual out the window, and that tingling increased to a low vibrato. “I wouldn’t know.”

“Wouldn’t you?” He closed the distance between us, then stopped in front of me, so close I caught the scent of him. The fading earthiness of his cologne was overpowered now by a sensual musk that made me want to lean closer and taste him.

“Interesting. And I like knowing that mine will be the first hand to redden that sweet backside,” he continued, as he reached behind me to briefly stroke my rear through the thin material of the dress.

I gasped, the sound both pleasure and surprise, and when Tyler smiled, I knew that I had lost this round.

“There’s another rule you broke,” he said. “Don’t lie to me about what you want. About what makes you hot.”

“I didn’t—I’ve never—”

“Maybe not. But you know you’d like it. You may not have been spanked yet, but I see the flush on your skin, the way your nipples are straining against your dress. You can imagine the sting, then the warmth after. You can almost feel the heat spreading through you. The way your body clenches with desire. You can imagine being naked across my lap, not knowing if I’m going to spank you or fuck you, but simply desperate for my touch.”

He paused, and I gulped in air, realizing with some surprise that I’d forgotten to breathe. “Jesus,” I murmured.

“Tell me I’m right. Tell me you want that.”

“Yes,” I whispered, because how could I lie when he’d already seen the truth?

“Then you’ll have it. But not now. Now, you’re going to strip.” He pulled the folded napkin with my note out of his pocket. “You said you wanted to play.”

“I did. I do. But I also expected you to keep your promises.”

He lifted a brow. “I see. And what promise have I broken?”

“In the corridor. You said you were going to strip me naked.” Desire cut across his face, and I took a step toward him, emboldened by victory. “You said you were going to stretch me out,” I said, as my blood burned with the memory of his words. “You said you were going to taste every delicious inch of me.”

I was right in front of him now, my head tilted up to see his face. His hands were in his trouser pockets, and he still wore the suit. He looked commanding and powerful and incredibly sexy, and I craved his hands upon me.

His eyes locked on mine, full of heat and power, and I drew in a breath, certain that he was just as turned on as I was. “I have a very good memory,” I added.

He cocked his head in acknowledgment. “So I see. And you’re right. I said all of those things. I meant all of them. And I’m looking forward to doing exactly that. But first,” he added, in a voice that broached no argument, “I’ll watch you strip for me.”

“I—”

“I want to see you,” he interrupted. “Want to see you so much I can barely breathe.” He moved across the room to a floor lamp, then adjusted it so that the beam cut across the room like a spotlight. He nodded at the circle of light on the carpet in front of me, then moved to casually sit in an armchair. “Strip for me, Sloane.”

My breath hitched as my pulse increased. The tiny hairs on my arms and the back of my head seemed to stand up. Electricity fizzed through me. I was scared—as riled and as jacked up as I’d ever been before going through a door. Then, I didn’t know what lay on the other side. Death? Blood?

Now, I knew exactly. There was Tyler. A man who saw more of me than I wanted to expose. And that small truth was both terrifying and oddly comforting.

For a moment, I considered refusing. Telling him that if he wanted me naked he could take care of that himself. But when I looked at his face, the words died on my tongue. He was looking at me with such a mixture of lust and adoration that it seemed to not only fill me but to spur me. It felt like a challenge. Like he was taunting me even as he was worshipping me.

This was the game. And the only way I could win was to watch the flame in his eyes burn even hotter with every bit of flesh that I exposed.

Slowly—so very slowly—I lifted my hands to the back of my neck. My fingers found the ties that held the halter in place, and I pulled at the bow, releasing it. I eased the two sections of material down, slowly revealing the swell of my breasts, the tight brown of my areolae, the hardness of my nipples.