“King placed her with his other women in his club. No one is going to get by his security.” Sawyer worried about her friend staying in the strip club. She could tell from Alec’s expression he was hiding something from her.

“A—are you sure she’s okay?” Sawyer questioned him.

“I’m sure. There’s not any trouble she can’t handle.” Alec stifled a smile when Kaden threw him a warning glance at his words. Not getting the unsaid joke and frustrated with the two men’s attitude, she rose from the couch.

“I’m going to bed,” she snapped. She maneuvered herself away from the couch they were sitting on. She was just a few feet away when she heard Kaden’s voice.

“Don’t forget my present, Sawyer.” Sawyer kept walking, as if she hadn’t heard the arrogant prick. Walking up the steps, she went into her bedroom and locked the door behind her.

“Payback is a bitch,” she said sarcastically.

* * *

Sawyer woke up alone in her bed the next morning. While not exactly regretting her decision, she had woken with her body feeling needy. Sawyer didn’t appreciate her body betraying her needs. While she had gone most of her life without a sexual partner, one night with Kaden and her body was giving her hell.

She would be better off with Vida, surrounded by women, instead of a band full of men determined to show off their sexual prowess.

She took a shower before getting dressed in her only other pair of jeans, reminding herself that she needed to wash clothes today if they were leaving on the bus tomorrow.

Going downstairs, she walked into the kitchen where a strange woman was sitting at the table drinking a cup of coffee.

The woman rose from the table. “My name is Lucy. How may I help you?”

“Where’s Jordan?”

“Ms. Jordan left; her trial period was over.” Jordan had told her she would be leaving at the end of the week, but somehow she had thought she would be leaving early tomorrow morning when they left. She hadn’t even said goodbye to her. Sawyer felt sad to have missed her; she had begun to consider her a friend.

“Oh. I’m sorry I missed her. I’ll just pour myself a cup of coffee.”

“Allow me.” The woman efficiently poured her some coffee. “Would you like any breakfast?”

“I was just going to make myself a piece of toast.” The woman moved around the kitchen and then a plate of toast with butter was handed to her.

“T—thank you.” Feeling uncomfortable, she sensed this woman had no intention of getting friendly with one of R.J.’s guests. Not wanting to sit in the large dining room, she went outside to eat her toast by the pool.

It seemed like Kaden and Briana had the same idea; they were sitting at one of the tables. As she drew closer, she saw that Briana looked upset while Kaden’s face was an expressionless mask behind his sunglasses.

She wanted to retreat when she saw them, but didn’t want to appear intimidated. Instead, she sat down on one of the lounge chairs, setting her coffee on the small table next to it. She leaned back against the cushions as both of them continued quietly talking, ignoring her presence.

It wasn’t long before Megan, Alana and Justine came outside wearing skimpy swimsuits. The women jumped into the water, screaming playfully, trying to draw attention to themselves. Alana and Megan actually removed their tops, throwing them to the side of the pool.

Disgusted, Sawyer was about to get up and go back inside the house when Alana got out of the water. Picking up a towel, she dried her body off before dropping the towel down on one of the empty lounge chairs. Going up behind Kaden, she placed her arms around his neck, and pressed her bare breasts against his back. One hand slid down his chest until her hand landed on his cock covered by his swimsuit briefs.

A knife stabbed in her heart as she watched Briana’s chair screech back from the table, leaving Kaden sitting at the table with his cock in Alana’s hand. Sawyer rose to her feet, determined to follow Briana’s example.

“Sawyer, come here.” Kaden’s harsh voice had her freezing in place; her disbelieving gaze flew to his. “Come here, now.”

Sawyer found her feet reluctantly carrying her toward Kaden. She couldn’t seem to tear her gaze away from him as she stopped a few feet away, unable to force herself to go any closer.

“Did you deliberately lock your door against me last night?”

Sawyer licked her dry lips. “Y—Yes.”

“I thought so. I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt, but I can see you’re determined to disobey me.”

“Kaden, forget about her. Let’s go to my room.” Alana made no effort to lower her voice.

“Were you happy with your decision to lock me out?” His eyes dared her to lie.

“Nnn—no,” Sawyer admitted honestly.

Kaden reached out, taking Alana’s wrist in his hand and jerking her down in front of him. “Do not touch me again. I do not fucking want your hand or your tits on me again.”

“Okay, Kaden, I was just playing around.” The woman took a step back when Kaden released her.

“You need to pack your bags and get the fuck out of here, Alana. I’m tired of dealing with you.” The woman left, running toward the house without even bothering to cover herself.

“I don’t play games, Sawyer. I outgrew those years ago. Do you want me in your bed or not? I’m done dealing with your on and off switch, and before you open your smart-ass mouth, you better think twice because, depending on your answer, you’ll either be staying here with a number of security or leaving on the bus tomorrow with me sharing the bedroom with you.”

Sawyer stood in shock at his ultimatum. She knew she would be safe here for the next couple of months, safe from Rick and her building desire for Kaden, yet…

“Well?” he snapped, the cold glare of his sunglasses making her answer harder. “Which one are you going to do?”

“Go on the bus.” Sawyer lowered her gaze from his.

“You understand, Sawyer, just how our relationship is going to work? I expect you to obey me in the bedroom at all times, and when we’re not, then you will continue to obey me in matters that I consider important.”

“How will I know the difference?”

“You find out the difference when my paddle is on your ass,” he said unrelentingly.

