She makes me weak.
As much as the man she somehow lured out these past few weeks enjoyed being with her, I’ve been reminded I’m not some smitten boyfriend falling for a mouthy girl with a kick-ass body and sharp brain.
I’m Winston motherfucking Constantine.
Hard. Cold. Impenetrable.
“No dinner at the whore apartment,” I snarl, nipping at her ear. “You changed the game. There are new rules now. It’s much, much harder.”
She moans when I grind my cock against her again. Fuck if it doesn’t nearly undo all my resolve.
“What are the rules?” she breathes.
“No dates. No dinner. No sleepovers.”
“Boring,” she complains.
“It’s all I have to offer.”
“What will we do in our free time, then?”
“Play games. The painful kind.”
“So you’ll still spank me?”
“But not for free. Nothing is free anymore. I want to pay for every pretty fucking smile. Every touch. Every fuck. You’re mine because I pay you to be. You do as I say because I have money. Lots of it. And that’s what you need.”
“For the record,” she whispers, “I’d give you back all that money in my bank, the college fund, the car, the boat, everything for dinner at my place.”
Stepping back, I admire her gorgeous ass before smacking it. “I told you, Cinderelliott. You can’t afford me. Not anymore. The sweet words you crave are too fucking expensive for you.”
“Fine.” She twists around to face me, her ponytail swishing from left to right, a fiery expression on her face. “This is simply a transaction?”
“Now she catches on.”
“Then you won’t care that I have lunch today with my ex-boyfriend.” She smiles prettily at me. “Right?”
I don’t care.
I don’t.
But why the fuck does she want to have lunch with her ex-boyfriend?
Failing to answer her, I grab her shoulders and move her away from the safe. I fling open the painting to reveal the safe door. After keying in my code, I open the heavy door and motion toward the stacks of money.
“Grab what you need and then I’m spanking you.”
“Hand or belt?”
“Hand.”
She picks up two giant stacks. “Will these fit in my handbag?”
The wicked glint in her hazel eyes says she’s just fucking with me.
“I’m sure, like my dick, we can make big things fit into small places.”
“Anal will cost a lot more than fat stacks of cash,” she throws back, her ponytail swinging when she shakes her head.
“I can afford it.”
“Prices increased. Inflation.”
“You overvalue your worth.”
She sets down one stack of bills and then fishes out a few hundred from the other stack before replacing it. Slowly, she counts out six hundreds. “Six smacks. That’s all you get.” With her other hand, she grips my tie, hauling me closer until my mouth is just inches from hers. “And, Win, I’m just learning my worth. It’s a lot more than I realized thanks to you.”
I grab her by her delicate throat, walking us backwards back over to my desk. She doesn’t protest when I manhandle her, bending her over it. Her sharp hiss of breath as I drag the material of her dress up over her ass makes my dick throb with need. A tiny, silky red string is delicately placed between each of her juicy ass cheeks.
Jesus Christ, this woman is trying to kill me.
Without warning, I smack her cheek. She cries out and the hundreds in her hand get crumpled when she fists them. I rub away the redness before delivering another smack, harder this time. Her whimpers state she’s loving the fuck out of my punishment. If I didn’t have the world’s most colossal fire to put out, I’d take the day off to think up many, many fitting punishments for this little bad girl. I strike her three more times before we’re interrupted with a sharp knock on the door.
“What?” I snap, rubbing the crimson flesh of Ash’s ass.
“Mr. Constantine,” Deborah squeaks out. “You have a call from—”
“What did I say?”
“To hold your calls, but it’s your mother. She said you’ll take her call or she’ll take my job.”
Ash snorts out a laugh. I smack her ass hard for the last spanking, making her cry out in indignation.
“I’ll take it in just a minute,” I grind out.
Once I’m certain Deborah has left, I smooth out Ash’s dress to cover her ass. She pushes up from the desk and stands all the way up. Her cheeks—the ones on her face—are also crimson and her pupils are blown. I would love nothing more than to fuck her until she’s boneless, but my brain is on straight today and it’s ignoring the pitiful pleas of my dick.
“Tell Nate I said you’re to work with him today.” I study her face, noting the disgusted expression that passes over it. And here I thought they were buddies considering all the times they hang out at my place when I’m not there. “I’m sure you can learn all sorts of things from him today.”
“If I have to,” she grumbles as she shoves the money into her purse.
“You do.” I step forward, hooking a finger under her chin and tilting it up. “And I don’t care who the hell you go to lunch with. You’re not my girlfriend.” Her nostrils flare and her eyes narrow angrily. “But you’ll take Perry with you. For protection from the press. You’re dismissed, Miss Elliott.”
At the mention of my brother’s name, she grins all too goofily at me. “Hmm.”
“The hmms belong to me.”
“Not anymore,” she sasses. “You knew I was a fast learner and yet you showed me all your tricks anyway. See you later, boss.” She gives me an exaggerated wink that makes my blood boil and my dick throb all at once.
This girl drives me fucking crazy.
I try not to admire her fiery determination or the sexy way her lips quirk into a knowing grin or how fucking hot she is in her take-no-shit outfit.
I also fail.
Miserably.
CHAPTER SIX
Ash
My ass hurts but things between me and Win feel better. Not close to how they were, but I do have hope. Because no matter how mad he is at me, he still wants me. He’s still affected by me.
Maybe our story isn’t one of princes and princesses and happily ever afters. Maybe ours is a wickedly hot villain and a filthy maid who are happy for now.
All thoughts of Win vanish when I reach Nate’s office door. I hate that I have to work with him, but until I smooth things out with Winston, I’ll need to give him some space. Plus, I do not want to be in the same room when he has the sex scandal conversation with his mother.
I still have to have that same conversation with my father.
Cringing, I try not to think about all the texts and calls he’s sent my way that have gone unanswered. I’m sure he’s dying of mortification. I just can’t face him right now.
Later. Definitely later.
I rap on Nate’s door, and when I hear his deep command to enter, I push into his office. His gaze is fixated on his phone as he texts. I step inside and close the door behind me, waiting for him to acknowledge my presence. After he finishes what he’s doing, he sets the phone down and glances my way. When he sees it’s me, he does a double take, his spine going rigid.