Dirtiest Lie Read Free Page B

she says. Hanging up, she catches my eye. “Mr. Tarraget would like to see you in his office.”
    “When?”
    “Immediately, I assume.”
    Eyeing the mountain of folders, I push to my feet. Knowing Hawthorne, he just wants to waste my time.
    But I’ve been summoned, so off I go.
    Slowly. My toes are pinched, starting to ache.
    Hawthorne’s door is open. Feet propped on his desk, he’s flipping through a car magazine. When he sees me, he stands and reaches for his coffee cup.
    “I’ll be with you in a moment.” He walks out, leaving me standing there like an idiot. “Ms. Yorker?”
    I turn. “Please don’t call me that.”
    “You’re not allowed to be in executive areas—”
    “Got it,” I snap, and I move outside his office.
    Of course I know I got special treatment before, but I really hope Hawthorne doesn’t act like this with the other employees.
    “Ms. Yorker,” he says when he finally returns, a fresh cup of coffee in his hand. “Thank you for coming down. I realize you’re busy this morning.”
    I don’t bother rolling my eyes. He doesn’t deserve a reaction.
    “My sister called about fifteen minutes ago,” he says, and my heart skips a beat.
    “Is Bandit—”
    “Your cat is fine. He’ll be picked up today, and you’ll have him back by tomorrow night.”
    “Oh.” That seems like a long time, but I don’t really have a choice, do I? I wonder if this is part of Romeo’s plan to keep me from running again. “Thank you,” I say. “I appreciate it. What about my dry cleaning?”
    “Taken care of.” Hawthorne crosses the room with relaxed but confident strides and sits at his desk. “Close the door,” he says.
    “Why didn’t you shut it?” I snip. “You were just there.”
    He opens the desk drawer and takes out a ruler. He places it across the desk, and I get the impression it’s a threat.
    “No employee handbook nearby?” I ask, referring to the first office object he ever used to spank me.
    “Go close the door.”
    This time I do roll my eyes, but I make my slow, mincing way across his office and close the door.
    “Lock it,” he says.
    I swivel back around and push in the button to lock the door. “Anything else?”
    A ghost of a smile flickers across his face. “Today is your first day of training. We all wanted to go first, but I won the coin toss.”
    “A three-sided coin?” I ask.
    He stands. “You’ll want to rethink your insolence,” he says. “The purpose of your training is to lay out rules. By following the rules, you’ll gain our trust.”
    “Rules?” I feel my nose wrinkling. “Surely you can be more specific at this point?”
    “Logical rules. Arbitrary rules. It’s up to me. Remove your skirt and blouse and hang them neatly.”
    Sex? I can definitely get on board with that.
    As I unbutton the blouse, anticipation warms me. There hasn’t been much room in my life for surprises, at least not the fun kind.

    ~

    Hawthorne comes around to stand in front of the desk.
    I expect him to take a long look—after all, I’m in my underthings—but instead, his icy blue gaze fixes on mine.
    “How did you sleep?” he asks.
    “Fine,” I say.
    His raised eyebrow says he doesn’t believe that. “Do you have any questions for me?”
    It sounds like a trick question, so I stick to the topic at hand. “What do you think of my clothing?”
    His gaze skips down my body, and to my horror, he shrugs as he leans back to pick up his coffee cup. “Who do you think picked that out?” he asks before taking a sip.
    “You?” I ask, thinking he’s disappointed with how I look in it.
    He shakes his head. “No. And most certainly not Romeo. That’s Slade’s idea.”
    “Slade?” I wonder if that’s Slade’s secret—that unlike the others, he doesn’t mind the sexy lingerie, the padded, lacy bras and the ultra-feminine shoes.
    “He’s the one who likes all the…” He agitates his hand. “Frills and straps and pantyhose.”
    I feel my face start to heat.