Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 100680 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100680 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
“Some of what I might tell you could be hard to understand, but I also know it should come from me. Or you might hear it from someone else and . . . shit. Sorry.” His phone started buzzing and he drew it out of his pocket and read the text message. “It’s my brother. Crap.”
“Is something wrong?”
“He just needs me to go see him now. But you and I need to talk. Damn, and I haven’t given you the punishment you’re owed.”
“We don’t need to worry about that,” she said hastily.
“Ah, yeah, baby. We do need to worry. Because you have trouble asking for help and that needs to change.” He cupped her chin in his hand. “You don’t need to do everything on your own anymore, all right?
She sucked in a breath. “Right.”
“So next time you need help with something, you call me. Understand?”
“I do.” He really meant every word, didn’t he? Other people might say something similar, but they didn’t necessarily mean it. She’d learned that lesson the hard way.
But Maxim wasn’t one of those people.
“Good girl.” He kissed her. Long and deep. Until her body was hot and aching. “I haven’t got time to spank you, so your punishment is to make me a list.”
“A list? A list of what?”
“A list of all the things that you need my help with.”
“What? And what would I put on that list?” What the hell?
“Well, number one would be me helping you learn to drive.”
Oh, right. Well, that would be helpful.
“Number two could be giving you an orgasm with my fingers.”
“Maxim! That’s not helping me!”
He grinned. “Isn’t it? It might help you relax and get some sleep. That could be number three. Helping you sleep.” He ran a finger under her eyes.
“How do you know I have trouble sleeping?”
“Couple of reasons. You look tired.”
Urgh, she really had to learn how to put on make-up better.
“And I figure someone that goes to the gym that late at night either works strange hours or they want to exercise to the point of exhaustion so they can fall into bed and sleep. Am I wrong?”
“You’re not wrong.”
“So that’s definitely number three.”
She bit her lip. That seemed very one-sided to her. She wanted the scales to be balanced. “What about you? What can I do for you?”
The grin was wicked. It made her heart race. “Oh, baby. I could list a dozen ways you could help me.”
“Maxim Malone!” She slapped his chest. “I didn’t mean that!”
“What? I was just going to say that I need some help picking out . . . drapes.”
“Drapes?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Right.”
He grabbed hold of her hips and lifted her off him, putting her on her feet. She hastily did up a couple of buttons, so she didn’t fall out of her dress.
“Definitely need new drapes.”
“I don’t think we’re allowed to replace the drapes. They come with the apartments, right?”
“You can when you own the building.”
She paused and stared at him. “You don’t own the building.”
“Yes, I do.”
“No. You don’t.”
“Baby. Yes. I. Do.”
“Holy. Crap. Balls. Don’t tell me you are the new owner?”
He just grinned.
He was the new owner. And . . . and . . .
“Did you do it to get rid of Brian? Because of the way he treated me? Maxim?” She followed him to the door, nearly stumbling in her haste.
Turning quickly, he grabbed her hips to steady her. Then he placed a soft kiss on her lips.
“Lock the door behind me.”
“Maxim? Did you?” she asked as he opened the door.
“Of course I did, baby.”
20
Maxim walked into Regent’s office to find all of his brothers already in there.
Victor was leaning against the wall, Regent was sitting behind his desk and Jardin sat opposite him, staring down at something on his laptop.
“Hey, what’s up?” It better be something good, since he’d had to leave his girl without giving her any pleasure or the spanking she deserved. This time, he might have actually pulled her panties down.
Fuck.
These past couple of weeks had been a definite test of his control. There was nothing he wanted more than to strip her off, spread her legs, and then feast.
But first, she needed to know that she was special;, she needed to know her worth.
And that was more important than his blue balls.
He just hoped that no permanent damage was being done.
After pouring himself a Scotch, he sat on the other chair beside Jardin.
“Just help yourself,” Regent said dryly.
“Always do, brother.”
Jardin looked up from his screen at him. “You seem in a good mood.”
“When am I not in a good mood?” Maxim countered.
“You should be ecstatic after you learn what we’ve discovered,” Regent said. “Jardin.”
After pressing a few buttons on his computer, Jardin used the projector attached to the ceiling to project an image of a good-looking man in his fifties on the opposite wall.
“Uh, who is this?” Maxim asked.