Page 6 of Pandora's Pleasure

He smirked. “I don’t want any evidence of my discipline to appear at the cocktail party. Maybe after everyone’s gone.”

I flinched as though he’d already hit me. “Don’t.”

“I don’t mean to strike you, Pandora. I’m not a Neanderthal.” His glare narrowed. “You’re like this because you crave discipline.”

I turned my head, refusing to look in his eyes.

His warm breath kissed my cheek. “You’re so damn needy. This is why you defy me. You’re constantly craving what only I can give you.” His thumb rubbed over my bottom lip and dipped into my mouth; as sensual as it was forbidden. “I’ve arranged for the house at Seascape to be made ready.”

That almost made my knees buckle.

He was talking about his private oceanside home that was a helicopter flight from here. The place I’d only heard about. The Godmans had homes all around the world, including New York, Milan, France, and England. I’d never be able to run from Seascape. It was in the middle of nowhere.

Damien’s mother had hinted her eldest son might whisk me away tonight after the party, and she’d smiled as she’d delivered the news. Those other things she’d spoken of threatened to haunt my nightmares forever.

I refused to think of them now.

“You and I will spend the weekend at Seascape.” He gave a nod. “I believe that once you and I get to know each other better, you’ll relax around me.”

Did he mean sleep together?

“We have to wait—”

“Go back to the ballroom and pretend you want to be there. Then you and I will have the rest of the evening to ourselves.”

He let me go and I headed down the hallway. I was shaking uncontrollably.

“Pandora,” he called after me.

I stopped walking, waiting for him to continue without looking back, not wanting to see the victory in his eyes.

“Remember you’re a collector’s item.” Damien quickly closed the gap between us, standing right behind me to speak softly in my ear. “Behave as such.”

“There are other women out there you might prefer.”

He brushed a fingertip along my bare shoulder. “Be a good girl. Don’t make me regret not punishing you for your indiscretion.”

I nodded, feeling a shiver run down my spine. “Tell your brother to keep his hands off me.”

“I will deal with him. Now off you go.”

I hurried along the hallway in the direction of the ballroom, my heart pounding in my ears and Damien’s cologne clinging to me, his amber scent scorching my psyche. My continued yearning for him was poisoning me.

As I neared the ballroom where the prestigious guests had gathered for the evening, I raised my chin preparing to face all of these strangers again. I needed to put the fear out of my mind—the fear of being alone with Damien later in some secluded house.

“Miss Bardot!”

I turned to face one of the Godman’s staff—a burly man wearing a tuxedo.

“Senator Godman wants to see you in his office.”

Fine hairs prickled on the back of my neck. “Damien requested that I go directly to the ballroom.”

“This way, please.” The man gestured toward a door at the other end of the hallway.

I wanted to listen to my intuition and refuse to be in the same room alone with Gregor Godman.

The tuxedo-clad man was already opening the office door. “Don’t keep the Senator waiting.”