Ulterior Designs (House of Evans Book 1) (9 page)

When their eyes met, the confidence and power he had exuded moments before returned.

“I won’t, and I won’t ever do anything to you that you’re uncomfortable with.” The tiniest smile flashed across his lips for only a split second. “If you need a statement in writing that you’re allowed to change your mind anytime you want, I can draft something up.”

Chloe didn’t need his declaration in writing. Just the idea of it seemed ludicrous, although she was comforted by his offer. Suppressing her apprehension, she told her fear of the unknown to fuck off, jumped over the edge of desire and danger, and said a silent prayer that her wings would grow on the way down.

“Maybe later we can do that,” she whispered. She blinked long and hard, stood, and held her hand out to him. “Now, what exactly did you mean by getting
friendly
?”

W
hen Logan met Chloe's gaze, her eyes danced with excitement. The sexual tension in the room was palpable, and the attraction shared between the two of them was undeniable. It was also clear that she knew exactly what he meant by
friendly.
Did he dare show her
exactly
what he meant? The ache between his legs was telling him
yes
, he should, but she was giving him
that look
again, and his heart was telling him to back away, quickly.

When she thrust her hand toward him, he felt an involuntary tightening low in his gut. How the hell was he supposed to turn her down? She was gorgeous, eager, and willing
.
Regardless that he was living in a church, he was only a man, not a saint, for Christ's sake.

When he didn't immediately respond to her outstretched hand, Chloe gave him a mischievous smile and said the one thing she knew would prompt him to act.

"Sir?"

So, that's how this was going to be played out?
Okay. He would play her little game, and he would enjoy it. If she wanted him to
take action,
he would do that, too. Though, what he had in mind for her probably wasn't going to be exactly what she was hoping for.

Steadfastly ignoring the force of desire in her eyes that screamed for
more,
he stood and took her hand into his.

*

With her hand in Logan's, Chloe felt a sudden jolt of sexual energy rock through her body. She had offered herself up to a man she knew nothing about except that he liked things kinky, but to what degree of kinky she had no idea. Not to mention, a taste for the
unusual
. It almost seemed too easy the way everything was falling into place, but what was happening felt too good to question. Anyway, what better way to start this new adventure than by testing the waters while learning, not only from an interior designer's standpoint, but on all fronts?

The walk to his master suite seemed to be one of the longest walks of her life, each step taken slowly and leaving her to wonder what Logan had planned for her. His grip on her hand was unyielding, and she doubted she could’ve escaped his clutches had she tried. Not that she would have.

Following Logan into his bedroom on the second floor, she felt dizzy with anxiety and arousal. He loosened his grip on her hand, and he reached for a lone wooden chair that was near his closet to bring it over to where she was standing. He placed it directly in front of her, the back of the chair flush against her thighs. He moved behind her and held her shoulders squarely.

“In the House of Evans, naughty girls get spanked, Chloe. Lift your skirt,” he breathed into her ear.

Her brain began rioting with panic and yelling for her to haul ass out of there, but her body screamed for her to comply. She listened to the latter. Why she listened, she wasn’t sure. Anyone else probably would’ve bolted from the room while throwing obscenities in his direction for even suggesting such a thing. Hell, a few might have even slapped him for admitting to getting them into his home under false pretenses and
then
suggesting a spanking.

But not her. That wasn’t her style. She liked taking chances and facing the unknown. Or, she at least liked the
idea
of it. Up until that point, she had never actually been given the chance to act on her feelings. That's why she had made the first move and called him
Sir.
It seemed Logan Evans wasn't only going to present her with new opportunities, but new experiences as well.

Doing as she was told, she tugged her skirt up, revealing her silk panties and lace-top, thigh-high stockings fastened to a garter belt. Peering over her shoulder, she was elated to see a roguish but playful grin flash across Logan’s face.

“Damn, Chloe.”

Blood rose to her cheeks, and she quickly looked away before she changed her mind.

He tapped the inside of her ankle with his foot, urging her legs further apart while he swept her hair to one side and over her shoulder. Next, he placed his hands on top of hers and guided them onto the back of the chair.

“Don’t move.”

And with that, he disappeared. Left standing alone, her heart began beating rapidly out of control, the thudding inside her chest making her feel breathless. She closed her eyes tightly and tried to calm her nerves, but it was next to impossible considering what was about to happen.

When he returned a short time later, he had a large wooden paddle in his hands with clearly etched initials on one side.
LME
, it read. She briefly wondered what the M stood for but didn’t dare ask.

His fingers skimmed the flesh of her ass. “I bought this paddle sometime ago," he began, as he circled around the chair. “It was meant to be strictly for decoration or, at most, for pleasure, but since you seem to enjoy provoking me, I'll just have to christen it here, with you.”

Christen.
The word jumped out at her. He had never used it before on anyone and that somehow comforted her. Not because she thought he would hurt anyone with it, but because this was a first for her, too.

He moved behind her again and whispered into her ear, “I intend to paddle this perfect ass of yours for intentionally doing what I asked you not to do. Do I have your permission?”

She nodded
yes
when she should’ve hollered
hell no
, but how could she when she felt more energized and alive than she had ever felt? Her feelings at that moment had nothing to do with reason and everything to do with curiosity, plus a healthy dose of horniness, and she damned well knew it. In fact, she was so excited that she feared she would tinkle all over Logan’s high-end, polished and buffed tiger-maple flooring.

Real sexy,
she cursed herself.

“Are you sure?”

She clenched down, giving her Kegel muscles a real work out. “Yes.” She heard the fear in her own voice.

“This isn't going to hurt.
Much.
Now, bend over,” his tenor voice rumbled in his throat.

