Tell Me - Ashe Barker Page 0,71

but stay still now. When you’re ready to move I’ll take you to bed. We’ll talk more tomorrow, if you want to.”

Bed? “Sir, will you fuck me?” She might enjoy that, though her arse was so sore she seriously wondered.

“No, not tonight though you do make one delectable little package with your bottom so gloriously punished. But I’m not going to fuck you, for two reasons. First, this was a punishment and I have no wish to dilute it. Nor to confuse it with anything else. When I spank you, seriously spank you as I just did, that isn’t foreplay. And two, more than anything else right now, you need sleep. You’ve had a hell of a day.”

He was right. Of course, as always, Tony knew. Smiling through her sobs, clinging to him as though her life depended on it, and right in that moment Thea wasn’t at all sure it didn’t, she relaxed in his arms. And fell asleep.

“No answer.” Tony ended the call and slipped his phone back into his trouser pocket as he strolled back into Thea’s bedroom. He carried a cup of steaming Earl Grey tea which he placed on the bedside table.

Still sleepy, Thea smiled at him and rolled onto her back in the bed. She winced as her tender buttocks pressed against the mattress, but the discomfort could not dim her contentment. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she felt whole. Grounded. She was the complete Thea Richmond and ready to face the world. Starting with this mysterious phone number.

Jerome had called back the previous evening to say that the surreptitious photographer in the dungeon had been ridiculously easy to bribe. He’d been paid two hundred pounds to take the picture, and would be more than happy to accept four hundred to provide details of his client. But there was a problem, he didn't know her name.

Both Tony and Thea did a double take at that, they had assumed their enemy would be male, though there was no particular reason for them to think so. All Jerome could tell them was that this woman had contacted their informant and told him she wanted compromising pictures of a specific couple at The Wicked Club, He’d had just few hours’ notice. He was told to go to the club that same evening. He had their names, and a description, and his instructions were to wait for an opportunity to get a decent picture. Then he was to text the photo to a number he’d been given and the cash would be posted to him. His fee had arrived, ten crisp twenty pound notes in a brown envelope, so he assumed his client was satisfied with the bargain.

Jerome had extracted the contact number from him, the mobile phone that the picture had been texted to, and supplied that to Tony. He declared this the absolute best he could do and had virtually pleaded with Tony not to make a big fuss.

As she lay in bed, sipping her tea, Thea privately thought Jerome had got off lightly, The Wicked Club could have helped them to avoid all this if they’d been on the ball and confiscated that phone before the creep had a chance to send the picture to anyone. She had no confidence in the place any more and hoped Tony wouldn't insist on going back there. Ever.

The number was not one they recognised. Tony had dialled it immediately on the off chance that someone would answer and might give themselves away. So far they’d had no luck but Tony was right, they should keep trying. Later, back in her office, she would do what she could to trace it. If the phone was on a contract she might get somewhere. And in the meantime, they would have to hold their heads up and dare anyone to have a go. As Tony pointed out, there were some perks to being self-employed, and one of those was that no one could sack you.

He perched himself beside her on the bed. He looked to have been up for hours. “How are you this morning?”

“Good. I’m good. Really. And I’m sorry again about how I reacted yesterday.”

“It’s done. Finished. And you’re better than good, baby. Did you sleep well?”

Thea smiled. He already knew the answer to that. He’d slept beside her.

“Yes, really well. Thank you for staying with me.”

“My pleasure, sweetheart. But I’ll need to be getting away soon. I need to pick up my