Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

E vangeline

There was no mistaking the look on the man’s face. The very handsome man.

Correction, the utmost fuckable man. In his tuxedo and black onyx cufflinks, he looked like a million bucks. It had taken all I had not to be seduced by him earlier. Maybe he’d sensed I wasn’t ready.

Or that I just couldn’t.

But the stern way he was looking at me now, the hard expression was entirely different. Whatever was wrong wasn’t about sex or lack thereof. It also had nothing to do with the strippers. The way he beckoned me was quite frankly irritating.

Yet something in me screamed it wouldn’t be in my best interest to ignore his beck and call moment. A shiver trickled down my spine after he’d walked out. Plus, I was hot. And wet. The combination wasn’t pleasant by any means.

I didn’t say anything to the other girls, trying to act nonchalant as I floated through the crowd. Where had all these women come from? I wasn’t certain I wanted to know.

The moment I walked into the much cooler corridor, I’m not certain what I expected. When an arm was wrapped around my waist and I was suddenly being led in a different direction, at first, I was shocked.

Then I was aggravated, yet when I realized the person holding me was Gage, I was flabbergasted. Why did the man have the ability to do that to me?

“What are you doing?” Thankfully, I found my voice.

“We’re going to my office to have a nice long chat.”

“Why?”

“You’ll learn when we get to my office. Don’t fight me, Evangeline. You won’t like me very much if you do.”

If the man was trying to scare me, he failed. However, that didn’t mean he hadn’t angered me. I tried to pull away, but his hold was far too strong.

He forced me to take long strides down the corridor, turning and heading to a set of elevators I hadn’t known existed.

“I don’t understand you. You can be sweet one minute and turn back into the arrogant ass I met in a split second.”

He snorted and headed for the very last elevator. It appeared to be unattached to the others. Which meant his office was private.

Very private.

What in the hell had happened in a few short minutes?

My thoughts drifted to my social media accounts. I’d just posted pictures of the strippers.

Uh-oh.

Maybe that’s why he was pissed.

It was a private elevator. He used a card, sliding it in an unmarked console. When the door opened, he led me inside, half tossing me against the back wall. As soon as he pressed a button, he crowded my space.

His nostrils were flared, his brow furrowed.

But he was by far the sexiest man I’d ever laid eyes on. Damn it.

“Don’t you know there are consequences for everything you do in life?” he asked in his usual sultry voice.

“I think that depends on what we’re talking about.” I wasn’t going to be the one to mention the possible infraction to him. Possible? Who was I kidding? I knew pictures weren’t supposed to be taken and uploaded anywhere.

He smirked and planted one hand on the elevator wall. As he lowered his head just like he’d done right before kissing me, I sucked in my breath. The kiss itself had been amazing, a moment I’d call magical.

Now this.

Oh, he was still sexy but as he nuzzled against one side of my neck and the other, even sniffing in an exaggerated manner, I knew I was in some kind of trouble.

I was trembling, which I didn’t want him to know.

But the closer he came, the heat from his body explosive, I was about ready to lose my cool.

But he kept the pressure on, acting as if he had every right in the world to… sniff me.

Damn him for being so sexy.

I did my best to hold my own, including keeping my head held high, but I was thoroughly intoxicated by his aftershave, my entire system humming from vibrations.

As soon as the elevator door opened, he grabbed me by the arm, leading me into the hallway. Not like a lover would, fingers intertwined, but like I was a bad child being led to the punishment room. I shuddered from the thought.

“I demand you tell me what the hell is going on,” I said, as if I had any right to demand anything.

He said nothing as he walked me to the end of the hallway, but I’d be damned if the man wasn’t enjoying me being uncomfortable. Of course he owned the place, but what gave him the right to treat any guest this way?

He used the same keycard as before, black in color. I was certain the executives all had one. When the door was open, he pushed me inside. Gently, but that wasn’t the point. He closed the door behind us and I heard the click of the lock.

