She didn’t like the way he looked through her as though she was something he’d already dismissed from his life. He was giving her what she wanted. He was being polite, nonthreatening, and utterly distant. She hated it. She had spent so much of her life feeling invisible, the thought of this man looking through her made her eyes water. She nodded, unable to speak.
His hand came out and slid over hers. The touch of his skin sent tingles across her whole body. “Don’t cry, Danielle. I promise I’ll make sure you get home. Jackson?”
“I can have one of the hands take her home. She knows Ricky and Tom. She should feel comfortable with them.”
Panic threatened again. Home? She’d moved all of her clothes and things into Jimbo’s house. She could go home to the house she grew up in, but Val was there. The thought of listening to her baby sister rage about how she’d screwed everything up was more than she could handle. And Finn could find her there. She couldn’t stand the thought of seeing pity on his face. She also couldn’t stand the thought of never seeing the man in front of her again. It was stupid. She’d just left her groom at the altar. She wasn’t in Julian Lodge’s league. She should have Ricky or Tom take her to the church, and she could figure out what to do from there. Her hand curled into Julian’s large one, and she shook her head. “Please let me stay the night.”
His mouth turned down. “That is up to Jackson.”
Jack Barnes watched the scene with his arms crossed over his solid chest. “I don’t think that’s what she’s asking, Julian.”
“Then she needs to have the courage to ask me for what she wants.” His foot tapped against the hardwood floor.
Dani swallowed as she looked up at Julian. His perfect face was staring down at her patiently. He really was going to make her ask. “May I please stay the night?”
He stilled his foot and focused that intense attention on her. “You have to be clear, Danielle. Are you asking for a room for the night, or are you asking to spend the night in my bed?”
Damn him. Why did he have to put it like that? It was so very blatant. And she wasn’t thinking that way. Well, she was, but she wouldn’t go through with it. She was insanely attracted to him. Any woman with eyes would want him. But she knew she wasn’t a sexual person. As much as she wanted him, she would only be disappointed in the end. “You’re safe from me, Mr. Lodge. I promise not to attack you. I’m not…interested in that kind of thing.”
That was a lie. She was beyond interested. She just wasn’t any good at it. She lacked something. While she heard other women boast about their sex lives, Dani just didn’t get it. She’d had three lovers her entire life and not one of them had managed to get her to that magical place other women talked about. After Jimbo failed, she had to wonder if the problem didn’t lie with her.
He snorted regally. His lips turned down in an expression of complete disbelief. “Really? You have no interest in sexual intercourse?”
“None. Consider yourself safe.”
“You have no interest in a man, a dominant man, bending you to his will? No interest in pleasing him? Let me tell you how it would go, little one. You would do it on your knees, on your back, however he wanted you. You would kneel before him and trust him to give you the discipline you require to come to orgasm. And you would come, Danielle. This man would make sure of it. You would come many times. He would train you to accept pleasure and that edge of pain that enhances it. He would train you to pleasure him, and in giving him pleasure, pleasing that part of you that needs to give. You would be tied up, tied down, forced to accept a crop’s sting across your flesh. He would bind your arms and legs and whip your backside when you displease him. You would learn to love the lash, because it takes you someplace special, someplace where only a person like you can go. After, you would be worshipped, with his hands, his lips, his tongue, his cock. There is no piece of you this man wouldn’t claim. He would invade your pussy, your mouth, your tight little ass. You would belong to him, and in exchange, he would protect you, cherish you for the gift you have given him. He would see to your comfort, your peace of mind. You have absolutely no interest in such a relationship?”
Her mouth had gone dry a long time ago. She forced herself to swallow. His words had gone straight to her pussy, and she shifted, feeling an odd softness at the juncture of her thighs. She should definitely run now, and she knew she wouldn’t. She’d spent twelve years giving to others. She’d given up her dreams for her sister. She’d been the doormat of Willow Fork. Today was about what she wanted. It wouldn’t last. She wasn’t foolish enough to believe that Julian Lodge would sweep into her two-stoplight town and carry her away. But, if he could make her feel something just for a day or two, that would be worth it. The heartache would come, and strangely she welcomed that, too. It would mean that something had happened to her, something she chose.
“I would like to spend the night with you.”
A slow smile spread across his face, making her heart clench at the thought that she had put it there. “Excellent. I would enjoy that as well.”
“I thought you were on vacation.” Jack was shaking his head.
“Yes, and now I am taking a vacation from my celibacy.”
“Celibacy?” A distinct note of incredulity seeped into Jack’s tone.
“Later, Jackson. For now, Danielle and I need to work out her punishment.”
She forced herself to breathe. “Punishment?”
“Yes, you were rude to me and our hosts.”
She really liked the way he said “our” far too much. She was getting in too deep and couldn’t seem to stop. She was sure of one thing. He hadn’t been teasing her. He seemed to really want to be with her sexually. She wasn’t sure why, but she wasn’t going to get stubborn now. She had been rude. “I am sorry, Sir.”
“I do not require your apology, little one. I require your submission. Five swats over my knee, right now. And then you may apologize to our host.”
Dani felt herself flush. Julian walked to the sofa, sat down, and patted his knee. She turned to Jack, who simply nodded as though giving his assent to the proceedings. Julian wanted her to lie across his lap and allow him to spank her? A vision of the way she would look spread out across his lap assailed her. She would be helpless. He would be utterly in control.
“It’s up to you, Dani. If you’re really scared, then you can talk to Abby and figure out what you want.” Jack sounded imminently sensible.
“You do this to Abby, don’t you?” She’d known that her boss’s marriage was odd to say the least. From the lunches she’d had with Abby, she’d started to see that she was very freethinking in her sexual beliefs. It didn’t put Dani off. It just made her think that Abby Barnes was a woman to admire. Abby loved and was loved and didn’t apologize for it.
Jack’s lips quirked up. “Yes, I do. But I understand that it might be intimidating to a newbie. If you’re scared, know that I won’t toss you aside. You’re my wife’s friend. I will take care of you.”
That was the easy way out. That was the way “careful Dani” would go. This Dani wanted to know what it felt like to be with Julian. This Dani wasn’t backing down. She walked to Julian. She started to lean over him. His hand came up, stopping her.
“Pull the pants down, little one.”
She hesitated. Julian simply waited. His face was open and showed no signs of intimidation. He was waiting to see if she complied. Why did he leave it up to her? She cast a glance at Jack, but he didn’t seem to be leaving.