Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 122550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
“Maybe you’ve never had a chance to decide what your style is.”
She thought he was probably right. It had been easier to dress this way because it was what she knew. Not because she liked it.
“There’s something I don’t understand,” he said.
“What?”
“When you got up and danced as Nyx, you didn’t wear much. Well, at the beginning of the dance, you wore a long dress, but underneath that . . .” He tightened his hold on her with a growl.
“I know,” she said in a high-pitched voice. “I never thought I’d be able to do that. But somehow, I could because I wasn’t really me. I was Nyx, you know?”
“You were still you,” he stated. “And all of those people saw what belongs to me.”
He was such a caveman sometimes. Actually, no. A caveman wouldn’t wear those suits. Or look at her with such arrogance. As though the world should fall at its feet because he deserved it.
Hmm.
A ruler. A lord. A dictator.
A king.
Victor was right. That’s who he was. Her sexy, gorgeous, powerful, ruthless king.
And who are you? The pauper he shelters?
“It still makes me furiously possessive thinking of you dancing for them. When you should only ever dance for me.”
Ooh. That would be hot. Maybe she could be a belly dancer . . . come to seduce the sexy sheik.
Yeah. She could get behind that.
“Not that you will be dancing for anyone else since I’ve forbidden it.”
There went that word again. She’d told him she didn’t want to strip. But she also shouldn’t let Regent think he could get away with expecting her to just obey him.
He needed some humbling sometimes.
Oh! Perhaps that was her role. To keep his ego from getting out of control.
It was a tough job.
But somebody had to do it.
“I was pretty good at it, though. There will be a lot of upset customers when I don’t turn up. Perhaps I should work out my notice.”
That might not have been the hill to push him on. But she’d done it now. She attempted to raise an eyebrow.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, looking alarmed.
“Wrong? What do you mean?”
“You started to squint and twitch your nose.”
“Oh. I was trying to mimic that look you usually give me. That arrogant one where you raise an eyebrow and expect people around you to instantly do what you say.”
“Oh, like this?”
She sighed at the ease with which he pulled that look off.
“Yes. Just like that.”
He narrowed his gaze. “I’m not sure what reason you’d have to antagonize me, but you are this close to going over my knee again right now.” He held up his finger and thumb.
Yikes.
That was close.
“If you even attempt to dance at Sexy Sins or any other strip club again, I will beat your butt every night for a week. Do you hear me?”
“I think I’d be using my safeword after the first night.”
“Do you think so? Because I can get far more creative with my punishments. Besides, you don’t have a safeword. I’m not a Dom.”
“It kind of feels like I should have one.”
“If it makes you more comfortable, you can have one and I’ll honor it.” He ran his hands up her thigh, making her swallow heavily. “Tell me your limits and your safeword.”
“I don’t . . . I’ve got no real experience with anything like this except what I’ve read in books. How do I know what my limits are?”
“Well, we can experiment. And when you find something you don’t like, you just say your safeword and we stop.”
“All right. My safeword is Squish.”
He blinked, looking slightly confused. “Squish?”
“Yeah, I have always liked that word. I like saying it. Squish. Squish. Squish.”
He placed his hand over her mouth, giving her an amused look. She grimaced. She was acting like an idiot.
“Sorry,” she mumbled.
“Don’t be sorry,” he said, removing his hand.
“I do know one thing I don’t like. Well, maybe two.” She pressed her hands together. “Actually, three.”
“All right. Tell me.”
Jilly took in a deep breath. “I don’t want to be humiliated.”
He nodded calmly as though he’d expected that. It made the tight knot in her stomach ease.
“You already knew I wouldn’t like that?” she asked.
“It makes sense with your upbringing.”
Right.
“I don’t want to be yelled at.”
This time, his face darkened. “That isn’t something I would ever do even if you wanted it.”
She’d figured that but thought it was best to say it.
“I don’t want you to tell me what I can and can’t wear.”
He tilted his head at her, studying her. Taking in the clothes she wore. “But you’d be all right with me commanding you in other areas?”
Huh?
“I enjoy taking command. I want you to obey me in the bedroom because that’s what I like. But I think that’s also what you want. And out of the bedroom too.”
Jilly knew she was bright red, but she nodded. “Yes, I think it is too. I just don’t want to lose myself.” That was her biggest worry. That she might become a shell of herself like her mother had.