Page 36 of No More Spies

Convincing her was going to take time, and he was determinedto be patient.

“Whose fault is that, Mattie?” Kala asked, tapping thepaddle she carried against her palm.

“Mine, Mistress,” Matt said, every word flavored withanticipation.

“And what happens when you’re a bad boy?”

“I get punished.”

Normally he enjoyed these sessions. Sometimes they were theonly times he and Kala connected, but something was off with her this evening.For one thing the baddest Domme he knew looked soft, her pink hair in longcurls rather than ruthlessly slicked back. He liked her any way she came, butthis was a particular treat.

Like when she came to the homecoming dance their senior yearof high school in a blue strapless dress, her hair in an elegant updo that hadeveryone thinking she was Kenz.

Even him.

When he’d walked up to her and asked if Kala had stayedhome, it had taken her a moment to reply. In that instant, he’d seen the hurt.Like he should have known. Of all the people in the world, he should haveknown.

She’d walked out without a word and he’d…well, he’d beencrowned homecoming king and everyone had cheered, and he’d known it didn’t meana damn thing.

How many times could he break her heart and still have achance?

“It’s a count of a hundred. Do you want it from me or him?”

That got his brow to rise. He sat on the spanking bench,relaxing back like it was a chaise lounge or something. He was altogether toocomfortable in dungeons.

It was good to remember he wasn’t the uptight, nervous,needed to be accepted kid he’d once been.

The dungeon was their place. Their palace.

Even if it needed some upgrades.

“Really? I thought this was your project for the night,” hemurmured, watching the way she moved. Was her knee bothering her? She’d fuckedit up on the Canada mission. Well, she’d had it injured by a man Cooper plannedto kill.

“I like to give a sub a choice,” she replied simply. “Me orthe Master, Mattie? Know this is only the physical punishment. I’ve got tasksfor you to complete before our next session.”

“Yes, Mistress.” His head turned up, staring at her with aworshipful gaze. “And if I please you, may I spend the night on the floor?”

He wouldn’t be on the floor for long. He would be in aprivacy room with whichever Dom caught his eye and shared his sexuality. Whichwas probably why Kala had offered. Sometimes he thought she would never stoptesting him.

“If I punish him, he’s getting rid of the Speedo. You knowmy punishment requires nudity from a sub,” he shot back. “It’s way more funwhen you catch the dangly bits as they swing.”

She couldn’t shake his sexuality. He knew what he wanted andwhat he could give others. Some dude needed to get his ass whacked to feelcomplete? He was there for it. Someone liked to have their balls tortured? Itwas kind of like practice for what he was planning to do to Huisman, thoughhe’d been far more careful with that guy than he planned to be with the doctor.

“The Mistress, please,” Mattie pleaded, his head going backto a submissive position.

He tilted his head, a gesture meant to honor her. She wasthe one who was truly good at this.

“You make it hurt more,” Mattie said with a happy sigh. “Noone hurts me the way you do, Mistress.”

To Cooper’s mind it was code for something else. She gaveMattie what he needed and asked very little in return. She helped him withoutjudgment. She was a goddess on the dungeon floor, benevolent in her controlledviolence.

But for a moment, he saw that same hurt on her face he’dseen the night of the dance, her expression shuttering at Mattie’s words.

And then everything about her was a careful blank, from thelook on her face to the tone of her voice. “Then I’ll have to do my best.”

She pulled her arm back and a hardthwackbouncedthrough the room. They’d done something to the walls that made soundreverberate. He was sure Gabe could explain it to him, but he felt the sound asthough she’d struck him.

Mattie simply groaned and took it like the massive pain sluthe was. Cooper watched Kala, knowing he didn’t have to protect the sub. Shecould be mad as hell and never take it out on a submissive.