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“Oh.” Her palm slips to my freshly shaved cheek. Her fingers trace the line of my cheekbone. The only warmth I’ve ever known, and it’s my captive offering it to me. “We haven’t talked like that in days.”

We’re both quiet. We’re in this together. I’m a part of something.

Us.

There’s anus, and fuck, I can’t be tempted. Can’t get swallowed up in it. A drowning man isn’t good enough for her.

I raise the hand that’s holding a metal cuff at the end of a long chain. The other metal cuff is already locked around a bar under the kitchen island.

“Hands and knees.”

Her expression morphs from warmth to curiosity, then into determination. “Stay home and I will.”

“No.” I leave out the part that it’s a risk not showing up to work. The burden of worrying is mine to carry. “On your hands and knees.”

Her scowl is adorable.

“Maybe.” Her eyes light up when I start negotiating with her. Poor thing, she still has no idea who she’s dealing with. “If you beg me just the right way, I won’t work long hours today.”

“Long hours? You’d do that? Are you kidding me right now?” Her fists are in the air. Her cheeks are flushed. Now she’sturned on. Now she’s furious. Now we’re playing my game. “It’s bad enough that you plan on leaving me here chained and alone. Now you’re telling me that you plan to be back at what? Midnight? You monster.”

“Owner.” My grip around her nape becomes a punishing squeeze. She whimpers, and I hold her right. Fucking. There. “Not a monster. Owner. A merciful one.”

I lick the corner of her mouth. Feisty thing she is, she twists her head to bite my lips. The only reason I avoid her is so that I’m not bleeding before work.

Otherwise, I would’ve let her.

Otherwise, I would’ve taken great pleasure in punishing her for it.

“As proof of just how merciful I am.” Her body moves in the direction that mine demands of her. I pin her back to the island, dropping the chain and cuff on the countertop. “You’ll get to orgasm before I leave.”

“I can come after you leave.” Her fingers grab onto my waist, nails digging into me. “You’ll be at the office, and I’ll be here. Fantasizing about Topher. I’ll imagine it’s him on top of me. Call him my owner. I’ll come, screaming his?—”

There’s not a decent bone left in my body when she talks like that. Taunting me. Forcing jealousy into me, poisoning me with it.

Choking me with it.

She won’t get to finish this abominable sentence.

I pull out the butt plug from my jacket pocket. I meant to stretch her, play with her later.

It was supposed to be a gift.

She’ll be having it as a punishment instead.

The crystal at the end reflects the orange light hues that filter into the kitchen, grabbing her attention.

I’d revel in her fear, except my mind goes blank as jealousy blocks out everything else.

Everything other than her punishment.

I shove the butt plug into her insolent mouth.

“—name! Topher!” she mumbles around it. Screams. As much as possible, when I have it secured between her teeth. With my hand covering her jaw, I shut her up. “Mmm! Mmm!”

“I’m assuming it’smonsteryou’re trying to say.” A minute or so pass. I drag the butt plug in and out in small motions. Nothing about what I feel is small. Fire burns in the pit of my stomach. Adrenaline soaks my veins. “Wrong word. Wrong goddamn wrong. As wrong as it was to mention another man’s name.”

Her mouth is silenced. Her fists are her last weapon against me. She uses them. Punches my chest. Reaches for my neck. I’m heavier than her. More resilient.