Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 72692 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72692 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
She rolls her eyes. “Is this one of those ‘If I tell you I’d have to kill you’ speeches?”
Of all the disrespectful things—
I silence her with a look. She gives me the middle finger. Mario actually gasps. Lyam chuckles and reaches into his pocket before he casually slides me what I asked him for. I put the sleek package in my pocket.
I narrow my eyes at her. Oh, I’ll remember that.
I’m not sure why she’s so angry with me. I’m not the one that put her in this predicament.
Finally, I break the silence with a question that’s been plaguing me for a little while. “Why didn’t you have your guard with you?”
“Oh, God, you too?”
“Me, too, what?”
“Fabien and Nicolette have been on my ass about getting guards.”
I close my eyes briefly, willing myself not to snap again. “Do you mean to tell me,” I say slowly, “that you don’t have any guards?”
Her sheepish grimace is all the answer I need.
“Savannah!”
“Seriously, that’s exactly what Fabien and Nicolette were saying, and I don’t need to hear it all over again.”
“Are you serious right now?”
“Fucking hell,” Mario says, his eyes wide. “Savannah, there isn’t a woman in my family who’s allowed to brush her teeth without a damn guard.”
Lyam nods. “I’m shocked Fabien allowed this.”
“Guards are for special people. Celebrities?” she says, as if that explains anything. “Rich people. Not people like me. And I’m not actually Fabien’s sister, so he has no say. And this is ridiculous because I’m not someone anyone would even target.”
“Wrong. Your sister married into the Gerard family. That alone puts you at risk.”
She lets out a sigh worthy of an award. “Fine. Alright. After this I have to admit I do need a guard, so I guess you all will have your way.”
The rest of the trip goes off without a hitch. We land, and she scans the horizon for any sign of where we are. Though she’s familiar with Corsica, she won’t know our exact destination.
I wait until we’re safely seated in our escort car, Mario and Lyam in a separate car to follow us, before I lay down the laws she won’t like.
“Now, we talk.”
Savannah eyes me warily. She’s as squashed in the corner of the car as possible, her arms crossed over her chest like a child.
She needs someone to break through that exterior. Break down her defenses. Break through that resistance.
I wonder how she’d react to a spanking.
I don’t know how long I’ll have her, but we will find out.
“I’m going to blindfold you before we go in.”
“Oooh, kinky, are we?” She’s trying to be witty or funny, but I can only shake my head.
“Oh, Savannah. Love. You have no idea.”
“You can’t—do you—I mean, if you—” She pauses. “Thayer.”
“Savannah.”
“Don’t say my name like that,” she whispers, then looks away quickly, as if regretting what she just said. Shaking her head, she grimaces. “Forget I said that.”
Why does she ask me that? Why doesn’t she want me to say her name? It’s a strange request.
I love her name. It’s old-fashioned, feminine, and beautiful… all the things I like best about her.
“Like I said, it’s time to talk,” I begin. “I’m taking you to an exclusive club. At this club, clients pay very high-end prices for anonymity and privacy. Only certain members are allowed entry. You’ll likely… see things that might be a little… foreign to you.”
She eyes me with suspicion. "What do you mean? And how do you know what I have and have not seen? Is this like some kind of kinky sex club?”
There’s no hiding the truth, so I nod. “Something like that.”
“Ahhh,” she says, nodding with a little grin. “Really?” she drawls in a classic Southern Belle imitation. “Why, Thayer. I had no idea.”
I blow out a stream of breath and turn away. “I know.”
I need this woman alone, in private, and now.
“My, my,” she says with a teasing glint in her eyes. “What else do you hide behind that tough exterior?” She reaches for my hand and strokes her thumb along the top of it. My dick twitches and my pulse spikes. Fucking hell.
Tough exterior, eh? I’ll show her tough exterior—
“Savannah.” I lace my voice with warning, but she doesn’t seem to care. She turns fully to face me, as if she’s completely oblivious to the fact that she’s in danger and this is no joking matter.
“All this time,” she says in a low voice. “All this time, you’ve been hiding these secrets…”
That does it.
In one swift move, I grab her by the waist and pin her against me, so her back is to my chest and my left arm’s solidly in place around her. I reach in my pocket for the package from Lyam—a slim blindfold and supple restraints. With a firm grip, I loop the satiny restraint around her wrists and pull tight.