Page 115 of House of Payne

Who the hell does she think she is?

Her dark eyes widen, but her expression remains unmoved. “As you pointed out, you and I have always been honest with each other.”

“There’s honesty, and there’s fucking disrespect. Clearly, I’ve given you too much of a leash.” I squeeze a little, but Katia doesn’t react, and it infuriates me even more.

What right does she have to judge me?

She has no idea what kind of decisions I have to make or the sacrifices I’ve had to endure to get to where I am.

I haven’t poured blood, sweat, and tears into the empire to be questioned by my closest right hand.

Katia is supposed to serve and obey without question, and I don’t like her tone.

Or the unspoken implication behind it.

I ignore the voice in my head telling me I’ve brought this on myself.

In the fifteen years she’s been by your side, Katia has never once called your decisions into question. You’re just pissed because you know she’s right.

Goddamn it all to hell.

I need to figure out a way to punish her now, too, because so few things in life piss me off like being put under the microscope.

“Punish me, then,” Katia says, her voice dropping a little. “I’ll take whatever punishment you think is necessary.”

Fuck.

I know what she means when she looks at me with those dark, fathomless eyes.

Is this Katia’s way of getting back into my bed?

I grunt and remove my hands. “You don’t deserve to be punished.”

And I won’t give her the satisfaction, sexually or otherwise.

Katia offers a small smile. “You know you want to. You and I have known each other a long time, and I know she isn’t giving you what you want.”

My eyes narrow into slits. “Excuse me?”

“I don’t care if you’re fucking someone else,” Katia whispers, before she closes the space between us, giving me a generous view of her cleavage. “She can watch, or she can join. I don’t care. But you and I both know I’m the only one who can give you what you want.”

Our time together definitely brings light to it, but she has no idea how London satisfies me. They may be different, and Katia has always been the one I’ve turned to in the past, but London has all my attention now. There are things there Katia can’t fathom or compete with, even with her experience.

“I know you put on that little show for her as a lesson,” Katia continues, in the same thick voice. “But you also know I would’ve fucked you in front of her if you’d asked.”

I raise an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t have asked.”

Katia places a hand on my thigh, and her fingers glide upward, slowly and tantalizingly. “You wouldn’t have had to.”

It’s how it’s always worked with us.

Weeks ago, I would’ve had her pinned against the leather seats of the car, and I would’ve been raging hard.

Now, all I can think about is London’s face etched with pleasure.

All I can hear is the sound of her soft moans, falling readily from her lips.

I want London’s fingers on my thighs and kneading my shoulder muscles, and I want her mouth to be inches from mine.