Page 34 of Devious Corruption

“What is it?”

“Your dinner.” I slip the slim Jim between the glass and the weather stripping with ease, lowering it.

“You didn’t need to do that.” She pops open the top of the container and smiles. “It smells delicious, though.”

“It should. I have the best chefs in the world working in my kitchens.” Maneuvering the metal shaft down until I feel the control rod, I quickly hook the rod and tug upward. The lock pops immediately.

“You did it.” She presses into my shoulder, looking through the window.

“It helps that your car has no real lock security.” Sliding the slim Jim back out of the door, I open it for her. “Now, go home, eat, then sleep.”

She frowns up at me. “Thank you.”

I’m not sure what to say so I nod. It’s the first time since I’ve met her she’s not throwing an insult at me. No need to mess it up.

“Go on.” I nod toward the open door.

She slides into her seat, placing the takeout containeron the floor of the passenger side. Without hesitation, I grab the seat belt and pull it over her torso, locking it in place.

“I can do that,” she mutters.

“Now you don’t have to.” I rest on hand on the top of her seat and the other on the top of the steering wheel, bringing us nearly nose to nose. “What are you going to do when you get home?”

She stares at me. There’s a speck of brown in her otherwise green eyes. It would be easy to miss with her glasses on, but this close, staring so intently into her eyes, I can see her so clearly.

“You’re being bossy again.”

“You’re being difficult again.” With the tip of my middle finger, I push her glasses up. “Go home. Eat your dinner and get some sleep. If you don’t do those things, I’ll be displeased.”

Her throat works as she swallows and for a moment, I think she’s going to soften into me.

“You’re a real ass, you know that. If you’re displeased.” She scoffs. “And what happens when your majesty is displeased?”

The little rose blush kissing her cheeks gives me more information than I’m sure she’s willing to part with knowingly. But lucky for me, her body doesn’t have the same barriers up as her mind.

I lean closer, breathing along her cheek until I get to her ear.

“When one of my men displeases me, I remove afinger…sometimes a toe. Once I had a tongue cut out. But when naughty girls displease me, they feel the weight of my belt across their bare ass.”

Her indrawn breath tells me everything I need to know, and probably more than she wants to divulge.

It’s enough for now. I straighten up and tap a fist lightly on the roof of the car.

“Good night, Maxine.”

Displease him? Displease him!

And threatening me with his belt? Who the hell does he think he is!

“You’re going to cut yourself you keep this up.” Serafina leans over the register counter and covers my hand before I slide the paper cutter through my fingertip.

“Shit.” I pull my hands away and take a deep breath.

“What’s eating at you? You’ve been tense all afternoon.” She slides the cutter away from me and finishes cutting the last of the fliers.

“No one.” I push my glasses back in place and grab the scraps of paper left over and crumble them into a tight ball.

“Okay, but I said what, not who,” she teases.