Page 421 of The Donovan Dynasty

“There are quite a few of them.”She noticed that a line divided US holdings from those overseas.Until now, she hadn’t considered just how vast the family’s interests were.“Do you travel a lot?”

“We generally bring our C-level leaders to Texas rather than us going to them.But I do when it’s unavoidable.”

“This is where you spend most of your time,” she guessed.It was a place he could exercise his brain and his body at the same time.It was more lived-in than the rest of the house, but that didn’t mean much.The man was meticulously organized.

“Too much, my sister tells me.”

“So you don’t take time to enjoy the back yard?”

“Was its resemblance to a jungle your first clue?”he asked.

“I’d spend most of the day outside if I lived here.”With the foliage, he was sure to have birds, dragonflies, bees, green anoles.She could snap the camera shutter for hours without leaving the premises.

He tapped the paddle against his calf.“Shall we?”

All of a sudden, she noticed how warm she was, despite the chilled air whispering over her skin.As she walked behind him, the intrusion from the butt plug seemed magnified.

At the end of the hallway, he pushed the door open and stepped aside.“Welcome to my playroom, Kelsey.Have a look around.”

Feeling edgy, filled with trepidation from the unknown, she squared her shoulders and walked past him.

Not surprising her, the room was decorated sparsely.The floor was a rich, reddish hardwood.The walls were painted a contrasting gray, much like his office at Donovan Logistics.Rather than the blinds she expected, the window was covered by a blackout shade.

As promised, he had a spanking bench, and it was covered in smooth black marine vinyl.Sturdy O-rings protruded from several locations, and he’d attached cuffs to some of them.A number of mirrors hung from the walls.No matter where she looked, she saw reflections of herself and Nathan, with his forbidding countenance.

The granite countertop appeared to match those in the kitchen.He’d spread a white towel across the top, and she saw her collar and leash alongside the nipple clamps.

A violet-colored yoga mat lay on the floor, and there was a large armoire which, she figured, probably held his equipment.

He placed her paddle on the counter then faced her with the collar in his hands.“Remain in place and lift your hair.”

Gaze focused on him, she did so and watched him close the distance between them.

She loved it when he stood so close that she was able to inhale his scent.

He buckled the strip of leather into place then stood there for a moment, looking at her.

“This is something I won’t get tired of seeing.”His voice was hoarse.

Kelsey let her hair fall over her shoulders and down her back.

“There’s a flogger hanging behind those doors.”He nodded toward the piece of furniture.

“Yes, Sir,” she said, unsure what to say and having no choice but to rely on intuition to guide her.

“Bring it to me.Present it to me.”

She didn’t know exactly what he meant.In books, the Dom sometimes expected the sub to kneel, sometimes just hand it over.“On my knees, Sir?Standing?Bowed before you?”

“Excellent,” he whispered.

His approval made heat lance through her.She realized his instruction had been a test.Would she have the courage to admit what she didn’t know and ask for his guidance?

“Head on the floor,” he said.

She went to the masculine piece of furniture and opened the doors.

Breath chilled her lungs.He had all sorts of stuff hanging from hooks—floggers, whips and two paddles.One was carved from thick wood and had a capital D burned into it.The other was much thinner, crafted from a lighter-colored wood, and it had rows of holes marching across the surface.Either of them, she was sure, would hurt considerably more than hers.He had a couple of other implements on the shelves that she’d never seen and couldn’t name.