Tell Me - Ashe Barker Page 0,22

all he could do not to laugh out loud. He really did need to widen her horizons.

“Ten pin bowling. Then something to eat. Or maybe we could see a film. Not Fifty Shades though—my delicate sensibilities won't stand it.”

“You want to go out. With me?”

“Yes. Definitely. First though I’ll drive you home and you can get some clothes. And whatever else you might need because you’ll be staying here again tonight. We’ll have a good time, get to know each other a bit more. Then we’ll come back here and I’ll brighten up those stripes on your bum before I fuck you. Does that sound like a plan?”

“I’ve never been bowling.”

“No? Then we need to rectify this situation without delay. Finish your tea and put your raincoat back on. You can check the cinema listings on your phone, in the car.”

Chapter Five

Thea was laughing as they ran up the steps to his front door, her raincoat draped over both their heads to keep off the rain.

“Beginners luck, that was all. You just kept fluking strikes.” Tony tapped her on the bum as he dug in his pocket for the door key.

Thea was irrepressible. “Three! I got three strikes in a row. How many points was that?”

“Fuck knows. No one knows how to add up bowling scores any more, not since it all got automated. Like I said, you got lucky.”

“I won. I beat you by…” She fished the printout from the back pocket of her jeans. “… thirty seven points. Wow, imagine that!”

“Yeah, imagine.” He unlocked the door and they hurried in out of the rain. Tony took the coat and hung it on the bottom of his banister to drip onto the tiles in his front hallway. “I intend to exact my retribution now. Strip, please.”

“What, now?”

Tony arched an eyebrow, all the confirmation she required. Thea unbuttoned her blouse. He watched her slip the garment off, then undo the buttons on her jeans.

“Get naked, and wait for me in the dining room. I expect you can remember the way.” He turned on his heel and marched away from her in the direction of the kitchen.

Thea wasted no time in removing the rest of her clothing, leaving everything folded on the bottom step. She placed her bag alongside the neat stack of her garments, then made her way along the hallway, and entered the first door on her right. The table was clear this time, apart from the leather collar. She wasn’t sure if this was a good sign or not. For want of more detailed instructions she sank to her knees to wait.

Tony followed her into the room a couple of minutes later. She kept him in her peripheral vision as he dumped a selection of wooden spoons onto the table. She had last seen those spoons in the kitchen drawer and had thought they would come in useful. It seemed Tony was there ahead of her. They fell with a loud clatter, and she flinched despite her contentment at what she knew would soon happen. This evening was progressing very nicely, in her view, the perfect end to one of the most enjoyable days she could recall.

Tony picked up the collar. “Could you lift up your hair, please, Thea?”

She did as he asked, experiencing a bone-deep sensation of bliss as he fastened the thick band around her neck. Symbolic of his mastery of her, the collar helped her to settle into her submissive mind-set too.

Tony squeezed her shoulder, then crossed the room and opened a drawer in the sideboard. He withdrew several sheets of paper, which he laid on the table next to the spoons. Thea watched him, puzzled.

“May I ask what those are, Sir?” She would never usually question him during a scene, but this seemed odd. Thea liked the familiar, she preferred no surprises.

“Of course you may. It’s your contract.”

“My contract? But we already negotiated our limits. We talked, we’re always talking. Why do we need to write it down?”

He turned to her, his smile deceptively soft. “Not a BDSM contract. As you say, we talk those issues through. This is your contract of employment, Mrs Richmond. At Dart Logistics. Or perhaps it’s better described as your consultancy brief since you won't technically be my employee.”

Thea was nonplussed. “What? Now? I prefer to read it later. At home, or at the office.”

He shook his head. “No. You’ll read it here and now. And you’ll make notes.” He tossed a pen from his jeans pocket on top