Sapphire Read Free Page B

please.’”
    Taylor huffed. Feeling ridiculous, she repeated, “Unlock my cuffs, pretty please.”
    “Ask nicely.”
    The man was impossible.
    “Would you unlock the cuffs, pretty please?”
    Kirliss pressed a kiss to her temple, sending a susurrus of warmth through her. With overwhelming relief, Taylor felt the hard metal fall away from her wrists. She twisted away from Kirliss, putting distance between them.
    He watched her, a sardonic curl on his lips. He aligned the circles of the cuffs neatly and slid them into a back pocket.
    Taylor held out her hand. “My panties, please.”
    Kirliss shook his head slowly.
    Taylor sighed. “May I have my panties, pretty please?”
    Kirliss chuckled. “Nicely asked, but no, they’re mine now. I want you to spend the rest of this party feeling the wetness of your sex, remembering what I did to you. Knowing that every time I look at you, I’m remembering too—how you felt, burning wet against my hand as you came apart.”
    Taylor sucked in her breath. Her heart, still not quite settled, thumped at the ferocity in his gaze.
    “Fine, then.” But the words came out thin and tentative. Taylor turned on her heel and went back to the light-filled party, Kirliss’s dark chuckle following her.
    Taylor tried to put it behind her. She visited the ladies’ room and cleaned up as best she could. Her chignon was a complete wreck, with several pins missing, so she finally just took it down and finger-combed the curls that fell around her shoulders. Her makeup looked oddly untouched. But then, he hadn’t kissed her, except for those hot kisses on her ankles and the one to her temple. A reward for obedience.
    Sapphire .
    Why hadn’t she spoken it and escaped?
    Taylor stared hard at herself in the mirror. She’d never been one to cut herself slack, which was why she’d succeeded. She worked hard. She held herself to a high standard. Never had she given in to those dark fantasies. Strong women didn’t want that kind of thing. Why had she let it happen?
    A fluke. The whole thing was just the result of releasing all that pressure from the long months putting this deal together. Then the party atmosphere and champagne…Taylor laughed and shook her head. There—that looked more like her usual confident self.
    Write it off as a Penthouse moment. A bold career woman could dabble in a bit of a sexual fetish now and again. It was empowering, really. Later in life, she’d look back on this evening with a fond smile for her daring youth. Cast in that light, she’d been adventurous to let a casual business associate do those things. A little bit wild, even. Men indulged in this kind of thing. Why not her?
    With a flirtatious toss of her head, Taylor went to rejoin the party. The yacht was cruising steadily back to the harbor now, the lights of the city like sparkling jewels.
    “There she is!” Worthington called out. “We wondered where you’d gotten to, Taylor.”
    Taylor hesitated, feeling unaccountably transparent. Silly—nothing had changed. That anyone could see. Men claimed they could tell whether a woman wore panties or not. She didn’t believe it for a minute. She smiled brightly. “Just enjoying your beautiful boat. Thanks so much for giving us such a great party.”
    Worthington gave her an assessing look. She tensed.
    “You let your hair down. Good for you. Nice to see the human side of you.”
    Self-consciously, Taylor shook her head. “The wind—you know.”
    Worthington winked at her. “That’s why I sail. Nothing like a trip on the water to shed those office pressures and bring out the best in us.”
    “It suits you, M.”
    Of course, Kirliss stood right behind her. Taylor braced herself, but he only smiled, polite, businesslike. Never mind that something lurked behind it. Taylor rubbed her wrist, the skin a little tender. His eyes flicked down to the movement and Taylor wove her fingers together, looking away.
    The yacht pulled into the docking area with slow