Sawyer almost changed her mind about leaving. The only reason she didn’t was her body craved his. Surely this first rush of excitement would soon be over. She remembered her first and only sexual relationship, and how it had quickly ran out of steam.

Her relationship with Kaden should fizzle out about the same time as their deal expired. She could spend the next two months exploring the country and enjoy a kind of sexual relationship that she’d thought never to experience.

“Okay.” Sawyer made her voice firm and controlled her speech until she didn’t stutter her reply.

“Now, you can go upstairs. I’ll send your lunch and dinner upstairs.”

“But I thought we could go out again today before we’re cooped up on the bus,” Sawyer protested.

“Why should I spend my day pleasing you when you didn’t spend the night pleasing me?”

The bastard kind of had a point.

“Have you finished your breakfast?”

“Yes.”

“Then there’s no need to stay any longer. You can return to your room. I’ll see you tonight. Oh, and Sawyer, I haven’t forgotten you disobeyed me about shaving yesterday.”

Sawyer nodded before leaving.

Going back to her bedroom, she heard Alana yelling from the room down the hall and R.J.’s voice soothing her anger.

Sawyer threw herself down on the bed, landing on an object she hadn’t seen. Pulling the box out from under her, she opened it to find a small reading device. She spent the next few hours downloading samples and books, enjoying her surprising present from Kaden.

She only took a break from reading when Lucy brought her lunch. She read while she ate and then dozed off with it still in her hand.

She woke just as it started to get dark. Jumping out of bed, she took a bath, using another of the bath bombs. If she didn’t quit going through them so fast, she would have to sneak them out of the other bathrooms. When she finished, she rubbed the body lotion on her body.

Going into the bedroom, she was going to slip on one of her gowns when she stopped. Instinctively, she knew how Kaden wanted her when he opened the door.

* * *

Sawyer stood by the bottom of the bed and held her breath as the door opened. His ruthless expression did not change when he saw that she was naked. The door closed with a snap behind him.

“I see you finally did as I requested.”

Sawyer nodded her head, unsure that she would be able to control her stutter. She had never felt more nervous in her life; butterflies were having a field day in her stomach.

Kaden came to a stop in front of her. “This isn’t going to stop me from punishing you for disobeying me twice.”

“I—I know.”

“Take off my clothes.”

Sawyer took a step forward. She was about to reach out when she hesitated. “May I touch you?”

“Yes.”

Sawyer could tell from his pleased expression that she had approached him correctly.

She reached out, unbuttoning the blue shirt that he had left un-tucked from his jeans. Meticulously pulling the shirt from his shoulders, she was about to let it drop to the floor; however, she caught herself, folding it and placing it on the chair next to the bed. She unsnapped his jeans after he voluntarily took off his expensive shoes. Kaden was such a contradiction, being a complete hard-ass rocker with the tattoos, while having expensive tastes in clothes.

Sawyer unsnapped his jeans, pulling them down his hips and off each leg. She again folded them, placing them on the chair next to his shirt. Sawyer went back to stand in front of him, waiting nervously for his next command.

“Where is the bag with your paddle?” Sawyer slowly went to the bedside table and opened the drawer, before removing the bag he had handed her after their day out together.

“Did you open the bag?”

“No.” Sawyer had been too wary of its contents.

“Good.” Kaden opened the bag, first pulling out the flogger she had purchased. He walked to the trashcan by the bed and tossed it in. Sawyer personally thought that was overkill. He could have at least kept it for when she was good.

Next, he pulled out a small tube of something and lay it on the nightstand, then a jar of lotion and two smaller objects that she had no idea what they were. They formed a line across the small table. Lastly, he pulled out the dreaded paddle.

“Why are you being punished, Sawyer?”

“Because twice you gave me the opportunity to—to—to shave, and I didn’t.”

“That has earned you five. What else?”

“I locked my bedroom door.”

“That earned you an additional five. What else?”

Sawyer’s mind went blank.

“I called you an asshole?”

Kaden’s eyes narrowed on her.

“No, but you earned yourself another one.”

Damn. She couldn’t remember anything else, and she wasn’t going to keep throwing misdeeds out, earning points.

“When you came out to the pool this morning, did you greet me?” Not giving her the opportunity to respond, he continued, “When Alana touched me, did you respond? No. As you are mine, I am yours, and no one touches what’s mine. If another man had touched you the way Alana touched me, do you think I would have just stood there?”

“N—n—no.” Sawyer could tell from the look on his face what he would have done. “I’m sorry.”

“That earned you ten.” Sawyer doubted she would be able to stand being paddled with so many strokes.

“Kaden.”

“Take your position, Sawyer.” His voice showed her no sympathy. “When I’m finished, I expect you to be properly apologetic.”

“Yes, Kaden.”

Sawyer moved to the side of the bed, bending over to place her hands on top of the bed, one on top of the other. She widened her stance, which arched her butt, giving him the perfect target.

“You will count each stroke, Sawyer. How many will I be giving you?”

“Twenty-one.”

The first stroke of the paddle almost had her breaking position. The hairbrush was smaller and couldn’t hit as much flesh; the paddle was wider and longer, having no trouble covering a larger area. The sting wasn’t bad, so Sawyer relaxed into the strokes, counting each one off.

Each stroke of the paddle had her becoming increasingly aroused. She couldn’t understand this part of herself, only knowing that each additional stroke ratcheted her arousal up another notch until she was burning for a more intimate touch from him. The more he withheld himself, the more she wanted him. It had become a challenge to her to win his approval so that she could win his touch as her reward.