The man didn’t want us to be disturbed. It was another uh-oh moment. He remained absolutely quiet, which of course boosted the horrific anticipation, moving behind his desk to his computer. I stood a few feet away, my arms folded across my chest, my head cocked, and with my hip jutted out, I had attitude.

After powering up his computer, he lifted his gaze. His very heated gaze. There was no doubt the look was admonishing me. But I refused to back down. Nope. Not this girl. I remained exactly where I was, glaring at him with all the venom I could muster.

Yet I was shaking inside.

It was odd to feel like a bad little girl. My father had been stern when I was growing up but neither he nor my mother had been required to punish me but every so often. I’d played by the rules. I’d enjoyed family time. My idea of rebellion had been to stay up way past my bedtime reading. Oh, I was a bad girl all the way.

His fingers were flying and I was just about to go insane when he turned the laptop around to face me.

I barely glanced at the screen, still doing my best to keep my distance.

“Evangeline. Tell me what this is,” he commanded in his very deep voice.

I didn’t budge. Didn’t look.

“Come here. Now.” He beckoned with the same finger from before. I sauntered closer, barely allowing my eyes to drift to the screen. But when I did, my stomach dropped. I had to be honest. What was the point in lying? The evidence was right there in vivid color. “My Instagram account.”

He nodded a few times. “Now, I’ll admit, I’m no expert since I loathe social media. I hire people to take care of it for me. But if I’m not wrong, it would appear there are several photographs of the resort, the place named on every single shot. There are even a couple of the great stripper event, which I allowed to go on, I might add. Now, am I missing something?”

“Um…”

“Look again. Now.”

Of course I had to do as he asked. I felt myself pale, my legs shaking to the point I was fearful I couldn’t stand much longer. “You’re correct.”

“Now, make certain I’m not confused about something. You’re not a member of the Royal Players club and neither are your friends. Correct?”

“Correct.”

“Yet, all five of you were allowed to come as guests because one father or a buddy of his is a member and has been for a long time. Yes?”

“Yes.” I felt nauseous.

Gage nodded again, sitting back in his chair and even folding his arms across his chest as he continued to study me.

Taking his sweet time to say anything else. “And you were required to sign an NDA. There was no misstep there.”

“We all did.”

“So you were told and accepted the rules.”

There was no doubt I was going to vomit at any minute. “Yes, all of us did.”

“Okay. Given you’re highly intelligent women, I’m certain at least one of you read the clause where no one, members or guests or employees, is allowed to post a single picture of the resort. Not the beach. Not the pool. Not the casino. And certainly not a single one of our BDSM rooms. Am I missing anything?”

My heart was thudding so rapidly I felt suffocated. “No. We understood that.”

“Yet, here we are, dozens of very nice to scandalous photos taken of various areas of the club, the name titled on almost every post. I am curious. If you’d been allowed access to the lower floors holding some very precious apparatuses, a location where my members and any guests they brought with them can feel comfortable in enjoying their proclivities. Without fear of being mentioned. Without terror of being recognized. They can just relax and be themselves. Would that have even entered your mind?”

“No. I mean yes!” Oh, God. I was losing my shit.

“Okay, so we have a true dilemma here. By all rights, I should do nothing more than toss you off this island, my island, and sue you for every single dollar I’m entitled to in the contract. The contract you broke. You lied to me. You acted as if the privacy my members demand wasn’t valid. So one more time. Am I missing anything?”

Stars were floating in front of my eyes. “No. But please don’t toss us off. We’re having such a great time. We love it here and this is Heidi’s last hurrah. If you ask me, I think the man she’s going to marry is a controlling pig and won’t allow her to go out with her friends, but I guess to each their own. Right?” I was babbling now? Groovy.

“Hmmm… I can understand your concern. Then you have a decision to make.”

“Meaning what?”

“Meaning,” he said as he returned to his feet, “I have the authority to handle discipline an entirely different way.”

