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“Ah, Rebecca.” I felt his smile against my cheek as he leaned forward. “Don’t you remember, what I said? You have all the power here, even when I have you on your knees. Never confuse submission for weakness. You might be the one doing what you’re told, but you always have all of the power.”

It was that contradiction I never understood. Perhaps there was only one way to learn it.

“One night,” I croaked. I flinched from the dryness in my throat and reached for my water. “When?”

His grin went wicked. Excitement travelled to the tips of my toes and fingers.

He held out his hand, palm up and wiggled his fingers. “Why, tonight, of course.”

I lifted my hand, fingertips trembling. Something unknown was buzzing in my veins, when an arm flung around my shoulders and yanked me away from him.

“I see you’re still here,” Miranda said, hugging me tightly. “How are you two getting along?”

“Perfectly,” Bennett said. He arched a brow, daring me to argue with him.

“How are you doing?” I asked Miranda. Thank goodness for her. Being in my friend’s embrace soothed me. I needed it more than ever. Now that she was here, and Shawn who had stopped next to Bennett, the realization of what I agreed to was unsettling.

Miranda winked and pulled back from me. “Well warmed up.” She settled into Shawn like she always did.

“Lovely to hear,” I murmured, and brought my glass of water to my lips.

I had almost placed my hand in Bennett’s, allowed him to treat me like nothing more than a doormat and use me to simply get his rocks off. That’s what this was about, right?

Men using women to their satisfaction.

But the things he’d said. The visual he painted of something more than blissful.

The same patience from earlier was simmering in his deep brown eyes as if he understood my sudden fear.

“If you’ll excuse me,” Bennett said, setting his glass down. “I believe Rebecca and I were about to leave.”

Or, maybe not. Crap.

“Were you?” Shawn asked. His gaze flickered back and forth between us and he tightened his hold on Miranda. “Rebecca came with us.”

“And with your permission, I’ll be taking her home.” He spoke like he actually needed Shawn’s approval and I almost stumbled backward, settling myself before I did so. Bennett wasn’t the kind of man who required permission from anyone.

“I see,” Shawn said. “Are you okay with this, Rebecca?”

His head tilted, next to him, Miranda giggled. She covered her mouth with her fingers to hide it but amusement shone in her pretty blue eyes.

“Well, um.” Bennett leaned toward me, tipped his head until his mouth was against my ear. His spicy scent washed over me like a waterfall. His mere presence undoing all the rationality I’d reached for.

“Submit to me, Rebecca. One night. You’ll be treated like a queen and given more pleasure than anything you’ve imagined. Give me this night to show you.”

“And if I say yes? What then?”

“Then you’ll be screaming my name, multiple times throughout the night and into the morning.”

It was wicked. Unrealistic. So very, very tempting.

“And we won’t mention this at the office?”

“If that’s what has you worried, then I promise you. I will not bring up anything that occurs between us at the office, unless you mention it first.”

And that wouldn’t happen. What did I have to lose? One night to see what all the fuss was about. One night to understand what submitting truly meant beyond Miranda’s descriptions.

One night to have my body used by Bennett Ashby.