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I took a step closer. My body vibrated, as if it was still debating fight or flight or staying put and seeing what would happen. “Stop behaving like it then.”

Was it the best taunt I could come up with?

No. It made Tony take another step, though. I wasn’t sure he was completely aware of what he was doing, but I didn’t care. He moved one hand to the back of my neck and squeezed. My eyes rolled to the back of my head.

I shouldn’t be this easy.

I didn’t care enough to do anything about it.

“Get on the bed, pup.” The words contradicted the sharper tone in his voice. The smallest moan escaped me. Forcing my eyes to focus on him revealed lips tilted downward in a sneer. I shivered. “And stop with the sass. Last I checked, pups don’t speak.”

“Woof.”

I grinned. Pups didn’t speak, but they barked—and they could be opinionated, too. Tony wasn’t new. Surely, he knew the kind of chaos a mischievous pup could wreak. I was happy to show him, too. Starting by going on all fours. Cece huffed at me when I went on all fours without knee pads or anything else—something about how I complained later and I’d brought it all down on myself. I didn’t care. I wasn’t good at keeping consequences in mind.

Tony let me get on all fours. He circled around me, and I tracked his movements. It was easy to see he wanted to correct me, to get me to stay completely still. He was welcome to tell me, but perhaps he wasn’t as collected and put together as he was posturing to be. A thrill ran through me. I liked that he was still nervous, that he was buying himself time the way newbie Domms did.

“Bed, pup.”

“Woof!”

The chinos I wore weren’t the most elastic, but the bed wasn’t super tall, and I was the best climber.

I’d show him that, too.

I even managed to make the move graceful.

One glance back revealed Tony gawking at my ass. I wiggled in place.

The duvet was softer than it looked. I must’ve been right when I thought this place was intended for aftercare. But just to be sure, I rolled around the thing.

It was important to get all the facts right.

Yep.

Soft as a cloud.

I was on my back, legs and arms bent, when Tony stopped by the edge of the mattress. I wiggled some more. Belly rubs were the best, but I didn’t know that he knew, and speaking was not an option.

I frowned. Would he understand if I barked long enough?

“Do you have a puppy name?”

Two barks. I frowned.Thatwas what he wanted to ask? Ugh.

I didn’t want to talk about puppy names or my thoughts on puppy play. Sure, maybe I should’ve done it prior to climbing onthe softest bed in history, but now I just wanted belly rubs. And leg humping. Preferably in that order, but I wasn’t picky.

I could be reasonable.

“All right. Scoot then.”

Ooooooh.

Yes. Scooting led to him climbing on the bed and then giving belly rubs. Right? Right. That made sense. It was logical or whatever.

Logic sucked.

It was necessary, but it sucked.