He left the damn comment open ended. Was he a sadistic pig or what? “What does that mean?”

“It means that I’m not opposed to handling this situation the old-fashioned way.”

“Just spell it out. Please.”

“O-kay. A good old-fashioned spanking.”

His answer caught me so off guard I wasn’t honestly certain what to think or if I’d heard something imaginary. “A what?”

“You know, being turned over the edge of my desk, your bottom spanked into a shade of crimson?”

I stared at him and I was pretty certain my mouth had dropped open. He was dead serious. Did spankings actually occur any longer, even in families with young kids? Wasn’t that illegal? “I know you’re kidding me because as far as I can tell, you’re not a Neanderthal.”

“Well, thank you for the compliment. What I’ve learned in my years on this earth is that a spanking can be an excellent deterrent for reducing infractions if not eliminating them. Now, I admit that being humiliated while being punished might be an excellent addition. I don’t know. What do you think?”

It was his way of telling me he had my limited future in his hands. Was he actually considering spanking me in front of others? I would be so embarrassed I couldn’t show my face anywhere. Like ever. I think my only answer was an audible gulp.

“Granted,” he said as he walked closer, a stern but pleasant look on his face. “I’m not a fan of humiliation for everyone. Often, it’s a personal choice. “So.” He leaned against the edge of his desk. “What’s your decision? Either removal from the island and permanent banishment or a spanking?”

Was the bastard actually grinning? It took everything I had not to slap the smirk off his face, but I figured that would only add to the pain factor. What was I doing, considering agreeing to this? Shit. Shit. Shit. “I, um… I’m not certain.”

He dared to check his watch as if I was taking far too much of his precious time. “I really don’t have all night. This is a one-time offer good for another twenty seconds.”

I was tongue tied, my heart thudding in my chest. The stars still floating in front of my eyes were taking over. I could swear unicorns were floating by as well. I was losing it.

“Ten seconds.”

Why did his voice have to be so gruff yet so sexy? I mean, come on. Help a girl out here.

“Five. Four. Three. Two.”

“Fine!” My yelp was clearly too high pitched. I could tell that by his raised eyebrows.

He took a deep breath, once again standing. I’d been stupid enough not to ask a single detail, including whether he was dragging me to one of his dungeons. My mind had envisioned a terrifying place with gothic music, blood-red walls, cells like a jail would have, and leather-dressed men eager and waiting to issue punishments.

The lump in my throat was already threatening to take over. I didn’t need to feel like a bigger fool by asking.

He flat out told me.

“So, here’s how we’re going to handle your punishment. You’re going to remove your dress and thong and lean over the edge of my desk. While I know you believe I have some magnificent collection of toys and tools, which I do but not here, right now the best thing for you is me to use is my belt. That should provide a decent reminder that for every action taken, there are consequences. An added benefit is that you will find it very uncomfortable to sit down for an extended period of time.”

There was something particularly sexy about him explaining the rules.

“But I will tell you this. If a single member of your party ignores the rules again, I will have no choice but to toss you all off the island. And I assure you, I have people who will help ensure your departure and babysit you along the way. Are we ready?” He clapped his hands together and I jumped.

“Fully naked?” I asked. God damn, I sounded like a little girl.

“The best way to ensure a lesson will be learned. I’ll turn around and give you some privacy.”

I watched in horror as he unbuckled his belt. I would never be able to get over the level of humiliation, people watching or not. I didn’t know this man, not really. Sharing a kiss didn’t make us intimate.

He did as he promised, turning away from me and providing some privacy. A huge part of me wanted to race out of there, never to be seen again, but I wasn’t a quitter, not by a long shot. And even worse? I’d known I was going against the rules, yet I’d done so anyway. In truth, I deserved the spanking.

As I started to remove my dress, I questioned why I felt like saying ‘yes, sir.’ Or promising to be a good girl.

You can do this. Get on with it.

And so, I did. I only hoped I wouldn’t regret this one day in the near future.