felt hot and a little too odd.
“I see you've met Kade?” Liam said, tilting her chin up to look at him. The amused smile on his face made her frown. “No?” he answered for her. “Well, allow me to introduce you. This is Kade Tremayne. He's our new… chauffeur. Kade, my very lovely wife, Olivia.”
“Where's John?” she asked immediately as a cold shiver spilled down her spine. She didn't want to be near this man any longer, not when her thoughts grappled with each other and her control seemed to be detouring down some unfounded hysteria—and this all during the minute since stepping into Liam's study.
John had been a good friend to her when she first arrived at Liam's mansion, scared and worried the prodigious Liam Stone would find her unsuitable and then return her and demand his money back, putting her family back in harm’s way. As long as they were under Liam's protection, all of them were untouchable. John had taught her little bits of etiquette here and there and always had an answer when she needed one.
“Don't worry, Little One. John is just retiring from driving and decided to help with the gardens instead.” She was relieved John would still be staying on in the pretty cottages on Liam's land, and she could go and see him whenever she wanted. But that didn't solve her problem at all with his replacement. And she did have a problem with him.
The man named Kade Tremayne, the new chauffeur walked toward them and offered her his hand. Something powerful and unexplainable hit her hard. The only way she could take his hand, in what was considered a polite social gesture, meant she would need to remove herself from being tucked into Liam's left side.
She didn't understand why elements of guilt swept over her as if she were deserting Liam for this man. As if she were cheating on her husband by even just allowing herself to shake his hand.
What was it about this man that made her feel such a wide scale of emotions but when her gaze involuntarily met his to find he was actually grinning at her for not shaking his hand, she decided she really didn't like him much at all.
“Olivia, that's not how we treat people we just meet. I know you know better, Little One. Do you want to try again?”
She turned fully into Liam's hard, strong body, both her arms around his waist, as if releasing him would make her splinter apart. She let his strength empower her, and her pussy clenched at his nearness. And also, she was being obnoxiously ridiculous.
“He's just the help,” she said, turning her eyes to her husband, and really, she preferred John anyway. “Can we go now?” she then asked, softening her gaze, and almost batting her eyelashes. Sometimes that look earned her a solid spanking, and other times it came with a solid spanking and orgasm deprivation for trying to get her way.
She'd happily suffer the consequences in the privacy of their bedroom or Liam's Black Room if it meant not touching the stranger who stood in front of her.
Liam scrutinized her for a moment before he kissed her lips, softly and gently. He then whispered in her ear, “Are you sure you're prepared for the consequences of your actions?”
Her skin tingled. She became twice as wet as she was when she'd entered his study to find the new staff member he had hired. And yes, she was prepared for the consequences. So he'd maybe take a cane to her backside. It had been a long time since she received a naughty-girl spanking for actually doing something wrong. The important thing was she didn't have to touch Kade Tremayne, and her punishment would happen in complete privacy. She'd call that a win.
She offered him a seductive smile, but Liam wasn't buying it.
“Sorry about that, Kade. My wife is normally not this… discourteous.”
The new chauffeur shook his head, stuck his hands back into his trouser pockets, looked down, and chuckled.
Chuckled.
Did he know she could have him fired on the spot?
Liam glanced at her at one last time. But now the half smile on his face said something else altogether, something she didn't fully understand.
“Well, shall we?” he asked and led her out of his study toward the entrance of the house. The chauffeur followed behind them, and Olivia hung on to Liam, praying she didn't trip in her too-high heels and embarrass herself.
She also tried to get rid