Despite what she wanted, fear kept her immobile. A gentle yet purposeful tug of her hair drew her head back, causing a hot blush to creep over her entire body. His demanding eyes stabbed into her, thickening the air with anticipation. She closed her eyes on a sigh when he caught the lobe of her ear between his teeth.

“I'll only repeat myself once more,
Minou
. Bend. Over.”

His stern, smoothly spoken words whispered in her ear set her nerves ablaze with a kind of need unfamiliar to her. She bent at the waist, gripped the seat of the chair and held her breath. As she waited for the wood to make contact with her bottom, time seemed to grind to a halt. But, instead of the paddle, she felt warm hands unsnap her garters, ease her panties down to her ankles, and skilled fingertips seductively skim up the inside of her thighs.

When he whispered,
perfect
, a shudder of arousal shook her body.

Suddenly, and without warning, the paddle came down onto the soft fleshy part of her bottom, making her gasp loudly. Heat seared up and over her lower back and down the tops of her legs.

He was right—it hadn’t hurt,
much.

“I warned you that I could be a real task master and that I like strict protocol. However, there's no need to worry as I don't have many rules. The ones that I do have, though, I want followed. Am I clear?” The serious statement and sweet tone contradicted one another.

“Y… yes,” she stuttered.

“Yes,
Sir
,
Minou
.”

It was the word
Sir
that had gotten her into trouble and now he wanted her to call him
Sir
? She opened her mouth to ask him to explain what had changed, but decided to wait until he was no longer holding the paddle.

“Yes, Sir,” she said without delay.

“Good girl.”

Never in her life did she think those two words used together could elicit such joy. She wanted to hear them again, over and over, spoken exactly in the same manner—with kindness and without an ounce of condescension.

“The only time you’re allowed to call me Sir is when we're being intimate,” he clarified as the maple made contact with her other cheek.

Intimate
? Yes, she most definitely wanted more opportunities to be intimate with Logan. Especially while using some of the items she had seen in the pictures.

“Yes, Sir,” she moaned as her nethers became drenched with arousal.

His home, the spare room, the equipment … she wanted to not only craft the House of Evans into something beautiful, but to experience the pleasures held within its walls. She wanted more of
this.
She rose on her tiptoes and pushed her ass out, silently asking him to give her more of what he was doling out, despite the burning sensation creeping up her torso.

To her disappointment, he set the paddle down on the chair in front of her. When she whined with displeasure, he laughed softly.

“You’re an eager little thing, aren’t you? I think you’ve had enough for now,” he breathed out as he ran two fingers up her slit, to feel the wetness between her legs.

With trembling knees, she stood and faced him. His eyes blazed so fiercely, it took everything she had not to heave herself at him and tear the clothes off his six foot, toned-to-perfection body.

“I can see you're frustrated, but this was merely meant to be an experiment while testing your limits,
Minou
. I hope you got as much pleasure out of this experience as I did, and I hope we can continue where we've left off in the very near future.”

"Frustrated is an understatement," she countered, smiling up at him, "especially since you didn't give me nearly enough." Her statement no sooner slipped past her lips when the thought crossed her mind to call him
Sir
again just to coax another few wallops out of him.

He must’ve sensed her rebellious thoughts, because he quickly interjected in between laughs, “Perhaps next time I won’t be so gentle.”

Perhaps?
Her rear end was still throbbing from his
experiment
,
and she swiftly pushed her wayward thoughts aside. No, she wouldn’t provoke Logan. She wanted to prove to him what a good girl
she really was, both with interior designing
and
with experimentation.

He kneeled at her feet, gently tugged her panties up, refastened the garters, and smoothed her skirt down over her thighs before guiding her to the mattress on the floor. Seated next to her with an arm draped over her shoulders, he held her close as she rested her head on his shoulder. Her eyes zoomed in on the erection in his pants. Instinctually, she reached out to touch it. Warm and thick, it grew larger with her manipulation. She stroked harder causing his breathing to quicken.

It didn’t take a genius to see that he wanted her. She could hear it in his soft guttural moans. She could
feel
it throbbing in her palm. When his hand came down over hers to guide it purposefully over the head of his shaft, she stared up at him, hoping he would take the next step. It felt good to have him close, but she felt strangely needy. When his eyes met hers, he set her hand aside and knelt in front of her.

He swept the hair away from her eyes and checked her over. “Do you feel okay?”

She felt more than
okay
, though a little confused. The warmth in her bottom had radiated up her spine and left her feeling elated.
Couldn’t he see that
? His body was screaming to be inside of her, and she wanted nothing more than for him to be pounding that hard dick of his deep into her as they christened his bedroom, too. Surely he could sense her need for him. She was making it glaringly obvious. It suddenly occurred to her that maybe this was his way of punishing her for rebuffing his initial offer of getting to know one another.

“You’re forgetting yourself, again, Ms. Stephens, and why you’re here.”

So, he could sense her arousal.
“I haven’t forgotten,” she finally forced herself to answer. “Interior decoration.”

He nodded and pulled her upright. “Exactly," he palmed his hard-on to readjust himself. "Now, I believe I’ve given you plenty of homework. Are you sure you’re feeling okay, or do you need to rest a bit more before you leave?” His hands gripped her upper arms and brought her closer.

She didn’t want to leave just yet—not when her body was still tingling from his persuasive touch. “A short rest sounds good.”

“We can grab some lunch. There's a great place downtown.”

“I'd like that. I never knew a spanking could be so exhausting.”

His eyes reflected skepticism. “You’ve never been spanked?”

“No.”

“Not even by a parent?” he huffed in disbelief.